category	headline	text	url
business	CEO Secrets: 'Don't treat your business like your baby'	"Liz Jackson MBE is a director of corporate finance advisor, BCMS. She started her career as an entrepreneur, creating and growing her own marketing firm in her mid-twenties - just as she was starting to lose her sight. She shares her business advice for our CEO Secrets series.
Video by series producer Dougal Shaw"	/news/business-61792300
business	'The barriers to entry have gone - go for it now'	"j Lalvani, CEO of Vitabiotics and former Dragons' Den star, shares his business advice for our CEO Secrets series.
Produced, filmed and edited by Dougal Shaw"	/news/business-61880859
business	Robinhood cuts nearly a quarter of staff as crypto dives	"rading platform Robinhood is cutting nearly a quarter of its staff due to high inflation and the falling cryptocurrency market.
mpany said the economic climate had reduced trading activity, which had boomed at the height of the pandemic.
move comes after the firm reported quarterly revenues of $318m (£260m), 44% down on $565m a year earlier.
In April, the firm slashed 9% of its workforce, which its boss Vlad Tenev said ""did not go far enough"".
""Last year, we staffed many of our operations functions under the assumption that the heightened retail engagement we had been seeing with the stock and crypto markets in the Covid era would persist into 2022,"" said Mr Tenev.
""In this new environment, we are operating with more staffing than appropriate. As CEO, I approved and took responsibility for our ambitious staffing trajectory - this is on me.""
uts will affect 780 members of staff, and come in addition to the cuts announced earlier this year. 
Mr Tenev said all staff would receive ""an email and a Slack message with your status - with resources and support if you are leaving"".
He added workers, called ""Robinhoodies"" in the California-based company, would be able to stay in position until 1 October, be offered a severance package and given help in searching for another job.
""We know that this news is tough for all Robinhoodies, and we are also offering wellness support to those who would like it,"" he said.
Robinhood's commission-free trading proved hugely popular with amateur traders during the Covid lockdowns, which saw the number of account holders double.
But its customer base has been spooked by the cost of living rising and higher interest rates, which have hit global markets and sent cryptocurrencies slumping.
Its monthly active users also appeared to fall by roughly a third, at 14 million for June 2022 compared with 21.3 million in the second quarter of 2021, Reuters reported.
rokerage's mission is to ""democratise finance for all"", but it hit the headlines in January 2021 for restricting the buying of shares in the US games firm GameStop, which caused outrage among Americans buying the company's stock with the aim of pushing up the price.
Mr Tenev apologised to customers at a US congressional hearing in which lawmakers said the move had raised questions about fairness in financial markets.
form has also faced criticism for exposing amateurs to risky products such as meme stocks - shares which become popular via social media - and cryptocurrencies.
mpany said in its drive for ""greater cost discipline"" it would restructure the organisation by having general managers taking up ""broad responsibility"" for its individual businesses.
Mr Tenev said the change would ""flatten hierarchies"" and ""remove redundant roles and positions""."	/news/business-62405029
business	'We'll be lucky to keep our heads above water'	"government has set out plans in a mini-budget designed to boost economic growth and tackle soaring inflation.
ude cuts to stamp duty and income tax, reversing a recent rise in National Insurance, ending the cap on bankers' bonuses, and scrapping a planned increase in corporation tax.
We asked households and businesses how the plans would make a difference to them.
Raj Patel, 65, is the owner of restaurant Vegetarian Food Studio in Grangetown, Cardiff.
He says there is ""nothing for small business"" in the government plans.
""This budget is for the rich,"" he says. ""Everything is for the rich, not for the poor.""
He says scrapping the planned rise in corporation tax would help big business, but not his restaurant.
""If you don't make a big profit, it's not going to make a difference.""
Raj is due to sign a 10-year lease on his restaurant in December, but is wary of doing so because he doesn't know if he can pay the rent. His landlord could take him to court if that happened.
Due to food, fuel and energy price rises, he recently put the prices in his restaurant up by £1 per dish. However, over two months, the amount of money the business took dropped by more than a third, and he is worried that this could get worse as people tighten their belts.
""We'll be lucky to keep our heads above water,"" he says.
Wendy Timewell, manager at Hotel Wroxham in Hoveton, Norfolk, says the government plans ""will certainly help"".
""I think the government has done a good job,"" she says.
ut to National Insurance ""will help hugely"", both for the business, which since April had been having to make higher contributions, and for employees, who would get more take-home wages.
In addition, government support on energy bills will help, although it is still unclear by exactly how much.
Wendy says she is ""really grateful for all the things the government has done"", and that the support will help her cope with ""spiralling costs"", including food, energy and fuel.
However, despite the hotel being in a strong position, she is still apprehensive about what will happen over the winter.
""We're going into the unknown,"" she says. ""We're not sure how [price rises] will affect the general public. It's terrifying.""
One of the first ways people look to save money is by spending less on hospitality, she says.
""Only the strong will survive. The top earners will be fine.""
However, businesses that had not been prudent or had been hit hard by the pandemic could go under, Wendy believes.
Hospitality firms are ""still paying out huge amounts of Covid debt"", she says, while the government has started ""aggressively going after businesses for payment"".
Chrissy Thornton runs the Disability Families of Middleton charity in Leeds on a voluntary basis and looks after her two grandchildren.
She was hopeful the government would provide her with help in the mini-budget. 
But at home on Friday, she voiced her disappointment at the measures.
Chrissy gets income support benefit, alongside disability living allowance and carer's allowance as her grandson has multiple conditions, including Raynaud Syndrome. 
She can't see anything in the announcement to benefit her.
""The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. People are struggling, it's getting worse,"" she says.
""My heart goes out to the elderly and vulnerable and those who are doing two jobs and still can't afford to provide for themselves.""
Lesley, a nurse from Staffordshire, who didn't want to giver her surname, is in her 50s.
She says the government plans ""don't feel like they're going to make a big difference"" to many people's lives.
ut to National Insurance will help, but many people will still be struggling, she says.
She is particularly concerned about energy bills, saying she is ""worried about how much further it's going to go up"" in October, even with the government's Energy Price Guarantee scheme.
""My husband and I are already talking about how much of the winter we could manage without the heating on,"" she says.
""You don't think in this day and age you'd be saying: 'How many blankets do I need to put around my knees?'""
Lesley is worried about elderly relatives getting cold and about discharging elderly patients.
""It puts pressure on us as nurses,"" she says. ""If we discharge them, we think: 'Are they going to be sat at home, freezing cold?'""
Lesley's husband is disabled, and she is the main income-earner in her household.
She is noticing higher food prices and has started shopping more at discounters. 
""We're thinking: 'What do we really need?'"" she says. ""It's changed my shopping practices. I used to go out and not even look at the prices of things.""
Lesley is also doing more batch cooking to try to save energy, and car-sharing with colleagues to get to work due to higher fuel prices."	/news/business-63007990
business	Elon Musk denies affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin's wife	"Elon Musk has denied having an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder, Sergey Brin.
Mr Musk's comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported that his friendship with Mr Brin had ended over the alleged affair.
Replying to a link to the story posted on Twitter, Mr Musk referred to the report as ""total bs"".
Mr Musk went on to say that he is still friends with Mr Brin and that they were ""at a party together last night!""
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said that Mr Musk was engaged in a brief affair late last year with Ms Shanahan.
rompted Mr Brin to file for divorce earlier this year and ended the long friendship between the two high-profile technology billionaires, the paper also said.
But Mr Musk tweeted ""I've only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic"".
At the time of the alleged affair in December, Mr Brin and his wife were separated but still living together, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person close to Ms Shanahan.
In a separate tweet, Mr Musk said ""WSJ [Wall Street Journal] has run so many bs hit pieces on me and Tesla I've lost count.""
Even though they have a prenuptial agreement, Mr Brin and Ms Shanahan are currently negotiating a divorce settlement, which could be as much as $1bn (£830m), the paper said.
Ms Shanahan is a California-based attorney and founder of legal technology company ClearAccessIP and the Bia-Echo Foundation, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Bia-Echo Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that promotes ""reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet"".
Mr Musk, who is also the boss of rocket firm SpaceX, is well known for how he operates his many companies but he has also attracted press interest in his private life. 
In tweets earlier this month he appeared to confirm reports he had twins in late 2021 with Shivon Zilis - an executive at his technology company Neuralink.
It came weeks after it was revealed his daughter Vivian had taken steps to cut ties with him, declaring her wish to no longer ""be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form"".
Mr Musk is currently embroiled in a legal fight over his abandoned plan to buy Twitter for $44bn.
Earlier this month, the social media platform sued him after he announced he was walking away from his proposed takeover of the firm.
Mr Musk is the world's richest person, with an estimated fortune of more $240bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
According to the same index, Mr Brin is worth around $95bn, making him the eighth richest person in the world.
Ms Shanahan, Mr Brin and Google did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.
Who is Elon Musk? Meet the meme-loving magnate behind SpaceX and Tesla... published in 2021"	/news/business-62288139
business	Train drivers set to resume strikes in October	"rain drivers are set to stage more strikes in October as part of a long-running dispute over pay, the BBC understands.
Drivers at 12 train companies are expected to strike on 1 and 5 October.
Aslef, the train drivers' union, has not commented on the proposed industrial action out of respect ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
A strike had been planned for 15 September, but was postponed following the announcement of the Queen's death. 
Aslef will not be making any public statements or comments on further strike action until Tuesday. 
But the managing director of rail operator LNER, David Horne, tweeted that the trade union Aslef had indeed notified it of strike action on Saturday 1 October and Wednesday 5 October.
Mr Horne said LNER had already suspended ticket sales for these dates and it would confirm as soon as possible which services will be running.
A rail industry source told the BBC that they found it ""incredible"" and ""utterly disrespectful"" that the Aslef leadership announced fresh strike action on Friday.
""This a time when the entire rail family is working hard to support the hundreds of thousands of people who wish to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen during this time of national mourning,"" they said.
A series of large-scale rail strikes has already happened in recent months, causing disruption for millions, with unions wanting pay increases in line with the rising cost of living.
Rail bosses say they want to give workers a pay rise. But they and the government insist changes are needed to ""modernise"" the railway, end some outdated working practices and save money.
rgue that with passenger revenue lower than before the pandemic, and after billions of public money kept services going, neither taxpayers nor passengers should have to pay more to cover the funding gap. So higher wages must be funded by reforms.
used unions of a ""total disregard"" for passengers. 
rike action is expected to affect travel to and from the Conservative party conference, which is due to take place in Birmingham between 2 and 5 October.
London Marathon is also taking place on 2 October.
During her campaign, Prime Minister Liz Truss pledged to introduce new restrictions on trade unions, which drew severe criticism from the likes of the Trade Unions' Congress as an ""attack on fundamental British liberty"".
One of her proposals included ensuring that a minimum level of service is provided in some sectors, including the railways.
Unions currently have to give two weeks' notice of planned strike action. "	/news/business-62923999
business	Liz Truss set to cut energy bills for millions	"Prime Minister Liz Truss is understood to be planning to borrow billions to limit the expected sharp rise in energy bills for households and firms. 
It is understood that a typical energy bill could be capped at around £2,500 with full details expected on Thursday.
Currently, a typical household's gas and electricity bill is due to rise from £1,971 to £3,549 in October.
government's plans to subsidise bills means that customers will not be expected to repay the support.
It is unclear how long the government support will last, but the overall government support package is expected to total around £100bn.
ultimate figure will depend on gas and energy price movements in the highly volatile international energy markets as well as how much additional support is offered to the most vulnerable. 
Ms Truss has pledged to ""deliver on the energy crisis"" - with details expected to be announced on Thursday.
Energy bosses have insisted for some time that a government-backed superfund from which they could borrow to subsidise bills ""is the only game in town"".
However, the government is understood to be reluctant to see money added to customer bills for up to 20 years so energy companies could pay back the loans.
It is also thought to be reluctant to add the cost to general taxation, given their pledges to be a tax cutting government. 
Kwasi Kwarteng - tipped to be the new chancellor - has already indicated the government is prepared to borrow to support the economy.
would be consistent with Ms Truss' position that the UK needs to break free of the Treasury's strict spending rules.
Nevertheless, the estimated £100bn is a sizeable sum to borrow at the same time as cutting taxes and boosting spending on defence and it could end up costing more than that, given the fluctuating price of wholesale gas. 
""One of the dangers here is that it could even be more expensive than £100bn,"" said Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, contrasting it with the Covid-prompted furlough scheme, which cost £60bn-£70bn.
""There has to be a risk that energy prices stay high for a long time, perhaps even up to three or four years,"" he said. ""Then this starts being baked into public spending long-term."" 
f UK government borrowing hit its highest level for eight years on Tuesday, with the yield on ten-year bonds rising above 3%. That reflects the market's expectation that the government will have to borrow more and means any future borrowing will be more expensive.
Mr Johnson said the plan to borrow to support energy bills was only one you would adopt ""if you can't think of anything else"" because it amounted to subsidising everybody's gas use, when the higher price suggested there was not enough gas available. That could lead to rationing, he suggested, and would mean high-income households would benefit by a much larger amount than those at the lower end.
How is the rising cost of living affecting you? Get in touch.
Government sources say that over time, new energy supply measures - such as cutting the link between renewable sources and the gas price - will lower costs while a growing economy will shrink the proportion of overall debt to the size of the economy. 
Businesses are also expected to be offered some relief in the plan set to be announced on Thursday.
Unlike households, businesses are not protected by an energy price cap. Many fixed-rate deals for business expire this October, exposing thousands of firms to full costs that could rise by four or five times or more. Thousands would go bust or cut their wage bills by firing staff.
recise mechanism to help business may be more complicated and would be reviewed more frequently but reports suggest it could see the government mandate energy firms to offer specific reductions on the unit price of the energy businesses use. 
Including businesses could easily push the cost of the government's energy plan over £100bn. 
Alex Veitch of the British Chambers of Commerce said: ""It is encouraging that the government is seriously considering the support it can give to businesses during these very difficult times.
""But it remains to be seen whether these plans will go far enough in offering the help that many firms so desperately need.""
Craig Beaumont from the Federation of Small Businesses said: ""This commitment looks very promising, and arguably the best reassurance that small businesses need that some form of help with bills will follow - not just for households. 
""The scope and reach of the help is going to be absolutely crucial to save hundreds of thousands of small businesses this winter."""	/news/business-62801913
business	Twitter investor sues Elon Musk and platform over takeover bid	"A Twitter investor is suing Elon Musk and the social media platform over the handling of the billionaire's $44bn (£34.9bn) bid for the company. 
ges he violated California corporate laws in a number of ways.
It accuses the Tesla boss of ""wrongful conduct"" as his ""false statements and market manipulation have created 'chaos' at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco"".
witter shares are around 27% lower than Mr Musk's $54.20 offer price.
roposed class action lawsuit was filed this week at the US District Court for the Northern District of California by investor William Heresniak, who said he was acting ""on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated"".
A class-action is a lawsuit that has been filed or is defended by an individual acting on behalf of a group of people.
wsuit claimed Mr Musk benefitted financially by delaying the disclosure of his significant stake in Twitter, and his plan to become a board member of the company.
It also claimed that several tweets posted by Mr Musk, who is a regular Twitter user with more than 95m followers, were ""misleading"".
It included a post in which Mr Musk said his takeover bid for the social media firm was on hold because of his doubts over the number of fake accounts on the platform.
weet on 13 May ""constituted an effort to manipulate the market for Twitter shares as he knew about the fake accounts,"" the lawsuit said.
It also said Mr Musk ""doubled down"" on his allegations four days later, by stating on Twitter that the deal ""cannot go forward"".
On Friday, Frank Bottini, who is one of the lawyers representing the Twitter investors, told the BBC that the lawsuit was filed as Mr Musk ""continues to disparage the company he wants to buy for $44bn in an effort to renegotiate the purchase price"".
""The complaint we filed in San Francisco seeks to hold Musk liable for his unlawful conduct,"" Mr Bottini said.
Mr Musk's lawyers and Tesla did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment on Friday.
witter declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.
Analysts have speculated that Mr Musk may be looking for ways to lower his takeover offer or walk away from the deal.
He has tweeted several times that he was concerned about the number of fake accounts, or bots, on Twitter.
A bot is a software programme that sends out automated posts and is often associated with misinformation on social media platforms.
Mr Musk has also hinted that he may seek to pay less for Twitter than the $44bn agreed with the company's board in March.
Speaking at a technology conference earlier this month, he said striking a deal at a lower price was ""not out of the question"".
Earlier this month, a Florida pension fund also challenged Mr Musk's move to buy Twitter as it claimed a deal could not be struck in months as planned.
Orlando Police Pension Fund said Mr Musk was an ""interested shareholder"" in Twitter, as he had made agreements with major shareholders, including its co-founder Jack Dorsey, before he offered to buy the business.
Citing the law in the US state of Delaware, where Twitter is incorporated, it said the deal should not be allowed to close before 2025.
fund did not disclose its stake in the social media platform, although it said it has been ""a beneficial owner of Twitter common stock"" at ""all relevant times"".
You may also be interested in:
Who is Elon Musk? Meet the meme-loving magnate behind SpaceX and Tesla...published in 2021"	/news/business-61589229
business	Avanti West Coast boss quits after train timetable cuts	"managing director of Avanti West Coast is stepping down, the company has announced, amid a backlash over timetable cuts. 
rail firm said Phil Whittingham would leave on 15 September - the same day new train strikes will take place. 
Services between London and Manchester have been cut to a third, with the company blaming ""staffing issues"". 
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the firm should be in the ""last chance saloon"".
Mr Burnham has previously called for the company's licence to be revoked if services aren't restored - a decision only the government can take. 
""This is England's most important railway line, linking its biggest cities, and every day that this chaos continues is a day when our economy in Greater Manchester is damaged and another day of misery for passengers,"" he told the BBC's Today programme. 
Last month, Avanti West Coast cut its timetable from three services an hour to one - blaming staffing issues. 
Explaining the timetable change at the time, Mr Whittingham said the ""current industrial relations climate"" had resulted in ""severe staff shortages in some grades through increased sickness levels, as well as unofficial strike action by Aslef members"".
mpany said it currently had more drivers than before the pandemic but relied on staff working overtime in order to run a full timetable and keep up with training.
union said the company needed to employ more drivers - and denied any accusation of unofficial strike action.
In a statement, Avanti apologised to customers for the ""enormous frustration and inconvenience"" caused by the reduced timetable.
uts to the timetable have prompted widespread criticism and frustration.
Mr Burnham said Mr Whittingham's departure revealed a serious management failure, and urged the government to ""stop playing politics"" regarding the country's widespread strike action. 
He called on the UK's new prime minister, who will be announced on Monday, to ""reset"" the debate.
""We need to start fixing problems and working together, rather than this playing the politics and trying to demonise the trade unions."" 
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: ""People deserve certainty and confidence that their train will run on time, and while the change of schedule was unavoidable, it should minimise the fallout for passengers. 
""This is a prime example of why we need to modernise our railways, so passengers benefit from reliable timetables that don't rely on the goodwill of drivers volunteering to work overtime in the first place.""
First Rail boss Steve Montgomery said: ""Having led the team through the challenges presented by the pandemic over the last two years and into the recovery period, Phil leaves with the team ready for the challenges in delivering the future service requirements.
""I would like to thank Phil and wish him well in the future.""
On Wednesday, Aslef said its members at 12 operators - including Avanti West Coast - would take industrial action on 15 September.
Separately, the RMT union has announced two more national rail strikes later this month. Workers will walk out on 15 and 17 September in a long-running dispute about pay, jobs and conditions. "	/news/business-62771922
business	Heathrow Airport cuts flights and warns more could come	"Heathrow Airport has apologised to passengers caught up in recent travel chaos but warned that more flights could be cancelled.
UK's largest airport asked airlines to remove 61 flights from Monday's schedules, as it seeks to cope with soaring demand and staff shortages.
Heathrow's boss John Holland-Kaye said the airport would request ""further action if necessary"".
f thousands of UK passengers have been affected by travel disruption.  
Airports and airlines have struggled to recruit staff after shedding jobs during Covid lockdowns as holiday demand has returned. The UK is about to enter the key summer holiday season as schools begin to break up. 
government and the aviation regulator wrote to carriers last month telling them to ensure their summer timetables were ""deliverable"".
Last week, British Airways said it was cutting 10,300 more short-haul flights between August and the end of October. The announcement, affecting Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, means nearly 30,000 flights will have been removed from BA's schedule between April and October this year.
Heathrow apologised to passengers affected by ""long queue times, delays for passengers with reduced mobility, bags not travelling with passengers or arriving late"", at times in recent weeks.
But it insisted most passengers had a good level of service, despite resourcing challenges at the airport, airlines, ground handlers and government agencies.
Mr Holland-Kaye said: ""I am very proud of the way that our team is rising to the challenge of growth, and giving excellent service to the vast majority of passengers.
""However, we have already seen times recently when demand exceeds the capacity of the airport, airlines and ground handlers.  
""We will review the schedule changes that airlines have submitted in response to the government's requirement to minimise disruption for passengers this summer and will ask them to take further action if necessary.""
Heathrow said it had asked airlines to remove 61 flights from Monday's schedules, because more passengers are expected in Terminals 3 and 5 than the airport can currently serve.
Previous ""schedule interventions"" happened following problems with a baggage system, and because more passengers were expected than security staffing could cope with.
Heathrow said nearly six million passengers used the airport in June.
Another hint that cancellations may not be over, just as the summer holidays are about to take off.
Airlines say the advance cancellations they've already made should make the peak schedules more reliable and minimise the chances of last minute disruption.
For example, British Airways said last week it would take out more than 10,000 flights, between August and October. It hopes that will be the last such wave of cuts.
But Heathrow is clear today it will review airlines' schedule-trimming and ask them to do more if necessary.
rport has already made a number of ""schedule interventions"" at short notice, asking airlines to remove a relatively small number of services the following day.
Aviation businesses insist they're doing everything in their control to improve things, but no-one can promise a completely disruption-free summer.
re aviation sector has struggled to bounce back from the pandemic, during which it cut thousands of jobs as the industry ground to a halt.
Now that travel has resumed, airlines are seeking to put on almost as many flights as they did before Covid restrictions were introduced while many aviation businesses, for example ground handlers, are finding it difficult to rehire workers.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the number of last-minute flight cancellations from the UK was up 188% in June 2022, compared to June 2019 before the pandemic.
Last month, the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority wrote a joint letter to carriers, telling them to cancel flights they cannot deliver this summer.
Other airlines have also announced cancellations over the busy summer period.
Low cost European carrier Wizz Air has said it will reduce its peak summer flight programme in an effort to avoid flight cancellations and delays.
Hungarian airline said it would trim its capacity by a further 5%.
Industry bosses have urged the government to allow them to recruit workers from overseas as one potential fix to staff shortages.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Philipp Joeinig, group chief executive of Menzies Aviation, said ministers should add aviation workers to the shortage occupation list as the country enters the peak travel season.
Last month, it was reported that this plea had been rejected by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.
Are you concerned about booking a holiday? Do you work in the industry?  Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62119420
business	McDonald's puts up price of cheeseburger for first time in 14 years	"McDonald's has put up the price of its cheeseburger for the first time in more than 14 years, due to growing cost pressures. 
fast food chain said its UK restaurants would be adding between 10p and 20p to a number of items. 
rice of a cheeseburger has increased from 99p to £1.19. 
Companies are facing increased costs for things like fuel, wages and ingredients, with prices rising at their fastest rate for 40 years. 
In an email to customers, McDonald's UK and Ireland chief executive Alistair Macrow said the company was facing ""tough choices"" about its prices. 
""We understand that any price increases are not good news, but we have delayed and minimised these changes for as long as we could,"" he said, adding that some prices were unaffected. 
Some prices will continue to vary across different restaurants as some are operated by franchisees, who can set prices based on recommendations from McDonald's. 
Other items that are increasing in price include breakfast meals, large coffees, McNugget share boxes and upgrades from medium to large meals, the company said. 
If the price of a McDonald's cheeseburger had increased in line with inflation it would now cost £1.42. 
Economist has been tracking the cost of a Big Mac around the world since 1986. According to its figures from July, Britain is the 14th most expensive country to buy a Big Mac out of the 54 countries it tracks, costing £3.69 ($4.44)
Here are the top five most expensive countries for a Big Mac in dollars: 
1. Switzerland - $6.71
2. Norway - $6.26
3. Uruguay - $6.08
4. Sweden - $5.59
5. Canada - $5.25
McDonald's has more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. 
On Tuesday, it said it was considering whether to add more discounted menu options because the increased cost of living, particularly in Europe, was leading to some lower-income customers buying cheaper items and fewer big combination meals. 
It came as the company reported a jump in global sales of 9.7% for the three months to the end of June, compared with the same period last year. 
war in Ukraine has pushed up the cost of fuel and food, with UK inflation - the rate at which prices rise - hitting 9.4% in June, the highest level for more than 40 years. 
Some firms are also having to increase wages to attract and retain staff, with job vacancies at near record highs. However, pay increases are not keeping up with the growing cost of living. 
Companies around the world are facing cost pressures, with other countries also affected by high inflation. 
On Tuesday, drinks giant Coca-Cola told Bloomberg its global prices had increased by an average of around 5% 
It came after Amazon also announced it was increasing prices for customers due to higher costs, with the price of its Prime subscription service rising by £1 a month from September. 
KitKat maker Nestle, Marmite maker Unilever and bakery chain Greggs are among those which have already increased prices this year. 
Have you been cutting back on things like takeaways due to the rise in the cost of living? Share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62317453
business	Ben & Jerry's criticises resumption of sales in Israeli settlements	"Ben & Jerry's has said it does ""not agree"" with a deal by its parent company Unilever that allows its ice cream to continue being sold in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
firm said it still believed it was ""inconsistent with Ben & Jerry's values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory"" - a position welcomed by many Palestinians.
Israel praised Unilever's reversal of last year's decision by Ben & Jerry's to stop such sales as a victory against discrimination and anti-Semitism.
Unilever's decision came after legal action from its Israeli licensee American Quality Products (AQP) and its owner Avi Zinger, who were seeking damages from the UK-based consumer goods giant. Their contract had been due to expire at the end of this year anyway.
re was also pressure against the withdrawal from shareholders, including activist investor Nelson Peltz, and politicians in the United States. 
Unilever said in a statement on Wednesday that it was now selling its Ben & Jerry's business interests in Israel to Mr Zinger.
w arrangement means Ben & Jerry's will be sold under its Hebrew and Arabic names throughout Israel and the West Bank under the full ownership of the current licensee.
Mr Zinger thanked Unilever and the Israeli government for their support in reaching a deal which he said gave him the rights to sell the ice cream ""forever"". But he refused to comment on Ben & Jerry's rejection of the arrangement.
In a statement, he said: ""There is no place for discrimination in the commercial sale of ice cream. It has always been important to me to ensure that all customers - no matter their identity - are free to enjoy Ben & Jerry's ice cream.""
Ben & Jerry's, which was founded by best friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in the US state of Vermont in 1978, wrote in a Twitter thread: ""While our parent company has taken this decision, we do not agree with it."" 
""Our company will no longer profit from Ben & Jerry's in Israel,"" it added.
Ever since Unilever bought the ice cream company in 2000 it has retained an independent board with the right to make decisions about its social mission. The company has a history of speaking out about issues that it feels are important. 
However, Unilever still had control of financial and operational decisions and said that was why it had intervened after Ben & Jerry's board decided to stop sales in Israeli settlements.
More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Unilever said the new arrangement followed a review of Ben & Jerry's operations in Israel and an extensive consultation, including dialogue with the Israeli government.
When the row erupted last July Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said a withdrawal would be bad business and morally wrong. Unilever owns several Israeli food brands, and in a phone call Mr Bennett warned its Chief Executive Alan Jope of ""severe consequences"". Ben & Jerry's is a popular ice cream choice amongst Israeli consumers, and the company even marks Jewish festivals with special flavours.
Palestinian activists behind the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement praised Ben & Jerry's at the time for what they said was ""a decisive step towards ending the company's complicity in Israel's occupation and violations of Palestinian rights"". The movement tries to use economic pressure to force Israel to change its policies.
However, Israel's government and Unilever continued talking and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke to both Mr Jope and Mr Zinger in the last few days.
In a statement, Mr Lapid welcomed Unilever's efforts to resolve the dispute, saying: ""Anti-Semitism will not defeat us, not even when it comes to ice-cream. We will fight delegitimization and the BDS campaign in every arena, whether in the public square, in the economic sphere or in the moral realm. 
""The Ben & Jerry's factory in Israel is a microcosm of the diversity of Israeli society. Today's victory is a victory for all those who know that the struggle against BDS is, first and foremost, a struggle for partnership and dialogue, and against discrimination and hate."" 
At least 35 US states have anti-BDS legislation. Airbnb is amongst the other companies which have reversed their policies over Israeli settlements after facing lawsuits in the US.
Professor Eugene Kontorovich, director of International Law at the Jerusalem-based Kohelet Policy Forum, said Unilever's decision was ""a victory for the anti-boycott laws across America"". He added that, after the ""embarrassment and expense"" of this reversal, ""one would hope that companies will understand that it is just malpractice to boycott Israel"".
Omar Shakir of US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said Unilever was seeking to undermine the ""principled decision"" of Ben & Jerry's board, but insisted it would not succeed.
""Ben & Jerry's won't be doing business in illegal settlements. What comes next may look and taste similar, but, without Ben & Jerry's recognized social justice values, it's just a pint of ice cream,"" he added.
Unilever has invested more than £240m ($290m) in Israel over the last decade and employs a diverse workforce of more than 2,000 people across four manufacturing plants.
""Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance,"" the company said.  
""Anti-Semitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and have no intention of changing that position."""	/news/business-61985652
business	Campaigners oppose 112-mile East Anglia power line	"A planned 112 mile-long (180km) power line suspended mostly on new pylons across East Anglia should be run under the sea, campaigners said.
National Grid said the high voltage line, between Norwich, Suffolk and Essex, was needed to carry electricity from offshore wind turbines.
It said the ""essential"" line would also be used by the proposed new Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Essex MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said the plan was a ""non-starter"".
roposed 400kV electricity transmission line, called the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project, would run between Norwich and a new Bramford substation near Ipswich, and then to Tilbury in south Essex, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
It would use 164ft high (50m) steel pylons, except for where it would run underground through the Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty on the Suffolk/Essex border.
Sir Bernard, Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, is chairman of the Off Shore Electricity Grid Task Force (OffSET) which is a group MPs who want to protect rural locations in Suffolk and Essex from new overground pylons and cabling.
He said: ""What we cannot have is cheap and cheerful patchwork solutions.
""The current plans are a non-starter.""
MP said rather than building new pylons, or running the cabling underground which would be too expensive, they should be looking at more offshore solutions to connect the three substations to limit the effect on the countryside.
He said: ""We need a much more environment-friendly solution, and I look forward to working with local residents to have their voices heard.""
Rosie Pearson, from the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, said the proposed line would ""result in an unacceptable industrialization of our precious and beautiful East Anglian landscapes"".
""It will have an impact on wildlife, communities and businesses. That has not been taken into account,"" she said.
She agreed a ""properly planned offshore grid"" would be the group's preferred option.
Liam Walker, from the National Grid, said the project was ""essential to carry more clean energy to homes and businesses across the UK, and to help the country reach net zero by 2050"".
A public consultation on the plans runs until 16 June.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-61387035
business	Co-op launches trial to cut back use of lighting	"Co-op is trialling reduced lighting in stores as a way of saving money as energy bills continue to soar. 
upermarket is rolling out dimmer lighting in around 500 of its 2,500 convenience stores across the UK. 
It is understood the cost saving measures could reduce electricity bills by up to £4,000 a year for a single store.
It follows supermarket chains such as Sainsbury's and Morrisons making similar moves.
Co-op could potentially cut its energy bills by as much as £10m if similar savings were made across all of its stores. 
A spokesman for the company said it was trialling the initiative to reduce its environmental impact and help cut costs in the long run.
mpany is reviewing how it can become a ""more energy efficient business, without compromising safety and still achieving a positive store environment and shopping experience"" for customers, the spokesman said. 
Co-op is not the first retailer to cut back on the use of lighting in stores.  
Sainsbury's lowers lighting when it is bright outside or during less busy hours. 
rt of its long-running environmental plans to save energy and meet its goal of being net zero in its operations by 2035. 
Last year, it finished the roll out of LED lighting right across its supermarkets to cut energy consumption. 
It also uses a system that automatically monitors and controls lighting in stores to ensure that its sites are only lit when required. 
Morrisons also dims the lights for the first and last hour of trade in most of its stores, as well as its ""quiet hour"" on a Saturday. The supermarket has done this since the coronavirus pandemic and it helps to reduce its energy bill.
UK faces ""a significant risk"" of gas shortages this winter, industry regulator Ofgem said last week, which could have an effect on electricity supplies.
Energy costs, which were already rising, have soared as the conflict in Ukraine reduces the availability of Russian gas.
Prices have also risen because demand for energy has rocketed since Covid restrictions ended.
National Grid has also announced it will launch a scheme from 1 November which incentivises businesses and households to reduce their electricity use at key times to help reduce pressure on the energy supply this winter. 
mpany said larger businesses will be paid for reducing demand, for example by shifting their times of energy use or switching to batteries or generators in peak times."	/news/business-63214968
business	South Korea lorry driver strike hits car and steel producers	"Major South Korean businesses say they are being hit hard as a strike by thousands of lorry drivers across the country is in its seventh day.
Car maker Hyundai and steel producer POSCO are among the firms that have been affected by the industrial action.
ruckers are demanding more pay and an extension to government subsidies as they face rising fuel costs.
It comes as the country's exports fell by almost 13% in the first 10 days of the month from a year earlier.
rike has raised concerns that it could worsen global supply chain disruptions, caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war, and help to further push up prices around the world. South Korea is a major producer of goods from cars to electronics and computer chips.
On Monday, a spokesperson for South Korea's largest car maker Hyundai told the BBC it had ""experienced partial production disruption"" at its biggest manufacturing plant in the south eastern city of Ulsan.
""Hyundai Motor is closely monitoring the situation, and we hope to normalise production soon to minimise impact on our customers,"" the spokesperson added.
untry's biggest steel maker POSCO also said it had suspended some production at its factories because it has run out of space to store finished products. The company said its current stocks have not been shipped because of the strike.
A spokesperson for POSCO said: ""We are not yet certain how long this suspension will last.""
Memory chip producer SK Hynix declined to comment on the impact of the strike when contacted by the BBC. Electronics giant Samsung did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
ues come as South Korean officials and the Cargo Truckers Solidarity union have so far failed to reach a deal to end the strike, which started on 7 June.
re are around 420,000 lorry drivers in South Korea, where they are regarded as self-employed workers.
riking truckers have called for pay rises and a pledge that a guarantee of minimum rates for freight will be kept in place. The system was introduced during the pandemic and is due to expire in December.
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it met union representatives for more than eight hours on Saturday to discuss ""ways to normalise logistics"" but ""no agreement was reached"".
""[We] plan to continue dialogue to resolve this situation as soon as possible,"" the ministry said.
Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, warned that the strike may lead to a bottleneck in South Korea's exports, which could worsen inflation around the world - that is the pace at which prices rise.
""This is a big problem hitting at an inopportune time as Korea is a massive exporter,"" Mr Innes told the BBC.
""It adds to global inflation concerns since Korea is a significant supplier of semiconductors, smartphones and a host of other top-shelf electronics names and components,"" he added.
Official data released on Monday showed that South Korean exports shrank by 12.7% in the first 10 days of this month from a year earlier.
During the period exports of cars fell more than 35%, while wireless communication device exports dropped by over 27%.
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Watching North Korea from a supersonic fighter jet"	/news/business-61779614
business	Ryanair will grow even faster in recession, boss says	"Ryanair will grow even faster in the event of an economic downturn in the UK, the company's boss has told the BBC. 
Michael O'Leary said people would still fly during a recession but they would choose low-fare airlines like Ryanair.
firm has announced what it described as its biggest ever winter schedule to and from the UK.
Mr O'Leary said the expansion was because competitors - such as British Airways - had cut their capacity.
He acknowledged a recession would be a worry ""for the sake of passengers"" and said high inflation was a risk.
However, he predicted Ryanair would ""grow very strongly this winter"". 
Bank of England has forecast the UK economy will fall into recession later this year. This happens when the economy shrinks for two three-month periods in a row.
Mr O'Leary told the BBC: ""A deep recession in the UK or an energy crisis will certainly affect overall demand, but within that - as has happened in the last four or five recessions - you see people trading down from high-fare airlines like BA and Easyjet, to low-fare airlines like Ryanair.""  
He likened this to ""the same way many people have switched from shopping in Sainsbury's to Lidl and Aldi"", and insisted he was ""confident we'll grow even faster as a result of any recession here"".
He said that Ryanair would be able to keep fares lower than other airlines due to its fuel-hedging strategy - where an airline agrees to purchase oil in the future at a predetermined price. 
However he repeated comments he had recently made to the BBC that super-cheap €10 tickets would not be possible in the near future, with the soaring cost of fuel pushing up the airline's average fare from around €40 (£33.75) last year to roughly €50 over the next five years.
Mr O'Leary said Ryanair still had not been able to provide Covid refunds to 200,000 passengers, out of a total of 30 million.
He insisted this was because they had booked through online travel agents, whom he accused of being ""pirates"", and that Ryanair could not contact such passengers because details such as email addresses were often incorrect.
Mr O'Leary said the problems with staff shortages at airports seen at the start of the summer appeared to have been resolved ""at every airport with the exception of Heathrow"".   
He has started referring to Britain's biggest airport - from where Ryanair does not operate - as ""Hopeless Heathrow"", after it introduced a cap on passenger numbers which has prompted cancellations and ticket sales limits. Heathrow says its cap has been successful in reducing on-the-day disruption for passengers.
British Airways has been severely affected by the cap, cutting around two dozen flights a day until it ends.
BA also said that to ensure it can cope over winter, it will be cutting 10,000 flights between late October and March.
When it comes to staff wages, Mr O'Leary said he wanted to give pay rises, and things were now moving beyond agreements to restore pay to pre-Covid levels, to discussions over pay increases.  
He could not give guarantees across the board now, citing uncertainties such as how well the market recovers this winter, and the situation with the war in Ukraine. But he said he was moving ""aggressively"" towards negotiating increases in pay.
Ryanair has faced battles with unions after it cut salaries during the pandemic but it has been less affected by staff shortages and cancellations than other airlines.
mpany has said this was because it kept staff on, albeit on reduced pay, and maintained training at the height of Covid restrictions. 
Mr O'Leary also urged the victor in the ongoing Conservative party leadership contest to scrap Air Passenger Duty - which is paid by airlines for every passenger who flies from the UK - and to negotiate a free trade deal with the EU when they became prime minister.
He said the lack of free movement under the current ""hard Brexit"" deal had caused staffing challenges in the UK economy, including in airports, and accused Boris Johnson's government of being ""economically illiterate"".
He previously told the BBC a more ""practical, common sense"" approach to post-Brexit policy was needed, to allow more workers from Europe to fill vacancies.
Mr O'Leary said he expected passenger growth in the next few years to be largely made possible by taking delivery of 51 new, more efficient Boeing aircraft - although he cast some doubt upon whether they would be delivered on time."	/news/business-62728621
business	Kwasi Kwarteng U-turns on plans to scrap 45p tax rate	"Watch: Chancellor defends income tax cut U-turn
government has U-turned on plans to scrap the 45p rate of income tax for higher earners.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC the proposals, announced just 10 days ago, had become ""a massive distraction on what was a strong package"".
""We just talked to people, we listened to people, I get it,"" he added.
, which marks a humiliating climbdown for Prime Minister Liz Truss, comes after several Tory MPs criticised the plan.
On Sunday, Ms Truss had said she was committed to the policy. 
rap the 45p rate, paid by people earning more than £150,000 a year, was announced as part of a package of tax cuts.
Mr Kwarteng told BBC Breakfast the proposal was ""drowning out a strong package"", including support for energy bills, and cuts to the basic rate of income tax and corporation tax.
Asked whether he owed people an apology, he said: ""We've listened to people. And yeah, there is humility and contrition in that. And I'm happy to own it.""
He added that he had ""the humility to say look, we got it wrong and we are not going to proceed with the abolition of the rate"".
On how the decision was made, he said: ""The prime minister decided not to proceed with the abolition of the rate.""
However, pressed on whether it was her U-turn, Mr Kwarteng added: ""No, we talked together, I said this is what I was minded to do and we decided together, we were in agreement that we wouldn't proceed with the abolition of the rate.""
Asked if he had considered resigning, he said: ""Not at all.""
Downing Street also said the prime minister continued to have confidence in Mr Kwarteng.
On Sunday, Ms Truss had told the BBC the move to cut the top rate of income tax was ""a decision that the chancellor made"".
But she also said she was absolutely committed to it as part of a package to make the tax system ""simpler"" and boost growth.
Watch: Prime Minister Liz Truss says she stands by plans announced in the mini-budget
Asked whether his previous comment that there was ""more to come"" on tax cuts still stood, Mr Kwarteng said there would be no tax cuts ahead of the next Budget in the spring.
Pressed on whether his economic plans would mean spending cuts for public services, the chancellor said there would be more details in the government's fiscal plan on 23 November.
However, he said the government was sticking to its 2021 comprehensive spending review, meaning it will not raise spending in line with inflation.
In addition to concern about the 45p tax rate, the government had also received criticism for not publishing an economic forecast by the independent spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Mr Kwarteng told the BBC he had wanted to act at ""high speed"" and that there hadn't been enough time to get a full forecast.
U-turn comes a few hours before the chancellor is due to give a speech to the Conservative Party conference, in which he had been expected to stress the importance of ""staying the course"". 
Labour called for the government to ""reverse their whole economic, discredited trickle down strategy"". 
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the U-turn came ""too late for the families who will pay higher mortgages and higher prices for years to come"".
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called on the chancellor to resign, saying he no longer had ""any credibility"" and the whole mini-budget needed an overhaul, while SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the government had shown ""utter ineptitude"".
Michael Gove: Cutting tax for the wealthiest ""a display of the wrong values""
Plans to scrap the top rate of tax had seen remarkable opposition from the markets, other parties and a growing number of Tory MPs. 
Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry had previously warned Tory MPs who voted against the prime minister's tax measures that they would be kicked out of the parliamentary party - known as losing the whip. 
But increasingly, it seemed Ms Truss did not have the numbers to get it through Parliament. 
Former cabinet minister Grant Shapps had warned the prime minister would lose a Commons vote on the proposal.
He welcomed the U-turn, telling the BBC: ""It's better to act, it's better to reverse ferret on something that's causing a problem like this, and it sends a very important signal to the public and also to the markets that we are serious about sound money.""
On Sunday, former Tory minister Michael Gove hinted he would not vote for the plan when it came to Parliament, saying ""I don't believe it's right"" and it was ""a display of the wrong values"".
However, asked whether he would now back the government's economic package following the U-turn, he told Times Radio: ""I think so on the basis of everything that I know... There were lots of good things that they announced.""
was also welcomed by the Confederation of British Industry. 
Director-general Tony Danker said the pledge had become a ""distraction"" from other economic reforms, which he said would ""make a real difference to growth"". 
U-turn, suggestions of which were first reported by the Sun, comes on the second day of the Conservative conference in Birmingham, with Mr Kwarteng due to speak later on Monday.
und jumped on the news, rising by more than a cent against the dollar to $1.1263, before falling back.
urrency touched a record low last week after Mr Kwarteng's mini-budget created turmoil on the markets.
A 45% tax rate applies to income above £150,000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, where income tax is devolved, the higher rate of tax is 46%.
Scrapping the top rate made up around £2bn of the £45bn worth of tax cuts announced by the chancellor in his mini-budget.
Other measures announced included a cut to the basic rate of income tax to 19%, a reversal of the recent rise in National Insurance and scrapping the cap on bankers' bonuses.
Paul Johnson, director of the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies said: ""Unless [the chancellor] also U-turns on some of his other, much larger tax announcements, he will have no option but to consider cuts to public spending: to social security, investment projects, or public services.""
He added that Mr Kwarteng had already indicated department spending plans running to 2024-25 would be left unchanged ""which amounts to a real-terms cut in their generosity in the face of higher inflation"". 
Senior Conservative - and ally of Liz Truss's leadership rival Rishi Sunak - Mel Stride echoed his thoughts telling the BBC's World at One: ""Because we've come forward, or the government has, with a number of unfunded tax cuts... it may be that there will be even yet further requirements to unwind some of those positions.
""The main economic issues here haven't gone away even if the political ones have been made easier."""	/news/uk-63114279
business	Apple battery lawsuit: Millions of iPhone users could get payouts in legal action	"Millions of iPhone users could be eligible for payouts, following the launch of a legal claim accusing Apple of secretly slowing the performance of older phones.
Justin Gutmann alleges the company misled users over an upgrade that it said would enhance performance but, in fact, slowed phones down.
He is seeking damages of around £768m for up to 25 million UK iPhone users. 
Apple says it has ""never"" intentionally shortened the life of its products.
m, which has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, alleges Apple slowed down the performance of older iPhones, in a process known as ""throttling"", in order to avoid expensive recalls or repairs.
It relates to the introduction of a power management tool released in a software update to iPhone users in January 2017, to combat performance issues and stop older devices from abruptly shutting down.
Mr Gutmann, a consumer champion, says the information about the tool was not included in the software update download description at the time, and that the company failed to make clear that it would slow down devices.
He claims that Apple introduced this tool to hide the fact that iPhone batteries may have struggled to run the latest iOS software, and that rather than recalling products or offering replacement batteries, the firm instead pushed users to download the software updates.
Mr Gutmann said: ""Instead of doing the honourable and legal thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service or compensation, Apple instead misled people by concealing a tool in software updates that slowed their devices by up to 58%.""
models covered by the claim are the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X models.
It is an opt-out claim, which means customers will not need to actively join the case to seek damages.
In a statement, Apple said: ""We have never, and would never, do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.
""Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.""
Apple has been haunted by so-called ""batterygate"" for some time although it has always insisted its intentions were honourable.
Its chief executive Tim Cook took the highly unusual step of apologising in 2018 to ""anybody that thinks we had any other kind of motivation"".
Critics say the update pushed people into buying newer devices as their older phones dramatically slowed down when carrying out fairly standard functions like Facetime following a software update.
Apple says the opposite is true - it was trying to extend their lifespan. The tech giant later offered discounted replacement batteries for iPhone 6 and above.
re are two broader issues here: one is the way in which gadgets in general become obsolete comparatively quickly, as they become unable to handle the latest and most advanced software updates that drive them.
firms say these updates are essential to keep devices secure and working at their best but they soon outstrip older hardware - that is, slower processors and older batteries with less power.
As batteries age they need charging more frequently, and this is the second point: the more powerful a portable device becomes, the more power-hungry it becomes. The typical life of a lithium-ion battery is 500 charge cycles.
m by Mr Gutmann comes two years after a similar case was settled in the United States.
In 2020, Apple agreed to pay $113m to settle allegations that it slowed down older iPhones.
rty-three US states claimed that Apple had done this to drive users into buying new devices.
Millions of people were affected when the models of iPhone 6 and 7 and SE were slowed down in 2016 in a scandal that was dubbed batterygate.
At the time, Apple declined to comment, however, it had previously said the phones were slowed to preserve ageing battery life.
Claire Holubowskyj, an analyst at the research firm Enders Analysis, said issues like this may continue to crop up, given the technical limitations of ageing batteries.
""Technology in newer devices improves in leaps and bounds, not as a steady crawl, creating issues when releasing software updates which have to work on devices with often wildly different capabilities,"" Ms Holubowskyj said.
""Apple generates 84% of its revenue from selling new devices, making them reluctant to hold back updates to ensure older models keep working smoothly.""
She added: ""Until problems of devices and software updates outlasting and exceeding the capabilities of aging batteries are resolved, this challenge will recur."""	/news/business-61823512
business	UK banking rules in biggest shake-up in more than 30 years	"government has announced what it describes as one of the biggest overhauls of financial regulation for more than three decades.
It says the package of more than 30 reforms will ""cut red tape"" and ""turbocharge growth"".
Rules that forced banks to legally separate retail banking from riskier investment operations will be reviewed.
were introduced after the 2008 financial crisis when some banks faced collapse.
kage of changes, the ""Edinburgh Reforms"", is being presented as an example of post-Brexit freedom to tailor regulation specifically to the needs and strengths of the UK economy. 
However, critics say it risks forgetting the lessons of the financial crisis.
Between 2007 and 2009 the then-Labour government spent £137bn of public money to bail out banks.
Overall, taxpayers have lost £36.4bn on those bailouts, according to the latest estimate from independent forecaster the Office for Budget Responsibility.
regulations on financial services are being described as another ""Big Bang"" - a reference to the deregulation of financial services by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1986.
government has already announced it will scrap a cap on bankers' bonuses and allow insurance companies to invest in long-term assets such as housing and windfarms to boost investment and help its levelling up agenda.
Rules governing how senior finance executives are hired, monitored and sanctioned will be overhauled.
re will also be new rules around bundling investments together into tradeable units - a process called securitisation.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the changes would secure ""the UK's status as one of the most open, dynamic and competitive financial services hubs in the world"".
reforms ""seize on our Brexit freedoms to deliver an agile and home-grown regulatory regime that works in the interest of British people and our businesses"".
Mr Hunt met bosses of the UK's largest financial services in Edinburgh on Friday to discuss the reforms.
While in Edinburgh he was asked whether the reforms risked sowing the seeds of the next financial crash.
He said: ""We have learned the lessons of that crash, we put in place some very important guardrails which will remain, but the banks have become much healthier financially since 2008.""
However, Labour's shadow City minister Tulip Siddiq said the reforms would bring more risk.
""That this comes after the Tories crashed our economy is beyond misguided,"" adding that the reforms were part of a ""race to the bottom"".
Green charity the Finance Innovation Lab said the government ""is taking major risks with the stability of the economy"".
""Weakening the essential protections that were put in place after the global financial crisis is an incredibly dangerous move - they help keep the system stable and our money safe,"" said its chief executive Jesse Griffiths.
But Chris Hayward, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, said the reforms would not weaken standards.
""It's a chance to actually grow our economy and I think we should be very excited about it,"" he said.
After the financial crisis of 2008, when the government had to spend billions supporting the UK banking system, a new regime was brought in to increase the personal accountability of senior risk-taking staff. 
It allowed for fines, bans and even custodial sentences, although there have been very few examples of enforcement. 
But City insiders say a major disadvantage it imposes is the lengthy process of getting the movement of senior staff to the UK approved by the regulator - making London less attractive to foreign firms.
After the financial crisis, large banks were forced to separate or ""ring fence"" their domestic banking operations - mortgages and loans for example - from their investment banking operations, which expose their own cash to market volatility and were deemed riskier.
f having two separate shock-absorbing cushions of spare money was seen by some as placing extra costs on the sector.
Most of the big banks have spent billions on this ring fencing and are not calling for its reversal.
reforms of ring fencing are aimed at mid-size banks such as Virgin Money and TSB.
government also re-announced more freedom for the pensions and insurance industry to invest in longer term, illiquid assets - those that are hard to sell quickly such as social housing, windfarms, and nuclear - which the government will say helps their levelling up ambitions.
It is worth noting that although this will be billed as a Brexit freedom, the EU is undertaking similar reforms.
re was a nod to developing the UK as a centre for crypto assets, but with some caveats given the recent bloodbath after the demise of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
Most financial industry leaders say they are crypto curious but do not feel the need to be first on this. ""Let the shipwrecks of others be your seamarks,"" said one. 
London's position as the pre-eminent European financial centre has been dented in recent years.
UK's capital city briefly lost its long-time crown of most valuable European stock market to Paris before gains in the pound pushed it narrowly back ahead, while Amsterdam took the title of busiest European share dealing centre. 
Leading hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall of Marshall Wace recently described the London financial markets as a ""Jurassic Park"" of old-fashioned companies and investors, and it has struggled to attract the world's fastest growing companies to list on UK exchanges, often losing out to New York, Shanghai or even Amsterdam."	/news/business-63905505
business	China Eastern plane crash likely intentional, US reports say	"Flight data indicates a China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed in March was intentionally put into a nose-dive, according to US media reports.
Investigators have so far not found any mechanical or technical faults with the jet, the reports say, citing a preliminary assessment by US officials.
Boeing 737-800 was flying between the southern Chinese cities of Kunming and Guangzhou when it crashed.
All 132 passengers and crew on board the plane died in the crash.
""The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit,"" according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, citing a person familiar with US officials' preliminary assessment of the cause of the crash.
Data from one of the plane's ""black box"" flight recorders, which was recovered from the crash site, suggested that inputs to the controls pushed the plane into a near-vertical dive, the report said.
ABC News, citing US officials, also reported that the crash was believed to have been caused by an intentional act.
Investigators looking into the crash are examining whether it was due to intentional action on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a technical malfunction, according to Reuters, which cited two people briefed on the matter.
China Eastern Airlines previously said the three pilots on board were qualified and in good health. 
rline separately told the Wall Street Journal that there was no indication that any of the pilots was in financial trouble.
China Eastern Airlines did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which is leading investigations into the crash, also did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment. 
Last month, the CAAC said reports that the plane may have been crashed deliberately had ""gravely misled the public"" and ""interfered with accident investigation work"".
Investigators are still in the process of analysing flight data and the wreckage from the crash, Chinese state media outlet the Global Times reported on Wednesday.
It also said the CAAC will continue to ""carry out the accident investigation in a scientific, rigorous and orderly manner"". 
Chinese embassy in Washington, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and plane maker Boeing declined to comment on the Wall Street Journal's report, due to guidelines set out by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization.
""Under the rules regarding crash investigations... only the investigating agency can comment on an open air accident investigation,"" a Boeing spokesperson told the BBC on Wednesday. The company previously said it was assisting investigations in China and communicating with the NTSB.
Chinese airlines generally have a good safety record - the last major accident took place 12 years ago.
China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed was less than seven years old."	/news/business-61488976
business	Marks & Spencer shifts from town centres as online sales grow	"Marks & Spencer says it is moving away from town centres, as it saw online sales for clothes and homeware jump. 
ft to online shopping during the pandemic had ""increased the imperative"" to reduce its clothing and home trading space. 
Many town centres had ""lost impetus"" due to ""failed local authority or government policy"", M&S said. 
It said it was now relocating some shops from older, multi-floor buildings with poor access and parking. 
""As a result, a high proportion, but not all, of our relocations are to the edge of town,"" the retail giant said. 
M&S said it was planning around 15 new full-line stores and 40 new food stores over the next three years. 
mpany said it was investing in a number of stores which had been relocated to the edges of towns, including to former Debenhams sites in Leamington Spa and Thurrock. 
It is part of a long-term plan to overhaul its large stores. The shake-up will eventually see the closure of some 110 main stores as it focuses on fewer but better locations.  
A total of 68 of these main-line stores have already shut and the retailer confirmed another 32 will go over the next three years. 
Boss Steve Rowe told reporters M&S was ""moving with the customer, where the customer is working and shopping"". 
He said the chain had ""some fabulous city and town centre stores"" but it had to ensure its portfolio was ""balanced"" and there would be more of a bias towards food in the future. 
Announcing its results for last year, M&S, which is turning its business around after years of decline, said it had seen strong performance in its clothing and home operation. 
was driven by a 55.6% surge in online sales. However, in-store sales fell by 11.2%. 
Meanwhile, its food sales were up by 10.1%. 
Overall, the company reported pre-tax profits of £392m for the year to 2 April - up from a loss of £209m the previous year.
However, M&S said it expected sales growth to slow due to rising costs and increased pressure on customer budgets. 
mpany said it was facing increased food costs, driven by global supply issues and labour shortages, while factory, transport and freight costs, as well as continued supply issues in China, were putting pressure on its clothing and home business. 
Julie Palmer, a retail expert at Begbies Traynor, said the typical M&S customer tended to be wealthier and less hard hit by rising costs ""but they could still choose to economise"" .
""How long cash-strapped shoppers will feel comfortable splashing out on M&S's upmarket foods remains to be seen,"" she added.
Household budgets are being squeezed by rising food, energy and fuel bills, with inflation, the rate at which prices rise, hitting 9% in April - the highest level for 40 years.
Also on Wednesday, online grocer Ocado warned that its joint venture with M&S will see earnings and sales weighed down by growing pressure on customers' spending.
Ocado Retail, an online retail business which is owned 50-50 by the two companies, said consumers are ordering ""one or two fewer items per shop"" against the backdrop of a growing cost of living crisis.
Chief executive Steve Rowe is handing over the reins today after 40 years at M&S, starting as a Saturday boy in Croydon. 
usiness is certainly in better shape now than when he started the top job in 2016. 
Reviving the fortunes of this household name is still a work in progress, though. 
Although M&S has managed to finally arrest the decline in clothing and home sales, fashion sales in its shops are still 25% below where they were four years ago. 
M&S wants fewer and better big stores as we shop more online and has already been making some big changes. 
was shifting away from town centre shops to more modern edge-of-town sites, taking a swipe at what it calls ""failed local authority and government policy"". 
w focus will likely send a shudder through the High Streets set to be affected. 
w leadership team at M&S will also have to steer the business through the cost of living crisis with soaring inflation and consumers tightening their belts. 
mpany also announced it would pull out of Russia altogether, resulting in a £31m cost.
M&S, which was criticised for not leaving the country at the start of the war in Ukraine, stopped shipments to Russia in March but previously said complex franchise deals prevented it from withdrawing completely.
retailer opened its first store in Russia in 2005. Its Russian arm is run by Turkish company FiBA, which operates 48 shops under the M&S banner in the country with 1,200 employees.
Chief executive Mr Rowe is handing over leadership of M&S to Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaffe after running the company's turnaround for the past six years.
-cutting programme saw the closure of a number of M&S's clothing and homeware shops, with others converted into food stores, after disappointing fashion sales. 
In 2020 the company also announced thousands of jobs cuts after the business was hit by Covid lockdowns. "	/news/business-61575556
business	Tesco gives £6.6m to pig producers following plea	"UK pig farmers have welcomed a decision by Tesco, their biggest customer, to pay an extra £6.6m to pork producers. 
It follows a National Pig Association (NPA) letter to Tesco urging it to ""do the right thing"" and pay more or risk losing its British pork supply base.
NPA's chairman, Norfolk farmer Rob Mutimer, said the organisation was ""very, very pleased"" with the supermarket giant's offer.
upport between March and August would amount to £10m. 
NPA warned four out of five pig producers could go out of business within a year unless Tesco paid more.
, whose headquarters is in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, said it had already given the industry £3.4m since March.
Dominic Morrey, Tesco Fresh commercial director, said: ""We know there is more to do, and we will be working with suppliers, farmers and the wider industry to drive more transparency and sustainability across our supply chains and support the future of the British pig industry.""
Mr Mutimer, who farms at Swannington near Aylsham, said: ""This is a very welcome boost for beleaguered pig farmers, who are currently facing unprecedented costs of production and need a tangible increase in the price they are being paid in order to stay in business.
""We look forward to seeing the pig price rising very soon as a result of this action, and hopefully we can begin to stem the flow of producers exiting the industry.""
In its letter of last week, the NPA said other supermarkets had already confirmed additional support for farmers who were facing rising costs and staff shortages. 
It said Waitrose had pledged a new £16m support package and Sainsbury's had offered £2.8m in additional short-term support. 
NPA said the east of England was the UK's largest region in terms of pork production. 
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-61471296
business	Cardiff company offers unlimited holidays to reward staff	"A production company has introduced ""unlimited"" annual leave in a bid to reward staff and maximise productivity. 
Big companies such as Netflix, LinkedIn and Goldman Sachs have introduced some unlimited paid holiday leave in recent years. 
Cardiff-based EatSleep Media, which has 13 staff, said it was about ""giving power back"" to them.
An expert said empowering employees improved morale, but clear expectations were necessary. 
EatSleep, which makes documentaries, podcasts and online videos, said it asked its team to work ""very flexibly"", including on evenings, weekends and sometimes abroad. 
Co-founder Alex Feeney said: ""We ask a lot of them, and there are some long days in there, so to not offer some flexibility in return didn't seem quite right.""
He said they always told new staff ""we're not here to parent them"" and that they want employees to be treated like adults in their work.  
""So, if we're empowering them to do that, why wouldn't we do that with other aspects of the work-life balance?"" he said. 
He added when staff came to the end of a big project they could be a bit ""fried"" and the firm didn't want them to worry about whether they could then book time off or whether they needed to save annual leave. 
Mr Feeney said it was about ""giving power back to our team"" based on their needs and ""where the company is at the time"". 
""We want people to be able to go: 'Do you know what - I'm going to take that day, because I deserve it'. Or 'I'm going to take that day I feel a bit fried', or 'I'm going to take that week because I've looked at the workflow and things are a bit quiet'.""
He said it also ""simplified the process"" for the company, as they no longer needed to keep track of things like time in lieu. 
Unlimited paid time off (UPTO) originated at small Silicon Valley start-ups and has become much more common in recent years. 
But the concept is still quite rare, with data from a 2021 survey suggesting just 4% of US companies offer it.
And what sounds like a boundless benefit does often come with caveats. 
Mr Feeney said no-one at EatSleep had yet booked off a longer period of leave, such as a month to three months, and while such a large single block wasn't ""beyond the bounds of possibility"" it would need to be considered against the needs of the company. 
Prof Michael Christie, of Aberystwyth University's Business School, said UPTO was not ""more widespread"" at the moment, but was part of a broader movement towards more flexible working practices post Covid. 
""If employers start reducing the constraints of defined working hours - so rather than saying you have to work nine to five, five days a week - by being more flexible, that allows employees to manage their commitments,"" he said. 
""Empowering employees also improves morale. You don't feel like you're being told to do X, Y and Z - and it allows people to take control of their situations.""
While the idea has been embraced by some businesses, others have experimented with UPTO, only to end the policy and revert to original holiday arrangements.
A 2018 survey showed workers with UPTO took fewer holidays than those with a fixed allocation. 
Prof Christie said there was evidence employees often don't take enough holiday with UPTO and it was necessary for a minimum amount of leave to be set. 
He said there also needed to be ""a clearly defined expectation"" in a UPTO workplace around the practical limits of how much leave someone could actually take against a company's demands. 
""As an employer, you need to make sure your employees are aware of their commitments to that firm,"" he said. 
Mr Feeney said there had been a range of responses to the scheme at EatSleep from people outside the company, including some asking for a job and others dismissing it as part of ""snowflake culture"". 
He added the company's research of others who tried and failed with UPTO had found some workers felt ""obliged not to take time off"" because co-workers had not. 
Mr Feeney said: ""It's like a reverse psychology effect and we're really aware of that. We really want people to take that holiday because we appreciate that they come back refreshed, recharged and ready for the next project.""
He said they had set a lower limit of leave and that in some cases they'd tell people to take leave if they hadn't booked any.
Mr Feeney said it was important for every company to do what worked for them and UPTO wouldn't fit with every business. "	/news/uk-wales-62671704
business	Major tampon makers pledge to tackle US shortages	"Major tampon manufacturers in the United States have pledged to make more of the sanitary products to address shortages in the country.
One firm told the BBC the pandemic had caused staff shortages at its plants.
Social media users have been posting about their experiences as they struggle to find sanitary products.
One Reddit user said they visited eight stores to find tampons with a cardboard applicator, before deciding to buy them online ""at a noticeable mark-up"".
It comes as the war in Ukraine is making the raw materials used in sanitary products more costly.
rtage is also adding to concerns that supply chain disruptions could further push up prices for essential goods around the world.
A spokesperson for Edgewell Personal Care, which makes Playtex and o.b. tampons, said that its stocks have been ""impacted due to extensive workforce shortages caused by two separate Omicron surges in the US and Canada in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively"".
""We have been operating our manufacturing facilities around the clock to build back inventory and anticipate returning to normal levels in the coming weeks,"" the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble (P&G), the maker of the Tampax tampon brand, said in a statement that it was ""working hard to ramp up production"".
""We can assure you this is a temporary situation,"" said the company, which sells around 4.5bn boxes of tampons globally each year. 
P&G's chief financial officer, Andre Schulten, said at a recent earnings call that it has been ""costly and highly volatile"" to acquire raw materials such as cotton and plastic for tampons.
""It is so important at this point for people to buy only what they need. I am not a supply chain expert but we know that some of the shortages we all experienced early in the pandemic were due to hoarding,"" Elise Joy, the co-founder and executive director of US charity Girls Helping Girls Period, said.
""Menstrual products are not a luxury item, and if we all take or buy what we need it will go a long way to making sure more people can get basic supplies,"" she added.
A spokesperson for the US pharmacy chain Walgreens told the BBC that it was ""experiencing some temporary brand-specific tampon shortage in certain geographies"". 
""While we will continue to have products at shelf and online, it may only be in specific brands while we navigate the supply disruption,"" the spokesperson added.
You may also be interested in:
ge girls have been turning to the internet to learn about periods"	/news/business-61793198
business	Keir Starmer: Recall Parliament and abandon budget	"Sir Keir Starmer said Labour is ""showing it is ready to govern""
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for Parliament to be recalled so MPs can abandon last week's mini-budget ""before any more damage is done"".
ue of the pound dropped to $1.05 on Wednesday, after the Bank of England announced it would buy government debt to stabilise the economy. 
Downing Street has rejected calls for Parliament to be recalled. 
Sir Keir said the ""government has clearly lost control of the economy"" and had to do a U-turn immediately.
""Unlike other situations where it may be a world event, an unexpected event that causes this sort of crisis this is self-inflicted. This was made in Downing Street last Friday.
""And for what? For uncosted tax breaks for those earning hundreds of thousands of pounds.""
reasury has rejected calls to reverse any of last week's budget.  
Parliament is currently suspended while the two main parties hold their annual conferences. It is due to come back on 11 October.
Labour are calling for the mini-budget to be completely scrapped, despite supporting some measures, including keeping the basic rate of income tax to 19% from 20%.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Labour's plans would reverse less than half of the £45bn in tax cuts announced last week,
In an interview with BBC Political Editor Chris Mason, Sir Keir would not rule out cutting public services to reduce borrowing.
Sir Keir said: ""I'm not predicting what we will put in our manifesto.""
""We've got very clear rules which are that we will pay for day to day spending and we will borrow to invest. 
""We will inherit, a complete mess from this government and obviously we'll get to those rules just as quickly as we can, as any incoming government would do.
""That's the normal situation when a government comes in.""
All the main opposition parties - including Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Plaid Cymru - have now called for Parliament to be recalled early. 
Conservative Party conference is due to begin on Sunday, with Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng giving a speech on Monday.
Watch: Key moments from Sir Keir Starmer's speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool
Last week, Mr Kwarteng unveiled the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years, including scrapping the top rate of income tax and lifting the cap on bankers' bonuses. 
reasury said the plans would be funded by £72bn of borrowing and there is an expectation this will surge as interest rates rise. 
und slumped following his statement and later fell to a record low against the dollar after Mr Kwarteng hinted there were more tax cuts to come. 
Conservative MP Simon Hoare who supported Liz Truss's defeated Tory leadership rival Rishi Sunak - described Mr Kwarteng's handling of the economy as ""inept madness"". 
Mr Hoare, the chair of the Northern Ireland select committee, tweeted: ""These are not circumstances beyond the control of Govt/Treasury. They were authored there. 
""This inept madness cannot go on.""
On Wednesday the Bank of England announced it would buy government bonds on a temporary basis to help ""restore orderly market conditions"".
Bank also signalled it is prepared to ramp up interest rates in response to the falling value of the pound, leading mortgage lenders to pull deals.
But the International Monetary (IMF) fund has criticised the UK's plans for tax cuts, warning the measures were likely to fuel the cost-of-living crisis. 
IMF works to stabilise the global economy and one of its key roles is to act as an early economic warning system.
But the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadim Zahawi defended the government's economic plan, claiming interests rates would come down once inflation is under control.
He promised that the ""fiscal discipline that the markets are looking for will be delivered in November"".
Mr Zahawi said that co-ordination between the Bank of England and the Treasury was ""incredibly strong.""
reasury said Mr Kwarteng was due to publish his medium-term plan for the economy on 23 November, which would include ensuring that UK debt falls as a share of economic output in the medium term."	/news/uk-politics-63058869
business	Suffolk council says pylons 'will industrialise countryside'	"A planned 112 mile-long (180km) power line suspended mostly on new pylons would be the ""industrialisation of our countryside"", councillors said.
Babergh District Council in Suffolk agreed to object to National Grid's plans for the high voltage line from Norwich to Tilbury in Essex.
uthority said the line should be under the sea rather than over land.
National Grid said the pylons were needed to meet the increasing demand on the network.
Suffolk County Council has also said it intended to object to the proposals.
It said it believed there were ""better ways to manage the project"".
re part of a proposed 400kV electricity transmission line between Norwich and a new Bramford substation near Ipswich, and then to Tilbury in south Essex, called the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project.
National Grid said the line was needed to carry electricity from offshore wind turbines.
It has proposed to run the cables underground through the Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty on the Essex/Suffolk border, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Concerns over the project have been previously raised by raised by six East Anglian MPs, Mid Suffolk District Council and campaign groups.
Babergh Liberal Democrat councillor Dave Busby said: ""As far as we are concerned there is only one option, and that should be subsea.
""We should be resisting every industrialisation of our countryside.
""We are rural counties - tourists come to see us for that, and people live here because of that.""
Independent Conservative council leader John Ward said: ""A large number of people are currently potentially affected by it in terms of their wellbeing, as well as their house price values which inevitably will be impacted by it.
""It's causing a lot of people a lot of upset and anguish, so this particular issue must be resolved to set their minds straight.""
National Grid said the existing network was developed in the 1960s and, to date, had been able to meet demand.
However, increased renewable and low-carbon power by 2030 meant demand on the network would increase significantly and the existing power lines did not have the capacity to meet demand without reinforcement.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-61739565
business	Businesses criticise delays in EU import checks	"xtra checks on EU imports has been criticised by businesses for creating confusion and leaving UK borders vulnerable to unsafe produce.
New controls on EU foodstuffs had been due to be introduced in July but they have been postponed by the government.
Nova Fairbanks, from the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said uncertainty over import rules hits businesses.
government said it was delaying the changes due to rising prices associated with the war in Ukraine.
It said at this point it ""would be wrong to impose new administrative burdens and risk disruption at ports"".
It is the fourth time it has delayed EU import checks since the UK left the free trade bloc.
Ms Fairbanks said: ""Businesses work on certainty. They have to be able to plan. They have to be able to understand what is coming. If the government says the checks need to come in they will gear up to invest to meet the needs for the checks.
""If the government then turn around and say 'we're not going to introduce them' it's a problem for business."" 
uncertainty has also cost councils money, including East Suffolk District Council, which covers the Port of Felixstowe, as they had to prepare for the checks by employing more people ""to manage post-Brexit border checks on EU food imports"".
A council spokesman said: ""However, following the announcement of a delay to implementation, we are now exploring a range of options to help us address a highly challenging situation. 
""No decision has yet been taken and we are keeping staff informed as best we can.""
m Bradshaw, an Essex farmer and deputy president of the National Farmers Union, warned that without proper checks unsafe meat could be being imported.
""We have always had a commitment to border checks and at the moment our exports are being checked but our imports aren't. That is not good enough,"" he said.
British Veterinary Association (BVA) was worried about an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) among pigs on the continent and he said not having full checks on livestock was dangerous.
Simon Doherty, past president of the BVA, said: ""This isn't about a bunch of vets creating jobs for themselves. 
""There is a real concern that disease could encroach within the country and therefore we want to do everything we possibly can to minimise the risk.""
Jack Hanson, managing director of fruit and vegetable wholesaler Fountain Fresh Import of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, said he was pleased the new checks had been delayed.
""It's a massive relief,"" he said.
""It's much more work. It's much more cost. It's all going to get passed on to us and then passed on to the consumer.""
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: ""We have strict biosecurity controls on the highest risk imports of animals, animal by-products, plants and plant products from the EU.
""EU countries affected by ASF cannot export pork or pork products from affected regions unless in very specific circumstances. 
""We continue to assess the risk of ASF and consider whether further mitigations are needed, including targeted interventions at the border."" 
Politics East airs on BBC One in the East on Sunday 3 July at 10:00 GMT and can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-61929599
business	Ofgem blamed as supplier failures lead to higher energy bills	"Energy watchdog Ofgem has been accused of allowing an industry to develop on ""shaky foundations"" in which a series of supply companies collapsed.
All billpayers will pay £94 more a year each to cover the £2.7bn cost of the failure of 28 suppliers which folded after wholesale prices soared.
National Audit Office (NAO) said Ofgem had allowed a market to develop that was vulnerable to large shocks.
regulator said it was already addressing the issues raised.
Meg Hillier, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said: ""Ofgem's approach created an energy market built on shaky foundations. As a result, many companies simply collapsed under the shock of energy price increases.
""Once again, it's the public who has to pay for the mistakes of those charged with protecting them. It's unacceptable.""
result of last year's shock was that 2.4 million customers were automatically moved to a rival company when their own supplier collapsed. Typically, according to Citizens Advice, they had to pay an extra £30 a month for the duration of their original contract, as they were shifted to a more expensive tariff.
In addition, the cost of these failures totalled £2.7bn - a tab which was spread across all billpayers in Britain, not just those of the failed companies. This is before taking into account the potentially multi-billion charge that households could face due to the collapse of Bulb Energy, which is in special administration.
NAO said that Ofgem had decided on a ""low bar"" approach for allowing new domestic energy suppliers into the market to encourage competition and choice for customers after the market had been dominated by six big companies.
regulator had then introduced tighter rules for new entrants from 2019, but not for existing suppliers until 2021.
As a result, many suppliers lacked the financial resilience to deal with the six-fold increase in wholesale prices seen last year, the NAO said.
""By allowing so many suppliers with weak finances to enter the market, and by failing to imagine that there could be a long period of volatility in energy prices, Ofgem allowed a market to develop that was vulnerable to large-scale shocks,"" said Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.
""Consumers have borne the brunt of supplier failures at a time when many households are already under significant financial strain having seen their bills go up to record levels. A supplier market must be developed that truly works for consumers,"" Mr Davies said.
Ofgem is making changes after a review it commissioned came to many of the same conclusions.
""We are already working hard to address all of the issues raised,"" a spokesman for the regulator said. ""While the once-in-a-generation global energy price shock would have resulted in market exits under any regulatory framework, we have already been clear that suppliers and Ofgem's financial resilience regime were not robust enough. 
""While no regulator can, or should, guarantee companies will not fail in the future, we will continue to take a whole-market approach to further strengthen the regulatory regime, ensuring a fair and robust market for consumers which keeps costs fair as we move away from fossils fuels and towards affordable, green, home-grown energy.""
NAO said concerns had been raised that Ofgem's reforms could limit new entrants and innovative ideas in the future.
A typical household gas and electricity bill - governed by the energy price cap in England, Wales and Scotland has risen sharply, and now stands at about £2,000 a year.
Analysts Cornwall Insight have predicted that the bill could hit about £3,000 a year this winter."	/news/business-61881981
business	Octopus Energy to take over collapsed supplier Bulb	"Octopus boss Greg Jackson says the company expects a ""seamless"" switch for Bulb customers
Energy supplier Octopus Energy is to buy its smaller competitor Bulb.
Bulb collapsed last year amid rising gas and electricity prices and has since been run by the government.
Its 1.5 million customers will not see any change or disruption to energy supplies, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said.
ue of the deal has not been published but the BBC understands Octopus paid the government between £100m and £200m.
It is expected to be completed by the end of November.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the deal, approved by the UK government, would bring ""vital reassurance and energy security to consumers across the country at a time when they need it most"". 
government announcement on Saturday made no mention of the money involved in the deal, which was reached overnight between special administrators of Bulb and Octopus Energy.
ment said that ""due to high market volatility it is impossible"" to forecast the true cost of Bulb. 
For Bulb customers, credit balances on bills will be protected and direct debits automatically transferred.
Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy Group boss, said the company was determined to provide a ""stable home for the future"" for Bulb's customers and staff. Bulb has 650 employees.
Mr Jackson told the BBC he was confident the takeover would be smooth, saying the company had ""a great track record"" when it came to moving customers across companies. 
firm has agreed to share profits - if any are made from its new Bulb customers - with the government, for up to four years. 
Octopus said the move would bring ""an end to taxpayer losses"", adding it was ""paying the government"" to take on Bulb's customers. 
It was previously reported in July that Octopus had requested £1bn in public funding for the deal. However a source close to the company has since categorically denied this. 
London-based Bulb was the biggest of more than 30 energy companies that collapsed last November following a spike in wholesale gas prices, which was partly caused by Covid restrictions ending and has since been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. 
It was placed into ""special administration"", meaning it was run by the government through the regulator Ofgem. The special administration measure is only used if Ofgem is unable to find another company to take over an energy firm's customers. 
ut of Bulb had been forecast to cost the taxpayer around £2bn by next year. It was the biggest state bailout since the Royal Bank of Scotland collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.
Natural gas prices have doubled since last October, and despite dropping significantly from a peak in August, many families are struggling to get by as they also grapple with rising inflation, which reached 10.1% in September.  
As part of the mini-budget announced by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in September, the government announced an ""energy price guarantee"" - capping typical household bills at £2,500 - for two years, but Jeremy Hunt - who replaced Mr Kwarteng as chancellor earlier this month - then said the support will last until April. 
Mr Hunt is expected to make a full statement on his spending plans on 17 November. 
Every household in the UK is also getting an energy bill discount of £400 this October.
Mr Shapps, who became business secretary this week, said the deal highlighted the government's ""overriding priority"" to protect customers. He added he would do everything he could to ""ensure our energy system provides secure and affordable energy for all"". 
Octopus will continue to use Bulb's technology and branding ""for a transitionary period"", the government's statement said.
mpany, which was founded in the UK in 2015, said that before the Bulb acquisition it served 3.4 million customers. 
Worried about energy bills? The BBC's Colletta Smith tells you - in a minute - about four discounts and payments that could help"	/news/business-63437352
business	Football fans warned to beware of fake ticket scams	"Football fans have been urged to be wary of ticket scams.
Fraudsters are using social media to offer fake tickets and trick unsuspecting victims out of their cash - the average loss is £410, according to Lloyds Bank.
fans pay by bank transfer, which offers no protection to consumers.
If you can't pay by credit or debit card, ""that's a big red flag that you're about to get scammed,"" the bank warned.
Cases of the scams climbed by more than two-thirds between January and June, according to Lloyds Bank data.
urge was because fraudsters took advantage of people desperate to attend live events after Covid restrictions ended.
But the bank warned that the start of the Premier League season this weekend could see another surge in the scams.
It said criminals target the biggest games which are already sold out - such as matches between the top six clubs in England, European games and internationals matches. 
With major events such as cup finals, Lloyds Bank said it had seen victims losing as much as £2,000.
mmers use social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to offer fake tickets to sought-after matches.
-flight football in particular is popular among criminals, as they take advantage of fans' desperation to watch their team, knowing that many matches will already be sold out,
ften use bogus pictures of tickets to fool fans, or publish a made-up story about why they cannot attend the game to sound more legitimate.
Once they've snared a victim they demand payment by bank transfer, also known as 'faster payment'.
ments offer no consumer protection and are effectively the electronic equivalent of just handing over your cash to someone in the street.
Once the cash is sent, the scammers simply disappear, leaving behind an anonymous, untraceable online identity and an angry fan left out of pocket.
""The vast majority of these scams start on social media, where it's all too easy for fraudsters to use fake profiles and advertise items that simply don't exist,"" said Liz Ziegler, Lloyds Bank's retail fraud and financial crime director.
""Buying directly from the clubs or their official ticket partners is the only way to guarantee you're paying for a real ticket.""
If shoppers are purchasing anything online using a debit or credit card will give them extra protection.
use buyers who pay by credit card or debit card benefit from Section 75 and Chargeback rules.
When using a credit card, Section 75 protection means that your card provider could be responsible for compensating you if the goods or services you bought aren't as advertised.
Under chargeback rules a card provider can get your money back from the bank the money was sent to, if you do not get the goods or services you paid for.
re has also been a marked increase in purchase scams targeting tickets for concerts so music fans should be wary too.
Lloyds Bank said fraudsters will target any major event, such as festivals, where demand for tickets is likely to exceed supply."	/news/business-62398558
business	Fuel prices: Filling a diesel car now costs a record £100	"Filling the tank of a diesel car now typically costs more than £100 after fuel prices hit record levels.
rage price of diesel in the UK rose to 182.59p a litre on Sunday, according to the AA.
At the same time, petrol hit a new record of 172.73p a litre, it said.
rises mean drivers will pay more at the pump ahead of half-term getaways or trips over the four-day Platinum Jubilee bank holiday which begins on Thursday.
Filling the average 55-litre tank with diesel costs £100.42 and petrol £95, the AA said.
RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: ""With crude oil prices consistently above $115 a barrel last week, worse is sadly yet to come, just in time for the Jubilee bank holiday"".
He said petrol was now more expensive than diesel to wholesalers, so retailers were taking smaller margins on petrol but larger ones on diesel.
""If the wholesale price of petrol stays above diesel, we ought to see the current 10p-a-litre gap in average petrol and diesel forecourt prices narrow,"" he said.
""If this doesn't happen diesel drivers will be getting a raw deal, and with prices at these historic highs, every penny matters to drivers.""
rice of Brent crude oil - the global benchmark for prices - has soared in recent months, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine raised concerns of potential global supply issues.
Fuel prices had already been rising after economies reopened from coronavirus lockdowns, prompting a surge in demand.
A month ago, diesel across the UK averaged 176.47p a litre and 131.64p a litre a year ago, the AA said. Meanwhile petrol a month ago cost an average of 162.40p a litre and 129.31p a year ago, it added.
""With the cost of filling up now above £100, what had once been a 'dash for diesel' among UK car owners is rapidly becoming the death of diesel,"" said Luke Bosdet, the AA's spokesman on pump prices.
""Diesel's new record price is the latest nail in the coffin of the diesel car, after it had been demonised for its emissions in an urban environment. 
""However, a diesel car's 15%-20% better fuel consumption compared to a petrol equivalent out on the open road means less CO2 emissions and would make it more attractive were it not for the current higher cost of refuelling,"" Mr Bosdet said."	/news/business-61637028
business	California's cannabis-growing nuns pray for profits	"Merced County sits in the middle of California's Central Valley.
For as far as the eye can see, there are identical rows of crops, with the occasional farmhouse or family home. 
One of these homes looks unassuming from the outside.
re's nothing unusual about the building or the land around it, except that there's a small group of women, wearing pristine white habits, burning incense, and singing hymns as they walk in step blessing their cannabis plants.
women are the ""Sisters of the Valley,"" better known as the Weed Nuns. 
Lead by Sister Kate, the women are members of a self-proclaimed enclave of nuns who identify as healers and feminists, but more importantly, business people. They do not represent an official religion.
""I chose an industry that is messed up,"" Sister Kate says. ""It's going to probably be messed up and I'm probably going to have to do a lot of dancing and sidestepping.""
She's referring to all the confusing technicalities in the laws surrounding California's cannabis industry. 
California is home to the so-called ""green rush"" of cannabis production. It was the first state to legalise medical marijuana in 1996, and recreational use has been legal since 2016. 
's law, however, is full of regulatory loopholes, which means the legality of marijuana cultivation varies from county to county and city to city.   
So while it's legal to use cannabis in the state, nearly two-thirds of California cities have banned marijuana businesses, with others making it extremely difficult to obtain permits. 
means that for the Sisters of the Valley, growing their 60 plants outside, here in Merced County, does not fall within the law.
""The sheriffs know that, they just let me do this,"" admits Sister Kate. ""But there's really no reason for them to let me.
""They could have shut me down by now just because it's illegal to grow hemp [cannabis] in this county.
""But I think that they know we will just challenge the law and get it changed then in the county… And I think they know it would be a fight they don't want to undertake.""
re's a second home on the property which the sisters call ""the abbey""- it's where all the medicine-making takes place. 
Sister Camilla carefully pours super-strength CBD oil into tincture bottles.
roduce and sell all their own hemp-based medicines and salves, a business that before the pandemic was grossing $1.2m a year (£1m).
Despite praying for, and blessing every batch, they're now making half that.
Selling through dispensaries might help them rebuild, but that would mean even more regulations, and higher taxes.
wenty miles down the road, in downtown Merced, Joel Rodriguez, who runs the local cannabis shop, is operating legally. 
However, California has put so many taxes in place on the cannabis supply chain, Mr Rodrigez says it is putting people out of business, or pushing people to operate outside the legal regulations.
He is one of many cannabis businesses in California that complain of stifling taxes and high operating costs.
""Dealing with the tax rates as well as having the overheads that black-market dealers don't have to deal with - rent insurance payroll, just basic stuff like internet - those kinds of things we have to deal with everyday, we can't write that off, and that all goes into the end cost for the customer.""
fee for a retail license in California is $1,000.
After that there are annual state administrative and regulatory fees that can add up to tens of thousands of dollars a year for small businesses, and close to $100,000 for larger operations.
Operating legally is much more expensive than operating illegally, acting as an incentive to dealers.
gal trade in marijuana is estimated to be worth around $8bn, roughly twice as big as the legal trade in California in 2021. 
One underground dealer, who did not want to be identified by name, says he can offer a better product and make more profit by working outside legal parameters.
""Just trying to get that license is going to cost you about a million dollars,"" he says. ""And in the industry that we're in, you can accumulate a million dollars just off of doing what you're doing by making it available to everyone who doesn't have a card or doesn't have a car to get to a club.""
roughout California, those who once arrested people for cannabis offences now embrace legal businesses.
""We need to make it a little bit easier for those folks that are doing it lawfully,"" says Chief Ruben Chavez of the Gustine Police Department in the Central Valley. ""Make it easier for them to be able to produce the product and not have to go through so many hoops.""
So far this year, California has received nearly $580m dollars in tax revenue and Chief Ruben believes easing regulations would lead to more revenue for his city and help his department's efforts to eradicate the illegal trade.
""Our resources are dwindling,"" he says. ""But if we can get some revenue, some assistance, not only from the state, maybe from the Feds to go after those folks that are doing it illegally… If you stop the illegal growers, the illegal operations a little more, I think the lawful, business community will pick up more [revenue].""
roach would benefit growers like the Weed Nuns, Sister Kate says. 
""The truth is, I'd love for them to permit us, because that would be a win. And because we believe in paying taxes."""	/news/business-63393214
business	People delay turning heating on as UK inflation soars	"rate at which prices rose in September has returned to a 40-year high as a BBC survey uncovers growing concern about the squeeze on finances.
rice of cereals, milk and cheese all went up along with energy bills and transport costs. 
Some 85% of those asked are now worried about the rising cost of living, up from 69% in a similar poll in January. 
As a result, nine in 10 people are trying to save money by delaying putting the heating on.
rising cost of food, fuel and energy dominate fears about rising costs, the survey of 4,132 shows.
Almost half of people (47%) polled in the Savanta Comres survey for the BBC said that energy bills were the most significant increase in cost seen by their household.
Nearly nine in 10 of those asked were turning lights off to save money in the last week, as well as turning electrical goods off standby.
urvey was conducted earlier this month before Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reversed some tax cuts, said support on energy bills would be limited for some, and warned of further government spending cuts.
But more than half of those polled (56%) expect their financial position to worsen in the next six months. It was 30% in January.
wo-thirds of renters who were asked said it had been difficult to pay for essential costs in the last six months. A similar proportion of everyone surveyed said that government support was insufficient to help people with the rising cost of living.
f living rose by 10.1% in the 12 months to September - the fastest rate in 40 years - driven by sharp price rises in energy and food costs.
Food and energy prices have been going up around the world following Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has disrupted production and exports, as well as pushing up prices at supermarket tills.
September's inflation figures are usually used to calculate next April's rise in the state pension in the UK and the increase in some benefits. It is unclear if the government still intends to stick to this policy or cut down on spending by increasing payments by a lower level by linking the increase to wages instead.
Over half (52%) of UK adults say it has already been difficult for their household to pay essential household costs in the last six months.
People are changing their spending habits to help them cope, cutting back on clothes spending for themselves and their children, taking fewer day trips as well as travelling less to meet up with family or friends, the BBC survey shows.
People are also putting off big purchases such as buying a new car, sofa or TV or renovating their homes.
Among UK adults worried about the cost of living, two thirds have also said this is having a negative effect on their mental health.
Naomi Naylor from Durham is in her of third year of studying to be a paramedic at the University of Sunderland. She worries about the impact higher petrol costs will have on her finances.
ree-quarters of workers in the North East normally commute to work by car, so rising fuel prices can really hit personal finances.
""I commute in and out every day, it's cheaper not paying for accommodation. Petrol is my biggest outlay, it's costing me more than it used to.""
21-year old says she and most of her friends want to stay around this area, but there's also competition for graduate paramedic jobs, which means some may need to look further afield for work.
uld push up their travel costs even more, adding to her concerns.
In Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's emergency announcement on Monday to cut back government spending, the help to limit energy bills rises for households was cut back from two years to six months.
reasury will review support given from April, but Mr Hunt said there would be ""a new approach"" targeting those in the most need.
A spokesman for the Treasury said the government had reversed the rise in National Insurance and made changes to help people on universal credit.
""Countries around the world are facing rising costs, driven by Putin's illegal war in Ukraine, and we know this is affecting people here in the UK,"" he said.
""That is why we have taken decisive actions to hold down bills this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee and provided at least £1,200 of additional cost-of-living support to eight million of the most vulnerable households.""
What is your experience of the cost of living crisis? What are your questions about it? Email your stories and questions to: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. 
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. 
Make Sense of Food Prices
Find out why food prices are also on the rise.
Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only)."	/news/business-63240629
business	Pound rises as Liz Truss announces resignation	"und rose against the dollar and government borrowing costs dipped as the markets reacted to Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation.
Sterling hit $1.13 as Ms Truss made her announcement and rose higher in the afternoon before falling back to $1.12.
One analyst said investors were ""relieved"" by the news, despite a lot of uncertainty remaining.
Business groups said the new prime minister would have to act quickly to restore confidence.
A fall in the value of the pound increases the price of goods and services imported into the UK from overseas - because when the pound is weak against the dollar or euro, for example, it costs more for companies in the UK to buy things such as food, raw materials or parts from abroad.
A weaker pound can push rising costs higher as well if companies choose to pass on higher prices to customers. For people planning a trip overseas, changes in the pound affect how far money can go abroad.
While the pound plunged to a record low against the dollar last month, government borrowing costs rose sharply in the aftermath of the government promising huge tax cuts in its mini-budget without saying how it would pay for them.
But these costs fell back after the Bank of England stepped in with an emergency support programme, and after Jeremy Hunt reversed nearly all the mini-budget measures when he became chancellor.
Mr Hunt is due to announce plans for spending and tax on 31 October in his economic plan, which the Treasury confirmed was set to go ahead, although there are reports it could be delayed due to the Conservative leadership contest.
""Although the resignation of Liz Truss as prime minister leaves the UK without a leader when it faces huge economic, fiscal and financial market challenges, the markets appear to be relieved,"" said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics.
""But more needs to be done and the new prime minister and their chancellor have a big task to navigate the economy through the cost of living crisis, cost of borrowing crisis and the cost of credibility crisis.""
Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Gordon, said the market reaction had been ""fairly muted"", with investors waiting for the ""detail of what comes next"".  
Ms Truss said her successor would be elected in a Tory leadership contest, to be completed in the next week. Her resignation came after a key minister quit and Tory MPs rebelled in a chaotic parliamentary vote on Wednesday.
Mr French said the markets could rally ""more aggressively"" if a clear favourite emerged for PM. ""The sooner you get there the more likely the person who has won will have the support to do the difficult stuff.""
f the CBI business lobby group, Tony Danker, said: ""The politics of recent weeks have undermined the confidence of people, businesses, markets and global investors in Britain. 
""[The next prime minister] will need to deliver a credible fiscal plan for the medium term as soon as possible, and a plan for the long-term growth of our economy."" 
rime minister was the author of her own demise.
She would still be prime minister had she not pushed ahead with the mini-budget, which caused her economic experiment, the entire basis of her leadership mandate, to fail in full view of the country and the world.
Her conference would have been about the generous energy guarantee help, and not the 45p tax rate. Last week would have been about the fall in gas prices across Europe perhaps and global inflation, not the corporation tax U-turn and Kwasi Kwarteng's sacking.
robably would have been about the Russian use of missiles in the Black Sea.
And even then, she probably could have got much of the mini-budget through the House of Commons and past the markets with a more patient approach. Her resignation though is about much more than a Number 10 exit. The question now is whether it will end the instability, or if what comes next might make it even worse.
rest rate - or yield - on UK government bonds for borrowing over a 10-year period climbed above 4% at one point on Thursday morning, but then fell back steadily as speculation grew about the possible departure of Ms Truss.
, the government agrees to repay the investor on a certain date in the future when a bond ""matures"". In the meantime, it pays interest on the loan.
However, the mini-budget hit confidence in bonds, and it led to investors demanding a much higher rate of interest in return for investing in them. Some bonds halved in value.
Following the PM's statement, the yield edged higher again to about 3.8%, but still remained below the level seen at the start of the day.
Ahead of Liz Truss's resignation, Bill Blain of Shard Capital had told the BBC that the markets had been ""watching in a kind of stunned, open-mouthed horror"" at political events.
""The problem we've got is that the last couple of weeks has really destroyed the image of political competency and that's one of the key elements to make any economy work,"" he said."	/news/business-63326809
business	What the new Liz Truss energy plan means for you	"w Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has outlined her plans to deal with soaring energy bills faced by households and businesses.
At its heart is a move to limit the 80% rise in domestic bills that was earmarked for October.
what it means for you.
You will still pay for the gas and electricity you use. But the government's Energy Price Guarantee will limit the price that suppliers can charge for each unit of energy.
For a typical household - one that uses 12,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of gas a year, and 2,900 kWh of electricity a year - it means an annual bill will not rise above £2,500 from October. Without this intervention, that annual bill would have been £3,549 a year. Last winter it was £1,277 a year.
However, if you use more gas or electricity than that, you will pay more.
guarantee will last for two years.
In precise terms, the average unit price for dual fuel customers paying by direct debit will be limited to 34.0p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity and 10.3p per kWh for gas.
Standing charges will still see the slight rise planned for October.
Not directly on your bill or taxes. However, the government is paying for this by borrowing the money. That adds it to the pot of national debt. The prime minister says the cost will be outlined later this month.
In time, that could be paid for through taxation, but at the moment the government will borrow the money on international markets and pay a premium as a result.
So-called ""green levies"" will be moved off bills, and again paid for through borrowing on taxation.
Yes, these can amount to hundreds of pounds this winter.
So far, a first instalment of £326 has been paid to low-income households on certain benefits and tax credits.
re is also a £400 discount on bills for all households over the winter.
ments will only be paid this winter, under current plans, whereas the cap will be in place for two years. So, there will be an effective rise in what householders pay next winter.
government says that the same level of support will be provided to households in Northern Ireland, as it is in the rest of the UK.
However, this will require legislation.
rime minister said a fund will be created to support those who are not covered by a cap, but she did not say how big that fund would be.
udes people who use heating oil in their homes, those who have communal heating schemes, and people in mobile home parks who pay the park owner rather than a supplier.
More details will come later, but this will be an extremely complex task.
government did say there would be a payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not covered by the price guarantee.
However, some issues are still outstanding. For example, people in park homes do not yet know how they will receive the £400 discount available to everyone - and that was announced months ago.
Fixed deals allow you to pay for energy at a set rate for a set period of time, but you are locked in. 
Plenty of people whose fixed deals have expired in recent months may have considered fixing again, given the outlook of rising energy prices.
xtremely expensive option, but one which some understandably chose to take given the eyewatering forecasts of soaring bills.
rime minister did not mention fixed deals in her statement. However, since then, the government has said that fixed rate deals which are higher than than price cap rate will be automatically discounted by 17p per kWh for electricity and 4.2p per kWh for gas at the start of October.
quivalent of a £1,000 or so reduction for a household using a typical amount of energy. However, it means somebody on a fixed rate could still be paying a higher unit charge than the price cap - if their fix had been much more expensive.
re is no automatic right to cancel a fixed deal without a penalty, unless you fixed within the last 14 days. It may be the individuals need to negotiate with their provider. 
Businesses will get support, with bills capped for six months, a shorter period of protection than many had hoped for.
upport will focus on businesses on variable deals, or whose contracts are soon to come to an end. More details are here."	/news/business-62833623
business	People cut back on food, fuel and clothes as prices rise, BBC survey suggests	"People struggling with the soaring cost of living are cutting back on food and car journeys to save money, according to a BBC-commissioned survey.
More than half (56%) the 4,011 people asked had bought fewer groceries, and the same proportion had skipped meals.
findings reveal the widespread impact of prices rising at their fastest rate for 40 years. 
Many people have cut spending on clothes and socialising. Some say their mental health has been affected.
wo-thirds of those surveyed also suggested government support provided so far was insufficient.
BBC-commissioned survey of 4,011 UK adults in early June lifts a lid on how the economic climate is affecting lives and financial, physical and mental health.
f domestic energy, petrol, and food have all increased significantly in recent months, and the findings suggest more than eight in 10 people (81%) are worried about the rising cost of living.
Concern has grown since the start of the year when 69% of those asked said they were worried in a similar BBC survey.
In the latest results, two thirds (66%) of those with worries said this was having a negative effect on their mental health. Nearly half (45%) said their physical health had been affected.
Day-to-day, individuals are making further changes to manage their budgets. The survey suggests this can be as simple as going on fewer nights out, or getting a haircut less often.
For charity worker Janine Colwill, from Easington, and those she talks to, the changes have been more fundamental.
""We get together with the family every Sunday, religiously, for Sunday roast - but my family and other families are starting to grow their own vegetables,"" she said.
""Those people who may not have worried about these things before are now worrying about them constantly.
""With advances in technology, I never would have thought that people would be relying on a food bank or growing their own - and just penny-pinching,"" she said.
urvey suggests people are finding various ways to manage and save their money. The findings include: 
About half (52%) expect to work more hours in the next six months to help to pay the bills.
, the UK's largest supermarket, said in a trading update for the three months to 28 May that it was seeing early signs that shoppers are changing their habits due to inflation, such as buying less food and visiting more frequently. 
Chief executive Ken Murphy also said people are switching to cheaper own-label brands for goods including bread and pasta which have seen prices soar due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, both of which are major wheat exporters.  
Prices, as measured by inflation, are rising at a rate of 9% a year, the fastest for 40 years. Interest rates, which also affect the cost of living, were increased to 1.25% on Thursday by the Bank of England - the highest they have been for 13 years.
uation is being driven, to a significant degree, by global factors such as the cost of oil, gas and food. 
But there are UK-specific issues which are adding to inflation such as the tight labour market. Job vacancies are at a record high of 1.3 million meaning employers face paying higher wages to fill roles. 
Also, the UK's dominant services sector - which includes the likes of accountancy and law firms, as well as restaurants and pubs - is seeing price rises. 
Drivers now have to spend £103 for petrol and £106 for diesel to fill a family car, according to the RAC. The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has predicted food prices will rise at a rate of 15% this summer as households pay more for staples such as bread, meat, dairy and fruit and vegetables.
A typical household in England, Wales and Scotland is likely to see a rise in its annual domestic gas and electricity bill of £800 in October, on top of a £700 rise in April.
urge in inflation is hitting wide and hitting deep, with the effects leading to significant changes in the way lives are being lived well beyond those on low incomes. 
Large swathes of Britain's middle income working households are having to make material cutbacks and even after that are part of a new class of those ""just about managing"".  
In practice this has meant energy bill direct debits wiping out people's entire disposable income, some food banks running out of food donations, or their donors becoming users. 
And it may be changing attitudes, with nearly two-thirds of those asked saying even after the recent package of support for energy bills from the government, that it is not enough. And the numbers suggest a similar proportion think the support in place needs to last at least a year longer.
Inflation this high certainly changes the economy and our spending behaviour. 
But the figures raise a question about whether the high levels of government support in the pandemic and in this energy crisis too, are now becoming baked into public expectations.
Soaring prices have led the government to announce a package of financial support directed primarily at those on low incomes. This includes a £400 discount on all energy bills in October, in addition to payments totalling £650 to people on means-tested benefits. Pensioners will get more this winter, as will billpayers with disabilities.
However, the BBC survey reveals that 64% of those asked said this support was insufficient to help people with the rising cost of living.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said vulnerable households would receive £1,200 which he said was part of a ""very large"" amount of support, on top of what had already been provided.
He said the first payments would come in July, and would continue into the autumn to offset the key driver of the rising cost of living for households, which was energy bills.
""That, of course, is yet to filter through to people, which is why I suspect people are saying they want more support,"" he told the BBC.
""As this gathers pace, it will be clear to people that this will be a comprehensive package.""
mpact of rising household costs has already led to the financial regulator warning lenders that they need to do more to help those in financial difficulty and support vulnerable customers.
""Early action is important for those struggling with debt,"" said Sheldon Mills, of the Financial Conduct Authority."	/news/business-61813857
business	Mini-budget damaged the UK's reputation, says Bank of England boss	"Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, told the BBC he believed that September's mini-budget had ""damaged"" the UK's standing internationally.
He said that at a recent International Monetary Fund gathering in Washington ""it was very apparent to me that the UK's position and the UK's standing has been damaged"". "	/news/business-63505329
business	Ring doorbell inventor shares advice... about advice	"Jamie Siminoff invented the Ring wireless doorbell and is the Ring company's CEO, which was acquired by Amazon in 2018. He shares his business advice for the CEO Secrets series.
Video by series producer Dougal Shaw"	/news/business-62966924
business	Wales only part of UK to see employment fall	"Unemployment in Wales continues to be low but it has become the only UK area where the number of people employed fell in the three months to June. 
jobless rate is 3.8%, the same as for the UK as a whole, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 
Meanwhile, pay has dropped by 3% on the year when taking into account rising prices, according to its latest data.
Household budgets have been hit by soaring energy bills as well as higher food and fuel costs in recent months.
figures show that Wales has also seen the biggest increase in the number of people not working but not available for work between March and June. 
uld be for a number of reasons, including being unwell, caring for someone or being a full-time student.  
As a result, across Wales there were 7,000 fewer employed in June than in the first three months of the year. 
For those people in work, pay has been rising but with prices rising much more steeply, the ONS said regular pay fell at the sharpest rate on record between April and June .
In terms of what wages can buy, average pay fell by 3% across the UK compared with a year ago. 
Prices are rising at a rate of 9.4% and there are warnings that the economy will stop growing and fall into recession.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said the ""real value"" of pay was continuing to fall.
""Excluding bonuses, it is still dropping faster than at any time since comparable records began in 2001,"" he said."	/news/uk-wales-62548790
business	Star casino: Record fine for Australian operator over money laundering	"Australian gambling giant Star Entertainment Group has been fined A$100m ($62m, £55m) for failing to stop money laundering at its Sydney casino.
group's licence to operate the casino has also been suspended.
Star has promised to ""do everything in [its] power"" to regain its licence and the community's trust.
Casino operators in Australia have been under great pressure to reform their gambling operations following reports of widespread criminal activity.
record penalties were announced in response to a damning inquiry in New South Wales (NSW) earlier this year.
It heard the Star had allowed money laundering and organised crime to infiltrate their Sydney casino, taking a ""cavalier"" approach to governance and at times making deliberate moves to cover its tracks.
At the time, the regulatory chief Philip Crawford said: ""The institutional arrogance of this company has been breathtaking.""
fine announced on Monday is the maximum allowed, but the NSW Independent Casino Commission stopped short of removing Star's licence altogether, to protect thousands of jobs.
Under the conditions of the suspension, the casino will still operate under a manager appointed by the regulator.
From Friday the Star will not be able to run the casino on its own until it can ""earn"" its licence back, Mr Crawford said.
A spokesman for The Star said the company is committed ""to charting a path back to suitability"".
It has previously promised to increase security staff, improve surveillance, end high-risk international VIP trips known as ""junkets"" and implement leadership changes.
ready led to the resignation of executives, including former CEO Matt Bekier.
were announced on his replacement Robbie Cooke's first day.
Mr Crawford said the company's ""cultural issues"" would take time to stamp out, but it had showed signs it could reform under Mr Cooke's leadership.
Star entered a trading halt on Monday morning, which is set to last until Wednesday.
After a similar inquiry in Queensland, The Star was earlier this month also found unsuitable to run its three casinos in that state.
Media investigations have aired allegations of misconduct at various casinos around Australia in recent years, including at those owned by the country's largest gaming and entertainment group - Crown Resorts. 
It was fined $80 million by Victorian gambling authorities earlier this year for its failures to stop criminal activity.
Gambling ""completely took over my life"""	/news/world-australia-63280853
business	Northern Ireland economy: Record inflation causes fall in demand	"Record inflation has taken its toll on the Northern Ireland economy and caused a fall in demand last month, according to a survey by Ulster Bank.
Every month it asks firms about things like staffing levels, new orders and exports.
urvey is considered a reliable indicator of economic performance.
In July, business activity in Northern Ireland fell at the fastest rate since February 2021, with a drop in both output and new orders.
Outside of the Covid pandemic and lockdown restrictions, it was the sharpest contraction since November 2012.
rop in demand was seen across all sectors of the economy but was most marked in retail.
Richard Ramsey, Ulster Bank's chief economist in Northern Ireland, said: ""Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the cost-of-living crisis, retail recorded the steepest declines in sales and orders.
""Retail sales have plunged over the last three months and retailers expect sales to be broadly unchanged in 12 months' time.""
urvey was that firms were still taking on more staff. 
Mr Ramsey added: ""Employment continues to be a bright spot with all four sectors increasing their staffing levels in July.
""But with the Bank of England forecasting a UK recession, a softening in the labour market will be expected going into 2023.
""That said, the labour market is likely to be much more robust this time than in previous recessions."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-62525332
business	Orkney Christmas businesses hit by Royal Mail strikes	"Businesses in Orkney have said they are being hit hard by the Royal Mail strikes in the build-up to Christmas.
Negotiations between the organisation and the CWU union, over pay and conditions, have stalled.
With uncertainty over delivery dates, some business owners in Orkney are reporting a drop in online sales.
Members of the CWU are due to continue striking on Sunday as well as on 14, 15, 23 and 24 December.
Judith Glue's knitwear shop has been a fixture on Kirkwall's Broad Street since 1979.
She was an early pioneer of online sales in Orkney, and now sends goods worldwide via her website. 
She says she has lost thousands of pounds of sales of Orcadian food hampers, as the postal strikes mean perishable items cannot be sent. 
""It's had quite a serious affect on our business,"" she said. 
""We made the decision to send them out in the first two weeks of December, but we're not guaranteeing Christmas delivery.""
She said they had moved to more non-perishable items - for example less smoked salmon and farmhouse cheese.
""Sadly, this has affected our suppliers as well, as we've not been able to order the same quantity as other years.
""This situation has shown how essential the Royal Mail is for Orkney. I don't think people realise how much the islands rely on the postal service.""
Sheila Fleet Jewellery is also based in Kirkwall, as well as having a gallery and cafe in Tankerness. 
r goods globally, using Orkney's airmail service to get the parcels to mainland Scotland.
""It's having a profound effect on our business,"" managing director Martin Fleet said.
""We rely on the Royal Mail's special delivery service, it's been a lifeline to us for many years.
""With the strikes coming up, our team has had to work incredibly hard to get as many parcels out as soon as we could, in order not to let any of our customers down."" 
He said they supported some of the reasons behind the strike, but said it had the potential to be ""absolutely devastating"" to the business.
""I really hope they can find a resolution, so that the universal postal service can continue,"" he said.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: ""Royal Mail continues to deploy contingency plans to keep communities, businesses and the country connected throughout the CWU's industrial action.
""We apologise for any disruption and delay that CWU strike action is causing to our customers in Orkney.""
Last week, Royal Mail advised people to post Christmas mail earlier than usual.
CWU said staff want a pay rise to match the soaring cost of living and accused management of trying to ""force through thousands of compulsory redundancies"".
Royal Mail plans to cut 10,000 jobs by next August, including 5-6,000 redundancies. The company said it ""will do all we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, including offering a voluntary redundancy scheme"".
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63915821
business	Iceland to launch over-60s discount as cost of living soars	"Iceland is to launch a new discount for shoppers who are over 60, as soaring prices hit household budgets. 
upermarket chain said it would offer over-60s 10% off every Tuesday to support its older customers through the cost of living crisis. 
move comes as supermarkets battle for customers, with prices rising at their fastest rate for 40 years.
Morrisons and Asda, which have been losing shoppers to discounters Aldi and Lidl, have already cut prices.
Grocery prices were 5.9% higher in April than a year ago, according to research company Kantar.
figure was the biggest increase since December 2011, with supply chain issues, increased raw material costs and the war in Ukraine all contributing to rising food prices.
Iceland's new discount will be launched from 24 May, with anyone aged 60 or over able to use it every Tuesday in-store at branches of Iceland and The Food Warehouse. 
Shoppers will need to show proof of age, such as a driving licence or senior bus or rail pass, and the discount will cover all products, with no minimum spend. 
Iceland said it was the first UK supermarket to introduce such a discount and decided to do so after research by Age UK found three-quarters of older people in the UK were worried about the rising cost of living. 
Last Christmas, Iceland also ran a regional trial offering £30 vouchers to those receiving state pension and the company said it was now exploring a national rollout ready for this summer. 
Richard Walker, managing director at Iceland, said the chain had a ""long history"" of supporting older customers, including offering dedicated shopping hours for elderly and vulnerable people during the pandemic. 
""The cost of living crisis has made support for these customers even more important, which is why I'm proud that we're finding new ways to support them, including the launch of this discount. We hope it will help all those in this age category to cut costs where they can,"" he said. 
UK inflation - the rate at which prices rise - jumped to 9% in the 12 months to April, up from 7% in March.
urge was driven by higher electricity and gas bills, after millions of people saw an unprecedented £700-a-year increase in energy costs last month.
Increased fuel and food costs also contributed, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Research from Kantar suggests shoppers are turning to discount retailers as pressure on budgets grows, with Aldi the fastest growing supermarket at the beginning of this year, followed by Lidl. 
Many rivals have also cut their prices to compete. 
In March Asda said it would bring out a budget range called ""Just Essentials"" in May. 
Its announcement came after the supermarket was criticised by food poverty campaigner and chef Jack Monroe for raising the prices of its value products or removing them from some stores. 
Meanwhile, last month Morrisons said it would offer an average 13% price cut on more than 500 goods. 
Sainsbury's also said it was trying to limit price increases despite facing higher costs from suppliers, lowering the prices of 150 of its most popular products."	/news/business-61512945
business	Liz's big bazooka or the Truss blunderbuss?	"Your energy bills are going up in less than two weeks, by around a quarter. That's if you are on dual fuel gas and electricity, on a flexible tariff and if you haven't yet found ways to cut back on usage.
rise from nearly £2,000 for a typical British home to a maximum of around £2,500 is what we're to call the Energy Price Guarantee. It replaces the energy price cap, introduced four years ago to stop energy firms charging rip-off rates for those who can't be bothered shopping around.
Now, no-one is shopping around. There isn't much choice. The only option now is to hunker down for a tough winter.
If you missed out on the announcement of the Energy Price Guarantee, it's probably because Liz Truss announced it minutes before it was also announced that the Queen required ""medical supervision"". She died a few hours later and the rest really has been history.
If you missed out on the detail of the Energy Price Guarantee, that's because there wasn't much to be had. The £2,500 level is a rough estimate, knocking £1,049 off the price Ofgem had set as a limit from 1 October. That's for the typical home, not for all homes - the cap is on the price per unit of gas or power.
Liz Truss was, you may recall, only two days into her Downing Street residency, having paid not much evident attention during the Conservative leadership campaign to the clamour for some clarity on what government was going to do.
In August, wholesale prices for gas were soaring to 15 times the steady level they were at before August 2021. In energy markets, there was a dash for gas, to secure contracts which could fill Europe's reserve tanks ahead of winter.
Because Germany and other countries were pulling back on gas use in summer that goal of having the tanks 80% full was achieved faster than expected. The traders pulled back on some scarily high prices. 
Britain doesn't have much storage capacity beyond the original sub-sea oil and gas reservoirs, and while there are signs of less British demand for energy in recent months, it's due to a response to high prices rather than significant effort or exhortation by government.
So having reached dizzying heights of scariness, which fed through the Ofgem price cap formula to independent forecasts of price rises in January to more than £5,000 a year for the typical household, wholesale gas prices have fallen by more than half. 
're still more than six times the level we were used to, but for now, the really truly scary bit is over. And with an adjustment to an energy future which is not reliant on Russia, it's getting harder for the Kremlin and its state-controlled oil corporations to exert further price leverage over Europe and Britain.
Lower prices will be a relief for the Treasury, which wrote a blank cheque for Liz Truss's price guarantee. However high the wholesale prices, the government is going to pay the difference between the actual cost and that typical £2,500 bill.  If it were to rise to £5,500, that would put the government on the hook for more than half the cost - borrowing £3,000 to pay the difference for that typical home.
Quite how it pays for this is yet to become clear, but we're assuming it will get added to Britain's already high pile of debt.
If things go badly with wholesale prices, the cost could be around £150bn. If wholesale prices stabilise, it might look more like £50bn. 
f servicing that extra debt, as interest rates rise, is becoming more of a burden, squeezing out expenditure on public services, and handing the bill to future taxpayers.
And while money markets are still willing to lend to Britain, the value of sterling against the US dollar suggests they are taking a dimming view of Britain's economic prospects. It may require higher interest rates if currency traders are to prop up the pound.
gh and uncertain cost is just one of the reasons why economist commentary on Liz Truss's 8 September announcement was less than flattering. Deemed at the time to be the defining moment for her premiership, the gist of it was that the support package had become politically unavoidable, but that this was not a good way of designing it.
Paul Johnson, at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said it was ""deeply disappointing"" that we had such a radical and expensive departure from the norm with not one hint of costing.
government ""needs to be immediately working out its exit strategy from this huge and costly intervention. It is concerning that it appears to be committing to this policy through next year as well as this. 
He said: ""It is perhaps forgivable not to be able to come up with something better designed and better targeted right now. Surely there should now be a concerted effort to come up with something better for next winter. Failure to do so would be enormously costly.""
Institute focused on two other questionable elements of this package beyond its cost. One is the price signal: if the price of anything goes up, that's a message to consumers that they should look for ways to use less of it. But if gas prices are capped, that incentive is also capped, and the transition to alternative sources or lower energy use is slowed.
Feel free to take my own example: I'm thinking of getting solar panels installed on the roof. The higher the cost of electricity from the grid, the more attractive it becomes to invest in something that replaces it. So the calculation on whether that makes financial sense or not - leaving aside the environmental case - is changed by the price guarantee on electricity.
So on current assumptions, for every £1 spent on energy, the UK government will be paying 75 pence. As billpayers, we are therefore paying less than the economic cost, we have less incentive to reduce demand. And therefore on a limited supply, with prices capped, rationing is one possible consequence, even if the new prime minister says it won't happen on her watch.
re's the targeting. The IFS calculates that the package of support - including the Energy Price Guarantee, plus £400 per household, plus £150 off many people's council tax bills, plus a range of grants for those on benefits totting up to a potential extra £1,200 - should bring £1,600 of benefits to the poorest tenth of households, while it is worth £2,000 to the top tenth for income.
While, according to the IFS, households tend to spend similar amounts on energy, the share of their income that goes on it is very different. The benefit should be worth 14% of income to the lowest earners, and 5% to the top earners. So the same amount of money to a high earner is less effective at going where it's needed. Just over half of this support package goes to the better-off half of people. 
It's something like the blunderbuss - that early form of shotgun that scattered pellets in all directions, which could prove useful over a short distance but was hopeless over the longer range.
IFS goes on to point out that targeting the funds at the lowest income tenth of households still fails to reach the people most in need. 
It says one quarter of that low pay decile pay bills of less than £1,250 a year, while a different quarter will be paying more than £3,500, even after they've prices guaranteed. Either they live in hard-to-heat homes or they have greater need of warmth, for reasons of age or medical conditions. Or both.
National Institute of Economic and Social Research takes a similar view to the IFS, but with different assumptions about energy use by better off households, it seems even more skewed towards those who least need the help.
It says the lowest income tenth save around £1,200 or 8% of their income, while the highest income tenth of households save more than £2,000, thanks to government borrowing, or 1% of income.
It had suggested a tapered subsidy, which is withdrawn the more energy a household uses.  
Max Mosley, an NIESR economist, said:  ""The prime minister's energy plan is appropriate in terms of scale and ambition, but is needlessly inefficient and expensive. 
""Its untargeted nature makes the currently unfunded proposal wasteful, which will put pressure on public finances, and for an unknown amount of time. There are better options, including a variable price cap that would have gone further in lowering the bills for the poorest and could have even paid for itself.""  
What about think tanks closer to Conservative government thinking? At the start of this month, before Liz Truss's announcement, the Social Market Foundation published its recommendation that funding a bailout for households had to come from a combination of taxpayers and billpayers, with their shares ""to be negotiated"".
""A 30-year funding facility for energy companies should be created, secured by collateral assets to encourage bank lending,"" it said.
""The cost of purchasing the collateral assets should be shared between taxpayers and shareholders in energy providers, on a basis to be negotiated.
""The facility should make loans that could be in place for up to 30 years, reflecting the fact it may take decades for providers to recoup, through household bills, the subsidy implicit in an artificially low cap"".
revious week, it had cited new survey evidence suggesting that the public was swinging behind a scheme targeted at those most in need of support.
Institute of Economic Affairs, styling itself ""the original free market think tank"" is least impressed with the Liz Truss response. It is a firm believer in the price signal as a means of reducing demand.
Andy Mayer, its energy analyst, didn't hold back. He said: ""The energy price freeze is middle class welfare on steroids. It represents a gigantic, untargeted handout to households funded by an increase in debt. It will mean future taxpayers subsidising hot tubs, heating swimming pools, and cooling wine cellars.
""Price controls don't work. The freeze will encourage more energy use, risking blackouts, and discouraging investment in energy saving.
""It would be better to use targeted welfare and tax cuts to help those who need it."" 
A blog on the IFS website cites the International Monetary Fund in its support, saying: ""Many European governments have taken measures to delay the pass-through of wholesale to retail energy prices through tax reductions or price controls.
measures are an inefficient tool to protect the economically vulnerable, are fiscally costly, and they mute the demand adjustment to the price shock, including energy-conserving behaviour and energy efficiency investments.""
IEA supports measures that compensate people after they have seen how much more their energy costs, again quoting the IMF: ""Policy responses to the surge in energy costs should aim to preserve the price signal while providing targeted support. 
""For households, lump-sum cash transfers, vouchers, or fixed discounts on utility bills are appropriate means of providing income support without distorting marginal energy prices, thus conserving the incentive to reduce energy consumption.""
All that is before we consider the challenge for business and voluntary sector. Without a price cap, they have been facing soaring energy bills for months where they did not hedge in advance. Many of them face a new contract in October, if they can find a company willing to commit to a fixed price.
And although promised an equivalent level of support to households, though for six months rather than two years, it is not clear how the system will work in a fair way across business. 
Some firms have low fixed rates, some have a complex buying strategy that includes some fixed and some flexible prices, which is where much of Scotland's public sector seems to be.
We're told today that the plan could be set out this Wednesday by the new business secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg. That's after being told of the many ways in which this is very difficult policy to nail down.
From next April, once the initial promise to business has ended, policy could focus instead on government picking the most vulnerable and the most deserving companies. Choosing who qualifies will be even more weighted with difficulty."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-62946218
business	Furniture firm Made collapse: Customers in the dark over refunds	"Online furniture firm Made.com has gone into administration, leading to hundreds of job losses and leaving customers in the dark over refunds.
ministrators PWC said there will be 399 job losses, mostly redundancies.
firm's collapse leaves thousands of customers facing uncertainty over outstanding furniture orders.
Around 12,000 UK orders are outstanding and customers will not get a refund from the firm, but may be able to claim one from their bank or card provider.
Next is buying Made's brand name, website and intellectual property for £3.4m, although it will not be buying the remaining stock.
Natalie, 38, from County Antrim, was waiting for a £1,800 refund from Made.com when she received news that the firm had collapsed.
""I ordered a left-hand version of a sofa. Instead, I received two parts of the wrong sofa, which didn't even fit together!"", said Natalie.
She has appealed to her lender to ask if they can help and has had to order another sofa in the meantime.
UK and European customer orders currently with delivery companies will be fulfilled. But orders which have been paid for but not yet dispatched will not be refunded or delivered.
Lisa Webb, consumer rights expert at Which?, said for customers with outstanding orders, exercising their rights is not always straightforward.
""It is always worth trying to claim for a refund in this situation, but customers should know it is not guaranteed,"" she said.
She pointed out that if customers bought an item costing more than £100 on their credit card, that card provider is jointly responsible. 
In that case, consumers can claim under Section 75 if an item is faulty or not delivered, and if it cost less than £100 and a credit or debit card was used, they might be able to claim the amount back via a chargeback through their bank.
Sarah, 46, from York, told the BBC that she has been waiting for 14 weeks for a sofa bed that has not yet arrived.
After paying £270 and receiving a notification that the item had been shipped, she says she has not heard from the company.
Sarah described her ""disappointment"" about not receiving the product, as well as the fact she heard more about the company's collapse on social media than from Made itself.
f executive of Made, Nicola Thompson, apologised to everyone affected by the business going into administration, adding that the firm had ""fought tooth and nail"" to avoid this outcome.
She described Made.com as a ""much-loved brand"" that had thrived in a world of lower prices, stable demand from its customers and reliable supply chains.
But she continued: ""That world vanished, the business could not survive in its current iteration, and we could not pivot fast enough. The brand will now continue under new owners.""
It is a dramatic change in fortunes for the brand, which boomed during the pandemic-related lockdowns as people bought more furniture and other products online.
retailer, which sourced furniture directly from designers and manufacturers, gained a loyal base of mostly younger customers. Last year, it was valued at £775m after floating on the London Stock Exchange.
But more recently the company hit problems, as households cut back on big-ticket purchases. Global supply chain issues have also left customers waiting months for deliveries.
Made.com had already halted new orders recently and said it is currently not offering refunds or accepting returns from customers, although it is still intending to fulfil some previous orders.
Made.com announced its intention to appoint administrators last week. It had originally hoped to find a buyer for the whole business.
However, the company's co-founder and former boss wrote in a LinkedIn post that his offer to buy the furniture business was rejected.
Ning Li said he had offered to buy Made with his own cash, saving about 100 jobs, but this ""wasn't accepted"".
Additional reporting by Olga Smirnova.
Do you have an outstanding order with Made? Do you work for the company? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-63539652
business	Autistic businessman hopes success will inspire others	"A man who was told by his teachers he would amount to nothing says he has proved them wrong by successfully running two car dealerships.
Adam Bignall, 27, from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, has Asperger's Syndrome and operates by putting post-it notes everywhere.
""It helps me and I've found a way of coping,"" he said.
Mr Bignall said he was inspired by the receptionist at his school who helped him find work experience. 
""I found it very hard to fit in [at school]. Limited friends, limited people who'd understand,"" Mr Bignall said.
""Making friends was very difficult because everyone was like 'he's different'.""
usiness owner said he was ""always told I was going to fail"".
He struggled with school work and said he did not pass a single written exam.
""But I didn't let it phase me because I thought, I'm going to prove that you can get through life without exams.""
usiness owner has had about 10 different jobs but they did not work out. He said owning his own company has given him the flexibility he had always needed.
Mr Bignall added: ""If I'm having a bad day there's nothing to stop me locking the door and going home and starting afresh. Working in someone else's environment you cannot do that.
""That's a luxury I have now which I've never had previously and I think that's a massive, massive help.""
He said he has a tendency to forget information so uses the reminder app on his phone and a lot of post-it notes.
""It works. It's not ideal. It's a lot of money in post-it notes, but I've found a way of coping,"" said Mr Bignall.
""Growing up I saw myself as failing everything because that's what I was led to believe. But I didn't and I'm here and I'm still going.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-61786099
business	Shell fined for overcharging pre-payment customers	"Shell has been fined more than £500,000 for overcharging thousands of customers on pre-payment meters since the energy price cap was introduced in 2019.
giant's home energy supplier failed to implement rate changes to meters due to ""operational errors"". 
Ofgem said: ""Overcharging by suppliers can cause additional and unnecessary stress and worry at what is already a very challenging time for consumers."" 
regulator will announce changes to the energy price cap on Friday.
rgy price cap is the maximum amount suppliers can charge domestic customers in England, Scotland and Wales for each unit of energy.
w cap - which will come into force on 1 October - is forecast to lift the typical household energy bill to around £3,600.
It comes as millions across the country face the fastest rise in the cost of living for four decades. Meanwhile, Shell recently reported record profits of $11.5bn (£9bn) between April and June alone.
Ofgem found that over a period of more than three years since the price cap was introduced in January 2019, Shell overcharged more than 11,000 households, resulting in them having paid above the price cap. 
rrors were made when tariff updates were sent to people's prepayment meters to amend rates in response to changes in the level of the price cap, but Shell said that due to a ""variety of operational issues"", not all meters were successfully altered.
Affected customers will be automatically refunded from a total £106,000 and Shell will also pay £400,000 to Ofgem's voluntary consumer redress fund. 
Customers will also get payments from a total of £30,970 in goodwill from the oil giant, which identified the errors and alerted Ofgem. 
Out of 22 million households paying the price cap, around 4.5 million are prepayment meter customers who are among some of the country's poorest and most vulnerable households.
rity Citizens Advice has warned that these energy customers are more likely to be on the lowest incomes. 
Neil Lawrence, director of retail at Ofgem, said: ""Ofgem expects suppliers to adhere to the terms of contracts they have with customers, particularly ensuring they pay no more than the level of the price cap.""
A spokesperson for Shell Energy said: ""We are sincerely sorry that errors updating our prepayment meter rates resulted in some customers being overcharged for a period of time.
""As soon as we identified the issue we began taking steps to put it right and self-reported it to Ofgem. The overcharge, which averages £9.40 per customer, will be refunded along with a gesture of goodwill."""	/news/business-62672781
business	Thai army boycotts e-commerce giant Lazada over video	"'s army has boycotted online retailer Lazada over an advert that the government is probing for allegedly insulting the country's royal family.
move will see 245,000 members of the Thai military banned from using the e-commerce giant's websites for official purposes.
rict laws over defaming, insulting or threatening senior members of the royal family.
Singapore-based Lazada is one of South East Asia's biggest online retailers.
uncement comes after citizens loyal to the king complained about a TikTok video promoting a Lazada sale on 5 May.
Royalists said the advert, which featured a woman in a wheelchair, mocked the younger sister of King Vajiralongkorn, Princess Chulabhorn, who uses a wheelchair as a result of Lupus, an autoimmune disease.
was ""offensive to the monarchy"" and ""caused disunity in Thai society,"" Thai army spokeswoman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said in a statement.
""The army now has a policy to ban all army units and army-related activities from ordering merchandise from Lazada platform or delivering things from Lazada,"" she added.
's digital economy minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn told reporters that the government was considering legal action against the influencer and the advertising agency responsible for the video, as well as Lazada.
Under Thailand's lese-majeste law courts can hand down jail terms of up to 15 years for each offence of defaming, insulting or threatening King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the queen, their heir or regent.
Lazada, which is the South East Asian unit of Chinese online retail group Alibaba, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Earlier the company apologised for the ""emotional damage"" caused by the video and said it should have been more careful.
At least half a dozen businesses in Thailand, including some run by the palace, have also suspended use of Lazada because of the video, according to the Reuters news agency.
’s youth rebellion: Protest movement demands monarchy reform"	/news/business-61389117
business	'My energy company is refusing to connect my new home'	"For Pauline Sinclair, building a new home has always been her dream, but finishing it has become a nightmare.
Despite the house in Orkney being almost ready to move in to, the date of fitting her electricity meter on 8 August has been changed to next year.
She is furious, as being without power will mean spending another winter in a caravan right next to her property. 
And she is not alone, as other energy customers are reporting similar difficulties with meter installations.
One builder said it could become a serious issue."	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-62321812
business	Pound at two-week high after spending plan reports	"und has risen to its highest level for two weeks on hopes Kwasi Kwarteng will bring forward details of how he will cut debt.
It rose to $1.14, recovering after the chancellor's plans to fund tax cuts by extra borrowing rattled investors.
und remained high despite confusion over when he would set out his debt-cutting plan.
It is scheduled for 23 November but the BBC had understood that it would be bought forward to later this month.
On Monday, Mr Kwarteng had said his plans for how to boost growth as well as an independent assessment of the economic impact of his tax-cutting plans by independent forecaster the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) would be published ""shortly"".
w date was expected to be announced once parliament returns on 11 October.
However on Tuesday, both Mr Kwarteng and Prime Minister Liz Truss told GB news the so called ""fiscal plan"" would still happen on 23 November.
Fears his tax-cutting plans are unaffordable sparked turmoil on markets last week after Mr Kwarteng laid out the measures in a mini-budget. 
Conservative MP Mel Stride, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, told the BBC's Today programme the plan to cut debt would be ""critical in calming the markets"".
In the wake of the mini-budget, the pound slumped to a record low, government borrowing costs surged and the Bank of England was forced to step in and take emergency action after the dramatic market movements put some pension funds at risk of collapse.
Market turmoil was fuelled by the lack of an independent assessment on the impact of the plans, which had been offered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), but was declined by the government.
Investors also bet interest rates would rise faster than previously thought, leading banks to withdraw more than a thousand mortgage products as the uncertainty made long-term loans difficult to price.
Andrew Montlake, a mortgage broker at Coreco Partners, told the BBC that the beginning of last week had been ""a whirlwind of activity and confusion"". 
His staff worked around the clock to help clients tie down deals before lenders pulled their products or replaced them with more expensive ones.
""If we spoke to a client at nine in the morning and quoted them a rate, we had to phone back two hours later and say: 'It's going in the next hour. You need to make a quick decision if you want it',"" he said.
Homeowners about to come off fixed rates were facing huge jumps in their monthly payments, he added.
Mr Stride said if the OBR forecast stacks up then interest rate expectations could fall ""which is going to matter to millions of people up and down the country when it comes to their mortgages"".
After a backlash from Tory MPs over plans to scrap the top income tax rate for high-earners, Mr Kwarteng made a dramatic U-turn on Monday, declaring he would abandon the move. He then later agreed to bring forward the date of his spending plan.
A fall in the value of the pound will increase the price of goods and services imported into the UK from overseas.
's because when the pound is weak against the dollar or euro, for example, it costs more for companies in the UK to buy things such as food, raw materials or parts from abroad.
Firms could choose to pass on those higher prices to their customers. And that could push up inflation, which tracks how the cost of living changes over time.
Read more
w due to published later this month, ahead of 3 November when the Bank of England next meets to make its latest decision on interest rates.
Interest rates have risen seven times since December as the Bank tries to curb inflation - the rate at which prices rise. This is currently at a near 40-year-high of 9.9%.
After last week's turmoil, investors were estimating interest rates could reach more than 6% next year - although expectations have since edged back to around 5.4%.
Raising interest rates makes it more expensive to borrow which should, in theory, encourage people to spend less and cool inflation, but it also makes borrowing money for mortgages or other loans more expensive.  
Mr Stride said: ""If [the OBR forecast] is well received... you might expect the [Bank of England] to come up with a lower level of interest rate rises, which of course once again will be very helpful for those with mortgages, business borrowing and indeed for the cost of the government servicing its own debt.""
However, he said there were doubts over whether the OBR would give the government its blessing. 
Mr Stride said much would ride on the government proving that its policies can, as promised, boost economic growth to a yearly rate of 2.5% which will be ""difficult to do"".
Failing that, Mr Stride said the government would have to ""row back"" on other promised tax cuts or ""lean into"" public spending cuts at time of soaring inflation, which could meet fierce resistance.  
Prime Minister Liz Truss has refused to confirm whether benefits will rise with inflation, a change that would save about £5bn. 
But Penny Mourdant, Leader of the House of Commons, has openly opposed the idea telling Times Radio: ""We're not about trying to help people with one hand and take it away with another."" "	/news/business-63128436
business	Dyson fined £1.2m after milling machine fell on worker	"Dyson has been fined over a million pounds after an employee was injured when a milling machine fell on him.
gy company has been ordered to pay £1.2m after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety laws. 
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, James Hole, said the incident ""could have been fatal"".
Dyson said it was ""thankful"" that the employee was ""not more seriously hurt"" in the incident at its factory in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. 
Swindon Magistrates' Court heard that the worker had been moving a 1.5 tonne milling machine along with a colleague when the incident occurred in August 2019.
fted it up with a five-tonne jack, and were replacing some wheels with wooden blocks when it fell.
It struck the man and his head and chest were injured, the HSE said.
Its investigators found that Dyson had not provided ""suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training"" to its staff.
man escaped being crushed only because the machine landed on two toolboxes and the handle of another machine.
""Those in control of work have a duty to assess the risks, devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workforce,"" said Mr Hole.
""Had a suitable safe system of work been in place this incident and the related injuries could have been prevented,"" he added.
Dyson said that health and safety is its ""number one priority"" and confirmed that the man had now returned to work. 
""As an engineering company, we use complex and often heavy equipment and take care to do so safely.
""We deeply regret that this happened and we accept the court's decision today,"" it said in a statement.
Dyson added they had no previous convictions or enforcement history related to health and safety at work and that the court noted their ""excellent safety record"".
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-wiltshire-62411411
business	Economic slowdown: China urges push to boost sluggish economy	"China's premier has called on the country's richest provinces to offer economic support to boost pro-growth measures. 
untry saw consumption and output unexpectedly slow down in July.
""A sense of urgency must be strengthened to consolidate the foundation for economic recovery,"" Premier Li Keqiang said. 
An uncompromising zero-Covid approach sharply slowed China's economic growth in the second quarter of this year. 
In a rare move, China's central bank cut lending rates on Monday to revive demand.
China's economy continued to recover in July, but there were ""small fluctuations"", Mr Li said in a video meeting with senior officials from six major provinces - Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan and Sichuan - which account for roughly 40 percent of economic output.
government will take more steps to boost consumption and expand effective investment, Mr Li added.
China, the world's second largest economy, has been badly hit by widespread coronavirus lockdowns that have affected both businesses and consumers.
Gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 2.6% in the three months to the end of June from the previous quarter.
Major cities across China, including the major financial and manufacturing hub Shanghai, were put into full or partial lockdowns during this period.
But Beijing has so far shown no signs of relaxing its zero-Covid policy.
Key economic indicators show China is having a hard time shaking off the impact the lockdowns are having on its manufacturing and retail business. In July, retail sales rose 2.7% compared to a year ago. However, the number missed forecasts for 5% growth and fell short of June's figure - 3.1%. The latest figures also showed youth unemployment is at a record high. 
roperty sector is taking a major hit amid a mortgage boycott with homebuyers losing faith that projects will be completed. Property investment dropped 12.3% last month, the fastest rate this year, while the drop in new sales deepened to 28.9%.
Watch: The Chinese people living in unfinished apartments"	/news/business-62571995
business	Doing business on purpose	"wo most important days in your life are the day you're born, and the day you find out why.
So said Mark Twain, we're told, in an observation that could also be applied to business.
re's a growing movement towards the company being for a purpose - or more precisely, for a variety of purposes beyond the one that has dominated British business.
Making profit is why shareholders tend to subscribe on the day firms are born. And once listed on the London Stock Exchange, the pressure from institutional shareholders is to deliver consistent profit each quarter or a reliable prospect of future dividends.
're now being asked to consider whether it's in shareholders' long-term interest to aim for other objectives, including the social or environmental.
A jargon word has emerged - ""purpose"". Maybe I was late to it, but I first heard it from Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest, including Royal Bank of Scotland, setting out her leadership mission to make it into a purpose-led bank.
I asked her in an interview last month what that meant. Her reply: ""Purpose-led means delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders - good returns for our shareholders, but also for our customers and for our communities and our colleagues. 
""It's about thinking long term and keeping all that in balance, and making sure we're addressing the role we play more broadly than just being a bank - around education, inclusion and the climate, and support for entrepreneurship.""
Ms Rose reflected: ""From my perspective, as someone who's been in banking a long time, there have been times we haven't balanced all those elements equally.""
who watched Royal Bank of Scotland going through the Fred Goodwin era and beyond surely cannot argue with that.
A commission was set up by the Scottish government with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, that broad alliance of the public and private sector, to look into ""the purpose of business"" and how it might be altered for the public good.
r results are just in, published in a weighty, glossy report, along with the findings of polling and business surveys.
uggests that 50% of Scots think the reputation of business is excellent or good, while 5% disagree. The remainder are neutral or don't know.
's not a bad ratio when one considers the banking crisis or fury at energy suppliers that we've seen in recent years, or those of us holding on the phone while being fobbed off by an automated bot or told for more than two years how ""we're experiencing unusually high call volumes"". (I digress.)
Nearly two-thirds of Scots questioned for the survey said they would like to see business find profitable solutions to people's problems and those of the planet, while only 27% think that's what they already do.
Nearly half now see the maximising of profit is the current main purpose, and only 17% want to see things remain that way.
What about consumers? More people say they are influenced by a company's values and beliefs when they buy goods or choose where to work than say that are not.  So there may be a competitive advantage there for those who put some effort into this stuff.
A majority want firms to pay the real living wage, but there are only minorities who want firms to pay their fair share of tax (38%), provide job security for employees (32%) or commit clearly to good customer service (30%).
When the  Fraser of Allander Institute went to its panel of Scottish firms to find out what they think about it for this commission, it found most want to have a purpose beyond profit, but only by a small majority of 53%.
Many claimed they are already doing their bit, and the spur for that can be from different sources: a board member, employee or customer.
report gives us examples, from energy giant SSE to Jerba Campervans and from Muckle Media PR to Amiqus software.
Another stimulus is in trying to recruit the best people. Particularly in a hot labour market, and notably with younger workers, the right values and beliefs in the company boardroom, cascading into working life, can make all the difference to winning over recruits and retaining them.
f-interest extends to aligning with customers' values, and increasingly to investors in search of ethical places to plant their funds.
""A strong business purpose makes clear to customers why they should buy from you, to people why they should work for you and to society why it should trust you,"" says the report.
f the survey numbers is good, conclude this commission of people from business, professional services, academia and trade unions. But they also say the effort ought to be scaled up. 
So they have set out a vision for every Scottish business to become ""purposeful"" in delivering not just profit but for people and planet. And going beyond the usual dry analysis, they offer a checklist for company bosses, and also for investors to adopt, and for employees to play a leading role.
report has 12 suggestions for ways companies, trainers and different layers of government can play their part. Along with some change to company law to help this process, the other ideas tend towards the nebulous and vague.
Number five is to ""work with government to inform and mobilise consumer expectation of business purpose"".
By coincidence, this week, the UK government has ventured into this terrain with a suggestion that firms should demonstrate their efforts to cut prices amid the cost of living pressures. For doing so, they could get some kind of government kite-mark. The response has been at best polite explanation of how business works, and sometimes one of withering contempt.
Back in Scotland, the Purpose of Business Commission has set a firmer target of a tenth of Scottish firms, some 36,000, that can define, measure and manage their environmental, social and governance impact. 
's where it can get trickier. Measuring inputs and outcomes of these more abstract concepts is more difficult than bean-counting for the bottom line.
It is also where good intent comes into conflict with cynicism. There is already something known as ""purpose-washing"". It's the equivalent of green-washing: spray-painting your company's reputation green in the hope of gaining environmental credit.
In this line of business, authenticity counts for a lot."	/news/uk-scotland-61975166
business	Nottingham Castle Christmas traders relieved at relocation	"Christmas market traders affected by the sudden closure of Nottingham Castle have said they are relieved the event has been relocated.
rust that runs the attraction went into liquidation on Monday, meaning it closed and a market, due to take place at the weekend, was cancelled.
Business Improvement District (BID) has said the market will now take place in Sneinton.
Nottingham Castle Trust said it was ""hugely disappointed"" to be closing.
Christmas craft market was due to take place in the castle's grounds from Friday to Sunday.
raders said they feared they would have lost thousands of pounds as a result of the cancellation.
However Nottingham BID said it had worked with partners to offer the 23 traders who had been due to attend the market a new location on Sneinton Market Avenues.
Dr Rose Deakin, founder of The Crop Club, a Gedling-based business selling eco-growing kits, said: ""I am blown away by how quickly the community rallied around to create an alternative.
""Thank you to everyone that has helped make this new location a possibility.""
Heidi Hargreaves, co-owner of Dukki which specialises in regional dialect gifts and homeware, said cancelling the market completely would have been a ""huge blow financially"".
""The only good thing to come from this is the strength and resilience of all the small businesses,"" she said.
""Even though we largely work alone in our day-to-day lives, when there is a crisis we pull together and form a community of like-minded individuals.""
Julie Jackson, owner of Sustainable Bags and Fashion, which sells recycled bags and accessories from leather destined for landfill, said she felt lucky Sneinton Market Avenues had offered to host the event at short notice.
""It's such a lovely gesture to do for us all,"" the 49-year-old said. ""We appreciate it.
""This has really helped us out as we rely on trading at these events and it's tough being a small business in the current climate.""
Alex Flint, CEO of Nottingham BID, said: ""On hearing the news about Nottingham Castle, we knew decisions needed to be made to enable the diverse range of local food retailers and makers to continue to trade.
""We have collectively secured a new event venue at Sneinton Market Avenues.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63699854
business	Lipstick index: Do shoppers turn to low-cost luxuries in a recession?	"Do we really buy more low-cost luxuries in a recession?
-called lipstick index, coined by Estée Lauder's Leonard Lauder, is the theory that sales of affordable luxuries rise in economic downturns.
Consumer psychologist Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd said there was evidence people attempt to boost their mood with small treats in difficult times.
But she said a bigger factor in what we buy is a subconscious decision about how we want other people to see us.
""Being short of money is psychologically daunting for people and the way to make yourself feel better, even if it's ever so little, is to purchase something that you think will cheer you up,"" said Dr Jansson-Boyd,  an associate professor in consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University. 
She said this explains why sales of alcohol and chocolate rocketed in the Covid lockdowns. 
""The purchase itself might vary depending on your personality,"" she said. 
Cardiff fashion blogger Christy Llewellyn believes she is certainly benefitting from the so-called lipstick index. 
Six months ago she launched her business Loste, selling false nails that allow people to forgo the salon to do their nails themselves at home.
""They can't afford it anymore, obviously the price of going to the salon is going up,"" she said. 
""When the news came out that bills were going to rise again there was actually a big rise in sales which was interesting.""
Christy, who blogs as Style Rarebit, identifies with wanting small treats but said her go-to more affordable luxury would be a mascara or coffee from an independent coffee shop rather than a lipstick.
""They're not going to make a huge dent whereas things like going on holidays, buying a new car, buying a really amazing pair of shoes feels like a huge spend,"" she said.  
In July, US market research group NPD said beauty stood alone as the only industry with unit sales on-the-rise this year.
UK consumer confidence in the future hit a record low in August, with GfK's Consumer Confidence index saying a ""sense of exasperation"" about the economy was the biggest driver behind the fall.
Artisan baker Alex Gooch has two coffee shops, a pizza shop and provides bread to seven Waitrose stores as well as delis, restaurants and hotels in Wales and the borders.
Despite the cost of living crisis he said business was booming, with customers still prepared to spend  £10 on his 2kg (4.4lb) sourdough and up to £4.50 for a standard-sized loaf.
""People get a lot out of going to their favourite coffee shop, reading a paper, meeting a friend - it is an integral part of wellbeing... it's the last thing people are going to consider giving up,"" said Alex, who lives in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan.
He has reason to be optimistic, having set up his business during the 2008 financial crisis and despite the current downturn he is in the process of opening two new shops.   
He said while people may think twice about making bigger purchases such as a holiday, a croissant and a cup of coffee costs about £6,  a relatively small amount of money compared to other indulgences. 
""It's a very simple thing that is actually, very, very important to people,"" he said.
""It's a treat isn't it? It's a big treat.""
Recent months have seen a surge in energy, petrol and grocery costs, then last week's mini-budget sparked a fall in the pound and a surge in borrowing costs.
""People are really feeling confused, but I think what is easy for them and very tangible is the fact that they have less money generally,"" said Dr Jansson-Boyd.
She said price ""always comes into the equation if you don't have money to spend"" but ""people actually purchase things to represent who they are"".
""Most things are no longer purchased for the practicality of them,"" she explained. 
""They're actually bought because they represent some sort of symbolic value... from which supermarket you want to be associated with to what sort of vacuum cleaner you have.
""People look at what you wear, what brands you have, what car you drive, and the handbag you use, even the suitcase you have, and we made judgments - we're not aware of making judgments because it happens subconsciously.""
She said in a downturn people tended to invest in more widely-recognisable brands and items that others get to see - so they may buy a branded lipstick that can be applied in public over a moisturiser that is usually applied at home. 
She said not having as much money as you used to also had an emotional impact that can lead to ""irrational choices"" such as impulse purchases and taking on credit card debt. 
""They're not thinking it through, they kind of want stimulation immediately,"" she said. 
""That is concerning because with interest rates going up it is actually a trap for many so it's very worrying."""	/news/uk-wales-63047913
business	Saudi Aramco: Oil giant sees profits jump as prices surge	"Saudi Aramco has posted its highest profits since its 2019 listing as oil and gas prices surge around the world.
-owned energy giant saw an 82% jump in profits, with net income topping $39.5bn (£32.2bn) in the first quarter.
In a press release, the firm said it had been boosted by higher prices, as well as an increase in production.
f Ukraine has seen oil and gas prices skyrocket. 
Russia is one of the world's biggest exporters but Western nations have pledged to cut their dependence on the country for energy.
Oil prices were already rising before the Ukraine war as economies started to recover from the Covid pandemic and demand outstripped supply.
Other energy firms including Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have also reported soaring profits as a result, although many are incurring costs exiting operations in Russia.
Aramco's president and chief executive, Amin Nasser, said on Sunday that the company was ""focused on helping meet the world's demand for energy that is reliable, affordable and increasingly sustainable"".
""Energy security is vital and we are investing for the long-term,"" he added.
In March, the oil and gas producer pledged to ramp up investment and boost output significantly over the next five to eight years.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the world's biggest oil exporter that month to try to persuade it to release more oil into world markets in the short-term.
Saudi Arabia is the largest producer in the oil cartel Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and by raising production it could help to reduce energy prices.
But the country has been condemned for a range of human rights abuses: its involvement in the conflict in neighbouring Yemen, the murder in 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for jailing dissidents and for widespread use of capital punishment.
Aramco itself also faces security challenges because of the conflict in Yemen, with Huthi rebels targeting some of its sites and temporarily knocking out a big portion of the kingdom's crude production.
Its latest set of results come days after Aramco reclaimed the top spot as the world's most valuable company from Apple for the first time in almost two years.
Aramco also announced on Sunday it would issue 20 billion bonus shares to shareholders - one share for every 10 shares already owned."	/news/business-61455301
business	China Covid: Universal Resort shuts due to Beijing coronavirus cases	"Universal Resort theme park in Beijing has temporarily closed due to Covid-19 prevention measures.
Cases have been rising in the city despite having some of the world's toughest anti-coronavirus restrictions.
For yesterday, the Chinese capital - which is home to more than 21 million people - reported 19 symptomatic infections and one asymptomatic case.
China's zero-Covid policy has seen cities and attractions locked down over relatively small numbers of infections.
rk, which is part-owned by the US media giant Comcast, did not say when it would reopen, but pledged to refund or reschedule tickets.
""We will continue to assess the impact on operations and strive to resume operations as soon as possible,"" it said on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform.
""At the same time, we will continue to carry out a series of work related to epidemic prevention and control, such as deep cleaning, disinfection and nucleic acid testing,"" it added.
Some users on Weibo took issue with the short notice given to customers by the company.
""The pandemic shutdown is understandable. But why didn't you give earlier notice?"" one user asked.
Another said: ""Who is responsible for the loss if I specially took leave to visit?""
me the theme park, which was opened in September 2021, has been forced to close its gates this year. It was shut for six weeks from the start of May due to Covid measures.
Strict zero-Covid policies have seen some of China's biggest cities being locked down, including the financial, manufacturing and shipping hub of Shanghai.
Beijing is the only major Chinese city to have so far avoided a full lockdown.
However, infections have been rising after the national Golden Week holiday earlier this month.
Last Thursday, some housing estates and shopping centres in Beijing were locked down because of a steep rise in cases.
Other major attractions in China have been shut in recent months because of rises in Covid infections.
Earlier this year, Shanghai Disneyland was closed down for three months because of a coronavirus outbreak.
When it reopened in June, visitors had to wear face masks and stick to strict social distancing rules.
President Xi Jinping, who secured a historic third term in power at the weekend, has signalled that the country will continue to pursue its strict zero-Covid approach even as the measures have weighed on economic growth.
Watch: What people had to say about China's new leadership line-up"	/news/business-63396556
business	Direct sales: 'My dream job turned into a nightmare'	"Matt stood, phone in hand, taking photos of his hair on the floor. His topknot had just been cut off as a forfeit for losing out on a challenge to a colleague at the direct sales company for which he worked in 2018.
Fail to make as many sales as your colleague door-to-door, or on the street? There were consequences, which included eating chillies, being slapped with a fish, or doing press-ups in front of the office.
Matt says it never crossed his mind not to do the forfeit due to the peer pressure from colleagues. ""You realise it's weird but because you're in that bubble, it normalises itself.""
He told his mum and dad very little about his new role - from working up to 80 hours a week, to earning commission only - because of a sense of embarrassment.  
He says the job was framed as a junior executive role in sales and marketing. Quick progression was a big selling point, with the promise of branching out and owning his own direct sales company and earning six figures within a year.
Watch The Dark Side of Direct Sales on BBC iPlayer, or listen on BBC Radio 4. 
""That's more money than any graduate scheme at the time,"" says Matt, now 25. ""I was hooked. I was all in.""
A year-long BBC investigation, based on the experiences of dozens of ex-sales agents, suggests Matt's story, while an extreme example, was not unique. 
It revealed concerns around exhausting working conditions, low pay and how some companies have been exploiting young people with little knowledge of the job market.
After Lauren, now 20, lost her job bartending in London during the pandemic, an online message about a marketing vacancy seemed like a dream come true.
During an interview, the director of the company asked what she would like to achieve in life. ""I said: 'Well, I'd love to retire my mum, I'd love to be able to drive a nice car.'""
Lauren says she was told that would be easy if she followed in her manager's footsteps.
Like Matt, she was hooked by the dream of entrepreneurship. 
She suggests the hustle culture - the idea of becoming your own boss and prioritising work above all else - and its prevalence on social media had a part to play, but says she was willing to ""grind"" to achieve her goals.
Lauren's parents questioned the new role. ""But I was so defensive,"" she says. ""I told them that they weren't seeing 'the vision'."" But the reality of the job quickly set in.
Drawn in by descriptions of immediately earning £300-400 a week, Matt says he found out on his induction day that the role was commission-only. He was asked to register as self-employed, which meant no minimum wage, paid holiday, or sick pay.
Determined to make a success of it, Matt says he tried his best to sell to customers on the street, working about 12 hours a day, six days a week.
But over the 14 months he worked there, he made only £7,900. Between having to pay for travel and accommodation during ""road trips"" - to sell in other towns or cities - he says he maxed out his overdraft and credit card.
On one occasion, he started crying in front of a manager who told him off for his dishevelled appearance. ""I said, 'I can't afford shampoo, I can't afford hair gel.' So I'd had to use hand soap to try and make [my hair] look decent.""
For Lauren, it became clear at her second interview that she would be doing door-to-door sales. It was then that she was also told she would need to register as self-employed, earning commission only.
""If you put in the work, you won't even be on the doors for long,"" she says she was told, referring to the promise of moving up the chain.
She describes the first day selling as ""horrific"", being instructed by her team leader to run door-to-door, waiting no longer than three seconds at each one. 
""I came into the office limping because my feet were swollen.""
She says the breaking point came after three weeks, when she wasn't able to take a toilet break during her period, and bled through her clothes. She describes ""begging"" a manager to find somewhere to change. 
Lauren says he eventually agreed. ""He said: 'You're not giving 100%.' He asked: 'Do you even want this? Do you want to retire your mum? Your period can't stop you from doing that.' I just felt so humiliated.""
A spokeswoman for the company Lauren worked for said it does not tell sales agents that there are ""no toilet breaks or lunch breaks"".
But describing the experience overall, Lauren says: ""I don't want to sound dramatic, but it was kind of like selling your soul.""
Something else links Matt and Lauren's experiences: a company called Credico, one of the biggest players in the direct sales industry in the UK.
It is a company that essentially acts like a middleman. It contracts smaller sales companies, which get their recruits to go out and sell on behalf of big-name brands.
Credico was originally set up in Canada and boasts up to 15,000 sales agents working for its partner companies worldwide. 
It says it now has more than 100 sales companies in its UK network, most owned by people who started out as sales agents themselves. 
Matt says Credico was described to young recruits as ""like Uber"". ""We were the taxi drivers, and the passengers were the clients. So Credico connect us and the clients together, they would give us the training materials and they will act as a go-between.""
Despite the fact they were self-employed, many of the sales agents at these smaller companies told the BBC they felt a ""lack of control"" about when and where they would go and sell. ""None of it was on my terms,"" Lauren says.
And court documents from a case brought by Credico for competition reasons last year suggest it does direct some of what the independent offices do.
For example, it provides the wording of the agreements that sales agents must sign when they are joining up to sell in its ""network"".
Several experts called this structure into question. 
riticised the working conditions described, as well as the fact that some job adverts for these companies outline a base salary, calling it ""deeply misleading"".
Employment lawyer Luke Menzies said there was a risk sales agents were being ""taken for a ride without realising it"".
""It seems to me, from what I've seen, that [sales agents] would have the right to go to an employment tribunal and say, 'I want my national living wage, I want my holidays.' And they would have the right to bring that claim.""
But he said ultimately the responsibility for these sales agents would lie with the smaller companies in the network.
Labour MP Darren Jones, who chairs the House of Commons Business Committee, said he believed workers were being exploited.
""They are being exploited because they think they're signing up for an exciting job with a good salary that gives them prospects and actually, they arrive at the office and they're told they're self-employed, commission-only, door-to-door salespeople.""
He also questioned why reforms aimed at helping vulnerable workers, promised as part of the 2019 Queen's Speech, have not yet materialised.
A government spokesman said new employment status guidance had been introduced, acting as a one-stop-shop for businesses and people to understand which employment rights apply to them.
""Exploitative practices have no place in our society, and we will investigate cases of malpractice,"" the spokesman added.
A Credico spokesman said: ""Individuals are all engaged as independent contractors directly by independent sales offices, using a contract that is written using plain language to make it very clear that the individual will be self-employed.""
It said standard pay and contracting models, which are common in the industry, were used.
""The contractors enjoy the flexibility that self-employment brings, as they are free to work the hours and days they choose, with many working less hours than a standard five-day week.""
Credico also pointed out that it operates a whistleblowing programme for workers to flag concerns. Its spokesman added that the well-being of contractors was ""extremely important to them"".
As for Credico's clients, it is still an approved supplier for Shell Energy, but a spokesman said it has not used its services since October 2021. 
National Deaf Children's Society said it was not aware of the allegations and had launched an investigation. A spokesman added any malpractice will be treated ""extremely seriously"".
""It is crucial that any fundraising carried out for us is respectful to both the public and anyone working on our behalf,"" he said, adding that the charity has ""sector-leading"" safeguards. 
kTalk told the BBC it ""no longer"" has a relationship with Credico, but described the practices uncovered as ""shocking"".
Matt now works in sales in a salaried job. Meanwhile, Lauren describes the skills she gained in direct sales as helpful in finding a marketing job where she's happy.
But she added: ""I want young people to be aware. Please don't get caught up in the hustle and the go-getter lifestyle. You will get there 100%. Don't feel like you have to rush it.""
For details of organisations offering advice and support, go to BBC Action Line.
Follow reporter Lora Jones on Twitter.
Watch The Dark Side of Direct Sales on Tuesday, 23 August at 20:00 BST on BBC Three or BBC iPlayer, or listen on BBC Radio 4."	/news/business-62466147
business	Uncertainty remains over some people's energy rebates	"Everyone has been promised a £400 rebate on their domestic energy bill this winter, to offer some relief from soaring prices.
rt of a package of government support to help people with the rising cost of living. 
But millions of people are still facing uncertainty over exactly how they will get the promised rebate.
Mobile homes can vary in size and structure, and often it is pensioners and semi-retired people who own them, paying a fee to the park owner for their pitch. 
Many park home residents have been afraid they would not receive the promised £400 energy rebate. Their concern prompted a petition, signed by more than 11,000 people, calling for confirmation that they will not miss out on the payment, which has been promised to every household.
While the government has stressed that they will receive the money, the mechanics of how their bill will be discounted remain unclear.
Residents do not have a direct relationship with their energy supplier, so cannot be given a straightforward rebate like everyone else. The park owner is billed by the energy firm, then the owner charges the residents for the power they use. 
""A lot of people believed they would not get [the money]. However, there is no doubt, and I have been assured by government officials, that this money will be paid,"" says Brian Doick, who lives in a mobile home in Sussex and is president of the National Association of Park Home Residents.
""This will not be a cash payment but will come in a way that covers [some of] the cost of your utility bill. It could be vouchers or something else, but I am assured you will be paid from October. We will be paid exactly the same as everyone else.""
For most regular billpayers, the rebate will arrive in six instalments, with a discount of £66 applied to energy bills in October and November, and £67 a month from December to March 2023.
A government spokesman said officials and ministers were ""urgently working"" to ensure everyone, including park home residents, received the support. 
Mr Doick, an 81-year-old retired firefighter, says support is crucial, because mobile home residents are facing inflation-linked increases to their pitch fees.
Every year, the park owner can put up the fee in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which currently stands at 12.3%.
Many residents also have access to gas from cylinders, or tanks, outside their home, but that has also been going up in price.
Hundreds of thousands of tenants pay rent which includes bills - but the type of contract can vary. 
John Gallagher, a solicitor at housing charity Shelter, says that - in the case of a fixed rent, inclusive of bills - there is no specific legal obligation for a landlord to pass on the energy discount.
re ""at the mercy of their landlord"", he says.
However, for those who pay a variable service charge that covers gas and electricity, the landlord is not allowed to overcharge for the energy used, or make a profit on it.
""If [landlords] pocket the government support and continue to charge you the same rate for utilities or more, they may be in breach of these rules,"" he says.
National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) agrees that where tenants are being charged higher prices for the energy they use, the discount should be passed on to them by their landlord.
However, a spokesperson pointed out there would be cases where all-inclusive rents had been set without reflecting the recent surge in energy costs, in which case the landlord would be shouldering the impact of higher prices.
In principle, though, landlords with a domestic electricity connection, where a fixed cost for energy is included in the rent, ""should also be passing on the discounted payments to tenants"", the government says. 
Other tenants, such as housing association tenants on communal heating networks, who have their heating supplied through a central boiler that reaches all homes in a building, rather than having an individual boiler in their home, pay for their heating bills via service charges.
Many of these residents are vulnerable, living in supported or sheltered housing. Although the government has said they will definitely receive the £400 rebate, this is another group awaiting detail on how the money will get to them.
From the outset, the government has said that residents of Northern Ireland should receive the £400 rebate.
Energy supply is different to the rest of the UK, and the price cap that operates in England, Wales, and Scotland does not apply here. But prices have also been rising in Northern Ireland over the last year.
Without a functioning executive government at Stormont, the issue is being discussed by a taskforce set up by the chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi.
A week ago, Northern Ireland Finance Minister Conor Murphy said there had been ""long overdue"" confirmation that the rebate would apply in Northern Ireland.
But he added there was no guarantee that Northern Ireland households would receive the money from October, like the rest of the UK. Instead, payments might not be made until early next year."	/news/business-62736620
business	Aviva chief responds to 'sexist' shareholder jibes	"f Aviva has responded to ""sexist"" jibes that were allegedly made about her by some of the group's shareholders this week.
Amanda Blanc, group chief executive of UK insurer Aviva, said the comments were ""derogatory"".
She added that she had picked up her ""fair share of misogynistic scars"".  
Financial Times reported a series of remarks that were aimed at senior women, including Ms Blanc, at Aviva's annual general meeting (AGM).
Ms Blanc joined Aviva in July 2020, becoming the company's first female chief executive.
According to the newspaper, two shareholders criticised Ms Blanc at the meeting.
One reportedly said a speech where she highlighted returns to shareholders was at odds with Aviva's share price performance over the last ten years, which signified ""she's not the man for the job"".
Aviva's market capitalisation is about a third higher than when Ms Blanc joined.
Another shareholder is said to have referred back to the company's past bosses and asked whether Ms Blanc should be ""wearing trousers"".
A third reportedly made a jibe about the women on the board, saying: ""They are so good at basic housekeeping activities, I'm sure this will be reflected in the direction of the board in future.""
Writing in a LinkedIn post, Ms Blanc said: ""In all honesty, after 30 plus years in financial services I am pretty used to sexist and derogatory comments like those in the AGM yesterday.""
She added that like ""many other women in business"", she has picked up her ""fair share of misogynistic scars"" during her time working at various companies and in boardrooms.
""I guess that after you have heard the same prejudicial rhetoric for so long though, it makes you a little immune to it all,"" she said.
Ms Blanc said that while she'd like to say things have been improving recently, she feels the opposite is true, with the fact that such comments were now being made publicly rather than in private ""a new development"".
""The more senior the role I have taken, the more overt the unacceptable behaviour,"" she said.
Aviva's chair, George Culmer, criticised the comments at the end of the AGM.
Mr Culmer refused to thank people for their contributions to the session, saying some comments had been ""simply inappropriate"" and adding that he was ""flabbergasted"".
Concluding her post, Ms Blanc expressed her hope that initiatives working towards gender equality will help to eradicate such occurrences in future.
""But in truth that seems a long way off,"" she said. ""So we have little choice other than to redouble our efforts together."""	/news/business-61411229
business	World Bank warns of recession risk due to Ukraine war	"Countries around the world are facing recession as the Ukraine war hits economies already rocked by the Covid pandemic, the World Bank has warned.
Less developed countries in Europe and east Asia face a ""major recession"", it said.
risk of high inflation and low growth - so-called ""stagflation"" - is also higher, World Bank President David Malpass said.
Energy and food bills have been rising around the world.
""The war in Ukraine, lockdowns in China, supply-chain disruptions, and the risk of stagflation are hammering growth. For many countries, recession will be hard to avoid,"" Mr Malpass said.
He also warned in the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects report for June that the danger of stagflation was ""considerable"".
""Subdued growth will likely persist throughout the decade because of weak investment in most of the world. With inflation now running at multi-decade highs in many countries and supply expected to grow slowly, there is a risk that inflation will remain higher for longer.""
Also on Tuesday, the World Bank approved $1.49bn (£1.2bn) of additional funding for Ukraine, which it said ""will be used to pay for wages for government and social workers.""
w financing is part of a more than $4bn support package for the country, which covers areas including healthcare, education and sanitation.
More than a hundred days have passed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but only now is the sobering size of the shock waves hitting nations and households thousands of miles away from that epicentre becoming clear.
Developing nations were already struggling to get back on their feet. For every $20 households there typically earned pre-pandemic, they now only get $19.
But soaring food and energy costs threaten to throw livelihoods further into reverse, spelling misery and hardship for the most vulnerable.
And that's not just true for poorer countries. One survey shows one in six British households have turned to a food bank.
global struggle could be compounded by the higher interest rates being used to ease inflation, just as government support to ease the impact of the pandemic is evaporating.
World Bank is urging immediate action, from debt relief, to urging nations not to put restrictions on food exports.
Instead they want policymakers to show they are acting together to safeguard food and energy supplies, reassure volatile markets, and ease price spikes,.
Policymakers have already had to tackle an extraordinary battle.
But if we down tools now the World Bank suggests we could face an even more prolonged and painful crisis.
Hardship today doesn't just mean misery and social unrest, it can blight lives for years.
untries in Europe that are most likely to suffer a sharp drop in economic output in 2022 are Ukraine and Russia, the World Bank forecast.
But it warned that the fallout from the war and the Covid pandemic would be wider.
""Even if a global recession is averted, the pain of stagflation could persist for several years - unless major supply increases are set in motion,"" Mr Malpass said.
Between 2021 and 2024, global growth is projected to slow by 2.7 percentage points, Mr Malpass said, more than twice the slow down seen between 1976 and 1979, when the world last saw stagflation.
report warned that interest rate increases needed to control inflation at the end of the 1970s were so steep that they touched off a global recession in 1982, and a string of financial crises in emerging market and developing economies.
However, in the 1970s the dollar was weaker and oil was relatively more expensive. 
Speaking to the BBC, Ayhan Kose, director of the World Bank's Prospects Group said ""There is not much governments can easily do"" to tackle rising energy prices.
""They shouldn't introduce export bans, they shouldn't introduce subsidies, they shouldn't introduce price controls,"" Mr Kose said.
""Those type of interventions distort prices and they translate into even higher prices,"" he added."	/news/business-61723643
business	Lowestoft: 'If empty shops open up everybody wins'	"In the Queen's Speech the government announced that councils would get new planning powers to force landlords in England to let out empty shops to rejuvenate high streets. What do people in the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft, the UK's most easterly point, make of the plans?
Home to more than 70,000 people the coastal town of Lowestoft is the most easterly settlement in the UK.
who live there say the town has been caught in a vicious economic circle in recent years.
As shop after shop has closed, the fewer visitors come and the cycle continues.
Mandy Peterson, has run Lennie's, a plant shop in the town for four years. 
""I took voluntary redundancy and I thought I would use that money to set myself up in a business that I thought I would enjoy doing.
""Lowestoft has taken a real dip in how much retail there is here, it doesn't look so nice to walk through when everywhere is closed. 
She says local shop keepers do work together and ""help each other"". 
Her message to anyone thinking of opening a new business - ""give it a go.""
She does not think forcing landlords to let out empty shop units will work in all situations. 
""I'm not sure if we should force anybody to do anything personally, the thought of empty shops being open, marvellous, everybody wins. The landlord wins for the rent, the community wins for the financial  flow and it's a better area for everyone to live in.""
She remembers a time when in the '80s and '90s there were ""nice shops"" with ""loads of choice"" in Lowestoft. 
""I was born here, so I've seen a big change. It's awful if you're a local person and you've seen the town that you've lived in all your life go down.""
She believes things could turn around if there is the ""will and the finance"" in place. 
Pamela Norman says Lowestoft has ""gone downhill very badly, there's nothing"", so she does not come into town a lot. 
""It needs to be more people friendly, there's just nothing here""
re are only ""a couple of shops, there's not a lot""
""Awful"" is what Nicki Cross thinks of the seaside town. 
She also believes it has gone ""downhill so much, I've lived here all my life and there's nothing here"". 
""Regeneration"" is the answer, she said.
""The shops are closing left, right and centre, we're just getting no new trade, the road network system is absolutely awful.  
""Something seriously needs to be done as the town is dying a death.""
Danny Steel, a commercial property specialist and chairman of the business improvement group, Lowestoft Vision, believes the government's scheme to make sure empty shops are taken over, will have some positives.  
""In some cases yes it will and in other cases it could cause problems, the devil is in the detail,"" he said.
Mr Steel does not think just having retail shops is the answer as the nature of town centres is changing. 
He would like to see coffee bars, restaurants, nail bars, doctors' surgeries and dentists, alongside shops and homes. 
Plans are in place to turn units in the town into housing and ""we want that, we need a thriving,  breathing, living town centre"", he said.
""Wouldn't it be great if in the evenings there were children playing out in the pedestrian precinct... it would be a proper community.""
He does not think Lowestoft is any different to most towns, as he think Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and internet shopping has all added to changes. 
""Last year something like 30 percent of all sales were internet based so the whole retail offering from town centres is reducing very very quickly.
""It would be great to see the town centres busy again and bustling, but bustling maybe for different things rather than retail.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-61399014
business	Date set for Octopus to buy failed energy firm Bulb	"A date has been set for Octopus Energy to complete its deal to buy failed supplier Bulb despite legal challenges from rival suppliers.
Bulb, which has about 1.6 million customers, is currently being run by government appointed administrators after being bailed out by the taxpayer.
On Wednesday, a High Court judge set a date of 20 December for the proposed takeover to be completed.
But Mr Justice Zacaroli said legal challenges could still stop it.
Rival suppliers Eon, British Gas and Scottish Power have applied for a judicial review of the deal, arguing the government's sale of Bulb was not transparent and involved unfair government funding for Octopus.
A judicial review is a type of court case that allows the legality of a government decision to be challenged. 
Mr Zacaroli said the applications from the rivals were now the ""only obstacle"" to Bulb's assets being transferred over to Octopus.
He ruled that the legal challenges should be heard by another court. 
wrangling will not affect Bulb customers, who will remain under the service of the government appointed administrators until any deal for a buyer is finalised.
Bulb was the biggest of more than 30 energy companies that collapsed last year following a spike in wholesale gas prices.
usiness department (BEIS) approved a deal with Octopus to buy Bulb in October and it was expected to be completed by the end of November.
But the acquisition was delayed after Eon, British Gas and Scottish Power raised concerns earlier this month.
Octopus Energy said after Wednesday's ruling that the High Court had ""rightly given the green light for the transfer to go ahead in December"".
""Taxpayers will be saved from millions - even billions - of costs that could have been incurred if the process was dragged out,"" a spokesperson said.
""This is positive news for Bulb's customers and staff, and starts to bring to an end the huge financial exposures for government and taxpayers.""
However, in written submissions to the court on Tuesday, Stephen Robins, King's Counsel (KC) for Scottish Power, said that the marketing of the Bulb sale was ""defective"" and the auction should be re-run to allow for alternative bids.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Adkin, representing British Gas, told the court there had been an ""abject lack of transparency"" about the commercial terms of the deal.
Bulb's administrators rejected the arguments and said that other energy companies had decided to ""walk away"" from the sale process. 
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Zacaroli set the date of 20 December as a start date under an Energy Transfer Scheme (ETS), which will move Bulb's relevant assets into a new separate entity.
He told the court that Business Secretary Grant Shapps's decision to sell Bulb to Octopus was a ""valid and effective decision until such time a court order is made quashing it"".
However, Mr Justice Zacaroli said he did not have ""either visibility or control over the timing of judicial review proceedings"" which could still derail the deal.  
ue of the Octopus Energy deal has not been published but the BBC understands the firm paid the government between £100m and £200m. 
Bulb's bailout was the biggest one by the state since the Royal Bank of Scotland collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. The government's official budget forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has said the support for the firm will cost around £6.5bn to taxpayers."	/news/business-63812510
business	Energy bills: James Cleverly on help for poorer and vulnerable people	"James Cleverly says the UK had the highest tax burden for 70 years under Rishi Sunak as chancellor, and higher than competitors.
ucation secretary, who backs Liz Truss for the Tory leadership, was asked by Simon Jack on BBC Radio 4 what help Truss would give to pensioners and others who do not pay tax and were struggling with rising energy bills.
Cleverly said the UK needed to make itself more competitive to attract companies to invest in “longer-term sustainable cheaper sources of energy generation”.
But he would not be drawn on whether Truss would cut windfall taxes on energy firms in her planned emergency budget.
Live: Energy boss: People need more support to pay soaring bills"	/news/uk-politics-62493496
business	Post Office under pressure over victims' pay-outs	"A public inquiry into the Post Office scandal is putting pressure on the company and the government to speed up compensation payments to victims.
Chair Sir Wyn Williams will publish a progress report in the coming weeks.
If he is unhappy that the Post Office and the government are not acting on its recommendations, he will issue a formal report to Parliament. 
ribed as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.
A public inquiry, led by the retired judge, has been examining the treatment of thousands of sub-postmasters who were made to pay their own money to cover shortfalls in accounts when a faulty IT system made it look like money was missing from their branches. 
More than 700 individuals were given criminal convictions. So far, 81 people have had their convictions quashed.
Interim payments of £100,000 have been made to most, but not all, of those who have been exonerated. No-one has yet received a full and final settlement and thousands more left out of pocket are seeking redress.
Former sub-postmaster Richard Hawkes was one of five people who were exonerated in July, 18 years after being convicted of false accounting.  
""Now the weight has been lifted, as your character is back as it should be,"" the 75 year-old told the BBC. 
But while the fight to clear his name is over, Mr Hawkes is only just beginning the process of claiming compensation.
After completing community service, Mr Hawkes eventually managed to find a job cleaning laboratory equipment, where he worked until he was 71 years old.
""Somehow we managed to hang onto the house,"" he said, although he still has a mortgage. It was only at the start of this year that he finally paid his brother back for a sum of money lent to cover debts the Post Office claimed he owed them. 
Some 15 months ago, the Post Office, and the government as its sole shareholder, apologised to sub-postmasters and promised swift and fair compensation.
However, many are still waiting. Sharon Brown, a former sub-postmaster in Sunderland and mother-of- two, was accused of theft by the Post Office in 2012 and is furious that her compensation hasn't arrived yet.
She told the BBC she has only survived thanks to the financial support of relatives, including her sister-in-law who took out a loan on her behalf. At one stage, she had to rely on credit cards to buy food for her family.
""I want my life back,"" she said. ""I want to be able to walk about and hold my head up and say finally 'I got compensation because they did me wrong'.
""They've ruined so many people's lives, it's heart-breaking.""
A Post Office spokesperson said: ""Our priority is to ensure that there is meaningful compensation for victims and that such events can never happen again.""
ublic inquiry into the Post Office scandal, which began hearing evidence in February 2021, was set up to examine who was to blame for the wrongful prosecutions and why nothing was done to prevent them. 
However, Sir Wyn became so concerned about the slow progress of compensation for sub-postmasters that he took special evidence at hearings in July. 
Sir Wyn has now decided to publish a progress update in the coming weeks, and will issue a formal report to Parliament if he's not happy those recommendations are being acted on. 
It seemed as though that pressure was bearing fruit earlier this summer, following good news at the end of June for more than 500 sub-postmasters who had previously been excluded from compensation. The then-Postal Affairs Minister Paul Scully said a scheme worth £19.5m had been arranged to ensure they did not miss out.
But since then it's been all change in the Cabinet. There's now a new minster for Postal Affairs - and victims are worried it qill be yet another delay on their route to compensation. 
Jane Hunt, who replaced Paul Scully as minister for postal affairs, declined an interview but she said she looked forward ""to continuing [Scully's] excellent work in delivering compensation for postmasters"".
A former supreme court justice has been asked to give advice to try and break the impasse between victims and the Post Office over how much should be paid. 
During the inquiry hearings the Post Office admitted that it had anticipated hundreds of applications for compensation, but had ultimately received thousands. The Post Office said it did not have enough staff to process the volume of claims, and had so far dealt with only the more straightforward claims of lower value. "	/news/business-62337045
business	Train drivers very close to going on strike, union warns	"rain drivers are ""very close"" to going on strike and could walk out within weeks, according to their union. 
Drivers at eight rail companies voted on Monday in favour of industrial action in a row over pay.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, told the BBC that strike action could happen in the coming weeks if talks over wage rises stall. 
""We don't do this lightly,"" he said. ""We see it as a sign of failure when we do have to do it."" 
However, he pointed out that the union had received a strong mandate from its members to take industrial action with drivers voting overwhelmingly of strikes. 
But the Department for Transport (DfT) said: 'It is very disappointing that, rather than commit to serious dialogue with the industry, Aslef are first seeking to cause further misery to passengers by joining others in disrupting the rail network.""
Mr Whelan did not say when strikes might begin. Unions must give 14 days' notice.
uncement has led to fears of disruption to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which is expected to attract about one million tourists between 28 July and 8 August.
rain drivers at the following companies have voted to strike:
Separately, about 2,500 members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) also voted in favour of strike action on Monday.
Rail services have already been hit by three days of strikes in June when 40,000 members of the RMT union who work for 13 train companies and Network Rail walked out.  
RMT has resumed talks with Network Rail, which owns and operates the UK's rail infrastructure, as well as the train companies over pay rises.  The RMT recently told the BBC that it is ""not in any rush"" to call for further strikes in July. 
Commenting on why Aslef members voted for industrial action, Mr Whelan said: ""Quite simply, we haven't had a pay rise for three years. Train drivers went to work during the pandemic, we moved food and medicine around the country, we got other key workers to work and with the cost of living increase and inflation going through the roof, people feel they deserve a pay rise.""
DfT said: ""We urge the union bosses to reconsider and work with its employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward.""
It added: ""Our railway is in desperate need of modernisation to make it work better for passengers and be financially sustainable for the long term."" 
But Mr Whelan said: ""If you want productivity you pay for it."" "	/news/business-62132711
business	Ashby chocolate maker recognised for pandemic start-up business	"A chocolatier, who set up a business during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been praised for helping draw shoppers into a town.
Keith Tiplady started making chocolates in May 2020 after being made redundant from his role as a project manager.
He started off doing online sales but then opened a shop on Bath Street in Ashby-De-La-Zouch in Leicestershire.
usiness - Indulgent Chocolates - has now been nominated for a national award.
Mr Tiplady said the business idea started when he began experimenting with his wife's chocolate tempering machine.
He started making Belgian chocolate slabs and selling them in markets and online before opening his shop.
He said: ""It has been a whirlwind.
""Even though I had the online sales, I loved the idea of having a physical shop.
""Ashby has a thriving high street with a good range of shops so it seemed like an ideal location.
""We were really lucky and when we opened, we had a queue right down the road.""
usiness is now in the running in the UK's Favourite Local Business awards.
Mr Tiplady said: ""Being recognised in the competition feels great.
""It's a tough time for everyone right now, especially small businesses, and someone taking the time to nominate us means a lot.""
Stuart Benson, manager of Ashby Business Improvement District, said: ""Indulgent Chocolates is a relatively new business to Ashby that has made a big impact.
""It is fantastic to see them nominated in the search to find the UK's favourite local business.""
winning business will be announced later this month.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63971290
business	Simpson's Tavern: Historical London chophouse fights for its future	"Self-proclaimed as London's ""oldest chophouse"", Simpson's Tavern is fighting for its future following a surprise closure.
Grade II-listed tavern has stood on Cornhill for more than 250 years - surviving fires, wars and epidemics.
After getting into rent arrears during the coronavirus pandemic, the venue's locks were changed by the landlord last month, closing the business.
Now the tavern is raising funds to reopen and keep its heritage alive.
Founded in 1757 on Cornhill, Simpson's was where influential people met to trade and do deals over lunch, long before the emergence of the modern skyscrapers of glass and steel that surround it today.
Customers used to be able to look at what meat was on offer, select their preferred cut and watch as it was cooked in front of them on charcoal grills - a service Simpson's provided until 1979.
Now, it sits on the capital's Heritage Walk and is frequently a stop for tourists on guided tours, who are attracted to its rich history and famous former clientele including Charles Dickens. 
After the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, like many hospitality businesses Simpson's built up sizeable rent arrears - of more than £300,000 - and eventually the landlord changed the locks and demanded payment in full.
Benjamin Duggan, the general manager of Simpson's, said: ""Its been extraordinarily difficult for the team. They've done nothing wrong, but now we're sadly going through redundancy conversations with people who've worked with us for decades.
""I've been lucky enough to be the custodian for many years and I can feel the heritage and the significance for people as they come through."" 
He added: ""The time, the blood, the sweat, the tears, the memories, the claret soaked into the walls, the stories absorbed by the furniture - that can't be replicated anywhere else. 
""It lives here in this place, and extinguishing that rubs it from the history sheets in a cruel fashion.""
usiness has launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay what is owed, and has raised almost £100,000 so far from nearly 2,500 supporters.
""My only hope is that the landlord and their agents will come to some reasonable sense and understand the damage that they are doing to this historic institution,"" Mr Duggan said.
""But I rely on them coming back, sitting down at the table, discussing a way through and allowing this piece of history to trade and live on.""
Simpson's landlord, Bermuda-based Tavor Holdings, said it did make allowances during the lockdowns but since July 2021 it had been trying to come to an agreement to get the money it is owed.
In a statement, the firm said: ""The issue here is with the tenant, not with Simpson's. The tenant, Restaurant EC3 Limited, is under the control of its sole director and owner Mr Sarvindra Singh. 
""He has consistently failed to settle commitments or engage meaningfully in negotiations over several years. The landlords had no choice but to act.""
Both Simpson's and Mr Singh dispute this.
In the meantime, City of London councillor Peter Dunphy has lodged a request to list the venue as an asset of community value - a designation that aims to protect civic buildings, schools, pubs and open spaces that further the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community.
would give Simpson's a way of ensuring the interior of the business is safeguarded in its current form.
""The impact on this particular business is directly related to the Covid lockdowns because it's a dispute over arrears that built up during that period,"" he said.
A decision on the tavern's application to become an asset of community value is due on 15 December but until then, and without some kind of payment of the money owed, the future of this 265-year-old venue hangs in the balance.
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-london-63703069
business	Hospitality firms warn June rail strikes will be devastating	"National rail strikes will have a devastating impact on the theatre, live music and hospitality industries recovering from the Covid pandemic, trade bodies have warned.
usands of workers are set to walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June after talks over pay and redundancies failed.
RMT Union said the action will shut down the country's railways, causing major disruption for passengers.
union and rail firms have criticised each other.
If industrial action goes ahead, more than 40,000 staff from Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to take part in what is dubbed the ""biggest rail strike in modern history"".
But in a joint statement from bodies representing hospitality businesses, theatres, live music venues, and museums, leaders said a strike would be ""hugely damaging"" and felt ""counterintuitive when we are facing so many other challenges"". 
""Our night time economy relies heavily on the rail network to bring our audiences and staff safely to and from our venues, with 81% of London theatregoers using public transport and a similar proportion of hospitality customers,"" they said.
""We urge all stakeholders to come together to support a recovery that we can all benefit from.""
rikes fall at a time when several music and sporting events, including the Glastonbury Festival and an England cricket Test match against New Zealand, are taking place, many for the first time without Covid restrictions since the pandemic began.
Both train operators and the union have said they want more talks to avoid the strikes.
Downing Street said the union was being ""selfish"" and warned the plans would inflict pain on passengers during ""really tough times"". 
However, the RMT hit back at Downing Street's comments calling the union ""thoroughly irresponsible"", saying the government itself was both selfish and irresponsible.
On the first day of the planned strike on 21 June, London Underground RMT workers and Unite members working for the underground and Transport for London, all plan to walk out in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses.
rikes will leave around a fifth of mainline rail services running on the strike days, but due to each walk out being 24 hours long, disruption is expected to spill over to non-strike days, leading to a week of disruption. 
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, which represents night clubs, bars and festivals, said the strike announcement had sent a ""shockwave throughout the industry"".
It said businesses had concerns for staff and public safety, as well as the potential impact on trade.
""Limited Rail services across the UK will leave many stranded at night, compromising safety with very few alternative transport services available,"" Mr Kill said.
However, Mike Lynch general secretary of RMT, has said the union doesn't want disruption for thousands of commuters and said there was ""plenty of time to get proposals forward"".
Mr Lynch told the BBC railway firms ""can easily afford a pay rise for our members"" by cutting back on their profits, a claim which the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, disputed.
According to the Department for Transport, the average salary rail worker salary is £44,000, which is more than the median pay of other public sector workers, such as nurses (£31,000), teachers (£37,000), and care workers (£17,000).
However, RMT said the salary figure was ""unrepresentative"" as it included higher-earning train drivers, who did not take part in the ballot as most are part of a different union. The union claims its members earn £33,000 a year on average.
People working for 13 train operating companies, which each run services in different parts of the country, will take part in the strike. These are:
In addition, workers at Network Rail, which maintains the railways throughout Britain, also voted to strike. So the impact of the action would be felt across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Read more on how the strikes will affect you here
How will you be affected by the planned rail strikes? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-61738945
business	Investment cuts could threaten levelling up, warns infrastructure tsar	"government's targets for ""levelling up"" and ""net zero"" are at risk if too much investment spending is cut in the Autumn Statement, its top adviser on infrastructure has warned.
f the National Infrastructure Commission told the BBC it was crucial the government stuck to its policies.
Sir John Armitt said cutting back on the HS2 rail route would be ""silly"".
Last week, the government confirmed that much infrastructure spending was under review.
On Thursday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will unveil his Autumn Statement - a Budget in all but name - and he has already said that he faces decisions of ""eye-watering difficulty"".  
Speaking to the BBC, Sir John said: ""Clearly we're in a very difficult situation. The chancellor has real challenges and therefore one can understand there might be some pressure on infrastructure.
""On the other hand infrastructure is seen as being the economic driver for many parts of the country, particularly those parts of the country which are looking to level up.
""It's so important that government doesn't flip flop, it sticks to its ambition, it sticks to its policies, so that the private sector will bring in a lot of capital, which creates jobs and opportunity. 
""To cut back on HS2 would be frankly very silly,"" he added. ""I think you've got massive investment, which has happened in Birmingham ahead of HS2 - it just shows what can happen. And Manchester of course equally is now seeing investment off the back of HS2. I think that would be a very strange decision."" 
He said that scheme and the Integrated Rail Review were ""very important for levelling up"".
Some economists anticipate that the government will squeeze investment spending on Thursday because in history it has been seen as the easiest ""big ticket"" spending item for the Treasury to delay.
re has also been a relative boost to investment spending at the very beginning of this Parliament under the initial premiership of Boris Johnson up to above £70bn a year in public sector net investment.
But Sir John disputed the idea there had been an infrastructure boom, saying: ""If you look at the numbers, there's been a decrease in investment in the last couple of years, not a ramp up. There's been talk of a ramp up and that's why it's important to maintain that belief that there needs to be a ramp up.""
With COP27 climate talks still ongoing, Sir John also expressed concern about the delivery of investment required to hit net zero targets for carbon emissions, saying the UK risked falling behind other countries.
""If everybody stuck to the policies, we'd get to net zero. The actual delivery is where we're falling down. So we can't afford to take our foot off the pedal, we've got to keep going, otherwise we will not get to net zero."""	/news/business-63624768
business	I have sleepless nights about how to feed my pigs	"Harriet Ross says rising costs are a huge worry for pig farmers
Harriet Ross admits to having days where she's sick of farming. Pig sick.
She is trying to run a pig farm at Newburgh in Aberdeenshire but costs and overheads are getting out of control.
Her farm aims to grow enough barley to feed the pigs in all seasons but this year it ran out almost six months early.
Harriet points to a range of factors including Brexit, coronavirus and the war in Ukraine which have created difficulties which are pushing her business to the brink.
Young piglets have to be kept in temperature-controlled rooms all year round so rising electricity prices are having a crippling effect on the business.
""Welfare of the pigs is the number one priority so we need to make sure that (the temperature) is at the right level for them and we need electricity to do that,"" she says.
Harriet's energy bill has just doubled from £60,000 a year to about £132,000.
But that's not even her biggest overhead. About 70% of the cost of running the farm is feed.
Harriet and her partner Ben have tried to create a circular system where they grow enough barley to feed the animals in all seasons.
But a shortage of migrant workers at the abattoir created a backlog in processing the pigs, meaning they had to keep them on farm for longer.
xtra mouths quickly ate through the grain store which ran out back in March.  
xt harvest is late July or early August and until then they're seeing bills stacking up.
She says the harvest will be ""quite a big relief but actually paying for the fuel (for the machinery) won't be.""
few months have brought sleepless nights as they try to buy cereals for the pigs to eat.
While prices have been extremely high, the biggest difficulty has been getting hold of it.
With just a week's worth of food left, she estimates making about 50 phone calls before she could find any more.
At just 30, Harriet only became a full-time farmer last year when she took over her parents' arable business.
Around the same time, a neighbouring pig farm went on the market and so she took on that too.
It's not been the easiest of starts and she says she feels ""guilty"" that she might not be doing a good enough job to make the business work.
""In the middle of the night I'll wake up and check the bank account,"" she admitted.
Rising input costs - from feed to fertiliser - are having a huge impact on farmers across the country.  
As the Royal Highland show takes place at Ingliston near Edinburgh, the biggest showcasing farming and rural life in Scotland, NFU Scotland said overheads for farmers were reaching unprecedented levels.
It said the situation had created a ""cash flow crisis"" and the Scottish government has agreed to bring forward the date for issuing farm payments from October to September.
NFU commissioned a survey of members which says many are already reducing the size of their farms.
In the pig sector, sow numbers are decreasing by about 30% while beef cattle and ewe numbers are being cut by 38%.
NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy said: ""These results must serve as a wake-up call and move food security to the top of the political agenda.  
""Reductions in agricultural production on this scale, if replicated across our whole industry, will have significant ramifications for our food and drink sector and all those businesses upstream and downstream who rely on farmers and crofters.""
But a report by Scotland's Food Security and Supply task force has said there is no immediate threat.
It has recommended that the Scottish Government set up a Food Security Unit to monitor potential future threats, such as from climate change."	/news/uk-scotland-61873877
business	Cost of living: Fuel and clothing at top of family spending cuts	"Families are cutting back on fuel and clothing as rising prices make them question what they can afford, new figures suggest.
Petrol and diesel sales fell by 4.3% in June as prices at the pumps hit new records, monthly retail data shows.
Clothing sales dropped by 4.7%, as UK inflation reached new highs.
Retailers told the Office for National Statistics the figures indicated people were cutting back on spending due to concerns over what they could afford.
Prices in the UK are currently rising at their fastest rate for more than 40 years.
Inflation - the rate at which prices rise - jumped to 9.4% in June, with the increasing cost of petrol and food putting pressure on households' finances.
Although overall retail sales remain above their pre-pandemic levels, ""the broader trend is one of decline"", said Heather Bovill at the ONS.
""Clothing purchases dipped along with household goods, with retailers suggesting consumers cutting back on spending due to higher prices and concerns around affordability,"" she said.
""Fuel sales fell back considerably with retailers reporting the record high prices at the pump hitting sales,"" the deputy director for surveys and economic indicators added.
It comes as a new survey by the ONS found around nine-in-10 adults continued to report a rise in their living costs over the past month.
Around half (46%) of adults who pay energy bills found it difficult to afford them, up from 43% in the previous period, while 46% of adults said they would not be able to save any money in the next 12 months.
was collected in early July.
Fuel prices have soared in recent months, driven by the war in Ukraine and moves by a number of countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil.
Average petrol prices rose by 18.1p per litre in June, the ONS said, the largest monthly rise on record. Diesel prices also soared by 12.7p per litre.
It led to the average family car costing more than £100 to fill up, according to the RAC.
However, the AA said this week that lower wholesale costs of fuel were leading to cheaper prices at the pumps, though they still remain much higher than last year.
Food sales were the only area to see a boost in June, with volumes rising by 3.1% largely driven by the Queen's Platinum Jubilee bank holiday celebrations.
""After a fall in May, food sales picked up due to the Jubilee celebrations, but this was the only sector to report an increase,"" Ms Bovill said.
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at research firm Capital Economics, said the jump in food sales ""was surely due to people stocking up on sausages rolls, cakes and alcohol for jubilee street parties"".
But he added that the extra bank holiday ""also appears to have meant people spent less time shopping for other items"", such as clothing and household goods.
Silvia Rindone, UK and Ireland retail leader at the accountancy firm EY, said: ""Despite the long Jubilee bank holiday weekend at the start of June, today's ONS retail sales data shows that consumers are feeling the pinch from the rising cost-of-living and are becoming more cautious about where and when they are spending.""
Ms Rindone said retailers with robust plans to manage cost inflation are best placed to cope.
She added that companies need to ensure they address people's concerns over what they can afford, such as by offering value for money or ""own label"" options."	/news/business-62262138
business	The Russian billionaire daring to speak out about Putin	"Boris Mints is one of a few rich Russian businesspeople to speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin.
majority of high-profile people in the country have remained silent over the war, avoiding criticism of the Kremlin. 
re is one simple explanation, according to Mr Mints: ""They are all afraid.""
Kremlin has a reputation for cracking down on outspoken critics of President Putin with the content on Russian news channels controlled. Unauthorised protests have also been banned in the country since 2014.
Mr Mints said ""any person"" who openly criticises Putin ""has grounds to worry about personal safety"".
However, in an interview conducted over email, he told the BBC: ""I have no intention to live in a bomb shelter, as Mr Putin does.""
64-year-old, who built his wealth through investment company O1 Group, which he founded in 2003 and then sold in 2018, said that in Russia the ""usual way"" to punish a business owner for their ""intolerance"" towards the regime was to ""open a fabricated criminal case against their business"".
""Such criminal cases will affect not only the business owners themselves, but also their family and employees,"" he said.
""Any business leader independent from [Putin] is seen as a threat as he or she may be capable of financing opposition or cultivating protest - as such, those people are seen as Putin's enemies and, therefore, as enemies of the state,"" he added.
It is a situation Mr Mints has first-hand experience of, having first spoken out publicly against President Putin's policies in 2014 after Crimea was annexed from Ukraine.
Mr Mints felt he needed to leave Russia in 2015 for the UK ""in the context of growing crackdown on political opposition"", with Boris Nemtsov being shot dead that year.
Mr Nemtsov was a fierce adversary of President Putin. His murder in 2015 is the highest-profile political killing since Mr Putin came to power. The authorities deny any involvement.
wo years later, Mr Mints' former investment company O1 Group ""found itself in an open conflict against Central Bank of Russia"", he said, with legal proceedings starting across several different jurisdictions.
""When things like this start to happen, it is a clear signal that one should leave the country immediately,"" he said. 
He remains the subject of current legal action by the Kremlin.
It is because of such action that Mr Mints suggests the ""bravest step available"" for wealthy Russians who dislike Mr Putin is to ""go silently into exile"", citing the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was once Russia's wealthiest man, but was jailed for almost a decade on charges of fraud and tax evasion which, he says, were politically motivated.
wo of the country's most prominent oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska stopped short of direct criticism of Mr Putin when they made separate calls for peace in Ukraine.
Mr Fridman, a billionaire banker, said any personal remarks could be a risk not just to himself but also to staff and colleagues.
However, Mr Mints has been joined by Russian tycoon Oleg Tinkov, founder of Tinkoff Bank and former owner of cycling team Tinkoff-Saxo, in lambasting the invasion.
Mr Mints called President Putin's actions ""vile"", saying the invasion was ""the most tragic event in recent history, not only of Ukraine and Russia, but globally"".
He also compared it to Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939.
""This war is a result of madness and hunger for power of a single person, Vladimir Putin, supported by his inner circle,"" said Mr Mints, who was chairman of one of the largest pension asset managers in Russia until 2018.
BBC has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Mr Mints was first introduced to Mr Putin in the early 1990s but only properly spoke with him on 2 January 2000, two days after Mr Putin was appointed acting president of Russia.
Mr Mints, who worked under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s, was keen to discuss his plans to reform local government to grow Russia's democracy into the 21st Century.
""Mr Putin listened to my suggestions without commenting or arguing. The following day, Putin sacked me,"" he said.
He knew then that Mr Putin's vision for his country was ""miles away"" from the previous administration's.
Leaving politics, Mr Mints started a stock brokerage for individual clients three years later.
Mr Mints has not been sanctioned by the UK government, unlike other Russian businessmen who have been identified as having close links to the Kremlin.
However, his name did appear on a so-called ""Putin list"" released by the US in 2018. Out of 210 names, 114 of them were listed as being in the government or linked to it, or key businessmen. 
r 96, which included Mr Mints, were listed as oligarchs apparently determined more by the fact they were worth more than $1bn (£710m) at the time, rather than their close ties to the Kremlin.
father-of-four made Forbes' world billionaires list in 2017 with a total wealth of $1.3bn, before he dropped off in 2018.
But he dismissed suggestions that he was an oligarch. 
""Not every Russian entrepreneur is pro-Putin, and likewise neither is every wealthy Russian person an 'oligarch',"" he said. ""In Russia, the term means a business leader who is very connected to Putin and most of whose wealth, or the profits of their businesses, depend on co-operation with the Russian state.
""Russia is not only an oilfield with an aluminium mine in the centre,"" he added. ""It is a country of 140 million people. People there as everywhere else have their needs and these needs are not at all different from those here in the West.""
Now living in the UK, Mr Mints, a keen art collector, feels comfortable without the need for extra security to keep himself and his family safe in Britain, and has no current ambition to move back to Russia."	/news/business-62037169
business	737 Max: Boeing to pay $200m over charges it misled investors	"Boeing is to pay out $200m (£177.5m) over charges that it misled investors about two fatal 737 Max crashes.
US stock market regulator said the aviation giant and its former chief executive Dennis Muilenburg made false statements about safety issues. 
Boeing ""put profits over people"" in an effort to rehabilitate its image, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
737 Max was grounded for 20 months after two crashes killed 346 people.
As part of the settlement Mr Muilenburg will also pay a penalty of $1m.
""In times of crisis and tragedy, it is especially important that public companies and executives provide full, fair, and truthful disclosures to the markets,"" SEC chairman Gary Gensler said in a statement.
Boeing and Mr Muilenburg ""failed in this most basic obligation,"" he added.
SEC's statement also said that both Boeing and Mr Muilenburg did not admit or deny the regulator's findings.
""We will never forget those lost on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, and we have made broad and deep changes across our company in response to those accidents,"" Boeing said in response to the SEC's announcement.
""Fundamental changes that have strengthened our safety processes and oversight of safety issues, and have enhanced our culture of safety, quality, and transparency,"" the company added.
SEC said a fund will be established for investors who suffered losses due to the misleading information between 2018 and 2019.
ment is largely symbolic. The 737 Max scandal has already cost Boeing tens of billions - another $200m will barely register.
But it does give the SEC the chance to call out Boeing and its ex-chief executive Dennis Muilenburg for making assurances about the plane's safety, when they already knew it had a serious problem - thereby misleading investors.
It's unlikely this will cause Boeing any meaningful harm. Its corporate reputation had already been severely damaged by the affair. The company is now working hard to restore it, and regain public and investor confidence.
For Mr Muilenberg himself, the financial consequences of the settlement won't be that painful either. He received some $60m in compensation and benefits when he left the company. But the fact that the SEC chose to charge him personally sends out a powerful signal.
re have been criticisms in some quarters that the ex-boss has not been properly held to account for his role in the affair. On this occasion, though, the finger has been pointed squarely in his direction.
On 29 October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, killing all 189 passengers and crew.
Less than five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, another Boeing 737 Max on its way to Kenya, crashed six minutes after leaving Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. All 157 people on board were killed.
rashes were linked to a flight control system called the ""Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System"" (MCAS) in the Boeing 737 Max.
SEC said that ""after the first crash, Boeing and Mr Muilenburg knew that MCAS posed an ongoing airplane safety issue, but assured the public that the 737 Max was safe to fly.
rashes have cost Boeing more than $20bn, including payments to families of those killed in the crashes.
In the wake of the incidents, the US Congress passed new legislation reforming how the country's aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), certifies new planes. 
A small number of trials are expected to start next year to resolve outstanding claims.
Paul Njoroge says his family died because of Boeing's ""negligence"""	/news/business-63003632
business	National Living Wage: The truth about food courier pay	"A rise in the popularity of app-based food delivery companies has led to an increasingly competitive food courier workforce, a new BBC documentary has found.
Life in the Fast-Food Lane follows three food couriers as they embark on delivery shifts across Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.
Food couriers are generally self-employed meaning they only get paid for the deliveries they make and do not get paid a guaranteed hourly wage.
Henry Dean, 23, works full-time as an apprentice in Liverpool but also delivers food on his bicycle for Deliveroo in the evenings.
He said: ""Deliveroo is something I do on a weekend to supplement the income I make from work, which as an apprentice is quite a low wage. I tend to use it [the Deliveroo income] for food shopping.""
At the firm Mr Dean is self-employed and can earn several pounds for each delivery he makes, with longer journeys earning him more.
During filming, Henry was on shift for two-and-a-half-hours and delivered four orders. 
He made £18 in that time, which equates to £7.20 per hour, below the UK National Living Wage of £9.50 an hour.
His first order of the night took him 25 minutes to complete and earned him £3.42, which was the smallest fee he received all evening.
Later another delivery paid £6.96, his largest fee of the night, and also took 25 minutes.
Despite the potential of earning higher fees for orders, Mr Dean does not earn anything whilst waiting in-between deliveries.
""You'll be waiting around for like an hour, two hours and nothing. You want to be out there delivering orders and you're not able to - it gets a bit frustrating,"" he explained.
In a statement, Deliveroo said it had recently announced a ""voluntary partnership agreement"" with GMB Union which makes clear riders are guaranteed to earn at least the National Living Wage plus costs while on an order.
: ""Our objective is to work with enough riders to be able to deliver the expected number of orders while making sure we don't have too many riders in any one area, so riders maintain attractive earnings.""
Bassam Qaid, 44, a father-of-two from Sheffield, also works as a self-employed food delivery driver. He works for delivery firm Stuart, who are a sub-contractor to Just Eat. 
He works full-time and since starting in the industry has noticed how excessive his hours have been. 
""I'm working seven days now, sometimes I'm working 70 hours,"" Mr Qaid said.
During filming, he earned £65.85 in eight-and-a-half hours. His earnings equated to £7.75 an hour, so also fell under the National Living Wage.
f living crisis is also having a big impact on couriers and the recent rise in fuel costs means Mr Qaid spends about a fifth of his average income on fuel alone. 
""Before you can fill the tank twice a week on £80. The fuel for every week now is between £125 and £120,"" he said.
In a statement Stuart said their pay exceeds the National Living Wage for the time couriers spend on a delivery, adding: ""Stuart is committed to paying the equivalent of the National Living Wage for couriers while they are actively working on the platform.""
Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said during the cost of living crisis ""courier companies continue to over hire workers while paying very low fees"". 
IWGB President Alex Marshall said: ""Most companies do not pay anything for time couriers spend waiting for jobs.""
He added the workforce often ""struggle to take home minimum wage pay in real terms"". 
However, some delivery firms are attempting to disrupt the industry and offer more security to couriers. 
Viktória Klimentová, 28, is a Manchester-based food courier employed by food delivery platform Foodstuff. 
She works on a casual basis on top of her full-time day job and gets paid a guaranteed £10-an-hour, regardless of the number of deliveries she makes on a shift.  
""We get paid whether we deliver or not. So, if it's a quiet night we still do get paid for it, which is good for us,"" she said.
When the BBC's We Are England team filmed Ms Klimentová, she earned about £25 and that security of earning a guaranteed wage through food couriering was one she would like to see replicated elsewhere.
She said: ""It would be good for all food couriers to have a contract - [it] gives them a little bit more stability and security.""
In a statement to the BBC, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: ""The government has a strong track record in protecting and enhancing workers' rights across the UK.
""We are committed to building a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. This includes ensuring workers' rights are robustly protected while also fostering a dynamic and flexible labour market.""
Life in the Fast-Food Lane will broadcast on 28 October at 19:30 BST on BBC One and will then be available on BBC iPlayer
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-63391400
business	Petrol prices: Calls for more help as cost to fill a tank hits £100	"Driving groups have called for more support to help drivers after the cost of filling an average family car with petrol hit £100 for the first time. 
RAC motoring group called it ""a truly dark day"" as the cost of filling a 55-litre tank reached £100.27 for petrol and £103.43 for diesel.
RAC and its rival the AA urged the chancellor to cut VAT on fuel or to reduce fuel duty further. 
reasury said it had provided £37bn to ease the cost of living already.
Rising petrol prices are putting pressure on household budgets, with energy bills and food prices also now at multi-year highs. 
Pump prices began to soar after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February led to oil supply fears. However, there are concerns that petrol retailers are not passing on a recent 5p cut in fuel duty to consumers. 
According to the RAC, the average pump price of a litre of unleaded petrol is now 182.31p while for diesel it is 188.05p. However, the motoring group has warned this could rise to over £2 a litre soon. 
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: ""While fuel prices have been setting new records on a daily basis, households up and down the country may never have expected to see the cost of filling an average-sized family car reach three figures.
""A further duty cut or a temporary reduction in VAT would go a long way towards helping drivers, especially those on lower incomes who have no choice other than to drive.""
AA called on the government to cut fuel duty by 10p per litre immediately and introduce a ""fuel price stabiliser"", which would reduce fuel duty when petrol prices go up and increase it when they drop.
wholesale price of petrol - the price at which supermarkets and independent forecourts buy it at - has actually dropped by 5p since 1 June, when it was £1.55 a litre, to £1.50 on Wednesday. 
But motoring groups say it takes time for changes in the wholesale price to feed through to the pumps due to the way retailers buy fuel in advance.
It comes as some UK forecourts are already selling petrol above £2 a litre, according to price comparison website PetrolPrices.
On Wednesday, the highest price was found to be 202.9p a litre at BP sites on the A1 near Sunderland, the M4 near Chippenham in Wiltshire and the M6 near Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria.
Ewan, 31, told the BBC he needed a car to get to work in centre of Aberdeen, otherwise it was a one-and-a-half hour bus journey. But he said he was now paying up to £90 to fill a tank and the petrol expenses he could claim through work were no longer enough. 
rvant, who lives alone, said it was just one more thing pushing up the cost of living and he was now ""barely"" getting by. 
""I used to be able to save about £200 a month but now I am dipping into savings,"" he said. ""It makes me quite stressed out.""
RAC argues the Treasury could afford to offer more help, as the higher fuel prices rise, the more it collects in VAT receipts - currently around 30p per litre. 
It added that despite March's fuel duty cut, the government still collects 53p in duty on every litre sold. 
government has so far ruled out cutting VAT, arguing that any increases in receipts it gets from higher fuel prices will be largely offset by reduced household spending and VAT on other items. It has no plans to cut fuel duty either. 
Instead, Downing Street has indicated that fuel retailers failing to pass on the 5p duty cut could be named and shamed.
Answering questions from journalists in Blackpool, Boris Johnson said: ""What I want to see is those cuts in taxation not just swallowed up in one gulp, without touching the gullet of the fuel companies, I want to see those cuts having an impact on the pumps.
""And we are watching very closely to see what happens.""
Lisa Stevenson, who owns Tolladine service station near Worcester, told the BBC her prices per litre - at 197.9p for unleaded and 194.9p for diesel - were purely the result of volatile wholesale fuel prices driven by the Ukraine war. 
She added that customers were now buying less fuel because of the soaring costs: ""A delivery of fuel would previously have lasted me a week to 10 days, now its 2-3 weeks.""
Alasdair Locke, chairman of Motor Fuel Group, the UK's largest independent forecourt operator, told the BBC's Today programme that his business had passed on the 5p duty cut to consumers ""immediately"".
""It would be easy if there was evidence we're just profiteering but there is no evidence of that, in fact rather the opposite. Our margins are under pressure, along with everyone else's.""
Commenting on the rising pump prices, a government spokesperson said: ""We understand that people are struggling with rising prices which is why we have acted to protect the eight million most vulnerable British families through at least £1,200 of direct payments this year with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.""
mployee would save more than £330 a year through a tax cut in July, while the 5p cut to fuel duty would save a typical family £100."	/news/business-61743734
business	Norwich puppets benefitting from other people's waste	"A theatre's puppets are being made from waste paper and card that would otherwise have been thrown away.
Norwich Puppet Theatre is the recipient of waste created by a greetings card company in the city.
Company Dynamic Print's waste is being turned into papier mache puppets and scenery at the venue.
Print company director Sarah Smith, said it was ""common sense"" to use their waste to help other people, and added, ""it doesn't cost anything for me"".
Upcycle Your Waste is a scheme being run by Norwich Business Improvement Business (BID) and is designed to take waste produced by Norwich businesses, and turn it in to something new.
Companies taking part are trying to show that if you pull the right strings, what might seem useless to one business, can be more than useful to another.
Dynamic Print had been turning its waste cardboard into recyclable bubble wrap and now its scrap paper is also being upcycled. 
Instead of paying £60 each month to dispose of it, it is being given to local businesses.
""It's common sense. Upcycling, recycling - is a key ingredient going forward and to be able to help other people with my waste - it doesn't cost anything for me,"" said Ms Smith.
Puppet Theatre administrator, Molly Farley, said: ""It's amazing that all these people are coming out of the woodwork; all these businesses have been here all along but we've always needed a link-up to make things happen.""
BBC TV adventurer, presenter and author, Simon Reeve, was at Norwich City's Carrow Road stadium giving a talk to the BID organisation about his career and sustainability. 
""It can mean lots of things, but basically it means creating a society and community that can survive and flourish and be a lovely place for people to exist in,"" he said. 
""The idea that you produce where you consume is a very sustainable idea.
""What I've heard about Norwich is pretty damned impressive.
""We've got to waste less - that is absolutely critical.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-61571808
business	Eurostar security staff to strike in run-up to Christmas	"Security staff who work on the Eurostar train service are to strike for four days in the run-up to Christmas in a dispute over pay.
walkouts are planned to take place on 16, 18, 22 and 23 December.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, employed by a private contractor, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the action.
Eurostar said it would update customers as soon as possible if there was any impact on services.
However, the union said the strike would ""severely affect"" passengers. 
More than 100 security staff employed by facilities management company Mitie are due to walk out, following a 4-1 vote in favour of strike action.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the security staff were ""essential"" to the running of Eurostar, and ""it is disgraceful they are not being paid a decent wage"".
""They work long, unsocial hours and a multimillion-pound company like Mitie can easily afford to pay them decently for the essential work they do.""
However, Mitie said that on Tuesday it had offered staff a ""significant"" 10% pay increase, and that it was ""disappointed"" that RMT had decided to take strike action.
""As always, our priority is to ensure that exceptional services are delivered as normal so that passengers are able to continue their journeys with minimal disruption,"" a Mitie spokesperson said.
A wave of strikes have hit the UK's railways in the past few months as workers demand better pay deals and try to stop job cuts and changes to working conditions.
More action is planned in the coming weeks. 
RMT has announced strikes at Network Rail and 14 train companies on 13-14 December, 16-17 December, 3-4 January and 6-7 January. 
rain drivers' union Aslef has also staged walkouts in a dispute over pay, although no further strikes are planned at the moment. 
Workers in other sectors of the economy have also either taken industrial action or planned it, in protest about working conditions, pensions and pay. 
Royal Mail staff, members of the University and College Union and airline ground handlers are among those who have already been on strike, while nurses and paramedics are planning walkouts in the future.   
ustrial action has been prompted by soaring prices - inflation is running at more than 11% a year - meaning workers are being squeezed as living costs rise faster than wages.
Many workers are now calling for pay increases in line with the higher cost of living.
Energy and food prices have been rising since last year because of the war in Ukraine and the impact of the Covid pandemic."	/news/business-63808685
business	Royal Mail warns it will put prices up again	"rices of parcels and stamps are likely to rise again as Royal Mail tries to cover higher costs, including wages, energy and fuel expenses.
firm said it would try to ""mitigate"" the costs through ""price increases and growth initiatives"".
Earlier this year, the firm hiked first class stamp prices by 10p to 95p and second class stamps by 2p to 68p.
warning comes after Royal Mail warned it was facing ""significant headwinds"" from rising costs.
It said it will need to cut costs more as a result, increasing its target to over £350m from £290m previously.
A spokeswoman said: ""We haven't made decisions on future prices, but we always carefully consider the impact on our customers and ensure that any changes help to secure the sustainability of the Universal Service.""
Royal Mail said it was also continuing to change the business to cope better as its parcel business becomes more important than letter delivery.
Letter volumes have fallen by more than 60% since their peak in 2004-05 and by about 20% since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, parcel deliveries increased during the pandemic.
Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: ""As we emerge from the pandemic, the need to accelerate the transformation of our business, particularly in delivery, has become more urgent.
""Our future is as a parcels business, so we need to adapt old ways of working designed for letters and do it much more quickly to a world increasingly dominated by parcels.""
Mr Thompson said that the focus would now be to ""work at pace"" with staff and trade unions to ""reinvent this British icon for the next generations"",  give customers ""what they want"" grow the business sustainably and ""deliver long-term job security"".
rice hike warning came as the business reported an 8.8% drop in pre-tax profit to £662m for the year to the end of March.
Royal Mail is also facing an ongoing pay dispute with its largest labour union. 
In January it said around 700 management roles would be cut. The company also axed a fifth of its managers - around 2,000 posts - in June 2020, shortly after the start of the pandemic.
Earlier this year the company was heavily criticised for delivery disruptions over Christmas and January. Citizens Advice estimated that 2.5 million Royal Mail customers didn't receive important documents such as health appointments, fines or bills.
Royal Mail said the wave of Omicron infections meant that thousands of staff members had to take time off over Christmas and January. But it said the ""vast majority"" of post was delivered on time."	/news/business-61505862
business	Chicken rice: Why Singapore's much-loved dish is under threat	"Rachel Chong loves chicken rice so much she eats it three times a week.
""It is number one on my list. It's comfort food [and] it's easily accessible,"" she says. A standard order at Ah Keat Chicken Rice, a stall where she eats, costs S$4 ($2.90; £2.30).
For many Singaporeans, a plate of poached or roasted chicken on a bed of fragrant rice is a favourite meal. It's often referred to as the country's national dish. As one stallholder told the BBC: ""I don't think Singapore cannot have chicken rice. It's like not having pizza in New York.""
But this much-loved and affordable meal may soon become harder to get - and more expensive. 
's because its key ingredient - chicken - has been hit by export curbs.
As prices soar around the world, some Asian nations have banned or limited exports of key foods as they try to protect supplies at home. This week, Malaysia cut the number of chickens that could be exported.
mes after India banned wheat exports and limited overseas sales of sugar, while Indonesia blocked exports of palm oil in a bid to rein in domestic cooking oil prices.
moves have raised concerns in countries that rely on food imports that the cost of essential items will continue to rise. For Singapore, which imports more than 90% of its food, the curbs are especially worrying. The island nation relies on Malaysia for a third of the chicken it consumes.
Unsurprisingly, news of the export curb spurred queues at chicken rice stalls, which are found at almost every food court and hawker centre in Singapore.
""This time it is chicken, next time it may be something else. We have to be prepared for this,"" Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
rds used in chicken rice are usually exported live from Malaysia to Singapore where they are slaughtered, cooked and served.
ger been possible since Malaysia blocked chicken exports, and its government said the ban would stay in place ""until domestic prices and production stabilise"".
Lim Wei Keat, the owner of Ah Keat Chicken Rice, said he was not keen to raise prices even though his Malaysian chicken supplier started charging him around 20% more this year, as the war in Ukraine drove up costs of fuel and corn feed.
""We don't want to increase the price of our chicken rice because it might drive away customers,"" Mr Lim said. ""What we are expecting is maybe we can absorb the price for about a month. Worse come to worse, we have to actually start increasing prices by 50 cents per plate.""
But he also worries that he may not be able to get enough chicken in the days ahead.
make up the shortfall, he said he may have to use frozen meat, which may not be appetising to his customers.
""The perception of frozen is... there is the freezer smell or the texture is different,"" Mr Lim said. ""But honestly I've not seen a big difference. We eat the chickens in [fast food] restaurants and they taste pretty good.""
Meat sellers however have fewer options. Hamid bin Buang has been selling chicken at one of the city's thriving wet markets for more than a decade. 
He said his customers have been buying more of the meat in recent days but now he plans to shut his stall until Malaysia lifts its export ban - he is not sure when he can replenish his stocks.
""Everybody is worried now. Everybody is in difficulty when there is no chicken,"" he said.
When countries limit exports, the effects are felt throughout the supply chains of producers, retailers and customers, said Paul Teng, a professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Some producers ""worry about surviving, livelihoods and also about future contracts"", Mr Teng said in a recent interview with the BBC's Asia Business Report. 
""At the retail level, if you increase prices, you might send customers away,"" Mr Teng said.
He added that he expects inflation, which is the rate prices of food and other essentials rise, to continue due to the Ukraine war.
It is partly why chicken - the most consumed meat in countries like Singapore and the UK - is becoming more expensive.
Cost of living: Singapore chicken rice hit by export curbs
Elsewhere in Asia, India has banned wheat exports and capped its sugar exports at 10 million tonnes.
untry is the world's largest sugar producer and ranks number two for global exports of the commodity.
As Ukraine's exports of wheat plunged after the start of the war and other major producers faced droughts and floods, commodity traders were expecting India to make up for part of the shortfall.
""The example set by India currently is very problematic and a lot of smaller economies are thinking if India does it, so should we,"" said David Laborde, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC.
Meanwhile, palm oil prices surged this year when Indonesia, the top producer of the ingredient used in everything from processed food to soap, stopped exports for three weeks to bring down local cooking oil prices.
Mr Laborde also warned about the severe impact of the export curbs on consumers, especially those on low incomes.
""While food is still around, it is more expensive and the poor are the first victims. In some cases, they even have to cut health or education expenditures,"" he said.
Over a plate of her favourite dish, Ms Chong said she hopes price increases will not keep her from eating chicken rice.
""If we are able to afford that, we should still support businesses like coffeeshops or restaurants. We shouldn't hold back because it went up by a few cents,"" she said."	/news/business-61589222
business	EasyJet cancels 80 flights as travel disruption continues	"Airlines including EasyJet and Wizz Air have cancelled dozens of flights as UK air travel disruption continues.
EasyJet said it had cut 80 flights on Sunday, and apologised to customers for the disruption.
ransport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC the aviation industry cut too many jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and it must not oversell flights.
He said he wanted airlines to automatically compensate passengers.
Passengers have faced a raft of UK flight cancellations causing disruptions for many families on half-term holidays.
-year-old Noah and his younger sister Beau won't be in school on Monday morning after a cancelled EasyJet flight left their family stranded in Dalyan, Turkey.
r mother, Emma, a hairdresser has had to cancel clients by text. 
family of six, including Emma's parents, spent 10 hours on Saturday night at the airport waiting to see if they would be able to fly out as planned, before finally being bussed back to the hotel at 4.30am.
EasyJet offered them a flight on Thursday to Liverpool, but their car is parked at Gatwick.
""The [EasyJet] app literally says rearrange your flight or get a refund,"" says father Scott. ""So we've just spend £3,000 on a flight home tomorrow night... flying to Stanstead."" 
EasyJet said it had cancelled about 80 flights on Sunday ""due to the ongoing challenging operating environment"".
""We are very sorry and fully understand the disruption this will have caused for our customers,"" the airline said, adding it was doing everything possible to get passengers to their destinations.
It said it had extended its customer service opening hours from 07:00 to 23:00, and was helping those affected find hotel accommodation.
Mr Shapps told BBC One's Sunday Morning programme that labour shortages were behind the travel disruption, resulting in airlines ""finding it difficult to get people on board"".
""When someone has bought a ticket for a flight, they've every right to expect that flight will take off, and not find that flight has been cancelled,"" he said. 
""Airlines should be cautious about not overselling those flights, [and] where there are problems they need to fix them quickly."" 
He said the government had provided £8bn of support to the sector during the pandemic, along with furlough support, so decisions to cut staff had been made by the industry.
Mr Shapps added that airlines had ""cut too deep"" during the coronavirus pandemic.
""Clearly [the airlines] have been taken by surprise by the way in which people have returned to travel after two years of being locked down,"" he said.
He added that he wanted a ""proper charter"" for passengers so they could get ""quick and straightforward compensation or be put on other flights"".
Mr Shapps said he wanted a similar system to ""Delay Repay"" train passenger refunds ""where it's an automated process"".
However, he again rejected the idea of easing aviation labour shortages by relaxing immigration requirements.
Airlines have called on the government to issue special immigration visas to allow them to recruit overseas workers in the short term, as was done for the haulage and meat processing industries.
was backed by London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan who said airport jobs should be opened up to people from the European Union.
""This is self-inflicted from the government. This is about Brexit plus Covid.""
""What we don't want is this spring misery turned into summer misery,"" he said. 
However, Mr Shapps said after the government eased immigration rules in the haulage industry only 27 lorry drivers had come over from the European Union to help ease the chronic shortage, which instead had been alleviated by government measures.
Gatwick Airport said that 52 departures and 30 arrivals were cancelled on Sunday.
majority were EasyJet flights, but British Airways, Wizz Air and Vueling were also affected.
Flights from Barcelona, Nice, Madrid, Belfast, Geneva, Corfu, Faro in Portugal and Glasgow were among those cancelled.
A Gatwick spokesperson said the airport was ""operating normally"" but would be busy with 830 flights.
ravel expert Simon Calder said that on a typical day you would expect to see half a dozen flights being cancelled to and from the UK, with those spread over all airlines.
He said in addition about 3,000 passengers heading for Luton on Sunday had been diverted after a power failure affected air traffic control systems.
British Airways declined to comment.
Wizz Air issued a statement saying it was doing as much as it could to help passengers reach their destinations. It said several things were causing ""operational instability"" in the travel industry, including staff shortages within air traffic control, ground operations and baggage handling, security and across airports.
It offered customers affected its ""sincere apologies"" and said they would be offered alternative flights with Wizz Air, a full refund or 120% in airline credit, which it aimed to process within one week.
Has your flight been cancelled at the last minute? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-61607531
business	EasyJet executive quits after major flight disruption	"EasyJet's chief operating officer has resigned after a series of flight cancellations and disruption at the airline in recent weeks.
rline said Peter Bellew had left ""to pursue other business opportunities"" and wished him well.
It comes after thousands of EasyJet flights have been cancelled - some at short notice.
rade union Unite last month criticised a ""lack of leadership"" at the airline and urged Mr Bellew to ""take control"".
Announcing Mr Bellew's resignation, EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the airline was ""absolutely focused on delivering a safe and reliable operation this summer"". 
He said the role of interim chief operations officer would be in the ""very capable hands of"" David Morgan ""who will provide strong leadership for the airline this summer"".
Mr Morgan has been with EasyJet since 2016 and is currently director of flight operations. He had previously led overall operations at the airline, as interim chief operating officer in 2019.
r shed thousands of jobs during the pandemic, but is now struggling to meet the rebound in demand for travel.
EasyJet has been one of the worst hit for cancellations in recent months. It has axed thousands of flights, including many on the day they were due to depart.
Late last month it said it would be making some cancellations over the summer, to build in more resilience and in response to caps imposed by London Gatwick and Amsterdam Schiphol airports. 
It said this gave customers advance notice and potential to re-book.
While it will have made use of the government's landing slot ""amnesty"" as part of this plan, EasyJet said it would not be announcing any further cancellations this week. It said the last affected customers would be told on Monday.
In optimistic quotes in EasyJet's late January trading update, its boss Johan Lundgren predicted ""a strong summer ahead"", with demand pushing capacity near to 2019 levels.  
Six months later, with Covid restrictions largely behind them, people want to go on holiday again. Demand doesn't appear to have been a problem.
But ambitions have evidently had to be scaled back. Thousands of flights have had to be cancelled.
, the airline's boss says a ""safe and reliable"" operation is the ""absolute"" focus.  
EasyJet is far from the only business affected by widespread issues hitting aviation at the moment - from staff shortages to industrial action. 
It hopes not to have to issue any further waves of cancellations, and points out it's still running up to 1,700 flights each day.
However, it has undeniably been through a challenging time of late and must be hoping that a change at the top can herald a change in performance.
It is understood just over 150,000 of the 160,000 EasyJet flights initially scheduled to run over July, August and September, will go ahead. This means roughly 10,000 have been cancelled - or about 6%.
rline said the majority of its flights were unaffected by the cancellations, with it continuing to operate up to 1,700 flights a day.
However, unions representing EasyJet cabin crew in Spain have called a series of 24-hour strikes for July in a dispute over pay.
first of the strikes took place over the weekend, and a further six days of action are due later this month. 
Shares in EasyJet, which have fallen back to the lows of March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, were trading down almost 3% after news of Mr Bellew's departure - making it one of the biggest fallers on the FTSE 250 index.
More cancellations from a raft of airlines are expected this week as the government has given carriers until Friday to announce changes to their schedules without facing a potential penalty.
move is an attempt to minimise disruption during the peak summer holiday season.
Do you work at an airport? Do you have a summer holiday coming up? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62038384
business	Waitrose changes Christmas advert after complaints	"Waitrose has changed a part of its Christmas advert that showed two farmers comparing sun tans after it was criticised by skin cancer patients.
upermarket apologised last week after it received a backlash to its video on social media.
Critics said a section of the advert glorified sun tans and failed to highlight the dangers of sunlight.
Waitrose told the BBC it would now be using an ""updated version of the ad to address these concerns"".
""While we included some light-hearted and 'true to life' moments, we've listened to the comments made about the serious message of sun safety,"" a spokesperson said. 
""Our ad celebrates the care and effort that our partners and real farmers - who work in all weathers - put in to make sure our customers have what they need for Christmas.""
upermarket's advert features clips of farmers working all year round to create the produce for festive food. 
In the original version, two farmers could be seen comparing sun tans as they worked in the summer sunshine.
Now the farmers pass each other in the field, without showing off their tans.
One person who has melanoma commented on Waitrose's Facebook post of the advert, saying she found it ""absolutely astonishing that a company like yourselves should be showing farmers glorifying in their sun tans"".
""This is a kick in the teeth for all melanoma patients and for all the organisations trying to educate everyone into the dangers of sun tans,"" she added. ""What on earth were you thinking to include this in a Christmas advert? Words fail me.""
Skin cancer charity Melanoma UK also criticised the advert, saying: ""Waitrose can do better than this.""
Waitrose apologised after the backlash, saying it was ""sorry for the upset caused"".
Source: NHS"	/news/business-63732117
business	Cost of living: Pubs face bleak future, boss warns	"Pub bosses say they fear for the industry amid rising bills and customers spending less
Pubs face a ""bleak"" future as costs climb and customers rein in their spending, a pub chain boss has warned.
Clive Watson said refurbishment plans were on hold and some kitchens may have to close at quiet times because of the rising price of food and energy.
monthly inflation figure, published on Wednesday, was 10.7% in November, down from 11.1% in October.
It means prices are still rising, but the rate at which they are going up is slowing.
""I don't want to be sensationalist about it, but it is bleak,"" said Mr Watson, co-founder of City Pub Company, which runs 45 bars, with four in Wales.
""After Christmas, trade is always very quiet and, I think, it is going to be a long haul for operators who, let's face it, have had two years of Covid challenges.
""These are businesses who have been through a lot of pain already,"" he said, while speaking from the company's Newport bar, the Potters Pub.
""To go into the new year with all the high costs we have talked about, plus consumers feeling the pinch as well, I genuinely fear for a lot of pubs' long-term survival.""
He said Christmas bookings were ahead of the same period in 2019, but spending per head was down as ""the office credit card isn't as flexible as it has been in the past"". 
mbination of staff shortages, higher running costs and lower customer spending meant pubs were reluctant to invest in expanding their businesses.
""Why would I open a new pub in Cardiff for Newport if I am struggling to get the staff into existing pubs?"" he said. 
""We are curtailing our expansion and refurbishment [plans], and really just focusing on what we have got.""
Businesses which supply the hospitality sector are also facing tough trading conditions.
mos and Lilford Brewery, in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, employed seven people this time last year, but now managing director Rob Lilford is the only full-time staff member.
He said pubs were ordering less beer, and the costs of producing it had increased significantly this year.
""We faced a 30% rise in the price of the raw material, the grain that beer is made from,"" he said.
flict in Ukraine, as well as increased gas and electricity costs, are thought to have pushed prices higher.
""That was in January, and we are now expecting a higher rise than that this January - something in the region of 40 to 45%, and that is Ukraine-driven, as well as energy,"" he said.
Mr Lilford sells his beer to the Rising Sun in Abersychan, Torfaen, where owner and landlord Gerwyn Evans said it was ""a scary time"" to run a hospitality business.
""It's a rollercoaster,"" he added. 
""When you hear on the news that the price of a pint has gone up 5p or 10p, that's the brewer's cost.
""That's not necessarily our costs for electric, gas, staff costs and wages. 
""There are many other aspects to the price of a pint of beer and how much you can safely charge and still get people through the door.""
Mr Evans, who is secretary of a group representing local landlords, said the trend was for pubs to open for only a few days a week.
""They are shortening their weeks, they are opening later in the day because the trade simply isn't there,"" he said.
Rising Sun has diversified to offer specials such as a pie and pint night, quizzes and curry nights to entice new customers.
""We are quite fortunate that the locals do support the pub, but it's either use it or lose it,"" he said.
""So many pubs are closing, it's so sad that part of our national heritage and traditions are sadly going down, one by one.""
Last month, Michelle Knight, who runs the Six Bells in Coity, Bridgend, told BBC Wales how she had halved draught beer and cider selections to keep costs down while running the pub's cooling system.
Dr Siwan Mitchelmore, a university lecturer at Bangor Business School, said pubs were ""being squeezed from both ends"".
""They are facing their customers directly and, as the cost of living has increased, it has also risen for businesses as well as their customers,"" she said.
""And we see that the number of people spending in these areas is falling because they are worrying more about heating their homes than about non-essential spending."""	/news/uk-wales-63948471
business	Heating oil: Tory MPs worried about off-grid energy support	"Some Tory MPs in rural areas have raised concerns about the support given to households who use oil or liquefied petroleum gas to heat their homes. 
Ministers said off-grid energy consumers would receive an extra payment of £100 as they announced support for businesses on Wednesday.
£100 is a top-up to a £400 payment, which is going to all UK households.
But off-grid energy consumers will not benefit from the two-year cap on typical household bills.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said there was ""equivalence"" in the level of support offered because the price of heating oil had not risen as much as the price of gas. 
But many MPs questioned whether the support was comparable. 
Several Tories told the BBC that they would raise the issue in a meeting with Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
Around 1.1 million fossil-fuel heated homes in England are not connected to the gas grid. 
BBC understands the government is keeping support for alternative fuels under review should there be further price increases.
Conservative MP for Clwyd West, David Jones, said: ""I and my colleagues will be watching carefully to assess whether the support is truly comparable and will be making such representations as we consider necessary.""
ry MP for Buckingham, Greg Smith, said: ""I'm happy there's been movement, but we've got to polish this.""
Another Conservative representing a rural constituency in Wales added: ""£100 is unlikely to be enough for this coming winter and I will be exploring this further with government ministers.""
In the Commons, Tory MP Fay Jones, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, was one of several MPs to raise the issue, saying the £100 payment would ""not touch the sides"".
Former Conservative minister Mark Harper, who represents the Forest of Dean, also said the payment ""doesn't seem like a comparable level of support"". 
In response, Mr Rees-Mogg said: ""The price of heating oil has not risen as much as the price of gas, and therefore the aim of government policy is to ensure equivalence, and therefore inevitably the support given for those on heating oil will need a lower actual amount than those connected to the gas grid, but that will give them equivalence.""
Opposition politicians have also criticised the support for heating oil and liquefied petroleum gas users.
former Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, who represents Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: ""It seems only to be £100 - which is woeful when you think that oil users are paying £1k a year more at least.""
Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion, Ben Lake, added: ""I fear that Jacob Rees-Mogg's offer of £100 will leave many struggling to make ends meet.""
In Northern Ireland, where two-thirds of households use heating oil, the level of support for off-grid customers has also been criticised. 
Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said he did not believe the offer of £100 would ""cut it in any way, shape or form"", while SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the payment as an ""insult"". 
Vicky Saynor, 46, uses heating oil to heat her home in Hertfordshire, where she lives with her partner and four children. 
family have to fill their tank up three times a year, which cost £750 in 2020 but now costs £3,325. 
Vicky said it had been a ""massive"" struggle to afford the increase and the family had stopped eating out and going on holiday to make up for it. 
She described the £100 additional payment as ""ridiculous"" and ""an insult"", adding that it was 2% of the cost of one tank of oil for her house. 
Vicky also owns three holiday homes, which are the family's only income and are also heated by oil. These have been hit by huge price increases and are not protected by the energy price cap for businesses. 
A government spokesperson said households who are off the gas grid, such as those using heating oil or those who do not benefit from the gas element of the cap on household energy bills, would get a payment of £100. 
£400 payment for all UK households to help with energy bills and other support such as the Warm Home Discount, the spokesperson said. 
Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced energy bills for on-grid households will be capped for two years, with a typical household bill limited to £2,500 annually until 2024. 
Additional reporting by Oscar Bentley"	/news/uk-politics-62989499
business	Record numbers not looking for work due to long-term illness	"umber of people not looking for work because they are suffering from a long-term illness has hit a record high, latest official figures show.
fall in the number looking for work has helped to push the unemployment rate to its lowest for nearly 50 years.
jobless rate fell to 3.5% in the three months to August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
umber of job vacancies fell again, although the level still remains high with many firms struggling to recruit.
However, the squeeze on pay remains, with rises in regular wages failing to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Have you left work due to illness?
ONS head of labour market and household statistics David Freeman said the number of people neither working nor looking for work had continued to rise over the past few months.
mic inactivity rate - which measures the proportion of people aged between 16 and 64 not looking for work - increased to 21.7% in the June to August period, the ONS said. The number of those inactive because they are long-term sick hit a record high of nearly 2.5 million.
Mr Freeman added: ""While the number of job vacancies remains high after its long period of rapid growth, it has now dropped back a little, with a number of employers telling us they've reduced recruitment due to a variety of economic pressures.""
mated number of vacancies in the three months to September fell by 46,000 to 1,246,000, the largest fall since mid-2020 during the Covid pandemic.
Ruth Gregory at Capital Economics said that while there were ""tentative signs that the labour market is cooling from the red-hot conditions seen in recent months, the shortfall in labour supply is keeping it exceptionally tight"". 
""That will maintain intense pressure on the Bank of England to raise rates aggressively over the coming months,"" she added. 
One company still struggling to recruit enough staff is PMG Services, a waste management business based in Bristol. It employs 50 people, but has a vacancies for a wide range of roles.
""We get a lot of interested candidates, we offer interviews, and then we get a lot of no-shows which is really disheartening and wastes so much time,"" says PMG's Clare McGuinness.
""Some people are offered jobs and don't even show up for work. It's a real challenge,"" she adds.
mpany has also raised salaries to try to help recruitment, as well hold on to its current workers.
She says the ongoing vacancies are making it difficult for the company to take on extra work. 
""We've become very lean. We've increased our efficiencies but there's only so much we can do, and it really limits our ability to grow.""
ONS data showed that while wages were seeing strong rises, they were still failing to keep with rising prices.
Regular pay - which excludes bonuses - grew at an annual rate of 5.4% in the June to August period, the ONS said, which is the strongest growth seen outside of the coronavirus pandemic period.
However, inflation - the rate at which prices rise - currently stands at a near 40-year high of 9.9%.
When taking the rise in prices into account, the value of regular pay fell by 2.9% in the three months to August, the ONS said.
Reacting to the figures, the Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, said ""the fundamentals of the UK economy remain resilient"".
""Our ambitious Growth Plan will drive sustainable long term growth, meaning higher wages and better living standards for everyone, and we are cutting taxes so people can keep more of what they earn,"" he added."	/news/business-63204333
business	IMF: UK set for slowest growth of G7 countries in 2023	"UK is set for the slowest growth of the G7 richest economies next year, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
It is predicting UK growth will fall to just 0.5% in 2023, much lower than its forecast in April of 1.2%.
global economy has shrunk for the first time since 2020, the IMF said, hit by the Ukraine war and Covid-19.
With growth stalling in the UK, US, China and Europe, the world ""may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession"", it said.
""We know that people are feeling the impact of rising prices, caused by global economic factors, triggered by the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine,"" a HM Treasury spokesperson said in a statement, adding that help for households included £400 off energy bills plus personal tax cuts worth up to £330 a year.
IMF has cut its 2022 global growth forecast to just 3.2% and warned the slowdown risks being even more severe.
It said fast-rising prices were to blame for much of the slowdown, with households and businesses squeezed by a combination of higher prices and higher borrowing costs as policymakers raise interest rates to try to counter inflation.
""The global economy, still reeling from the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is facing an increasingly gloomy and uncertain outlook,"" economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas wrote in a blog outlining the international lending body's latest economic forecast.
""The outlook has darkened significantly"" since April, the last time the IMF issued forecasts, he added.
global economy contracted in the three months to July, which was the first decline since the pandemic hit, the IMF said.
robability of a recession in the G7 economies - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK - now stands at roughly 15% - nearly four times higher than usual.
While UK growth is expected to remain relatively strong this year, Mr Gourinchas said unusually high inflation - faster than in Europe or the US - is expected to take a toll in 2023.
""If you were to look at both years together, it's actually not very far from where the other advanced economies are,"" he told the BBC. ""The one thing that worries me more about the UK economy is that their inflation numbers seem to be quite high. There is a fairly high pass through from high gas prices to broader prices in the economy. 
""That would signal even further monetary policy tightening by the Bank of England and that would also weigh down on growth going forward.""
IMF now expects inflation to reach 6.6% in advanced economies and 9.5% in emerging market and developing economies - nearly a full percentage point higher than it expected in April.
""Inflation at current levels represents a clear risk for current and future macroeconomic stability and bringing it back to central bank targets should be the top priority for policymakers,"" Mr Gourinchas said.
""Tighter monetary policy will inevitably have real economic costs, but delaying it will only exacerbate the hardship.""
fallout from the war in Ukraine is being felt in pockets across the world. Soaring food and fuel prices and higher interest rates means the IMF sees more gloomy prospects for all major economies - but it's the UK that, Russia apart, remains bottom of the pile for 2023. 
Brexit may not have helped but it's our reliance on fossil fuels - they make up 75% of our energy mix, more than in the EU  - that's made us particularly vulnerable to this shock. Those prices are determined on international markets but affect us all. This report comes on the day that, with the energy price cap set to top £3,000 in October, a committee of MPs warns that further government help for households may be needed.  
But the IMF is among those economists who've noted that the UK faces more fundamental issues than the current crisis, with living standards having dropped behind many competitors over the last 15 years, something many attribute to a lack of investment in skills, equipment and infrastructure. Officials from the IMF have previously told me that one way to remedy that would be to raise, not lower taxes, to fund more investment. 
US saw the steepest downgrade of any country for 2022. The IMF cut its growth forecast for the world's largest economy to 2.3% this year, from 3.7% previously, and to just 1% in 2023.
Meanwhile growth in China is expected to fall to 3.3% this year, the slowest rate in nearly four decades, as the country wrestles with new Covid lockdowns and a property crisis.
Questions about the reliability of Europe's natural gas supplies from Russia, as well as political unrest generated by high food and fuel prices, are among the risks the global economy is facing in the months ahead, the IMF said.
""We can be reasonably hopeful that China might be rebound,"" Mr Gourinchas said, adding that he was ""much more concerned about both the inflation path and the tightening of monetary policy leading to a slowdown going ahead"".
It warned that in a ""plausible"" scenario, in which only some of those risks materialise, like a shutdown of Russian gas flows to Europe, global economic growth could fall to 2% next year - a pace the world has fallen below just five times since 1970."	/news/business-62299490
business	Sri Lanka crisis: Prime minister says $5bn needed this year	"Sri Lanka's prime minister says the country needs at least $5bn (£4bn) over the next six months to pay for essential goods as it faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years.
Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament the money is needed for basic items such as food, fuel and fertiliser.
In May, Sri Lanka defaulted on its debts with international lenders for the first time in its history.
untry has held bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.
On Tuesday, Mr Wickremesinghe, who is also the country's finance minister, told parliament that more money was required this year to meet Sri Lanka's basic needs.
He said the island nation, which has a population of around 22 million, requires $3.3bn for fuel imports, $900m for food, $600m for fertiliser, and $250m for cooking gas.
It comes as Sri Lankan lawmakers accepted a $55m loan for fertilisers from India's Exim Bank.
United Nations also plans to make a worldwide appeal for Sri Lanka, and has pledged $48m for food, agriculture and healthcare, Mr Wickremesinghe added.
He also warned of a slowdown in government payments to businesses and workers across the country, as funds are redirected to pay for food supplies.
""A lot of people will be without food, so the food programme we are initiating will ensure that all families, even if they have no income, they will have food,"" Mr Wickremesinghe said.
""We can have community kitchens in temples [and] churches to supply the food. The community has to get involved,"" he added.
South Asian nation will also try to renegotiate a $1.5bn financial support deal with China, Mr Wickremesinghe said.
PM Ranil Wickramasinghe: ""There won't be a hunger crisis""
Sri Lanka is struggling with its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948.
untry's economy has been hit hard by the pandemic, rising energy prices, and populist tax cuts.
A shortage of medicines, fuel and other essentials has also helped to push the cost of living to record highs.
Sri Lanka's official rate of inflation, the pace at which prices rise, rose by 39.1% year-on-year in May. At the same time, food prices in its largest city Colombo increased by 57.4%.
Mr Wickremesinghe is set to unveil an interim budget next month, as he faces the challenge of slashing overall government spending while still providing social welfare payments.
Last week, Sri Lanka's agriculture minister called on farmers to grow more rice as he said the country's ""food situation is becoming worse"".
government also announced an immediate increase to value added tax (VAT) from 8% to 12%. The move was expected to boost revenue by 65bn Sri Lankan rupees ($181m; £144m). It also said corporate tax would rise in October from 24% to 30%."	/news/business-61727801
business	Recession: Was the Bank of England right to raise interest rates?	"It is the most piercing of warning sirens set off by the Bank of England.
It announced the largest interest rate rise in a quarter of a century, in an attempt to temper a peak in inflation of 13%.
But it is its prediction of a recession as long as the great financial crisis and as deep as that seen in the early 1990s that is the big shock here.
Bank thinks that energy bills hitting nearly £300 per month on average, treble their level of a year before, will plunge the economy in the final quarter of this year into a recession.
If global energy costs remain where they are, that recession will then last the whole of next year, with inflation barely below 10% even in a year's time.
roper full fat recession now being predicted by the Bank, and at the same time a 42-year high in the rate of inflation. 
It is a textbook example of the combination of stagnation of the economy and high inflation - stagflation.
It obviously will raise questions as to why rates are being hiked into a recession, at a time when consumers are already pulling back from spending. 
Mortgage costs are now soaring. Markets expect further rises in the base rate - taking it up to 3% - even during this predicted recession.
ffects those on variable rates, and about half of those set to come off their fixed rate mortgages in the coming couple of years. 
Bank's answer will be that rates are still low by historic standards, and they just cannot provide further fuel for these extraordinary but hopefully temporary high inflation rates, to last for years.
But make no mistake, a forecast such as this, would mean a wrecking ball to the forecasts for government borrowing. Tax revenues would plummet, and spending would increase naturally. 
Forget about the £30bn room for manoeuvre or ""fiscal headroom"" we heard so much about. 
But with this level of energy shock, whoever is in power, would need to prepare further massive consumer support, and feasibly, rescue schemes for the energy sector too. 
I cannot recall the Bank of England predicting a recession of this length in advance of the event.
And that certainly has not happened in the middle of the selection of a new prime minister. It is the sort of forecast that in other circumstances might have prompted an immediate emergency Budget. 
It may just upend all the plans we have heard so much about."	/news/business-62408117
business	Bank of England boosts plan to calm market turmoil	"Bank of England has announced new measures aimed at ensuring an ""orderly end"" to its emergency bond buying scheme which was introduced to stop a collapse of some pension funds. 
Bank will increase the amount of bonds it can buy in the final week of the scheme, which ends on Friday. 
It will also introduce extra support to ease future strains on pension funds. 
Bank initially stepped in after the government's mini-budget sparked turmoil on financial markets.
With the deadline for the Bank's bond-buying programme fast approaching, there have been concerns volatility would return once the scheme ends.
However, Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the Bank was taking the approach of ""talking loudly and carrying a big stick"" in its attempt to calm concerns,
He said the measures are ""designed to reassure pension managers - and pension holders - that help will be provided"". 
He added that the Bank's announcement reaffirms that the bond purchases were a short-term measure and ""it remains committed to withdrawing monetary stimulus and tightening monetary policy as it fights inflation"".
mini-budget - which was announced on 23 September - pledged £45bn of tax cuts as part of a plan to boost economic growth, but the level of government borrowing required shocked investors who questioned the sustainability of the public finances.
In the aftermath of the statement, the pound hit a record low and investors demanded a much higher return for investing in government bonds, causing some to drop sharply in value.
Certain types of funds in the pension industry, which invest in bonds, were forced to start selling, sparking fears of a fresh market downturn.
On 28 September, the Bank stepped in to buy government bonds saying its decision was driven by concern over ""a material risk to UK financial stability"".
It said it would buy up to £65bn bonds, with a limit of £5bn a day.
So far, the Bank has bought only around £5bn bonds in total under the programme and in its latest announcement it said stood ready to increase the size of its daily purchases. On Monday, it doubled the limit to £10bn.
rvention is about a transition off the Bank of England emergency support offered in government bond markets, in the aftermath of the mini-budget.
Bank of England is trying to leave no stone unturned in making sure the withdrawal of this support occurs in an orderly manner. But the Bank is also committing to the timetable to phase out the support this week. Some in the markets had anticipated it would need to be extended.
Bank is demonstrating that this intervention is not intended to limit the rise in government costs, but instead was a temporary and targeted effort aimed at maintaining financial stability.
message heard in markets on Monday, with effective borrowing costs, or yields, on government debt on the rise again. These rates were over 4.5% for borrowing over 30 years and five years.
g picture is this: if the Treasury wants to bring down now rising government borrowing costs - which have an effect on mortgages and business lending too - it is up to it to present a credible set of tax and spending plans and independent forecasts, which are now promised for the end of October.
forecasts and the plan will now feed into the Bank of England's interest rate decision in early November.
Bank of England's intervention was a temporary bridge over a specific crisis. The solution here is for the government.
government borrows money to fund its spending plans by selling bonds, or ""gilts"", to investors such as pension funds and big banks on international markets.
But a collapse in the price of those bonds in the aftermath of the mini-budget was forcing some funds to rush to sell bonds further forcing down the price.
If that process had continued, there was a risk that those pension funds could have got to a position where they could not pay their debts.
In its latest statement, the Bank said there had been ""substantial progress"" in addressing the financial problems facing these funds, which had faced the prospect of having to make forced sales of £50bn of bonds.
As well as increasing the daily limit on bond purchases this week, the Bank also announced a further measure to help the funds affected by the recent market volatility.
Under the measure, these funds will be able to use a wider range of assets - such as company bonds - to access money to help meet any short-term financial demands.
It is hoped this means these funds will not be forced to sell government bonds to raise cash, which was what they had to do in the immediate aftermath of the mini-budget.
measure will continue after the emergency bond-buying programme has finished.
Before the mini-budget, the yield on government borrowing over a 30-year period stood at about 3.7%. The yield is effectively the interest rate.
After the mini-budget it jumped to 5.1% until the Bank's intervention pushed the rate back down. However, in recent days it has crept back up again to around 4.5%."	/news/business-63198341
business	North Sea workers begin strike action over pay	"Strike action is taking place on a number of North Sea oil and gas installations in a row over pay.
Unite union said nearly 150 members employed by Petrofac on Repsol-Sinopec operated assets were involved.
uous overtime ban and a 48-hour stoppage on Wednesday and Thursday. Another two day strike is due to begin on 30 November.
Unite said the action, involving roles such as technicians, would cause ""significant disruption"".
A Petrofac spokeswoman said: ""We continue to work closely with our teams and our client to ensure there is no increased risk to safety during periods of industrial action.
""Through regular reviews of the remuneration of our offshore workforce, we ensure fair compensation aligned with the market. 
""Our latest review resulted in enhancements, including: a salary increase and commitment to an additional increase in January 2023, an equal time allowance and increased additional and training day payments.""
Meanwhile, Unite also announced members had accepted an improved pay offer from the Catering Offshore Trade Association (Cota).
union said the deal covered 3,000 workers in offshore catering."	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63642240
business	Train strikes could impact the London Marathon	"rain drivers and railway workers are set to stage the largest strike to date as part of a long-running row over pay.
Members of the Aslef and RMT unions will walk out on 1 October in order to bring the rail network to an ""effective standstill"", union bosses said. 
Just 10% of services are likely to run on Saturday, with travel to and from the London Marathon as well as the Tory Party conference potentially affected.
rain drivers will then take a second day of industrial action on 5 October.
Aslef, which is the union for train drivers, has confirmed that 9,000 drivers at 12 train companies across the country will walk out on both 1 and 5 October.
Meanwhile the RMT, which represents rail workers including guards and signalling staff, said it has given notice to Network Rail, which maintains the country's railways, as well as to 14 train companies that its 40,000 members will strike on 1 October.
Rail Delivery Group, the industry body representing train operators, claimed that ""thousands"" of runners taking part in the London Marathon could have their journeys disrupted.
race is on 2 October which is not a strike day but services could be disrupted following industrial action because trains are not in the correct locations. 
Many participants may also travel ahead of the event.
""These strikes will once again hugely inconvenience the very passengers the industry needs to support its recovery from the ongoing impact of the pandemic,"" said the Rail Delivery Group.
Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, from 2 October to 5 October, is also expected to be hit by disruption and cancelled services.
rike action comes after a series of large-scale walk outs in recent months as unions seek pay increases in line with the rising cost of living.
Rail bosses claim they want to give workers pay rises but they and the government insist changes are needed to ""modernise"" the railway, to end some working practices and to save money.
RMT said its decision to hold further strikes was due to ""no further offers from the rail industry to help come to a negotiated settlement"".
Mick Lynch, the union's general secretary, said the large-scale action would send a ""clear message to the government and employers that working people will not accept continued attacks on pay and working conditions at a time when big business profits are at an all-time high"".
""We want a settlement to these disputes where our members and their families can get a square deal.  And we will not rest until we get a satisfactory outcome,"" he added
rain drivers' union Aslef, gave notice of the latest strike to the train companies on Friday, but did not make a a public announcement at the time now ""as a mark of respect for the monarch"".
A strike had been planned for 15 September, but was postponed following the announcement of the Queen's death
union said it had successfully negotiated pay deals with nine train companies this year, but remained in dispute with some firms which it claimed hadn't offered any deal and where drivers hadn't had a pay increase since 2019.
""We would much rather not be in this position. We don't want to go on strike - withdrawing your labour, although a fundamental human right, is always a last resort for this trade union - but the train companies have been determined to force our hand, said Mick Whelan, Aslef's general secretary.
BBC understands members of the TSSA union are also expected to strike on 1 October, but this has not been officially confirmed.
In separate disputes, Arriva Rail London members, Hull Trains and bus workers at First Group Southwest will also take strike action on October 1st.
It's likely that about 10% of usual Saturday services will be able to run on 1 October. For the first time in the ongoing wave of strike action, both Aslef and the RMT will strike on the same day, meaning the number of trains running could be half of previous RMT strikes.
rail industry will now be putting together their contingency plans, with more detail expected at the end of the week.
What gives the RMT strikes such nation-wide impact is the involvement of Network Rail signallers, which means a fraction of usual trains can run even in areas where train companies are not directly involved in strike action. When Aslef's train drivers get involved, few or no trains at all can run on affected train operators' routes.
If the strikes go ahead, these will also be the first train strikes since Anne-Marie Trevelyan replaced Grant Shapps as Transport Secretary. 
She has already invited the general secretaries of Aslef, RMT and TSSA for meetings. This signals a desire to be seen to take a less adversarial approach than her predecessor. However, it doesn't mean the substance of the government's position has changed.
How will you be affected by the rail strikes? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62969423
business	Solve worker shortages with immigration - CBI boss	"UK should use immigration to solve worker shortages and boost economic growth, the boss of the UK's biggest business group has said.
Danker called on politicians to be ""practical"" about immigration at the CBI's conference in Birmingham.
His speech comes as many firms struggle to recruit staff.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wanted to attract the best talent from around the world, but also tackle illegal immigration.
Recent official figures show the UK's unemployment rate has edged up, and the Bank of England has forecast it will nearly double by 2025 as the country goes through a tough recession.
Meanwhile job vacancies remain near record levels.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) has also said UK business investment has dropped in recent months and remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Mr Danker said in his speech that the UK should enable ""economic migration"" in areas where skilled workers cannot be found.
He urged leaders to ""be honest with people"" over the country's ""vast"" labour shortages, adding ""we don't have the people we need nor do we have the productivity"". 
""First, we have lost hundreds of thousands of people to economic inactivity post Covid,"" he said. ""And anyone who thinks they'll all be back any day now - with the NHS under the pressure it is - is kidding themselves. 
""Secondly, we don't have enough Brits to go round for the vacancies that exist, and there's a skills mismatch in any case. And third, believing automation can step in to do the job in most cases is unrealistic.""
Mr Danker is calling for more fixed-term visas for overseas workers in shortage occupations. 
In a speech to the CBI conference, Rishi Sunak said he wanted to attract ""the best and brightest from around the world"" to work in the UK.
He said the UK would create ""one of the world's most attractive visa regimes for entrepreneurs and highly-skilled people"", as he outlined plans to attract experts in artificial intelligence to the country,
But he said the UK's ""number one priority right now, when it comes to migration, is tackling illegal immigration"", adding that he is determined to do that.
""If we're going to have a system that allows businesses to access the best and brightest from around the world, we need to do more to give the British people trust and confidence that the system works and is fair,"" Mr Sunak said.
Earlier, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told TalkTV that if bosses needed ""lower-skilled"" staff, the domestic workforce should be their ""first port of call"".
""We want to bring down net migration. It's something that is... very important to the British people and we're on the side of the British people,"" he said.
On Friday, the chancellor said immigration would be important for the UK economy in the years ahead, but the government still wanted to bring numbers down.
He said he wanted to improve skills ""at home"" to lower dependence on foreign workers.
Mr Danker praised some of the government's Autumn Statement, which saw Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set out £55bn of spending cuts and tax rises in a bid to curb rising prices while also protecting public services.
But he warned the UK must go further in order to solve years of stagnating growth and urged the government to make ""tough choices"" to help. 
UK's economy is performing worse than other major nations and is smaller than it was before the Covid pandemic.
government has said the country is already in recession, which is defined as when an economy shrinks for two three-month periods in a row. It's a sign an economy is performing badly, with companies often making less money and unemployment rising.
Global factors are partly to blame, with energy and food prices soaring this year due to the war in Ukraine and Covid.
But the UK also faces significant labour supply challenges due to it being more difficult for small businesses to trade with Europe or recruit workers due to Brexit, which ended freedom of movement for EU citizens coming to the UK and vice versa.
According to figures from the ONS, net migration to the UK was estimated to be about 239,000 in the year ending June 2021, a slight fall from the previous year's figure of 260,000. The figure was driven by immigration from non-EU countries.
Last month a survey by the CBI, which represents 190,000 UK businesses, said almost three-quarters of UK companies had suffered from labour shortages in the past year and nearly half surveyed wanted the government to grant temporary visas for roles that were in ""obvious shortage"".
f retailer Next has urged the government to let more foreign workers into the UK to ease labour shortages.
Lord Wolfson, who was a prominent advocate of Brexit, said the UK's current immigration policy was crippling economic growth.
government has introduced a skilled worker visa scheme for some occupations facing shortages. It also has a seasonal workers scheme to cover jobs such as fruit pickers, and a health and care visa for medical staff.
Mr Danker said people might be ""arguing against immigration but it's the only thing that's increased the potential growth of our economy since March"".
""Growth is a precondition to a stable society. Without growth the NHS gets worse, not better. People's lives get worse, not better. And we lack the resources we need to transform ourselves to a zero-carbon world,"" he said.
""Yet Britain's had 15 years of low growth and flatlining productivity. We can't afford a repeat.""
Mr Danker also called for trading regulations to be reformed, saying politicians could no longer blame EU rules. 
""The biggest regulatory barriers facing businesses today are based on British laws, created by a British Parliament, and administered by British regulators,"" he said.
Are you struggling to recruit staff? Or have you left a job recently? Share your experiences haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-63697458
business	Cost of living: Glassblowers counting cost of rising energy bills	"rise in energy prices has impacted businesses everywhere and glassblowing is among the trades which have felt it sharply.
Glassblowers rely on their furnaces being kept lit which has led to a large increase in energy bills.
ue has contributed to one glassblower being put out of business and some fear for the future of the trade in the face of prohibitive costs.
We spoke to West Country glassblowers to see how they are coping.
After 20 years of trade, the furnace has been switched off at Silver Tree Crystal in Moorlinch, Somerset. 
glassblowers made the ""heartbreaking"" decision to close down after seeing their energy bills almost double.
Combined with the rise in import costs after Brexit and the impact of the pandemic, manager Janey Pointing said they had tried to keep going but were faced with no option but to close.
""We turned off the furnace in early September and it won't be going back on again. It is primarily the cost of energy which almost doubled. 
""It's also down to the cost of importing raw materials as the prices went up and have kept going up. The cost of bringing it in is unbelievable. 
""Christmas is a majorly busy period but our orders fell off a cliff. We have been trying but the situation hasn't got any better,"" added the 43-year-old. 
Ms Pointing said she is worried about the future of the industry as a whole as businesses are forced to close down and with people being unable to learn their trade.
""I am terrified for the future of the glassblowing industry. It doesn't pay brilliantly but you don't do it for the money you do it for the passion. It's a lifelong career. 
""We had to let our apprentice go which was very sad and I worry that there will be nowhere for apprentices to go. It's the sort of job where it takes years to master. It's a huge shame that our time has been cut short,"" she added.
Annette Dolan, who runs Bath Aqua Glass, told the BBC in August that she was enduring sleepless nights over her rising costs.
Ms Dolan has worked in the glassblowing business for 26 years and says she will do all she can to keep the firm running.
""Whether I'm going to save this business or not only the future will tell me, but I will do my damndest for all my staff and myself,"" she added.
One man to recently enter the industry is Chris Day, a heating and plumbing engineer who went back to university to pursue his dream of becoming a glassblower.
Mr Day has not given up on his engineering day job just yet as it helps him subsidise his glass work.
He said rising energy bills were an issue facing the entire glass industry and is concerned at university glassblowing courses being cut.
""What happens to the new people that want to come in and do glass? They can't do it or they haven't got the facilities or even the money now,"" he said.
Meanwhile, a glassblower from Langport, Somerset, says that being versatile and adapting to change has helped keep his business afloat.
Will Shakspeare said the rise in energy prices had led to some ""eye-watering"" gas bills but he is busier than ever, working six days a week to fulfil orders, including about 2,000 glass baubles ahead of Christmas.
""It is frightening at times but you control what you can,"" he said.
Mr Shakspeare works with one assistant, Johnny Allen, and says being a small team allows them to freedom to adapt their way of working quickly, as they did when the pandemic hit in 2020.
""It's not been an easy few years for anyone. People don't have a lot of money to spend.
""When Covid started we could have just gone into our shell and turned everything off. 
""But we used the quieter time to try something new, making new things in our product range as we had the time to get things wrong and do it again. 
""We started making things like lampshades and drinking glasses. We tried to make the most of it and did what we could,"" he said.
61-year-old has an energy consultant and although the nature of the work means large gas bills, their advice has helped mitigate the huge increase in costs some businesses have seen as his current deal runs until 2024.
He said he was unsure what his bill might look like in two years' time but for now was concentrating on a busy few weeks as orders arrived for the Christmas period.
""My gas bill is eye-watering at times. Even if I turned it off I would still get a hefty bill, so I might as well leave it on.
""We got a bit lucky when our energy contracts runs out. It's not easy if your contract ran out at the wrong time.""
Mr Shakspeare began working with glass aged 20 and set up his first workshop at 30.
He said he thought there were about 40 glassblowers like him working in the UK but rising energy costs would make him ""think twice"" about setting up in the UK now.
""I might think very carefully about it as these are difficult times and there are lots of calls on peoples' money, but it is a global trade.
""I'm not sure it will die out.
""Being a small business we have the freedom to change quite quickly and that desire to change has kept us afloat. 
""We can be versatile, think about what is going to work and concentrate on our strengths,"" he added.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-somerset-63232543
business	Steel import tariffs extended for two years	"riffs on steel imports that were due to expire will be retained for a further two years, the government said.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the plans departed from the UK's ""international legal obligations"" but was in the ""national interest"" to protect steel makers.
She added the decision was made due to ""global disruptions"" to energy markets and supply chains.
British steel producers are under pressure from soaring energy prices.
Steelmaking is a key industry for some parts of the UK, where it employs 34,000 people and turns over £2bn annually. 
Without controls the government has warned the supply of steel into the UK could rise substantially, harming local manufacturers.
UK Steel previously said ending the import controls could cause as much as £150m a year in damage.
Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany at the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said keeping the import controls on foreign steel would protect metal manufacturers.
But there were concerns such a decision could breach international law as the question of extending tariffs on steel imports is seen as potentially breaking World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.
Ms Trevelyan said the decision ""departs from our international legal obligations"" of a WTO agreement.
""However, from time to time, issues may arise where the national interest requires action to be taken,"" she added.
mits on steel imports were first introduced by the European Union in 2018 in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The controls were mirrored by the UK after Brexit.
restrictions, which add a tax to steel imports once a certain quota has been reached, are known as ""steel safeguards"" because they are designed to protect the domestic market from surges of cheap steel from overseas.
Mr Johnson said: ""We need British steel to be provided with much cheaper energy.""
rols are currently in place for 15 categories of steel. While controls protecting 10 of those categories have already been extended to 2024, import limits on five categories were set to expire on 30 June, before the government extended them for two years.
Steelmaking accounts for just 0.1% of the UK economy - but the material being used in crucial sectors, from defence to transport, means that it's considered an important industry to shelter from cheaper imports.
's why the EU applied tariffs to some types of foreign steel, primarily on steel from China, in 2018, when the UK was a member.
Now the UK has chosen to roll over many of those controls. 
move, which has been expected for some months, was reported as one reason for the resignation of the Prime Minister's ethics adviser Lord Geidt - but he later dismissed the issue as a ""distraction"". 
rade Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan admits the extension of tariffs could be at odds with World Trade Organization rules - but claims it reflects exceptionally challenging times for the industry, especially in light of high energy costs.
She has consulted other countries in the hope of avoiding a challenge, in the process attracting controversy for missing a parliamentary hearing on the Australian trade deal.
With the EU and US also retaining similar tariffs, it underlines the tough choices between removing trade barriers, and protecting national businesses.
Alasdair McDiarmid, operations director of the steelworkers' union Community, welcomed the extension saying it was ""extremely important"".
""Government made the right call because giving up our safeguards, when the EU and US are maintaining theirs, would leave us exposed to import surges threatening thousands of jobs,"" he said.
Ms Trevelyan said maintaining tariffs would help defend a strategic industry and that British steel producers could face ""serious injury"" were the measures not maintained.
""The government is therefore actively engaged with interested parties, including those outside the UK on the future of the UK safeguards and has listened to the concerns raised,"" she added.
rgest British trade body representing the industry, UK Steel, said the measures were ""absolutely vital to the long-term health of the steel industry in the UK"".
""Deficient or absent safeguards measures risk trade diversion away from shielded markets elsewhere, resulting in surges of imports into the UK,"" said Richard Warren, head of policy and external affairs at UK Steel.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour's shadow international trade secretary, said: ""The extension of safeguards will come as a welcome relief to the steel sector.
""It is not anti-competitive to provide a level playing field for our steel industry,"" he said. ""I also support the decision to exclude Ukrainian steel.""
But some criticised the move, saying it would stifle the supply of much-needed steel not produced in the UK.
Despite being a ""step in the right direction,"" the Confederation of British Metalworkers boss Steve Morley said, the tariffs raise the ""very real prospect of lost orders and production being moved away from the UK.""
""British steel mills have not been able to supply the... materials our members need to support critical domestic and export supply chains, nor are they likely to be able to do so in the near future,"" he said."	/news/business-61982431
business	Fuel prices surged over bank holiday break, says RAC	"rice of petrol surged by nearly 5p a litre in the week that included the bank holiday break, the RAC says, and could soon hit 180p a litre.
motoring body said the average cost of a litre of petrol had hit a ""frightening"" 177.88p by Sunday.
Oil prices remain high due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions to reduce Europe's dependence on Russia.
In March, the government cut fuel duty by 5p a litre for a year, but the RAC called for more help for motorists.
RAC spokesperson Simon Williams, said: ""More radical government intervention is urgently needed, whether that's in the form of a further reduction in fuel duty or a VAT cut."" 
Over the week from 30 May to 5 June, average diesel prices also rose from 182.58p a litre to 185.01p.
""Sadly, we expect to see the average price of petrol break through the 180p mark this week with diesel moving further towards 190p,"" said Mr Williams.
AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: ""Shock and awe is the only way to describe what has been happening at the pump during the half-term break.""
He added: ""The forces behind the surge have been oil jumping back above $120 a barrel for the first time since late March, combined with petrol commodity prices being boosted by summer motoring demand.""
Many UK households are struggling with the rising cost of living and the consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation reached 9% in the year to April. The rise in the price of petrol and diesel was a major contributor to the increase in inflation.  
As well as the war in Ukraine, Brent crude prices remain elevated after major oil producer Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it would increase its selling price from July. "	/news/business-61704113
business	Bitcoin value drops by 50% since November peak	"ue of Bitcoin has dropped below $31,000 (£25,140) - less than half of what it was at its peak last November, according to the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange.
fall of the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value comes as stock markets around the world have also tumbled in recent days.
On Monday, key European, Asian and US indexes slid lower again.
Investors are fleeing riskier assets for safe havens like the dollar.
On Monday, Japan's Nikkei index dropped 2.5%, while London's FTSE 100 closed down more than 2%. In the US, the Dow fell nearly 2%, the S&P 500 dropped 3.2% and Nasdaq lost 4.3%, deepening the falls in recent weeks.
Uber was among the companies driving the declines.
Shares in the company dropped more than 11% on Monday after media outlets reported that chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi had warned staff that investors were becoming more cautious about investments. He said Uber would respond by cutting costs and slowing its hiring.
""It's clear that the market is experiencing a seismic shift and we need to react accordingly,"" he wrote in the letter.
""The average employee at Uber is barely over 30, which means you've spent your career in a long and unprecedented bull run. This next period will be different, and it will require a different approach.""
In times of market uncertainty traditional investors will often sell what they see as riskier assets - like digital currency - and move their money into safer investments.
Moves in cryptocurrency markets have increasingly followed wider trends, as professional investors, such as hedge funds and money managers, become more active in trading what was once the domain of individual investors and enthusiasts.
Bitcoin, which accounts for about a third of the cryptocurrency market with a total value of close to $570bn, has seen its price plunge more than 10% in the last day and more than 20% in the last week.
Ethereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency in the world, has also fallen in value, down by more than 20% in the last week.
Volatile trading in digital assets has not been unusual in previous years, but much of 2022 had been relatively quiet for the cryptocurrency market.
Last week, central banks around the world, including the US, UK and Australia, raised interest rates as they attempt to tackle rising prices.
US Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate by half a percentage point, marking its biggest rate hike in more than 20 years.
riggered more concerns among some investors that inflation and the higher cost of borrowing could have a major impact on global economic growth.
Investors are also worried about the impact of the war in Ukraine on the world economy.
Meanwhile, in the last year Bitcoin has become legal tender in two countries - El Salvador and the Central African Republic.
Since El Salvador said it would allow consumers to use the cryptocurrency in all transactions, alongside the US dollar, the International Monetary Fund has urged it to reverse its decision.
Bitcoin explained: How do cryptocurrencies work?"	/news/business-61375152
business	Hong Kong shares hit lowest level since 2009	"Shares in Hong Kong have slumped to the lowest level since the global financial crisis, after a major speech by the city's leader on Wednesday.
mark Hang Seng index fell by more than 3% to its lowest level since May 2009, before regaining some ground.
Investors are also concerned about the threat of a global economic slowdown as central banks around the world raise interest rates to tackle rising prices.
One financial expert told the BBC that the ""panic selling is ridiculous"".
In his first policy address yesterday, Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee announced measures to boost security and plans to attract more overseas talent to the territory.
However, he did not elaborate on economic targets for the city, which has lost ground to rival Asian financial centres like Singapore.
Hong Kong's economy is currently in a technical recession, after seeing two three-month periods in a row of contraction this year.
Until recently the city had some of the world's toughest coronavirus rules as it followed China's zero Covid policies.
""The Hang Seng has hit a 13-year low and nothing is really helping the fragile sentiment,"" Dickie Wong, executive director of Kingston Securities said.
""There's also a sense that tax rebates are not enough to draw foreigners back to Hong Kong,"" he added.
raders were also concerned about the Hong Kong government's ""unprecedented silence on key economic indicators,"" Kelvin Tay, regional chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management said.
However, Mr Tay added that investors were mostly concerned about ""the economic outlook [of China] and a rise of Covid cases in the middle of the party congress in Beijing"".
More than 2,000 delegates have gathered this week in Beijing to elect leaders and debate key policies at the Communist Party congress.
On Sunday, President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed for a historic third term as party chief.
Other stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region were also lower on Thursday, with benchmark share indexes in Japan, South Korea and Australia losing ground.
Meanwhile, the Japanese yen weakened to a fresh 32-year low of more than 150 to the US dollar.
riggered further speculation that Japanese authorities will attempt to prop up the currency for the second time in the space of just a few weeks.
Watch: Xi Jinping - Hong Kong has gone from chaos to governance"	/news/business-63324124
business	Rail strikes: What do passengers in Ipswich and Stevenage think?	"Millions of people are facing travel disruption this week as the biggest walkout on the railways in 30 years takes place in a row over pay and conditions. With limited services running, what does this mean for passengers using stations in Ipswich and Stevenage?
Divya Kasturi is travelling from Stevenage to Cambridge but says the disruption is going to affect her planned journeys to London for the rest of the week.
""I'm really bracing myself and thinking of other options. I'm a bit anxious and I'm really panicking about tomorrow and the week ahead,"" she says.
She says the strike action is ""not a good decision because it's affecting so many people"".
""I would have really appreciated if they had come up with an alternative solution.""
She says wanting fairer pay and conditions is the ""same for all of us in our world of work"", adding: ""I wish I could go on a strike but I can't.""
Jill Tuck, who has been visiting her mum in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, is heading home to Bingley in West Yorkshire early to avoid the disruption.
She says she is feeling ""annoyed"" by the industrial action.
""It's not going to hurt anybody but the public,"" she says.
""Everyone is having a struggle and it's bad that they are doing this at this time.""
Iain Addy is on holiday with his family from Australia and says they have had to change their plans due to the strikes.
re travelling up to Edinburgh earlier than planned as they ""didn't want to be stuck or delayed"".
Mr Addy, who is from Linlithgow originally but now lives in Melbourne, says: ""It's a bit of a pain, we're from Australia so we're actually on holiday and it's caused a bit of a change to our plans, which is frustrating.""
He adds: ""There are other ways to achieve what they are after, I don't know what the answer is but it's putting millions of people under a bit of inconvenience and I think there are others ways that we can go about solving problems like this.""
Christina Holmes is travelling two days earlier than originally planned from her home town of Stevenage to Portsmouth to see relatives due to the industrial action. 
She has had to rebook twice but ""luckily I went back online and I got a ticket for today"".
""I'm not a regular traveller but when I do, normally it's smooth,"" she says.
She says three days of strikes seems ""too long because it's disrupted the whole week"".
Read more here.
Denise Walton is heading out on a day trip from Ipswich.
She says if her train got changed later ahead of the strikes ""it is what it is"".
She says she is not planning on travelling anymore this week but supports the industrial action.
""It's going to affect a lot of people in a lot of ways but sometimes you've got to put your head above the parapet and say 'enough is enough' and 'we've got to do what we've got to do',"" she says.
""It's a complete pain in the neck really,"" says Belinda Moore of the strikes. 
She says she does not ""have a lot of sympathy"" for the workers.
""For me it's fine, I can work from home, but for people with medical appointments and so on, it's much more challenging,"" she adds.
Gary Hughes, at Ipswich rail station, says: ""I think it's good, they need wage increases, they need looking after, everybody needs to earn bit more money, they work really hard so I'm all for it.""
He says he will end up working from home but ""it's not a problem"".
""I'm sorry for people who will get caught up in it but they are striking for a reason.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61868050
business	Grocery bills forecast to rise by £12 a week on average	"rage annual grocery bill across Great Britain is forecast to rise by £643 this year, according to research firm Kantar.
means shoppers could be paying on average an extra £12 a week for food and other groceries.
Back in June, the firm predicted the cost of the average annual supermarket shop would go up by £380 in 2022.
Food prices have soared this year, with the war in Ukraine helping to drive up prices at supermarket tills.
urvey also showed the price of a weekly shop rose 13.9% in September, compared with the year before. That marks another record high since Kantar first started tracking the sector in 2008.
""The cost-of-living crisis is still hitting people hard at the checkouts and this latest data will make tough reading for many,"" said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar.
""Based on our numbers, the average household is facing a £643 jump in their annual grocery bill to £5,265 if they continue to buy the same items. Taking that at a basket level, that's an extra £3.04 on top of the cost of the average shopping trip last year which was £21.89.""
However, the firm also said that people are looking for ways to manage their budgets to avoid paying more for their shopping, amid soaring living costs.
Sales of supermarket own-label products continue to grow as customers switch from branded products.
Inflation - the rate at which prices are rising - is currently near a 40-year high, at 9.9%.
Increasing costs are eating into household budgets, with new figures on Tuesday showing rises in regular wages are failing to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Food prices went up around the world following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has been one of the factors pushing up prices at supermarket tills.
war has disrupted supplies from the two countries, which are major exporters of goods such as sunflower oil, wheat and fertiliser.
Kantar said grocery inflation now stands at 12.3% for the 12-week period ending 2 October. Items such as milk, margarine and dog food are seeing the fastest price rises.
However, there isn't strong evidence of diets changing despite rising prices, Mr McKevitt said.
""We're generally reluctant to change what we eat, so this is more about sticking to the food we know and love while hunting for cheaper alternatives,"" he said.
""For example, while frozen veg sales have gone up slightly, there hasn't been a big switch away from fresh products, which are still worth 10 times more.""
ut exception to this was a surge in marmalade sales, which were up by 18% in September as the country commemorated the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shoppers are also hunting out products to help manage their energy bills, the data suggests.
Energy bills rose for millions of households on 1 October, although the increase was cushioned by a government cap on the cost per unit as well as cost-of-living payments.
A typical household annual bill rose from £1,971 to £2,500 - which is twice as high as last winter.
Sales of cooking appliances including slow cookers, air fryers and sandwich makers, which tend to use less energy, rose by 53%, suggesting people are searching out cheaper ways to cook as they try to avoid using their ovens.
Meanwhile, sales of duvets and electric blankets grew by 8%, while candles are up by 9%, suggesting that people may be preparing for possible winter blackouts.
report by Kantar also showed that the discounters are once again the fastest growing grocers.
Lidl's sales were up 21% over the last 12 weeks, closely followed by Aldi.
Asda was the best performing of the traditional big supermarkets, with its new Just Essentials basic range helping to boost sales. "	/news/business-63212669
business	Ethnic pay gap: MPs criticise government's 'lack of care'	"government's decision to reject mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for firms has been criticised as ""nonsensical"" by MPs.
Conservative MP Caroline Nokes said it also showed a lack of will ""to foster a fairer and more equal society"".
She chairs a parliamentary committee which has called for pay gap rules to be extended to include race.
But the government has said it does not want to impose any new reporting burdens on business.
Companies with more than 250 employees have been required to publish their gender pay gap statistics since 2017, revealing stark differences at some firms between the amount women and men are paid per hour on average.
Earlier this year the cross-party Commons women and equalities committee called on those firms to also publish pay differences between ethnic groups in their employment.
government rejected the proposal, pointing to a report that found publishing statistics on the ethnicity pay gap ""may not"" be the ""most appropriate tool for every type of employer seeking to ensure fairness in the workplace"".
""There are significant statistical and data issues that would arise as a result of substituting a binary-protected characteristic (male or female) with a characteristic that has multiple categories,"" the government said. 
Ms Nokes condemned the government's decision, saying in a statement: ""What is lacking in this administration is not resource or know-how, but the will or care to foster a fairer and more equal society"". 
""Introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for larger businesses would set the ball rolling, reducing inequalities between different ethnic groups,"" she said.
mmittee said research suggested that addressing race inequality in the UK labour market could boost the UK economy by £24bn a year. 
Companies already reporting gender pay gap figures were ""already well resourced"" to gather data on ethnicity and pay, the committee added, noting the government was providing detailed information on how firms could publish these statistics on a voluntary basis.
Dianne Greyson, founder of the #EthnicityPayGap campaign group, told the BBC that the government's decision was ""not acceptable"".
Previously, the trade union Unison has called for mandatory ethnic pay gap reporting, saying it is ""essential to recognise the interrelation between the ethnic pay gap and career progression."" "	/news/business-61443538
business	Russian gas firm Gazprom to cut some supply to Shell	"Shell has said it will work to keep gas flowing to its customers in Europe after Russian energy firm Gazprom said it would cut supplies from tomorrow.
Gazprom said it would halt gas to Denmark's Orsted and to Shell for its contract to supply gas to Germany, after both refused to make payments in roubles, Reuters reported.
Shell told the BBC it would continue to get gas from its other sources.
gas giant said it would continue to phase out Russian fossil fuels.
move by Gazprom comes after European Union leaders said they will block most Russian oil imports by the end of 2022 to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
In response to Western sanctions, Russia has already cut off gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, Finland and the Netherlands, after the countries refused to comply with Russian demands to switch to payment in roubles.
move expands that retaliation to Germany and Denmark.
Vladimir Putin's decree has been seen as an attempt to boost the Russian currency, which has been hit by sanctions, as more foreign exchange demand for roubles is likely to increase demand and push up its value.
Shell told the BBC it had not agreed to ""new payment terms set out by Gazprom"", which included the creation of Russian bank accounts.
""We will work to continue supplying our customers in Europe through our diverse portfolio of gas supply,"" a spokesman said.
""Shell continues to work on a phased withdrawal from Russian hydrocarbons, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.""
Meanwhile, Orsted said on Monday that Gazprom stopping gas flows would put Denmark's supplies at risk.
Shell has taken a hit of $5bn (£3.8bn) from offloading its Russian assets as part of its plans to withdraw sever ties with the country. It also confirmed it had quit its joint ventures with Gazprom.
firm pledged in April to no longer buy oil from Russia, but said contracts signed before the invasion of Ukraine would be fulfilled.
Shell was criticised when it bought Russian crude oil at a cheap price shortly after the war began.
war in Ukraine has pushed countries in the West to phase out Russian energy supplies.
Europe gets about 40% of its natural gas from Russia, which is also the bloc's main oil supplier, but some countries are more dependent Russian fossil fuels than others, so sudden supply cuts could have huge economic impact.
Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec, said it was ""clear"" that European countries and companies was want to reduce imports of Russian fossil fuels.
However he warned of the ""ongoing risk that efforts to reduce Russian oil and gas imports results in higher oil and gas prices"", limiting the impact on Russia.
""Russian volumes may gradually be reduced but they are 'compensated' by higher overall prices,"" he added. 
He said the geopolitical tensions were set against ""an already tight oil and gas market prior to the invasion of Ukraine"".
Countries have been filling gas storage sites ahead of winter due to the threats of Russian supply cuts.
So far, no sanctions on Russian gas exports to the EU have been put in place, although plans to open a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany have been frozen.
Meanwhile the EU leaders have agreed an immediate ban on Russian oil being transported into the bloc by sea.
In late March, Russia said ""unfriendly countries"" would have to start paying for its oil and gas in roubles after Western allies froze billions of dollars it held in foreign currencies overseas.
Under the decree, European importers must pay euros or dollars into an account at Gazprombank, the Swiss-based trading arm of Gazprom, and then convert this into roubles in a second account in Russia.
majority - 97% - of EU companies' gas supply contracts with Gazprom stipulate payment in euros or dollars."	/news/business-61652931
business	Usain Bolt moves to trademark signature victory pose	"Athletics icon Usain Bolt has moved to trademark a logo showing his signature victory celebration pose.
retired Jamaican sprinter submitted an application in the US last week.
He is known globally for the move - in which he leans back and gestures to the sky - as he routinely struck the pose after winning gold medals and setting world records.
Mr Bolt still holds the world records for the 100m and 200m, making him the fastest man in history.
According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Mr Bolt filed his application for the trademark on 17 August.
It depicts ""The silhouette of a man in a distinctive pose, with one arm bent and pointing to the head, and the other arm raised and pointing upward"".
He intends to use the image on items including clothing, jewellery and shoes, as well as restaurants and sports bars, the filing shows.
""Given that Bolt is now retired from racing, it makes sense that he would look to expand his business empire,"" Josh Gerben, a Washington DC-based trademark lawyer, told the BBC.
""The silhouette of his victory pose is recognised around the world. This trademark registration would enable him to offer the items listed in the application himself, or license the right to use the trademark to third parties,"" Mr Gerben said.
Mr Bolt applied to register a similar trademark 12 years ago, but this has since lapsed under US law.
ght-time Olympic gold medallist retired from athletics at the 2017 World Championships in London.
He could only manage bronze in his penultimate race - the men's 100m - before pulling up injured just as he began to hit top speed at his final event, the 4x100m relay.
When asked if he would consider a return to racing, he replied: ""I've seen too many people retire and come back just to make it worse or to shame themselves. I won't be one of those people.""
'Usain Bolt inspired me to do sport'"	/news/business-62641887
business	Fears for UK economy grow as higher prices bite	"Fears over the prospects for the UK economy have grown after it shrank again in April, with businesses feeling the impact of rising prices.
my contracted by 0.3% in April after it shrank by 0.1% in March, the Office for National Statistics said.
April's figure was weaker than expected, and it was the first time the economy has contracted for two months in a row since Covid struck.
Some analysts have warned the UK risks falling into a recession.
Both households and businesses have been hit by rising prices, which are surging at their fastest rate for 40 years due to record-high fuel and energy costs.
f filling up an average family car with petrol recently hit £100, and there have been signs that people are cutting back spending as costs rise.
Bank of England has warned the UK faces a ""sharp economic slowdown"", and has forecast that inflation - the rate at which prices rise - could reach more than 10% by the end of the year. 
April was the first time all main sectors of the economy - services, manufacturing and production - had shrunk since January 2021.
ONS said the main driver of April's contraction was in the services sector, due to the winding down of the NHS's Covid Test and Trace operation.
It also said some businesses were continuing to struggle with the impact of price increases and supply chain shortages.
JJ Foodservice, a wholesale food and catering company, supplies food products and ingredients from restaurants and takeaways to schools and private customers.
Kaan Hendekli, the firm's Head of Operations, told the BBC energy prices and skill shortages were hurting the businesses, but said the price of fuel was having the biggest impact because ""it affects everything"".
""Every product essentially hits a lorry - whether we deliver or we receive it from suppliers or our suppliers receive it from the manufactures,"" he said.
Mr Hendekli said the business was trying to be ""creative"" to reduce its outgoings, which included offering its customers good deals for collections and ordering in advance, as well as selling its own brand ingredients.
""Nobody wants to increase their prices but we've got no choice but to increase at the moment,"" he added.
""We are trying to find our own ways [to manage the situation].""
Melanie Baker, senior economist at Royal London Asset Management, said the UK looked ""at increased risk of a technical recession"", which is defined as the economy contracting for two consecutive three-month periods.
Danker, director-general of the CBI, said the business group was ""expecting the economy to be pretty much stagnant"".
""It won't take much to tip us into a recession, and even if we don't, it will feel like one for too many people,"" he added.
""Times are tough for businesses dealing with rising costs, and for people on lower incomes concerned about paying bills and putting food on the table.""
But Samuel Tombs, of Pantheon Macroeconomics, said a recession ""remains unlikely"", due to the government's recently announcement support package, which includes a £400 energy bill discount for all UK households.
Responding to the latest GDP figures, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the UK was not immune from global economic shocks, but added the government was ""fully focussed on growing the economy to address the cost of living in the longer term, while supporting families and businesses with the immediate pressures they're facing"".
Labour's shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the figures were ""extremely worrying"" and would ""add to growing concern about abysmal growth and plummeting living standards under the Conservatives"".
fall in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in April was worse than expectations, but given the circumstances, can come as no surprise.
was the month of the record 54% hike in domestic energy bills, continued pressure at the pumps, the National Insurance hikes, and ongoing uncertainty from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Government sources pointed to the fact that the economy would have just about grown were it not for the one off effect of the winding down of pandemic test and trace services. However, by that logic, a number of previous GDP figures were also flattered by such figures.
re have been three months on the trot now of zero growth. Only in January has the UK economy grown this year. While May should break that pattern, the chances are that the economy is contracting over this quarter. 
Current forecasts suggest this should not be the start of a technical recession, especially given the support to household incomes from the energy package last month, but that risk certainly hangs over the economy. Though the jobs figures continue to impress, interest rates and inflation continue to rise. 
risk of a UK-EU trade war is now material, which could push up inflation more and risk investment. And there are further pressures on tax and spend from businesses calling for tax cuts, to public sector workers seeking pay rises matching double-digit inflation. 
ONS said there were ""some common themes"" being reported by firms that were having a negative impact across different industries. 
It said many firms reported how the soaring costs of petrol and diesel meant they had to pay more for materials or ""had to raise the price of the products they sold"".
""Other respondents also reported that large increases in utility bills, particularly for gas and electricity, had affected them,"" the ONS said.
Elsewhere, other firms reported price rises to other inputs such as animal feed, chemicals, aluminium, steel, cooking oil and fertiliser, while some respondents said they had ""difficulties"" in sourcing machinery, electronic components, kitchen appliances, and wire harnesses for cars."	/news/business-61780450
business	Mark Carney: Government working at cross-purposes with Bank	"Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said there was an ""undercutting"" of institutions in last week's mini-budget.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said there were ""inconsistencies"" in the government's strategy to improve growth."	/news/business-63071638
business	Every household to get energy bill discounts of £400 this autumn	"BBC Political Editor Chris Mason asks the chancellor why he uses “energy profits levy"" phrase - and not say windfall tax.
Every household in the UK is to get an energy bill discount of £400 this October as part of a package of new measures to tackle soaring prices.
rest households will also get a payment of £650 to help with the cost of living, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said.
It follows warnings that millions could be left struggling if energy prices rise again in October as expected.
Mr Sunak said he had offered ""significant support"" for households who were facing ""acute distress"".
kage of new measures, worth £15bn in total, will also offer more targeted help to pensioners and the disabled.
will be partly offset by 25% windfall tax on oil and gas firms' profits, which have soared in recent months.
It comes a day after Sue Gray's critical report into lockdown parties in Downing Street and follows intense pressure on the government to do more to help people with the cost of living crisis.  
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, said the support was a ""genuinely big package"".
""Put these benefit increases alongside the tax rises just implemented, and Mr Sunak is engaging in some serious redistribution from rich to poor - albeit against a backdrop of rising inequality.""  
Mr Sunak said the government had ""a collective responsibility to help those who are paying the highest price for the high inflation we face.""
r also announced:
Earlier this week, UK energy regulator Ofgem said the typical household energy bill was set to rise by £800 in October, bringing it to £2,800 a year. Bills had already risen by £700 on average in April.
Households will still face rises in bills even with the further government support.
Mr Sunak told the BBC the new measures will have a ""minimal impact"" on inflation.
rices of food, fuel and other goods have surged in recent months, pushing inflation - the rate at which prices rise - to a 40-year high.
Rachel Reeves says the Conservative windfall tax is a ""policy that dare not speak its name"".
Mr Sunak blamed the war in Ukraine, recent lockdowns in China and the post-pandemic recovery for the surging prices. But he said the situation had ""evolved and become more serious"" pushing the government to act.
Under the new measures, the government will scrap a plan to give everyone in England, Scotland and Wales £200 off bills from October which would be repaid over five years.
Instead, that sum will be doubled to £400 and will not need to be paid back. Direct debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their accounts, while customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.
While the £400 discount should be UK wide, the lack of an Executive at Stormont in Northern Ireland means people there must wait before they find out when will they receive the discount.
measures add to around £17bn of support already given by the government, including one-off £150 council tax rebates for most homes in England and Wales. 
government had until now rejected the idea of a windfall tax on energy firms' profits, saying it could deter investment in the UK. 
But Mr Sunak said the oil and gas sector was ""making extraordinary profits"" and that he was ""sympathetic to the argument to tax those profits fairly"".
He said the tax would raise about £5bn this year and be scrapped when oil and gas prices - which have surged recently - return to normal levels. 
However, in seeking a ""sensible middle ground"" energy suppliers will be able to apply for tax relief of 90p for every pound they invest in UK oil and gas projects. 
Mr Sunak also said he believed there was a case for taxing electricity suppliers more, announcing a consultation on the idea.  
Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow chancellor, said: ""After five months of being dragged kicking and screaming, the chancellor has finally come to his senses, U-turned, and adopted Labour's plan for a windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits to lower bills."" 
But business lobby group the CBI warned the windfall tax would be damaging to investment needed for Britain's ""energy security and net zero ambitions"".
Oil giant BP said the new tax was ""a multi-year proposal"" rather than a ""one-off tax"". ""Naturally we will now need to look at the impact of both the new levy and the tax relief on our North Sea investment plans,"" it warned.
Zoe, a single mum who lives on The Wirral with her four year old daughter, and who receives universal credit will get £400 off her energy bills and also the £650 one-off payment. 
She said she was ""over the moon that the government is finally making us feel like we're being listened to"".
""My big worry was going through the summer holidays with a young one and obviously not having the money to take them out too much,"" she told the BBC. 
""With that payment coming through that has lifted a lot of stress and anxiety, because I was really panicked about this.""
Debt charity Turn2Us called the support package ""a much-needed step in the right direction in making sure people on the lowest incomes are able to weather this financial crisis"". 
But Michael Clarke, its head of information programmes, added: ""For people who are in crisis currently, one-off payments will only act as a sticking plaster until longer term investment is made to boost their overall income.""
k tank the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns to end poverty, called the measures ""progressive"", adding that twice as much of the £15bn package would go to low-income households than high income ones. 
Chief executive Torsten Bell said: ""The decision to provide one-off payments this year to poorer households, pensioners and those with a disability is a good attempt to target those with higher energy bills - although the relative lack of support for larger families stands out."""	/news/business-61583651
business	Non-essential petrol sales halted for two weeks in Sri Lanka	"Sri Lanka has suspended sales of fuel for non-essential vehicles as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
For the next two weeks, only buses, trains and vehicles used for medical services and transporting food will be allowed to fill up with fuel.
Schools in urban areas have shut, while officials have told the country's 22 million residents to work from home.
South Asian nation is in talks over a bailout deal as it struggles to pay for imports such as fuel and food.
Sri Lanka is the first country to take the drastic step in halting sales of fuel to ordinary people ""since the 1970s oil crisis, when fuel was rationed in the US and Europe and speed limits introduced to reduce demand"", Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec, told the BBC.
He said the ban underlined the steep rise in oil pricing and limited foreign exchange reserves in Sri Lanka. 
Many of the island's residents don't know how they will cope without fuel. There have been long queues at filling stations across Sri Lanka for months. 
Chinthaka Kumara, a 29-year-old taxi driver in Colombo, thought the ban would ""create more problems for people"".   
""I'm a daily wage earner. I've been in this queue for three days and I don't know when we will get petrol,"" he told BBC Sinhala.
Drivers have been asked to go home, with tokens distributed aimed at rationing scarce fuel stocks. Some kept queuing, but others couldn't. 
""I was in a queue for two days. I got a token - number 11 - but I don't know when I will get fuel,"" S Wijetunga, a 52-year-old private sector executive, told the BBC. 
""I need to go to the office now, so I have no option but to leave my vehicle here and go in a three-wheeler."" 
Kenat, a motorised rickshaw driver in the Colombo suburb of Kotahena, said people like him were being ""destroyed"".
""Our family used to have three meals a day. Now we eat only twice a day. If this continues, it will come down to one meal,"" he told BBC Tamil.
With an economy hit hard by the pandemic, rising energy prices and populist tax cuts, Sri Lanka lacks enough foreign currency to pay for imports of essential goods.
Acute shortages of fuel, food and medicines have helped to push the cost of living to record highs in the country, where many people rely on motor vehicles for their livelihoods. 
On Monday, the government said it would ban private vehicles from buying petrol and diesel until 10 July. 
Cabinet spokesperson Bandula Gunewardena said Sri Lanka had ""never faced such a severe economic crisis in its history"".
-strapped country has also sent officials to the major energy producers Russia and Qatar in a bid to secure cheap oil supplies.
Over the weekend, officials said the country had only 9,000 tonnes of diesel and 6,000 tonnes of petrol to fuel essential services in the coming days.
It has been estimated that the stocks would last for less than a week under regular demand.
""We are doing everything we can to get new stocks, but we don't know when that will be,"" power and energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera told reporters on Sunday.
In May, the country defaulted on its debts with international lenders for the first time in its history. That followed weeks of protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government. His brother Mahinda quit as prime minister, but the president is still under pressure to resign.
""The government seems to take no action at all,"" Kannan, another driver seeking fuel in the capital, told BBC Tamil.
""They are asking us to be patient. They say they don't have dollars. But I ask the government - who is responsible for this?""
He suggested ""educated youngsters"" should lead the country instead.
Last week, an International Monetary Fund team arrived in Sri Lanka for talks over a $3bn (£2.4bn) bailout deal.
government is also seeking assistance from India and China to import essential items. New Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said earlier this month the country needed at least $5bn over the next six months to pay for essential goods such as food, fuel and fertiliser.
In recent weeks, ministers also called on farmers to grow more rice and gave government officials an extra day off a week to grow food, amid fears of shortages.
Watch: Shot dead by Sri Lankan police while trying to get fuel
government blames the crisis on the Covid pandemic, which affected Sri Lanka's tourist trade - one of its biggest foreign currency earners.
But many experts say mismanagement is the main cause of the economic collapse.
Sri Lanka's foreign currency reserves dwindled to almost nothing after years during which it imported much more than it exported and racked up huge debts with China on controversial infrastructure projects. 
When Sri Lanka's foreign currency shortages became a serious problem in early 2021, the government tried to limit the outflow by banning imports of chemical fertiliser, telling farmers to use locally sourced organic fertilisers instead.
widespread crop failure. Sri Lanka had to supplement its food stocks from abroad, which made its foreign currency shortage even worse.
Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal, Ranjan Arun Prasad, Simon Fraser and Michael Race.
Are you in Sri Lanka? Share your experiences by emailing  haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-61961821
business	Pound hits fresh 37-year low against dollar	"und has hit a new 37-year low against the dollar after Russia accused the West of ""nuclear blackmail"" raising fears the Ukraine war could escalate.
mments unnerved traders, pushing them towards safer investments such as the dollar.
und briefly touched $1.13040 - its lowest level since 1985 - before regaining ground.
fall also came after UK figures showed borrowing costs hit a fresh record for August as inflation soared. 
In a televised address, the Russian president said he had signed a decree on partial mobilisation - the first since World War Two - as he seeks to send up to 300,000 more soldiers into battle. 
He also accused the West of wanting to destroy Russia, adding the country had ""lots of weapons to reply"".
mments rattled investors who bought the dollar, gold and bonds, all of which are seen as less risky investments.
raders in sterling - which has been at low levels for weeks - were also looking ahead to a widely anticipated interest rate rise by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. 
US central bank has already raised interest rates four times this year to battle inflation. The Bank of England (BoE) is meanwhile expected to put up interest rates again on Thursday.
Raising rates increases the cost of borrowing and encourages people to spend less, which can cool rising prices. However, central banks face a tough balancing act because higher rates may also slow the economy.
Sterling investors are also nervous about the policy implications of a planned mini-budget from the government on Friday, which will reportedly contain £30bn of tax cuts.
It comes as the UK borrows billions of pounds to cap energy bills for households and businesses, adding to the UK's already large debt pile. 
Official figures on Wednesday showed the government is also facing soaring interest payments on that debt due to rising inflation. 
use much of the interest paid on government bonds rises in line with the Retail Prices Index measure of inflation, which hit 12.3% in August. 
Interest due on public debt reached £8.2bn during the month - £1.5bn more than last year and the highest August figure since records began in 1997, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Meanwhile, total government borrowing - the difference between spending and tax income - was £11.8bn. 
wice the level forecast for August by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the government's independent fiscal watchdog.
If you're a half-empty sort of analyst, you'll point out that the amount of interest payable on the government's debt was £8.2bn in August - the highest August figure since records began 25 years ago.
However, much of that was not so much because of rises in the Bank of England's official interest rate - which is likely to rise again on Thursday - but because about a quarter of the government's outstanding debt pays interest linked to the Retail Prices Index, which hit 12.3% in August.
However, RPI is widely predicted to come down towards the second half of next year. 
Overall, UK debt as a proportion of economic output also fell by 0.8 percentage points to 83.8%. That's well below the historic average of around 100%.
As in the early stages of the pandemic, the question to ask is not so much: Can the government afford to borrow more?
Instead, it's more whether, given what government inaction might do to household borrowing and debt - which could have far more serious economic consequences -  it can afford not to.
Martyn Beck, chief economic advisor to the EY Item Club and former Treasury economist, said the UK economy had been ""pretty weak over the last few months"". 
meant less was being generated in taxes, while the government had to spend more on debt interest payments, he added.
But he said he was ""not particularly"" worried about the high debt levels, as the UK's borrowing costs were ""still pretty low"" compared to long-term historical records.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng defended the government's decision to spend billions on helping families and businesses with their bills.
He added that government's priority was to ""grow the economy and improve living standards for everyone - with strong economic growth and sustainable public finances going hand in hand"".
""As chancellor, I have pledged to get debt down in the medium term,"" he added. ""However, in the face of a major economic shock, it is absolutely right that the government takes action now to help families and businesses, just as we did during the pandemic."" "	/news/business-62977832
business	US stocks see worst first half drop in more than 50 years	"US stocks have seen their worst first half of a year since 1970, as concerns grow over how steps to curb inflation will affect economic growth.
In the last six months, the benchmark S&P 500 index fell 20.6%, while other major US indexes also dropped sharply.
Stocks in the UK, mainland Europe and Asia have also suffered steep losses.
It comes as central banks around the world are trying to rein in soaring living costs, with prices of essential goods like food and fuel jumping.
Some economists expect the US, which is the world's biggest economy, to go into a recession as early as this year as interest rates continue to rise.
""If the US Federal Reserve continues hiking rates the stock market will react quite negatively,"" Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, told the BBC.
Shane Oliver at AMP Capital said: ""Shares are likely to see continued short-term volatility as central banks continue to tighten to combat high inflation, the war in Ukraine continues and fears of recession remain high.""
Another major US stock index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, fell by more than 15% in the first half of this year, the biggest drop for the period since 1962.
At the same time the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite lost almost 30%, marking its largest percentage drop for the first half of a year.
Major stock market indexes outside the US have also fallen sharply this year.
UK's FTSE 250 has dropped by more than 20%, while Europe's Stoxx 600 index has slipped by almost 17% and the MSCI index of Asia-Pacific markets has fallen by more than 18%.
It comes as many of the world's biggest central banks take steps to slow the rising cost of living, including raising interest rates.
Earlier this week, the bosses of three of the world's biggest central banks warned that the era of moderate inflation and low interest rates had ended.
At an annual meeting in Portugal, the heads of the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England said action must be taken quickly to prevent price rises from getting out of control.
However, they also cautioned that measures to rein in an inflation shock caused by the Ukraine war and pandemic may have a significant negative impact on global growth.
""Is there a risk that we would go too far? Certainly there's a risk, but I wouldn't agree that it's the biggest risk to the economy,"" Fed chairman Jerome Powell said.
""The bigger mistake to make, let's put it that way, would be to fail to restore price stability,"" he added.
Last month, the Fed announced its biggest rate rise in nearly 30 years as it ramped up its fight to rein in soaring consumer prices.
Bank of England also raised its key interest rate to the highest level in 13 years, from 1% to 1.25%.
You may also be interested in:
Watch: Ros Atkins on why the war in Ukraine is pushing up food prices - and the likely impact on poorer countries"	/news/business-62005360
business	Rolls-Royce car workers win record pay package worth up to 17.6%	"Workers at luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce have secured a pay deal worth 17.6%, unions say, averting the possibility of industrial action.    
About 1,200 workers at the firm's plant in West Sussex will receive a 10% pay rise and one-off bonus of £2,000.
Many industries are being hit by strikes as workers seek pay increases to keep up with rising living costs.
Rail workers began another 48-hour walkout on Friday and more strikes in other industries will start next week.
Figures out this week showed that prices increased by 10.7% in the year to November, the fastest rate for about 40 years.
Separate data showed that the gap between wage growth in the public and private sector remained near a record high.
Workers in the private sector saw their average pay rise at an annual rate of 6.9% between August and October, according to official figures, compared with wage growth of just 2.7% for public sector employees.
Unite union said Rolls workers at the Goodwood factory, which builds some of the world's most expensive luxury cars, had been ""repeatedly denied... a proper pay rise"".
A consultative ballot by the union had seen a 98% vote in favour of industrial action if the demand for a pay rise in line with inflation was not met. 
Unite said the agreement was the largest single pay deal in the history of the Goodwood plant.
""This is a top-notch pay deal for the Rolls-Royce workforce,"" said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
""Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are famous and iconic because of the workers' craft and expertise. For years the workers had been underpaid and undervalued but that's changing. The union has won the best pay deal since the site opened.""
union added that the agreement closed the gap ""considerably"" between workers at Rolls-Royce and its competitor Aston Martin. 
Rolls-Royce, which is owned by Germany's BMW, said it was ""pleased"" Unite had recommended the agreement to its members.
""A pay rise of 10% will be awarded to all those covered by our collective bargaining agreement from January 2023."""	/news/business-64001956
business	Isle of Man TT's 2022 return a welcome boost for Manx businesses	"return of the Isle of Man TT has brought a much need financial boost after the disruption caused by Covid, Manx hospitality firms have said.
An influx of thousands of visiting fans across the two-week road racing festival has seen local businesses benefit from increased trade.
Martin Brunnschweiler of Bushy's Brewery said the event's cancellation for two years had been a ""huge blow"".
It has been ""wonderful"" to see the ""massive"" event return, he added.
Ferry bookings from before the festival began on 29 May showed more than 30,000 people were expected to arrive.
In 2019 more than 46,000 people travelled to the island with the total spend across the fortnight at about £37.5m.
Andrew Clague of the Manx Fun Farm campsite in Onchan said he had found the first week of the 2022 event ""busier than ever"", with many repeat customers returning after the disruption caused by Covid.
wo years we missed was a loss as the festival made a ""big difference"" by helping with the reinvestment in facilities, he added.
Douglas hotelier Michael George said the TT had a ""huge impact financially"", which helped his business for the rest of the year.
Welbeck Hotel was one of the firms to receive Covid support payments from the government, which Mr George said ""enabled us to get ready for this TT and the future"".
""It is hard work but it is exciting,"" he added. 
Owner of the Wine Cellar on Peel Road, JJ Moore, said the last three years had been ""challenging in every aspect of business"", but the return of TT had been ""such a big thing"".
His firm has been supplying the hotels, restaurants and clubs, which had benefiting from ""a real positive buzz around the island"", he added.
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk"	/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-61759912
business	Flight cancellations: Children and teachers stranded abroad as school starts	"Ben, 17, was due home on Saturday in plenty of time to take his maths GCSE on Tuesday, but after a cancelled flight and a frantic scrabble for train tickets, he will only just make it.
He is one of thousands of British holiday-makers thought to be stranded abroad, after the cancellation of more than 100 flights over the weekend. 
Among them are hundreds of school pupils and some teachers set to miss school on Monday after half-term.
And they face an anxious journey home.
""Ben was going to have a couple of days at home to get his revision in, prepare mentally for it,"" said his mother Emma, who did not want their surnames used.
After their EasyJet flight home from Paris was cancelled, the earliest flight back that the airline could provide was on Tuesday - too late. 
So after spending hundreds of pounds on Eurostar tickets, they are now due to arrive back at home in Stockport by 11:30 BST on Monday evening, in time for the exam on Tuesday morning. 
""Hopefully he'll get there. But there's no guarantee,"" she said. And EasyJet had been ""impossible to contact and completely unhelpful"", she added. 
re are reports that others are even less lucky and are missing GCSE or A-level exams altogether. 
Airlines are being blamed for taking more bookings than they can manage with lower post-Covid staffing levels. 
But the airlines themselves say the government could also have done more to support the industry during the pandemic and to speed up the process of security checks for new staff now. 
Andrew Crawley, chief commercial officer at American Express Global Business Travel, told the BBC's Today programme said it would be ""sensible"" for the government to temporarily change immigration rules to allow airlines to recruit overseas workers to plug staff shortages.
""Some airlines relied on EU citizens for up to 30% of their workforce, pre-Brexit, so that labour pool no longer being available adds to the challenge that we have here,"" he said.
However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has rejected such a request from the aviation industry.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled over the past week. While some families never reached their destination or arrived late, others are now finding their return flights are not operating.
It is not just exam students - younger children are missing the start of the new half-term too.
""The curriculum is packed and losing three days from school post-Covid isn't good,"" said father-of-four Joe Murray from Milton Keynes. ""There isn't time to really catch up.""
family had booked return flights from Tenerife to be back in time for the Jubilee celebrations but missed the whole four-day weekend after Wizz Air cancelled their return twice.
""Wizz Air have had since last Wednesday to get us home, have cancelled once whilst we had checked in and were waiting at the gate, and the other four hours before the flight,"" Mr Murray said.
""It's not good enough,"" he added.
Holiday-makers who spoke to the BBC said they were shocked at the lack of communication from the airlines.
EasyJet apologised for the disruption, saying it was doing everything it could to support passengers. It has extended its customer service opening hours from 07:00 to 23:00, and said it was helping those affected find hotel accommodation.
Wizz Air also apologised and said passengers would be offered alternative flights, a full refund or 120% in airline credit, which it aimed to process within one week.
But the ongoing upheaval will affect children who have not even left home, with some school staff also stranded and unable to get back in time.
Kelly and her husband are making their way as fast as they can from Montenegro back to Lincolnshire. After their flight home was cancelled on Sunday, EasyJet offered them an alternative flight on Thursday.
""We are both teachers so have to get back,"" says Kelly. So instead they took a bus to Dubrovnik, Croatia, where they waited for more than four hours in the bus station for EasyJet to confirm their accommodation. 
will take a four-hour bus trip to Split on Monday so they can fly from there to Bristol on Tuesday. They will then get a train from Bristol to Gatwick to pick up their car and with a bit of luck be back in the classroom by Wednesday.
""We do feel really let down by EasyJet,"" said Kelly. ""We wanted to get back to work as soon as we possibly could and they didn't help with that at all.""
Pol, who teaches in a special educational needs school in west London has had a similar experience trying to get home from Bodrum, Turkey.
udents at his school find changes to their teaching schedule particularly upsetting, he said. So he does not want want to be away longer than he can avoid. 
""People from home think a couple more days in the sun, it can't be that bad being in the Mediterranean by the sea, but the point is we're all uptight and upset and to a certain degree disgusted that in the 21st century we're dealing with a company that prides itself on being digital but there's no information.""
EasyJet said it had cancelled about 80 flights on Sunday ""due to the ongoing challenging operating environment"".
""We are very sorry and fully understand the disruption this will have caused for our customers,"" the airline said, adding it was doing everything possible to get passengers to their destinations.
How have you been affected by a recent flight cancellation? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-61699071
business	Black Friday fails to lift sales in November	"Retail sales saw a surprise fall last month after Black Friday failed to give its expected boost to online shopping.
With household budgets remaining under pressure from rising prices, sales volumes dropped 0.4% in November, official figures showed.
fall could be bad news for some stores, which are entering a crucial time of the year for sales.
However, there were signs people were buying Christmas food early in order to spread the cost of the festive season.
Sales at food stores rose 0.9% last month with people ""stocking up early"" for Christmas, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Research carried out for the BBC has suggested Christmas dinner will be nearly 22% more expensive this year than in 2021.
""Retail sales fell overall in November, driven by a notable drop for online retailers, with Black Friday offers failing to provide their usual lift in this sector,"" said ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan.
But he pointed out that department stores had reported better sales, with bosses saying a longer Black Friday sales period had drawn in more customers. 
Sales at clothing stores rose by 2.1%, the ONS said, mainly due to a better performance from shoe stores. 
figures suggest shoppers are ""focusing on essentials like food and footwear"", said Kevin Bright, an analyst at McKinsey & Co.
UK is predicted to face its biggest drop in living standards on record as wages struggle to keep up with rising prices.
Figures out this week showed prices went up by 10.7% in the year to November, indicating the cost of living is still rising at its fastest pace for about 40 years.
Melanie Thompson, who runs a wine and cheese shop at the Piece Hall in Halifax, said people were being more careful about what they spend.
""Before, people might have bought a full case of wine. Now they're buying one or two bottles and using up some of the spirits they have at home,"" she added.
mixed effect from the recent train strikes, with fewer customers from further away, but more locals visiting.
Retail analyst Natalie Berg said it was no surprise that Black Friday had been a ""damp squib"".
""The appeal of Black Friday has also been diluted because shoppers have cottoned on to the fact that it's a manufactured event and prices are not always at their lowest on the day,"" she said.
""The problem is exacerbated by the fact that retailers are sitting on a lot of inventory right now, so we've seen a constant stream of discounts since September.""
Sales volumes are still below pre-Covid levels, according to the ONS, and the boss of the Waterstones bookshop chain, James Daunt, told the BBC most retailers were still ""probably expecting 2023 to be a time to batten down and concentrate on the basics because it is going to be tough"".
Shoppers have less money to spend because they are dealing with higher energy bills and higher interest rates, he added.
""In our case, books do very well and continue to be resilient, but we also rely on our neighbours being full of people and the general health of retail footfall. When everything is going down, everyone suffers a bit,"" Mr Daunt told the BBC's Today programme.
Non-store sales - which mainly covers online retailers - fell by 2.8% last month, the ONS said. This figure has been declining for some time since Covid restrictions were lifted and people could return to shops, although online sales still remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
But the chairman of toy retailer The Entertainer, Gary Grant, told the BBC that worries over postal strikes and the weather had led to ""a swing from the web sales to our shops"".
""If I was buying anything for my grandchildren this Christmas, I think I'd be strolling down the High Street and walking out of the shop with it under my arm knowing there's no worry about the carton arriving,"" he said.
Earlier this week, a retail group and Waterstones advised people to use stores rather than rely on online shopping if they want to get Christmas gifts on time.
Retail sales had been expected to rise last month, so the surprise fall is not a good sign for the Christmas trading period, which is the most important time for many shops.
Mr Grant said a quarter of The Entertainer's annual sales take place in one month, and next week will account for 8% of its entire year's turnover.
Jacqui Baker, head of retail at consultancy firm RSM, said industrial strikes and extreme weather had created ""further barriers for consumers to splurge"".
""It's likely to be a disappointing end to the year for the retail sector,"" she added.
Additional reporting by Adam Woods"	/news/business-63993178
business	Audit reforms aim to prevent accounting scandals	"A review into how company books are inspected has been announced in a bid to prevent future accounting scandals and business collapses.
Ministers have been under pressure to overhaul auditing rules after failures like Carillion, BHS and Thomas Cook.
government has created a new watchdog, the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA).
But critics called the plan ""watered down"" and said auditors should be doing their jobs properly in the first place.
government said the reforms ""will help prevent sudden large-scale collapses like Carillion and BHS, which hurt countless small businesses and led to job losses.""
f Carillion and BHS cost in excess of 20,000 jobs and saw their auditors fined more than £25m in total.
mpanies failed despite their accounts being signed off by one of the so-called ""Big Four"" globally recognised auditors - EY, KMPG, PWC and Deloitte. 
government promised change and after several independent investigations, it has finally announced a revamp.
w ARGA will replace the Financial Reporting Council. It will now cover unlisted companies with more than 750 employees and a greater than £750 million annual turnover.
reak up the dominance of the Big Four auditors companies listed on the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 will be forced to assign at least part of their audits to smaller firms.
ARGA will also have new powers to be able to investigate and fine directors of large companies if they breach their duties around corporate reporting and audit.
Meanwhile, rules for small businesses will be relaxed as the government said they could be ""forcing too many of Britain's smallest businesses to spend time and money preparing accounts to a level of detail only needed for larger companies, distracting them from focussing on growth and creating jobs. ""
Accounting is not the sexiest subject in the world. But a sense of trust in the financial information presented to regulators, investors and customers is important particularly after it has been shattered by big companies suddenly going bust.
government will establish a new watchdog, a requirement that larger companies have to employ an auditor outside of the Big Four and bringing large privately owned firms and some local authorities onto the regulators radar.
However, in a post-Brexit world the government is keen not to be seen to be imposing new burdens on business and has watered down its initial proposals thereby excluding hundreds of large private companies and smaller businesses from the additional requirements. 
When plans for an audit reform were put in a government white paper last year the threshold had been all private companies with more than 500 employees and a turnover of more than £500m.
roposal would have almost doubled the number of companies deemed ""public interest entities"" that are subject to stricter reporting requirements to about 4,000.
m Bush, head of governance and financial analysis at Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) said: ""The key message is that reform needs to be tasking auditors with the product they are supposed to be delivering already, not lobbying for watered down products that are useless.""
Minister for corporate responsibility Lord Callanan said: ""Collapses like Carillion have made it clear that audit needs to improve, and these reforms will ensure the UK sets a global standard.
""By restoring confidence in audit and corporate reporting we will strengthen the foundations of UK plc, so it can drive growth and job creation across the country."""	/news/business-61637032
business	What can be done to tackle the energy crisis?	"A sense of scale is important when considering the size of the energy crisis now facing every household in the country - and what the government will have to do about it.
Average energy bills of nearly £300 per month are unthinkable and unmanageable for several million households. 
Friday's energy price cap announcement from Ofgem puts them at this level from October onwards. 
But some predictions have that number at £550 per month by April - closer to the average cost of a mortgage - as wholesale gas prices have surged yet higher in recent days.
For an average household on £31,000 income per year, energy costs are set to exceed income tax bills. Or alternatively, the energy rise we will have seen since last year, is the equivalent of adding 15p to 20p to the basic rate of tax.
It will drain the disposable income of several million households. 
And it is not just an issue which will transform the path of the economy. These rises are so large and so widespread that they could test the nation's social resilience too.
Even the energy industry itself doesn't think these rises are possible.  
At a recent meeting with the government to discuss the Energy Tariff Deficit Fund, a key takeaway was that not one energy firm believed that it is feasible to charge the nation what the companies themselves are having to pay to purchase gas. 
mazing and remarkable situation.
So that gaping hole, that is getting larger every day, week and month is now in the hands of the government.
Ultimately, the government must choose who needs help. It will be over half of households at least. 
Extending it to everyone will cost much more, but will also rein in the overall inflation rate, and be far simpler. There is a vein of thinking that wealthier households that accumulated savings during the pandemic should pay their own way.
It comes down to a choice between tens of billions of pounds and several tens of billions.
And so far, we are getting very little of the relevant detail from the Conservative leadership, and future Prime Minister, candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
re is also the question of who should pay eventually. Government borrowing will go up at first. But the energy industry has suggested that customers essentially repay this back with higher bills for the next decade through the Energy Tariff Deficit Fund.
result would be to keep bills from rising much above £2,000 on average, but there would have to be acceptance that they would come down only very slowly into the 2030s, even if the war in Ukraine is over.
may not work. So those parts of the energy industry making even greater profits from exactly the same gas extraction might face a further tax grab. Or general taxes might have to increase. This would require a breaking of some of the promises in the Conservative leadership campaign even before it is over.
Extra borrowing could take the strain. 
But market interest rates are already surging and high inflation is also fast increasing the price of government borrowing. The Bank of England also faces even higher inflation and even higher government borrowing.
It is a potent mix: inflation, recession, high debts, and the core reason for it all, a wartime energy shock
And perhaps that is the point. It is not the market driving this. It is geopolitics, diplomacy and conflict. 
Margaret Thatcher's former energy secretary Lord David Howell, told the BBC this week the country needed to be on ""a war-footing"" as regards energy and that these bills were simply ""impossible"".
At the very moment that most households come to see that the ""energy price cap"" is not really a cap on the price they pay for energy, it seems likely that the government may have to encourage immediate measures to save energy.
w Prime Minister will have to make an ominous judgement even before they get the keys to Downing Street."	/news/business-62689389
business	AstraZeneca boss: I don't think I would do anything differently	"f the drugs giant behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine says the jab managed to save a million lives despite facing ""setbacks"".
AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot also addressed studies linking the vaccine to rare but dangerous blood clots.
Looking back on its development, he said: ""I don't think I would do anything differently from what we did.""
Many countries in Europe and Asia have placed age restrictions on the vaccine and the US has yet to approve it.
Mr Soriot received a knighthood in the Queen's Jubilee birthday honours last week for his contributions to science.
He was honoured for services to the UK in ""life sciences and leadership in the global response to the Covid pandemic"", AstraZeneca said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr Soriot, who is chief executive of the British-Swedish firm, told the BBC during a recent visit to Singapore that the vaccine's quick development and distribution prevented a million people from dying of Covid-19.
He said this came despite ""setbacks"" including concerns around rare but dangerous blood clots, which emerged last year.
""We decided to do it at no profit, we decided to partner with a network of partners around the world to scale up manufacturing. Despite the setbacks, we delivered three billion doses [of the vaccine] and saved a million lives,"" he said.
""When you launch yourself in something like this, which is a huge undertaking, you have to accept that you will have setbacks,"" he added.
AstraZeneca developed the vaccine in collaboration with the University of Oxford. It was first approved by the UK in December 2020 as countries raced to contain the growing numbers of coronavirus infections.
Nearly half of the adult population in the UK has received two doses of the vaccine, where it is believed to have saved more lives to date than the Pfizer and Moderna jabs combined.
Last year, UK regulators recommended the AstraZeneca jab for over-40s after its use was linked to extremely rare blood clots.
According to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the risk of developing a blood clot was about four in one million.
However, many other European countries suspended their use of the vaccine. They only lifted their curbs and put age restrictions on the jab when European Union (EU) regulators declared that the benefits outweighed the risks.
restrictions mean AstraZeneca's vaccine is now approved for use for a smaller segment of the population than several other Covid vaccines.
Mr Soriot said: ""It is important to remember that those side effects are extremely rare. When you start vaccinating millions of people, very rare side effects will emerge that remain very rare. And this is common to all vaccines.""
EU regulators only approved the vaccine's use as a ""third dose booster"" for adults last month.
Although the vaccine can be safely refrigerated for up to six months, several African states have destroyed or returned their stocks, as they said they could not use the jabs before they expired.
Meanwhile, Mr Soriot said in less developed economies - including in Asia - some people were reluctant to get vaccinated.
""In the emerging, developing countries, there's quite a bit of hesitancy. Of course, China is a different story where they're still managing a 'zero-Covid' policy. So it depends where you are in the world,"" he added.
Why do some vaccines protect you longer than others?
Mr Soriot said the firm was still in discussions with US authorities about submitting the vaccine for approval in the country, as the ""need for a new vaccine is much less in the US than it was"".
""Today, there is [an] over supply. We do have too many vaccines. So the question is how do we deliver? How do we administer those vaccines and how do we manage vaccine hesitancy? So we are in a very different place,"" Mr Soriot said.
In November, AstraZeneca said it will move away from providing its Covid vaccine to countries on a not-for-profit basis, as the disease was becoming endemic.
It said it expected to make a modest income from the vaccine from a series of for-profit agreements.
jab will continue to be supplied on a not-for-profit basis to poorer countries."	/news/business-61671715
business	'We are chasing never-ending debt to pay for basics'	"David McGinley and his wife Ashlie are both working, but the rising cost of living means they are struggling financially.
""It angers me,"" says Mr McGinley, from Bamber Bridge, Lancashire. ""We feel like we are doing the right thing but are being punished.""
He says the family are in emergency credit on the electricity meter ""every other day"", their grocery bill has risen by 50%, and sometimes a meal is beans on toast. That is adding to the pressure of existing debts. 
""Once you start falling behind, you are chasing a never-ending debt,"" he says.
People like Mr McGinley are slipping further into debt to pay for basics like rent and bills, Citizens Advice has warned.
Half of the charity's debt assessment clients have a negative budget - meaning they are left in the red after paying for essentials. This is up from 36% in early 2019, it says.
Groups who rarely asked the charity for help, like homeowners and pensioners, are now seeking debt advice.
ring cost of living seems to be changing the nature of problem debt. Whereas once ballooning credit card bills were the norm, now more and more people face long-term financial issues because they do not have enough for the basics such as heating, food and council tax bills.
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, says: ""With costs skyrocketing, we are seeing people who are saddled with debt sinking further into hardship. More people are seeking debt support who have never had to turn to us before - like homeowners who are living in one room to save on heating costs.
""This alarming trend is creating a ticking time bomb. Every day our advisers hear from people left with less than zero each month, unable to repay debts and slipping further into the red to afford the basics.""
Citizens Advice carries out debt assessments for people seeking help from the charity. Data from these cases shows that the amounts people owe are less than the past, but an increasing proportion are in the red after covering their basic outgoings, known as a negative budget.
Groups already in debt - primarily renters, single parents and the self-employed - are now less likely to be able to pay that off. 
As a whole, those going through debt assessments typically have 1p left at the end of the month after essential spending, reflecting the impact of rising prices and bills.
may cause extra issues at this time of year. Mr McGinley says he is ""feeling guilty"" about Christmas.
government has stepped in to help millions of people like him on universal credit and other benefits with a huge package of cost-of-living payments, as well as a cap on energy bills. 
ments will be repeated and, in some cases, extended next year, although the cap will become less generous.
Debt charity StepChange says the support has been reflected in a fall in the proportion of new clients who had gas and electricity bill arrears.
It says soaring prices meant next year is ""looking precarious for millions of households"". 
Source: Citizens Advice
StepChange says a fifth of new clients are still citing the cost of living as their main reason for debt, and seven in 10 of them are women.
Credit report company Clearscore says that its data suggests use of overdrafts has increased by 7.1% since August 2021, as people dip into this debt to pay for everyday costs.
Meanwhile, charity National Energy Action estimates that the number of UK households in fuel poverty will increase from 4.5 million last October to 8.4 million in April."	/news/business-63811484
business	Unions branded selfish by No 10 over June rail strike plans	"Unions have been branded selfish by No 10 over rail strikes which threaten major disruption to passengers.
RMT Union said it will shut down the country's railway network on 21, 23 and 25 June after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.
Downing Street warned the plans would inflict pain on passengers and cause disruption and said it was determined to make railways more efficient.
But RMT hit back saying the government itself was being selfish.
Both train operators and the union have said they want more talks to avoid the strikes.
If industrial action goes ahead, more than 40,000 staff from Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to take part in what is dubbed the ""biggest rail strike in modern history"".
On the first day of the planned strike on 21 June, London Underground RMT workers plan to walk out in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses.
On Wednesday, Unite members who work at Transport for London and London Underground announced they will join their RMT member colleagues in walking out on 21 June.
rikes fall during music and sporting events including the Glastonbury Festival and an England cricket Test match against New Zealand, and are expected to affect thousands of passengers.
will leave around a fifth of mainline rail services running on the strike days, but due to each walk out being 24 hours long, disruption is expected to spill over to non-strike days leading to a week of disruption. 
According to the Department for Transport, the average salary rail worker salary is £44,000. This is more than the median pay of other public sector workers, such as nurses (£31,000), teachers (£37,000), and care workers (£17,000).
However, RMT said the salary figure was ""unrepresentative"" as it included higher-earning train drivers, who did not take part in the ballot as most are part of a different union. The union claims its members earn £33,000 a year on average.
Prime Minister described the planned strike as ""reckless and wanton"" and demanded condemnation of the strike from the Labour Party in Prime Minister's Questions. 
A No 10 source said the move was ""thoroughly irresponsible"" and warned it would inflict ""pain and economic disruption on their fellow citizens in really tough times"". 
However, Mick Lynch, secretary general of the RMT union, hit back at the government saying they were ""experts at being selfish and irresponsible"". 
He told the BBC his members needed a pay deal, job security and ""decent terms and conditions"". 
""The government have the key to unlock that,"" he added. 
Mr Lynch claimed Network Rail had told union reps they were planning to cut 3,000 maintenance jobs out of 11,000, which he said would pose safety risks.
But Network Rail insisted no proposals were on the table, talks were under way about modernising maintenance and how compulsory redundancies could be avoided. It rejected claims it would do anything to compromise safety.
Graham Purdy, from Cramlington in Northumberland is one of many learning that his plans will be affected if the June strikes go ahead.
He and his wife have tickets to see the Eagles at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, on 22 June and to a Barry Manilow concert the following day in Glasgow.
63-year-old, whose travel plans involve his first overnight stay since the pandemic, said he was against the strike and now faced having to drive and book car parking he may not have to use, but pay for.
""It's annoying and frustrating,"" he said. ""I've worked all my life in the construction industry; If you don't like what they are paying, you get another job, don't withdraw your services.""
However, Alastair Webster, from Birmingham, said he supported the stance of the rail workers, despite his plans to go on holiday being ""massively"" disrupted by the proposed action.
""There has been under-investment and mismanagement, millions wasted on HS2. People want the railways nationalised,"" he said.
""I'd always side with the people on the coal face. Even if its massively disruptive I support the strikers. With the cost of living crisis and everything else the government needs to constructively engage with them.""
Steve Montgomery, of the Rail Delivery Group, said the industry body was ""extremely disappointed"" with the prospect of strike action. ""It's really important we ask RMT to get back round the table,"" he said. 
He said that the industry had received £16bn in subsidies over the pandemic, but that level of funding could not continue.
""We have to look how we can reform,"" he said.
Rail firms ""are looking at all options"" to modernise, including job losses, he said.
ustry group said rail industry revenue is currently at 82% of 2019 levels, which is the same as a £38m shortfall on pre-Covid revenue levels every week.
ransport Secretary Grant Shapps said Covid ""changed travel habits"" - with 25% fewer ticket sales and the taxpayer stepping in to keep the railways running at a cost equivalent to £600 per household.
People working for 13 train operating companies, which each run services in different parts of the country, will take part in the strike. These are:
In addition, workers at Network Rail, which maintains the railways throughout Britain, also voted to strike. So the impact of the action would be felt across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Read more on how the strikes will affect you here
However, Mr Lynch said railway firms ""can easily afford a pay rise for our members, it'll just mean they have to cut back on their profits"".
""They are ripping off the passenger, they are ripping off the taxpayer. The government needs to fund the railway properly, and we need the companies to give up some of their profits to give our members a pay rise,"" he added.
But the Rail Delivery Group spokesman said the RMT was ""using inflated figures"" on profits to ""disguise the real issue"".
Mr Lynch said the union doesn't want disruption for thousands of commuters, but had been talking to rail firms for two years trying to get pay deals.
""We've got another two weeks before this action starts. There's plenty of time to get proposals forward,"" he added.
Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell and the BBC's UGC team.
How will you be affected by the planned rail strikes? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-61726567
business	Cost of living: Small garages want petrol prices cut at chains	"Independent garages are calling on big chains to slash petrol prices as the cost of living crisis continues. 
RAC figures show unleaded dropped nearly 9p in July to 182.69p per litre, while diesel fell almost 7p to 192.38p.
Wrexham's Plas Acton Garage has dropped petrol below 167p, claiming it makes just pennies in profit on each litre.
Energy industry expert Carol Bell said drivers could expect petrol prices to fall as the effect of higher prices on global demand began to take hold. 
Plas Acton's Marcus Ansloos said: ""Unfortunately the bigger people in the industry haven't been bringing their prices down. 
""With us doing this, it has forced everybody in north Wales to start looking at these prices and bringing them down.
""We are literally having a tanker delivering every day of the week to our forecourt and we are selling out on a daily basis, so it is sustainable.""
Wholesale prices peaked at the start of June, but have fallen with oil costs while recession fears in the US and elsewhere have hit demand for oil. 
rice of Brent crude - the international benchmark for oil - has slipped to about $100 a barrel, after soaring when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Abergavenny's Bailey's Garage said it had cut prices in line with falling fuel costs, dropping them to 167.9p a litre on Friday.
Ian Bailey said: ""Because we're independent, we get the prices every morning. We work on a margin and we tap that in and that's what we sell it for.""
Because chains buy in bulk, there is a time gap between the price of oil dropping and their selling off old stock.
Mr Bailey said: ""The supermarkets are on a one-month lag, so when we were most expensive seven weeks ago, they had the old stock they could sell cheaper.
""But now since they've still got the old stock, they have to sell it dearer.""
RAC warned reductions at many pumps still did not fairly reflect the drop in fuel's wholesale price.
Dr Bell said: ""When the price of diesel and petrol in a garage will change typically is when the garage owner receives a bulk delivery.
""So, there'll be a lag. If the tanks are fuller in the garage, then they will be charging a margin on what they've paid for it in the first place.""
She added that it was a comparatively thin margin for garages of about 10%, once VAT, duty and costs of bringing fuel in were included."	/news/uk-wales-62412616
business	UK inflation hits 40-year high of 9% as energy bills soar	"Prices are rising at their fastest rate for 40 years as higher energy bills hit millions of households.  
UK inflation, the rate at which prices rise, jumped to 9% in the 12 months to April, up from 7% in March.
urge came as millions of people saw an unprecedented £700-a-year increase in energy costs last month.
Higher fuel and food prices, driven by the Ukraine war, are also pushing the cost of living up, with inflation expected to continue to rise this year. 
Citizens Advice said ""the warning lights could not be flashing brighter"" for the government to offer more support for households, and debt charities urged anyone finding it difficult to pay bills to seek help earlier rather than later in the year.
Around three quarters of the rise in inflation in April came from higher electricity and gas bills, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
""There are desperate stories behind these figures,"" said Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice. ""People washing in their kitchen sinks because they can't afford a hot shower; parents skipping meals to feed their kids; disabled people who can't afford to use vital equipment because of soaring energy bills."" 
Health analyst Cheryl Holmes, a mother-of-two, said she was trying to keep her living costs down to ""as low as possible"" by spending less on food and clothes, and cancelling TV subscriptions.
""I've already for several years been turning the lights off in each room, setting the heating on a timer, making sure I'm using a full dishwasher and washing machine and I'm running out of ideas. 
""It's a battle and it seems like there's not really much more that I can do.""
A higher energy price cap - which is the maximum price per unit that suppliers can charge customers - kicked in last month, meaning homes using a typical amount of gas and electricity are now paying £1,971 per year on average.
Up until now households of all incomes had faced similar rates of inflation, but the poorest are now being hit hardest by rising prices because they have to spend far more of their household budgets on gas and electricity, think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies said.
ONS, which publishes the UK's inflation rate, said the costs of food, machinery, furniture and other household goods also rose in April.
""All items"" on the menus of restaurants and cafes went up too, due to the VAT rate for hospitality returning to 20% after being cut during the pandemic to help businesses.
Meanwhile, average petrol prices stood at £1.62 per litre in April 2022, the highest on record, compared with £1.26 per litre a year earlier.
Inflation is the rate at which prices are rising. For example, if a bottle of milk costs £1 and that rises by 9p, then milk inflation is 9%.
Prices have been rising for months, as fuel, energy and food prices surge higher due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war, and wages are failing to keep pace. 
ONS estimated inflation is now at its highest level since March 1982, when it stood at 9.1%.
Bank of England warned earlier this month that the cost crunch could leave the UK on the brink of recession, with inflation peaking at over 10% later this year amid further expected rises in energy bills.
UK inflation is simply not supposed to hit levels this high. And as the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said, these sorts of rises hit the poorest the hardest. 
9% is an average across the population. The older Retail Prices Index measure is already at 11%. 
But Mr Bailey's institution has a battle on now to get this under control. The really painful issue is that this rate will sustain and is on course to get higher over the course of this year. 
And only this week he acknowledged that there was ""not a lot"" the Bank could do about four-fifths of the anticipated rise, as it is being imported from globally rising prices for energy and food .
Read more here.
With households under increasing pressure, the government faces growing calls to offer more help.
Commenting on the latest figures, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he ""cannot protect people completely"" from rising inflation as it was a global problem.
Mr Sunak is expected to call on businesses at the CBI's annual dinner later to boost investment and training in order to grow the economy and help ease the cost of living crunch.
He will pledge that he will cut taxes on firms in the Autumn to ""invest more, train more, and innovate more"".
Meanwhile, at Prime Minister's Questions, Boris Johnson said he would ""look at all the measures"" needed to help people struggling with rising bills.
Sir Keir Starmer pressed the PM on Labour's call for a one-off tax on oil and gas profits, arguing it would raise ""billions"" to help.
PM replied that the government was ""not in principle in favour of higher taxation"". 
rising cost of living is already seeing people spending less money and cutting down on car journeys due to high fuel costs.
It's impacting the economy, which shrank in March and risks falling into recession next year, according to the Bank of England.
Bank's response has been to raise interest rates to try and cool prices. The idea is that when borrowing is more expensive, people will have less money to spend which dampens demand. 
However, it the Bank has faced criticism from MPs for not doing enough to tackle the crisis. This week Governor Andrew Bailey defended its response, insisting inflation was being driven by global forces that limited what the Bank could do.
But UK now has the highest rate of inflation (9%) of any G7 country, including Germany (7.4%) and France (4.8%).
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said higher prices in the UK risked becoming embedded due to wages ""spiralling upwards"" as firms fought for talent.
re are currently more job vacancies than unemployed people in the UK for the first time since records began, partly because many people dropped out of the labour market during the pandemic.
Ms Streeter said prices across the hospitality and leisure industries were now at a 30-year high.
""So far companies have succeeded in passing on higher costs to customers keeping margins resilient, but worries do linger about just how long consumers will continue to pay the price,"" she added. "	/news/business-61483175
business	Brexit: UK signs first US state-level trade agreement with Indiana	"UK is to sign its first trade agreement with an individual US state, with more expected this year as it attempts to show post-Brexit progress.
Memorandum of Understanding with Indiana seeks to boost the £1.1bn ($1.4bn) worth of goods the state already buys from the UK.
rade Minister Ranil Jayawardena will sign the agreement with the Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb on Friday.
But opposition parties said it was no substitute for a UK-US trade deal.
UK government is looking to strike agreements with about 20 states after talks on a broader US-wide trade deal stalled.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the Indiana agreement ""will help deliver value to UK businesses and support our areas of shared interest, such as levelling up"".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government once saw the prospect of a trade deal with the US as a whole as one of the biggest prizes of leaving the European Union.
But hopes of a quick deal have faded since US President Joe Biden took office and raised concerns about the UK's handling of post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Instead, the UK's Department for International Trade is pushing for agreements with individual US states and cities, to help improve trade relations.
greement with Indiana is a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which is a document that sets out the key points of a non-binding economic partnership between two parties.
UK says its agreement with Indiana - a Midwestern state - will remove barriers to trade and pave the way for businesses to invest, export and create jobs.
Opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and pharmaceuticals will be available to businesses under the agreement, the UK says.
It says the agreement would also streamline procurement processes, enable academics to collaborate more easily, and ensure that professional qualifications were recognized on both sides.
In 2019, the UK was the seventh largest export market for Indiana, which has a gross domestic product (GDP) of about $350bn and a large manufacturing sector.
greement was the ""first of many"" the UK would sign ""as we look to bolster our £200bn trading relationship with the US"", Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt said.
Writing for the Conservative Home website, she said agreements with almost half of the 50 US states would follow, including Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
Usually trade deals with the US are signed at a national level, between central governments.
But the US government under President Biden has not made a firm commitment to a full free-trade deal with the UK, despite historic ties between the two countries.
Labour's Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Conservatives had promised a comprehensive US-UK free-trade agreement by the end of 2022.
""With less than seven months to go it seems that this will be another broken promise from this government,"" he said.
Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP and party spokesperson for trade, said the Indiana agreement ""makes a mockery of the government's promise for Global Britain"".
She said Mr Johnson had ""utterly failed to secure the US trade deal he said he would, being left to negotiate with one state at a time with his tail between his legs"".
SNP international trade spokesperson Drew Hendry said the PM had no chance of striking a US-wide deal while he continued his ""reckless games"" over post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland.
He added that ""piecemeal"" agreements with individual US states would do ""little to mitigate the huge damage caused by the Tories' chaotic Brexit"".
uation in Northern Ireland, where a dispute over a post-Brexit trade deal has created a block on forming its devolved government, has been a source on tension between the UK and US.
- known as the protocol - is a special arrangement that keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU single market for goods, avoiding a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
UK has proposed legislation that would allow ministers to scrap some of the rules governing trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
But some US lawmakers, who must approve trade agreements, have said they would not support one with the UK if its actions jeopardised the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Last week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was ""deeply concerned"" that the UK was seeking to ""unilaterally discard"" the protocol."	/news/uk-politics-61604784
business	Bank of England's warning pension help to end worries investors	"Bank boss tells the BBC it is doing 'everything' to ensure financial stability
Investors remained nervous after the Bank of England insisted its emergency bond-buying scheme would end this week, dismissing reports it may be extended. 
It said the help would end on Friday ""as it made clear from the outset"".
Bank is buying bonds to stabilise their price and prevent a sale which could put some pension schemes at risk.
Bond sales rose after the statement, with borrowing costs almost as high as when the Bank first stepped in to calm market turmoil after the mini-budget.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's plans for huge tax cuts without a clear indication of how they would be paid for sparked a dramatic reaction on financial markets last month. The pound fell to a record low and bond prices also fell sharply forcing the Bank of England to step in to stop their price falling further.
government raises money it needs for spending by selling bonds - a form of debt that is paid back plus interest in anywhere between five and 30 years.
Pension funds invest in bonds because they provide a low but usually reliable return over a long period of time.
However, the sharp fall in their value after the mini-budget forced pension funds to sell bonds, threatening to create a ""downward spiral"" in their prices as more were offloaded, which left some funds close to collapse.
On Tuesday evening Andrew Bailey told pension funds: ""You've got three days left now and you've got to sort it out.""
und initially fell sharply against the dollar before steadying, after Mr Bailey's surprisingly blunt statement, which dashed hopes the support could be extended. 
Mr Bailey told the BBC he had stayed up all night to try and find a way to calm markets and said the Bank was doing everything it could to preserve financial stability, but said it had always been clear that the help would be temporary.
He said it was now down to financial firms to arrange their affairs, saying pension funds had ""an important task"" to ensure they are resilient.
""I'm afraid this has to be done, for the sake of financial stability,"" he said.
Do you have a question on how you might be affected by the Bank of England's decision?
Members of the Bank's Financial Policy Committee (FPC), which helps to protect UK financial stability, said on Wednesday that the governor was crystal clear the bond-buying programme would end, although other support measures would remain in place. 
recent turmoil has already fed through to the mortgage market, where hundreds of products have been suspended as the volatility has made it difficult for lenders to know how to price these long-term loans.
Last week, interest rates on typical two and five-year fixed rate mortgages topped 6% for the first time in over a decade.
Bank's FPC said that this was likely to put households under severe pressure next year.
Earlier, pensions industry body the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association had warned against the help ending ""too soon"".
It suggested the support should be extended until 31 October, when chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is due to detail his economic plan explaining how he will balance the public finances. The statement will be accompanied by independent forecasts on the prospects for the UK economy.
government has said it remains confident in its tax cuts plan, with Mr Kwarteng telling MPs he was ""relentlessly focused on growing the economy"" and ""raising living standards"".
But Mr Bailey's words further increases the pressure on the government, and the chancellor, to come up with an economically credible and politically viable debt plan, and quickly.
Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: ""This is a Tory crisis that has been made in Downing Street, and that is being paid for by working people.""
Former IMF deputy director Mohamed El-Erian told BBC News that the economy was on ""shaky ground"".
He said financial systems going into turmoil ""can cause a lot of damage"".
In its latest World Economic Outlook report on Tuesday, the IMF acknowledged the mini-budget would ""lift growth somewhat in the near term"", although it would ""complicate the fight"" against the cost-of-living crisis."	/news/business-63223894
business	Ukraine war: Russia earns $97bn on energy exports since invasion	"Russia earned nearly $100bn (£82.3bn) from oil and gas exports during the first 100 days of the war in Ukraine, according to a report. 
Revenues have been falling since March, as many countries shunned Russian supplies, but remain high, the independent Centre For Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found. 
It also warned of potential loopholes in efforts to curb imports from Russia.
EU, US and UK are among those to have pledged to cut Russian imports.
But the CREA report found Russia still earned $97bn in revenue from fossil fuel exports in the first 100 days of the Ukraine conflict, from 24 February to 3 June. 
European Union made up 61% of these imports, worth approximately $59bn.
Overall, exports of Russian oil and gas are falling and Moscow's revenue from energy sales has also declined from a peak of well over $1bn a day in March. 
But revenues still exceeded the cost of the Ukraine war during the first 100 days - with the CREA estimating that Russia is spending around $876m per day on the invasion. 
EU plans to ban Russian oil imports arriving by sea by the end of 2022, which would cut imports by two-thirds.
In March, the bloc also committed to reducing gas imports from Russia by two-thirds within a year.
However, so far it has been unable to agree on an outright ban. 
Meanwhile, the US has declared a complete ban on Russian oil, gas and coal imports. The UK is to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year.
CREA report said the EU's planned oil embargo would have a significant impact. 
But it warned large quantities of Russian crude oil were now being shipped to India, which increased its share of Russia's total crude exports from around 1% before the invasion of Ukraine to 18% in May. 
report said a ""significant share"" of this was being refined and sold on - often to customers in the US and Europe - which it described as ""an important loophole to close"".
It added that strong sanctions against tankers transporting Russian crude would significantly limit the scope for this practice. 
report points out that as Russia seeks new markets for oil, much of it is being transported by ship - and the majority of the vessels used are owned by European and US companies. 
As well as India, other countries that increased imports of Russian fuel included France, China, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the report said. 
On the face of it, this report contains a lot of bad news. Energy sales are still in effect funding the war in Ukraine, with high prices offsetting efforts to reduce demand. 
But that doesn't mean pressure on Moscow won't tell in the end. The report's authors expect a partial EU embargo on Russian oil to cut revenues by some $36bn a year, for example. Exports of gas have already fallen dramatically - and there are plans to reduce Europe's reliance on Russia still further. 
Yet embargoes have to be effective. The report points out that more and more Russian oil is being exported to India for refining. And some of those refined products are finding their way back onto European markets. 
Since refined products are not covered by the EU ban, this is a clear potential loophole. 
And with Russian oil being diverted from pipelines and onto ships as Moscow seeks new markets, there is growing demand for vessels to carry it. But the majority of the oil tankers currently being used are owned by European companies. 
For pressure on Russia to be most effective, issues like these will have to be addressed."	/news/business-61785111
business	South Africa turns to solar to help stop power cuts	"Young engineer Nolwazi Zulu says that when she was a teenager she decided that she would ""go out and do something"" about the regular power cuts that bedevil her community.
Now 25 years old, Ms Zulu is from rural Kwazulu-Natal on the eastern coast of South Africa.
Like the rest of the country her home province has had to endure frequent blackouts, called ""load-shedding"", since 2008. 
used by South Africa's aging, state-owned power grid, and its mainly coal-fuelled power stations, struggling to keep up with demand.
ry to help solve the problem, and boost its environmental credentials, the South African government is now continuing with efforts to boost the amount of solar-power generation in the country. To do this it is encouraging firms in the sector to tender for contracts.
It currently wants to secure an additional 1,000 megawatts from solar power, enough to provide electricity for approximately one million homes in the country. This is in addition to a desire to boost onshore wind power generation by 1,600 megawatts.
Currently only 11% of South Africa's power comes from renewables, and mostly wind. Just 0.9% so far comes from solar, in a country that gets an average eight to 10 hours of sun every day, compared with the UK's four.
One firm that has won one of the solar bids is Art Solar, the only South African-owned solar panel manufacturer. The word Art stands for ""African Renewable Technology"". 
It is at this company that Ms Zulu works in the design team as she continues to study for a diploma in electrical power engineering at the Durban University of Technology.
In addition to helping the national power grid, she says that solar panels can bring power to the many rural homes that aren't connected to the mains.
""I want to open an Art Solar branch in Ulundi [where she grew up], and bring solar to my village,"" says Ms Zulu. ""It is cheaper and better than how we are living through load-shedding, and will change so many lives.""
Durban-based Art Solar started 12 years ago, building solar panels under licence from German firm Bosch. It now manufacturers panels in partnership with fellow German company Talesun for both the South African and international markets.
General manager Viren Gosai says that the government's solar push has given the company the confidence to open a new facility that is capable of producing 650,000 panels per year.
It also supplies private homes and businesses, despite its panels being more expensive than lower-quality imports that don't face any import tariffs.
""Covid-19 and lockdowns were bad in many ways,"" says Mr Gosai. ""But the one positive I noticed is that it made people patriotic.
""People want to buy local, rely on the resources at home, and are loyal.""
New Tech Economy is a series exploring how technological innovation is set to shape the new emerging economic landscape.
One high-profile recent contract for Art Solar was providing the solar panels last year for a private hospital in Durban. It means that the Ahmed Al-Kadi Hospital is protected from the risk of power cuts.
Up in East African countries including Tanzania, fellow solar energy firm Zola Electric has a solution to power supply that ignores national grids. Instead of connecting solar panel farms to nationwide power systems, it wants to create independent ""mini-grids"" for villages and other communities.
Zola's chief executive Bill Lenihan says we need to ""move beyond legacy ways of thinking about energy access, especially in Africa"".
He adds that in emerging markets, alongside moving from fossil fuels to renewables, people are thinking that having a single energy grid may not work.
""Everyone in their minds was saying: 'We're going to build a grid.' Well you are not building grids.
""One hundred years later in places like Africa people don't have access to working grids, and they are not going to get working grids, because it is a flawed technology for emerging markets. This isn't controversial to say this any more.""
Back in South Africa, Jay Naidoo, a former government minister under Nelson Mandela, is a fan of the idea of such separate mini-grids for the 20% of South African households not connected to the grid of state energy firm Eskom.
rustee and resident of the Earthrise Trust, an eco-farming project in rural Free State province.
""Our aim is to empower rural communities, particularly women and the youth contributing to economic growth,"" says Mr Naidoo. ""Power though is still an issue, halting the prospects and self-sufficient nature of the farm.
""Imagine if we could have a community-owned, micro-solar grid and meet our own needs? It could electrify so many communities and create community-owned assets.""
South African environmental campaigning organisation Earthlife Africa has been calling for more renewable power in the country for some time.
""We've missed out on investing in solar,"" says Earthlife director Makoma Lekalakala. ""We would be beyond the [power cuts] crisis if we had.""
""Instead we have leaned into the narrative that we have coal, and coal is the baseline.""
South Africa should have moved towards solar ""long ago"", she says, adding: ""We have wasted a lot of time and disregarded the climate commitments we made in international spaces.""
South Africa's Department of Mining Resources and Energy did not respond to a request for a comment.
As Art Solar plans a big increase in production, Ms Zulu says she is thrilled that the company is indeed now planning to open a branch in her local community.
Meanwhile, Mr Gosai says he is confident for the future of solar power in the country. ""The light is amazing in South Africa, a lot of daylight hours means a high return on investment. [And] our people back us."""	/news/business-63741041
business	World Cup: Warning over football lottery scams	"Fraudsters are exploiting interest in the football World Cup to trick people into replying to scam lottery letters.
mailshots incorrectly claim to be affiliated to the event, include official logos, and ask recipients for money to claim a ""huge"" cash prize. Such rewards are never seen. 
National Trading Standards said a surge in letters had coincided with previous major tournaments. 
Officers said they wanted the public's help to gather information about scams.
want people to send any scam mail they receive to trading standards over the next month, calling the campaign a Scamnesty.
""By building a fuller picture of the scams out there, we can stay a step ahead of the criminals,"" said Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team.
""And as well as sending in their own scam mail, I'd encourage people to talk about Scamnesty with older friends and relatives. They are likely to be at the sharp end of the mailings so the intelligence they can provide is crucial.""
Scam mail can be sent free of charge to: NTSST, FREEPOST, MAIL MARSHALS.
International organised crime gangs are often behind these kind of scams, adapting them to take advantage of a hot topic of the time.
At present, trading standards officers expect con-artists to use interest in the football World Cup in Qatar, with examples including letters falsely claiming that a lottery has been organised to promote the tournament.
wording may vary but the aim of the fraudsters is always to trick vulnerable people into sending money. The average amount requested this year in postal scams is £48, usually in cash, officers said. If people responded, they would then be repeatedly targeted and many victims have lost thousands of pounds.
So far this year, more than 80% of postal scam examples seen by officers have been clairvoyant scams, where recipients are promised more detailed readings if they send money. 
Other postal scams regularly seen include fake bogus health cures and investment scams.
John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: ""Trading Standards professionals witness the devastating effects of scam mail day in and day out. The criminals behind these letters prey on the most vulnerable in our society, and at this time of year those that feel isolated and lonely are more inclined to respond to scam mail arriving out of the blue.
""Our lead officers have witnessed horrific cases whereby victims have lost over £100,000 to scam mail. It is a terrible cycle that some find it hard to get out of as the scammers often befriend their victims to build a level of trust.""
However, home visits by officers have managed to prevent some vulnerable people falling victim to scams, and some money has been returned.
Earlier this year, it was announced that 3,500 UK victims of an international scam were to be refunded a share of £530,000 after a landmark case and four years of investigation.
Fraudsters in the US tricked elderly and sick people into paying upfront fees for guaranteed cash prizes that were never paid.
More details of how to recognise a scam and where to send examples are outlined on the Friends Against Scams website, run by National Trading Standards."	/news/business-63793641
business	Avanti West Coast: Rail boss apologises for recent disruption	"f the rail operator that runs Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express has apologised for the disruption to services experienced by passengers in recent months.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of First Rail, told the BBC the issues had been caused by a backlog of driver training during the pandemic. 
He said that because of sickness levels and drivers not working overtime, the company was not able to fill the gaps.
""We apologise to customers,"" he said.
He added: ""We understand the inconvenience this is causing people in their day to day lives. And it is something that we are trying to correct at this moment in time.""
Passengers have been enduring a prolonged period of disruption on the rail network. Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express have come in for particular criticism for reduced timetables and cancellations.
Avanti West Coast slashed its timetables in August, with trains between London and Manchester the worst affected.
rator cut its timetable from seven trains per hour to a minimum of four on 14 August and suspended ticket sales, blaming ""severe staff shortages"".
Asked if he would acknowledge the situation across the North of England had not been good enough, Mr Montgomery said: ""I do acknowledge it, because we're cancelling too many trains"" and said he understood customers' frustration.
He said the operator employed ""more than enough drivers"", but needed to catch up on their training after the pandemic. It takes 12 to 18 months for a driver to qualify. 
Reliance on rest day or overtime working to fulfil timetables has been common practice in the rail industry for years.
Avanti said drivers suddenly stopped volunteering for overtime in the summer, prompting it to cut its timetable to reduce cancellations.
At the time, the drivers' union Aslef denied accusations of unofficial strike action and said the company should employ enough staff - but it acknowledged there had been a loss of goodwill.
Avanti is now slowly building back services and has promised a full timetable in December that does not rely on rest day working.
ranspennine does not currently have an agreement with drivers on rest day working.  Aslef has accused it of not running enough drivers to run the services it had promised.
It is running a reduced timetable between the north west of England and Scotland, and making daily cancellations across its network, both the night before and on the day.  On Thursday, more than 50 services were cancelled the night before.
Mr Montgomery insisted other train companies were also suffering from drivers not being available, and it was something that the industry had to deal with. 
""We understand that we've got a lot to do to rebuild customers' confidence"", he said, adding that the company did not want to be in the position it was in.
""We were able to cover services within Avanti, [but] we lost the ability to do that in the way that we could previously, with the loss of rest day working.
""We've got to move forward now, we can't keep looking back...we have to restore customers' confidence and that's what we're trying to do with the launch of the December timetable.""
wly appointed Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, has told the BBC the government ""absolutely sees the urgency"" of the situation with rail services in the North of England. 
""We're really determined to deliver better services up to parts of the north that have experienced the difficulties,"" said Mr Merriman.
""Part of that solution is also seeing a breakthrough and an end of the industrial relations problems, which are a large factor in the service deterioration"".
He added: ""We recognise that the services for passengers are not acceptable,"" and insisted the new Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, saw this as a priority. Mr Harper will be going to visit the Labour metro mayors in the North of England who have called for urgent intervention.
Last month, the Department for Transport warned that Avanti West Coast needed to ""drastically improve services"" after its contract to run the London to Glasgow route was extended by just six months.
means it will continue to run services until next April."	/news/business-63510374
business	Vaping: Juul Labs agrees thousands of US settlements	"E-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs is to settle more than 5,000 US vaping lawsuits, after being accused of targeting teenagers with its products. 
was reached with about 10,000 plaintiffs in a California court. The financial terms have not been revealed.
In September, the firm agreed to pay hundreds of millions to end a probe of its advertising. 
Juul has been accused of fuelling the rise in teenage vaping and has been forced to take cost-cutting measures.
firm has repeatedly denied targeting young people and has not admitted wrongdoing in previous cases.
Critics point to the colourful packaging, variety of flavours and use of young models in their campaigns.
In 2022, more than 2.5m US school students used e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some of those involved in the case said that they were not aware that the product could be more addictive than cigarettes.
Philip Federico, a lawyer who represented dozens of school districts in the case, described the settlement as a ""tremendous victory for school districts burdened by the vaping epidemic"". 
Juul itself said the settlement ""represent a major step toward strengthening Juul Labs' operations and securing the company's path forward"". 
In the earlier case, Juul agreed to pay $438.5m to settle claims it downplayed its products' risks and targeted underage buyers.
firm's products were briefly banned this year and in November Juul said it had secured investment allowing them to stay in business. "	/news/business-63888206
business	Pound sinks as UK economic uncertainty rises	"und fell against the dollar on Friday as new figures showed a gloomy picture for the UK economy.
Sterling slipped to $1.11, after rallying on Thursday as Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned.
However, it clawed back losses on Friday evening and was back up to around $1.12 against the dollar.
und came after official figures showed government borrowing rose to its second highest September on record.
Meanwhile, people are shopping less than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures from the Office For National Statistics (ONS).
Retail sales fell by more than expected last month, dropping 1.4% and continuing their slide from August, the official figures showed.
und's latest slide comes after a period of volatile trading for the currency.
It plunged to a record low against the dollar last month, while government borrowing costs rose sharply in the aftermath of the mini-budget. Investors were spooked after the government promised huge tax cuts without saying how it would pay for them.
Government borrowing costs also rose slightly on Friday.
A fall in the US dollar against a number of currencies late Friday helped the pound regain some ground.
But Jane Foley, a currency strategist at Rabobank, said much of the pound's moves are being driven by investors reacting to political and economic uncertainty in the UK as well as the negative economic data. 
""While sterling rallied yesterday on Truss's resignation, I think investors have realised today that it's not a guarantee that we'll get a market-friendly outcome from the Conservative leadership contest,"" she said.
Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt is due to announce plans for spending and tax on 31 October in his economic plan, which the Treasury confirmed was set to go ahead, although there are reports it could be delayed due to the leadership race.
Ms Foley said this uncertainty was also weighing on the pound.
""The longer the uncertainty continues, the worse it's going to be for the markets.""
A fall in the value of the pound increases the price of goods and services imported into the UK from overseas - because when the pound is weak against the dollar or euro, for example, it costs more for companies in the UK to buy things such as food, raw materials or parts from abroad.
A weaker pound can push rising costs higher as well if companies choose to pass on higher prices to customers. For people planning a trip overseas, changes in the pound affect how far their money will go abroad.
""Consumers are now buying less than before the pandemic,"" said Darren Morgan, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which released the figures, said.
He added: ""Retailers told us that the fall in September was partly because many stores were closed for the Queen's funeral, but also because of continued price pressures leading consumers to be careful about spending.""
f living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, with prices rising faster than average wages.
Inflation - the rate at which UK prices rise - surged to 10.1% last month and is expected to climb further.
Mr Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said all types of shops saw sales drop with food stores particularly hard hit.
UK is borrowing billions of pounds to limit energy bill rises for households and businesses.
Borrowing - the difference between spending and tax income - was £20bn last month, up £2.2bn from a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It is the second highest September borrowing since monthly records began in 1993, the ONS said.
figure is lower than in September 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when the government was borrowing to fund schemes such as furlough, it said.
But economists warned that government borrowing is set to rise further in the coming months.
Office For Budget Responsibility (OBR) makes independent forecasts on what impact government decisions on things like tax and spending will have on borrowing and growth.
It is due to issue its latest forecast on 31 October when the chancellor is due to deliver his economic plan detailing its spending plans.
Carl Emmerson, Deputy Director of think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said so far for the first half of the year government borrowing was almost as expected but warned it was likely to rise much higher.
""But this is little guide to how much borrowing will be over the whole of this financial year, as the huge cost of government support for household and business energy use only began in earnest this month.""
IFS predicts borrowing this year could reach almost £200bn, ""nearly £100bn more than the OBR forecast,"" he added.
Michal Stelmach, senior economist at KPMG UK, also warned that government borrowing was expected to ""only worsen from October onwards"".
was to due the government's energy price guarantee for households and businesses, on top of the second cost of living instalment and the support for pensioners, he said.
Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said: ""To stabilise markets, I've been clear that protecting our public finances means difficult decisions lie ahead.
""We will do whatever is necessary to drive down debt in the medium term and to ensure that taxpayers' money is well spent, putting the public finances on a sustainable path as we grow the economy."""	/news/business-63340725
business	Asia stock markets slide on US interest rate fears	"Shares in Asia have fallen after the chairman of the US central bank said it would continue to raise interest rates to tackle soaring prices.
Jerome Powell warned that the Federal Reserve's policies will cause ""some pain to households and businesses"".
Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive for individuals and companies, which could slow economic growth as well as inflation.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed 2.7% lower on Monday in Tokyo.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, the Kospi in South Korea and Australia's ASX 200 were both down by around 2%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was 0.8% lower.
me after the main share indexes in New York each fell by more than 3% on Friday after Mr Powell's remarks.
During a highly-anticipated speech at a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Mr Powell said the Federal Reserve was likely to continue raising interest rates in the coming months and could keep them high ""for some time"".
He said that, while the hikes would come at a cost to American households and businesses, ""a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain"".
Inflation in the world's largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP) is at a four-decade high.
""Fed Chair Powell went for the jugular, conveying (an) unflinching assault on inflation,"" Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank, said in a note.
""Justification for this unrelentingly hawkish posture was as plain as it was unequivocal,"" he added.
Investors are also concerned that the Chinese economy is slowing, Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, told the BBC.
""The economic perspective has worsened in China due to prolonged Covid control, which means further policy rate cuts have to take place. Domestic demand is too weak without further rate cuts in China,"" she said.
China's central bank cut its lending rates earlier this month after economic growth slowed sharply in the second quarter of this year.
Power shortages in the Sichuan province have also hit major manufacturers of cars and smartphones in China.
Over the weekend, official data showed that profits of China industrial firms had fallen by 1.1% from January to July, from a year earlier.
A crisis in the country's property market is also proving to be a major challenge to government efforts to keep the economy growing."	/news/business-62710646
business	Millions face £250 monthly mortgage rise next year	"About four million UK households will face higher mortgage payments next year, the Bank of England has said, with the typical payment up by £250.
rage monthly mortgage bill would go up from £750 to £1,000, the Bank's Financial Stability Report said.
rising cost would cause severe financial difficulties for another 220,000 households, the Bank said.
Businesses would also be under ""significant pressure"" owing to rising prices and borrowing costs, it added.
""Falling real incomes, increase in mortgage costs and higher unemployment will place significant pressure on household finances and weigh on their ability to service debt,"" Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said in a letter to the Treasury.
Bank also warned of an increased danger of  global financial risks. However, it said that households, businesses and banks were more resilient than before the global financial crisis of 2008 and the recession of the 1990s.
Fixed-rate mortgage deals have a set interest rate during the term of the deal. Most run for two or five years, but longer deals are available. 
Anyone coming to the end of their fixed-rate deal and looking for a new one, or first-time buyers taking out their first mortgage, have seen these loans become much more expensive than they had probably expected or planned for. 
Rates on new fixed-rate deals have climbed throughout this year, as the Bank put up interest rates to fight inflation, but they shot up following the mini-budget, peaking at 6.65%.
However, they stabilised then fell slightly in the run-up to, and after, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Statement which calmed the markets and, in turn, eased uncertainty for lenders and borrowers.
Variable or tracker rate mortgages can change at any time, usually in response to decisions made by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee on the benchmark Bank rate.
rough the different forms of home loan, an estimated four million households would see their mortgage costs rise next year, the Bank said.
A further two million would see higher costs by 2025, adding to headwinds facing the housing market. Within three years, 70% of mortgage holders would see their payments increase.
Meanwhile, property prices have fallen for three months, the sharpest downturn since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.
Bank said buy-to-let investors were particularly vulnerable, as about 85% of mortgages to landlords were interest only, making them highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs.
It warned that landlords would either raise rents for tenants or sell off their properties, causing a deeper fall in house prices.
""Were landlords to seek to offset the projected rise in buy-to-let mortgage costs, it was estimated they would need to increase their rental income by around 20%,"" the Bank's report said. ""This would increase the cost of housing for renters."""	/news/business-63961179
business	Japanese yen slips to 24-year low against dollar	"Japanese yen has declined to its lowest level against the US dollar since August 1998, prompting the government to weigh action.
r stems from data suggesting the labour market of the world's biggest economy is recovering.
On Thursday, the currency pair breached the key psychological level of 140 yen against the US dollar.
While many central banks in Asia have hiked the cost of borrowing to mirror the US, Japan has not followed suit.
Bank of Japan has maintained its ultra-low interest rates to support economic recovery, and this is one of the reasons the yen has fallen in value against the US dollar and other major currencies.
Higher interest rates tend to attract foreign investment. That increases demand for and the value of currencies from countries with higher interest rates.
A US Labor Department report on Thursday showed that the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a two-month low, suggesting the jobs market is recovering post-pandemic. 
rked buying interest in the US dollar which drove it to a fresh high against the Japanese currency, at 140.23 yen.
But it was not the only currency affected by dollar strength. 
British pound slid by around 5% for the first time since October 2016.
US dollar gained momentum earlier in the week, after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the US central bank would continue to raise interest rates in the coming months.
Mr Powell added that the Fed could keep rates high ""for some time"" at an annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
""It's a strong USD story this week after the hawkish Jackson Hole forum"", Philip Wee, senior currency economist at DBS Bank, told the BBC.
""From here, more Asian central banks are ready to hike, some larger than usual. This should help offset some of the pressures from the strong USD,"" he added.
On Friday, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said the government would take ""appropriate"" action to address the yen's decline.
""Excessive, disorderly currency moves could have a negative impact on the economy and financial conditions,"" Mr Suzuki told a press conference.
However, Dwyfor Evans of State Street Global Markets told the BBC that measures to lift the yen ""could prove futile"" because of the gap between interest rates in Japan and much of the rest of the world.
Bank of Japan last intervened in currency markets in 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis. 
At midday Friday in Asia, the yen has continued to slip, trading around 140.35 against the dollar.
Japan election: Why the ruling party keeps winning"	/news/business-62762138
business	Sainsbury's pressed to pay more to subcontracted workers	"Pressure is mounting on Sainsbury's to ensure all its workers are paid the real living wage.
Sainsbury's already pays its direct employees more than the rate set by the Living Wage Foundation, which is higher than the government-set minimum wage.
But some investors are calling for it to sign up to the Living Wage Foundation's pay commitments.
If it does, the higher pay rate would be extended to subcontracted staff, such as cleaners.
If Sainsbury's becomes formally accredited with the Living Wage Foundation, it would mean the grocery chain was committed in future years to raising pay in line with the foundation's rates.
gal minimum wage for workers over the age of 23 set by the government, and officially known as the National Living Wage, is £9.50 an hour.
real living wage is £9.90 an hour. The rate is set by the Living Wage Foundation based on what it calculates people need to live on and is recalculated every autumn.
ShareAction, the group behind the campaign for a new pay policy at the supermarket, said there was a ""compelling moral case"" for offering all staff, including subcontracted workers, the higher rate. There was also a ""clear business case for employers"", ShareAction said, at a time when firms are competing to hire and retain staff.
Shareholders will vote on the resolution at Sainsbury's annual general meeting, taking place on 7 July.
Investors already backing the resolution, including Legal & General Investment Management and the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest), have been joined by the Coal Pensions Board and wealth management firm Coutts and Co.
Leslie Gent, head of responsible investing at Coutts, said while Sainsbury's had made ""positive progress"" by matching real living wage rates for its directly employed staff, shifting to full accreditation with the Living Wage Foundation would help ""set a standard for all UK supermarkets"".
In March, Sainsbury's raised its basic pay rate to £10 an hour for staff across its supermarkets and Argos stores, with higher rates in London. 
uts it among the higher paying firms in the sector. Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl pay more per hour, and Morrisons also pays £10 an hour. Tesco has said it will pay £10.10 per hour from the end of July.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said the ""vast majority"" of its subcontracted staff were already being paid at the real living wage level, but the difficulty came with making a longer-term commitment to pay the rates set by the foundation.
""We fundamentally believe that to effectively balance the needs of our customers, colleagues, suppliers and shareholders we must preserve the right to make independent business decisions which are not determined by a separate body,"" she said.
""As we balance the needs of all our stakeholders, particularly in the light of the current cost of living challenges that many people in the UK face, it is vital that we not only pay our colleagues fairly but that we are able to invest significantly to offer customers great value."" 
Other large shareholders in the company have said they will support the firm and vote against the resolution.
Kimberley Lewis at Schroders said Sainsbury's was already meeting its expectations around paying a fair living wage and other employee benefits. The asset management firm, one of Sainsbury's largest investors, is itself accredited with the Living Wage Foundation.
But Ms Lewis said Schroders believed it would be damaging to the supermarket's prospects to pass the resolution.
""We strongly believe, in this environment particularly, this could inhibit Sainsbury's ability to remain competitive; for example, making it harder to keep prices of essentials low,"" Ms Lewis wrote in a blog."	/news/business-61952914
business	Asos sees big loss as shoppers cut back on fashion	"Online fashion retailer Asos has reported a big loss as its customers spend less on fashion due to the rising cost of living.
firm saw a loss of nearly £32m in the 12 months to August, compared with a profit of £177m last year.
firm expects shoppers to cut back further this year as living costs soar.
Inflation returned to a 40-year high in September as BBC research showed people are feeling increasingly anxious about their finances.
Asos, which owns Topshop and Topman, said it was facing ""an incredibly challenging economic environment"" at the moment.
""Within the UK, Asos expects a decline in the apparel market over the next 12 months but remains confident in its ability to take share against that backdrop,"" it said.
retailer said it expected to make a further loss in the six months to the end of February, in part due to having to cut prices to clear stock.
Asos and its rival Boohoo, which were seen as a poster children for the shift to online shopping, benefited during the pandemic as locked-down shoppers splashed out online. But they have struggled as people have returned to stores.
Asos said in June that cash-strapped consumers were also returning more items bought online, hitting its profits.
fashion retailer said it now planned to rebuild its once-successful business model, sorting out problems with its supply chain and refreshing its fashion ranges.
It also said it would focus on improving its US operations.
Chief executive Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte said: ""The team and I will work resolutely to emerge from these turbulent times as a more resilient and agile business.""
Shares in Asos, which had slumped by 80% this year, climbed 12% on Wednesdayto regain ground lost over the past week.
Samantha Mansfield, head of strategy experience and commerce at consultancy Merkle, said Asos had not gone ""unscathed amid the cost of living crisis"".
""Even this giant retailer is no match for the financial struggles tightening the belt on the industry,"" she said.
""People know times are tough and brands across the board are struggling with sluggish sales and significant increases in returns.""
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said Asos had ""capped off a torrid year by swinging to a pre-tax loss as retail realities bite"".
He said the news last week that Asos was negotiating fresh lending deals had been ""taken as a sign of financial instability"".
Mr Hunter added that the soaring cost of living coupled with ""deflating consumer confidence"" had hit its performance."	/news/business-63311825
business	Aberdeen paper mill redundancies 'a hammer blow' for staff	"Mill job losses 'mark the passing of a great industry'
Hundreds of redundancies at Aberdeen's last paper mill came ""totally out the blue"", devastated workers have said.
Stoneywood paper mill - which has operated for more than 250 years - went into administration on Thursday with the loss of more than 300 jobs.
Calum Mackay, who worked at the mill for 10 years, told BBC Scotland it was a ""hammer blow"".
Scottish Enterprise has given the mill owners more than £12m worth of support over the last three years.
In 2019, the business was sold to a new parent company, securing the jobs at the mill.
However, administrators have now been appointed at the Arjowiggins Group mills at Stoneywood, as well as Chartham, Kent, with 368 of the group's 463 UK-based employees made redundant immediately.
A total of 301 out of the 372 members of staff in Aberdeen have been made redundant.
A total of 95 staff have been retained to continue limited activity at the two sites while the administrators explore the possibility that the sites and assets could be sold.
Mr Mackay, who was the union convener at the mill, said workers were told on Thursday afternoon to attend a meeting an hour later.
He said: ""We were told that we were redundant, they had exhausted every avenue they had to try and keep the place open.
""We had been expecting a buy over, unfortunately instead we got a hammer blow.
""Obviously it was no surprise to any of us to the learn the company was in trouble, that had been the case for a long time, since 2019 we've had severe issues, and the management team have struggled to keep the operation going.""
He described the sudden news of administration as ""an absolute shock, totally out the blue"".
Mr Mackay said: ""The site has been here for 252 years, an awful lot of the families that were here 252 years ago are still here. 
""It's devastating, very distressing.""
He said many staff members were in the later stages of their working life.
""They are going to struggle, they really are,"" he said.
""It really is the end of an era, a large part of Aberdeen's history revolved around mills, to see it go, it's a tragedy for the area, it's a tragedy for Scotland.
""It marks the passing of a once-great industry.""
Shauna Wright, of the Unite union, said workers were saddened at the sudden news.
""None of the members were expecting anything like this at all,"" she said.
""It really hasn't sunk in to a lot of our members, we are still trying to understand how did this happen so quickly.""
A mass meeting is being organised for next week.
Scottish government described the situation as ""concerning"".
""This will be a very uncertain time for the company's staff, their families and the local areas, which will be affected by this decision,"" it said.
""Scottish Enterprise will work with the administrators to understand the potential options for the business going forward and explore all possibilities to rescue the jobs.""
Scottish Enterprise said its interventions had helped maintain an important employer's presence in Aberdeen and protect employees' jobs since it first went into voluntary administration in January 2019.
""Our decisions to support Arjowiggins were based on a shared view, alongside private investors, that the company had a viable future,"" it said.
""However, conditions deteriorated and despite the best efforts of everyone involved it was not possible to secure a sale of the business as a going concern."" 
mill had been bought for an undisclosed sum in September 2019 by subsidiaries of a new venture, Creative Paper Holdings Ltd."	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63007605
business	Mowgli founder owes success to 'being a brown English person'	"An Indian restaurant entrepreneur has told how she owes her success to her proud South Asian heritage.
Nisha Katona, the brains behind street food chain Mowgli, said she ""didn't want to be Indian"" when she was growing up in the 1970s.
But she now puts her achievements down to ""the fact that I'm a brown English person"".
usinesswoman, who is about to open her 21st restaurant, was born in Ormskirk and grew up in Skelmersdale.
She said at the time, she was ""embarrassed by the way my food smelt"" and ""the clothes my parents wore"", but that upbringing gave her her business.
She added that she was now ""really grateful"" for her heritage, because it ""makes the world a bit of an enriched place"".
She spoke to BBC North West Tonight as part of South Asian Heritage Month.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-lancashire-62575642
business	Lloyds Bank staff to get £1,000 to help with cost of living	"More than 64,000 staff at Lloyds Bank are to receive a £1,000 one-off payment to help with the rising cost of living in the UK.
ment - due to be made in August - comes after a campaign by the union Unite, which demonstrated at Lloyds' annual general meeting last month.
Unite said it was a ""important step"" in changing the bank's pay structures.
In a memo seen by the BBC, Lloyds said the money would help during uncertain economic times.
Prices in the UK are surging at their fastest rate for 40 years due to record-high fuel and energy costs, putting pressure on households' finances.
Inflation - the rate at which prices rise - currently stands at 9%, and is expected to increase further later this year.
""Unite members' collective action has put desperately needed money into the pockets of staff on the front line,"" said Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary.
""Staff will welcome the £1,000 bonus but there is still a long way to go to eradicate low pay in one of the economy's most profitable sectors.""
Unite has been campaigning to get businesses to pay staff more, amid the cost of living crisis. 
""There is anger that this wealthy organisation is forcing some bank employees to turn to debt to pay their bills,"" Unite said about Lloyds in May, when it said some staff had told the union they could not afford to heat their homes or make pension payments.
In its memo, Lloyds Bank said that it anticipated the current economic environment would continue featuring in pay negotiations with its employees in 2023.
Last month, official figures showed that there were fewer unemployed people than job vacancies for the first time since records began.
Pay rates have been increasing as businesses have been seeking to recruit and retain staff.
Last week, Morrisons announced it was increasing wages for 80,000 of its workers. Rival supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have already announced pay rises this year."	/news/business-61781313
business	Liz Truss: Ministers working on energy-saving plan	"government is working on a plan to help individuals and businesses use energy more efficiently, Prime Minister Liz Truss has said. 
On Sunday, a minister told the BBC a public information campaign to help people cut their energy use was pulled by No 10 on the grounds of cost. 
But the government now appears to have rowed back on that position. 
Energy regulator Ofgem has warned of ""a significant risk"" of gas shortages this winter due to the war in Ukraine. 
government has sought to limit soaring energy costs for households following the invasion by a price cap on energy, which would keep the average bill to around £2,500 a year. 
rgy and cut costs, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) had been preparing plans for a public information campaign.
But the PM was previously reported to have been ""ideologically opposed"" to the campaign, fearing it would be too interventionist. 
On Wednesday, Downing Street said the Beis plans would now be incorporated into an existing scheme. 
During Prime Minister's Questions, Ms Truss was urged by Conservative MP Guy Opperman ""to have a nationwide mailout campaign"" on reduction of energy use. 
In response the PM said Mr Opperman was ""absolutely right"". 
""I know the energy secretary is working on a plan to help companies and individuals use energy more efficiently. We're also working on this across government,"" she said. ""I hope we'll be able to start this going in Number 10 straight away."" 
rime minister's official spokesman said the government was considering how to ""further expand"" the existing ""help for households"" website, which includes advice on cost-of-living support and improving energy efficiency. 
Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC on Sunday that a public information campaign would have cost up to £15m. 
He said such a campaign was unnecessary because similar work was already been done by National Grid and Ofgem. 
ruption of gas flows from Russia to Europe has led to concerns about energy supplies this winter. 
Although the UK is far less reliant on Russian gas than mainland Europe, it could still suffer knock-on effects from shortfalls in overall supply. 
In a worst-case scenario National Grid, which manages Britain's electricity and gas supply, has warned households could lose power for up to three hours at a time this winter if gas supplies run extremely low. 
Although the company said this was ""unlikely"" it said supply interruptions were a possibility if the energy crisis escalates. "	/news/uk-politics-63231895
business	Why business is still optimistic about Hong Kong	"On a cloudy June day, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant was towed out of Hong Kong's Aberdeen harbour. 
giant six-storey structure - in the shape of a Chinese imperial palace - crept past yachts a fraction of its size earlier this month before a foghorn signalled its entry into the open sea. 
mega restaurant, which could house 2,300 diners at a time, had spent nearly a half a century in Hong Kong's waters. It drew visitors like the Queen, Richard Branson and Tom Cruise, and featured in multiple Cantonese and Hollywood films. 
But for years, losses had been mounting, and the pandemic dealt a fatal blow.
For some, the restaurant's departure was symbolic of what was happening in Hong Kong. Both had faced a difficult few years and now Jumbo, much like the appeal of Hong Kong as a great place to do business, was floating away.
An unyielding zero Covid policy, which Hong Kong shares with mainland China, has battered an economy reliant on global business, finance and trade. Stringent travel regulations and intermittent lockdowns have kept tourists away, decimated small and medium businesses, and isolated ""Asia's world city"" from the rest of the globe.
follows several years of disruption - massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, a National Security Law that critics said spelled the ""end of Hong Kong"" as they knew it, and a crackdown on free speech. 
Business owners say these events have transformed the city's population.
""It [business] was very highly oriented towards the expat market. Hong Kong to New York, New York to Hong Kong, London,"" says Vinny Lauria, who runs a number of Hong Kong restaurants.
But, he adds, the restaurant business has ""wisened up"" with the increased arrival of wealthy mainland Chinese in the city. 
""Strategy has changed immensely over the last 10 years,"" he says. 
first time that Hong Kong's future as a rich yet edgy business hub has been doubted. 
Hong Kong had long flourished as a financial powerhouse. And since Britain returned the former colony to China in 1997, the city had become a gateway for foreign companies to do business with China.
It had major advantages over regional competitors because of its sophisticated financial system, a transparent rule of law, English-speaking workers and links around the world. 
But ahead of the handover in 1997, Fortune magazine published a cover story  - ""The death of Hong Kong"" - lamenting that ""the naked truth about Hong Kong's future can be summed up in two words: It's over.""
Both foreign observers and many locals feared that Beijing's influence would increase immediately, and that Chinese soldiers would soon be roaming the city's streets, arresting people. Western newspapers also predicted that annual commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre - a taboo topic in China - would be banned.
But it would be another 20 years before Hongkongers' freedoms were threatened - several pro-democracy leaders and activists, and even a media tycoon are behind bars now. And events marking the Tiananmen Square anniversary are no longer permitted. 
But those working in business and finance are still bullish about the city. In fact, Hong Kong's economy has doubled since 1997. 
""When you're talking about Asian markets from an integrity standpoint, Hong Kong is ahead of China,"" says Drew Bernstein, an accountant who has been auditing Chinese companies for decades. 
""If you have a financial market without integrity, it's more like a casino.""  
Financial markets opening up in mainland China did prompt some Fortune 500 companies to move to Shanghai, but Hong Kong remains one of the world's top 10 stock exchanges by market capitalisation. 
And the city continues to rank highly among global financial centres for business environment, human capital, infrastructure and overall reputation.
""I've been through this movie many, many times, the ending is always the same,"" says property tycoon Allan Zeman. 
While people left Hong Kong in 1997 thinking it was the end of the city's prospects, he says what they forget is that China is part of Hong Kong's appeal and what it offers to the business world. 
""People are in Hong Kong because of China. One or two businesses might leave. I've been here for 50 years, I'm not going anywhere.""
But data shows that people are indeed leaving Hong Kong in record numbers. 
Mid-2021 saw the largest number of people relocating since mid-1966, according to figures from the city's census and statistics department.
Mercer's chief executive in Hong Kong, Vicki Fan, says a high turnover isn't uncommon for a market like Hong Kong, especially in the wake of Covid, but she admits that a lot of people are moving.
Ms Fan points to international schools as proof - formerly competitive campuses are now opening up spots for local students.
re were also capital outflows of more than $100 billion last year, for only the second time since 1997. And investments into Hong Kong dipped significantly in 2021. 
""Hong Kong will continue to be a very rich city even if foreign executives move out, or refuse to locate there because there are enormous numbers of very wealthy Chinese and powerful Chinese companies who are enthusiastic to move there,"" said William H Overholt, a senior research fellow at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. 
Experts also point to Hong Kong's role as a financial hub in the Greater Bay area - a project that is connecting 11 cities in southern China with Hong Kong at the centre. The zone's combined GDP already matches that of South Korea. 
""The future of Hong Kong is the Greater Bay Area. You can get from Hong Kong to Shenzhen in 14 minutes. The joke is that it's faster to go to Shenzhen than other people's houses in Hong Kong,"" Mr Zeman said.
While Hong Kong is expected to become more integrated with China, experts say it still won't lose its unique place in the financial world.
""For many Westerners, it's going to feel like another Chinese city. For the Chinese - individuals and companies - Hong Kong is still this wonderful airlock to the world from outside the mainland. It's where the legal system is predictable, political pressures on business are a lot less than they are on the mainland,"" Mr Overholt said.
And as the US increasingly turns away Chinese companies from its stock markets, Hong Kong will benefit. Around 100 mainland firms are at risk of delisting in the US.
Mr Bernstein believes they will attract more investor interest in Hong Kong than in London or New York.
""There aren't a lot of places for them to go,"" he said.
""It's still a market that companies can go to that has deep sources of capital. Markets like Hong Kong offer advantages that Asian companies can't get in the US,"" he adds. 
""Asian markets understand the risk of a company not run by supply and demand but by governments. Today the reality is the largest companies in the world are run by governments.""
ge is already visible: Of the 2,500 companies currently listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, more than 40% are China-based and account for over three-quarters of the exchange's capitalisation.
""The strength of Hong Kong is being part of China… the first 25 years was an experiment, in the next 25 years we will reap the benefits. Hong Kong will continue to be one of the world's great cities,"" Mr Zeman told the BBC.
Experts argue that China doesn't need another Shanghai or Shenzhen, successful business hubs - so far from becoming another Chinese city, Hong Kong, they say, is likely to be the capital of a Chinese-led global economic empire. 
It continues to be a gateway to China, and its role as China's gateway to the world is also under way.
Additional reporting by Christine Hah "	/news/business-61961891
business	Disruption not expected by pharma wholesaler's administration	"Northern Ireland Department of Health said it was not anticipating any significant disruption to supplies after a pharmaceutical wholesaler went into administration.
Doncaster Pharmaceuticals Group operates from 14 sites across the UK.
In Northern Ireland it trades as Crosspharma from a depot in Newtownabbey.
ministrator said it would be working to ""mitigate the impact on the pharmaceutical supply chain"".
Philip Dakin, administrator at insolvency firm Kroll, said pharmaceutical distributors and wholesalers formed an ""important link between drug manufacturers and independent pharmacies and their end customers"". 
'It is a complex chain which means we will be working closely with the relevant regulators, the management team and the Group's lenders to mitigate the impact on the pharmaceutical supply chain,"" Mr Dakin said. 
""On appointment our immediate objective will be to conduct an orderly wind down of the trading operations. 
'The possibility of some small trade sales of parts of the business, has not been ruled out as we aim to maximise the return for creditors.""
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said it was aware of the development and would continue to monitor it. 
""No significant disruption to supplies is currently anticipated,"" he said."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-61397652
business	Cost of living: 'There's nobody trying to help us'	"Businesses in Birmingham have called for government intervention in the face of the cost of living crisis.
At the wholesale market, one trader said rising prices meant he could not plan from one week to the next.
Official figures reveal that the cost of living is more than 10% higher than it was a year ago with the price of things like food and petrol soaring.
""There's nobody trying to help us,"" said market trader Leroy Howe, of Howe's Exports. 
""The price of fuel keeps going up so suppliers keep putting up the prices so what we find happening is that one week we'll be charged this price and the next week we'll be charged a higher price.""
He said he was already noticing fewer people the market as customers cut back on spending which he said was ""worrying"".
Mr Howe said he felt traders like him were being ""left to our own devices"" and ""aren't getting any support from anywhere"".
His concerns were echoed by Raj Kandola, head of policy at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
""Many small businesses incurred huge debts in the pandemic which they are struggling to repay and now the cost of living crisis is adding to that pressure right now,"" he said.
""That's why we are calling on the government to act now and help alleviate these huge cost pressures firms are facing right now.""
Watch: Cost of living: ""A lot of people have nowhere to turn""
Mr Kandola said businesses were under pressure to raise their prices due to higher costs and called for financial support for people working in energy-intensive industries.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said the government would leave ""no stone unturned"" ahead of the incoming prime minister on 5 September.
""My message is... whether they are small businesses or families who are really struggling, really worried, is that we will be ready for more support as the new prime minister comes in,"" he said.
""We are working night and day to make this work.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-birmingham-62580163
business	Elon Musk hints at layoffs in first meeting with Twitter employees	"Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has in a meeting with Twitter employees hinted at potential job cuts if his $44bn (£35.8bn) takeover bid for the social media company is successful.
He also addressed topics like remote working, freedom of speech and potential extra-terrestrial life. 
Mr Musk was talking to staff for the first time since launching his bid for the firm in April.
He has said he may quit the deal if he is not given data about fake accounts.
On a wide-ranging video call with Twitter employees on Thursday, Mr Musk said layoffs at Twitter would depend on the company's financial situation.  
""The company does need to get healthy. Right now the costs exceed the revenue,"" he said. 
However he added: ""Anyone who's... a significant contributor should have nothing to worry about"". 
He also stated his preference for working from the office unless ""somebody is exceptional"". 
However he did not provide an update on takeover discussions and Twitter employees took to an internal communications channel to express their disappointment about his views on the business and employee compensation.
Mr Musk, who is the boss of electric vehicle maker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, also discussed the possibility of life beyond earth although he said he has not seen ""actual evidence for aliens"".
""Can we travel to other star systems and see if there are alien civilisations?"" he asked, adding that the platform could help ""civilisation and consciousness"".
Separately, a group of employees at SpaceX - where Mr Musk is chief executive - called Mr Musk a ""frequent source of distraction and embarrassment"" in an internal letter to the company's executives on Thursday. 
Meanwhile, he was also sued for $258bn (£209bn) later in the day by a investor in the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, who accused him of running a pyramid scheme to drive up its price. 
mplaint filed in New York alleges that Mr Musk ""used his pedestal as world's richest man to operate and manipulate the Dogecoin Pyramid Scheme for profit, exposure and amusement"". 
Earlier this month, Mr Musk threatened to walk away from the takeover bid and accused Twitter of ""thwarting"" his requests to learn more about its user base.
In a letter filed with regulators, he said he was entitled to do his own measurement of spam accounts.
r formalised a dispute that had simmered for weeks after he declared the deal was ""on hold"" pending further information.
Shares in the company stood at $37.36 each at the end of New York trading on Thursday, well below Mr Musk's offer price of $54.20.
You may also be interested in:
Who is Elon Musk? Meet the meme-loving magnate behind SpaceX and Tesla... published in 2021"	/news/business-61836179
business	Beyond Meat: Vegan food executive accused of biting man's nose	"Vegan food giant Beyond Meat's chief operating officer has been arrested for reportedly biting a man's nose during a row in the US.
Douglas Ramsey, 53, faces charges of ""terroristic threatening"" and third-degree battery, court records show.
He was released after posting a $11,085 (£9,711) bond on Sunday.
urred on Saturday night as he left a parking garage in Fayetteville, Arkansas after a football game, a local TV channel said.
He became involved in a dispute with another driver and bit the man ""ripping the flesh on the tip of the nose,"" according to KNWA/KFTA, a US television station which cited a preliminary police report.
Fayetteville police did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
Mr Ramsey previously had a three-decade career at meat processing giant Tyson Foods, where he oversaw the company's poultry and McDonald's business units.
He joined Beyond Meat as its chief operating officer in December last year.
""I am proud to join in its mission to produce delicious products that are healthier for our customers and more sustainable for our planet,"" Mr Ramsey said at the time of his appointment.
Mr Ramsey and Beyond Meat did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.
Beyond Meat - which makes plant-based burgers, sausages and nuggets - made its stock market debut on New York's Nasdaq exchange in May 2019. 
Its shares surged by more than 160% on their first day of trading, making it one of the most successful initial public offerings in recent years.
However, the firm's shares have fallen since then, losing more than 70% of their value this year alone.
Last month, Beyond Meat lowered its revenue forecast for the year and said it would cut roughly 4% of its global workforce.
Chief executive Ethan Brown said the higher price of plant-based meat has slowed the company's growth, as customers around the world are faced with the rising cost of living.
Is flexitarianism ""half-hearted"" vegetarianism"	/news/business-62964369
business	Record levels of women in work across Scotland	"More women are in work in Scotland than ever previously recorded, the latest employment figures show. 
Office for National Statistics labour market report shows the employment rate for women aged 16 to 64 was 74.9% - the highest level since these records began in 1992.
Scotland's overall employment rate rose to 75.8% from June to August. 
Employment minister Richard Lochhead said Scotland's economy continued to show ""resilience"".
And Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the figures showed the country's labour market ""remains strong"".
mployment rate was the joint second highest for the country since 1992 - along with the periods March to May 2019 and May to July 2017 - and higher than the overall UK rate of 75.5%. 
Unemployment rose slightly to 3.3% from a record low of 3.1% reported last month, and the level of ""economic inactivity"" dropped 0.2% to 21.5% in the three months to August.
Across the UK as a whole, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly 50 years, as the number of people not looking for work because they are suffering from a long-term illness has hit a record high.
Average pay also went up 6% over the summer quarter - with a 2% increase for public sector workers and 6.2% for the private sector.
Separately CBI Scotland has reported that job vacancies remain high, with more than 70% of businesses believing access to labour and skills threaten labour market competitiveness.
Matthew Percival, CBI director for skills and inclusion, said: ""It is crystal clear that labour market shortages are having a material impact on firms' ability to operate at full capacity, let alone grow.
""Businesses are pulling every lever they can to attract and retain employees, but this is making productivity boosting investments like training and automation harder.""
Scotland's employment minister said Brexit policies were continuing to cause labour shortages, and have a negative impact across Scotland.
But Mr Lochhead added: ""The Scottish economy and labour market are continuing to show resilience.
""This is despite the serious challenges Scotland is facing as we recover from the pandemic, the ongoing cost crisis impacting businesses and households, the continued impact of Brexit and the economic consequences of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine all impacting on the economy.""
He has requested the UK government establish a joint taskforce with devolved nations to alleviate the pressures caused by labour market shortages.
""The UK government holds key powers over migration, visas, VAT, National Insurance and key parts of employment law,"" he added. 
""Despite agreeing to engage with the devolved nations on these issues in June, we have received no further response to our request for a joint taskforce."" 
Scottish Secretary said the unemployment rate was at a ""historic low"".
Mr Jack added: ""The UK government's overarching priority is economic growth, for the benefit of people in Scotland and across the whole of the UK. 
""One of the best ways to achieve this is getting even more people into highly skilled, well paid jobs, to help them and their families thrive.
""We've also put an extensive support package in place to help those worried about the cost of living in the short term.""
He said this included direct payments of at least £1,200 to the most vulnerable families and saving households an average of £1,000 a year through the Energy Price Guarantee.
re's been a rise in the UK's economic inactivity rate. These are people who are not available for work, often because they are looking after family, or they are students, or they have long-term illness. 
Scottish level has fallen in the past year, bringing it very close to the UK one.
g-term sickness level has reached a record high with today's figures. We don't know from these figures but we can take a guess that long Covid and NHS waiting lists may have quite a lot to do with that.
One take on the high job vacancies referred to in the CBI report is that there are more vacancies than there are unemployed people for the first time on record, but they have dropped back a bit as recruiters rein in their efforts to expand their workforces. 
It's a significant factor in holding back the potential of the economy. 
If you look around you, you can see lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, only open for four days a week, maybe, or operating limited hours. 
Often that's because of a lack staff. Multiply that around the country you can see the lost potential growth for these firms at a time when the government wants us to focus on economic growth. 
And there's a cost to business. They still have to pay overheads - for rents and business rates. There's a cost to the stress this places on staff who are at work, and managers struggling to plug gaps, fulfil orders and so on. 
xtends to the public sector as well where there is not only a lack of recruits but a squeeze on the funds to do the recruiting. It was only quietly announced last month but there is now a recruitment freeze on vacancies across most of the Scottish public sector.
rtly a labour market failure to match the skills on offer with the skill employers need, but also a big exodus of older workers following the pandemic, but Brexit has to be part of this story because so many jobs across many sectors were filled by people from the EU who longer have the automatic right to work here. "	/news/uk-scotland-63212233
business	Boohoo starts charging shoppers for returns	"Fashion firm Boohoo has become the latest retailer to charge shoppers who return items.
Customers must now pay £1.99 to return products, with the cost deducted from their refund. The move, first reported by Retail Week, came into effect on 4 July. 
Boohoo blamed the move on the rising cost of shipping.
High Street firms such as Uniqlo, Next and Zara already charge for online returns.
Online shopping boomed in the pandemic, but customers are more likely to return items bought online than in store, raising costs for retailers.
Analysts said other retailers were likely to follow suit in charging for returns.
""Shoppers have had an easy ride, but that's changing now - they will increasingly find there's a price to pay for returns,"" said Catherine Shuttleworth, retail expert and founder of Savvy Marketing.
""The costs, both financially and environmentally, have been stacking up for retailers... So retailers have been tightening up their returns policy by reducing the number of days a shopper can keep an item before expecting a return and in some cases charging a return fee,"" she added.
""We can expect to see this trend continuing and [now] we've seen Boohoo quietly introduce it. If you buy something for £10 at Boohoo, it's a real disincentive to return it if you lose £2, 20% of your investment to send it back.""
Online shopping gained a lot of ground during the pandemic, with a big increase in the number of items being sent back.
For fashion retailers, returns can be costly. Not only do retailers often cover the costs of online returns as a way of winning customers from rivals, but it also takes longer for warehouse staff to process returned stock.
Many shoppers are also becoming more aware of the environmental impact of deliveries and returns.
In May, Boohoo said soaring returns were partly to blame for a slump in its annual profits.
It said customers had returned items faster than expected in the second half of the year, with the rate higher than it was before the pandemic.
Boohoo's brands include BoohooMan, Karen Millen, Nasty Gal, PrettyLittleThing, Coast, Misspap, Oasis, Warehouse, Burton, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams.
A spokesperson from Boohoo said: ""As the cost of shipping has increased, we've had to look at where we can adapt without compromising what our customers love most, the convenience of shopping with us and the great value that our brands offer.
""This has meant that we will be applying a charge of £1.99 to returns so that we can continue to offer great prices and products and do this in a more sustainable way.""
Would this put you off buying online? Please share your thoughts by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62140633
business	Cuba bids for foreign investment to tackle goods shortages	"Cuba says it will allow foreign investors into its wholesale and retail trade for the first time in 60 years.
move is a major shift for the island nation's Communist government, and overturns a 1960s Fidel Castro policy of nationalising retail.
But Cuba is now facing its most severe economic crisis in decades, with rising prices and public discontent.
ms to tackle shortages of basic goods, like food and medicine - but stops short of fully opening trade.
Government officials said that foreign investors would be able to wholly or partially own Cuba-based wholesalers.
But retail will not be open to international investors without scrutiny, as ""a state market has to prevail"" foreign trade minister Betsy Díaz Velázquez said. 
Economy minister Alejandro Gil said the move will allow for the ""expansion and diversification of supply to the population and contribute to the recovery of domestic industry"". 
In 1969, Fidel Castro nationalised Cuba's private wholesale and retail industry. The new foreign investment bill, however, recognises that the country's centralised government cannot resolve its essential goods shortage without investment from overseas.
Under the new policy, businesses that have been based in Cuba for several years will be prioritised. Government officials said they will prioritise deals with businesses selling green energy technologies and equipment that could boost domestic production.
It added that there will be no market competition at first. 
BBC's Central America and Cuba correspondent Will Grant says the move is something hardliner revolutionaries have opposed for years and its success is by no means guaranteed. 
And Cuba's tightly state-controlled environment does not make it an attractive option for many investors, he adds. 
Some stores in the country have had to introduce rationing, to ensure consumers are able to have access to essential items, like cooking oil. 
usands of people have voiced their anger over high prices and shortages of food and medicine in protests across the country. However, unauthorised public gatherings are illegal in Cuba and many were arrested as a result.
ronavirus pandemic, lower subsidies from Venezuela and former US President Donald Trump's tight restrictions and sanctions on the island have all contributed to its economic problems.
In May, the US agreed to ease Trump-era sanctions on Cuba. Under the new measures approved by the Biden administration, restrictions on travel and how much money US residents could send back to their families in Cuba family were relaxed. 
At the time, Cuba's foreign minister welcomed the announcement, saying it marked ""a small step in the right direction""."	/news/world-latin-america-62572149
business	Port of Felixstowe: What do strikes at UK's biggest container port mean?	"Workers at Felixstowe, the UK's busiest container port, have returned to work after an eight-day strike. But what impact did the industrial action have on shipping in and out of the terminal?
Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk is a vast operation and handles almost half of the UK's container trade.
For the past eight days, hundreds of workers, who are members of the union Unite, were on strike.
BBC asked the Port of Felixstowe what impact this action had on shipping and UK supply chains, but the port declined to comment on the record.
Instead, the BBC turned to available shipping data to see if it could shed some light.
MarineTraffic is a global maritime analytics provider.
Alex Charvalias, the company's supply chain in-transit visibility lead, said: ""While the Felixstowe port is still trying to handle the congestion caused by the [previous] strike in August, it is now feeling the impact of the latest strike.""
One of the key measures used in shipping is the TEU, which is stands for twenty-foot equivalent units - the size of a standard shipping container.
He pointed to a big increase in the number of containers on ships waiting to come into port, compared to the pre-strike volume earlier in the summer.
""On 30 September, the total TEU capacity waiting 'off port limits' [just outside a port] for container ships has been the highest observed in recent months, reaching more than 65,500 TEUs,"" said Mr Charvalias. 
Between June and July, the capacity of containerships waiting off port limits was between 20,000 and 30,000 TEUs.
""The disruptions of this strike... and the new one planned from 11 to 17 October in the port of Liverpool, will unquestionably aggravate even more the congestion.""
How long are container ships having to wait in port?
MarineTraffic said the full data for the current week was not yet available.
However, during the previous eight-day strike in August, container ship in-port waits rose from between one and two days to eight days.
Do longer waits in port matter?
Possibly not, according to one person the BBC spoke to with knowledge of the port's operations.
BBC was told that because of the wider slowdown in the UK economy, retailers were not currently as dependent on getting new stock in as they had previously been.
urce said logistics managers, in the wake of the global pandemic, factored in ""expected disruption"" to their operations.
Founded as The Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company in 1875, the port has main two terminals running along the north bank of the Harwich Harbour estuary - Landguard and Trinity - and a roll on/roll off facility.
rinity has seven deep-water berths, one of Europe's longest continuous quays measuring 2.5 km (1.5 miles), 17 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, 48 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, 10 high-stacking container handlers and four top loading reach-stackers.
Berths eight and nine were built at the Landguard Terminal to accommodate the world's largest container ship, the Olympic class MSC Oscar, which can carry 19,224 TEU containers.
Each year, Felixstowe sees in about 2,000 ships, handles four million TEUs and hosts 17 different shipping lines.
But what do shipping companies do when there is industrial action at a port?
One industry insider told the BBC: ""The ships that call at Felixstowe will call at other ports as well on the way.
""So, if there is industrial action in Felixstowe, they might unload the Felixstowe cargo at another port and then reload on to the next ship.
""Shipping lines tend to prefer to delay a shipment than divert it.""
Pay is at the heart of the dispute between the port's Chinese owners Hutchison and the union Unite, which represents about 1,900 of the port's 2,500 or so workers.
rt has offered an increase of 7% plus £500 backdated to 1 January 2022. 
Unite claims with inflation currently running at about 10%, the offer is effectively a pay cut.
At the start of September, the port said negotiations had broken down and it would introduce its pay award without union agreement.
ght-day strike, which ended at 06:59 BST on Wednesday, followed another eight days of industrial action in August.
Unite said although further industrial action had not yet been called for at Felixstowe, it was ""likely"" unless the port changed its current position regarding the pay offer.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63063256
business	Frasers Group said to be close to buying Savile Row tailor - report	"Sports Direct owner Frasers Group is reported to be close to securing the purchase of Gieves & Hawkes, the historic Savile Row tailor.
Frasers Group is said to be in advanced talks to buy the 251-year-old firm, according to Sky News which first reported the news.
retail giant, which was founded by Mike Ashley, emerged as a potential buyer of Gieves & Hawkes in September.
Frasers Group would not officially comment on the report.
Gieves & Hawkes, which has its HQ at Number 1 Savile Row in London - one of the world's most famous fashion addresses - is one of the oldest bespoke tailoring companies.
But it has faced uncertainty ever since its Hong Kong-based owner collapsed into liquidation last year.
Sky News said the value of any deal was not known at this stage.
Retail billionaire Mike Ashley has been one of the High Street's most prominent and colourful figures since founding his business 40 years ago.
Mr Ashley recently stepped down from the board of Frasers Group but remains the group's controlling shareholder.
He had already handed over the running of the group to his son-in-law Michael Murray earlier this year.
Russ Mould, investment research director at AJ Bell, told the BBC's Today programme that there were two reasons Gieves & Hawkes would be an attractive purchase for Frasers Group.
""Frasers, or Sports Direct as it was, has always loved a bargain,"" he said.
""It's bought lots of businesses out of liquidation or that have gone into financial difficulty - Evans, Jack Wills, Missguided - it looks to be doing the same now again with Gieves & Hawkes.
""Secondly, Frasers was developing under Mr Ashley, and now Michael Murray, a plan to go upmarket and let's face it, a Savile row tailoring brand is pretty upmarket.""
Other troubled brands snapped up by Frasers Group in recent years include Game and Sofa.com."	/news/business-63618491
business	Japan urges 37 million people to switch off lights	"Japan's government has urged people in Tokyo and its surrounding area to use less electricity on Monday, as it warned that supplies will be strained as the country faces a heatwave.
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects demand for power to be ""severe"" this afternoon local time.
It said people should switch off unnecessary lights but still use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke.
For weeks, officials have warned of a power crunch as temperatures rise. 
Over the weekend, the temperature in central Tokyo rose above 35C, while the city of Isesaki, northwest of the capital, saw a record 40.2C. That was the highest temperature ever recorded in June for Japan.
June marks the start of summer in Japan, with temperatures typically staying below 30C during the month. 
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said that excess generating capacity for electricity was expected to drop to 3.7% on Monday afternoon in Tokyo and eight surrounding prefectures. It views a buffer of 3% as necessary for stable power supply.
government asked people to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours from 15:00 Tokyo time (07:00 BST) while ""properly using air conditioning and hydrating during hot hours"".
Although electricity providers are working to increase supply, the ministry said the situation was ""unpredictable"" as temperatures climb.
""If there is an increase in demand and sudden supply troubles, the reserve margin will fall below the minimum required of 3%,"" it said.
Japan's power supply has been tight since an earthquake in its northeastern region in March forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations.
Officials have also closed several aging fossil fuel plants in an attempt to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
ues, along with a surge in demand for electricity, have resulted in a power squeeze.
Earlier this month, the Japanese government called on households and companies to save as much electricity as possible during the summer.
Meanwhile, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that 46 people in Tokyo had been taken to hospital for suspected heatstroke, as of Sunday afternoon.
It also said a 94-year-old man in the nearby Kawagoe city was suspected to have died from the condition.
ws comes after Australian officials urged households in New South Wales - a state which includes the country's biggest city Sydney - to switch off their lights in the face of an energy crisis. Restrictions on the Australian wholesale energy market were lifted late last week.
You may also be interested in:
Why are UK energy prices so high?"	/news/business-61947315
business	Prices of pasta, tea, chips and cooking oil soar	"rice of pasta, tea, chips and cooking oil has soared, according to new data, with vegetable oil going up by 65% in a year.
Overall, the price of budget food in supermarkets rose by 17% in the year to September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It comes as a separate ONS report sheds light on the cost of living crisis.
Almost half of adults who pay energy bills and 30% paying rent or mortgages say these are difficult to afford.
Inflation - the rate at which prices are rising - is at a 40-year high.
Food prices drove the latest rise in living costs in September, along with energy bills and transport costs.
Earlier this year, anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe criticised the way that the rate of inflation was calculated stating that it ""grossly"" underestimates ""the true cost of living crisis"".
fficial inflation data measures the prices of 700 goods, but since May this year the ONS has started releasing a new data set, which measures the change in price of 30 everyday grocery items across seven supermarkets.
me it has released this data.
It found sharp increases in the price of some household staples in supermarkets. Pasta prices rose by 60% in the year to September 2022, while tea prices went up by almost 50%.
Other everyday items such as chips, bread, biscuits and milk also recorded large increases.
But some other items fell in price during the period, including orange juice and beef mince.
rise in the cost of groceries has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which has disrupted grain, oil and fertiliser supplies from the region.
For many families doing a weekly shopping trip has turned into sticker shock, that dismay you feel when you find out just how expensive products are. 
No wonder we're turning, in droves, to cheaper own label products to try to save money. The major supermarkets have been investing heavily to match the discounters, trying to keep a lid on inflation for hundreds of the cheapest, most popular, everyday staples.
But these figures show even these products are going up in price.
Some of the percentage changes are eye watering. The supply of vegetable oil, for instance, has been seriously disrupted by the war in Ukraine and the price has soared.
Rising food prices have a bigger impact on those with the lowest incomes and these figures lay bare the challenges facing Rishi Sunak over the cost of living crisis. 
""What we are seeing is that the price of low-cost goods is going up at the same rate as food across the piece with some real highlights... cooking oil and pasta, I would add tea, chips and bread to that - really going up and very, very few things going down at all,"" the chief executive of the UK Statistics Authority, Prof Sir Ian Diamond, told the BBC.
""We are really seeing that the squeeze on people who buy the lowest cost things is pretty hard at the moment.""
When asked whether things are getting worse, he said: ""I think things are tight. I think we are not seeing much of a getting worse at all but we are seeing things remaining really tight.""
Make Sense of Food Prices
Find out why food prices are also on the rise.
Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only).
How have you been affected by the rising cost of food? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
rising cost of living continues to put pressure on household budgets.
A new report by the ONS on Tuesday suggested the proportion of all adults finding it difficult to afford their energy bills, rent or mortgage payments rose during the June to September period.
Around 45% of adults who paid energy bills, and close to a third of those paying rent or mortgages said these were difficult to afford.
figures also suggested disabled people were more likely to have difficulty affording their energy bills, rent or mortgage payments.
Last week, a BBC survey also uncovered growing concern about the squeeze on finances. Some 85% of those asked are now worried about the rising cost of living, up from 69% in a similar poll in January.
In September, the government announced a new Energy Price Guarantee to limit the price that suppliers can charge for each unit of energy.
However, last week, the new chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the support - which limits a typical household bill to £2,500 - will be cut from April. It had originally been planned for two years.
Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, said the latest figures from the ONS were ""a source of alarm"".
""It's inevitable that more and more people will miss energy, rent and mortgage payments as we get further into winter and the continuing cost of living rises really start to hit more homes,"" she said.
""These figures are the tip of the iceberg and the landscape in April, when we are the other side of the coldest season, will surely look more bleak.""
A Treasury spokesperson said: ""The government's Energy Price Guarantee will save the typical household around £700 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third.
""In addition, we have provided at least an extra £1,200 of cost-of-living support to 8 million of the most vulnerable households.
""We've also reversed the rise in national insurance contributions and made changes to Universal Credit to help working households keep more of what they earn."""	/news/business-63378633
business	Rail fares in England to rise below inflation rate, ministers say	"Regulated train fares in England will rise below the rate of inflation next year to help people with the cost of living crisis, the government has said. 
Before the Covid pandemic, fares were raised in January each year, based on the retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation from the previous July. 
rmal formula is RPI plus 1%. RPI in June was 11.8% - but it is not known what next year's increase will be.
As well as being lower than RPI, the increase will be delayed until March.
ge was first reported by the Sunday Times. 
Regulated fares cover about 45% of fares, including season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long distances journeys and anytime tickets around major cities. 
June rate of RPI figure was the highest rate in more than 40 years. 
In March, England and Wales saw the steepest increase in regulated train fares since January 2013, with a rise of 3.8%.
Rail fare increases are normally introduced on the first working day of every year but have been delayed until March every year since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Fares for rail services in Northern Ireland are set by state-owned operator Translink, which does not use RPI. The Scottish government has not announced its plan for next year yet. Wales usually matches changes made in England.
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: ""The government is taking decisive action to reduce the impact inflation will have on rail fares during the cost of living crisis and will not be increasing fares as much as the July RPI figure.
""We are also again delaying the increase to March 2023, temporarily freezing fares for passengers to travel at a lower price for the entirety of January and February as we continue to take steps to help struggling households.""
mic saw a steep drop in the number of train passengers, as more people worked from home, and numbers have remained well below pre-Covid levels. 
Rail workers continue to strike over pay, with unions calling for pay increases to match the rising cost of living. 
On Saturday around 6,500 train drivers who are members of the Aslef union walked out in a dispute over pay with nine rail companies. 
More strikes are planned for the coming week, with members of the RMT and TSSA unions walking out on 18 and 20 August
Industrial action will also be taken on 19 August by London Underground and London bus drivers."	/news/business-62542538
business	Landlady gives up pub as quarterly energy bills near £30,000	"A village pub landlady has decided to give up her business after her energy bills hit nearly £30,000 a quarter.
Miranda Richardson said she would leave the Live and Let Live pub in Harpole, Northampton, after her gas bill hit more than £7,700, and her electricity bill was ""just shy of £20,000"".
She is one of many grappling with the rising costs of running businesses at a time when people are watching budgets.
Unlike households, firms are not protected by an energy price cap.
, which limits how much suppliers can raise prices, went up in April by an unprecedented £700  to £1,971 a year for a typical household. 
k of a cap for firms means ""they can't predict from one month to the next what that bill is going to look like"", said Hannah Essex, co-executive director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
Ms Richardson told the BBC's Wake Up To Money programme she loved running her pub, but that it was no longer sustainable due to her energy bills and so she will end her tenancy in August.
Her gas bill for the February, March and April in 2021, totalled just over £1,500 for the three months - £6,200 less than her current bill.
reak even following her most recent gas bill and other costs, Ms Richardson said on Twitter she would have to sell ""roughly 1,400 pints of lager"".
""If I am honest at the moment I'm just about functioning,"" she said. ""I love doing what I do… but I can't sustain it.
""I have worked as hard as I can possibly can. I will keep going until I shut the door. I do get upset about it and I do get sad but I didn't do it, this is not on me and that's the only way I can cope.""
Ms Richardson said the Live and Let Live pub was a big pub, employing six bar and waiting staff as well as a chef.
She said it was costing the business almost £5,000 per week to ""just open the doors"", which was before she had bought beer or food to sell.
""In January it was about £2,700 a week… by March, that was sitting at £3,800,"" she added.
""It's not sustainable - certainly won't be sustainable through another hike (in energy bills) in October,"" she said.
""I'm in a wonderful village, but it's a village pub and I'm tucked away. What we are up against is not a question of saying to people 'Oh come out and use it', that's not the situation now because people are dealing with their issues, their own energy problems at home. 
""When people may have come out three or four times before, that's not happening now and I fully understand why.""
Ms Essex, of the BCC, said Ms Richardson was ""not alone"".
""In some cases, [businesses are] having to sign up to variable [energy] rates and in many cases, that's wiping out their margins.""
BCC has cut its forecast for growth in business investment to 1.8% for 2022, down from a previous forecast of 3.5%. It also expects zero growth in the UK's economy over the next two quarters, and predicts it will contract by 0.2% in the final three months of the year.
It said the investment downgrade reflected ""heightened political and economic uncertainty, and rising cost pressures which are limiting smaller firms' abilities to invest"".
BCC added that its survey for business investment showed ""no sign of recovery since the start of the Covid pandemic"".  "	/news/business-61743920
business	Pubs closure warning: 'My energy bill went to £35,000 from £13,000'	"Pubs across the UK will be forced to close due to energy costs soaring by as much as 300%, brewery bosses have said.
Leaders of six of the country's largest breweries have called for ""immediate government intervention"" on sky-high energy bills this winter.
rd of one pub in Essex told the BBC that his energy costs had risen from about £13,000 a year to £35,000.
Pub owners said the energy crisis would cause ""real and serious irreversible"" damage to the industry without support.
In an open letter to the government, six pub and brewing groups - JW Lees, Carlsberg Marston's, Admiral Taverns, Drake & Morgan, Greene King and St Austell Brewery - called for urgent intervention, including a support package and a cap on the price of energy for businesses.
Rocketing energy bills come at a time when the number of pubs in England and Wales is falling, hitting the lowest level on record - 39,970 in June, according to analysis.
Simon Cleary, who runs the Plough in Great Chesterford, Essex, said his gas and electricity bills had nearly tripled to £35,000 a year. 
It means the pub now needs to generate a further £1,800 in takings per week to cover the costs. 
""It really is that bad,"" he told the BBC. ""I think it's going to be really tough unless there is intervention from the government.""
Mr Cleary said heating the pub in the winter made up the majority of his gas bill, with about 20% used for cooking food.
In a bid to try to reduce his electricity bill, the landlord has fitted LED bulbs. However, there is only so much energy he can save because fridges, freezers and the cooling system for the cellar need to be on all the time. ""You cannot turn your cellar cooling off, you need it on even in the winter.""
He added: ""Many pubs are very older buildings, few pubs have got cavity wall insulation. This pub was built in 1780. Back in those days nobody was thinking about conserving energy.""
Chris Jowsey, boss of Admiral Taverns which has 1,600 pubs, said his tenanted pubs now pay more in energy bills than they do in rent.
He told the BBC that one of his tenants told him he was leaving after 20 years due to his electricity bill going up 450% - an increase so large he couldn't pass it on to pub customers.
Mr Jowsey said Admiral was investing in energy-saving equipment for pub cellars and to control how much energy fridges use. He also said the company was ""looking very closely at a scheme to try and buy energy in bulk and to allow licensees to make use of our own scale"". 
But he said: ""Even when we went to the energy market in recent months, no-one was initially willing to supply even us, never mind an individual licensee and their pub.
""So we're trying to do everything we can,"" said Mr Jowsey. ""But frankly, this is of such a scale that even we can't support this on our own, we desperately need government intervention to help because actually the market is broken."" 
Department for Business, Energy and Industry said ""no government"" would be able to control the ""global factors pushing up the price of energy and other business costs"".
""But we will continue to support the hospitality sector in navigating the months ahead,"" a spokesman added. The government said it was providing a ""50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits and reducing employer national insurance"".
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, warned the rise in energy bills would cause more damage to the industry than the pandemic did if it didn't receive support in the next few weeks. 
government has previously said no new policies will be announced until the new prime minister is announced on 5 September.
But Mr Jowsey said: ""I find it incredible that we have to wait for one person to get elected before we actually get some decisions and some policy which will protect not just jobs, not just people's livelihoods, but also their homes - because remember most people that run pubs in this country actually live above the shop.""
Jonathan Reynolds, Labour's shadow business secretary, said businesses couldn't ""afford another day of this zombie government"", saying his party would bring down costs for small firms by cutting business rates.
Nick Mackenzie, the boss of Greene King - one of the UK's largest pub groups with over 3,100 pubs - said the company could face ""the prospect of pubs being unable to pay their bills, jobs being lost and beloved locals across the country forced to close their doors"".
He added that would mean all the support given to pubs through the pandemic to stay in businesses ""could be wasted"".
Meanwhile, William Lees Jones, of JW Lees, said the government needed to extend the energy cap to business as well as households.
He said with more fixed-price contracts coming up for renewal the ""time to act is now"".
On Friday, the energy regulator Ofgem, which sets the price cap on household bills, said it would rise by 80% in October. 
But unlike households, businesses aren't covered by a regulated energy price cap, meaning bills are even higher.
Aside from bills, breweries also highlighted a possible shortage of carbon dioxide (CO2) which is used in the production of beer.
CF Industries, the UK's largest CO2 producer, recently announced that it would temporarily stop production at one of its plants because rising energy prices made it too expensive to continue. 
Are you a publican or a brewer? Are you struggling with the rising cost of energy? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/business-62688692
business	Royal Mail strikes: Shops say don't risk buying Christmas gifts online	"People should go into stores rather than rely on online shopping if they want to get Christmas gifts on time, retailers have said, as postal strikes delay parcel deliveries.
""That's the advice we're giving,"" the boss of bookseller Waterstones said.
Shopping in store will ensure ""certainty"", the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) said.
It comes as Royal Mail staff continue strike action, in a row over pay and conditions.
Postal workers are walking out again on Thursday, marking the fourth of six strike days across the festive season.
As a result, letters and parcel deliveries are being delayed.
Many larger retailers have their own distribution networks or deals with courier firms.
But the UK's largest book chain, Waterstones, is warning customers on its website that the Royal Mail strikes are likely to result in ""some delay to our quoted delivery times"".
Its chief executive, James Daunt, told the BBC that buying books in shops is the best option given the strike disruption.
""If people want to be certain of getting deliveries in time for Christmas, they need to go into stores,"" Mr Daunt said. ""That's definitely the advice we're giving.""
Waterstones has more than 300 stores across the UK, leaving it in a very different position to those retailers who don't have a physical presence, as he acknowledged.
""I know it's easy for us to say go into shops, as we're a national retailer,"" he said.
""It's the independent retailers all over the country who will be suffering the most from this. I feel desperately sorry for them.
""For national retailers, it's more swings and roundabouts. What we lose online, we make in stores.""
Andrew Goodacre, the chair of Bira, said that if customers want to be confident of getting their Christmas gifts on time, their best bet was to go and buy them in person.
""To ensure you get your Christmas gifts on time, we are advising people to go into shops,"" Mr Goodacre told the BBC.
""We would always say that anyway as we'd always promote a healthy vibrant High Street, but when there's so much disruption, not just with postal strikes, but rail strikes too, if customers want certainty on Christmas orders, best to order online, and collect in store.""
But Mr Goodacre warned that it was a difficult situation for small retailers, many of whom will be reliant on Royal Mail to make deliveries.
He said retailers would have been hoping to maximise sales at Christmas time, and the strikes could make that harder.
""They will do their best but it's a challenge they could do without.""
Meanwhile, the Booksellers Association said the ""uncertainty"" around parcel delivery dates was likely to push people into shops to get their Christmas gifts.
""This could have the positive consequence of creating more traffic on High Streets and more footfall for bricks-and-mortar retailers,"" said Meryl Halls, managing director of the group.
""If the silver lining from the very challenging situation around Royal Mail strikes does help produce busy local High Streets this Christmas, many bookshops will be pleased to welcome the increased traffic.""
However, not all retailers are being affected by the strike.
Earlier this month, electrical goods chain Currys said it had stopped using Royal Mail for parcel deliveries due to the walkouts.
On Thursday, Currys chief executive Alex Baldock told the BBC's Today programme that its ""supply chain is in good shape"" and customers could continue to order online from the company.
worker walkouts coincide with the busiest time of year for Royal Mail when people and businesses are sending Christmas cards and presents.
Some parcel companies claim the walkouts are having a knock-on effect, and forcing them to delay next-day deliveries as people and firms seek alternative ways to send their post.
As well as holding strikes this week, 115,000 Royal Mail workers from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will also take industrial action on 23 December and Christmas Eve.
ute has been going on since the summer and like all the industrial action across rail, the NHS, teachers, border staff and driving examiners, pay is a key issue.
Many workers are seeking wage rises as the cost of living soars. The rate at which prices are rising, known as inflation, is running at nearly 11%, which remains close to a 40-year high.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said the company had made a ""best and final pay offer worth up to 9% over 18 months"". 
""Instead of working with us to agree on changes required to fund that offer and get pay into our posties' pockets, the CWU has announced plans to ballot in the New Year for further strike action.""
But a spokesman for the CWU said that Royal Mail had offered workers a 3% pay rise this year, 3% next year, and an additional 2% if employees agree to ""the absolute destruction"" of terms and conditions.
union has said the strikes are partly about the ""Uberisation"" of the postal service, including ""widespread changes... introducing Uber-style owner-drivers, mail centre closures and changes to Sunday working""."	/news/business-63970068
business	Coronavirus: China economy shrinks on zero-Covid policy	"China's economy contracted sharply in the second quarter of this year as widespread coronavirus lockdowns hit businesses and consumers.
Gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 2.6% in the three months to the end of June from the previous quarter.
Major cities across China, including the major financial and manufacturing centre Shanghai, were put into full or partial lockdowns during this period.
mes as the country continues to pursue its ""zero-Covid"" policy.
On a year-on-year basis, the world's second-largest economy expanded by 0.4% in the April-June quarter, missing expectations of 1% growth.
""Second quarter GDP growth was the worst outcome since the start of the pandemic, as lockdowns, notably in Shanghai, severely impacted activity at the start of the quarter,"" Tommy Wu, lead economist at Oxford Economics, told the BBC.
One victim of this downturn was British luxury fashion brand Burberry, which announced in a trading update on Friday that its sales in China had been badly affected.
mpany saw its Chinese sales drop by 35% in the first quarter as shoppers were forced to stay at home. However, it added that since stores reopened in China in June, its performance there has been ""encouraging"".
was reflected in official government figures for last month, which showed an improvement in the country's economic performance after many curbs were lifted.
""June data was more positive, with activity picking up after most of the lockdowns were lifted. But the real estate downturn continued to drag on growth,"" said Mr Wu.
Meanwhile, Jeff Halley, senior market analyst for Asia Pacific at trading platform Oanda, told the BBC that he also saw some bright spots in the latest economic data from China.
""GDP was worse than expected, however unemployment fell to 3.5% and retail sales outperformed impressively,"" he said.
""Financial markets are likely to concentrate on the retail figures, which appear to show the Chinese consumer in better shape than expected,"" Mr Halley added.
However, many analysts do not expect a quick economic recovery for China as the government continues with its strict zero-Covid approach to slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
untry's once-booming property market is in a deep slump and the outlook for the global economy has weakened sharply in recent months.
GDP measures the size of an economy. Gauging its expansion or contraction is one of the most important ways of measuring how well or badly an economy is performing and is closely watched by economists and central banks.
It helps businesses to judge when to expand and recruit more workers or invest less and cut their workforces.
Governments also use it to guide decisions on everything from tax to spending. It is a key gauge, along with inflation, for central banks when considering whether or not to raise or lower interest rates.
Why does China’s economy matter to you?"	/news/business-62173735
business	England women’s football team: Lionesses set to make millions from Euro triumph	"Lionesses' emotional Euro 2022 victory is expected to lead to more interest and greater investment in the women's game.
""They have changed the way women's football is viewed in this country,"" former England international and TV pundit Alex Scott told the BBC.
""The train has left the station and it is gathering pace.""
uld lead to more generous sponsorship deals, experts reckon, as well as encouraging higher wages for the top stars.
England's top earners are reported to make around £200,000 a year from club football. 
Star defender Lucy Bronze already has endorsement deals with brands such as Pepsi, EE and Visa, to add to her salary.
England's captain Leah Williamson recently agreed a deal with Italian fashion house Gucci, alongside existing agreements with Pepsi and Nike.
But that should just be the beginning for the English stars who have the example of Norway's Ada Hegerberg to aim for: Hegerberg recently landed a £1m-plus deal with Nike.
Average wages in the Women's Super League are estimated at around £47,000, with some players reportedly earning as little as £20,000 a year.
But the Lionesses' success could help wages to rise closer to the likes of European giants Lyon, which is believed to hand its top players €500,000 (£420,000) per season.
When Chloe Kelly ditched her shirt after scoring England's winning goal in Sunday's Euro 2022 final, she replicated what up until then had been the defining moment for the women's game.
US defender Brandi Chastain removed her top after scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 Women's World Cup.
move became the sport's iconic image and netted the player an estimated $2m Nike sponsorship deal.
In beating Germany, England's Lionesses have created a fresh defining moment for women's football and the impact on the wider women's game is set to be enormous.
Sunday's triumph in front of a record attendance indicates that women's football has captured the hearts of fans, and has also caught the attention of businesses now keen to be associated with the game.
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said the victory would have an enduring impact. 
""I think it will really turbo charge everything we have been doing in the women's game,"" he told BBC Breakfast.
""There is no reason why we shouldn't have the same number of girls playing as boys and it will inspire a whole new generation of players.""
Euro 2022 marked the first time that sponsorship was offered just for the women's tournament, rather than deals being bundled with the men's tournament as in the past. Analysts at Neilsen Sports estimate that decision was a financially astute one.
Attracting big names such as Visa, Heineken, Lego and Pepsi has helped increase organiser Uefa's revenue stream by £25-£33m per year, they say.
Other tournament sponsors include Booking.com, Euronics, Grifols, Hisense, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Volkswagen, Adidas, Hublot, Nike, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pandora, Starling Bank and Gillette Venus.
""We're now seeing the results of the FA and Uefa investing in, and backing, women's football over a number of years, and it's bearing very strong results,"" said Lynsey Douglas, global lead, women's sports at Neilsen.
uld help the women's grassroots game but also help raise the profile of other women's sports.
Women's rugby and cricket has been pushed into the public eye in the Commonwealth Games, for instance, offering more interesting sponsorship opportunities for brands.
Increasing numbers of television viewers have helped improve the Lionesses' marketability.
Sunday's final recorded a peak TV audience of 17.4 million, a record for a women's football match in the UK.
""Viewership normally determines the magnitude of sponsorship and endorsement deals, so this tournament will be a catalyst for a business revolution in the women's game,"" said marketing expert Andrew Bloch, who has worked with the likes of Nike, Pepsi, Puma, Adidas and EA Games. 
With the Lionesses becoming household names, their marketing value will rocket, said Lisa Parfitt, co-founder of sports marketing agency The Space Between.
But women's sport can prove to be a more attractive proposition than men's sport, she said.
""The Lionesses have provided the perfect shop window for brands looking for potential for sponsorship in their marketing campaigns,"" she said.
It's more affordable than men's sponsorship but the value is different, she pointed out. ""Women's football has enormous reach, but women's sport fans are for more likely to be an advocate for a brand's sponsors, and far more likely to buy those brands' products.""
In short, she reckons sponsoring women's sport can offer much better value.
Data from Neilsen Fan Insights backs that up by revealing that fans of women's football are more gender balanced and younger than fans of men's football - an attractive combination for brands.
""There's been much talk over the years about watershed moments for women's sport, but there is no doubt we are truly experiencing one at the moment,"" said Annie Panter, who played in Team GB's medal-winning London 2012 hockey team, but is now managing director at sports marketing agency Two Circles.
She said much of the previous sponsorship in women's football has been down to companies wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing to meet corporate social responsibility targets.
Lionesses' success means ""women's football now represents a powerful purpose-led sponsorship platform that generates genuine commercial return on investment for a brand.""
Natalie Quail, chief marketing officer at oral cosmetics firm SmileTime said the success has helped persuade brands like hers to engage with female football stars.
""We are now actively interested in sponsoring the sport because ultimately that's where we're seeing an emerging interest trending with our majority female customer base,"" she said.
She predicted the likes of rapid-growth e-commerce brands such as Gymshark, Pretty Little Thing and Asos ""will be looking to do the same"".
""More and more brands - at least the savvy ones - are recognising the commercial value of women's football,"" said Eric Fulwiler, chief executive of marketing consultancy Rival. 
""It's underpriced compared to men's football and the current success of the Lionesses will help start to close the commercial gap with the men.""
Alessia Russo's back-heel against Sweden and the nature of the win against Germany has helped women's sport finally get recognition for the quality of performances.
But the disparity between male and female earnings still has a long way to go.
Lionesses have been reported to be earning a £55,000 bonus per player for winning the tournament.
£1.3m handout to the squad would be much lower than the bonus of £5m that England's men had been reported to have received if they had won last summer's Euros.
""To truly capitalise on this competition's legacy from a commercial investment perspective we need to ensure that we translate audiences to domestic leagues, like the WSL, and to the Uefa Women's Champions League to create sustained growth in fandom,"" said Annie Panter."	/news/business-62320684
business	Robot supermarket delivery trial in Cambridgeshire	"More supermarket delivery robots will be taking to the streets in a pilot in a new village in Cambridgeshire.
unty council and Starship Technologies have formed a delivery partnership with the Co-op.
It will see 12,000 residents of 5,000 homes in Cambourne able to receive goods by robots. 
roject is part of the council's environmental policy to try to reduce short car journeys and improve air quality.
firm behind the robots said in an average delivery journey they used energy equivalent to that needed for a kettle to boil a cup of water.
robots have already been operating in Northampton and Milton Keynes. 
Cambridgeshire pilot will see households able to order from the Co-op in Mosquito Road in Upper Cambourne, and then wait for their delivery.
If the project is successful, Starship has signalled its intention to expand across the county and use more suppliers, the council said. 
Alex Beckett, chairman of the council's highways and transport committee, said the venture had ""the potential to make life easier for thousands of residents while also reducing congestion"". 
Starship said its robots were powered by zero carbon electricity, and were ""advanced autonomous devices"" that could carry items over short distances without needing a driver. 
robots were lightweight and could travel at human walking pace - no faster than 4mph (6km/h). 
use a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning to travel on pavements and navigate around obstacles, while computer vision-based navigation helps them map their environment to the nearest inch.
Andrew Curtis, UK operations manager at Starship Technologies, said it had received ""extremely positive feedback from people using the service in Milton Keynes and Northampton and was hoping to ""expand the scope of this initial project"".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-61471989
business	Rail strikes will drive passengers away, Grant Shapps says	"rain strikes will drive passengers away and threaten rather than protect rail workers' jobs, Grant Shapps says.
ransport secretary urged unions to call off next week's strikes, with thousands of workers set to walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June.
RMT union announced the strike action last week after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.
Passengers have been advised not to travel on trains unless necessary during the strikes.
But season ticket holders ""will be able to claim full compensation on strike days"", Mr Shapps said in a speech at a train depot in north London.
Network Rail said if strikes go ahead about half of all rail lines will be closed, with only a fifth of services running across Britain.
rvices that run will start and finish earlier, from 07:30 to 18:30, and some places will have no trains at all.
ming of these rail strikes were ""designed to inflict damage at the worst possible time"", Mr Shapps said.
He said the walkouts would cause ""misery"" for groups including workers, those heading to Glastonbury festival, and students sitting the 17 public exams over the strike period.
Mr Shapps said commuters, who three years ago may have had no alternative but to take the train, now have other options like Zoom meetings.
""Wave them goodbye, and it will endanger the jobs of thousands of rail workers,"" he said.
He added that unions were ""alienating"" passengers and freight customers with ""long and damaging strikes"".
rikes were not about a pay freeze as union bosses claimed, he said, because if the railways can make more money through reform, wages will go up.
Addressing rail workers, Mr Shapps said: ""Your union bosses have driven you to the verge of a national strike under false pretences. And rather than protect your jobs, they are actually threatening your jobs.""
ransport secretary was asked repeatedly why he could not meet with the unions and Network Rail, to try and avert next week's strikes.
In response, Mr Shapps said ""I can't settle this"", adding that ""it is for employers to negotiate pay"" and ""they set the terms and contracts"". 
Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, accused Mr Shapps of making ""disgraceful"" threats to railway workers' livelihoods and their right to strike. 
He called on the transport secretary to meet with unions to help reach a negotiated settlement. 
How will you be affected by the rail strikes?
Earlier, Tim Shoveller, Network Rail lead on the talks with the RMT, said he did not think the government could help with the situation.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ""The biggest thing we need to do with unions is work out between ourselves how we make the railway more efficient.""
He said this included ""how we use our people more wisely, so we run the railways even more safely than we do now, making better jobs, then providing that opportunity to reduce costs - that's the only solution.""
More than 40,000 RMT union members from Network Rail and 13 train firms plan to walk out on three days next week.
On the first day of the planned strike on 21 June, London Underground RMT workers plan to walk out in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses.
RMT union has claimed Network Rail plans to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, with the proposed job cuts including workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines.
It also said train operators had been subject to pay freezes and changes to their terms and conditions.
rail industry is under pressure to save money due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Network Rail has said it wants to modernise working practices.
It estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 fewer staff would be needed, but insists this could be achieved through voluntary means."	/news/business-61825019
business	Bain consultancy banned from government work over 'misconduct'	"Management consultancy Bain has been banned from government contracts for three years over its involvement in a South African corruption scandal.
government cited ""grave professional misconduct"" for the move.
firm said it was ""disappointed and surprised"" by the decision but acknowledged it had made ""mistakes"". 
move follows a probe into allegations of widespread corruption during South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma nine years in power.
former president has been accused of placing the interests of corrupt associates ahead of those of his country, in a type of corruption known as ""state capture"".
In the South African government's investigation, Bain was found to have had links with corruption in the country as part of its work for the national tax agency.
2018-2022 South African Government Commission, called the Zondo commission, after Raymond Zondo, who currently serves as Chief Justice of South Africa, concluded Bain acted ""unlawfully"" and, along with other private sector companies, colluded in ""the clearest example of state capture"". 
Bain was accused of undermining the South African Revenue Service (Sars) through consultancy work that allegedly benefited Mr Zuma's allies.  
A spokesperson from the Cabinet Office said that after reviewing Bain's role and taking account of the ""evidence and conclusions of the South African Government Commission"", the Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg, considered Bain to be ""guilty of grave professional misconduct"".
""This decision has been taken in light of Bain's responsibility as a global brand for its South Africa division and the company's failure to clarify the facts and circumstances of its involvement,"" the spokesperson added. 
Bain said it had ""apologised for the mistakes"" its South African office made in its work with Sars and that it had repaid all fees from the work, with interest, in 2018. 
But the management consultancy said it had not acted illegally at Sars or elsewhere ""and no evidence to the contrary has been put forward.""
Labour peer and veteran anti-apartheid campaigner Peter Hain said he believed that the alleged role Bain played in assisting the damaging of Sars, was ""sufficient for precluding Bain from engaging in work at public institutions"". 
US-based firm has been awarded UK government contracts worth up to £63m since 2018 and London is its second-largest office.  
Lord Hain said he was pleased by the decision.
Global corporates like Bain, he said, had to ""feel the pain for the consequences"" of their behaviour in South Africa's ""state capture and corruption scandal"" under former President Zuma. 
""Otherwise other corporates will be tempted to do the same,"" Lord Hain told the BBC. 
In a speech to the House of Lords last month, Lord Hain, under parliamentary privilege, said Bain had ""brazenly assisted"" Mr Zuma to organise his decade of ""shameless looting and corruption"". Lord Hain said the firm had earned fees estimated at £100m from state institutions during this period. 
""Bain used its expertise, not to enhance the functioning of a world-renowned tax authority as Sars was acknowledged, but to disable its ability to collect tax and pursue tax evaders, all in the service of their corrupt paymasters."" 
""The very company who possessed the expertise to bolster South Africa's defences against the ravages of state capture, in fact weakened these defences and profited from it,"" Lord Hain added. 
After raising the issue with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Lord Hain received a letter from his office in January affirming that the Cabinet Office had been asked to ""look into this matter with urgency"". 
In another letter also seen by the BBC, the American Ambassador in London promised to share Lord Hain's concerns with relevant parties in Washington. 
Athol Williams, a South African whistleblower formerly employed by Bain, testified at the Zondo Commission's state inquiry into corruption allegations and left the country saying he feared for his life. 
In response to the decision, Mr Williams, a former ethics lecturer at the University of Cape Town, said that this external confirmation of Bain's misconduct ""raises the urgency of the Zondo Commission's recommendation that all Bain's public sector contracts be investigated with a view to prosecution"". 
""SA has taken a big step forward today in our fight against corruption, state capture and predatory companies, a fight that I consider our new liberation struggle."" "	/news/business-62408116
business	Toyota recalls electric cars over concerns about loose wheels	"Motor industry giant Toyota is recalling 2,700 of its first mass-produced all-electric vehicles over concerns their wheels may fall off.
A spokesperson told the BBC that bolts on the bZ4X's wheels ""can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle"" after ""low-mileage use"".
recall comes less than two months after the car was launched in Japan.
Car maker Subaru also says that for the same reason it will recall 403 electric cars it developed with Toyota.
On Friday, Toyota said in a statement that it had issued a safety recall for 2,700 bZ4X SUVs in the US, Europe, Canada and Japan.
""If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,"" a spokesperson said.
""No one should drive these vehicles until the remedy is performed,"" they added.
BBC understands that some bZ4X models have not been recalled. However, a Toyota spokesperson declined to comment on how many of the vehicle the company had manufactured.
fied Japanese safety regulators about the defect on Thursday and the cause of the issue was ""still under investigation"".
Another Japanese car manufacturer, Subaru also said it was recalling 403 of the Solterra, its first all-electric car jointly developed with Toyota, because of concerns over loose bolts. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
wed as a relative latecomer to the electric vehicle market, as compared to rival manufacturers like Tesla, which launched its first electric car 14 years ago.
It launched the bZ4X in Japan last month. The car was only available on lease ""to eliminate customer concerns regarding residual battery performance, maintenance and residual value,"" Toyota said earlier this year.
week, the company said it would cut the number of vehicles it plans to produce next month by 50,000 to 800,000 because of a shortage of computer chips and supply disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Although Toyota currently aims to manufacture a total of 9.7m vehicles around the world this year, it has signalled that it may be forced to lower that number.
You may also be interested in:
Electric cars are said to be the future, but are we quite there yet?"	/news/business-61919424
business	Dunstable town centre £7m revamp finished after years of work	"mpletion of a three-year £7m project to improve a town centre will entice more investors into a market town, a local planner said.
Ian Dalgarno, from Central Bedfordshire Council, said the work in Dunstable meant it now looked ""more attractive"".
It included adding large plant pots and the removal of street furniture.
Passer-by Adam Lanford said it was ""a complete waste of money"", but Julia Wheatley thought ""it's looking pretty good"".
Work started in September 2018 to widen the pavement and remove ""clutter"" from the street - like railings and signs - and replace them with trees and foliage.
It also included the introduction of rain gardens, that soak up water, hold it in storage tanks underneath and release it back into the sewer system.
It was completed in May, with just a few ""finishing touches and minor snagging"" issues to be completed, Mr Dalgarno, the Conservative executive councillor for community services, said.
""As well as improving the ambiance of the area, it was also an engineering aspect."" 
""joined up project"" was funded by the government's Homes England scheme, National Highways, South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), the Local Growth Fund, and Anglian Water.
BBC spoke to people in the town centre to get their views.
Anthony Smith, joint-owner of Allframe art gallery on the High Street, said the work was a step in the right direction, although it did take a very long time.
""It definitely looks better, I think the large rust plant pots look quite pleasant, but if it will increase trade, that depends,"" he said.
""More needs to be done to entice more people in, like sorting out the car parking charges.""
Ms Wheatley, who lives and works in the town, said: ""All the pavements look decent and the pots and planting around the town is looking pretty good. 
""The traffic is actually moving much better a lot of the time with the new lights and there are some lovely little independent shops and food places around.
""We need to use what's here so we don't lose them too.""
Ophelia Lynch, in a post on the Don't Let Dunstable Die Facebook group, said: ""The car lane layouts are beyond ridiculous, it causes more traffic.
""The rust pots, as big and pointless as they are, could have been a nicer colour.""
She added that she missed the old Welcome to Dunstable signs, as she hated the new ones. 
In another comment, Deb Swinney said at first she did not like the new pots but ""they've grown on me"".
""I think the general High Street area looks much more open and welcoming without all the rails, and the pavement improvements are good.""
Mr Langford said: ""A complete waste of money, especially the traffic light changes in the centre - whoever thought that was a good idea clearly hasn't tried to use them.""
A founders of the Facebook group, Sharon Warboys and Sharon Knott said they thought most of the improvements were ""positive"". 
""The trees and flowers look wonderful and the new information boards are an improvement, the rustic flower pots will improve as the foliage matures,"" they said.
""The diagonal crossing is an improvement that allows people to walk from Church Street to West Street. 
""The negative is the road layout at the crossroads; they have reduced the lanes on some approaches.""
Mr Dalgarno said: ""We believe the work will bring more visitors and investors in, they will come into the town centre and feel like it's a town centre.
""It's to entice investors who will hopefully see Dunstable as a great place to live and work. 
""If you're looking to open a business, the investment that's gone in makes it a very attractive place to shop and visit. 
""Traffic doesn't dominate the main High Street anymore, it feels like we've given it back to the community.""
uncil said its Dunstable High Street Fun Day, taking place on Saturday, 16 July, at Middle Row Markets, from 10:00 BST, was being held to thank everyone for their patience during the works.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61996825
entertainment	Eurovision: Bulgaria is latest country to pull out of Liverpool song contest	"Bulgaria has become the latest country to say it will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Broadcasters from North Macedonia and Montenegro had already confirmed they would not be taking part in 2023 because of the increased entry fee.
BBC News has been told countries have been asked to pay more to make up for the money lost following Russia's ban.
EBU - which organises the contest - has now confirmed the list of 37 participants for the 2023 competition. 
How much each participating broadcaster pays to enter is not made public, but the total cost between all entrants normally adds up to around £5m - with the host paying a further sum.
Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro all failed to make it past the semi-final stage of this year's song contest.
BBC is expected to spend between £8m and £17m to stage the event next May, on behalf of Ukraine, who won this year's show. 
Liverpool was chosen as the host city partly because of its ""cultural offer that puts Ukraine at the heart"" of next year's event, the BBC said.
Russia used to be a significant financial contributor to the production, but it was expelled from competing following its invasion of Ukraine.
Organisers told BBC News: ""The EBU is committed to keeping the costs of taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest as affordable as possible. 
""Each participating broadcaster pays a fee which is calculated based on the number of countries competing in that year's show and their overall contribution to membership of the EBU.
""Annual membership fees and subscriptions are calculated according to factors that take into account the member's relative size and financial status."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63328046
entertainment	Coventry pays tribute to Terry Hall of The Specials	"ributes have been paid to ska legend Terry Hall, with calls for a permanent memorial in Coventry, where he was born.
Specials front man, who died on Monday, grew up in the city, where the band formed in the late 1970s.
wo Tone music movement he helped pioneer is embedded in Coventry's musical heritage. 
Overhead gantries on the city's ring road were changed to read ""too much, too young, RIP Terry Hall"".
""Thank you for the memories"", was also posted on a promotional sign outside music venue HMV Empire.
Singer-songwriter Hall lived in Hillfields and went to Sidney Stringer school before joining The Specials in 1977.
Phil Rooney, HMV Empire manager, said there should be a permanent tribute to hall in the city, such as a statue.
""Terry was a very important part of Coventry's music history, world music history possibly,"" he added. ""I think we genuinely need to have a Specials day in Coventry, they have one in LA.""
""I saw your Terry Hall message on the ring road yesterday and it gave me a tear in my eye,"" wrote one Facebook user in response to the city council's post about the gantries. ""Beautiful touch to our Cov kid,"" said another.
Bandmate Horace Panter confirmed his friend had been diagnosed with cancer shortly before his death - with pancreatic cancer spreading to his liver.
Dean of Coventry Cathedral, the Very Reverend John Witcombe, said he had ""such warm memories of Terry"" from the band's homecoming gigs in the Cathedral ruins three years ago.
A tribute on the cathedral's Facebook page said the shows captured ""the very essence of Coventry, and will not be forgotten"".
John Dawkins, manager of Tom Grennan, tweeted that the Coventry City team should wear its Two Tone kit for tonight's fixture against West Brom as a sign of respect to the ""icon"".
m responded to say it was unable to wear the kit, but would be playing music from The Specials and putting pictures on the big screen at Wednesday's game against West Brom.
""I always talk [to my artists] about trying to affect popular culture in a positive way and I don't think anyone's done it quite as well as Terry has,"" he said. 
Pete Chambers from Coventry Music Museum, meanwhile, described Hall as ""unique"".
""There wouldn't be a Coventry Music Museum if we didn't have The Specials and the Two Tone movement in the city,"" he said. ""The Two Tone movement really resonated and still does to this day and Terry was a huge part of that.""
Coventry's Lord Mayor Councillor Kevin Maton called Hall a ""true Coventrian"".
""Not only was he a talented songwriter and inspiring performer who undertook a number of musical projects, he was a leading light for many in the fight for equality and justice,"" he said.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64050287
entertainment	Music therapy: Writing music brought the joy back after amputation	"m and Lucie, who started making music online during lockdown, now meet regularly in a studio
A man left with serious injuries after trying to take his life has said a music therapist helped give him a reason to live again.
m, 55, from Cardiff suffered brain injuries in 2020.
He is now partially sighted, his left arm was amputated just below his shoulder and he is now a full time wheelchair user.
While in a rehabilitation unit he was introduced to a music therapist and his life changed.
m said he was nervous about working with Lucie Phillips, from the music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins, but soon rediscovered his love of music.
""I didn't know what to think, but once I'd tried it out - and Lucie was so good with me, it was easy,"" he said.
""I was buzzing. Every week I'd be thinking, come on Wednesday, come on Wednesday, because I couldn't wait to do it again.
""It has brought a bit of joy, yeah because losing my arm, being a guitar player was horrendous, it's horrendous to be honest with you, I don't know how to describe it, but we move on we live on.""
Covid restrictions meant the two could not meet in person so they worked online to create music.
""It took a few weeks to write, little by little, but it was really good, Lucie was really patient with me,"" he added.
On Wednesday the pair recorded two songs written and composed by Tim called Computer Music and Pretty in Pink. 
He sings and uses a computer.
racks were recorded at the Shabbey Road recording studio in Caerphilly.
""There's no better feeling than creating music you know. I realised how much I missed it,"" said Tim.
Lucie remembers the first time she connected with Tim online.
""He was in a really difficult place when I first met him,"" she said.
""He was on a neuro rehabilitation ward and he'd been referred onto music therapy.
""He was feeling pretty low and they knew that he was a musician and wondered if music therapy might be able to help.
""As music therapists we're there to bring the wonders of music to people who aren't able to access music and use it for themselves when they're going through particular traumas in their lives.""
Lucie said Tim has  ""an amazingly eclectic taste in music"".
""We got to know each other through the songs Tim knows and loves from Roy Orbison, The Beatles, Black Sabbath and many more and many songs,"" she said.
""Then eventually we got onto song writing.
""We were using Zoom and were having to be incredibly patient with each other.
""Both being musicians we knew how frustrating it was not to be able to make music exactly at the same time. It's not easy, so hats off to Tim for persevering.""
week was the first time Tim and Lucie had met in person.
Lucie said Tim is very different to the man she first talked to in the rehabilitation unit.
""I think Tim is a more confident Tim now,"" she said. 
""I think Tim has processed what has happened to him and I think he has perhaps made some peace with that.
""It has been quite a nerve wracking journey meeting up and rehearsing and then recording… especially after not working together for such a long time, but Tim has absolutely risen to the challenge."""	/news/uk-wales-63487468
entertainment	How Gangsta's Paradise changed the course of hip-hop	"When Coolio first heard the demo that became Gangsta's Paradise, he had the same reaction as the rest of us.
""I was like, 'Damn, I really like this song.'""
Pennsylvania-born, Compton-raised rapper was at his manager's house in 1995 to pick up a cheque, when he noticed producer Doug Rasheed messing around with the song in another room.
""So I went to Doug said, 'Yo! What's this?'"" 
""He said, 'It's just a song we're working on', 
""And immediately I said, 'It's mine'. Just like that. 
""I freestyled the whole first line, then I sat down, I picked up a pen and I started to write."" 
Released in August 1995, and boosted by a memorable video starring Michelle Pfeiffer, the song immediately ruled the airwaves. 
urching stings, the other-worldly choir, and that soaring hook, combined with Coolio's distinctive, confessional storytelling, made it an instant classic.
It was the first ""serious"" rap song to top the UK and US charts, opening the door for acts like 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G, who, until that point, had been considered too abrasive for the mainstream. 
And its appeal has never lessened. The biggest-selling single of 1995 in America, Gangsta's Paradise has now been streamed more than one billion times on both Spotify and YouTube. 
""I thought it was going to be a hood record,"" he told The Voice in 2017. ""I never thought it would crossover the way that it did - to all ages, races, genres, countries and generations.""
And yet... Gangsta's Paradise faced several hurdles on its way to the top. Here's how it unfolded...
Coolio was born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr in Pennsylvania, and moved to Compton in South Central LA as a boy. Suffering from chronic asthma, he became a bookworm and excelled at school.
""I lived in that library, man,"" he told Rolling Stone, while visiting his old neighbourhood in 1995. ""I read every kid's book they had in there. I even read Judy Blume.""
ged when he turned 11 and his parents divorced. Seeking a way to fit in, he fell into the gangster lifestyle and adopted a menacing, street-tough persona. A few years later, he was busted for bringing a weapon into school. Before he turned 20, he had served time behind bars for larceny.
Later, Coolio studied at Compton Community College and discovered rap. He took his stage name, Coolio Iglesias, from Latin heartthrob from Julio Iglesias, and released a few singles on the local scene, but drug abuse derailed his career.
In his 20s he moved to San Jose to live with his father, while working as a firefighter; and later credited Christianity for helping him overcome his addiction to crack.
Still enamoured with rap, he made a guest appearance on WC and the Maad Circle's 1991 debut album, Ain't a Damn Thang Changed; then joined a collective called the 40 Thevz before signing a solo deal with Tommy Boy records - the influential label that played home to De La Soul, Naughty By Nature and House Of Pain.
His first album, It Takes a Thief, arrived in 1994, and was praised for its combination of funky grooves and socially-conscious lyrics. The musician's message was exemplified by the ""hilarious"" video for Fantastic Voyage, said Source magazine.
""As the Lakeside groove carries you along, Coolio piles about six milion people into the trunk of his '64 and takes them to a magical land where race, poverty, gangs and sexual orientation don't matter and everybody was cool.""
Hip-hop's gatekeepers were not interested in such idealism. Ivey's anti-violence, pro-acceptance stance somehow made him ""soft"". He earned the unwelcome nickname ""Un-Coolio"".
But then came Gangsta's Paradise.
One day, Doug Rasheed pulled out his copy of Stevie Wonder's 1976 double-album Songs In The Key Of Life and cut a sample from Pastime Paradise, a bleak and anxious track that was one of the first songs to replace an orchestra with synthesized strings.
Rasheed added a crunching beat and a menacing synth bass, then took the track to singer Larry ""LV"" Sanders, who laid down a vocal for the chorus.
""I came in singing 'Pastime Paradise,' but then I changed it up to 'Gangsta's Paradise,'"" he told Rolling Stone for an oral history of the song in 2015. 
""I did my parts, all the vocals and the chorus, and I did the choir. That whole choir that you hear was actually me - I did all the parts from soprano down to tenor to the bass.""
LV wanted a rapper to appear on the track, and offered it to his friend Prodeje, who declined. Then Coolio overheard it.
Mesmerised, he started writing lyrics straight away. The opening lyric, which riffs on Psalm 23, came to him instantly: ""As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/I take a look at my life and realise there's not much left.""
""I freestyled the whole first line, then I sat down, I picked up a pen and I started to write,"" he told the YouTube series Hot Ones in 2016.
""It was divine intervention. I was an instrument and the song was the entity. It wrote itself.""
Coolio was 30 at the time the song was written, but the narrator is 23 and he doesn't know if he'll live to see 24. He was ""raised by the street"", immersed a life of crime and retribution. If anyone crosses him, they'll end up ""lined in chalk"". 
But the story never glorifies the gangster lifestyle. The narrator prays every night, aware that he's trapped. In the final verse, he accuses the system of letting him down.
""They say I gotta learn, but nobody's here to teach me / If they can't understand it, how can they reach me?""
It's a bleak story. One that could only have been told with the perspective Coolio gained from his teenage years. And the rapper bristled when his song was lumped in with the so-called ""gangster rap"" scene.
""I'm trying to get rid of that jacket that's been put on my back - that I'm a gangsta rapper,"" he said in 1995. ""That's not my thing.
""My thing is to be true to myself and try to educate and entertain kids. When I make references [to the gangster lifestyle], I'm trying to get kids' attention using language they want to hear.
""Then I can take them to a deeper level. I'm just trying to get a better understanding of myself and a better understanding of other people.""
Gangsta's Paradise was a stark departure from the feel-good funk of Coolio's first album and, at first, his record label weren't sure what to make of it. 
""I called my A&R at Tommy Boy Records, and I played it for him. He said, 'It sounds pretty good - I think it would make a good album cut.' Those were his exact words!""
Incensed, the star's manager decided to shop the song around to movie studios. It nearly ended up on the soundtrack to the Will Smith film Bad Boys, but was eventually placed in the Disney movie Dangerous Minds - the true story of a former Marine who turns around a troubled inner-city high school by teaching them poetry and Bob Dylan lyrics.
A lukewarm retread of Dead Poets Society, it was allegedly testing badly with audiences until Coolio's song started getting played on MTV. The video, like the film, starred Michelle Pfeiffer, who went face-to-face with Coolio as a camera spun around them.
""She was real nice,"" Coolio told Kiss FM's Rap show at the time. ""She brought her son down to the shoot with her and she was cool. We had no problems.""
He was less enamoured with the movie itself, though.
""I hate those kinds of movies where, you know, the great white hope comes into the inner-city neighbourhood and saves the little children - 'Ooh la la, hey Santa Claus!' or whatever, all those kinds of things put it in play,"" he told Yahoo two years ago. ""Those kinds of moments happen very few and far between. It's not that many people that care about each other [in real life].""
According to Rolling Stone's oral history, the producers of Dangerous Minds, Coolio was paid $100,000 (£92,000) for Gangsta's Paradise. There was only one problem: Stevie Wonder hadn't cleared the sample.
""When Stevie heard it, he was like, ""No, no way. I'm not letting my song be used in some gangster song,'"" the star recalled. 
Luckily, Coolio's then-wife Josefa Salinas, knew Wonder's brother. ""I guess he had been trying to tap that for years,"" he joked in the Rolling Stone article. 
""She made a call to him, got a meeting with Stevie and talked him into it. His only stipulation was that I had to take the curse words out.""
undoubtedly changed Coolio's life. A profane version of Gangsta's Paradise would never have been played on pop radio, or entered heavy rotation on MTV. 
When it hit number one, it opened up new possibilities for hip-hop... although, to some, it marked the end of an era.
""America suddenly realised it could sell non-party rap to Brit panty-waists, and that's exactly what it's done ever since,"" wrote music journalist Garry Mulholland in his book This Is Uncool: The 500 Greatest Singles Since Punk And Disco.
""In many ways, Gangsta's Paradise signalled the end of gangsta, or 'reality' rap as a cult. It lost the allure of the forbidden when you mum started singing along.""
Coolio was ambivalent about the song too, often lamenting how its success overshadowed his other work.
""It's a blessing and a curse at the same time,"" he said. ""For people that really like Gangsta's Paradise, that's all they really want to hear.""
In recent years, however, the musician came to appreciate the song's legacy, and his role in hip-hop history.
""People would kill to take my place,"" he said in 2018. 
""I'm sure after I'm long gone from this planet, and from this dimension, people will come back and study my body of work.""
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63074469
entertainment	Christine McVie: The songbird behind some of Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits	"Christine McVie, who has died at the age of 79, was an integral member of the complicated cast of characters who made up one of the greatest bands ever.
In 1970, Fleetwood Mac were fading as a blues-rock force, their leader Peter Green having left after an LSD-induced decline, when the remaining members decamped to a country house to try to find a new direction.
Christine McVie had already given up her own career as a singer and keyboardist after realising she would hardly see her husband, Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, if they were in different bands.
But a few days before they were due to set out on a US tour, Fleetwood Mac ""suddenly felt they needed another instrument to fill out the sound"", she later explained.
""And there I was - sitting around doing next to nothing, and knowing all the songs back to front because I'd been watching them rehearsing for the past three months.""
So drummer Mick Fleetwood said the band asked her to join the tour as they were ""walking out of the door"".
""I didn't think twice when they asked me,"" she said. ""I just said, 'Yes please.'""
was the start of Christine McVie's official role in Fleetwood Mac, and the beginning of the new direction the band were looking for.
f McVie's soulful vocals, her keyboard and piano playing, and her gift for writing timeless pop songs, set them on course for era-defining, stadium-filling success - albeit via legendarily messy personal relationships, and drink and drug excess.
Christine Perfect was born in Cumbria in 1943, her father a concert violinist and music teacher, and her mother a psychic healer.
As the sixties started swinging, she went to art college and started performing with bands, eventually falling in with blues group Chicken Shack. Her style never totally fitted with the group's more raucous sound, but the subtler songs she fronted ended up finding the greatest commercial success.
Her cover of Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind went into the top 20, and Melody Maker readers voted her best female vocalist in both 1969 and 70. She released a solo album too, but couldn't stand life as a solo artist.
Meanwhile, after Chicken Shack supported Fleetwood Mac on tour, Perfect fell in love with John McVie, and they married in 1968. She declared she was retiring to become a housewife.
was until Fleetwood Mac invited her on tour, and she became a full member. Fleetwood encouraged her songwriting, with her pop-friendly sound gradually becoming more prominent as the group went through more line-up changes and a string of album releases - although most were still not hits.
removed for rights reasons
relocated to Los Angeles in 1974, initially planning to be there for a few months to make a fresh start. The group invited a US singer and guitarist called Lindsey Buckingham to join. He said yes - but only if his girlfriend, singer Stevie Nicks, could join too. The classic Fleetwood Mac line-up was born.
Christine McVie recalled: ""I think that I upped my game. I started writing obsessively. I just felt that I had to do justice to these two great musicians.""
rio complemented each other superbly and all contributed songs to their 1975 self-titled album, which went to number one in the US. 
me their artistic and commercial peak, 1977's Rumours. ""When Rumours happened, we just knew we'd got something really really good on our hands,"" McVie said.
Almost every song on the album was good enough to have been the highlight of any other LP. McVie's tracks included Don't Stop, Songbird and You Make Loving Fun, which showcased her ability to craft sublime choruses and lyrics that were disarmingly simple but always sincere.
Few people could have written and sung lyrics so seemingly soppy as ""I love you, I love you, I love you like never before"", as she did on Songbird, and sounded like they meant them so deeply.
But her songs were never so straightforward to be cliched. ""That's the trick about writing a love song,"" she said. ""You can't just go, 'I love you, you love me, where are you, I miss you.' There always has to be a bit of a twist.""
Songbird came to her in just half an hour in the middle of the night, she said.
""I literally woke up in the night and the song was there in my head, and I didn't have anything to record it on. I had a piano but no tape recorder or any method of recording it at all.
""So I had to stay awake all night and keep playing it over so I didn't forget it. Then I phoned up the studio at nine and I said, I've got to come in and put this on a two-track.""
Her problems sleeping were fuelled by drink and drugs, she admitted. ""I don't know if I would have written Songbird had I not had a couple of toots of cocaine and a half a bottle of champagne. Or written any of the songs that were on that album, because I think we were all pretty loaded.""
According to Fleetwood's autobiography, Rumours was written and recorded with ""white powder peeling off the wall in every room of the studio"".
McVie, though, claimed she ""was probably the most restrained of the lot"" when it came to drugs.
Personal frictions also provided fuel for their songwriting, but turned band relations into a minefield. She was divorcing John and started a relationship with their lighting director, while Buckingham and Nicks were also going through a bitter break-up.
Christine McVie said: ""I got on with everybody but John, and Stevie got on with everybody but Lindsey. And Mick was in the middle, going through a divorce of his own.
""So there were groups of us that got on fine, but if you got the wrong people in one room, that could be difficult.""
She told another interviewer: ""We had our fights here and there. But there was nothing like the music or the intensity on stage.""
It was inevitable that the band would struggle to follow up Rumours. Tusk, released in 1979, and 1987's Tango in the Night, provided commercial success, with the latter containing McVie's hits Everywhere and Little Lies.
After reuniting in the early 1990s, McVie decided to leave the group in 1998, retreating back to England. She no longer wanted to tour, her fear of flying having become debilitating, while agoraphobia made her ""frightened to even leave my doorstep"".
""I was living in this huge place on my own. I guess I just got quite isolated. Things got from bad to worse when I started drinking too much.""
After 15 years of semi-hibernation, she overcame her fear of flying with the help of a therapist, and visited Fleetwood at his home in Hawaii. That led to a reunion with the rest of her bandmates, and the classic line-up went back on the road in 2014 to the delight of fans.
r last tour, this time with Crowded House's Neil Finn taking Buckingham's place, ended in November 2019.
McVie enjoyed being back with the band she helped make rock 'n' roll legends. ""I know now where I belong,"" she said. ""It took me 15 years of not being with them to realise it."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63816303
entertainment	Diana Panorama interview: BBC settles with Earl Spencer aide	"BBC has reached a settlement with Earl Spencer's former head of security, after his bank statements were forged by Martin Bashir to help secure an interview with Princess Diana.
Alan Waller had claimed false documents were used to win the late princess's trust in an effort to encourage her to be interviewed on Panorama.
A 2021 inquiry led by Lord Dyson found Bashir acted in a ""deceitful"" way to secure an interview with Princess Diana. The corporation said it had now settled with Mr Waller.
""Following the publication of the Dyson Report last year, the BBC and Alan Waller, a former employee of the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, today announce that a settlement has been reached between them,"" the corporation said in a statement published last Thursday.
""The BBC has agreed to pay Mr Waller an agreed sum in damages and to pay his reasonable costs, and apologises to him for the false information included in the fabricated bank statements used to procure the 1995 Interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. 
""The BBC hopes that Mr Waller is now able to draw a line under this chapter, and we wish him the best for the future.""
Mr Waller was left ""deeply distressed"" by Bashir's tactics, according to documents filed at the High Court. Mr Waller said his business ventures suffered when his name was linked to the scandal.
Bashir's interview with Princess Diana was broadcast by Panorama in late 1995, when she was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.
More than 20 million people watched the programme. In it, the princess famously said ""there were three of us in this marriage"", referring to the then Prince of Wales's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he later married.
Following the publication of Lord Dyson's report last year, which strongly criticised the corporation, the BBC made an ""unconditional apology"" over the way the interview had been obtained.
BBC said the report identified ""clear failings"" and that while it now has better procedures in place, ""those that existed at the time should have prevented the interview being secured in this way""."	/news/entertainment-arts-63131425
entertainment	I'm A Celebrity: Matt Hancock's Suffolk constituents air their views	"Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced he will be joining the cast of ITV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! He has been suspended as a Conservative MP as a result, and has  defended his decision to appear on the reality television show, but what are the thoughts of his West Suffolk constituents?
""I'm absolutely outraged,"" says Richard Patey, reacting to Mr Hancock swapping the House of Commons for eating bugs - and various other animal parts - in the Australian jungle.
42-year-old, who lives in Red Lodge, says: ""He's supposed to be serving as my MP.
""Given the complete mess he and his party have got this country in, he should be in Westminster and his constituency to fix all the problems were are now facing, and not attention-seeking on national TV.""
Mr Patey says he never normally watches the ITV reality show, but is urging his fellow West Suffolk constituents to ""vote for Matt for every challenge"".
""I'm going to make it my business to see that he eats kangaroo genitalia every day he's in the jungle.
""People of West Suffolk, show your displeasure,"" he adds.
In Haverhill, at the other end of Mr Hancock's constituency, Clare Reeve says ""we wouldn't even notice the difference here with him gone"". 
""He does nothing for us anyway,"" the 46-year-old says.
""But it's deeply disrespectful for an MP to go off whilst Parliament is sitting during the cost-of-living crisis and the impacts this will have on his constituents.""
Stuart Dillon, also from the town, agrees Mr Hancock has been a ""poor MP for this area"", where he held the seat with a majority of 23,194 in the 2019 general election.
""He only got this seat because it is a safe Tory seat,"" says the 47-year-old.
""I think it is shocking during a cost-of-living crisis especially that he chooses to do this.  
""I'm not fussed about him losing the whip because I'm not a Tory.""
In Newmarket, where people have recently been fighting to save their bus services, some people think it is a ""disgrace"".
""I thought it was politics, not celebrities,"" says Giselle White.
""I really don't think the government should be playing celebrity games when they're supposed to be looking after this country. 
""You've got all the war in Ukraine going on, we're helping them out. We've got price changes and everything. Every month it's a case of 'do I pay my rent or do I pay my electricity and my water?'. 
""What is he trying to do? To be a celebrity, get fans, or is he trying to be [part of our] government and actually make us believe in what Britain is supposed to be?""
Lisa Smith, also from the horse-racing town, says: ""Honestly, I think him going on to I'm A Celebrity is a disgrace. For a start, he isn't a celebrity, he is supposedly a politician.
""He does a poor job representing his constituents. The only time he really shows up is if there is some form of media involved. 
""Right now there is a crisis in the area with the bus services being axed, and his priority is not to help his constituents but to go on to a TV show. He does not deserve to be our local MP.""
West Suffolk Conservative Association agrees there is a ""lot of stuff"" going on in the constituency they need an MP for.
Vice president Fiona Unwin says there has been a ""range of reactions"" among members when they heard the news.
""Some people thought it was hysterically funny that he was going to eat bugs and things in the jungle. Some people were like 'oh well, what do you expect?'. And some people were really angry - some people were furious,"" she says.
Although she thinks a ""competitive"" Mr Hancock, who previously trained as a jockey and ran the London Marathon, will ""revel"" in being on the show, she does not understand his choice to take part.
""I think it's extraordinary, but my opinion is that I'm disappointed, I'm very disappointed,"" she says.
""It isn't the end of the world. I just hope they give him the whip back before too long.""
MP defended his decision to appear, saying the programme is a ""powerful tool"" to reach young people.
Writing in the Sun, the former health secretary said politicians must ""go where the people are"" and not ""sit in ivory towers in Westminster"".
A statement released by Mr Hancock's Parliamentary office said the MP did not expect to serve in government again, so taking part in the show was ""an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12m Brits who tune in every single night"".
""Matt has told the whips in Parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.""Matt has an excellent team working with him in West Suffolk, but producers have agreed that he can communicate with them if there's an urgent constituency matter,"" the statement added.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63472625
entertainment	K-pop star Jin from BTS begins military service	"Jin, the oldest member of K-pop mega-band BTS, has entered military service - the first of the group to do so.
30-year-old posted a photo of himself with his new military haircut before enlisting on Tuesday. ""It looks cuter than I expected,"" he said. 
As South Korea is still technically at war with its hostile neighbour North Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the army.  
Jin has begun five weeks' training at a bootcamp near the North Korean border. 
After this, he will reportedly be assigned to a frontline unit. This news sent his millions of adoring fans into a frenzy.
So, what can Jin expect from his time on the frontline? 
At the Yeoncheon bootcamp, where Jin has enrolled, recruits sleep on mats on the floor, in rooms with 30 people. They are taught how to handle weapons and fire live ammunition before being put through demanding wartime scenarios.
Cadets told us that the most challenging tasks they faced were being sealed in a gas chamber, to experience the effects of CS gas, and having to detonate a live grenade. 
""I was pretty nervous to hold the grenade and shocked to learn how powerful it was,"" said 22-year-old Yang Su-yeon, who completed his training at Yeoncheon last year.
""It was physically demanding, but mentally it was okay. The drill sergeants were all friendly,"" Yang said. 
After training, Jin will reportedly be stationed near the North Korean border, with a frontline unit. 
North and South Korea are separated by a 4km (2.5-mile) wide strip of land, which runs along the length of their border, known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Both sides are fenced off with barbed wire and heavily armed.
Yang spent his service as an out-post guard at the DMZ, with the 5th Infantry Division, which is one of the most frontline positions. He would keep watch through the night, constantly surveying the North Korean soldiers on the other side, using thermal imaging equipment.
""A few times I saw the North Korean soldiers being beaten, either kicked or slapped in the face,"" he said. 
""They had to do manual labour because they didn't have nice equipment like us to help them.""
Yang said watching the North Korean soldiers made him feel grateful for his own experience. ""When I saw what they had to do, I realised, 'Wow, I am so much more comfortable.' I would feel sorry for them.""
But BTS's Jin will have to contend with the cold winter approaching. Yang recalled days spent shovelling snow as temperatures fell below -20C. 
""When we went outside, our eyelashes would freeze,"" he said.
Yang praised the culture of his unit: ""Because we carried guns loaded with ammunition, we had to remain calm, so there was no harassment or beatings.""
Yang volunteered to be deployed as a frontline guard, as this position comes with perks, including more time off base. 
It is more likely Jin will be sent to a base set further back from the DMZ, like 26-year-old Heo Sungyoung, who spent his service with the 6th Corps Command Centre from 2018 to 2020.
For the first six months he guarded the entrance to the command centre. 
""It was so long and boring. I had nothing to do but stare at the sky,"" Heo said. From there, he was moved on to the logistics team, where he was responsible for ordering supplies such as tissues and socks.
South Korea's compulsory military service is a source of grievance for many young men, who begrudge it for taking them away from their studies, work and friends. 
For months it was rumoured that the government might allow the members of BTS to skip the service, on the basis they had already served their country by earning it billions of dollars, and it would be more beneficial to allow them to carry on doing so.
But in October, the members of BTS announced they were all planning to enlist, with Jin, as the oldest, going first. 
Even so, the reports he was being sent to the front line surprised some fans, who had assumed he would be given a less risky role.
re used to be a special unit for celebrities, where they could continue to work as entertainers and were given privileges. But there was public outcry when some were found abusing the system, by leaving their barracks more often than allowed. In 2013, the two-tier system was abolished.
""If I said it didn't feel like a waste of time, I'd be lying,"" said Yang who was stationed at the guard post. ""If I had the choice again, I wouldn't do it. I could have learnt so much more in 18 months in the real world.
""My advice to Jin is to just bide his time and pray it passes quickly.""
But Heo, from the logistics team, had better memories. Initially he said he questioned, like many men in their 20s, why he needed to be there, but ended up learning some valuable lessons.
""At school, I had only mixed with people from the same background, but in the army, everyone was so different. I realised how much bigger and more diverse the world was.""
His advice for Jin is to enjoy this experience. ""As a top star, he will not have had much opportunity to meet normal people. This will be good for him, I think.""
Online, tens of thousands of fans have already messaged Jin to offer their own advice and tell him how terribly they will miss him.
""Please take care and bring enough warm clothes and medicine,"" wrote Maliah Leah. ""I hope your colleagues treat you well. We will be waiting patiently for your comeback."""	/news/world-asia-63944860
entertainment	Pocket Gods issue one copy of new album for £1m	"A record-breaking band that campaigns for higher online royalties is selling just one copy of their new album - for £1m. 
Pocket Gods, from St Albans, said the copy of Vegetal Digital, on vinyl, would go on sale at a record store in the Hertfordshire city at 14:00 BST
If sold, they planned to use the money to fund a rival streaming platform that pledges to pay artists more than Spotify and other streaming services.
Spotify has been contacted for comment.
four-piece band said Spotify currently paid it a royalty of £0.002 per stream, but a track had to reach 30 seconds in length to qualify.
Frontman Mark Christopher Lee said musicians routinely get underpaid for their work by the music industry and they have released albums of 30-second songs since 2015 to highlight the lack of what they call fair royalties.
Founded in 1998, the group has been recognised by Guinness World Records as having the most studio albums released digitally, with 75 by 5 November 2021, and previously held the record for most songs on a digital album - with 446.
None of their albums have got in the official UK charts.
's 76th album consists of 10 new full-length songs and will be on sale at Empire Records, which is also the only place fans can hear the album. It will not be available on CD or other formats.
At the same time it goes on sale, the band said they would begin removing their entire catalogue from Spotify.
money will fund Nub Play, a streaming platform, which Pocket Gods said would guarantee to pay artists and songwriters a minimum of 1p per stream.
Lee said he was hoping the album was bought by somebody who was ""obviously rich, someone who loves music and wants to see it have a great future"".
""I'm pretty confident,"" he said. 
""It's time we stopped moaning about Spotify and how unfair the current streaming system is for artists and songwriters and did something positive,"" he said.
""What I want is for artists and songwriters to be valued by their listeners and to be fairly compensated for their life-changing craft.
""I envisage a world where musicians, artists and songwriters will change the world for the better... we must pay them fairly.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-63121922
entertainment	Ed Sheeran sponsors Ipswich Town's shirts for third season	"Ed Sheeran will continue to sponsor Ipswich Town FC's shirts for a third season.
Suffolk singer began sponsoring the shirts for the men's and women's first teams for the 2021/22 season.
He said he was ""thrilled"" to be continuing the deal with a club that meant a lot to him.
ub's chief executive, Mark Ashton, said Sheeran had ""shown his passion and commitment to the club and the wider community"".
ub said it had achieved its highest sales of its blue home shirts in 15 years after Sheeran began his sponsorship.
ger, who grew up in Framlingham in Suffolk and still has a home in the area, is a Tractor Boys fan and has been a regular visitor to Portman Road in recent seasons,
, Sheeran and the club collaborated on a ""blackout"" third kit, which incorporates versions of the graphic on the cover of the star's Equals album.
rip has become the fastest selling shirt in the club's history, with more than 11,000 purchased in six weeks.
Sheeran said: ""I am thrilled to be sponsoring the club again.
""It was great to be involved with the third kit design this year, and I am already looking forward to next season.""
""I have said before that the football club, and the community, means a lot to me. Hopefully I'll make it to Portman Road again soon!""
Earlier this month, Sheeran played an impromptu gig in Ipswich town centre and told the crowd he had ""such love for this place"".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63344245
entertainment	Jason David Frank: Power Rangers star dies aged 49	"Actor Jason David Frank, who originated the role of Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers TV series, has died aged 49.
His manager Justine Hunt confirmed to the Associated Press the actor died on Saturday in Texas, describing him as a ""wonderful human being"" 
Frank's character started out as the Green Ranger in the first season of the show and was introduced to viewers as an enemy of the Power Rangers.
But he later became good and ultimately turned into the White Ranger.
Hunt asked for the ""privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being"".
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers launched in 1993 on Fox Kids and initially aired for three years, the vigilante action heroes quickly becoming popular with young audiences.
franchise continued over the following years with a string of new iterations and adaptations, with Frank often returning to his role in the series and becoming a favourite with the show's fans.
Walter Jones, one of Frank's co-stars on the show, wrote on Instagram: ""Can't believe it... RIP Jason David Frank. My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.""
Frank's death comes two decades after that of co-star Thuy Trang, who died aged 27 in 2001 from injuries sustained in a car accident.
Frank's Green Ranger was initially introduced as an antagonist in the series - who had been placed under a spell by the Power Rangers' nemesis Rita Repulsa.
Originally scheduled for a limited appearance, Frank ended up becoming a series regular due to the character's popularity among viewers.
After the Green Ranger was freed from Rita's mind manipulation, viewers saw him transform into the White Ranger - a role that Frank fulfilled for the two seasons that followed.
Frank appeared in a plethora of spin-offs and reboots of the series, including Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers: DinoThunder and Power Rangers Ninja Steel.
As well as being an on-screen action hero, in real life Frank also possessed a black belt in karate and was experienced with various other styles of martial arts, including Taekwondo, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.
r was inducted into both the World Karate Union Hall of Fame and the Black Belt Hall of Fame.
He also taught martial arts and co-founded the Rising Sun Karate Academy. He is survived by two sons and two daughters."	/news/entertainment-arts-63700335
entertainment	Junior Eurovision: France wins song contest as UK comes fifth	"France has won this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Yerevan, Armenia. 
rteen year old Lissandro won with 203 points for his song Oh Maman! beating hosts Armenia in second place, Georgia third, and Ireland fourth.
United Kingdom came fifth overall with 146 points - although it did win the public vote.
UK's entrant, Freya Skye, performed live after suffering with vocal issues during rehearsals. 
Accepting his award an excited Lissandro said: ""I'm so happy, thank you everyone. Vive La France"".
r marks the 20th anniversary of the contest, with 16 countries competing, and is the first time the contest was broadcast on the BBC, with Lauren Layfield and HRVY commentating. 
It's also the first time in more than 15 years that the UK has taken part in the junior version, where entrants have to be aged between nine and 14.
result is determined by a 50/50 vote, with half of the votes deriving from online voting, and the other half from professional juries - which are based on the final dress rehearsal.
Serbia's act did not perform live due to ""medical reasons"", with viewers seeing a rehearsal performance instead.
g system is slightly different from the adult edition, as viewers were able to vote for their own country.
Junior Eurovision apologised for issues with the online voting element that prevented some viewers from picking their favourite during Sunday's show.
Rosa Linn, the Armenian entrant at this year's ""senior"" Eurovision competition in Turin, performed her hit Snap before the results. Her song went viral around the world after May's contest, and charted around the globe.
Freya was chosen because of her ""genuine star quality"", the BBC said when she was selected. 
m behind her song, titled Lose My Head, has previously worked with the likes of Ava Max, Pharrell Williams and Megan Thee Stallion. The lyrics talk about friendships, moving on and leaving the past behind.
UK previously participated in the competition between 2003 and 2005 with the support of ITV, while broadcaster S4C decided to go it alone for Wales in 2018 and 2019.
BBC is also preparing to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in Liverpool next May on behalf of Ukraine. 
Last month organisers announced several changes to the voting after anomalies occurred in the 2022 contest."	/news/entertainment-arts-63916729
entertainment	Joan Eardley street children painting sells for record £200,000	"One of the last finished paintings of Glasgow's street children by the artist Joan Eardley has sold for more than £200,000.
'The Yellow Jumper' features a depiction of children in the now largely demolished neighbourhood of old Townhead in Glasgow.
g had been put up for auction with an estimated sale price of £100,000 to £150,000.
But the artwork was sold for £200,200 - a record for a work by the artist.
Yellow Jumper was one the final pieces completed by Eardley before she died at the age of 42 in 1963.
It has been described as an ""outstanding example"" of her work.
It shows two of the Samson siblings, members of a family of 12 children who lived near her studio and were amongst Eardley's favourite sitters.
It is related to Eardley's 'Two Children' painting, which was found incomplete on the artist's easel on her death and now hangs in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Yellow Jumper and six other pieces by Eardley were included in auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull's biannual Scottish paintings and sculpture sale in Edinburgh - resulting in sales totalling more than £1.3m."	/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-63919897
entertainment	Rab Noakes: Scottish singer songwriter dies aged 75	"Singer songwriter Rab Noakes has died aged 75.
Scot, who grew up in Cupar, Fife, died suddenly in hospital, according to the singer Barbara Dickson who announced his death on social media.
A founding member of Stealers Wheel, he was also a solo artist who released more than 20 albums and performed at festivals such as Celtic Connections.
Before setting up his own production company, Noakes was a senior music producer at the BBC.
He was a regular collaborator with other musicians, including Dickson, who described him as ""my dear and old friend"". 
In a post on Twitter she added: ""I am shocked. We had so much in common - The Everly Brothers, the Flying Burrito Brothers and an enduring love of songs, particularly traditional music. 
""Sleep well, Rab. May you rest in peace.""
Writer Val McDermid posted: ""In tears at the news of Rab Noakes' death. Known and loved this generous, talented, open-hearted man since I was 14, never known a kinder soul. Or a better guitarist.
""We messaged each other only a couple of days ago and he was his usual upbeat self. We were planning to record some tracks together in the new year.""
Several other high-profile figures from Scotland's arts scene also released tributes.
Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis wrote: ""An iconic and generous musician, and a gentleman. It was always a joy and an education to be in his company. 
""Fois shiorraidh dha anam."" (Eternal rest for his soul)
Scots singer Iona Fyfe posted: ""Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Rab Noakes. He was always so encouraging, generous with his time and unbelievably kind, welcoming and supportive.""
And singer songwriter Horse McDonald described Noakes as a ""giant of a man"" who will be ""sorely missed"".
Broadcaster Bryan Burnett said he was hired by Noakes as a producer for BBC Radio Scotland. 
""He taught me so much about the country-pop music we both loved,"" he said. 
BBC Scotland director Steve Carson said: ""All of us at BBC Scotland are deeply saddened to hear the news about Rab Noakes. 
""His contribution to music in Scotland cannot be overstated, alongside some remarkable programmes he made here at the BBC. 
""Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and with all his fans across the nation"""	/news/uk-scotland-63603123
entertainment	Art teacher aims to paint over 300 Leicestershire churches	"An art teacher has said she aims to paint all 310 of the churches in her local diocese to raise awareness of their beauty.
Hayley Fern began capturing the churches across Leicestershire in watercolour during the school holidays last year.
Since then, she has painted pictures of 56 of the buildings.
""A few people have suggested that it might become a book, which would be absolutely amazing,"" she said.
Mrs Fern, 48, from Hugglescote, said: ""I started off just drawing my local church, and then I drew the cathedral.
""It was part of embracing the local area, raising awareness of the beautiful churches, and it just became a lovely way of talking to people and meeting people.""
Mrs Fern, who teaches at Rawlins Academy, said she has found most of the sittings, which last for around two hours, to be very peaceful. 
""Even in a busy town or village it can be the most peaceful part,"" she said.
""Once you've settled into it, it's a good two hours of drawing and painting, so it could almost be described as meditative.
""I really do get in the zone, forget everything and just focus on the church; it's lovely."" 
Mrs Fern, who puts her pictures on social media, said she had been inundated with interest from art lovers, both locally and from around the world.
She is now considering collaborating with somebody who knows about the churches' history to produce a book.
She expected it is likely to take a few years to finish her project but said it was something she did not wish to rush.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63315209
entertainment	Peter Kay tour: Hundreds of thousands struggle to get tickets	"Many thousands of Peter Kay fans have spent hours trying to secure tickets for his first tour in 12 years.
Some reported 200,000 people ahead of them in the online queue - more than the population of Milton Keynes.
Fans complained about the long wait. Ex-BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker joked that the scramble for tickets was like trying to get an appointment with a GP.
After tickets went on general sale on Saturday morning, dozens of extra arena dates were added to the schedule.
median's comeback tour, which starts in Manchester on 2 December, will now include 110 performances and will run until June 2025.
Resale websites are already advertising tickets at more than £1,100 each. 
Fellow comedian and friend Jason Manford joked he was ""lucky enough to get 2x Peter Kay tickets"" and that he would be selling them for ""£3,500 each"".
median from Bolton took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to tell fans he was ""absolutely blown away"" by the response to the tour. 
Kay, 49, will become the first entertainer to hold a residency at London's O2 arena. He will perform there once a month between December 2022 and February 2025.
His long-awaited return comes after many years out of the spotlight.
In 2010, the comedian set a world record with the most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour, after playing to more than 1.2 million people at 113 shows.
He had been due to go back on tour in 2017, but cancelled because of ""unforeseen family circumstances"".
Kay returned to the stage last year for two special charity events. He held the events to raise money for Laura Nuttall, then aged 20, who had an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.
Laura's mother praised the comedian last week after it was revealed the comedian had taken them out for lunch. 
Nicola tweeted: ""Laughter won't cure glioblastoma but it's definitely a blimmin' good distraction for a couple of hours.""
On why he decided to price the cheapest tickets at £35, not including booking fees - the same as they were during his 2010 tour - Kay told BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball: ""You've got to meet people half-way, it's bad times, plus that's why people need a laugh."" "	/news/entertainment-arts-63608866
entertainment	Police asked to investigate Blackpink photo leak	"Police in South Korea have been asked to investigate how private photos of K-pop star Jennie Kim ended up online.
It comes after pictures shared on Twitter and Telegram appeared to show the Blackpink star dining with V, from fellow K-pop band BTS.
Rumours have been circulating that the singers are dating.
Blackpink's management company YG Entertainment said Jennie had faced ""personal attacks"" and ""sexual harassment"" as a result of the leak.
In a statement, it said it had asked the police to investigate ""the original distributor"" of the photos, and would take ""all possible legal action without any leniency to prevent further damage in the future"".
It added: ""Photos that were circulated online were illegally released, regardless of the intentions behind them and without the consent of the individual involved"". 
YG also asked fans to refrain from sharing the pictures more widely. 
wo of the accounts associated with sharing the photographs have been suspended.
While YG has not confirmed which pictures it is referring to, several images have spread online that apparently show Jennie and V (real name Kim Tae-hyung) dining together.  
One leaker claimed that the photos had originally been posted on a private account, with either Jennie or V writing, ""You're my other half"" in the caption.
Other photos purportedly show the couple travelling together, and taking selfies in matching Winnie-The-Pooh t-shirts.
None of the images are explicit, although one head-shot allegedly depicts Jennie in the bath.
rs' faces are partially obscured or blurred in many of the pictures, leading some fans to speculate they are fakes or composites.
BTS's management company Big Hit Music has filed a separate criminal complaint over what it calls defamatory posts containing""false information"" and ""ill-intentioned rumours"" - although it did not specifically name the photos of V and Jennie as the cause of its legal action.
One of the alleged leakers, who posts under the username Gurumiharibo, denied they had been targeted by the entertainment companies.
""I have not received any legal notice from anyone,"" they wrote in an online chat room. ""If somebody wants to sue me for defamation and/or spreading untruths, I will be willing to provide relevant evidence of my claims under the name of the law.""
South Korean entertainment companies have recently started taking a hard line against leaks and rumours.
untry's defamation laws allow individuals to be sued for posting defamatory or malicious comments online. They can be found guilty and fined even if their comments are true - as long as it can be proved the statement brought another person into disrepute.
South Korean law also gives individuals a legal right to their image, which could leave anyone who posted leaked photos without permission open to prosecution.
Blackpink and BTS are the most successful of the current wave of K-Pop bands. 
Blackpink's recent album Born Pink topped the charts in the US and UK last month, while BTS recently announced a hiatus to work on solo projects.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63116812
entertainment	Maestro: King's Ely pupils meet Netflix's Bernstein movie crew	"School pupils got a taste of the movies during the filming of a new Netflix production about American musician Leonard Bernstein.
Cast and crew from the movie Maestro were in Ely, Cambridgeshire, last week and took time out to talk to pupils and staff at King's Ely.
Its writer, director and star, Bradley Cooper, posed for a photo with teacher Lizelle Goosen and producers talked to some of the pupils.
Carey Mulligan is also in the new film.
movie Maestro - also known as Bernstein - tells the story of the composer, conductor and musician, played by Cooper, and his wife Felicia Montealegre, played by Mulligan.
Bernstein is probably best known for his musical West Side Story - a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, updated and moved to New York City.
In 1973, he chose Ely Cathedral as the venue to film his performance of Mahler's Second Symphony.
's head of film studies, Jonathan Smith, and his A-level students were given the chance to meet the production's location supervisor, who gave them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the action and the costume, hair and make-up facilities.
King's Ely's director of marketing and admissions, Nick Tappin, said it took about three weeks to create the film set ""for just three days of filming, and probably just a few minutes of screen time"".
""The location manager said how amazing Ely is as a place to film,"" he said.
""They paid real attention to detail, replacing signs to make them look old and even turning dog poop bins into topiary trees.
""Two of our staff were even asked to be extras, so they had a great time.""
Mr Tappin said the filming ""created quite a buzz in the city, and the location manager said people really embraced the whole thing"".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-63410369
entertainment	The Faking It magician who now teaches magic	"When he was 10, Kevin McMahon performed tricks from his new magic set for his brother and sisters but he gave up when he started getting into physics and maths.
Years later, he was mid-way through a physics PhD at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh when magic came back into his life.
In 2005, the Channel 4 show Faking It, which gave contestants four weeks to convince a panel of experts they were in a completely different profession, was looking for a physicist to train as a magician. 
Kevin successfully applied and among the experts he had to fool was Paul Daniels, Britain's most famous TV magician, and the man whose name was on the magic set he had as a child.
""It was an amazing experience,"" Kevin says.
Kevin says fooling Paul Daniels was the ""victory"" point of Faking It. 
""When I found out it was pretty euphoric,"" he says.
""I was jumping about with an expensive suit on, paid for by the production company, throwing champagne around.""
However, convincing top American magicians Penn and Teller was another matter.
""I was woefully underprepared and they saw right through it,"" Kevin says. 
""I think they realised that I was performing material that I didn't like. 
""They made me realise that you have to really get excited about the magic you're presenting or the audience will see through you right away.""
Despite his success on the show, Kevin returned to Edinburgh, with no ambition other than completing his PhD.
""It was only a few days later, it crossed my mind I could give magic a try,"" he says.
""I was reluctant to tell my mum and dad because when you're already a scientist, it's the equivalent of running away to join the circus."" 
Kevin gave himself a year, and by the end of 2007, he had become a magician - Kevin Quantum - who incorporated his scientific background into his style and shows.
Since then, he has toured the world, staged regular shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and got to the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent.
""BGT was a bit of a dream,"" he says. 
""The production company had been chasing me for years to do it but I'd always resisted,"" Kevin says. ""Magicians hadn't really come across well on the series.""
However, Kevin came up with a new cannonball pendulum illusion - with the added element of it being set on fire. 
""It went down incredibly well,"" he says.
He did not win but the show made him realise how he could take his magic to the ""next level"".
rteen years ago, Kevin set up his own festival in his home city of Edinburgh, along with his wife Svetlana.
And one of its ambitions was to create new magicians.
Sharing advice seems at odds with the world of magic, and the magician's organisation, The Magic Circle, but Kevin believes it is possible to do it without giving away too many trade secrets.
""Maybe because I got into magic a bit later, I didn't come in as someone who had been hoarding magic since they were 11,"" he says.
""The tricks are a very small part. The real skills are in the presentation, the confidence, the desire to show someone else. Then you build in numeracy, and literacy and science. ""
Five teenagers are being mentored by professionals - one of them, Dan Bastianelli - started his career in a festival workshop, on the Future Magicians programme.
gers will each perform a short routine on stage at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh at the end of December.
Kevin says: ""It's not a competition, it's about improving and mentoring them and making the next generation of magicians.""
""It's taken me 15 years to get to where I am. If I can help these guys shave some time off that journey then I'm absolutely going to do that.""
""Whether that means as adults they are a bit better in front of colleagues giving a presentation, hitting the gig economy with this being the bit on the side, or becoming professional magicians, I don't mind, I just like that they're getting something really positive.
""And I'm selfishly looking forward to getting them cheap at the magic festival in years to come.""
will be the Edinburgh Magic Festival's first full programme since 2019  - last year's festival was cancelled just days before it was due to begin - and Kevin believes there's a renewed appetite for live magic.
""Magic's popularity is as enigmatic as magic itself,"" he says. 
""Magic is best enjoyed in person - sitting a few metres away from something impossible happening is different from sitting a few metres from your television watching something impossible happen to someone else.""
""The experience of wonder and amazement is so rare in this world.""
Edinburgh Magic Festival is on across the city until 31 December."	/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-63991330
entertainment	"Stephen ""tWitch"" Boss: Dancing DJ on The Ellen Show dies aged 40"	"Stephen ""tWitch"" Boss, best known as the dancing DJ and sidekick on The Ellen Show, has died by suicide at 40.
Confirming the news to People magazine, the TV star's wife Allison Holker Boss said he was ""the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans"".   
Boss became an integral part of Ellen DeGeneres' US talk show from 2014, until it finished earlier this year.
DeGeneres tweeted on Wednesday to say she was ""heartbroken"" at the news.
She described the American freestyle hip-hop dancer and actor as ""pure love and light"". ""He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart,"" she wrote. ""I will miss him.""
Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to the BBC that its West Valley Division officers responded to an ""ambulance death investigation"" radio call at a motel on Ventura Boulevard on Tuesday.
re were no signs of foul play and the case has been handed the over to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.
After appearing as a dancer in movies like Blades of Glory and Hairspray, Boss first found fame as a runner-up on So You Think You Can Dance in 2008.
One of his dances was nominated for an Emmy for best choreography and he later returned to the show as a judge.
Alabama-born entertainer went on to work as an actor, featuring in the Step Up film series and later Magic Mike XXL, and was also made an executive producer on The Ellen Show in 2020.
Before the long-running show ended in May, DeGeneres surprised him with a special tribute: ""Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life, and our show... And I'm talking about you tWitch.""
""I love you so much,"" she told him, noting how ""you always make me smile and laugh"" with a dance or a song.
An emotional Boss replied: ""I love you and also I love the family that we've gained, and something that I'll always remember was you gave me a place where I can just be myself.
""I came here to dance one time, to do a dance course for you, and now I've gained a family.""
""And whether I was a real DJ or not..."" he added, jokingly. ""I always felt at home!""
Paying tribute on Wednesday, his wife, a fellow dancer with whom he co-hosted Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, said: ""Stephen lit up every room he stepped into.""
She added: ""He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him.""
""Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.""
uple, who met on an all-star season of So You Think You Can Dance, had three children - and the family appeared together on the The Ellen show.
Actor Dwayne ""The Rock"" Johnson urged them all to ""stay strong"", posting online that he was ""so sorry to hear the heart-breaking news"".
""I've lost a lot of friends to the struggle,"" he said. ""You never know what's happening between the ears.""
For information and support about any issues raised in this story contact the BBC Action Line."	/news/uk-63972353
entertainment	Deadpool 3: Hugh Jackman to return as Wolverine	"Ryan Reynolds sent the internet into a frenzy when he revealed Hugh Jackman would return as Wolverine in the next Deadpool film.
Canadian actor has been open about his desire for the adamantium-clawed anti-hero to join his foul-mouthed mercenary on-screen.
Previous films have made references to Wolverine - with Jackman making a post-credit cameo in Deadpool 2.
And Reynolds finally confirmed what fans had hoped in a 90-second reveal.  
more than 25 million views, been liked one million times and has received hundreds of thousands of replies - many excited about the news - in less than a day.
He tweeted the announcement with the caption ""Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one"" - a reference to Deadpool's previous appearance in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
In the video, he sits on a sofa and talks about his desire to make Deadpool's first official appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ""feel special"".
He narrates about his search for inspiration over the top of a montage of him performing various tasks. 
ude walking through the woods, and, in a cheeky nod to the football team he co-owns - working out while sporting a Wrexham AFC baseball cap.
uts back to Reynolds on the sofa, as Jackman walks through the background of the shot.
""Hey, Hugh,"" says Reynolds, ""want to play Wolverine one more time?"".
""Yeah, sure, Ryan,"" Jackman replies.
uts to a title card - ""Coming Hughn"" - before a Deadpool logo fades in and Wolverine's famous claw marks appear over the top of it.
Reynolds later posted a second video - this time joined by Jackman on the same sofa - promising to answer a string of questions from fans.
However, in true Deadpool style, most of the dialogue in the pair's slightly sweary, tongue-in-cheek response is drowned out by a jaunty 80s pop hit.
Jackman first played Wolverine - a mutant with regenerative powers - in 2000's X-Men, and appeared in multiple films as the character.
His last appearance, in 2017's Logan - was assumed to be his final outing in the role.
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63059351
entertainment	Paramore 'needed a break to find our identity', says Hayley Williams	"After four years away, Paramore are back with a new song and album, both called This Is Why.
It's a title inspired by world events, according to singer Hayley Williams.
""Every time I can't believe [something] is happening, whether it's planet, politics, social stuff, I'm always, 'this is why we can't have nice things'.""
33-year-old says the break allowed her and the band to reflect and think about everything around them.
""We all really needed it to find our identity apart from Paramore and all the public projection we get in our life,"" she told Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo.
""I learned how introverted I really am.""
weekend Hayley, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro will be playing their first live shows in more than four years.
Hayley says the time during Covid, when much of the world was forced inside, helped her to reconnect with her roots.
""I don't think I would have slowed down, gotten time with my family,"" she says.
""I was glad we were home because we were part of our own community in Nashville, and we got to be a part of it as citizens, as friends, a daughter, a sister and it wasn't really about Paramore.""
""None of us knew we were going to be forced all the way inside.""
But time away in isolation didn't stop the band from thinking about their fans, and importantly building their album.
""I think if you talk to anybody, it was such a ridiculously tragic time,"" Hayley says.
I thought about the fans, the shows, the whole time we were writing the entire album.""
And the UK was at the forefront of their minds.
""We just have such a cool relationship with our fans around the world. But there is something really special about the UK and the lineage of bands that are from there."" 
""We were really digging up our oldest influences from across the pond. And every time I would imagine playing a show it was some festival in the UK or some crowd that we played in places like Manchester."" 
As for touring the country in 2023? She teases ""it won't be long"".
""We already have the plan,"" she says.
""And I cannot wait for people to find out who we're playing with. I'm just so excited to get back over there.""
Hayley's BBC podcast about the evolution of emo, Everything is Emo, is available via BBC Sounds - click here to listen.
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. "	/news/newsbeat-63076580
entertainment	The Governess, Anne Hegerty, on autism, quizzing and her challenges with everyday life	"Anne Hegerty is best known as her ruthless television alter-ego, The Governess, who regularly puts wannabe-quiz champions firmly in their place on The Chase. But the former journalist, who was diagnosed with autism later in life, reveals that while quizzing comes easily to her, she finds everyday tasks extremely difficult.
Every morning the chaser pours herself a large cup of coffee and sits down to complete 25 quizzes. She says it's ""the easiest part"" of her day. 
""After that I do the difficult stuff, like going upstairs and having a shower and getting dry. And then putting some clothes on and making sure they are clean, and then actually getting myself out of the house.
""All of that is hard work,"" she told the BBC Access All podcast. ""It feels like a I've climbed a mountain.""
Hegerty, 64, found a love for knowledge early on in life.
""I was a nerdy child and I discovered that I could learn things off by heart,"" she says of the skill she hasn't lost.
""This morning I was trying to get back to sleep, so I decided to reel off American presidents working backwards. And by the time I got to Lincoln, I thought…I obviously don't want to sleep and I just got up.""
Hegerty turned that skill into a profession when she joined the hit ITV quiz show The Chase in 2010 as The Governess, in a role which sees her alternately intimidate, deride and occasionally flirt with contestants to put them off their game.
Her 12-year stint on the show led her to appearing on the 2018 season of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, Brain of Britain, Mastermind and the Australian version of The Chase.
But she has faced huge challenges behind the gloss of her TV career.
Hegerty was diagnosed with autism aged 45, after she watched a TV programme about the developmental disability and recognised some of the traits in herself. 
She experiences sensory issues and struggles with loud noises when she's tired or stressed. 
Daily chores take huge amounts of energy for her to complete and when she is feeling particularly stressed, she has to follow instructions which break down household tasks, step-by-step, like sorting out her washing.
""It'll say 'go upstairs, take washing bag, put on floor, sort out tights, put in this container, sort out hot wash, put in that container, take bag downstairs, put tights in washing machine'.
""I have to just write it all out. I need a lot of time to kind of get all my neurons lined up and pointed at something before I do it,"" she says.
Before joining The Chase, Hegerty says she was ""really struggling"" having lost her job as a copy editor and proof-reader after two decades. 
""I was good at the proofreading, but I was not good at actually getting the thing finished, parcelling it up and sending out an invoice,"" she says.
Her ""low point"" hit in 2008. Hegerty was behind on rent, unopened bills littered her hallway and the bailiffs turned up.
On the latest episode of Access All, listen to Anne talk more about life as The Governess, being diagnosed with autism in her forties and her theory about why bailiffs are like vampires...
Plus BBC News correspondent, Sean Dilley, describes the heartbreak he's going through having retired his guide dog, Sammy, after 10 years together.
Fortuitously, around this time, an employee from her housing association also visited and realised Hegerty needed help. 
""She told me, 'don't worry, we'll fix this',"" Hegerty recounts. ""She got me a social worker, a lovely bloke called Jeff.""
Jeff helped Hegerty access funding from her utilities provider to help pay her bills as well as applying for other benefits including Jobseeker's Allowance and Disability Living Allowance.
""It just gave me a breathing space where I could work out what was going on,"" she says.
Hegerty's love for knowledge hadn't abated and it was around a year later she discovered the UK's high-level quizzing circuit.
She turned up to her first quiz in Liverpool as an unknown. The BBC happened to be auditioning quizzers for the second series of Are You An Egghead? and Hegerty gave it a go. She filmed the episode and ended up coming third.
""At the time I didn't realize what a tiny, incestuous world quizzing is,"" she laughs. ""Soon enough everybody in quizzing knew I'd done really well. They were like: 'Who is this new woman?'""
Hegerty went on to the British leg of the Quizzing World Championships, where a chance encounter with a fellow quiz aficionado made an impact.
""He told me that he had just finished making the pilot series of a new show called The Chase, and he said 'you should watch it, it's going to be really good'.""
-off came from Mark ""The Beast"" Labbett, who has been on every season of The Chase since its inception. When the chance to audition for its second season popped up, Hegerty went for it - and the rest is history.
Looking back, Hegerty says she is glad she sought out her autism diagnosis because it gave her chance to reflect on how her brain works. It also gave her insight into how neurotypical people behave, including those she quizzes against. 
""I look back and there are things that I resented at the time but I now think, 'actually, they were trying to be nice',"" she says. ""Everyone's just trying to figure it out.""
You can listen to the podcast and find information and support on the Access All page."	/news/disability-63089051
entertainment	BBC blames 'technical glitches' for PM interview interruption	"BBC has said ""technical glitches"" were to blame for a temporary blackout during an interview with Prime Minister Liz Truss. 
roblems occurred during the prime minister's live TV interview ahead of the Tory party conference in Birmingham.
""There was a technical glitch during the programme which was quickly resolved,"" a BBC spokesperson said. 
Presenter Laura Kuenssberg also apologised on air.
ues started a few minutes into the show as Ms Kuenssberg spoke with the panel, which included former minister Michael Gove and the Guardian's political editor Pippa Crerar. 
, just as the prime minister's interview was starting, the screen went blank for about 30 seconds, and was followed by the BBC's news titles. When the show re-started Ms Truss was discussing issues related to people's energy bills.
At the end of the interview, Ms Kuenssberg told viewers: ""Thanks for sticking with us during some technical glitches during that interview. Apologies for that.""
Online commentators quipped that the error was deliberate, with one joking it would help viewers prepare for blackouts this winter.
During the interview, Ms Truss admitted she could have ""laid the ground better"" for her mini-budget, which led to several days of concerns among the markets.
She added that the decision to cut the top earner tax rate from 45% to 40% was a ""decision that the chancellor made"". 
Former minister Michael Gove said the cut displayed the ""wrong values,"" and signalled he wouldn't vote for it.
He also said he was ""profoundly concerned"" about the decision to borrow to fund the tax cuts, calling it ""not Conservative""."	/news/uk-63110223
entertainment	Sting brings My Songs world tour to Bedford Park Concerts	"Rock icon Sting is to appear in the Bedford Park Concerts series next summer.
former lead singer of The Police and 17-time Grammy Award winner is bringing his My Songs world tour to the park in Kimbolton Rd, Bedford, on 24 June.
w is set to feature songs he wrote throughout his career with The Police and as a solo artist. 
George Ezra is also due to perform at the concert series on 30 June.
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, grew up in Wallsend, North Tyneside and was the frontman, bass player and chief songwriter in The Police in the late 1970s and early 1980s, before going solo.
rnational acclaim and won song of the year at the 1984 Grammys for Every Breath You Take.
In a career spanning almost 50 years, he has sold more than 100 million records.
Earlier this year, his My Songs tour had a six-night residency at the London Palladium - his only scheduled UK shows this year.
Included in the set are hits such as Fields of Gold, Shape of my Heart, Roxanne and Demolition Man.
Fans can also expect to hear Englishman In New York, Every Breath You Take, Roxanne and Message In A Bottle.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-63620154
entertainment	Lowry's Going to the Match: Mayor wants export ban put on £8m work	"A mayor has called for an export ban to be placed on a Lowry painting valued at £8m to allow time for a campaign to buy it for his city ""to gather momentum"".
Going to the Match is to be auctioned by the Professional Footballers' Association charity later in October.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett wants it to be bought and kept on public display.
Calling for a ban on it being taken overseas, he said he would do all he could ""to save this critically and important painting"".
LS Lowry, who died in 1976, spent much of his life in Salford and his work is strongly associated with the city.
His 1953 work, Going to the Match, was one of a number of paintings he did on the theme of sports and was inspired by Burnden Park, which was then Bolton Wanderers' stadium.
It won Lowry first prize in an exhibition, which was sponsored by The Football Association, and was last auctioned in 1999, when it was acquired by the Players Foundation charity for about £2m.
After purchasing the work, the charity loaned it to the city and it has been on show at the Lowry arts centre for the past 22 years.
In September, the foundation said it ""no longer has any income guaranteed, so we have had to completely reposition"" and would sell the work at auction to raise funds.
Mr Dennett, who has previously written to prominent local figures and business leaders asking for their help to buy the painting, said the government must step in to prevent it from being sold to an ""international collector"" and taken overseas.
He said that scenario looked likely, he ""would urge the UK government to place a temporary export ban on this important piece of art to prevent it leaving the country"". 
""This will allow time for the campaign to gather momentum and help to raise funds to buy it,"" he said.
""We need to do all we can to save this critically and important LS Lowry painting for people to access free here in Salford.""
work is due to be sold at Christie's in London on 19 October.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been approached for comment.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-manchester-63128834
entertainment	Reading: Refugees face 'very real obstacles' while putting on play	"A play performed by asylum seekers has faced obstacles including long commutes and threats of homelessness.
roduction is hosted by Rank-and-File Theatre in Reading, which works with refugees and people struggling with disabilities.
Where Do We Go From Here? was written by people seeking asylum in the UK who have drawn on their own experiences. 
Home Office said it is providing help for asylum seekers despite ""record levels"" of people arriving in the UK .
Reading Station and aims to highlight the plight of the rail workers who try to keep people moving, whilst fighting for jobs, pay and pensions. 
But Jude Haste, director at Rank & File Theatre, told the BBC there have been ""very real obstacles"" in putting it on.
Olly, 30, received a letter earlier this week telling him he will be moved from Reading to Luton on Friday.
He said he had no idea his father had brought him to the UK illegally until he was 16 and has only just been given the right to work this year. 
""My mental health has just deteriorated,"" he said.
He said being moved on Friday is terrifying: ""I felt like I am being ushered away from friends.""
Elizabeth, 31, from Uganda, has spent hours on multiple trains travelling to Reading for the play.
""It was a struggle to get accommodation through migrant help [and] four times I was refused,"" she said.
She added: ""Finally they accepted to accommodate me and they sent me all the way down to Kent.""
A Home Office spokesperson said ""The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.
""We continue to provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation on a no-choice basis across the United Kingdom.""
mmodation is safe, secure and appropriate for an individual's needs, including three meals a day for those in hotels.
Ms Haste said her role as director means helping to take ""those struggles from individuals and making them visible"".
Elizabeth added the play is important to her: ""The message I am hoping to get across is for people to get into our shoes and see if [they] can survive like we are trying to survive.""
Where Do We Go From Here? will be performed at South Street Arts Centre in Reading on Wednesday night. 
Ms Haste said she hopes to get more funding to put it on again at some point. 
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-berkshire-63570246
entertainment	Cheltenham rapper Keanan named as Gay Times' rising star	"A young rapper who challenges stereotypes has been recognised as a rising star by Gay Times magazine.
Keanan, 24, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, has found success on TikTok where he raps about his sexuality and rural lifestyle.
He said: ""It's who I am. I want to be a role model to other people. I want everyone to feel like they can be themselves."" 
rapper will perform live, opening the Gay Times Honours event on Friday.
""I literally live in a small town and a big brand like that has invited me to perform.
""I just think it's mind-blowing, I think that's crazy,"" Keanan said.
Keanan's freestyle to Only You Freestyle by Drake and Headie One, where he raps about his sexuality, has been viewed more than 1.2m times on social media.
""The way I was discussing my sexuality, I did it in a unique way, it was more a sense of this is who I am, unapologetic. People respected it,"" he explained.
He added: ""LGBTQI is a big thing for me, especially as a gay rapper in the UK, it's new ground that's being covered.
rapper said when he first experienced negative reactions to his music, ""it highlighted for me how much it was needed and how much people needed a role model"".
""I'm happy to be that person.""
Gay Times, a magazine for the LGBTQ+ community that claims to have a monthly reach of 28 million readers, added Keanan to the 2022 honours list, after following his journey, including the release of his EP Exhibit Green and a performance at Black Pride.
""They way they described it to me was I'm everything they needed right now.
""It feels really nice that someone of that level wants to back me so much,"" he said.
But the artist, who said ""there's not much going on"" in Cheltenham, said it was not only the gay community he represented. 
""People around me, who are small town musicians and feel like they are not achieving anything, it's given them a lot of motivation watching my journey.""
Gay Times Honours, which ""recognise individuals and organisations that have a profound impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ people"" take place in London on 25 November.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63731948
entertainment	Golden Globes 2023: Banshees of Inisherin leads nominations	"Banshees of Inisherin leads the pack for next year's Golden Globe Awards with eight nominations.
rk comedy about friends in 1920s Ireland is up for best film, while its four stars including Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson have acting nods.
Michelle Yeoh's absurdist sci-fi comedy drama Everything Everywhere All at Once is next with six nominations.
m Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick, Daniel Craig's Glass Onion and TV comedy drama White Lotus are also up for awards.
Nominated director Martin McDonagh's Banshees of Inisherin reunites In Bruges stars Farrell and Gleeson in a sad film about friendship and toxic masculinity.
Watch: Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell reunite in new comedy
Steven Spielberg's personal movie The Fabelmans, about how he developed his love of film, is a drama frontrunner, up against movies including the Avatar sequel and Baz Luhrmann's rock-and-roll biopic Elvis.
Organisers of the film and TV awards are attempting to rebuild its reputation after A-listers and studios boycotted last year's event over voters' lack of diversity, alleged corruption and lack of professionalism.
Brendan Fraser, who is nominated for best actor for The Whale, said last month he would not attend next year's Globes ceremony after accusing their former president of assaulting him.
In 2018, he said Philip Berk, head of Golden Globes organising body the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), had groped his bottom in 2003. Mr Berk was expelled from the troubled organisation in 2021 after sharing an article describing Black Lives Matter as a ""racist hate group"".
Cruise was also among the big names to criticise the awards, and in 2021 he handed back his three Golden Globes in protest at its lack of diversity. 
Scarlett Johansson had urged others in the film industry to boycott the organisation unless it made significant internal changes, while her Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo wrote last year that the HFPA's reforms were ""discouraging"".
wards' organisers have since embarked on a series of public reforms, including expanding its voting body to include people with more diverse backgrounds.
Empire of Light sees Olivia Colman receive a nomination for best actress in a film drama and she will go up against international stars including the US's Viola Davis for The Woman King, and Cate Blanchett for Tár.
Blanchett's fellow Australian Hugh Jackman is up for best actor in a drama for The Son, about a family struggling to reunite.
Other British stars up for Golden Globes include Dame Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Lesley Manville, Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.
Eddie Redmayne, Emma D'Arcy, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lily James, Taron Egerton and Daisy Edgar-Jones also featured on Monday's nominations list.
ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbot Elementary, based in a school in Philadelphia, leads the TV nominations with five.
Netflix's drama about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, which attracted huge viewing figures but also criticism from people who say it's insensitive, was recognised four times, alongside Pam & Tommy and The Crown.
reaming giant recently added a disclaimer to its marketing for the regal drama, saying the show was a ""fictional dramatisation"", ""inspired by real-life events"".
Globes are usually the highest-profile awards except the Oscars, but the 2022 event took place behind closed doors.
V network NBC dropped it after a series of revelations, but the broadcaster is going to screen the glitzy event next year, as it takes place in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on 10 January.
wenty-one new members joined the HFPA last year, six of whom are black, and the organisation has also taken on more than 100 new voters, including - for the first time - those based outside of the US.
It has also implemented a ban on members receiving gifts from movie studios courting their votes.
""This is really not the old HFPA anymore,"" president Helen Hoehne recently told The Hollywood Reporter.
""I respect Brendan Fraser's decision,"" she added. ""And I personally, sincerely hope there's a way for us to move forward and we are able to regain Mr Fraser's trust, along with the trust of the entire entertainment community.""
Why do the Golden Globes matter?
Even before last year's controversy, that hasn't been a straightforward question to answer. The short, slightly blunt response is probably - because audiences and film industry personnel have decided that they matter.
But why that assessment has been made is a little trickier. 
When it comes to the Oscars and the Baftas, those awards are decided people by working in the entertainment industry. The Globes is a relatively small group of journalists who've come to wield huge power in awards season.
So why is it that it's they, rather than say the New York or LA Film Critics Association, who have traditionally been seen as an important stepping stone for Oscar hopefuls?
It's arguably not because they're seen as possessing more insight or expertise than other groups of journalists handing out awards. Indeed, over the decades they've been righty criticised for some of their more eccentric choices.
However, the most important factor in helping the Globes achieve its profile has probably been its TV deal. A large audience on a network TV ceremony in the US in the run-up to the Oscars has given films a huge opportunity to fix in the eyes of both the public and awards voters the idea that they're of exceptional quality.
When hundreds of films are entered for the Oscars each year, most voters will never have the time to see even the majority of the films. But a nomination or win at the Globes makes it more likely that a voter will pick that film or performances out and prioritise watching it when they're making their voting choices.
And that's what's helped make the Globes one of Hollywood's most golden awards ceremonies."	/news/entertainment-arts-63947647
entertainment	Sam Ryder: A surfing accident changed my life	"Sam Ryder - Eurovision runner-up, human ray of light and possessor of pop's most piercing falsetto - is a man who emanates serious surfer vibes.
From his long blonde locks and laid-back demeanour to his tie-dye shirts and total lack of cynicism, he seems like he'd be perfectly at home performing a cutback or hanging 10 on the crest of a wave.
And that was true until four years ago, when he was almost killed in a wipeout.
""I was surfing in Hawaii and my board snapped. Then I got hit by a wave and I very nearly drowned,"" he says. 
""It pushed me down so far into the water. And the turbulence of the water, the power, is incredible. Fighting against it, you feel like you've been hit by a bus.""
With his muscles pummelled and his body battered, it took Ryder a week of bed rest to recover. Time in which he re-evaluated his life.
""Obviously, the golden rule in surfing is 'never underestimate the sea', but until it goes wrong, you can't fathom it,"" he says. ""You're like, 'I am insignificant in this body of water'. 
""But that day was important to me because I wanted to be very good at surfing and ride the big waves - but [the accident] put me back on my true purpose. 
""I was like, 'You can't do the thing you love most, which is music and singing, if you're at the bottom of the sea'."" 
rest of the story you probably know. Ryder built an army of 14 million fans on TikTok during lockdown, thanks to his covers of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Britney Spears.
He was promptly signed by Parlophone Records, then selected by Dua Lipa's management team to represent the UK at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. 
His song, Space Man, written in just 10 minutes, recalled the classic 1970s rock sounds of Queen and Sir Elton John, and ultimately earned the UK its best position at Eurovision since 1998.
""Eurovision was like being in a church,"" he recalls. ""In that arena, there was so much joy and togetherness.""
Success came relatively late in life. At 33, Ryder is older than chart contemporaries like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, but he has been making music for just as long.
""When I think back now to those years, I'm flabbergasted,"" he says of his pre-fame days. ""What the hell was keeping me going? The crumbs of hope were so few and far between.""
He made his debut in 2006 as the singer with rock band The Morning After, whose '80s-indebted power chord anthems arrived just as the music industry pivoted away from the rock revivalism of The Darkness and towards the R&B-infused pop of Justin Timberlake and Rihanna.
When The Morning After split in 2010, he became a stand-in guitarist for Christian rock group Blessed By A Broken Heart, then joined US hardcore band Close Your Eyes (as Sam Robinson), replacing original singer Shane Raymond.
""I joined them, I think, because I wanted my friends to see that I was still doing something cool. Like, 'Don't worry about me, I'm still almost making it in music. Look, I'm on tour in America. That's impressive, right?'""
But his heart wasn't truly in it. While he had been a fan of bands like Sum 41 and Good Charlotte as a teenager, he began to realise he had outgrown the music.
Deflated, he went back home and joined his father's carpentry business - helping to lay the floor at Wembley Stadium, instead of singing under its famous arches.
After his surfing accident, he quit construction to set up a vegan cafe with his girlfriend Lois, and started singing in wedding bands, ""initially because I wanted to earn some money, if I'm being completely honest"".
It was a decision that changed his outlook on music forever. 
""I remember the first time I did one [wedding], I was singing Whitney Houston and I had my eyes closed, and in my head I was telling myself, 'I'm smashing this song'. 
""Then it ended, and I opened my eyes and no-one even realised I'd started the song, let alone finished it. It took me aback, like, 'Did I do something wrong?' 
""But I quickly realised, of course, no-one cares about you. They're there for their family. You're there to provide the atmosphere. 
""And that was crucial because, at that point, I stopped linking music with the perception of my friends and I started doing it from my heart.""
When the UK entered Covid lockdown in 2020, his diary emptied overnight. Undeterred, he started posting videos on TikTok, reckoning that ""singing into my phone brought me the same amount of happiness as a live show"".
were simple - a man, his beard, a green lamp and an incredible voice - but there was something infectious about his joy in performing, whether he was blasting through Adele's Set Fire To The Rain or turning Aretha Franklin's Respect into an anthem about the great toilet paper shortage of 2020.
Pretty soon, stars like Alicia Keys, Sia and Justin Bieber were reposting his videos. As was the man who became his manager, David May.
""I was absolutely blown away by what I heard,"" he says. ""His voice is... intimidating isn't the right word, but it's definitely impactful when you're stood next to him and it just comes out.
""It really does take you by surprise, how skilled he is.""
me last year, Ryder was deep into recording his debut album when the invitation to Eurovision came through. 
It was by no means a simple decision, especially given the UK's recent woeful track record in the contest, but the singer's hard-earned experience paid off. This time, when he opened his eyes, everyone had noticed after all.
xperience put a rocket under his career and crystallised the theme of his debut album, There's Nothing But Space Man, which is out this week.
""I wanted to focus on the tenets of hope and faith and how to retain those things,"" he says. 
""I've been making music since I was 13 years old, and it was always foot on the gas, full belief, full faith - even though I was absolutely bombarded with failure.
""You start asking yourself, 'What's gonna happen? Maybe I'm finished?' All these stupid thoughts that I know we all have. 
""But now sitting here, looking back, I'm thinking, 'Wow, you should have been so excited.' I had no idea what was around the corner. And therein lies the lesson, I suppose. To remain hopeful over a long period of time.""
On his album, Ryder's story manifests as a lyrical obsession with stormy weather. 
Rain falls, tempests rage and people are dragged under the surface - but the singer always finds the light, whether it's through the sheer force of self-belief (Tiny Riot) or the support of family and friends (Put A Light On Me, whose fleet-footed dance beats are a perfect foil for Ryder's booming voice).
It's not what you would call an unassuming record. Ryder is seizing his moment with both hands - and who can blame him?
me last year, he says, he was still plagued with doubts about his career. But since coming second at Eurovision, he's sung at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, toured Europe with Lewis Capaldi, and performed with Queen at Wembley Stadium - where he laid floorboards 15 years ago.
Later this month, he will ring out 2022 by hosting BBC One's New Year's Eve concert, accompanied by Mel C, Sigrid and Justin Hawkins from The Darkness.
whole year has been ""absolutely bonkers"", he admits. ""My feet have just about touched the ground, but not quite.""
You could say he's still floating in space, man."	/news/entertainment-arts-63888290
entertainment	Harvey Weinstein: Hollywood reflects on MeToo impact as new trial begins	"Opening arguments have begun in the latest sexual assault trial of the disgraced former Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein.
A much-diminished Weinstein, with reportedly declining health, is back in Los Angeles and incarcerated in a prison cell, on trial for rape and sexual assault.
urt case follows Weinstein being convicted in New York for other sex crimes, though that case is under appeal. 
He denies ever having non-consensual sex with anyone.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thomson told the court on Monday that eight women allegedly attacked by Weinstein would testify.
He quoted Weinstein's accusers, saying one had recalled of the alleged assault: ""Part of me was thinking I should just make a run for it, but he's a big guy.""  
Another alleged victim had said: ""I was scared that if I didn't play nice something could happen in the room or out of the room because of his power in the industry,""  the prosecutor told the court. 
Weinstein - who was wheeled into court wearing a black suit, blue tie and glasses - listened impassively to the prosecutor.
Mark Werskman, for the defence, told the court the accusers were lying. 
He said two accusers had fabricated their alleged encounters with the former producer, and that the other two Jane Does had ""transactional sex"" with him.  
He suggested Jane Doe Four, an anonymous name for one of the accusers, was ""just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood"".
Los Angeles trial is causing many in Hollywood to look back at the #MeToo movement and assess its success. 
A recent study by the advocacy group WIF (Women in Film, Los Angeles) showed that while 83% of respondents felt that progress has been made since 2017, a staggering 69% said they had personally experienced abuse or misconduct at work since the movement began. 
""It's lost momentum,"" WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer said of the movement for equal rights and representation for women. 
Seasoned film producers often ask their stars to shoot sex scenes on the first day of filming. That way, an actor can't change their mind about nudity halfway through a film when recasting would prove expensive. 
Hollywood, five years after stories of systemic sexual assault and harassment rocked Hollywood and ignited the #MeToo.
But now, it's likely an intimacy co-ordinator will be on set making sure actors feel comfortable and safe as they simulate sex.  
Schaffer continues: ""I think there is forward motion. And that's why it's not super depressing,"" she says, adding that five years ago the response to #MeToo was intense, with ""so many people caring about it, putting new policies in place, launching programmes"".
And many people in Hollywood say those policies are working. 
Actresses say they're offered more interesting roles, and there are more opportunities for female crew members, writers and directors. 
Rosanna Arquette, one of Weinstein's first public accusers, was part of the Screen Actors Guild committee which helped introduce intimacy co-ordinators on set, to make sure everyone is comfortable in any scene requiring nudity. 
""A lot of people were against the intimacy co-ordinators, but you know, a lot of abuse did happen that way,"" Ms Arquette told the BBC. 
Many aspiring actors say the industry has changed for the better. When we visited an acting class five years ago, many told us horror stories of the fear they face going into auditions - the very real fear that they might be sexually assaulted or propositioned in exchange for a role.
At the Michelle Danner Acting Studio this week, aspiring stars spoke to the BBC about their experiences auditioning and performing in low-budget films hoping to get their big break. Aside from a few sleazy propositions, most said they'd been treated with respect.
Ms Danner, who runs the acting studio and directs movies, says the casting couch will never fully disappear but that people are much more careful now. 
Auditions have become much more safe and formal experiences, with monitors and rules about the number of people in a room. And due to the pandemic, many are now taking them via video phone.
""The fears are real,"" says Ms Danner, adding that people feel empowered to speak up now more than ever if there is misconduct at work. 
""The #MeToo movement created that, and there's no going back. I don't think you can ever close the door to what has started."" 
Academy of Motion Pictures has responded to criticism of Hollywood by significantly diversifying its membership, inviting more women and people of colour to be part of the group which hosts the Oscars. 
But it can only do so much and the statistics for women in film can be fairly grim. 
According to the Center for the Study of Women in Film in Television, female characters accounted for just 35% of major characters in the top 100 grossing films in 2021, down three percentage points from the previous year. 
And after reaching historic highs in 2020, the percentages of women directing top grossing films declined in 2021.  The number of women working as directors on the top 100 films retreated from 16%  in 2020 to 12% in 2021.
But more women are producing film and TV - 32% of producers (up from 30% in 2020).
Many powerful female players like Reese Witherspoon have started their own production companies, to make the kind of films and TV shows they want to see. That urge has spread throughout the industry. 
At the Danner acting school, actresses Josephine Hies and Meitar Paz have started producing as well as acting so they can have more control over the stories they tell. 
As a producer you have ""a different power in how you tell stories"" and power over which stories are told, Hies said. 
Harvey Weinstein's downfall is now immortalised in a film. She Said stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as the New York Times reporters who investigated the sexual harassment and abuse claims against Weinstein. It's due to hit cinemas in the US in November, and Weinstein's lawyers failed in their attempt to delay its release, claiming it would prejudice the jury that's just been selected against him. 
At the film's New York premiere, the stars rubbed shoulders with many of Weinstein's accusers, some of whom have roles in the film. 
Rowena Chiu, Weinstein's former assistant who says he sexually assaulted her then coerced her into signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, or NDA, says she hopes the film will inspire healthier workplaces. 
She came forward 20 years after the alleged assault to tell her story, because she thought it was important to say that it wasn't just Hollywood actors who were targeted. 
""It's important that we uphold the legal system. There were dozens of women he assaulted and only a handful can testify,"" she said. 
""I'm not involved in Hollywood. I don't work in Hollywood,"" she said. 
""It's important to show our stories."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63344081
entertainment	AEW's Saraya: Ex-WWE star on her dream return to the ring	"""It felt fantastic - I never thought I'd be able to wrestle again."" 
Saraya-Jade Bevis - aka WWE's Paige - says retiring in 2018 due to a neck injury was ""one of the hardest things"".
But then, earlier this year, she shocked the world by appearing for rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
At first Saraya didn't appear as a competitor - but now, four and a half years later, the 30-year-old is back in the ring.
Recalling the day she was medically cleared, she told the BBC: ""I just burst into tears and was like this is one of the best days of my life.""
Her first match back was against Britt Baker - who she credits with helping her with her return - in November.
Saraya, who was born in Norwich, is one of professional wrestling's best-known talents, receiving awards recognising her contribution to its women's division.
With many happy to see her back, the reaction to Saraya's return was largely positive.
But there was also a stream of online negativity.
Compared to when male superstars Edge and Daniel Bryan returned after their career-threatening layoffs, Saraya feels there was a difference in reaction to her comeback.
""There was a lot more support for them than for me - whether they just didn't like me as a person or a wrestler.""
But she has a laid-back approach to the negative comments.
""If it's good, if it's bad, people are going to hate it either way, so I just have to be like: 'At least you're watching me'.""
Saraya says her family were the first ones she contacted when she was medically cleared. 
But she also spoke to fellow wrestler Sasha Banks, as her neck injury happened during a match against her.
""I felt really awful for Sasha. Even though I was the one that got the injury, it takes its toll on somebody mentally,"" she said.
""Wrestling isn't an easy sport. And we sign up to get hurt… but it really does mess you up to end someone's career like that.""
She says fans of both are ""very passionate"" and would go ""head-to-head for years"" even though the pair had no issues.
""We were just like we don't have this rivalry behind-the-scenes,"" she said.
""Wrestling is one big family, whether you've known someone for a day or for a decade.
""They're all there for you and they know how important it is.""
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63905163
entertainment	English National Opera: Where next after being told to move out of London?	"From the Houses of Parliament to daytime TV, a debate has been raging about the future of one of England's leading opera houses after it had its funding slashed and was told to move out of London. Manchester has been suggested as English National Opera's new home - but could that work?
It's not every day that a discussion about opera pops up in between Spin To Win and a preview of Christmas telly on ITV's This Morning.
But last week, Holly Willoughby revealed to viewers that she is ""a massive fan"" of the English National Opera (ENO), and declared the company's current precarious position to be ""utterly heartbreaking"".
Co-host Phillip Schofield also lent his support and even took aim at the ""half-arsed"" response of Arts Council England, whose latest allocation of government funding has put a big question mark over ENO's future.
""When Holly and Phil start to cover it, you know this is broader than just an opera thing,"" ENO chief executive Stuart Murphy says.
Six weeks ago, the Arts Council announced it was effectively halving the ENO's annual £12m grant from April - and that it wouldn't get any money at all if it didn't move its headquarters out of London. It suggested Manchester, although didn't consult with politicians or other cultural organisations there, or the ENO.
Few argue with making the company national in more than just name, but concerns have been raised about the way the plan has been handled and the possible impact on ENO staff and the quality of work the company can do on and off stage with less money.
In the House of Commons, former culture minister Caroline Dinenage described the plan as ""some form of crazy tokenism"", while former shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman called it ""baffling and an absolute shame"".
Mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly has said the ENO ""must be London-based"" because that is where ""most of the conservatoires are and largest audiences, and [it is] one of the greatest and busiest cultural capitals in the world"".
However, the Arts Council was told by the government to move some funding out of London as part of the levelling-up agenda, so has said it simply cannot afford to support the ENO if it is based in the capital.
""Because of these funding requirements that we've got, we need them to think of a different way of operating,"" Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley told a Commons committee last week.
He accepted the ENO does ""excellent work"" and that it should continue to stage shows at its current home, even after the move.
""We still would imagine that English National Opera will be performing large scale opera at the [London] Coliseum in the future,"" he said. ""But we also imagine they might be doing opera at different scales in other places.
""It may be in Manchester, and just to be absolutely clear, they were not instructed by us to move to Manchester. It was an option.
""I know around the country there are many of our elected mayors who at the moment are very interested to see if they could host a company like English National Opera in their cities.""
None of the eight directly elected mayors outside London and Manchester would confirm to the BBC that they had offered the ENO a home.
Mr Murphy said he had been contacted by MPs or mayors in about 10 locations to express an interest in hosting the ENO's new headquarters, but declined to reveal where they are.
""I think its headquarters will definitely be outside London,"" Mr Murphy conceded. ""And if we've got enough money, we can we can definitely do that for the Arts Council. But we definitely need a presence in London.""
Some local politicians have been less enthusiastic when they have learned the ENO will have half the budget when it moves, he said.
""It's like saying, 'I really want Formula 1 in Leeds.' But actually, it's not Formula 1, it's a bunch of go karts. 'OK, that's not quite what I had in mind.'""
And the debate is no longer just about opera - it has become laced with north-south rivalries. The arts world's backlash to the funding cuts and relocation plan has already risked burning ENO's bridges to Manchester.
Mayor Andy Burnham told them: ""If you can't come willingly, don't come at all."" (That prompted a call from Mr Murphy to explain they had nothing against Manchester, which seems to have smoothed things over.)
Manchester is the biggest city in Europe without a resident opera company (going by OECD population statistics) but does have a healthy classical music scene, with the Halle Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and Manchester Collective.
Last week, BBC Radio 3 announced it will broadcast at least half of its programmes from Salford from 2024/25 as part of a plan to create ""a UK-wide classical music hub in the north"".
Next year, Manchester will have a £210m new venue, Factory International, run by the Manchester International Festival, which will need world-class performances to fill its 1,600-seat theatre.
Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) currently stages operas in Manchester, while Leeds-based Opera North brings short seasons to The Lowry theatre in Salford, Greater Manchester, twice a year, as well as touring to cities including Nottingham, Hull and Newcastle.
Moving the ENO to a location that is already served by an opera company would be ""a nonsense"", Opera North's chief executive Richard Mantle says.
""Nobody's talked to me about it. The Arts Council hasn't discussed it with us at all. So it's still, in my view, a fictitious idea.
""I just think it's been one of the most ill thought-through own goals the Arts Council could possibly make.""
racticalities of moving the ENO need to be thought through first, he says. ""And if you do the cost benefit analysis, you'd probably find actually it's best to keep where it is.""
Manchester-based soprano Soraya Mafi, who has starred with the ENO, believes there would be space for a permanent opera company in her home city. But taking it away from London ""doesn't seem like the right way to do it"", she says.
""From a personal point of view, I would love for there to be an opera company in Manchester."" However, Mafi cautions that Mancunians may not feel ownership of something that is parachuted in from the capital, especially if there is bad blood.
""It's hard to talk about there being an opera company in Manchester right now because there is so much confusion and anger around the issue, and of course that was because of the handling of it,"" she says.
""Arts Council England should have said, 'We would love you to have a base in Manchester, or a city further north, but give us a five-year plan and let's look at options, let's have an open conversation about this and handle it delicately and with respect to the company and all the artists that it employs.'""
According to The Audience Agency, which tracks audience habits, 29% of people in London say they have some interest in opera, which drops to 19% elsewhere in the country.
London may be higher partly because more people in the capital have had more chance to see opera, and having a company like the ENO in the north-west could increase interest there, The Audience Agency chief executive Anne Torreggiani says.
""There's plenty of available audience who'd be interested in a world-class opera company permanently based in Manchester,"" she says. ""The nuances are to do with what kind of opera, how often, and winning new relationships over.""
RNCM is currently getting good crowds for its colourful production of Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, set at a party on an oligarch's luxury yacht on New Year's Eve 1999.
RNCM principal Linda Merrick, a clarinettist, believes that if remaining in London isn't an option, the ENO's presence ""could only be seen as a positive"" for opportunities and the cultural life of Manchester, or whichever city it ends up in.
""The indicators would be that there would be an audience [for it in Manchester], and I think it could develop as well.""
She adds: ""But for me, the most important thing is supporting excellence and quality in the art form. So we want ENO to survive and to have a strong future beyond this, and to get the investments it needs to do that.""
Mr Murphy is hoping the political and public pressure (helped by a petition with 77,000 signatures) will effectively lead to a compromise, with more money on the table.
As it stands, the Arts Council will cut ENO's funding on 1 April 2023 - from £12.6m per year to £17m split over the next three years.
Mr Murphy says the company's plans mean it needs to keep £12.6m for the next financial year - which would leave £4.4m for the final two years of the three-year settlement.
If that is the case, ""you're back to talking about the ENO having to close down"", he says.
Die Fledermaus is at the RNCM, Manchester, until Saturday, 17 December."	/news/entertainment-arts-63931433
entertainment	Portland Collection: Glimpse of hidden treasures exhibition revealed	"Images of unseen historical objects - including the pearl earring worn by King Charles I at his execution - have been released ahead of an exhibition.
- which also includes work by Michelangelo - will make up an exhibition that is to open at Welbeck Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, next year.
jects were collected over 400 years by an aristocratic family.
ried collection was acquired over centuries by the Cavendish family.
family has owned the Welbeck Estate since the 17th Century.
ms from the Portland Collection include rare Tudor and Jacobean portraits, jewellery and tapestries.
, which is due to open on 25 March 2023, will allow visitors to see silver, tapestries, paintings and jewels as well as artworks that have ""come home"" after long-term loans to galleries elsewhere.
xhibition will also include Michelangelo's Madonna of Silence.
Other highlights include a rarely-shown portrait of Lady Margaret Stuart, Countess of Nottingham, by Paul van Somer, which dates from about 1620 and shows her wearing an elaborate dress with an improbably plunging neckline, which experts said demonstrated her power and status.
Also on display will be a pair of monumental silver wine fountains by Adam Loofs, from about 1688, which were commissioned for William of Orange, later King of England.
xhibition say old silver such as this is rare - most similar large pieces were melted down.
Lisa Gee, director of The Harley Foundation, said: ""Historic portraits were almost always flattering, filtered images which are like the social media of their day.
""But behind the gleaming fabrics and jewels were fully-rounded individuals. Despite their starched clothing they were as human as we are.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64000888
entertainment	Strictly star Helen Skelton wants win for her kids, says mum	"Strictly Come Dancing star Helen Skelton is hoping to scoop the glitterball trophy to make her three children proud, her mother said.
On Monday night, Skelton, 39, from near Penrith, Cumbria, and dancing partner Gorka Márquez were put through to Saturday's final.
Her mother Janet Skelton said she knew she wanted to win it ""for the kids"".
Mrs Skelton said her ex-Blue Peter presenter daughter never did anything half-heartedly.
""I'm so proud, she's worked really hard,"" Mrs Skelton told BBC Radio Cumbria.
""It's been a great adventure for her and for us as a family.""
She said training for Strictly had given her daughter, now a BBC1 Countryfile and BBC 5 Live presenter, ""a lot more confidence"".
""When she first started she was very nervous and maybe wasn't in such a good place,"" said Mrs Skelton.
She added: ""If she does something, she does it 100%.
""She never does anything half-heartedly and gives it her best shot.
""She's not a bad loser in any shape or form, but to win it would be lovely for her and a great way to end the year, fingers crossed. 
Skelton was voted through to the final after scoring 37 for her Argentine tango and 35 for her waltz on Sunday night's semi-final show.
Will Mellor became the 11th celebrity on Monday to leave the competition.
r three couples through to the final are singer and radio DJ Fleur East and Vito Coppola, wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal and CBBC actor and singer Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu. 
Mrs Skelton said she was looking forward to Saturday's show when Helen and Gorka would be performing the jive - which they performed to Tightrope by Janelle Monáe in week seven - along with a new dance.
""She has developed over the weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it,"" Mrs Skelton added.
""It's given her something to focus on and we are just so proud of how she's coped with it because it is very intense.
""As Gorka said, they can train from 6 to 10 o'clock at night. It's a long spell, I couldn't learn half of those dances.""
After getting her final set of scores before the final, Skelton thanked viewers for their support.
She said: ""We have just been so overwhelmed - not just by the votes keeping us here - but the messages, people reach out and share things about their lives and that's a very privileged position to be in.
""If anyone has taken one moment of joy from any of our dances then we've all done our jobs.""
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-cumbria-63956505
entertainment	Martin Duffy: Primal Scream and Charlatans keyboardist dies at 55	"Martin Duffy, who played keyboards for Primal Scream and The Charlatans, has died at the age of 55.
Duffy started out in cult 1980s indie band Felt before joining Primal Scream for their 1991 album Screamadelica.
He started performing with The Charlatans in 1996. Their singer Tim Burgess said his death was ""another tragic loss of a beautiful soul"".
Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie described Duffy as a ""soul brother"" and a ""very special character"".
He added: ""He had a love and understanding of music on a deep spiritual level. Music meant everything to him...
""Martin was the most musically talented of all of us. His style combined elements of country, blues and soul, all of which he had a God given natural feel for.""
ger continued: ""Martin was also in possession of a unique wit. He had a swift eye for the absurd, the surreal and the ridiculous.
""He lived to laugh and play music. He was loved by all of us in the Scream. A beautiful soul. We will miss him.""
group's bassist Simone Marie Butler added: ""No words x i miss u already Duff. This is the saddest day and i'm [in] tears writing this. So loved x""
Birmingham-born Duffy played on every Primal Scream album and also featured on songs by Oasis, the Chemical Brothers and Beth Orton.
He had joined Felt at the age of 18 after answering an advert placed by the group's frontman Lawrence that read: ""Do You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star?""
He later became part of The Charlatans after their keyboardist Rob Collins died in a car crash, three weeks before they were due to be on the bill at Oasis' famous Knebworth concerts in 1996.
""Martin Duffy stepped in to save The Charlatans when we lost Rob,"" Burgess wrote.
""He played with us at Knebworth and was a true friend. He toured with me in my solo band too - he was a pleasure to spend time with. Safe travels Duffy.""
Duffy also released a solo album on Burgess' record label in 2014. He toured with Edwyn Collins and the Beta Band's Steve Mason, and last performed live in October in an impromptu appearance with US band Pere Ubu. 
Super Furry Animals singer Gruff Rhys was among the others paying tribute. He tweeted: ""Martin Duffy's music has been with me since the 1980s - sending all the best to Primal Scream & all his friends and family on this very sad day - going to put some of his instrumental records on.""
A family statement posted on Twitter by Duffy's brother Steve, a BBC journalist, said: ""Everyone who knew Martin loved him; he was the real deal, our shining star.""
Martin suffered a brain injury after a fall and died peacefully surrounded by family including his beloved son Louie, they said.
""He was loved by his mother, brothers, wider family and close friends.""
message added: ""He had a gift with music but even more of one with people. Love you Martin, proud of what you did and all you were. We're with you brother xx"""	/news/entertainment-arts-64038944
entertainment	Frieze Sculpture: 'This is like Christmas for me'	"Frieze Sculpture has returned for another year, transforming one of London's biggest parks into an outdoor gallery. 
ummer, visitors can see 19 artworks by the likes of Alicja Kwade, Ugo Rondinone and Paul Harrison for free in Regent's Park.
xhibition has been curated by Yorkshire Sculpture Park Director Clare Lilley and explores the themes of poetry, politics and mythology. 
Featuring a line-up of 19 international artists, the art exhibition is open from 14 September to 13 November."	/news/uk-england-london-63001118
entertainment	Defaced money show in Cambridge addresses 250 years of anger	"Punched, scratched and digitally-manipulated money will be put on show as part of a new exhibition.
It reveals how currencies have been ""mutilated"" by campaigners to address issues of social, political and racial injustice covering 250 years. 
ude the Suffragettes, the US and French revolutions and the Black Lives Matter protests. 
""Defaced! Money, Conflict, Protest"" is at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from Tuesday.
Some of the exhibits are merely artworks that incorporate currency, such as Boo Whorlow's Dog Save The Queen, featuring Queen Elizabeth II walking dogs and a union jack flag.
Curator Dr Richard Kelleher said: ""This is the first major exhibition to present a world history of protest through currencies mutilated as cries of anger, injustice or despair.
""The acts of defacement on show reveal the hidden struggles behind some of the major events of the past 250 years, as disparate as the French and American Revolutions, the Suffragette movement, the Siege of Mafeking, the Spanish Civil War, the Nazi concentration camp system and occupation, the deadly sectarian Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the Black Lives Matter protests.""
free exhibition runs until 8 January.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-63159685
entertainment	Lord Grade: Ofcom's job is not to regulate culture wars	"w chairman of Ofcom, Lord Michael Grade, has said the broadcasting watchdog ""does not, and should not"" regulate so-called culture wars.
former TV executive was appointed to the role in May and in his first major speech since then, he underlined Ofcom's independence from ""personal preference"" and ""political pressure"".
He suggested public debate had descended into ""angry battlefields of bitter division"".
""Why does this matter to Ofcom?""
Lord Grade, who has previously held senior positions at the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, made the comments during his keynote speech at the RTS London Convention 2022.
""Here, I want to be very clear: Ofcom does not, and should not, regulate the culture wars,"" he continued.
""Some try to conscript us to their cause. But we're not interested. That is not our job.""
He added: ""Whether we are judging that Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex were justified by freedom of expression, or that Diversity's tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement was, too - we never make decisions based on personal preference, political pressure, fear or favour.
""Instead, we all leave our various opinions at the door. We focus on the legal framework and duties given to us by Parliament, and make careful, balanced decisions based on the evidence.""
Before taking on his new role, Lord Grade criticised the BBC's coverage of Downing Street parties, describing it as ""gleeful and disrespectful"", and spoke in favour of the privatisation of Channel 4.
But speaking on Tuesday, the former Conservative peer - who has now moved to the crossbenches - said he would now put his ""personal opinions"" to one side while carrying out his new role.
""Our [Ofcom's] role is to provide research and evidence, to adapt our regulation and to inform Parliament about policy options and their impact,"" he said.
He said that long-term questions about Channel 4's ownership, BBC funding and how ""legislation might level the playing field where PSBs [public service broadcasters} compete with US streamers,"" were matters for the government, not Ofcom.
w Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said last week that she would ""re-examine the business case"" for privatising Channel 4.
Ms Donelan's predecessor Nadine Dorries had set out plans to take the broadcaster out of public ownership, as well as suggesting the next announcement about the BBC licence fee would be the last and that it was time to discuss new ways to fund and sell ""great British content"".
On Tuesday, Lord Grade asserted his view that public service broadcasters should be protected, noting their impact on the country's creative industries.
He also spoke about social media, something he has previously said he does not use himself.
Lord Grade told the audience that Ofcom should not seek ""to regulate the tone of debate on social media"", noting how he cared ""on a personal level"" about ""the need for tolerant debate"".
""That matters to me not just as a citizen and parliamentarian, but also as somebody who has sought to champion our world-class broadcasting sector,"" he said.
""Because broadcasting has a unique ability to provide a fair, accurate and trustworthy platform for calm, considered differences.
""Those views are more necessary than ever for a stable society and a strong democracy.""
BBC director general Tim Davie said last year it was harder than ever for the the corporation to maintain impartiality amid ""culture wars"" and a polarisation of online views."	/news/entertainment-arts-63058809
entertainment	River City marks 20th anniversary with special episode	"first episode of River City aired on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002.
Since then, it has transmitted 1344 episodes, and had 19 weddings, 11 births, 46 deaths and 22 murders.
w's villain Lenny Murdoch has had 13 attempts on his life. Nine of those ""killed"" off, will return in a special anniversary episode which will be available from Monday.
BBC Scotland's flagship soap has launched hundreds of careers and is a training ground for television talent.
Series producer Martin McCardie, started out as an actor.
""I played Lenny Murdoch's friend, arrested in the first season,"" he said. ""Technically I'm still in jail.""
He returned as a writer in 2005 and said the show had lasted for 20 years because it was able to adapt.
""It's went through a lot of different incarnations"", he said.
""Going from half hours to hours, back to half hours again, different writers, different actors, different stories, different ways of doing it, and that's one of the reasons it's lasted because it has changed and adapted as it's gone along.""
Over the years, River City has both helped launch careers - such as Outlander's Sam Heughan - and also hosted established actors on its set in Dumbarton such as Stefan Dennis, known for playing Paul Robinson in Neighbours.
Una MacLean, Dawn Steele and Alison Peebles have all played key roles. Susan Boyle, Lorraine Kelly and Judy Murray have all had cameos.
Although some people have been able to use the programme as a stepping stone into other work, it has also been valuable at keeping Scottish talent in Scotland.
Mr McCardie said: """"For somebody like me, when my family were small, when they were growing up I wanted to work in Scotland and a lot of my time before that was working elsewhere.
""This place gave me the opportunity to work in Scotland and be here for my children growing up and that's a massive thing for me that I was able to do that because of River City.""
It is not just onscreen where change has taken place. River City has become an important part of the screen industry. 
A report by Screen Scotland in June showed the TV and film industry contributed almost £568m to Scotland's economy in 2019 and the Scottish government hopes that can double to £1bn by the end of the decade.
""There's more work in Scotland than I've ever known in my lifetime in television and television drama and that's challenging for us,"" says Mr McCardie.
""We bring people through and then they move on to those other shows as well so we've got to continually bring people through the system, we have to plan that ahead. 
""You're always looking for new writers, new camera operators, you're looking for DOPs (directors of photography), you're looking at succession planning all the way through.""
A 20th anniversary episode will be aired at 22:00 on Monday as part of the celebrations. 
-off special see Bob drinking from a mystical bottle of alcohol and waking up with his best friend Angus, in a multiverse where many of the lost friends from their past still exist. 
Stephen Purdon, who plays Bob, is the only original cast member from 2002 still working on River City. 
He said: ""I was just kind of in and out every few episodes, every two or three episodes coming in for a bit of comedy relief.""
Having started the role at the age of 19, he said it's ""overwhelming and humbling"" to take such a central role in the anniversary episode.
""When I look back to my younger self still living with my mum and coming here as a young boy and to think now that I'm married with two kids and I've been here 20 years, I guess it's mind-blowing when I say that actually.
""Bob has grown up as a character and I've grown up as a person as well."""	/news/uk-scotland-63007493
entertainment	London's unsold arts tickets given away to ease cost of living	"usands of unsold tickets to cultural events including theatre, comedy and dance, will be made freely available to people struggling with the cost of living.
me, called The Ticket Bank, will see arts organisations work with charities to distribute tickets. 
One charity said it could ""completely change"" people's lives.
It will launch in January 2023 for a year. So far, seven organisations have joined the scheme. 
was the brainchild of Chris Sonnex, the artistic director of Cardboard Citizens, which makes theatre for people with lived experience of poverty.
He said experiencing arts and culture has a ""massive effect"" on health and wellbeing, but that ""whole rafts of people are being excluded from that because of ticket prices"". 
kets will be made available to those who may not otherwise be able to afford them, such as those who use food banks. 
Almeida Theatre, Barbican, Bush Theatre, Gate Theatre, The National Theatre, Roundhouse and Tara Theatre have signed up to the The Ticket Bank.
It's expected that more venues will join in 2023, meaning an estimated 56,000 tickets will be made available over the year. 
Charities signed up to the scheme will receive access codes that they distribute to users, who can then book tickets on The Ticket Bank's website. People can either choose to pay nothing or 'donate-what-you-can'.
Caroline McCormick, chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, said the response from arts institutions had been ""overwhelming"". 
She said, ""Everybody's seen the value, everyone wants to make it work. What's wonderful is the sector uniting behind these issues. We want to ensure that people can access culture.""   
Gillian Jackson from homeless charity The House of St Barnabas said the scheme ""completely aligns with our ethos"".
""Culture will always be one of the first things that drops when you're struggling to eat, but equally it is one of the most important things that we have as humans,"" she said. 
""We've had some incredible stories about someone going back to the theatre, or going for the first time, and that can be the reignited flame to get their dignity back."" 
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-london-63972699
entertainment	Darryl Grimason: Tributes paid after death of BBC presenter	"BBC Northern Ireland presenter and author Darryl Grimason has died after a period of illness.
He was known for presenting and producing wildlife, environmental and natural history programmes, including the archaeological series Earthworks and the fishing series The Big Six.
His brother Stephen Grimason said he was a naturally gifted broadcaster.
BBC NI interim director Adam Smyth said Darryl Grimason was a ""fantastic, flexible and adventurous filmmaker"".
He ""always brought a great sense of excitement and enthusiasm to his programmes"", Mr Smyth added, ""whether he was presenting underwater in the Waterworld series or sharing his love of fishing with audiences in The Big Six"".
As a reporter Darryl Grimason contributed to programmes such as BBC Radio Ulster's Your Place And Mine and presented Dawn Chorus, Wild Week and special reports on BBC Newsline.
In 2019, he produced the BBC One NI documentary Life And Death On Heroin.
Mr Smyth said Darryl Grimason was a popular staff member within the BBC and would be ""very much missed"".
Beyond his work with the BBC, Darryl Grimason was the author of Reading the Water: A Life Spent Fishing.
Stephen Grimason said his brother had the principle ""born to fish, forced to work""."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-64064186
entertainment	Eurovision 2023: Liverpool City Council to contribute £2m	"Liverpool City Council will contribute £2m to the cost of staging the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the city, it has been confirmed.
It matches the £2m Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced last month towards the cost of the event.
musical extravaganza at the M&S Bank Arena is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people.
Liverpool is hosting the contest in May on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine.
£2m of funding from the city council is capped and 70% will be from earmarked reserves for Covid-19 sector recovery as well as contributions from the city's culture budget, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
A total of £250,000 will be allocated this year, with a further £450,000 identified from next year's pot.
Councillor Harry Doyle, assistant mayor and cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, said: ""Not only does Eurovision provide best value for our city, it provides a renewed sense of hope and optimism in the future direction of it, too, all while flying the flag for our Ukrainian friends in their time of need.""
Along with £2m from the city council's purse and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, further funding is to be provided for the staging of Eurovision by external sources, such as the BBC, European Broadcasting Union and the government which is thought to be in the region of about £10m.
Liverpool City Council went out to tender for a stewarding and security firm to oversee the site at the Pier Head from 5-13 May. 
Details included with the £85,000, five-month contract said the city ""received praise"" for its world-class facilities including the M&S Bank Arena and ACC Liverpool, the innovation behind its cultural programme, the plans to celebrate Ukrainian people and community and the ""walkability"" of the city. 
Mr Doyle said in a written update to councillors he was backing the city to deliver a fantastic show.
He said: ""There hasn't been much time to plan and prepare for Eurovision given the nature of the annual competition, but we're confident we will deliver a special and unforgettable Eurovision.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63906938
entertainment	Chris Tarrant says Ukrainian family 'enhanced' his home life	"V presenter Chris Tarrant says he plans to get a flat for a Ukrainian family he has housed for eight months.
76-year-old former Who Wants to be a Millionaire host, said the family had ""enhanced"" his home life. 
mother, daughter and baby, who fled their home after the Russian invasion, have been staying at his home in a rural Berkshire village.
rrant confirmed he wants to get them a flat so they can be closer to city centre living. 
In an interview on TV's Good Morning Britain, the former radio host said: ""They've been with us since the beginning of the war.
""They were sleeping on the floor of airports in Poland before they came to us. The actual exit from Ukraine is just a horror story.""
roadcaster, who recently fronted travel programme Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways, said a flat would mean they were closer to shops and pubs, as he lives in a rural area.
Describing them as ""the sweetest people,"" the Reading-born presenter added: ""They have enhanced my life, these people. I mean I know I've had my own kids but this baby is so sweet.
""She was seven months, now if she had stayed she'd be on the front of a tank or something. I mean the idea of what happened and how they got away is just extraordinary.""
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-berkshire-63392220
entertainment	Eurovision 2023: Glasgow or Liverpool will host song contest	"Either Glasgow or Liverpool will host next year's Eurovision Song Contest, after the shortlist of cities in contention was cut from seven to two.
uncement means Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield have missed out on the chance to stage the competition next May.
BBC said the two remaining cities, which both have riverside arena venues, had ""the strongest overall offer"".
A final decision will be made ""within weeks"", the broadcaster said.
UK was chosen to host the 2023 contest after organisers decided it could not be staged by this year's winner, Ukraine, because of the ongoing war. The UK's singer Sam Ryder was the runner-up this May.
A hotly-contested selection process saw 20 UK cities express an interest in hosting next year's show before that was narrowed down to seven, and now a final two.
winning location will attract thousands of visitors and the attention of around 160 million TV viewers around the world.
riginal seven shortlisted cities were scored on a set of criteria including: 
Glasgow was a bookies' favourite from the off, with its OVO Hydro venue having a capacity of 14,300.
rena would be a fitting setting in some ways after being filmed for the exterior of the venue in Will Ferrell's 2020 Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
And of course, Glasgow lass Lulu won the 1969 Contest with Boom Bang-a-Bang. She says it's ""the perfect place... and it's about time"". 
Fellow Glaswegian Scott Fitzgerald came second in 1988 when he was beaten to the top spot by none other than Celine Dion.
r of Glasgow City Council said the city has ""everything it takes"" to host Eurovision.
""The competition has been very strong but Glasgow has an unrivalled track record for successfully hosting major global events,"" Susan Aitken said.
re venue is also next to exhibition centres that could be useful for facilities like a press centre, and has a nearby station and hotels. It has previously hosted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and events during the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
me of The Beatles has a rich musical history that attracts thousands of international visitors every year. Its past major events have included the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2008.
Sonia came second in the contest back in 1993 with Better the Devil You Know. The city has also been represented by Jemini, who sadly got nul points in 2003.
Eurovision would be staged at the 11,000-capacity dockside M&S Bank Arena, which is next to a conference centre and near the city centre's hotels and rail links.
Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson said she was ""absolutely delighted"" the city had made the final two.
""Nowhere throws a party quite like us,"" she tweeted. ""The people, communities & businesses of our city are ready to put on a show - for Ukraine, the UK & for Europe.""
Phil Harrold, the chairman of the BBC's host city selection committee, said: ""Thanks to all seven cities across the UK who have demonstrated the enthusiasm and passion for Eurovision that exists right across the UK.
""We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of all the city bids in what was a highly competitive field.
""The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer; we will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city.""
Eurovision organisers say a host venue should accommodate about 10,000 spectators, be within easy reach of an international airport and have enough hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and ticket-buyers.
ue will be needed for preparations for six to eight weeks ahead of the song contest, meaning the host city will need to move concerts and events that are already in their schedules.
uld include the likes of Sir Elton John, who has concerts in Liverpool on 22 and 23 April, and the Magic Mike arena tour, which is booked for both cities in late April.
UK has hosted Eurovision eight times - four times in London, and in Edinburgh, Brighton, Harrogate and Birmingham."	/news/entertainment-arts-63037204
entertainment	Night & Day: Manchester music venue sweating on noise court hearing outcome	"""It's like moving to Leicester Square and complaining about there being too many cinemas!""
So said Matty Healy while speaking to Apple Music's Zane Lowe last month about the plight of Manchester's Night & Day Cafe, where his band The 1975 played some of its formative gigs.
frontman sounded angry that the future of the historic city centre venue - which also helped to launch the careers of Elbow, Arctic Monkeys and Wet Leg -  is now at risk over a noise complaint from a neighbour who moved in during lockdown. 
Healy is not alone.
More than 94,000 people have signed a petition to remove a Noise Abatement Notice issued by Manchester City Council last year. On Tuesday, the owners will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court to appeal against it.
row with the council centres on a complaint from a new flat-owner in an adjoining property, a warehouse recently converted for residential use. And if found in breach, the 31-year-old family-run institution could end up having to close its doors.
Ben Smithson, who manages the venue with wife Jennifer, says they are ""stressed out of our minds"" about the outcome of the expensive three-day hearing and are ""praying it goes our way"".
""We can't believe where we are, and why,"" he tells BBC News. ""We just don't understand why the council are going forward with this, we gave them plenty of opportunity to drop it behind closed doors.""
He claims any soundproofing issues should have been resolved between the council and property developers at the planning stage, before the resident moved in, a notion the council rejects.
""We have nothing against Manchester changing over the years, the 60,000 people now living in the city centre,"" he says. ""But when these changes occur, you've got to be considerate to the pre-existing businesses - everyone can get on and live together.
""If the council had done the work they were supposed to do, we wouldn't be in this situation, this resident won't be in this situation.""
A Manchester City Council spokesman told us it ""remains supportive of the music scene in Manchester which Night & Day has championed"", but that it had to ""comply with our duties in respect of statutory nuisance"".
He said that the issue relates to ""very loud music played into the early hours of the morning and not live band performances"", and that ""extensive discussions have taken place"" to try to address it.
He added the council has ""never threatened to close down this venue, nor is there any legislation which would allow a Noise Abatement Notice to be used to close a premises"".
resident who made the complaint has remained anonymous, but last year told the Manchester Evening News he knew what the venue was before purchasing his flat in 2020.
""The issues I face are not really the gigs - it's with the club nights,"" he said. ""Different DJs running until 03:00 at least twice a week - but they can run until 04:00.""
Mr Smithson says complaints were made about both the club nights and live music. The former, he says, help to underwrite the huge cost of the latter during a difficult financial time for venues.
""We need these club nights in order to to pay for the live gigs,"" he explains.
If the council legally forced them to turn down the sound or finish early, things would become untenable, he warns.
""Suddenly we're not a live music venue.""
Night & Day was opened in 1991 by Mrs Smithson's late father Jan Oldenburg, who turned it from an old chip shop in a desolate inner city area, into a central hub for creative people in the city's burgeoning Northern Quarter.
Elbow's Guy Garvey last week described it as an ""essential"" independent venue ""that took it upon themselves to look after the city's music and art"".
Mr Smithson, who took over with his wife following Mr Oldenburg's death in 2018, said they find themselves in an ""eight-year cycle"" of noise complaints - after a similar situation in 2014 in which the venue kept its licence.
He said this has all ""taken its toll"" on the family, both personally and financially, but stressed the support they have received from the local community has been ""out of this world"".
UK music venues closing down because of sound complaints has been going on for decades.
But according to Music Venue Trust boss Mark Davyd, the case of Night & Day is the ""worst example, anywhere in the country"" of one being left in such a ""difficult position"".
""Manchester City Council are going to court saying Night & Day must change the nature of their business to accommodate a premises that never should have been allowed to be built,"" he said. ""So it's a ridiculous situation.""
By the end of this year, 120 UK music venues will have used the trust's crisis service, which supports those facing closure, Mr Davyd says. And he fears next year ""looks a lot worse"".
It would be an ""absolute disaster"" for Manchester, he adds, if Night & Day were to close, as eight other venues have done this year for various reasons.
""People's right to enjoy their homes peacefully is obviously very important, but so is the right of people to enjoy music, and there isn't a proper balance,"" he says.
Lisa Lavia runs the Noise Abatement Society - a UK charity committed to solving noise problems in a pragmatic and sustainable way.
She believes such binary situations represent a ""worst-case scenario"" and that court hearings or closures should only ever be a ""last resort"". Potential problems, she says, can usually be solved with ""co-operation"" and a ""co-ordinated response"" between venues, the authorities and local residents over time.
""l know one person's noise is another's pleasure,"" she says.
Ms Lavia agrees that small-to-mid-sized venues like Night & Day have a ""really difficult challenge"" to face, but does not believe the ""full burden should fall on the venue"". Especially ""if cost becomes the issue to successfully abating the noise problem"".
She adds: ""It's just hard to believe that there isn't a workable solution for something that is such a valued cultural offering for an area.""
While Night & Day alumni like The 1975 are now chart-topping, festival-headliners, others like The Goa Express are starting their musical journey.
Manchester-based, Burnley indie band performed at the venue for BBC Music Introducing in summer 2021, on the night it first reopened after restrictions were lifted - the same night it first received a visit from the council's noise officers.
Having been forced out of its Brunswick Mill practice room because of redevelopment plans for the building, the band's bass player Naham Muzaffar says it would be ""gutting"" to see another ""vital"" venue disappear.
""It's just such a big part of Manchester,"" he says. ""People come because they want to go out and explore the city. If they are going to be shutting at 22:00 because they can't have a DJ set, where else are people gonna go?
""What other venues are going to be dealing with the same consequences?"" "	/news/entertainment-arts-63732960
entertainment	Wagatha Christie case: Judgement at a glance	"One of the most talked about celebrity disputes has now come to an end. Rebekah Vardy has lost her defamation case against Coleen Rooney - the so-called Wagatha Christie libel trial.
Mrs Rooney had in a social media post accused Mrs Vardy of leaking private stories about her - stemming from her Instagram account - to The Sun. 
High Court judge Mrs Justice Karen Steyn has ruled that accusation was ""substantially true"".
And in a 75-page judgement, the judge made a number of scathing or illuminating observations on the case. 
""I find that it is, unfortunately, necessary to treat Mrs Vardy's evidence with very considerable caution,"" said Mrs Justice Steyn.
""Mrs Vardy was generally unwilling to make factual concessions, however implausible her evidence.
""This inevitably affects my overall view of her credibility, although I have borne in mind that untruthful evidence may be given to mask guilt or to fortify innocence.""
urt heard the phone of Mrs Vardy's then-agent Caroline Watt could not be submitted as evidence because it fell into the North Sea while she was filming the Scottish coastline. 
Mrs Vardy also claimed some of her conversations with Ms Watt were wiped, denying she destroyed any evidence. 
""The timing is striking,"" said the judge. ""In my judgement... the likelihood that the loss Ms Watt describes was accidental is slim.
""In my judgement it is likely that Mrs Vardy deliberately deleted her WhatsApp chat with Ms Watt, and that Ms Watt deliberately dropped her phone in the sea.""
Mrs Rooney's primary defence was that seven stories based on information on her private Instagram account had appeared in the Sun newspaper, saying it was as a result of leaks by Mrs Vardy. 
She accused Mrs Vardy of using Ms Watt as a conduit to the press. 
""It is likely that Ms Watt undertook the direct act, in relation to each post, of passing the information to a journalist at the Sun,"" Mrs Justice Steyn said. 
""Nonetheless, the evidence... clearly shows, in my view, that Mrs Vardy knew of and condoned this behaviour, actively engaging in it by directing Mrs Watt to the private Instagram account, sending her screenshots of Mrs Rooney's posts, drawing attention to items of potential interest to the press, and answering additional queries raised by the press via Ms Watt.""
Mrs Vardy denied she sat behind Mrs Rooney during a Euro 2016 football match in order to allow a photo agency to a get a photograph with the pair in the same shot. 
urt heard Mrs Vardy had in fact been allocated seats several rows in front of Mrs Rooney.
Mrs Rooney said Mrs Vardy had shown ""publicity-seeking behaviour"" in sitting behind her. 
""As the wife of the England captain, and having already been in the public eye for about 14 years by then, Ms Rooney had a higher public profile than Mrs Vardy,"" said the judge. 
""It is highly likely that Mrs Vardy ended up sitting directly behind Mrs Rooney, in circumstances where that was not her allocated seat, due to a deliberate choice to put herself in the same shot.""
""Some members of the public have responded to the reveal post by subjecting Mrs Vardy to vile abuse, including messages wishing her, her family, and even her (then unborn) baby, ill in the most awful terms,"" reads the judgement.
""Nothing of which Mrs Vardy has been accused, not any of the findings in this judgement, provide any justification or excuse for subjecting her or her family, or any other person involved in this case, to such vitriol.""
""In my judgement, Mrs Rooney was an honest and reliable witness,"" said Mrs Justice Steyn. 
""She sought to answer the questions she was asked without any evasion, and without conveying any sense that she was giving pre-prepared answers.""
""Mrs Vardy was keen to be the subject of (positive) press coverage and it is apparent that she thought Ms Rooney was, too,"" said the judge. 
""Mrs Vardy's perception seems to have been that the information on the private Instagram account was harmless and, when Mrs Rooney repeatedly made clear her objection to her private posts being given to the press, Mrs Vardy seems to have viewed this as making a fuss about nothing and attention-seeking."""	/news/uk-62345915
entertainment	Ed Sheeran must face copyright trial over Thinking Out Loud, judge rules	"Pop star Ed Sheeran has been ordered to stand trial in the US over claims he copied his hit song Thinking Out Loud from Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On.
A judge denied Sheeran's bid to dismiss the case, saying a jury should decide on the similarities between the songs.
move comes six months after Sheeran was cleared of copying his hit song Shape Of You at a trial in London.
After that ruling, the singer hit out at ""baseless"" copyright claims, which he said were ""way too common"".
m over Thinking Out Loud was originally lodged in 2018, not by Gaye's family but by investment banker David Pullman and a company called Structured Asset Sales, which has acquired a portion of the estate of Let's Get It On co-writer Ed Townsend.
Seeking $100m (£90m) in damages, they allege that Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge ""copied and exploited, without authorisation or credit"" the Gaye song, ""including but not limited to the melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping"".
On Thursday, US District Judge Louis Stanton cited a disagreement between musical experts on both sides of the lawsuit as a reason for ordering the civil trial.
WATCH: Ed Sheeran sits down for exclusive interview about Shape Of You copyright lawsuit
rospect of a jury trial will be an unwelcome one for Sheeran. Copyright lawyers have often argued that juries have difficulty understanding the complexities of copyright law, and why superficial similarities between two songs are not necessarily proof of plagiarism.
In his order, Judge Stanton also ruled that jurors must decide whether SAS can include concert revenue in damages, rejecting Sheeran's argument that ticket sales weren't tied to the alleged infringement.
Sheeran's 2014-2015 tour earned $150m (£135m), according to music industry trade publication Pollstar.
His lawyers did not comment on the judge's ruling. A lawyer for Structured Asset Sales, Hillel Parness, told Reuters the company was ""pleased"" with the ruling.
rial Sheeran is facing over Thinking Out Loud, which went to number one in the UK in 2014 and won song of the year at the Grammy Awards in 2016.
SAS has filed a second case, which is currently on pause, while a separate suit by another portion of Townsend's estate is awaiting trial.
At the Shape of You a trial in March, the singer and his co-writers John McDaid and Steven McCutcheon faced accusations that a hook on their track ripped off Oh Why, a 2015 song by Sami Chokri and Ross O'Donoghue.
However, a High Court judge concluded they had ""neither deliberately nor subconsciously"" plagiarised the earlier song, and awarded the star and his co-defendants £900,000 in costs.
Afterwards, Sheeran declared on Instagram: ""I hope that this ruling means in the future baseless claims like this can be avoided. This really does have to end.""
He added: ""It's really damaging to the songwriting industry. There's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That's 22 million songs a year, and there's only 12 notes that are available."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63087419
entertainment	Alder Hey: Former homeless teacher records charity song for hospital	"A Liverpool teacher who turned his life around after being homeless aged 15 has recorded a Christmas charity record with local children.
Duane Williams, 29, who teaches at a primary school in Old Swan, said he wanted to help the youngsters ""believe in their dreams, no matter what"".
""I see children with a similar background to me and I want them to know anything is possible,"" he said.
g will raise money for Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Mr Williams, who left home as a teenager, said it took a number of years staying with friends and relatives before he was finally able to secure his own flat and ""get his life on track"".
""I had problems at home and I had problems in school,"" he said.
""I have dyspraxia and dyslexia and this made it hard for me at school which really affected my self-confidence and self-esteem. Music and preforming arts became my escape,"" he said.
Mr Williams, recently set up his own stage school Cutting Strings which he runs in his spare time.
""Theatre schools costs thousands of pounds,"" he said, ""I wanted to set something up that was accessible to everyone, no matter their background.""
Mr Williams said the charity song Invisible Strings is about feeling lonely, but also about ""holding on to dreams and letting go of all that worry, and to know you are not alone"". 
""I want to show the children that if I can do it, they can do it,"" he said.
""They are very excited. They don't believe it's actually real that they have actually recorded a song that will be on Spotify and YouTube.
""I want to help the children enjoy life, find their true self to believe in their own dreams, no matter what.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63921879
entertainment	Louis Tomlinson: Is this the end of camping for gigs?	"If you're desperate to get to the front row for your favourite singer, then you might consider queueing early for a concert.
Some even take the step of waiting in line overnight, sometimes days. 
But for those who camped to see Louis Tomlinson's show on Tuesday, they had an unexpected surprise. 
Banquet Records - who often run gigs at Pryzm in Kingston, London - told them before the show that people who stayed overnight would not be let in first.
Staff had previously made clear on social media that queueing overnight, due to the extremely cold temperatures, wasn't allowed.
It also said on tickets that queues before 08:00 wouldn't be recognised.
Posting on Twitter, Banquet Records said they were aware the new system ""will upset some but there has to be repercussions for queuing too early"".
Jon Tolley, who runs the record shop, said he was ""nervous"" about making the call.
But he wants the decision to discourage camping at other gigs too, such as future shows with Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly. 
He says that some fans had been camping since Wednesday last week, for the first show on Monday.
""It's unsafe for people to be on the streets - we spoke to Louis' management as soon as we saw that was happening,"" he tells BBC Newsbeat.
""If people see that other people are queuing, they have a fear of missing out. And they want to queue too. 
""You could have 200-300 people sleeping on the streets, in minus four degrees in the snow,"" he adds.
""We spoke to the council, and we said that if it reached a certain number of people, we would just pull the gig.""
Jon understands some fans were devastated, but, ultimately, he says Banquet ""had to do something to look after music fans"". 
""I think people can understand why we did what we did - the feedback generally has been very good.""
One person who was in the queue since midday on the day of the show is Mia Segal.
20-year-old says she often makes friends in queues for gigs. 
And while she's ""all for people doing what they want"" she understands why the venue made the call.
""Some of these people were queuing since Thursday night in the snow, which is extremely dangerous. By doing this, they ran the threat of the shows possibly being cancelled which is selfish for everyone else going,"" she says. 
She feels ""queuing culture has become worse"" since Covid impacted live music venues.
""People think they're entitled to queue even if the venue can't facilitate them, it just puts so many things at risk and isn't worth it,"" Mia adds.
On social media, the move by Banquet Records has been met with a largely positive reaction.
Music fan Kieran Raza, 27, says he hopes the ""practice is put into place in other venues around the country"".
""Because it's a much bigger issue in arenas and stadiums when people are queuing for days to see Harry Styles in a pit at the front of the stage. If you're one row from the front, it really doesn't detract from your experience,"" he says.
""But it's venues that are responsible for putting that into place, in order to uphold the safety and integrity of the event.""
But Jo Cosgrove can understand why gig goers can sometimes go to big lengths to see their favourite acts. 
23-year-old camped for a Twenty One Pilots show in 2019, and says ""in the future Pryzm should not be doing this"". 
""No venue should be doing this because you're punishing fans for being passionate at the end of the day.
""And fans will always be passionate - you will never stop that you will only push people away from your venue.""
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63977299
entertainment	New Year Honours: Bristol Beacon chief appointed CBE	"f executive of an arts venue who oversaw its name change away from that of a slave trader has been recognised in the New Year Honours.
Bristol Beacon's Louise Mitchell has been appointed CBE in recognition of her services to the arts.
She led on the name change of the former Colston Hall, but Ms Mitchell is also credited with bringing music to wider audiences. 
ward will ""help raise the profile of the arts in Bristol"", she said. 
""None of us work alone, it takes a variety of skills to make special things happen and I'm proud of the excellent spirit of team working at Bristol Beacon,"" Ms Mitchell added.
She was recognised in King Charles III's first New Year Honours list for a career that spans more than four decades.
As chief executive of the charity Bristol Music Trust, which runs Bristol Beacon, Ms Mitchell has steered the ongoing £107m transformation of the concert venue, one of the biggest arts regeneration projects in the UK, the cost of which has more than doubled.  
She is credited with ""reinvigorating the classical music programme"", bringing a landmark staging by Sir John Eliot Gardiner of the three Monteverdi operas that were voted The Guardian's classical music event of the year to Bristol.
Simon Chapman, chair of Bristol Beacon's Board of Trustees, said: ""Louise's drive, vision and entrepreneurial spirit have inspired the once-in-a-generation project to transform the main music spaces of Bristol Beacon into a fully accessible, world-class venue, which will attract audiences and artists for the next 150 years. 
""I am thrilled that her work has been recognised in this way - it is much deserved.""
Before moving to Bristol, Ms Mitchell worked in Scotland, including as director of Glasgow's Concert Halls for 13 years, where she spearheaded the regeneration of two of the city's most revered venues, the City Halls and The Old Fruitmarket.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE):
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM):
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-bristol-64119970
entertainment	Stephen Sondheim: Live recording of Phinney's Rainbow found on bookshelf	"A rare live recording of one of Stephen Sondheim's earliest musicals has been discovered on a bookshelf in the US city of Milwaukee.  
American composer and lyricist wrote Phinney's Rainbow when he was an 18-year-old student in 1948. 
rated songwriter, who died last year, is best known for West Side Story and Gypsy. 
""This is the first original cast recording of a Sondheim show,"" Paul Salsini told BBC News.
He found the CD while he was cleaning his office.
""I noticed that there was a space between a couple of CDs and I looked at the shelf below and found that this recording had fallen down into the next shelf. It had literally fallen through the cracks."" 
w had four performances at Williams College in Massachusetts and someone, possibly even Sondheim himself, recorded it before it was eventually transferred to a CD.  
Lasting 1hr 20mins, it is a sizeable score with 19 tracks. Salsini, who's 87, and the author of the memoir Sondheim and Me: Revealing a Musical Genius, says ""it's a mystery"" where the recording came from. 
It's an amateur recording and the sound quality is not great. 
Some words are muffled and there is background noise, frequent bursts of laughter and applause, as well as a few glitches and silence. 
Nonetheless, the eminent music scholar Stephen Banfield, who wrote Sondheim's Broadway Musicals, said he is ""absolutely delighted that it's come to light"" and it is significant.
""Any complete recording of a live show from 1948 is pretty important, there aren't many,"" he said.
""I'm not aware that we have recordings of any of the other shows that Sondheim did when he was a youngster. The importance of it is that it's the earliest Sondheim we're likely to hear. Earliest in both senses of him actually playing one of the two pianos in the performance and also in the fact that it's his own music."" 
Professor Banfield added: ""It's always important to see where an artist came from, what they were aiming for when they were young"". 
He said he could detect ""certain pointers"" in some of the tracks towards songs which appear in later Sondheim musicals including Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods.  
Paul Salsini is now donating the CD to the Sondheim Research Collection in Milwaukee to enable the wider public to hear it.  
But he does not think Phinney's Rainbow should be performed again. 
""No, no, it's a college musical ... it's a curiosity piece it really is,"" he said.
""But it's an interesting curiosity piece not only because it was the first for him but because of how it had showed the imagination and tendencies that he would show through the rest of his career."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63798222
entertainment	David Walliams' future as Britain's Got Talent judge 'up in the air'	"David Walliams' future on Britain's Got Talent is ""very much up in the air"", according to the show, after a report that he is to step down as a judge.
Sun has claimed he will leave the show's panel after 10 years.
It comes weeks after the comedian and author apologised for ""disrespectful comments"" he made about two contestants during a break in filming in 2020.
A BGT spokesperson said: ""The judging panel for Britain's Got Talent 2023 will be announced in due course.""
PA news agency: ""It's still very much up in the air at the moment on whether David is going to take part in next year's show.
""No decision, though, has been made as yet.""
Auditions in front of the judging panel are not scheduled to start for another two months, and no-one is currently contracted to appear on next year's series.
Walliams, who has been on the show since 2012, has not yet responded to the report. The BBC has asked his spokesperson for a comment.
Earlier this month, he said sorry after The Guardian published a leaked transcript of a recording, which it said showed the talent show judge making derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants.
""I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020,"" he said.
""These were private conversations and - like most conversations with friends - were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.""
At the time, a spokesperson for Thames TV, which produces the show, said the company regarded Walliams' comments as private, but that his use of language was ""inappropriate"".
: ""Even though it was private, those involved have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities and the show's expectations as to future professional conduct."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63753499
entertainment	Wakanda Forever 'will honour Chadwick Boseman's legacy'	"Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther co-stars say Wakanda Forever is dedicated to honouring his legacy.
US actor, who played heroic crime-fighting king T'Challa, died of cancer in 2020, aged 43.
Co-stars Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o say they are still processing his untimely death.
But Danai, who plays Okoye, says it is the cast's ""hope and prayer"" that the sequel's attempt to honour him ""is felt by the audience"".
""Some scenes you want to break down and cry,"" adds Letitia. 
""[Grief] is still there like that's one of the things about this project that's been one of the hardest, you can't run from it.
""We walked through it together and we just made sure that every line, every scene was just dedicated to him.
""I knew he was listening.""
Speaking to Radio 1Xtra, the trio also discussed returning to set after Covid lockdowns, filming underwater and inspiring change in Hollywood.
Chadwick Boseman: Five things to know
Wakanda Forever, released on Friday, returns to the fictional African country with incredibly advanced technology.
Letitia plays Shuri, the Black Panther's sister, Danai stars as Okoye, head of the Wakandan armed forces and Oscar-winner Lupita becomes Nakia, an undercover spy in service to Wakanda. 
""We have a predominantly female-led film,"" says Lupita.
""We already did something like that with the first Black Panther but now in the absence of T'Challa, the women have taken the fore in a remarkable way.
""That this film is as big as it is with that feminist agenda is so cool.""
And on the subject of women leading the way, Rihanna released her first solo single in six years, Lift Me Up, to accompany the film.
quel comes four years after Black Panther was released to rave reviews and big box office receipts.
And for the actors it was their first return to filming since the Covid pandemic.
""It felt more intense maybe because we were coming out of a lockdown situation it was like one of the first things I did outside of being in my house for a year,"" says Danai.
For the first read-through, the actors had to 6ft (1.8m) apart due to restrictions, which Lupita admits was a bit ""awkward"".
But she remembers feeling ""as we read, it just started to feel more possible"".
In another first, the film features underwater sequences.
""Before this film, Ryan [Coogler, director] sent me a cryptic text message saying, 'on the scale of one to 10 how well can you swim?'"" says Lupita.
""I said four, because I swim like a panicked puppy.""
She had to take swimming lessons, followed by extreme performance training.
It involved underwater tasks - like walking along the bottom of a pool - to increase her breath capacity.
""My thinking was they're going to be asking me not just to swim but to act as I'm swimming,"" she says.
rio are tight-lipped about the possibility of a third film but said they had ""so much fun"" on set.
""In this film, I felt really loved and I really have a family [here],"" says Danai. 
""No matter how many times you come back to do this, or where life takes us, I definitely have a family.""
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63589041
entertainment	The Crown: Queen's friend says Netflix show 'makes me so angry'	"A lifelong friend of the late Queen has described Netflix's royal drama The Crown as ""complete fantasy"" and ""so unfair on members of the Royal Family"".
Lady Glenconner, who was a maid of honour at the Queen's coronation, said the show ""just makes me so angry"".
""The trouble is that people, especially in America, believe it completely,"" she told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
Netflix has defended the show, saying it ""has always been presented as a drama based on historical events"".
Lady Glenconner knew the Queen from childhood and was lady-in-waiting to her sister, Princess Margaret, for more than 30 years. 
She told Woman's Hour: ""It's so irritating. I don't watch The Crown now because it just makes me so angry. And it's so unfair on members of the royal family.""
She cited one episode in series two, which portrayed the Duke of Edinburgh as being responsible for his sister Cecilie taking the flight that resulted in her death in a plane crash in 1937.
""That was completely untrue,"" Lady Glenconner said. ""And I think to say something like that about people is terribly hurting. Nobody wants to have their relations trashed like that.""
In the third series, Princess Margaret was shown having a competition to come up with dirty limericks with US President Lyndon B Johnson in 1965. ""Well, I mean, of course she never did that,"" she said.
Lady Glenconner herself is portrayed in The Crown, and another scene in series three depicts her discussing the merits of various men with the late princess. ""I mean, of course that never happened.""
Helena Bonham Carter, who played Margaret in series three and four, visited Lady Glenconner to ask for her advice, she said.
""She came for about two hours. I told her how Princess Margaret smoked, how she walked.
""I saw Helena after she'd been in The Crown and she said, 'What did you think?' And I said, 'Well, rather disappointed.' And she said, 'I know. But the thing is, I'm an actress, and I have to do what's written for me.'""
Lesley Manville has taken over playing Margaret for the latest series, which launched earlier this month.
Her portrayal was convincing enough for US rapper Cardi B to suggest on Twitter on Wednesday that they may have got on well.
Netflix has said: ""The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.""
reaming giant says the show is described as a fictional drama based on real events in all press materials, cast and crew interviews, on social media, and on the show's landing page on the service.
Meanwhile, Lady Glenconner said she thought there was still a place for royal ladies-in-waiting following reports that Camilla, the Queen Consort, will scrap the tradition.
""The reason for ladies in waiting is that, although we do a lot of jobs and letters and all that sort of thing, we're friends.,"" she said. ""When you go abroad and have a very, very busy day, in the evening I used to go up to Princess Margaret's sitting room and we used to have a drink and laugh and talk together.
""I think ladies in waiting have an ear to the ground too. They know what's going on. I think now the reason they don't perhaps have them - they take a secretary or someone - is it's more professional now. But it was great fun."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63744908
entertainment	Microsoft founder's masterpieces on display ahead of blockbuster $1bn auction	"Masterpieces by some of art's most renowned painters have gone on display before what's expected to be the largest auction in history.
re collectively expected to fetch a record-breaking $1bn (£900m) at the sale in New York next month.
works belonged to Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, who died in 2018.
But while Allen often loaned out his treasures, some art critics fear the auction could lead the works to become hidden from public view for decades.
Paintings by Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Paul Cezanne and David Hockney feature in the collection, which is being auctioned by Christie's.
150 works will be on public display in the coming weeks at branches of Christie's worldwide, before being auctioned in New York on 9 and 10 November. 
Fourteen of the paintings will be on display in London this weekend, with other exhibitions set to take place in Paris, Los Angeles and Shanghai.
While some of the artists come up in auctions relatively often, Allen's collection features pieces that are considered some of the painters' masterpieces.  
Max Carter, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie's, described it as a ""once-in-a-lifetime"" auction.
""I don't think we've had anything like this in terms of masterpiece range across 500 years,"" he told BBC News. ""If you look at the top dozen or so works in the collection, each one of these objects would be a five-year or 10-year defining work if they were to come on the market on their own.""
He added: ""The art collecting was very personal [to Allen], in spite of the staggering range - it's 500 years from late 15th Century works by Botticelli through to works executed in the 2010s. 
""The common thread is this one man's vision. There was no advisor, this was something that he did himself, and buying at the highest levels, decisively and virtually without mistakes, which is something you very seldom see.""
works on display in London include: 
When he was alive, Allen often loaned his artworks to museums and touring exhibitions. ""He was very generous,"" said Giovanna Bertazzoni, co-chairman of Christie's impressionist and modern art department. ""He wasn't private or secluded with the collection. It was always an endeavour that he wanted to share.""
But some arts experts fear that the buyers may hang them on the walls of their homes and restrict them from public view. 
Melanie Gerlis, Financial Times columnist and editor-at-large of The Art Newspaper, said: ""It's always a bit painful to watch works that have been in museum shows - or indeed on long loan to collections - go into the private market, where they may not be seen again by the public.
""But the truth is that to buy work at these price levels is beyond the reach of museums, so they are always in some way reliant on the generosity of private, wealthy patrons. 
""I am sure though that many of the next owners the Allen works will be those who are accustomed to lending to museums - and frankly not just for charitable reasons. As most collectors know, a museum showing can greatly add to the value of the work that they own!""
Asked whether she was concerned that public access to the works could be limited, Ms Bertazzoni said: ""I have the same kind of hopes that they will end up in museums. Most of them will be competed for by museums, there are museums that can afford them and they will be in the game. 
""American collectors are all driven by donating, eventually, to the Met [Metropolitan Museum of Art], to the MoMA [Museum of Modern Art]. It's part of the American tradition. So I really do hope that these works will go back to public fruition.""
money raised by the auction will be distributed between a variety of philanthropic causes Allen supported.
Allen was a conservationist, and his own foundation aimed to protect oceans and promote biodiversity. During his lifetime, he was also passionate about supporting education, the arts, wildlife, science and technology."	/news/entertainment-arts-63230643
entertainment	How do you get school pupils interested in poetry?	"As hard sells go, it is us up there with the toughest of all - how do you get school pupils interested in poetry?
Glasgow-based performance poet Imogen Stirling has been on that mission in rural south-west Scotland over the past year or so.
She admitted there had been an element of subterfuge to her work in and around Wigtown.
""I've learned that you just can never use the word poetry because that puts people off immediately,"" she said. 
""And, I mean, rightly so to be honest, I had no interest in poetry when I was in school and I didn't really resonate with the way that it was taught to me at all.
""So it did take me quite a long time from having sort of dipped into poetry at school to come back to it because I really just didn't think it was for me.""
However, there are ways to get it across.
""I think it's more about bringing out the performative elements and the storytelling elements,"" she said.
""We're really fortunate in that there's so many exciting performance poets at the moment.
""There's so many artists who are blending poetry and raps, which is a much more accessible art form, I think.""
She said she tried to showcase some of that work and show students how the spoken word could be used to talk about things which were important to them rather than ending up in ""some dusty book on a shelf"".
""I think it's just about feeling comfortable in your own expression,"" she added.
School visits are one part of her work in the region alongside setting up the Wigtownshire Young Writers Development Programme which helps teenagers from 14 to 18.
""We come together once a month, to work together and help develop their skills as writers,"" she said.
""It is as much about skill development as it is about socialising with other writers and also looking on to see what a career in writing could look like.""
Her own journey into performance poetry has been a circuitous one after studying theatre and literature.
""I'd worked abroad as a musician for a couple of years, came back to Glasgow and found that this really rich performance poetry scene existed, which had never been there to my knowledge when I'd been here studying,"" she said.
""I fell into that and sort of frequented a lot of the open mic nights and that sort of thing around here and then wrote a show for the Fringe in 2018 and it's really kind of been all go since then.""
It has brought her to Wigtown Book Festival this year to perform Love The Sinner which she describes as a ""modern retelling of the stories of the seven deadly sins set as characters in a contemporary Scottish cityscape"".
Who knows, in future, maybe some of her current students will be inspired to follow in her footsteps."	/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-63008193
entertainment	Scene-stealer: Child star Lenny Rush's rise to fame	"Lenny Rush is getting rave reviews that other actors can only dream of - and yet he's just 13 years old. 
He's the ""fearless"" scene-stealer of Children in Need according to one critic, while another calls him ""phenomenal"" in Daisy May Cooper's dark comedy, Am I Being Unreasonable?
His latest show, CBBC's Dickensian drama Dodger, with Christopher Eccleston as Fagin, has just snapped up a Bafta in the week it returns to TV. 
So it's no surprise he handles talking about his five-year career with aplomb. 
Sitting on a sofa in his Essex home after a day at school, he's articulate and thoughtful - and funny. 
His mum Lisa is sitting nearby, but he's obviously used to handling interviews by himself. 
""Sometimes people think acting is glamorous. But even though it's hard work, I actually love it. It's so fun,"" he says. 
Lenny started acting with local drama classes at the Pauline Quirke Academy, and was quickly signed up by an agent.
But he was already used to being in front of a camera, having appeared in CBeebies documentary Our Family in 2017, which offers snapshots of family life.
One scene shows Lenny, his younger brother Bobby and their parents peeling vegetables for a roast dinner.
Lenny's early comic talent is immediately apparent - he grabs a stick of broccoli, transforming into a blushing bride, batting his eyelashes as he clutches his green bouquet.
Lenny went on to play Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol twice - on stage for the Old Vic, and then for BBC One - along with roles in BBC children's shows Apple Tree House and The Dumping Ground. 
On BBC One's Am I Being Unreasonable? he stars as Daisy May Cooper's often-exasperated son Ollie. It's a role that requires the young actor to deal with some pretty adult themes.
Lenny says he really picked up on moments when Ollie was ""vulnerable"", and says: ""What I really liked about that series is that at one point, we feel sorry for every single character.""
""What a gift they have in Rush, who has the comic chops and emotional range of an actor twice his age, and the kind of chemistry with Cooper that is an absolute joy to watch,"" wrote The Guardian's Lucy Mangan.
re's no doubt he is able to convey great depth with just a look or a comment, displaying skills and maturity way beyond many children his age. 
He has a disability - spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC) - a rare condition that results in short stature and skeletal anomalies, and a cleft palate. 
Might this have given him more life experience to draw on for his acting?
""I think - it's not nice to say this - but sometimes having a disability, people really take in the fact it's a DIS-ability. And I really don't think it is at all.""
Instead, he draws on the upsides, saying: ""Like when I did Tiny Tim, they were looking for disabled children. 
""So without having the disability, I wouldn't have been able to have done it. So I think there's more positives than negatives.""
Some of his more recent roles, including Ollie and Morgan, have not made his disability central to the part.
Lenny's agent put him up to play Ollie even though the character, as written on the page, did not have a disability. 
When he landed the part, the writers barely changed a word. He may travel around on a Segway, but his condition is just accepted as part of family life.
Lenny also got to experiment with improvising for the first time in his scenes with Cooper.
He admits he was ""very nervous"" about working without a script in front of the cast and crew, but his co-star was his safety net.
""I knew that if I got any bits where I didn't know what to say, she would always back me up.""
He is proud of one particularly funny scene - Ollie's birthday - which scored an impressive 820,000 likes on the BBC's TikTok account.
Ollie has to wear a truly terrible birthday cake hat from his nan, who has also given him Duplo, which is more suited to a toddler. He then has to speak to her on the phone and pretend he likes his gifts. 
get out of the call, he takes the phone and says the line is breaking up, rustling handfuls of wrapping paper and missing words out, before hanging up.
""That bit was my idea,"" he says with a grin. 
It's ""refreshing"" this role isn't about his disability, but he adds: ""Even if people do know I have a disability, that's fine. 
""My mum always says, 'Because you've got your disability and you're different, people remember you'.""
How does he feel about being a possible role model for other children?
""It's an honour,"" he says. ""For someone to see another person with the same thing as them on the telly - I think it gives them hope that it will be all right, you know.""
He himself has been inspired by Warwick Davis, whose acting credits include the Star Wars films, Harry Potter and Willow. 
SEDC, and met after Lenny worked with Davis's daughter, Annabelle, in The Dumping Ground.
""Warwick's lovely,"" Lenny says. ""He does a convention for people with dwarfism called Little People UK.
""We all go there and we have a disco in the night, it's great.""
He really enjoyed being part of the event, saying: ""To be honest, sometimes, especially when you're out where I live, in a small town, you don't really see a lot of little people, do you?
""You don't feel lonely, or the odd one out. You just kind of feel like the only one.
""It's crazy, you go to the convention, and there's all the other little people.""
Nowadays, he's a recognisable face on TV, and was recently asked to take charge of Pudsey's Celebrity Call Centre, herding unruly celebrities including Mo Farah, Richard Madeley, Mr Blobby and even Lord Sugar as they took donations from the public.
""It's everyone's dream, to be honest, bossing around celebrities,"" Lenny laughs.
ketch saw Lorraine Kelly playing against type by swearing like a trooper between calls.
""She let a few F-bombs slip out,"" Lenny laughs, but admits he wasn't in the room when she actually let rip. 
""That bit was cut in.""
Recalling Peter Andre's cameo, he says: ""I remember sitting there, and Peter Andre walking in, and thinking, 'I've got to tell Mum about this, she'll go crazy!'""
Lenny also gets some great lines in Dodger, which has just won best scripted programme at the Bafta Children and Young People's Awards. 
re, he plays Morgan the crossing sweeper, who has just been promoted to a shoe-shine.
w's upcoming Christmas special, which sees Dodger crash a festive party at 10 Downing Street, also gives a bit of backstory to Fagin.
""You get a little glimpse of him, he's lost some people in his life,"" says Rush, but adds it's a feel-good episode, with ""everyone coming together, having fun - that's what Christmas is really about"".
Next, he has voiced an unnamed Disney+ show, and will be in horror film The Queen Mary, starring Alice Eve, although he admits he's ""a bit of a scaredy cat"" and prefers thrillers.
Having caught the improvising bug, the young actor also wants to work on mockumentaries like Ricky Gervais's The Office and Cooper's This Country.
As for working with her again, he says with a smile: ""Oh I'd really like to. Maybe Daisy could write something, let's hope so.""
Christmas-based episode of Dodger is broadcast on 4 December on CBBC at 17:35 GMT."	/news/entertainment-arts-63741945
entertainment	Netflix's Jeffrey Dahmer drama attracts huge ratings and strong reactions	"Netflix's drama about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has attracted huge viewing figures but also criticism from people who say it's insensitive.
Rapper Boosie BadAzz tweeted: ""As black people we should boycott the [show]. What he did to our black kids is sick.""
Dahmer killed 17 boys and young men, many of whom were black and gay, between 1978 and 1991.
r of one of his victims has described Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story as ""harsh and careless"".
Rita Isbell, whose brother Errol Lindsey was 19 when he was killed, gave an emotional victim impact statement in court in 1992, but said she was not informed it would be recreated in Ryan Murphy's 10-part series.
She told Insider: ""When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself - when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said.""
She said Netflix should have given some of the money from the show to the victims' children and grandchildren.
""If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn't feel so harsh and careless. It's sad that they're just making money off of this tragedy. That's just greed.""
Last week, Lindsey's cousin Eric Perry tweeted to say the family were unhappy about the series.
""It's retraumatising over and over again, and for what?"" he said. ""How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?""
He added that ""recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD"".
Dahmer's crimes also involved cannibalism and necrophilia. He was convicted in 1992 and was murdered in prison two years later.
Anne E Schwartz, the journalist who broke the story of his crimes in 1991, told the Independent the streaming series had ""sacrificed accuracy for the sake of drama"".
former crime journalist said the film-makers had taken ""artistic licence"" with many key details, saying the series ""does not bear a great deal of resemblance to the facts of the case"".
She also said the ""depiction of city police officers as racist and homophobic was incorrect"".
Netflix has also been criticised for initially categorising it as an LGBTQ show. That tag was later removed.
roversy has not stopped the show from notching up the streaming service's highest first-week viewing figures for a brand new series since its ratings system began in June 2021, according to IndieWire.
w, which stars Evan Peters as Dahmer, was watched for 196.2 million hours in its first full week, and is currently the number one TV show on Netflix in more than 60 countries.
Netflix has been asked for a response to the criticisms.
Its official synopsis says the series ""exposes these unconscionable crimes, centred around the underserved victims and their communities impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police that allowed one of America's most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade"".
Reviews for the show have been mixed, with the Guardian's Stuart Heritage calling it ""almost unwatchably queasy"".
He wrote: ""Worst of all, by some degree, is the show's choice of focus... The one good thing a show like this can do is steal the spotlight from the murderer and show who these people actually were. But Dahmer, for the most part, is unfortunately too infatuated with its star attraction for that.""
Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg called it an ""infuriating hodgepodge"", adding that ""reducing most of the victims and their families to their pain is closer to exploiting that pain than honouring any memories"".
But Forbes' Paul Tassi said: ""I don't know if 'liking' the series is the right word, as it's pretty unsettling to watch, but I do think it's well-acted by everyone involved, and the show does do a lot of work to maintain the focus is on the victims, the ineptitude of the police and the damage that Dahmer left in his wake."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63088009
entertainment	Top Gear: Sue Baker, who presented motoring show for 11 years, dies	"Sue Baker, one of the early presenters on long-running BBC motoring show Top Gear, has died at the age of 75.
resenter and journalist, who had motor neurone disease (MND), died on Monday, her family said.
Baker joined Top Gear in 1980, three years after its launch, and appeared in more than 100 episodes.
She left in 1991, going on to set up the Motor Racing News Service based at the Brands Hatch race track. She was also the Observer's motoring editor.
A statement issued by her family on Monday said: ""It is with great sadness that we share the news of Sue's passing. A doting mother to Ian and Hannah, a loving grandmother to Tom and George, and a wonderful mother-in-law to Lucy. She passed at home this morning with family around her.
""She was a talented and prolific writer, a charismatic TV presenter, and a passionate animal lover. She had a life and career that many would envy, but did it all with such grace that she was admired and respected by all who knew her. We know she meant so much to so many.
""Thank you to everyone who has supported her over the last few years as she battled with MND.""
As one of the first women to present on Top Gear, following in the footsteps of the likes of Angela Rippon and Judith Jackson, Baker was considered a pioneer in her field.
""The entire Top Gear team are very saddened to hear about Sue,"" a statement from the programme said.
""She was an exceptional motoring journalist and a much-loved former presenter of the show. Our thoughts are with Sue's family and friends at this time.""
Motoring editor and columnist Geraldine Herbert posted: ""She was a wonderful person, a brilliant journalist, and a dear friend... she blazed a trail for women in a man's world.""
Guild of Motoring Writers, of which Baker was the vice-president and a former chair, said: ""Sue was a pioneer for women in automotive journalism.""
Fellow car expert and writer Giles Chapman tweeted that Baker ""should be hailed as a feminist icon"", as she was ""the first woman to become a Fleet Street pro in car journalism"".
Baker's family said they would share details of ""how we will lay her to rest and celebrate her life and all her remarkable achievements in the coming days""."	/news/entertainment-arts-63634335
entertainment	Pink, Queen and Alanis Morissette honour Taylor Hawkins in Los Angeles tribute concert	"Musicians including Pink, Queen and Def Leppard have paid tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at a memorial concert in Los Angeles.
joined the star's former bandmates in Foo Fighters and Chevy Metal to play the songs he loved, as fans celebrated his memory.
Foos frontman Dave Grohl said the show honoured the fact that ""this many people connected through one person"".
Other star guests included Miley Cyrus, Rush, Cars and Mötley Crüe.
Alanis Morissette - for whom Hawkins played drums before he joined Foo Fighters - gave a fierce performance of You Oughta Know; while comedian Dave Chapelle unexpectedly covered Radiohead's Creep.
Pink made several appearances during the concert, joining Heart's Nancy Wilson to duet on Barracuda, before tackling Queen's Somebody To Love - a song that Hawkins often covered in concert himself - and teaming up with Foo Fighters to sing The Pretender at the show's finale.
British rock band Def Leppard recalled that they had first encountered Hawkins when he was a ""20-year-old kid"" working in a guitar shop in LA.
""About five years later we did Top Of The Pops in England [and] this kid walks into the dressing room. He was playing drums for Alanis Morissette,"" recalled singer Joe Elliot.
""That was Taylor Hawkins, so in memory of. Let's do some proper songs for Taylor."" 
Rock Of Ages before being joined briefly by pop star Miley Cyrus for an expansive version of Photograph.
""It's like a revolving door of rock heroes tonight,"" said Grohl halfway through the concert, which also saw performances from Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Metallica's Lars Ulrich.
One of the most moving moments came when the surviving members of Nirvana, Grohl and Krist Novoselic, teamed up with fellow grunge musicians Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden - who lost their lead singer Chris Cornell five years ago.
gether, they played haunting versions of The Day I Tried to Live and Black Hole Sun, with vocals from Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless.
Rush, who are also mourning the loss of their drummer Neil Peart, played Working Man with assistance from Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith and YYZ with Danny Carey of Tool.
And Wolfgang Van Halen delivered flawless renditions of his father's fretwork on covers of pop-metal classics Panama and Hot For Teacher.
rt came less than a month after a previous tribute show at Wembley Stadium in London, which saw Foo Fighters joined by Sir Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher and Supergrass.
As at that concert, Hawkins' children played a key role, with his teenage son Shane stepping behind the drum kit for a blistering rendition of the Foo Fighters' hits My Hero and I'll Stick Around.
Hawkins' other children Everleigh and Annabel, also appeared on stage with their mother, Alison, after Queen's Brian May played Love Of My Life - a song that Alison had requested specially.
Earlier, the show had opened with Grohl's daughter Violet giving a low-key, moving performance of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
Six hours later, Foo Fighters closed the show with Everlong.
""This one's for Taylor,"" Grohl told the audience at LA's Kia Forum. ""We love you.""
Hawkins drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 until his death in March of this year, aged 50.
No cause of death was announced, although a toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including opioids, marijuana and anti-depressants.
Investigators did not say whether the mix of drugs was a factor.
Proceeds from both the London and Los Angeles tribute concerts will go to the charities Music Support and MusiCares.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63058731
entertainment	Watch: The making of The Journey of the Magi	"A poem by the celebrated poet and BBC programme-maker WR Rodgers has been given a new lease of life by the Ulster Orchestra as part of a special commission to mark the BBC's centenary.
Rodgers reimagined the story of the Magi and their travels through the seasons of the year in a broadcast poem for BBC network radio in the late 1940s.
Belfast-based composer Paul Campbell has adapted WR Rodgers’ original poem and set it to music for symphony orchestra.
Journey of the Magi is narrated by Michelle Fairley and Stuart Graham, with an introduction by the award-winning poet Michael Longley.
It will be broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on Christmas Eve at 23:00 GMT and repeated on Christmas Day at 18:30.
rogramme will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Near Year’s Day at 19:30.
Listen: The Journey of the Magi on BBC Sounds
Video Journalist: Peter Hamill"	/news/uk-northern-ireland-64065776
entertainment	Love Island winner Ekin-Su signs up for Dancing On Ice	"winner of Love Island, Ekin-Su Culculoglu, has confirmed she will be a contestant on Dancing On Ice next year.
28-year-old, who lives in Essex, won the ITV2 dating show alongside Davide Sanclimenti in August.
urkish actress is the third contestant to be announced by the ITV skating show, following actress Patsy Palmer and former footballer John Fashanu.
Ekin-Su said she ""can't wait"" to get ""on the ice and skate"".
As well as Dancing On Ice, it has also been announced that Ekin-Su and Davide will take part on a travel programme for ITV2.
wo-part series, titled Ekin-Su & Davide: Homecomings, will follow Davide returning to Italy and his hometown of Frosinone, Lazio, with Ekin-Su before they embark on a tour of the city of Verona, made famous by Romeo and Juliet.
will then travel through the Tuscan valley and travel to Ekin-Su's hometown in Turkey.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-essex-63145319
entertainment	'We're joining Katy Perry on stage to celebrate diversity'	"How would you visualise disability? Chances are, Viktoria Modesta wants you to imagine something different.
A self-described bionic pop artist, she uses technology to enhance her prosthetic leg in creative ways.
""If we start to challenge what it means to be normal, the concept of disability is challenged also,"" she says.
weekend she is performing in Tokyo at a festival headlined by Katy Perry and featuring diverse artists from around the world.
British-Latvian Viktoria was injured at birth and chose to have her leg amputated in 2007 when she was 20 years old.
She's become known for her highly stylised prosthetics, which were seen in a collaboration with Channel 4 called Prototype.
After it attracted millions of views online Viktoria started to question how she could tell the story of alternative bodies and disability in pop culture.
""I never really identified as a person as disabled,"" she says, instead choosing to describe herself as bionic - a hybrid of biological and artificial materials.
""Language and storytelling is extremely important for how we see things.""
Viktoria says her prosthetic has given her chances to explore new opportunities through emerging technologies.
She's experimented with prosthetic designs, the Metaverse and zero-gravity environments.
""Going into zero gravity, you don't really need to be fully 'intact',"" she says. 
And in the virtual reality Metaverse she's created a digital avatar of herself in a world she imagines as ""fully accessible"".
""What does a post-disability world look like?"" Viktoria wants to know.
For her, it's ""where having a prosthetic or having some kind of contraption as part of your lifestyle is as accepted as reading glasses"".
""We're in a really important time right now where we have to realise that there are many different shades of what it means to be an individual who has a physical difference that's part of their identity.""
She's performing alongside Firework singer Katy Perry at the True Colours festival in Japan this weekend.
ws will be livestreamed for free in what organisers are calling ""a celebration of diversity"".
Also performing is Rachel Starritt, from Bridgend in Wales. 
She was born blind and started learning the piano at age six after hearing the instrument in a school assembly.
""I didn't realise what it was,"" she says. ""It just sort of came to me like an embrace, and I fell in love with it.""
Working with her teacher Alison Bowring, Rachel listens to different versions of music and learns the fingerings for each hand. She can also read music in Braille.
By performing in Tokyo, ""I want to develop the sense of inspiration,"" Rachel says. 
""Music is always very positive, it's a universal language. Music draws us together.""
Rachel also has Asperger's syndrome - a condition she says has helped her to realise her talents.
""The Asperger's has really helped me focus as a musician because it's a mild autism condition that gives me an advantage, I suppose.
""I do struggle with like the organisation skills, but I can just practise until I got the result I want.""
""I think being disabled shouldn't really be a barrier or an obstacle,"" says Rachel. ""It's just a part of the person.""
Rachel says she's ""really excited"" to play alongside Katy Perry for the show's finale.
Performing at the festival has given Rachel more confidence about the future of her career.
When she returns to the UK she plans to work performing for other people who don't have access to live music.
""It's a very important part for me, not only because there's diversity, working with people with disabilities, but also I'm learning how flexible my career can be,"" she says. 
""It's allowing me to develop skills that I need to function professionally in a music career.""
Viktoria also hopes the festival will send an important message about disability in the arts. 
""Not just for people who are affected by limitations, or who feel like they can't enter the world of entertainment,"" she says.
""But also people who never imagined that people like myself could be entertainment.""
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63647638
entertainment	Rihanna releases Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	"Rihanna has released her first solo single in six years, a song taken from the soundtrack of the forthcoming Black Panther sequel.
Lift Me Up was released on Friday after the singer teased her return to music on social media earlier this week.
g will appear in Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is set to be released in November.
Director Ryan Coogler said Rihanna's involvement in the project was to honour the late actor Chadwick Boseman.
""Honestly, I think it was Chad,"" he said. ""A lot of improbable things needed to happen for it to come through and Rihanna was very clear that she did that for him.""
Boseman starred in the first Black Panther film and also appeared in Da 5 Bloods, 21 Bridges and the James Brown biopic Get On Up.
He died in 2020, four years after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Last year, Boseman was posthumously nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
Coogler added: ""We knew [Rihanna] was at a point in her life as well where she was focusing on different things - focused on business, motherhood, which is a big theme in our film. We were holding out hope that maybe it could work out and boy did it for this song.""
Lift Me Up has been co-written by Rihanna, Coogler and Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, who has previously worked with Drake, Justin Bieber, Future, Wizkid, Beyonce and Khalid.
g is produced and co-written by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, who scored the first Black Panther film as well as Creed, Venom and Tenet. 
It is downtempo but uplifting, and sees Rihanna's distinctive vocals projected over a smooth accompaniment of delicate keys and strings. The singer is accompanied by a subtle backing choir as the atmospheric song builds to its climax.
She sings: ""Lift me up, hold me down, keep me close, safe and sound / Hold me when you go to sleep, keep me in the warmth of your love when you depart, keep me safe and sound.""
Fans warmly welcomed the release of the single on social media, with many joking via a string of memes that the song was making them levitate, but others described it as a ""disappointing"" comeback and ""definitely a movie soundtrack song"".
Lift Me Up is the first solo single from Rihanna since the release of her album Anti in 2016.
Since then, she has collaborated with other artists such as PartyNextDoor and N.E.R.D., and appeared on the hugely successful Wild Thoughts alongside DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller.
But the singer has largely stayed quiet on the music front in recent years, as she focused on expanding her fashion, lingerie, skincare and cosmetics brand Fenty, as well as recently having a baby boy with rapper A$AP Rocky.
She also appeared opposite Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett in 2018's Ocean's 8, an all-female reboot of the Ocean's 11 franchise. 
Rihanna will headline the prestigious half-time show at February's Super Bowl in Arizona, her first live performance in over five years.
Her involvement in Wakanda Forever will increase fans' anticipation for the sequel to Black Panther, which was a huge box office success and scored a best picture nomination at the Oscars. 
movie, released on 11 November, will see stars including Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong'o reprise their roles as the kingdom of Wakanda fights to protect itself from invading forces in the wake of King T'Challa's death."	/news/entertainment-arts-63424722
entertainment	Peter Kay tour: Huge demand crashes O2 Priority and Three ticket pre-sale	"Peter Kay talks to Zoe Ball: 'I should only be on the news if I'm dead!'
""Unprecedented"" demand to see Peter Kay's first tour in 12 years has left many fans unable to access apps and websites offering pre-sale tickets.
go on general sale on Saturday, but O2, Virgin Media and Three users were offered access two days early.
O2 and Virgin said it was ""by far the highest demand we've ever seen for priority tickets in 15 years"", while Three added there was ""a huge demand"".
A number of extra dates have now been added to the comedian's schedule.
In 2010, Kay set a world record for the biggest-selling stand-up comedy tour, playing to more than 1.2 million people.
He had been due to go on the road in 2017, but cancelled those shows due to ""unforeseen family circumstances"".
He could break his own record with his new tour, which is due to start in Manchester on 2 December.
On Thursday, some fans said they could not get into the relevant apps at all, some complained that they got to the front of the queue only to be told pre-sale tickets had sold out, while others were allowed to select tickets but not complete the purchase.
On Twitter, O2 and Virgin - which are part of the same company - said: ""We're seeing unprecedented demand for Peter Kay tickets & we know a lot of you can't access priority.
""Sorry, we're working on it. Please be patient; this is by far the highest demand we've ever seen for priority tickets in 15 years. The presale lasts for 48h so keep checking.""
mpany added: ""We are seeing lots of priority tickets being sold.""
ree's account said: ""We're seeing a huge demand for Peter Kay tickets and we're aware many of you can't access the Three + app this morning. We're working on it as fast as we can!
""The presale is live for 48 hours and we'll make customers aware when the app is back up and running.""
In a statement, tour promoter SJM said: ""We'd like to acknowledge and apologise for a number of technical issues customers experienced while trying to buy tickets for Peter Kay's upcoming live tour via the O2 Priority pre-sale earlier today.
""SJM Concerts would like to reassure customers that substantial provision has been put in place for the main ticket on-sale this Saturday 12th at 10am. Plenty of tickets will be available throughout the day so please persevere and please buy from official ticket outlets listed on the attached link.""
In response to the demand, new dates were added in cities including Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.
Kay appeared on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on Wednesday and said he had been ""overwhelmed"" by the reaction, even before his tickets had gone on sale.
Boltonian said he felt the interest was down to the fact ticket prices start at £35, not including booking fees - the same price as they were during his 2010 tour.
""You've got to meet people half-way, it's bad times, plus that's why people need a laugh,"" he said.
""I think that's why it was on the news because it was something happy for once, and not doom and gloom.""
As well as touring the UK, Kay will become the first comedian to be given his own residency at the O2 arena in London. He will perform there once a month between December 2022 and November 2023."	/news/entertainment-arts-63584035
entertainment	Will Smith film Emancipation to come out this year	"Slavery thriller Emancipation, starring the winner of last year's best actor Oscar, Will Smith, will be released later this year.
Rumours had suggested Apple Film could delay its release until 2023, after Smith slapped host Chris Rock on stage at the awards ceremony, in March.
But it will now open in cinemas on 2 December and will be available to stream from a week later, making it eligible for next year's Oscars.
Smith, however, is banned for 10 years.
He also resigned from the Academy and has since apologised to comedian Rock, who had made a joke about Smith's wife, saying he is ""here whenever you need to talk"".
Emancipation is based on the true story of ""Whipped Peter"", who joined the Union Army in the 1860s after escaping from slavery in Louisiana.
Photos of his scars from a whipping, taken during a medical examination, were published to become a damning indictment of slavery.
As well as Smith's win for his last film, King Richard, this year's Oscars saw Apple become the first streaming service to win best picture, with Coda."	/news/entertainment-arts-63115582
entertainment	Prince Harry and Meghan say they didn't step back over privacy concerns	"WATCH: A clip from the first episode of the Harry and Meghan Netflix series
Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said they never cited privacy as a reason for stepping back from royal life.
Prince Harry and Meghan's global press secretary said a ""distorted narrative"" had been created.
It follows suggestions from some commentators that their Netflix series, which launched this week, is at odds with their reasons for leaving the UK.
ment said this was ""entirely untrue"".
It said they always intended to keep up public duties after leaving the royal family.
r decision to step back from royal life in early January 2020 was announced in two coordinated statements from the duke and duchess and Buckingham Palace.
In their statement at the time, the Sussexes said: ""We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.
""This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.""
At the time, one interpretation of their decision led to commentary suggesting that press intrusion, particularly that affecting their then-newborn son Archie, may have been a factor.
uple have engaged in separate legal battles against newspaper publishers, including over privacy, since they told several of the UK's biggest tabloid titles they would no longer cooperate with them.
Press intrusion is a theme that runs throughout the first three episodes of the new Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, which is co-produced by the couple.
And since the release of the episodes and two minute-long trailers, some commentators cited in the media have suggested they have changed their tune on the subject of privacy.
For example, Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the late Queen, told GB News after watching the first three episodes on Thursday: ""They left because they wanted privacy. 
""Well, so much for privacy in this documentary because we are seeing a lot of family photographs.""
Another critic responding to one of the trailers was quoted by a newspaper as saying: ""They've blown their own protestations out of the water and detonated their own privacy policy.""
Sussexes' global press secretary, Ashley Hansen, said in a written statement: ""The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back. This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence.
""In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series.
""They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them."""	/news/uk-63922657
entertainment	Cerebral palsy: Award winner's inspirational videos	"During lockdown, Emily Nicole Roberts decided to show the world what it was like living with cerebral palsy by recording a series of online videos for her YouTube channel. 
Emily Nicole says the response to her videos has been “immense” and she has received praise for her efforts from all over the world. 
In recognition of her efforts, Emily Nicole, from Pontarddulais, near Swansea, has won the Rising Star Award at the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards, as well as the overall Womenspire Champion award.
""I hope to inspire people and show them there's no limits to what you can do.
""I think I had a lot of problems with my disability when I was younger, and I wasn't really comfortable in myself, and I think if I found someone saying 'no, be who you are, and be you', I would be like 'yay'.""
24-year-old added it was vital she keep doing the work and it was amazing to know that she has such a strong reach."	/news/uk-wales-63121462
entertainment	Bill Treacher: EastEnders star dies aged 92	"Actor Bill Treacher, who played Arthur Fowler in EastEnders, has died aged 92, his family has confirmed.
reacher was one of the first actors to be cast in the BBC One soap, appearing in the first episode in February 1985.
In a statement, his family confirmed the actor's health ""had been declining for some time"".
""Bill was a brilliant actor and a wonderful husband and father, plus a very fine human being. He will be hugely missed,"" they said.
r died on Saturday, his family said, adding he ""was much loved by his wife, Kate, his son, Jamie and his daughter, Sophie"".
reacher appeared in EastEnders from 1985 until 1996.
An EastEnders spokesperson said: ""It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Bill Treacher. As one of our original cast members, Bill created a much loved character in Arthur Fowler and, alongside Wendy Richard, they created an iconic family in the Fowlers who still remain at the heart of the show. 
""Bill left EastEnders in 1996 so it is a true testament to both him, and the character that he created in Arthur, that he is still thought of so fondly. Bill will always be remembered for his charm, sense of humour - with a smile that lit up the room - and more importantly as a family man who was devoted to his wife and children. 
""Bill will forever be held in great affection by everyone at EastEnders and all those that loved watching him.""
His co-stars Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale, and Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon Watts, were among those paying tribute.
forth said she had ""so many happy memories of Bill"", adding: ""He always had a sparkle in his eyes, usually before he mischievously set us off laughing during scenes.""
Dean added: ""Bill really was the life and soul of the set. As an actor, he was meticulous and he went to great lengths to portray Arthur, from the smallest scenes to the heartbreaking stories. Bill was an utter professional, a wonderful man.
Former EastEnders star, Adam Woodyatt, said: ""So many memories of working with Bill, most of them involving him making us corpse. 
""He would get this twinkle in his eye, you'd start laughing and he never got the blame. I used to love it when he was trying to remember his lines in rehearsal and he would just blunder and bluster until the correct word came out.""
reacher was married to Australian actress Katherine Kessey, with whom he shared two children, and they were longstanding residents of Suffolk.
In 2015, he said he was suffering from ataxia, a disorder that can affect co-ordination, balance and speech.
reacher appeared in EastEnders until 1996, when his troubled character was given a prison sentence for a crime he did not commit.
Arthur suffered a mental breakdown in prison, and eventually died of a brain haemorrhage at his beloved allotment a few days after his release in 1996. 
He died in hospital, leaving the Fowler family heartbroken.
After his character was killed off, Treacher appeared in The Bill and Casualty, as well as films such as The Musketeer, Tale Of The Mummy, and George And The Dragon."	/news/entertainment-arts-63558420
entertainment	Penguin scraps $2.2bn deal to buy rival publisher	"Publishing giant Penguin Random House has scrapped a $2.2bn (£1.9bn) planned takeover of rival Simon & Schuster. 
Last month, a US court blocked the deal, saying it could ""substantially"" weaken competition in the industry.
Penguin's parent company Bertelsmann said Paramount Global, the owner of Simon & Schuster, decided not to appeal the ruling.
roposed deal would have cemented Penguin Random House's position as the world's largest book publisher.
""We believe the judge's ruling is wrong"" the company said in a statement. 
""However, we have to accept Paramount's decision not to move forward,"" it added.
On 31 October, Judge Florence Pan ruled that the US Justice Department had shown the deal could substantially lessen competition ""in the market for the US publishing rights to anticipated top-selling books"".
During a trial in August, the US government argued that Penguin and Simon & Schuster combined would control nearly half the market for publishing rights of blockbuster books. 
Initially, Penguin said it planned to appeal the ruling, calling it ""an unfortunate setback for readers and authors"". 
Daniel Petrocelli, who represented Penguin, said the two publishing houses would deliver ""enormous benefits"" to readers and authors as they would continue to compete against each other even after merging.
However, best-selling horror writer Stephen King dismissed the claim.
""You might as well say you're going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house. It's kind of ridiculous,"" he told the court.
Penguin Random House is obligated to pay a $200m termination fee to Paramount. 
""Simon & Schuster remains a non-core asset to Paramount,"" according to a public statement public. ""However, it is not video-based and therefore does not fit strategically within Paramount's broader portfolio."" 
Penguin Random House was formed through the merger of two major publishers from the UK and the US in 2013.
Book Bunk Trust is restoring library archives to help teach a new generation about Kenyan history."	/news/business-63712028
entertainment	Ex-Oasis guitarist Bonehead says tonsil cancer is 'gone'	"Former Oasis guitarist Paul Arthurs has said his cancer is ""gone"" and he is ""into recovery"" after a recent scan.
musician, 57, known as Bonehead, revealed in April he had been diagnosed with tonsil cancer.
Arthurs, a founding member of the Manchester band, wrote on Thursday: ""I had a full scan 10 days ago and it's all clear, it's gone... Into recovery now and see you all soon.""
Former bandmate Liam Gallagher tweeted that he was ""soooo happy"" at the news.
Arthurs thanked fans for their messages, and paid tribute to the team at Manchester's Christie cancer hospital, where he was treated.
guitarist found huge success with Oasis, led by Liam and Noel Gallagher, in the 1990s on albums like Definitely Maybe, What's The Story (Morning Glory) and Be Here Now.
Arthurs played rhythm guitar and keyboards before leaving the band in 1999, but in recent years had begun to work with Liam Gallagher on other projects.
He played with Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye in the mid 2010s, standing in for guitarist Gem Archer after he sustained a head injury.
Arthurs has also played on Gallagher's solo albums and performed with him on recent tours.
News of his recovery was greeted warmly by many other musicians.
Oasis's former bassist Andy Bell added: ""Amazing news Bone congrats and love from all of us,"" while Cast frontman John Power said: ""Perfect news Bonehead, so glad you've got the all clear man. Big love.""
Badly Drawn Boy said it was ""wonderful news"", along with Lightning Seeds, who sent ""lots of love"". 
New Order guitarist Philip Cunningham wished Arthurs a ""speedy recovery"" and The Coral said: ""Amazing news, well in.""
Broadcaster Terry Christian added his voice, saying: ""Great to hear Paul. Fantastic news for you and all your family and friends."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63087429
entertainment	Gabriels: From 'harrowing' American Idol to 2022's most talked-about band	"Jacob Lusk is glowing.
ger of LA-based band Gabriels has just stepped off stage at Glastonbury, where an unexpectedly large crowd watched their soul-soaked, mid-afternoon set.
""When Beyoncé did Glastonbury years ago, she'd go, 'GLASTONBURY, ARE YOU READY?!' And I used to scream that in my living room,"" he says. ""So to actually be at Glastonbury, it's a little overwhelming. 
""I feel love just everywhere. It's a good vibe.""
Dressed in a custom green and blue satin robe, the singer is full of zest, cackling as he describes the gulf between his Glastonbury gladrags and the shabby hotel he's been forced to stay in.
""I went to use the soap dispenser and grit came out,"" he laughs. ""We're new artists, so I guess we don't have the big budget.""
If all goes according to plan, that won't last long. 
Gabriels set the industry abuzz in 2020 with their debut EP, Love And Hate In A Different Time, which Sir Elton John called ""one of the most seminal records I've heard in the last 10 years"".
rack is both fire and brimstone as Lusk sings of ""rapture coming"" and the ""walking dead all around me"" over convulsing Motown drums and ominous spiritual chants. 
racked beauty of his falsetto makes him sound like a fallen angel.
In the video, the music comes to a sudden halt and the picture cuts to footage of Lusk singing Strange Fruit to thousands of people at a Black Lives Matter protest.
""That whole song came out of our souls, because of what we were experiencing,"" he says. ""Everything seems to be going backwards. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia. What is happening? We're supposed to be progressing.""
As word about the EP spread, Gabriels came to London, played a series of intimate, word-of-mouth gigs, and gave a show-stopping performance on Jools Holland's TV show. 
By summer 2021, they had signed a deal with Atlas Artists, an offshoot of Parlophone Records, and started crafting a debut album.
When we speak in June, Lusk says the record is ""50 or 60% done"". A few weeks later, Gabriels cancel weeks of tour dates so they can head home to finish it.
Lusk hated the idea. ""I'm a new artist and cancelling shows just makes you seem undependable,"" he says, catching up over Zoom in September. But the band faced a quandary: Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé producer Sounwave wanted to work on the album, but he was only available for four weeks in the summer.
""I don't know if you heard Kendrick Lamar's latest album, but it's like a fine cognac,"" says Lusk. 
He decided the opportunity was too good to turn down.
In the ensuing flurry of activity, songs were pulled apart, reconfigured and reworked. The result is Angels and Queens Part One, a stunning mix of haunted gospel, stuttering electronics and timeless melodies. It's as if Marvin Gaye made a record with Portishead, then played it back at the wrong speed.
Independent calls it a work of ""real emotional depth"". The Guardian says it ""could be the album of the year"".
's not-so-secret weapon is Lusk's voice. Raised in the Apostolic church, he can break your heart with a tremulous whisper and knock you sideways with the full force of his lungs. But he's always wary of overpowering the material.
""When you're a big singer, there's this pressure to do the high note, the money note,"" he says. ""But that's selfish, because that's not the heart of the song.""
Lusk has been perfecting his vocals for decades - first in church, then as a backing singer for Nate Dogg. 
In 2011, he auditioned for American Idol and got his first taste of fame (""I went to the Philippines and I got chased through a mall by 100 people""), but the competition left him scarred.
""It was a lot of manipulation,"" he says. ""Oh, it was treacherous.""
He's cautious about saying more, but acknowledges that a personal uncertainty ""about who I was"" clashed with the producers' need to create a character.
""I wasn't gay enough, I wasn't straight enough, I wasn't man enough, I wasn't black enough,"" he says. ""For some people, that was confusing.""
After he was eliminated, ""I couldn't even watch the American Idol videos,"" he adds. ""Like, I literally thought I couldn't sing. It was harrowing.""
Idol should have been a springboard to a solo career, but various deals and managers fell through. Lusk considered quitting music altogether, but ended up becoming a choir director, working with artists like Diana Ross and Gladys Knight.
f Gabriels were sown in 2016, when classically-trained composer Ari Balouzian and Sunderland-born video director Ryan Hope hired Lusk's choir to work on a commercial.
""Jacob was leading and arranging the choir in a way that made it interesting, no matter what the material was,"" Balouzian later told Rolling Stone. ""All the other singers were looking to him for direction. He was coming up with stuff on the spot very quickly."" 
wanted to work with him again. ""Ryan asked me to come to his house in Palm Springs and record with him for a week."" But Lusk had reservations and declined.
So Balouzian and Hope went to the singer's church instead, taking a remote recording studio in the hope of persuading him to step in the vocal booth. When he did, everything changed.
""The first thing we recorded was called Wreath and it was beautiful. That's when I was like, 'Oh, I think I'm gonna keep hanging around these boys'.""
rio reconvened every couple of weeks between their day jobs and, slowly, the project unlocked something Lusk thought he had lost forever.
""It allowed me to love music again. Like, remember that? Remember when we used to listen to music and write songs for fun? Being with Ari and Ryan literally changed my life.""
's the feeling they have tried to capture on Angels and Queens. The front cover literally shows Lusk being baptised, symbolising his rebirth through music. 
""How I live, how I move, who I am... even the way I perform is different now. It's very fearless.""
Even so, there's a thread of loss and regret running through the record. The mournful If You Only Knew was written immediately after Lusk discovered that his godsister, who had been struggling with addiction, had been found dead. Taboo is a stark, dramatic account of destructive relationships, inspired by an entanglement Lusk had with a ""very famous"" hip-hop artist.
""There were guns and all kinds of crazy stuff going on,"" he recalls. ""Ari and Ryan were like, 'You're gonna need to leave that situation alone'.""
mmediacy of his lyrics are Lusk's defence against people who dismiss Gabriels as a ""retro"" band.
""I'm like, 'No, it's only retro because you don't hear people using real instruments or really singing any more.' It's not retro. I'm talking about real life, happening-right-now kind of stuff."" 
Incredibly, the seven tracks on Angels and Queens Part One are only half of the story. Part Two will arrive next year, completing the album. Lusk describes it as ""a continuation of the story"" and ""a little more fun"".
So why split it in two?
""I'm gonna be transparent with you,"" laughs the singer. ""The reason it came out like this is because I didn't want to wait! 
""But, trust me, round two is going to be wild."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63087424
entertainment	Afrobeats: Chart show host celebrates 'beautiful year' for genre	"If you needed proof that Afrobeats has found its way firmly into western pop culture, Eddie Kadi reckons he's got it. 
""I saw Burna Boy having a conversation with Elton John recently,"" he says.
Once upon a time, it might have been surprising to see the West African genre's breakout star chatting to British pop royalty.
But Eddie, who's been hosting the UK's first Official Afrobeats Chart Show for the past 12 months, isn't so shocked.
""It's a year that's been really significant for Afrobeats,"" he says. ""The growth, the sound that's penetrated around the world.""
genre - a mix of African and Western influences - has seen a massive rise in popularity over recent years, with songs regularly crossing over into the mainstream.
Burna Boy and Wizkid, two of Nigeria's biggest stars, have headlined some of the world's major music festivals and both took home Grammys in 2021.
And some of the premier names in music, like Beyonce and Drake, have also featured Afrobeats artists on their albums.
Burna Boy, who has dominated the Afrobeats chart since it launched, has been its poster child.
His recent hit Last Last spent a whopping 13 consecutive weeks at number one - the longest time permitted before a track is retired from the top spot.
He's also worked with top names including Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Jorja Smith and rapper Dave.
""Everyone has seen Burna's rise transcend the west African Nigerian sound into the UK sound,"" says Eddie.
""And more importantly he's been able to just go around the world waving the flag of Afrobeats."" 
Last Last is among 11 tracks to have crossed over into the UK's Official Singles Chart Top 100 and Top 40, both peaking in the top 5.
It was pipped to the overall top slot by Fireboy DML's Peru featuring Ed Sheeran, the best-performing track based on streams and sales in the UK.
""Whether it's new or established artists breaking new barriers around the world, selling out venues, stadiums, collaborating with other artists, it's just been beautiful to see the growth,"" says Eddie.
""Especially here in the UK where we have at least four Afrobeats songs in the official charts as well.""
Eddie is preparing to celebrate the Official Afrobeats Chart Show's one-year anniversary later on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
And he's hoping year two is going to be even more exciting.
""For me the collaborations are going to get crazier and crazier,"" says Eddie, thinking back to Burna Boy's chat with Elton John.
""Wouldn't we want to see that sort of collaboration as well?
""I see it getting wider and wider and a new generation taking on to it.
""I've always felt the music was going to get here - it's been about people having the privilege of being able to catch up with this music.""
You can catch the Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show and Anniversary Special at 15:00 BST on Sunday 25 September on BBC Radio 1Xtra or listen back afterwards on BBC Sounds.
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-62992689
entertainment	Cost of living: NI artists call for more funding to support sector	"""I can't make art... because I don't have the funding to back that up.""
Sinéad O'Neill-Nicholl is one of many local artists calling for more investment in the sector.
It comes as approximately three quarters of applications for the Arts Council for Northern Ireland's (ACNI) Support for Individual Artists Programme (Siap) fund were rejected.
ACNI said demand for the scheme has placed ""new pressures"" on funding available for individual artists.
fund aims to help artists purchase new equipment and develop new projects.
Sinéad O'Neill-Nicholl left work in the public sector to pursue a career in visual arts, but juggles family life with voluntary roles and multiple short-term jobs to get by.
""I really wanted to do something where I got up in the morning, and said: 'Oh my God, I actually love doing this.'
""But I do think I am very stretched at the moment,"" she told BBC News NI.
Ms O'Neill-Nicholl applied for Siap funding earlier this year to fund a mentoring scheme to progress her career to the next level. Funding would have allowed her to give up some of her paid work.
But her application was rejected in November.
She said she saw her application for funding as an investment in her future as an artist.
""It has really left me in a very difficult financial position even though I'm working,"" Ms O'Neill-Nicholl said. 
""I think my household shopping bill has doubled since this time last year, and what I'm paying out is ridiculous. I'm really having to think about things.
""I can't make art now. I want to, but I can't do that for the foreseeable future because I don't have the funding to back that up.""
About 920 eligible applications were received for the 2022/23 Siap General Arts Award fund, a combined request for £4.3m in funding.
However, the Arts Council funding pot was £985,000 - and 262 individual artists received money.
ree years ago, the total number of eligible applicants was 280.
""The subsequent 228.6% increase in applications to Siap's General Arts Award scheme this year, compared to those in 2019/20, has placed new pressures on the funding available for individual artists,"" a spokesperson for the Arts Council said.
A further £16.6m of funding would be needed to properly support and develop artists and organisations, it added.
PhD researcher and curator Jane Morrow was one of the applicants to get funding.
But she said the amount she and other successful applicants received would leave many making choices between living and working.
""Artists pay taxes, they pay gas bills and electricity bills in a cost-of-living crisis, they have food to put on their own tables and they can't afford to sustain it without a whole lot of other jobs,"" she said.
""I personally have 14 jobs... the system is just really broken and the problem is that it is hitting individuals.""
Ms Morrow worries a lack of understanding about how artists work will lead to many leaving the industry altogether.
""Northern Ireland has always had an issue with the brain drain in general, but it does mean that not only do artists leave here to go elsewhere to try and sustain their practice, but it also means that they just leave the arts entirely,"" she said.
""We're absolutely wrecked. The levels of burnout are insane because the perceived commitment to your vocation is supposed to sustain you.""
Emma Campbell, a member of the Array Collective who won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2021, said artists have been left feeling ""devalued"" by the lack of investment.
""This is cutting off the arts community at the roots.""
Ms Campbell said without proper funding, only certain individuals would be able to pursue art as a career.
""The worse that it gets, only wealthy people will be able to do it,"" she said.
""People won't stop being artists, but they will stop having the materials to produce art.""
Department for Communities (DfC), which provides some funding to ACNI, said it recognises the ""many challenges faced by arts and creative organisations and individuals in the sector in the current financial climate"".
""The department will continue to work, within the confines of its budget, to support the arts,"" a statement said.
According to DfC figures, £10.35m was given to ACNI for 2022/23, an increase of £150,000 from the previous year.
It added the level of funding is set ""within a context of pressures"" which are faced by all departments.
In September, the Republic of Ireland launched a basic income pilot for musicians, artists and performers.
For the next three years, about 2,000 creatives will be given a weekly payment of €325 (£278) to pursue their creative work.
DfC said no plans are in place to introduce a similar scheme in Northern Ireland.
""The department and ACNI will be carefully considering the outcome and evaluation of the Irish pilot to inform the development of any future programmes."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63594673
entertainment	From busking in Waterloo to the big screen	"A film director, who had almost given up hope of casting a lead in his upcoming film, says he knew when he saw a busker performing under an escalator at Waterloo that he had found his woman.  
Sherika Sherard is now the lead character in the film Phea which is being released next month having been well-received at the Directors Guild of America and Outfest in LA. 
Sherika, who is making her acting debut, wrote and performed the songs her character sings in the film. 
BBC London took her back to where she first met director, Rocky Palladino."	/news/uk-england-london-63233223
entertainment	Strictly Come Dancing: Kym Marsh tests positive for Covid	"Kym Marsh will miss Strictly Come Dancing this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.
She and partner Graziano di Prima will remain in the competition and are expected to return the following week, the BBC confirmed.
uple were due to perform their couples' choice dance to Chaka Khan's I Feel For You.
Marsh co-presents BBC One's Morning Live and is a former Coronation Street star and member of pop group Hear'Say.
In a statement, a Strictly spokesperson said: ""Kym Marsh has tested positive for Covid-19.
""As a result, Kym and Graziano will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend. 
""Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, they will return the following week.""
Marsh's scores throughout this series have varied. She and di Prima have finished in the top three on the judges' leaderboard three times since the series began in September.
But she has also occasionally found herself at the lower end of the table, and faced Matt Goss in the bottom two dance-off in week four.
r were second from bottom on the leaderboard on Saturday in Blackpool but were not in the bottom two.
ries of Strictly has been relatively free from controversy compared with other recent series.
It remains resolutely popular with viewers, however. An average audience of 8.7 million viewers watched Saturday's special episode, broadcast from Blackpool. 
Alongside Marsh, the remaining contestants are Fleur East, Helen Skelton, Hamza Yassin, Will Mellor, Molly Rainford and Ellie Taylor.
Last week, former footballer Tony Adams withdrew from the competition after suffering an injury. "	/news/entertainment-arts-63718895
entertainment	Celine Dion reveals incurable health condition and postpones tour dates	"Celine Dion has revealed she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease.
French Canadian singer told her 5.2m Instagram followers the condition makes her muscles spasm uncontrollably.
It has led to difficulties walking and singing, she said, meaning she will be unable to play planned shows in the UK and mainland Europe next year.
""I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time,"" said Dion.
""And it's been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I've been going through,"" the 54-year-old continued, in an emotionally-charged video.
""Recently I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome which affects something like one-in-a-million people.
""While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms I've been having.""
She added: ""Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I'm used to.
""It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won't be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.""
In 2014, the diva - whose ballad My Heart Will Go On, from the Titanic soundtrack, won the Oscar for best song - said she was putting her career on hold ""indefinitely"" as her husband René Angélil battled cancer.
Although her performances resumed a year later, she stepped away from the stage again in early 2016, following the tragic deaths of both Angélil and her brother, Daniel Dion.
She eventually returned with the 2019 studio album Courage, which featured collaborations with Sia, Sam Smith and David Guetta.
r supported the record with a world tour, large portions of which had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic. She was forced to reschedule the dates again this year after developing ""severe and persistent muscle spasms"" which also delayed the return of her Las Vegas residency.
Several of those shows - including nights in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London - have now been pushed back again, while others have been cancelled.
On Thursday, Dion reassured her fans that she had ""a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better"" while her ""precious children"" were ""supporting me and giving me help"".
She explained: ""I'm working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it's been a struggle.
""All I know is singing. It's what I've done all my life and it's what I love to do the most.
""I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you [and] being on the stage, performing for you.
""I always give 100 per cent when I do my show, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.""
No longer holding back the tears, the singer signed off by thanking fans for their support, stressing that she had no choice but to focus on her health and hoped she was on the ""road to recovery"".
SPS is a very rare condition and not well understood. 
According to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders, it is characterised by ""fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms.""
""Abnormal postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of the disorder,"" they also note.
""People with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls.
""Most individuals with SPS have frequent falls and because they lack the normal defensive reflexes; injuries can be severe.""
While there is no cure for SPS, there are treatments - including anti-anxiety medicines and muscle relaxants - that can slow down its progression."	/news/entertainment-arts-63904242
entertainment	Hollywood director Paul Feig calls for more NI film studios	"Northern Ireland's screen industry needs more film studios in order to grow, according to one of Hollywood's top directors.
Paul Feig has directed The School for Good and Evil, which is being released next week.
-adventure with an all-star cast was filmed at Belfast's Harbour Studios and across Northern Ireland.
It is based on Soman Chainani's novels about a school where children learn to be fairy tale heroes and villains.
Speaking to BBC News NI, Feig said Northern Ireland needed more ""stage space"" to attract more big productions.
""It's a chicken-and-egg thing because you need more things coming in, in order to build more production space and sound stages,"" he said.
""But you could use more sound stages, definitely.
""Belfast Harbour studios is beautiful, but it's two giant stages and we could have used another stage.""
He said the problem in the industry was that there is ""so much production because it used to be all just movie studios but now it's the streamers"".
""The streamers have taken over various studios in London and Budapest and all these places.
""If you can become the place that has all the stage space, has these great crews, great city to work in, that's going to make people start coming in.""
Blade Runner 2099, a TV series based on the iconic Blade Runner films, is soon to be filmed in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Screen has a new four-year strategy to grow the TV, film and video game industries.
Feig started out as an actor, but has become a highly successful director and producer.
Among the films he has directed are hits like Bridesmaids and Last Christmas and episodes of TV series like Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock and Mad Men.
School for Good and Evil was Netflix's first major production in Northern Ireland and was filmed in 2021.
, in Feig's words, ""some heavy hitters"".
udes Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett.
""And then we've got a whole bunch of amazing newcomers in Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Jamie Flatters, Kit Young,"" Feig said.
""What's nice is when you get the two generations together, if they're real pros and really talented they just mesh and it's fun to watch them play.""
School for Good and Evil was filmed in Belfast's Harbour Studios, but also at locations such as St Anne's Cathedral, Mount Stewart in County Down and Big Dog Forest in County Fermanagh.
While the film has spectacular special effects, Feig said that filming on location was crucial.
""What I never want to do is get caught in a special-effects driven vortex, where you're in front of green screens and people are acting with tennis balls and all that stuff,"" he said.
""For this movie we tried to do as much as we could practically.
""We really loved being at Mount Stewart, which was great because we used that for a lot of the outside grounds.
""We have a whole scene around this beautiful pond out there so that was great.
""Then we were shooting in Big Dog Forest which was way, way out in the woods.
""So far in that most people said we probably couldn't even do it logistically, but it's so gorgeous.
""It's just so stunning that most people watching the movie will go: 'That's a special effect.'
""No, that is the real forest, that's how it looks.""
Paul Feig's film, The School for Good and Evil, was filmed in NI.
St Anne's Cathedral also features heavily in the film.
""It was so lovely that they let us take it over,"" Feig recalled.
""We were there for a good two weeks and really transformed the place, though it was this big, almost sound-stage type space but with so much detail."" 
But directing a major production is, according to Feig, an all-consuming role.
""I always say that when you're picking a project you're basically picking a spouse - you're going to do 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you're never going to stop thinking about this,"" he said.
""It's what you obsess about, that's why you have to be in love with the project you're doing.
""These big ones are logistical challenges, let's just say.""
Having filmed in Belfast in 2021 as lockdown was easing, Feig is keen to come back to see more.
""It was really only the last couple of weeks where the town opened up again,"" he said.
""My hope is that I can make another movie here... and then I'll just be out partying every night.""
School for Good and Evil is on Netflix from Wednesday, 19 October."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63248435
entertainment	Owen Warner's grandparents 'so proud' of I'm a Celeb finalist	"grandparents of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! finalist Owen Warner have said they were ""so proud"" of his performance on the show.  
Former Lioness Jill Scott was crowned queen of the jungle on Sunday, with the Hollyoaks actor coming second. 
Conservative MP Matt Hancock came third in the annual TV show.
Warner's grandparents Anne and David Beck, who watched the final at home in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, said seeing him on the show had been ""surreal"". 
23-year-old was one of 12 contestants to head to the Australian jungle for the first time since the pandemic. 
His grandad, who he affectionately calls The General, said he was ""very pleased"" with how well Warner did. 
""I'm extremely proud,"" he said. 
""He's shown his true colours and it's good to see him settling down.
""He was in awe initially when he was in there with so many esteemed people, but he's got used to them and he's relaxed and taken it in his stride.""
His Grandmother, who he calls Nana-lar, said she could not believe what's happened. 
""It's just amazing really, just something you never thought would happen,"" she said. 
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63781677
entertainment	Lincolnshire girl with spina bifida fulfils ballet dream	"A nine-year-old girl who doctors said might never walk has seen her dreams come true thanks to pioneering surgery.
Phoebe, from Lincolnshire, dreamed of being a ballet dancer but was born with spina bifida, a condition where the spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb.
But, in September, she became the first person with her type of scoliosis to undergo pioneering surgery to straighten her spine.
Now, Phoebe's dancing is coming on in leaps and bounds, and she has surprised even her surgeons with her determination to succeed."	/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-64027266
entertainment	Strictly Come Dancing: Bangor University behind winner Hamza	"Strictly Come Dancing winner ""won the country over"" just as he did everyone at his old university, his former lecturer has said.
Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin lifted the glitterball trophy after Saturday's live final on BBC One. 
Julia Jones, professor of conservation science at Bangor University said he is ""a nice chap through and through"".
She said he returns every year to lecture year two undergraduates and ""we couldn't be more behind him"".
At Friday's graduation ceremony, hundreds of former pupils and staff posed with a giant cardboard Hamza to wish him luck. 
Animal Park, Let's Go For A Walk and Countryfile host had never had any dance lessons before taking part, but soon became the bookmakers' favourite.
""Words can't describe how I feel"" said Hamza, who thanked his dance partner Jowita Przystal and the viewers who voted for them.
He beat Molly Rainford, Fleur East and Helen Skelton to the coveted prize, with the 32-year-old known for his daring lifts during series 20.
After the three advisory scores were given by the judges, Hamza and Jowita were bottom on 113 points. 
But it was the public vote that decided who took the title for 2022.
""I was very nervous - what it says is it's about the journey, not just what they do on the night. He's won the country over with his humble passion,"" Julia said. 
She added: ""He's just one of those people who throws himself into everything. He was always in the front row (in lectures at Bangor), putting his hand up, answering questions. Really engaging in it.""
After Hamza won, Julia tweeted: ""Whoop whoop. Hamza won Strictly Come Dancing. We just hope you still have time to come back and teach our students this year.
""So well done you and Jowita. So well deserved."""	/news/uk-wales-64023987
entertainment	Dancing on Ice 2023: The Wanted's Siva Kaneswaran completes line-up	"Love Island winner Ekin-Su and former EastEnders star Patsy Palmer are among the contestants who have signed up for the new series of Dancing on Ice.
11 celebrities entering the ITV show's rink in January will also include former footballer John Fashanu and Drag Race star The Vivienne.
Wanted singer Siva Kaneswaran was the final contestant to be revealed on Tuesday.
w series will again be hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
Here is this year's line-up in full:
former EastEnders actress and DJ was the first celebrity to be revealed as part of the 2023 line-up.
50-year-old, best known for her role as Bianca Jackson in the BBC soap, told ITV's This Morning: ""I wanted to challenge myself and get back to work, get out of my comfort zone. And I just thought, I'll just go for it, it seems like a lot of fun.""
Palmer is no stranger to ITV game shows, having competed in the first UK series of The Masked Singer in 2020.
Fashanu was part of the Wimbledon team that won the FA Cup final against Liverpool in 1988, and went on to co-host Gladiators.
60-year-old said: ""I'm so excited to be a part of Dancing On Ice. I don't think it'll come as a surprise to people that I'm very competitive - I am definitely in it to win it.
""And this may be one of the scariest things I've ever signed up for but I couldn't be more ready for the challenge.""
Ekin-Su was the breakout star of this year's Love Island - winning the series with her partner, Italian business owner Davide Sanclimenti.
28-year-old Turkish actress, from Essex, said: ""I can't wait to get myself on the ice and skate.""
gymnast won an Olympic bronze medal in the men's horizontal bar at the 2016 Olympics and, following a successful career, in 2021 announced his retirement from the sport due to injuries.
Announcing his participation in this year's Dancing on Ice via his YouTube channel, the 26-year-old said: ""I'm so excited to get into that routine and to feel like an athlete again.""
ress, best known for her role as Nina Lucas in Coronation Street, said she would be asking her co-stars who have previously competed on the show for ""all the tips"" she can get.
Gallagher told ITV's Lorraine: ""I'm really excited. I've not really felt nervous, yet strangely being here today I am now feeling it a little bit.""
Other Corrie stars who have taken to the ice rink over the years including Samia Longchambon, Jane Danson and Sally Dynevor, who took part in the most recent series. 
reality TV personality rose to fame as part of The Only Way Is Essex, in which he appeared until 2013. 
Since then, he has taken part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity MasterChef and Celebs Go Dating.
He told ITV's This Morning: ""I would love to win. I'm going to put all my energy into this. At this stage in my life, I'm so ready for this.""
He has also fronted two of his own shows, Educating Joey Essex, which was narrated by Schofield and saw him interview political heavyweights, and Joey Essex: Grief And Me, a BBC documentary about losing his mother at a young age.
rag artist, real name James Lee Williams, became the first ever winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019.
30-year-old is also known for competing this year on an all-winners season of the RuPaul franchise in the US as the only contestant from the UK, and starring in BBC Three show The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood in 2020.
r said: ""I'm beyond excited to announce that I will be competing in Dancing On Ice in 2023! This is honestly a dream come true and I can't wait to start training on the ice.""
median is known for appearing on Live at the Apollo,The Last Leg, Mock The Week and The Apprentice: You're Fired!
He attempted to lower expectations, telling Talk TV he is not very graceful and his family have already made bets about whether he will fall during the first episode.
34-year-old told Trisha Goddard: ""I've got giant feet. I can't skate. I don't really dance. What am I doing? Help me. I'm panicking.""
ress played Steph Cunningham in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks between 2000 and 2011. More recently, she was Harriet Shelton in BBC soap opera Doctors.
She has also starred in a variety of West End shows, including playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical and Fantine in Les Miserables.
Stenson said: ""I'm so excited that I get to learn how to dance... on ice! I'm terrified but can't wait. I just want to make the most of this whole experience.""
Heaton was a member of pop group Liberty X, who formed on 2001 ITV talent show Popstars as an alternative band to winners Hear'Say.
She was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 and a judge and mentor on Irish series You're A Star in 2007-2008.
Heaton told Lorraine: ""I'm so excited - I can't believe it. Me and the kids are such huge fans of the show in general.""
Dublin-born singer told Good Morning Britain he had been inspired to sign up for the programme by the actions of his late bandmate Tom Parker, who died in March aged 33 from a brain tumour.
""He taught me so much about life,"" said Kaneswaran. ""He taught me to live life to the fullest and not be afraid. It is one of the reasons why I am doing this show."" "	/news/entertainment-arts-63174494
entertainment	Mark Owen on the Take That songs he avoids playing	"Sunday, Mark Owen will set off on a solo tour of the UK - the first time he's taken to the road without his Take That bandmates in almost a decade.
r says his shows will be a ""celebration of my whole career"" as he turns 50, looking back at his boy band beginnings, the hippy psychedelia of his solo debut album, and even his ""Tom Waits phase"" in 2013.
But there are some Take That songs he's scared of putting on the setlist.
""I couldn't play Sure, because I'd have to do the dance moves,"" he laughs. 
""It's the same thing with Pray. As soon as I hear Pray, my arms go up to the side,"" he says, involuntarily doing the choreography as he speaks.
""They come together, the moves and the songs. So I couldn't do them.""
Owen is speaking backstage at July's Latitude Festival where, it's true, Sure and Pray are missing in action.
If his performance at Henham Park is anything to go by, his headline shows are more likely to include latter-day Take That classics like Shine, Rule The World and These Days.
Not without coincidence, they're all songs where Owen has a writing credit. (In the band's early days, Gary Barlow was the self-imposed writer-in-chief, but they became more collaborative in their second incarnation.)
""There was a point in my career where I thought, oh, I can't do Take That songs [live],"" he says. ""But then, when I think about it, I'm like, I can, because I wrote on them. It's all right.""
Owen's tour comes hot on the heels of his fifth solo album, Land Of Dreams, which last month became his highest-charting record to date, entering the UK Top 40 at number five.
From the breezy, lovestruck stroll of Jenny to the smouldering fireworks of Rio, it's a sugar-coated love letter to the pop classics he grew up on. 
r says the album was written after the pandemic rekindled his passion for live music.
Owen moved to Los Angeles in 2019, immediately after Take That's Odyssey tour - and just in time for Covid to trap him in a city he barely knew. 
""We turned up and then LA closed,"" he recalls.
As life started to return to normal, he booked a night out at LA's famous open-air amphitheatre, the Hollywood Bowl. Then another, and another, and another.
""I was going online, booking my tickets, getting in the car, waiting outside for two-and-a-half hours, getting my slice of pizza, sitting in the audience. It was fab.""
He even ended up at the Coachella festival, where he and daughter Willow danced with Stormzy during rapper Dave's set.
""That was a highlight for her,"" he grins. ""But we saw as much as we could... Maggie Rogers, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles.""
Becoming an audience member for the first time in 30 years was ""really inspiring"", the singer says. 
""Just to see the bits where everybody jumps up and down was fab. It made me want to get back up on stage again.""
's why Land Of Dreams is built to be played live. Magic's squealing guitar solo begs to be heard at 110 decibels, while You Only Want Me boasts a chorus that's stickier than a velcro jumpsuit.
rics to the latter initially seem to be about the cost of fame: ""You only want me for my good looks.""
But there's an ego-destroying pay-off that can only have been written by the father of teenage children.
""You only want me when you want a ride home.""
""That's the main bit, that's the reality!"" Owen laughs. ""What's that TikTok trend? What it could be versus what it is. The dream compared to the reality.""
Owen wrote the song towards the end of sessions for his album, envisioning it as the perfect set-opener.
""I wanted to have something that forced me to come out with jazz hands,"" he says. ""I couldn't look at my shoes and perform it. It made me have to step forward.""
Fans won't be surprised that the musician, who was always the sensitive heart of Take That, sometimes struggles to be an extrovert. 
It was, after all, his cherubic vulnerability that made millions of girls swoon in the 1990s. And his solo material has always been more maudlin than Take That's uplifting pop, full of lyrics about lost innocence, personal inadequacies and, on Four Minute Warning, the actual end of the world.
His new record is no different. Being Human is a loving portrayal of someone (presumably his wife, Emma Ferguson) who ""always makes it look so simple"" while he struggles.
Rio even mentions the cost of living crisis - something the multi-millionaire doesn't have to contend with, but the gesture is nice, all the same.
He hints at having even darker, more personal material that was discarded after the pandemic. 
""I wrote a lot of songs, most of which you won't hear,"" he says. ""They're the songs I worked through to get to something like You Only Want Me. 
""For where I was in my life, I turned 50 this year, I wanted songs that felt really positive and felt like my life was moving forward.
""My thought process is, I've probably got two more albums in me, maybe, if all goes well. Maybe another Take That record or two. But I'm at that stage where I'm not looking ahead and going, 'Yeah, in 20 years, I can reach that point.'
""I want to do it now and enjoy it and really go for it. Not in five years' time.""
And while Take That are currently on hiatus, they will appear on the silver screen next year in a musical based on their songs.
Greatest Days, which will star Aisling Bea, Jayde Adams and Amaka Okafor, among others, follows five best friends who reunite 25 years after having the night of their lives at a boy band concert.
While the group will be modelled on Take That, the actual members only make a brief cameo.
""We're the backdrop to the girls' lives, so we only have, like, two scenes,"" Owen confirms. 
""We went to Athens to film our bits, then the next day we went to Cannes to announce the movie's coming in spring - and it was the same day Tom Cruise was there, so it was packed.""
And once the movie is in cinemas, Owen wants Take That to hit the road again...  especially if Emily Eavis, who runs a different festival, puts in a call.
""I would love for us as a band to do Glastonbury,"" he beams. ""I've been to Glasto as a fan maybe four times. I loved watching [Paul] McCartney this year. So it'd be nice to go back and combine play and work. 
""Maybe hire a caravan and then come out on Sunday and do a gig, then go back home in the caravan. Yeah, I'd love it."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63121688
entertainment	Plea for artists as Liverpool Eurovision festival plans unveiled	"first plans for a cultural festival to be held alongside Eurovision in Liverpool are being unveiled with a call out for creatives to take part.
will celebrate UK music, Eurovision and modern Ukraine, Culture Liverpool said.
mayor of Liverpool said the festival was a highlight of the city's Eurovision bid adding she was ""excited to unleash the potential of artists"".
Liverpool will host the contest on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine.
2023 event has been moved to the UK due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Culture Liverpool has issued a call out to artists, creatives and musicians as well as performers for ideas towards creating an inclusive, thought-provoking, entertaining and diverse cultural festival in the lead up to May's main event. 
It said it was welcoming applicants from creatives who live in the nations competing in Eurovision 2023 particularly artists from Ukraine and the Liverpool City Region.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, said: ""Liverpool's track record of curating innovative, high-quality artistic events combined with our ambition and determination to pay tribute to our Ukrainian friends stood out to the judges."" 
""Launching the culture commissions call-out is a huge milestone in our planning process,"" she said.  
She said Liverpool ""thrives on creativity and is willing to push boundaries, so we are excited to unleash the potential of artists from across the world"".
for expressions of interest will be 12 December and successful applicants in the first stage will be given an initial £2,000 of funding to formally develop their proposal, Culture Liverpool said. 
It added plans for the Eurovision education and community programmes will be announced early next year. 
Eurovision semi-finals will take place at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena on 9 and 11 May, with the final following on 13 May.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63721976
entertainment	Comedian Adam Hills receives MBE	"Comedian Adam Hills has said he is ""addicted"" to helping disability sport after receiving an MBE.
f Channel 4's The Last Leg was honoured for services to Paralympic sport and disability awareness.
Hills, who has a prosthetic foot, joined the Warrington Wolves' Physical Disability Rugby League team for a 2019 documentary.
He has previously spoken about his affection for the Cheshire club, saying it is ""the heart of the town"".
Hills has co-hosted The Last Leg since it started alongside the London 2012 Paralympics as a show covering the week's topical news but also shining a light on conversations around disability.
In 2019 he made the Channel 4 documentary Adam Hills: Take His Legs, which saw him embark on his childhood dream of playing competitive rugby league and join the Warrington Wolves' Physical Disability Rugby League team as they journeyed to his home country, emerging as champions.
At the Windsor Castle investiture ceremony, he said the MBE was ""like a reward for eating chocolate. I'd be doing it anyway.""
Speaking about Wolves and the Cheshire town, he said the club ""is the heart of the town and the veins go throughout everything else"".
""Whether it's community outreach, dance classes, disability rugby or dementia friendly cafes, what I love about Warrington is the town feeds into the club and then the club feeds back into the town.""
Hills said after the ceremony: ""I feel like all I do is put the spotlight on the Paralympics once every four years.
""But I guess also I've been promoting disability Rugby League, and disability cricket through the Lord's Taverners - I think most people who come into contact with disability sport become addicted to it and I'm definitely one of those.""
Australian also revealed the Princess Royal told him at the ceremony that her favourite comedy show is the BBC series Would I Lie to You?
Hills said about his chat with Anne: ""We talked about comedy for five minutes... I don't think I'm breaking royal protocol by saying she said her favourite comedy show was Would I Lie to You? 
""Then asked if I'd been on it and I said no, and she seemed quite disappointed.
""I'll now call Lee Mack and tell him the Princess Royal watches him.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63567687
entertainment	Unseen: Show celebrates artists who have been homeless	"rtistic talents of people who have experienced homelessness are being showcased at an exhibition at The Brewhouse in Taunton. Named ""Unseen"" the exhibition shows ""there's so much more to them than their homelessness"", one of the organisers said.
Some find life easy as bread and butter.
While others end up living it in the gutter...
g we want you to take, that in this life it's ok to make a mistake. 
rt of a poem called That Life by Tom, who is a client of the Arc homeless charity in Taunton and one of the artists behind a new exhibition.  
""About 15 years ago I just started writing, picking up a pen and writing poems and short stories and stuff,"" Tom said.
He credits his father, an author, for passing on his ""creative gene"" to him.
""I've had a bit of a colourful past and it [poetry] is just another way of expressing that. 
""Showing that you can go through stuff and maybe come out of it the other side with a bit of positivity,"" he said.
m said he hoped displaying his pieces would warn others not to go down the same path, but if they did, it would let them know there was a way back. 
""I feel like I've pulled myself out of a bad place in life and I've come out the other side of it,"" he said.
""Hopefully in the future I'll be able to help other people do the same.""
Organised by Arc, the exhibition consists entirely of artwork created by those experiencing, or who have previously experienced, homelessness. 
Mark has a piece on display called ""My Mouse Ate My Pad"".
""I was given a pad to draw on and a mouse managed to eat part of it so I just drew around it,"" he said.
""I thought it was cute, it gave me inspiration.""
Mark, who has been homeless for a year and a half, explained that suffering with OCD meant every other aspect of his life ""has to be exact"" but art had allowed him a bit more freedom.
""When it comes to art I can make so much mess it's unbelievable, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I can enjoy myself,"" he said.
As a child he said he was allowed to draw on his bedroom walls and normally does ""quite big art"", so it is unusual for him to do something quite small. 
Mark said he had been with Arc for the past two and half months and ""they have been phenomenal in helping"" him.
He added that he was currently feeling ""absolutely wonderful"". 
""Three months clear from alcohol, been offered a flat and really happy at the moment,"" he said.
Rosie Hather, from Arc, said: ""Quite often, sadly, people don't look past people's homelessness and they don't really see them as people. 
""There's so much more to them than their homelessness. They're very talented people in many different ways.
""Through offering tailored support for each of our clients, we get to know the person behind the homelessness, building on the unique traits and skills of the individual to inspire them to take positive steps forward.""
rity said it had provided art supplies to people they house and support for ""therapeutic reasons"".
""Through that we realised we had lots of really talented artists in our service, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to exhibit that artwork,"" added Ms Hather.
Unseen is on display to the public until 8 October at The Brewhouse in Taunton. 
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-somerset-63159705
entertainment	Glastonbury 2023: Elton John will headline Pyramid Stage in final UK gig	"Sir Elton John is to headline the Glastonbury Festival next summer, playing what will be the last UK date of his farewell tour.
r will top the bill on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, 25 June, and has promised a spectacular farewell.
""There is no more fitting way to say goodbye to my British fans,"" he said in a statement announcing the show.
""I can't wait to embrace the spirit of the greatest festival in the world. It's going to be incredibly emotional.""
w will come more than five years after Sir Elton announced his 350-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
It was originally due to wrap up in 2021, giving the 75-year-old more time to spend with his young family, but multiple dates had to be rescheduled due to both the Covid pandemic and a hip injury the singer sustained in a fall.
He recently completed the US leg of the tour with a three-night stand at LA's Dodger Stadium - where, in 1975, he cemented his superstar status with two historic gigs, bedecked in a sequinned Dodgers Baseball uniform.
kit appeared again at his last US concert, as he played hits including Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Your Song and Philadelphia Freedom.
He was also joined by star guests Brandi Carlile, Kiki Dee and Dua Lipa, who duetted on the Pnau remix of Cold Heart - a song that introduced Sir Elton to a new generation of fans last year.
His Glastonbury set will undoubtedly contain similar surprises.
r teased the announcement on Thursday, posting an Instagram photo captioned:  ""One final date to announce... the Rocket Man is incoming.""
Around the same time, the BBC's Glastonbury webcam featured an image of a rocket ship in the sky above the Pyramid stage.
Confirming the news on Friday morning, festival organiser Emily Eavis said: ""It gives me enormous pleasure to let you know that the one and only Elton John will be making his first ever Glastonbury appearance, headlining the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night next year. 
""This will be the final UK show of Elton's last ever tour, so we will be closing the Festival and marking this huge moment in both of our histories with the mother of all send-offs.""
Sir Elton added that he ""couldn't be more excited"" to play at Worthy Farm.
""Every week I speak to new artists on my radio show and Glastonbury is often cited as a pivotal moment in launching their careers,"" he said. 
""The festival's genuine, enthusiastic support for the best emerging talent is something I've long admired.""
w will come at the end of the UK leg of Sir Elton's farewell tour, which kicks off in Liverpool next March.
After Glastonbury, he only has seven dates left to play in Europe before he retires from touring.
However, the star has not completely ruled out the possibility of one-off concert dates in the future - telling the BBC in 2018 that his ""dream thing"" would be a theatrical residency where he could play lesser-known tracks like Amoreena and Original Sin instead of hits like I'm Still Standing and Candle In The Wind.
""I've sung these songs nearly 5,000 times, some of them, and although they're wonderful songs, and I'm very appreciative of them, I've sung them enough,"" he said.
Sir Elton is the first headliner to be announced for next year's Glastonbury festival - for which tickets have already sold out. 
Other rumoured performers include Arctic Monkeys, Taylor Swift and Guns N' Roses.
Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63824422
entertainment	From Rosalía to Beyoncé: 25 of the best songs released in 2022	"With landmark albums from Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Rosalía, 2022 was a year where the globe's biggest artists stretched the boundaries of what was possible in pop music.
But it was also a year marked by incredible laziness and craven opportunism. 
Sampling came back in a big way but not a clever one. Classic hits were used as a crutch for weak songwriting, often lifted wholesale instead of being re-contextualised or used as a launchpad for something more inventive. 
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha did it on I'm Good - a pointless remake of Eifel 65's Europop irritant Blue (Da Ba Dee) that was somehow more of a dumpster fire than the original. 
weren't the only culprits: Nicki Minaj rapped listlessly over Rick James' Superfreak; Central Cee turned Eve's Blow Your Mind into a genuinely unpleasant track called Doja; and Yung Gravy tried to turn Never Gonna Give You Up into a banging rap anthem. He failed.
But we're not here to talk about the year's worst songs. Let's celebrate the best. 
Normally, I compile the BBC's year-end list by averaging the polls published by major music magazines and prominent critics. This year, I caught the flu and ran out of time to crack open the spreadsheet, so here's my personal list.
It's by no means definitive - with 60,000 songs uploaded to Spotify every day, I've listened to a fraction of a fraction of the music that was released in 2022. I've also tried to make the songs work as a playlist, so the rankings are somewhat arbitrary. But enough excuses. Let's play some music.
Warning: Some of the following songs contain language that readers may find offensive.
Who else but Rina Sawayama would have taken a rant about homophobic Christian conservatives and turned it into a sparkling country-pop song with multiple key changes and nods to Shania Twain? 
Crammed with witty one-liners (""damned for eternity, but you're coming with me""), it had a cheeky, light touch that the rest of Sawayama's overwrought second album sometimes lacked. Plus, she had the song blessed by Abba. What's not to love?
Honestly, this could have been any song from Beyoncé's seventh album, Renaissance - a dancefloor fantasia that honours the black, queer lineage of house and disco. 
It's a record that ripples with joy - for life, for music, for movement, for the very act of being Beyoncé - and Cuff It is the album's most accessible cut. Powered by a Nile Rodgers guitar riff, it's a post-pandemic anthem about the excitement of preparing for a night out that's also somehow about Beyoncé's expertise in the bedroom.
Euphoric and funky, it's even better in the context of the album, where it lands in the middle of a four-song sequence that hasn't been bettered all year: Alien Superstar, Cuff It, Energy and Break My Soul.
Often, the biggest hits of the year are bold and primary coloured - whether its Psy's Gangnam Style or Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. This year, not so much.
As It Was is a vapour trail of a song, silvery and airborne, as Harry Styles searches for meaning amidst break-ups and loneliness and personal turmoil. 
re's no big catharsis or sense of resolution, just a feeling of quiet acceptance - and perhaps that's what made it such an inescapable hit. There's a sense that we're all just getting on with life after the upheavals of the last few years, and Styles' soothing meditation is the perfect soundtrack.
Sometimes you wonder how much mileage is left in Taylor Swift writing songs about Taylor Swift, and then she comes out with something as self-deprecating and funny as Anti-Hero and all is forgiven.
From acknowledging that she disguises her narcissism as altruism ""like some kind of congressman"" to imagining her own murder, Anti-Hero is a parody of self-mythology that hinges on one of the year's most meme-able lyrics.
""It's me, hi! I'm the problem, it's me!""
-setting opener to Rosalía's riotous third album, Motomami, Saoko growls and purrs and constantly contorts over its two-minute running time.
Dripping with attitude, the song is about the Spaniard's refusal to conform. ""Una mariposa, yo me transformo,"" she sings. ""A butterfly, I transform"".
Underneath, the music shifts with her, from hip-hop to reggaeton, with a jazz piano break and chopped up vocal samples. A thrilling, fearless record that informed everything else Rosalía released in 2022.
Returning after a five-year break, US rock band Paramore have lost none of their energy or bite. 
""If you have an opinion / maybe you should shove it,"" Hayley Williams sings, simultaneously seething and exhausted at a divided world.
""Whether it's racism, or conspiracy theories… I think about how the internet is supposed to be this great connector, but drives us further inward and further apart,"" she told the LA Times. ""I've watched people be so awful to each other. How could we go through these things together and come out worse?"" 
g has no answers. In fact, Williams retreats even further. ""This is why I don't leave the house,"" she sings in the chorus. 
But when that house contains guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro on supremely funky form, why would anyone venture outside?
Anxiety is an unrelenting master that has plagued Florence Welch her entire life.
In Free, she depicts it as a bored child, picking her up and putting her down, chewing her up and spiting her out ""a hundred times a day"".
mpted to dull her senses with medication, she instead finds release in music. As the song's nervous, ticking beat fades and the music swells, she declares: ""For a moment, when I'm dancing, I am free.""
Rema's Calm Down was a major hit in Africa earlier this year, crossing over to the US and UK after Selena Gomez added a verse for this remix.
rics are based on a true story. Nigerian star Rema fell for a girl at a party, but her friends stopped him from getting too close. In the song, he's still trying to seduce her. She's inviting, but remains in control: ""Wanna give you it all but can't promise that I'll stay / And that's the risk that you take.""
Sweet and seductive, the song is one of several Afrobeats tracks to make an impact in 2022, alongside Burna Boy's Last Last and Fireboy DML's Peru. 
With a tip of the hat to James Brown, Payback is the strutting, funky highlight of Kojey Radical's Mercury Prize-nominated album Reasons To Smile.
A hymn to black excellence, it also sees the 29-year-old staking his claim to be one of the UK's best rappers, as he declares: ""Black lists, black skin couldn't hold me down / A black queen gave birth to a golden child.""
Less than eight weeks after winning the Mercury Prize for her 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz dropped a new record with little-to-no warning.
But rather than a victory lap, No Thank You seemed to be an angry response towards the music industry itself. 
""They don't care if your mental is on the brink of something dark / As long as you're cutting somebody's payslip,"" she fumed on the opening track, Angel.
Gorilla is mellower, full of brass fanfares and a slinky bassline lifted from Jurassic 5's classic Concrete Schoolyard (which in turn samples Ramsey Lewis' Summer Breeze), but it contains that same surging confidence. 
""Name one time where I didn't deliver,"" Simz demands. There's no answer.
You can listen to a playlist of all 25 songs in this list on the following streaming services:
Cutting people out of your life is healthy. That's the message from Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem, on this percussive declaration of self-preservation.
x who gets back in touch? The friend who undermines your confidence? Stop giving them your precious time.
""If it feels like someone is taking [liberties], they usually are,"" she explained. ""Not to be all 'you deserve better' about it but it's very likely you do, indeed, deserve better.""
Yeah Yeah Yeahs' first new song in almost a decade, Spitting Off The Edge Of The World is a smouldering, sleazy song of comeuppance for politicians who put profit ahead of the climate catastrophe.
""Cowards, here's the sun,"" drawls Karen O. ""Melting [your] houses of gold.""
roning guitars and crashing drums constantly threaten to collapse on themselves, as though the world is juddering to a halt even as O sings. 
Apocalypse never sounded so thrilling.
As declarations of love go, ""I'm a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound"", is pretty extreme. But Sophie Allison, aka US indie musician Soccer Mommy, stands by it. ""Beauty and pain tend to coincide, as do beauty and ugliness,"" she told Pitchfork. ""Love is hard even when it's easy"". 
gives Shotgun a tangible realism. The itchy, lo-fi verses capture the banality of a long-term relationship (""I like dessert and alcohol and watching you as you get drunk"") before the chorus blossoms into a dreamy, loved-up hook. 
Because love is always there, you just have to pull the trigger.
It may have been recorded in London, but Pull Up is steeped in the sun-kissed vibes of Koffee's hometown of Spanish Town, Jamaica.
-back Afrobeats track finds the singer arriving for a night out in a succession of luxury cars, flexing her status while setting her sights on one particular party-goer.
Breezy and infectious, it's a perfect encapsulation of Koffee's positive spirit and ear for melody.
Originally released in 2020, Cat Burns' anguished break-up anthem became a viral hit on TikTok at the start of the year, earning the singer a platinum record, a support slot with Ed Sheeran and a Brit Award nomination.
""My brain just cannot compute that [the song] is at that level. It's mind-boggling,"" she told the NME - but the success was well-deserved.
Where other break-up songs channel anger or despair, Burns' richly-observed lyrics convey the disbelief of someone who's been betrayed by the one person they should have been able to trust. Devastating.
Of the millions of people who got through heartbreak this year by listening to Soy El Unico, very few will have realised it was created by a 13-year-old who'd never written a song before.
Yahritza Martinez, from Mexico's Yakima Valley, was inspired after seeing other people's relationship dramas on TikTok - and one line in particular stuck with her.
""It was, 'Oh, you're not gonna find anybody better than me.' That's where I got the idea from,"" she told the LA Times.
When the singer (now aged 16) and her brothers uploaded a snippet of the song to their own TiKTok account in February, it swept through people's For You pages, eventually topping the US Latin songs chart. Since then, the break-up ballad has amassed 69 million views on YouTube, as fans fall in love with the trio's stripped-down take on Música Mexicana. 
Has a record ever been more aptly titled than Escapism? 
Released independently after Raye extricated herself from a record label that refused to let her release a debut album, this single broke all the rules of modern pop. It's long, it's messy, it changes tempo half-way through. 
And yet, it became the singer's first ever top 10 hit as a solo artist, because every single one of those choices was driven by the emotional arc of the song, not some boardroom-driven formula.
""I feel on top of the world right now,"" Raye told the BBC at the Mobo Awards. ""I could throw up. I feel like I'm in a simulation, it doesn't feel real.""
You know all that stuff I said about 2022 being a terrible year for sampling, and songwriters relying on nostalgia for easy streams? Here's where that argument goes out the window.
In what she jokingly referred to as her ""major label sell-out"" era, Charli XCX took September's 2006 Europop hit Cry For You and transformed it from a boilerplate break-up song into a story of lust and obsession.  
ration of those lyrics combines with the insistent, unrelenting synth lines to create a more compelling, full-blooded song than the original. It's a masterclass in updating a classic.
Fourth place at Eurovision, Sweden was robbed.
With a stone-cold beat and a blown-out bass line, Cash In Cash Out was a blistering comeback for Pharrell, even if it stalled at number 73 in the UK charts.
21 Savage takes the opening verse, bragging that ""Pharrell made this so it's a million dollar beat""; before Tyler takes over with the surreal couplet: ""I hit the beach in a furry hat / She got a guy but she purrin' back"".
Both stars are at the top of their game, tossing out one-liners and switching flows on the fly. ""It's like lettin' two pit bulls loose, you know?"" Pharrell told Apple Music. 
I wavered over whether to include this. It's not exactly cool to like Lewis Capaldi, I guess. But there's something about the way he sings - the conviction in his voice, and the naked candour of the lyrics: ""I'd rather hear how much you regret me... than forget me"".
When it came on the radio, I always left it on and if I was on my own, I'd even sing along. Which is about the best litmus test for a pop song I can imagine.
Plus, you have to admire anyone who accepts a music video pitch that goes: ""It's your song, but we do a shot-for-shot recreation of Club Tropicana"". 
r Swift song by an artist who isn't Taylor Swift since Olivia Rodrigo became a breakout star in (checks notes)... Oh God, was that only last year?
Chappell Roan is a rising star from Missouri, whose breakout song is a candid account of a relationship that's going nowhere. 
She's a little more blunt than Swift (don't play the chorus to your mum) but anyone who's ever been told, ""I'm not ready to tell people we're together"", by someone who's simultaneously happy to go to bed with you, will be fully on her side.
""Beauty is a knife that I'm holding by the blade / Swallowing my pride so I won't eat anything.""
On Dying On The Inside, Nessa Barrett sings with unflinching honesty about the eating disorder that's plagued her since she was 12 years old. 
Smart and self-aware, she observes how the media's emphasis on beauty and size only compounds her problems - with people complimenting her appearance when she's actively unwell.
It's a song that changes your perspective by inviting you inside a mental illness. Barrett, who is receiving treatment, says she cried when she finished it - and hopes the song will help others too.
""I want to remind them that they're not alone,"" she told Nylon. ""I want everyone to know that they are beautiful no matter what, and that it's unfair for them to put so much pressure on themselves. And that I know how hard that is.""
Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, aka KH, had quite the summer. Not only did he win a long-running royalties battle against Domino Records, but he dropped one of the biggest dance anthems of the year.
Looking At Your Pager is an absolute dancefloor monster, that flips a sample of American girl group 3LW onto a gnarly electronic bassline that sounds like a lawnmower devouring a power station.
First previewed at a live show in 2021, the song lingered in a copyright battle as fans begged Hebden for an official release. Then, in April, he took to Instagram with the phrase ""the sample has been cleared"" - and the song of the summer was born. Well, almost...
Dance music came back with a vengeance in 2022 - with hits by LF System, Nia Archives and Fred Again cross-contaminating club nights and daytime radio.
ggest, and baddest, of them all was Eliza Rose's BOTA, which bolted a feel-good vocal hook onto the syrupy keyboard riff from 90s house classic Let The Beat Hit 'Em.
Released in the middle of the heatwave, it eventually hit number one in mid-September, when it was finally safe to play without melting the dancefloor.
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entertainment	Will Smith says bottled rage led him to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars	"Will Smith has said his ""bottled"" rage led him to slap comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March.
r has been interviewed for the first time since the incident, which he described as ""a horrific night"".
Appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he said: ""I was going through something that night, you know?
""Not that that justifies my behaviour at all."" Smith added that there were ""many nuances and complexities to it"", but added: ""I just - I lost it.""
Smith stormed the stage at the Hollywood award ceremony after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife Jada's shaved head. She has the hair loss condition alopecia.
""I understand how shocking that was for people,"" he told Noah. ""I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time.""
He said he also understood the pain he had caused, and recalled the reaction of his nine-year-old nephew that night.
""He's the sweetest little boy,"" Smith said. ""We came home and he had stayed up late to see his Uncle Will, and we're sitting in my kitchen, and he's on my lap and he's holding the Oscar, and he's just like, 'Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?'
""It was a mess.""
rview on the late-night US TV talk show was the first time Smith had been publicly challenged about the attack.
Smith told Noah he understood the often-quoted theory that ""hurt people hurt people"".
Discussing the background to his Oscars assault, the actor said: ""It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That's not who I want to be.""
Smith has opened up before about growing up in an abusive home. His autobiography begins with a harrowing description of his father attacking his mother - an incident he said defined his childhood, and ultimately led to his career.
Discussing the reasons for the slap, he said: ""I guess what I would say is that you just never know what somebody's going through,"" without elaborating on what he was referring to.
Addressing the studio audience, he continued: ""In the audience right now, you're sitting next to strangers, and somebody's mother died last week. You know? Somebody's child is sick. Somebody just lost their job. Somebody just found out their spouse cheated.
""There's all these things, and you just don't know what's going on with people. And I was going through something that night.""
In the aftermath of the Oscars, he has ""had to forgive myself for being human"", he said. 
""Trust me, there's nobody that hates the fact that I'm human more than me... I've always wanted to be Superman. I've always wanted to swoop in and save the damsel in distress.
""And I had to humble down and realise that I'm a flawed human, and I still have an opportunity to go out in the world and contribute in a way that fills my heart and hopefully helps other people.""
54-year-old has been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, and has also resigned from the Academy, which organises the ceremony.
Watch: Will Smith acknowledges that Oscar slap was wrong
In July, he posted a video on YouTube, answering questions that appeared to be written by fans about the Academy Awards. Prior to that, he had only issued written statements about the altercation.
He appeared on Monday's episode of The Daily Show to promote his new film Emancipation, to be released next week, making it eligible for next year's Oscars.
Smith, who received this year's best actor award for King Richard after the slap, said the idea that his new the film would be ""tainted"" during the forthcoming awards season by his actions was ""killing me dead"". 
""These top artists in the world have done some of the best work of their career,"" he said. ""I hope that their work will be honoured, and their work will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63790422
entertainment	Queen premiere previously unheard Freddie Mercury song Face It Alone	"Queen have revealed a previously unheard, deeply emotional song they recorded with Freddie Mercury in 1988.
Face It Alone, which the late singer recorded during sessions for 1989 album The Miracle, was given its premiere by BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce on Thursday.
""We did find a little gem from Freddie, that we'd kind of forgotten about,"" drummer Roger Taylor said about the track in June.
""It's wonderful, a real discovery. It's a very passionate piece.""
g is one of six unreleased tracks to feature in a forthcoming box set of The Miracle, four of which feature Mercury's vocals.
A slow, sombre ballad, Face It Alone opens with a pounding drum and a finger-picked guitar line, before Mercury sings: ""When something so near and dear to life / Explodes inside / You feel your soul is set on fire.""
It was recorded during the historic sessions for The Miracle in London and Switzerland, when Mercury had been diagnosed with HIV but hadn't made it public.
In a powerful vocal, he appears to reference his failing health, growing increasingly passionate as he repeats the refrain: ""In the end / You have to face it all alone.""
Guitarist Brian May originally thought the recording was unsalvageable, but engineers proved him wrong. 
""It was kind of hiding in plain sight,"" he told Radio 2's Zoe Ball earlier this year. 
""We looked at it many times and thought, oh no, we can't really rescue that. But in fact, we went in there again and our wonderful engineering team went, 'OK, we can do this and this.' 
""It's like kind of stitching bits together... but it's beautiful, it's touching.""
One of more than 20 off-cuts from the sessions, Face It Alone is much darker than tracks like I Want It All and The Invisible Man, which eventually made it on to The Miracle.
um's closing track Was It All Worth It, however, dealt with similar themes, as the star reflected on his life and career and asked: ""Am I a happy man / Or is this sinking sand?""
Mercury died in November 1991, nine months after Queen's final album Innuendo - the successor to The Miracle - was released.
urviving group members reconvened in 1995 to record Made In Heaven, completing songs the singer had recorded before his death.
""new"" Queen music featuring Mercury's vocals came out eight years ago, when May and Taylor included the Michael Jackson duet There Must Be More to Life Than This on the 2014 Queen Forever compilation.
In 2019, a stripped-down version of Mercury's 1986 solo single Time was also released under the title Time Waits for No One.
Since 2011, the band have toured with American Idol star Adam Lambert, selling out stadiums across the world. Their 1981 Greatest Hits album is the UK's best-selling album of all time, with more than seven million copies sold.
Face It Alone is being released as a single on Thursday, with the Miracle box set following on 18 November. 
ght-disc collection will feature alternative takes and demos, alongside radio interviews and fly-on-the-wall recordings from the album sessions.
r unreleased tracks are When Love Breaks Up, You Know You Belong To Me, Dog With a Bone, Water and fan favourite I Guess We're Falling Out.
Several of those have circulated on bootlegs over the last 30 years, but this marks their first official release.
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entertainment	Erland Cooper: Fans unearth only version of album buried in Orkney	"wo fans have discovered the only copy of a musician's new album which had been buried at a secret location.
Erland Cooper ""planted"" the master tape in peaty soil in Orkney last summer.
Orkney-born musician posted clues on his website - but said if no-one found it he would dig it up himself and release the music in 2024, no matter how much the recording had changed. 
Now Victoria and Dan Rhodes, from Kirkwall, have found the soggy spool of magnetic tape buried in Stromness.
Erland Cooper's music, which combines field recordings with traditional orchestration and electronic elements, is inspired by the history and landscape of Orkney.
His latest project attempted to take things further and get the peat and rain of the islands to play their part alongside the musicians.
was to let the recording ""decompose"" in the soil and release the record, no matter how much it had changed after being buried and exposed to the peat and rain. 
uple who discovered it told BBC Radio Orkney they had looked for the tape at Burger Hill, near Evie, and on the island of Rousay, before getting on the right track. 
""We had a week off a few weeks ago and we thought: 'This week we're going to try and actually find it',"" said Victoria.
She said they had pieced together some crucial clues which led to the discovery of the tape under a specially carved stone.
Erland Cooper had said the album was commemorating the Orcadian poet, novelist and dramatist George Mackay Brown.
He was based in Stromness, and wrote a weekly column for The Orcadian newspaper called Under Brinkie's Brae.
Brinkie's Brae is a granite outcrop which dominates the skyline of Orkney's second town.
Victoria explained that she and Dan had been walking around the hill when they made the discovery.
""We were a little bit apart. He was walking down looking up at the rocks and I was above them, looking down.
""And it was Dan, actually, that found the carved stone.""
Dan added: ""It was kind of disbelief for a moment. Then I thought: 'I'd better shout her. We want to find it together'.
""It was really exciting. Here was this feeling of 'should I actually be doing this? Should I dig it up?' Because this is the end of our hunt.""
Erland Cooper said he was delighted, but surprised, that the couple found his recording. 
""I didn't expect anyone to find it. I thought maybe somebody walking their dog might find this peculiar stone and not know what it meant, and maybe find it that way.
""But I really didn't expect the level of determination, commitment, wit, and wisdom of Dan and Victoria. 
""And many others that have had some interest, as far flung as Australia and Paris, and places like that. 
""But I'm so pleased that Dan and Victoria have found it.""
f tape is rusty, with small roots apparently growing through it. But it contains the only copy of Erland Cooper's work, after he deleted all the original digital sound files in the studio. 
He intends to release the work as it was changed, even distorted or erased, by being buried. Peat and rain have become collaborators in the project. 
Erland said that after he composed the music, it is decomposed and recomposed.
""I understand what these elements might have done to the tape to create artefacts of sound,"" he said. 
""It might have completely erased the tape, of course. 
""And what's really fantastic now, for me, is just how precious it is now. 
""This thing that I cast into the soil, covered with a biscuit tin, and then put a violin on top, has now become so precious, having spent a long dark winter under the soil."""	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63131823
entertainment	Matt Hancock: Covid campaigners fly banner over I'm A Celebrity jungle	"families of some of those who died during the Covid-19 pandemic say they have flown a message over the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! camp, demanding the removal of Matt Hancock.
Campaign groups 38 Degrees and Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice posted photos of a banner, which read: ""Covid bereaved say get out of here!""
Hancock, who was health secretary at the height of the pandemic, is in the TV show's jungle camp in Australia.
Broadcaster ITV has not commented.
In a statement, Lobby Akinnola from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, who lost his father to the disease, said: ""Matt Hancock isn't a 'celebrity', he's the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.""
Hancock was forced to resign as health secretary in June 2021 after breaking the government's social distancing rules by kissing a colleague who he was having an affair with.
Matthew McGregor, chief executive of 38 Degrees, said: ""No-one has forgotten how Matt Hancock conducted himself during the Covid-19 pandemic: not the general public, not his campmates, and certainly not those who lost loved ones.
""Our message emblazoned across the skies makes crystal clear to Matt Hancock: you should be representing the people of West Suffolk and giving Covid Bereaved Families the answers they deserve, rather than playing games for dingo dollars, plastic stars and a [reported] £400,000 paycheck.""
rborne protest came after more than 44,000 people signed a petition calling for ITV to reverse its decision to include the serving West Suffolk MP on the programme.
Watch: Campmate asks Matt Hancock why he's on I'm a Celebrity
ue of Hancock's resignation came up in the jungle when fellow contestant Scarlette Douglas described the MP's behaviour as ""a slap in the face"" by someone who had set the rules and had then broken them.
Responding on the show, he said there was ""no excuse"" for the actions that led to his resignation. Hancock added: ""Look, I know how people felt. That's why I resigned, right?""
He later became emotional as he told campmates that what he is ""really looking for is a bit of forgiveness"".
Watch: Boy George in tears over Matt Hancock's participation on reality show
Hancock has been suspended as a Conservative MP, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that the former minister's future in Parliament would be decided by voters at the next election.
""Ultimately, the question is for his constituents at an election but I think it was right that the Chief Whip removed the conservative whip from Matt Hancock. It's a decision I support and I was very disappointed that he decided to go on the show,"" the prime minister said.
Before he entered the jungle, Hancock said he was joining the show to raise dyslexia awareness, and he has told his fellow campmates he wants to show another side to politicians. 
His spokesman said Hancock supports and is co-operating with an independent public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic, and that producers have agreed he can communicate with his team about any urgent constituency matters that arise while he's on the show. "	/news/entertainment-arts-63634006
entertainment	Fierce Panda label boss: 'I know men have problems talking'	"founder of a cult indie record label that helped to propel the likes of Coldplay and Keane to fame has told of his emotional struggles in a memoir.
Former NME journalist Simon Williams, who lives near Stowmarket in Suffolk, set up Fierce Panda in 1994.
He has now charted his life, from the giddy euphoria of spotting bands to kissing his family goodbye before his suicide attempt, and his recovery.
He said: ""I've had more fun in the past two years than in the previous 10.""
Williams, who originally set up the label with two colleagues in London, became a respected figure on the indie scene for his ability to hone in on musicians trying something new and exciting.
Fierce Panda began operating in an era when they would sign bands, including Coldplay, Placebo, Keane and Embrace, for one-off single releases before they hooked up with major labels. 
In an interview with BBC Radio Suffolk, Williams told how he first saw Coldplay play in 1998 at a Camden pub after being introduced by their mutual lawyer. 
""He wasn't quite sure if I'd like Coldplay, but I think he'd run out of labels to like them as they'd been ignored by everyone,"" he said. 
""I thought they were terrific: really good songs, the singer had goofy hair, wore a tank top and played an acoustic guitar - bearing in mind this was four minutes after Britpop.""
Along the way, the label - which also put out the highest ever charting interview single, Wibbling Rivalry, featuring barbed exchanges between the Gallagher brothers - has worked with a host of local bands including Norwich indie-rockers KaitO and Manningtree's Dingus Khan. 
And just last month, Norwich indie band Bag of Cans signed to Fierce Panda to release their forthcoming album.
Williams said his life had been defined by ""gigs and writing - everything I've ever done has fitted in those realms"".
But it was the turmoil that he saw peers and friends - also heavily invested in the music scene - experience that helped contribute to his deepening depression and his suicide attempt on New Year's Eve in 2019.
""The music industry wasn't in a very good place pre-Covid and there was no light at the end of the tunnel for them... and you just suck up everybody else's misery on top of yours,"" said Williams. 
""When I was at my absolute lowest... I wanted it to resurrect Fierce Panda - I thought if I do this then finally Coldplay will give us that benefit gig at Brixton Academy that will raise £100,000 that will keep the company going for the next six years. 
""Absolutely crazy nonsense like that, and it seemed entirely logical.""
Williams said it's been poignant since the release of his book, Pandamonium, to discover how many people, including good friends, have also suffered similarly and in silence.
""You go through every single friend in the world and work out why not to talk to them - that's the problem,"" he said.
""I know men have problems talking, but I think the whole point of the book is that if it stops one person from doing what I did or trying to do what I did, then it's worthwhile."" 
If you are affected by mental health issues or suicide, help and support are available at BBC Action Line.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63143225
entertainment	Newcastle has 'right balance' over festival noise after row	"A crackdown on noise from festivals held on Newcastle's Town Moor is proof major events can be staged without being a nuisance, a council has said.
Following complaints about the This is Tomorrow concerts last year, controls were put in place limiting activity in Exhibition Park and Leazes Park.
Councillors heard that three big festivals this summer attracted far fewer complaints than had been feared.
uncil was told Newcastle had an ""exemplary"" template for future events.
Exhibition Park furore sparked a row between local authority officials and the charity which runs the city's green spaces, Urban Green Newcastle.
r claimed tougher noise limits would make it impossible to stage large events, severing a critical source of income, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 
Civic centre bosses had warned that residents could be subjected to ""10 hours of repetitive bass music"" from the two-day LooseFest. 
wn Moor also played host to the Rock n Roll Circus in June and UK Pride in July.
Ed Foster, the council's head of public safety and regulation, said the three festivals combined attracted fewer than 20 complaints, while This is Tomorrow in 2021 had provoked more than 90.
Rock n Roll Circus, headlined by Noel Gallagher, had no complaints and nearby residents ""hardly knew it was there"", the council was told.
Pride had six noise complaints and LooseFest 13, though Mr Foster said the latter had complied with noise limits on its stages but experienced unexpected nuisance from its fairground.
""I believe we have listened... and reduced the noise significantly from major events,"" he said.
""It is when we have events that are community-led that they can't afford it. Pride cannot afford the same systems as Loosefest, but we try to achieve the best standard and it is a difficult road to tread. 
""But I do believe we have got the balance right.""
His comments came in response to Labour's Rob Higgins, who said the council risked being perceived as ""heavy-handed"" and deterring event organisers.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-tyne-63037015
entertainment	In Pictures: Porthcawl Elvis festival 2022	"It's that time of year when fans of Elvis Presley descend on a south Wales seaside town.
Porthcawl Elvis Festival 2022 has hosted thousands of visitors, including many who dress up as the king of rock and roll - and others who go one step further and perform as him too.
It began in 2004 and organisers say it is the biggest of its kind in Europe.
As these photos show, his fans still can't helping falling in love with Elvis 45 years after his death."	/news/uk-wales-63027953
entertainment	Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club: Retirement village that inspired books	"Richard Osman's third book in his Thursday Murder Club series has just broken another record; this time for hardback sales.
Inspired by the retirement village where Osman's mum Brenda lives, the books have been a huge hit worldwide, selling nearly six million copies.
BBC's arts correspondent Rebecca Jones visited Richard and Brenda Osman at the real-life setting of The Thursday Murder Club."	/news/entertainment-arts-63014394
entertainment	Nottingham Trent searches for boy treble to sing The Snowman	"A university choir is searching for a boy treble to sing the classic Walking in the Air song for its concert of Raymond Briggs's The Snowman.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Choir is looking for a young, male singer, aged nine or over, for its concert on 11 December at the city's Royal Concert Hall.
g was made famous by Aled Jones as a schoolboy.
Auditions for the role will be held in November.
Producers said they were looking for a young male singer from Nottinghamshire who is comfortable performing in front of large audiences.
rt will feature a live screening of the animated film with accompaniment from the English Pro Musica Orchestra.
Christmas carols and other Christmas favourites will also be performed.
Matthew Hopkins, director of music at NTU and conductor for the concert, said: ""This is a fantastic opportunity for a local young singer to perform alongside a professional orchestra in a world class venue.
""It would be a memory you would never forget.""
NTU Choir was established in 2006 and is the largest music ensemble at the university.
It has performed alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. 
Amy Jones, one of the members of the NTU Choir, said the concert would be a ""highlight of Christmas"".
Auditions will be held on 29 November in University Hall on NTU's City campus.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63221053
entertainment	The Snowman: Howard Blake says he 'owes a lot' to Brighton	"It has been 40 years since the release of the much-loved Christmas film, The Snowman.
Howard Blake, who grew up in Brighton, composed the soundtrack including the famous theme tune, Walking in the Air.
He said: ""I wrote the tune of Walking in the Air on a beach in Cornwall, 50 years ago, in 1972.""
He said he had looked for somewhere to place the song and never found it, until he saw a picture of the boy and the snowman.
""I thought that tune would work marvellously,"" he told BBC South East.
1982 animated film was based on Raymond Briggs' picture book of the same name which was published in 1978. 
Mr Blake moved from London to Brighton after World War Two. 
He says he ""owes a lot"" to the city that had plenty of theatres, cinemas and art schools, and was ""really coming to life"" following the war.
After winning a scholarship to Brighton Grammar School, Mr Blake said he got the lead part in the annual school opera after singing a scale up to a top C, which was ""unheard of"". 
For the next four years, he played the lead soprano part in the school's productions. 
Peter Auty performed the original Walking in the Air as a 13-year-old choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral. The song was later recorded by Aled Jones.
Mr Auty recalls watching the film for the first time at the studio. He remembers not knowing it was going to be.
""I got the feeling then it might actually be a bit bigger than just another recording session,"" he said.
Peter Auty is now regarded as one of Britain's leading tenors. He has worked with a number of major opera companies and went on to sing at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in East Sussex.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-sussex-63742460
entertainment	Rapper seeking asylum in the UK shares story through music	"A young rapper seeking asylum in the UK has been sharing his story through his music.
Mustafa, 18, came to the UK from Sudan in 2020.
He recorded three rap songs with the help of West Berkshire Council's programme for young people and asylum seekers leaving care.
""When I am sad or I am not feeling well or hopeless, I put my headphones on and listen to some rap music and that will give me some courage, or great strength and motivation, and I will be happy,"" he said.
Journalist: Ally Reeve"	/news/uk-england-berkshire-63317076
entertainment	Russell Brand calls on Thurrock Council to save Thameside Theatre	"median and actor Russell Brand has lent his support to save the local theatre he once performed at as a child.
Brand told an audience at the Thameside Theatre in Grays, Essex, that Thurrock Council had ""lost its path"". 
urrock Council is looking at the building's future as it deals with a £469m budget back hole. 
Conservative-run council said: ""No decision on the future of the Thameside Complex has yet been made.""
During a day-long event on Monday at the Thameside complex, owned by the council and home to a theatre, museum and library, Brand said saving the theatre would be ""an opportunity to change the perception of Thurrock Council at a vital time"".
uncil's debt is largely due to it borrowing hundreds of millions to invest in companies financing solar energy.  
It has asked the government for help and spending cuts are expected as well as selling off its assets.
""Thurrock Council is currently assessing business cases from bidders which have expressed an interest in the property,"" a spokesman said.
Brand said: ""The spirit of this event, good humour aside, is not about the recrimination or condemnation or engaging the typical political arguments that create a kind of ossified oppositionism, this is about creating a situation where passionate members of the community can continue to use this asset to benefit the very community that it was created to serve.""
It had ""lost its path investing in ideas that have not yielded fruit"", he said.
mic, who was born in Grays, told the audience: ""We simply want one thing: the Thameside Theatre be handed over to the Save Thameside Campaign.""
Neil Woodbridge, who was bidding to run the venue as a community enterprise, said due to the debt there was a ""question mark"" over whether they would be successful.
Brand said: ""There are some values that transcend financial and economic ones.
""Look at what the pursuit of financial goals has done to Thurrock Council, all these moody deals with solar panels and we ain't see the light of day yet!""
mic phoned senior councillors and Thurrock Council officers live on stage. 
Conservative councillor Shane Ralph went on stage after he was called. 
""I want this theatre to stay here,"" he said. ""I didn't want this to be brought down or anything. 
""The chance it could be saved by anybody for me is a positive. 
""I would love it to be a community asset. But what I want to know is in 10 years' time, is it still going to be viable?""
Labour leader on the council, John Kent, said an alternative bid to turn Thameside into a college was ""a red herring"".
Andrea Ince, involved in promoting the pantomime, said: ""It's very sad because it's important for the community. 
""There's lots of artists around here that started their life as performers on that Thameside theatre stage, it's important it's here to give that chance to other people.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-essex-63870210
entertainment	Warhammer to be made into movie and TV show, starring Superman actor Henry Cavill	"Warhammer, the popular miniature table-top wargame, is to be made into a movie and TV show, starring Henry Cavill.
x-Superman actor will also executive produce the adaptation, which he called a ""lifelong dream come true"".
UK firm Games Workshop, which makes the game, said on Friday it has ""reached an agreement in principle"" for Amazon to develop its intellectual property.
roject will initially involve developing the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it confirmed.
ws comes just days after Cavill confirmed he will not be returning to play Superman in the DC Comics universe.
Cavill has previously spoken about his enthusiasm for Warhammer, a fantasy war game where players paint intricate miniature figures and have them battle each other.
In a statement on Friday, the British actor, 39, said: ""I have loved Warhammer since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me. The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honour and the responsibility.""
Another popular table-top gaming franchise Dungeons and Dragons has its own new movie coming next year, starring Chris Pine.
Warhammer deal is still to be officially confirmed and a further announcement will be made ""in due course"", the Nottingham-based games company noted.
Founded by friends in London in 1975, as a company selling board games and writing a fanzine for roleplaying adventures, Games Workshop has grown into the dominant player in the miniature wargaming world.
With shops in high streets and shopping malls across the globe Games Workshop is known, in the main, for producing Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar miniature games. 
, models and terrain need to be assembled and (often with great artistry) painted. They are used on a table-top where friends can then do battle in fantastical worlds, telling stories based on 40 years' worth of rules and backstory, created especially for the games. 
Despite its stores being closed during lockdown its sales soared - meaning the company's shares at one point, it's reported, were even outperforming those of Tesla.
However, Games Workshop has been more than just a miniatures company for years. It has its own book publishing division, and there have been many video game adaptations made - in-house anime, deals with Marvel Comics and toy manufacturers - all based upon the worlds created to host table-top battles. 
's news of a TV series deal is no surprise therefore, because Games Workshop has been carefully leveraging its intellectual property for a long time. Similarly to how comic book houses are no longer just the creators of comics, but have instead taken over Hollywood.
Previous attempts to get a high-end Warhammer adaptation over the line have failed, leaving endless discussion in fan forums and on social media as to who could play the setting's famous characters. 
re's a lot of speculation that Warhammer fan Henry Cavill, no longer in-line to continue as Superman on the silver screen, could be a key part of this adaptation. Perhaps there could be roles for other celebrity 40k fans Ed Sheeran and Vin Diesel? 
Fans will hope that this isn't another false dawn, and that the creators of this adaptation take good care of worlds that they know and love - despite the Games Workshop depiction of the 41st Millennium being exceedingly grim.
Financial analyst Andrew Wade, from Jefferies, told the AFP news agency this was ""very exciting news"" for Games Workshop, whose share price rose on Friday as a result.
""Licensing income has built strongly in recent years, from £2m in full-year 2015 to around £17m in full-year 2023, but we saw a more limited progression ahead, believing that only a major film deal would support another step-change,"" he said.
""With today's news, that is now a very real possibility.
""Moreover, a mainstream TV/film product could be game-changing in terms of Warhammer's brand reach and awareness.""
Elsewhere on Friday, it was also announced the acclaimed 2019 action video game Death Stranding will also be adapted for the silver screen, according to its Japanese creator Hideo Kojima.
In a statement, Kojima, who will co-produce the film, called the decision ""a pivotal moment for the franchise.
PlayStation and PC game is set in the US following a catastrophic event which caused destructive creatures to start roaming the planet."	/news/entertainment-arts-63998585
entertainment	Why Emily St John Mandel asked for help getting divorced on Wikipedia	"It is rare for artists to want to talk about their love life in interviews. But Emily St John Mandel, the best-selling author of Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel and this year's The Sea of Tranquility, is insisting on it.
Over the weekend, Ms Mandel put a call-out on social media asking for helping getting her marital status updated on her Wikipedia page.
, user-edited encyclopaedia said she was married, but in fact, she is not: her divorce from her husband was finalised in November.
But when the Canadian author tried to amend the page, she found herself in a bit of a ""Kafkaesque"" situation.
""It turns out, you're not actually the expert on your own life as far as Wikipedia is concerned. You do need a secondary source,"" she told the BBC.
""I just hit this brick wall, you know, when I spoke to the editor over there, and, and got that information.""
Interviews usually happen in accordance with a publication schedule - with the paperback edition of The Sea of Tranquility not due until April, it could be months before she corrected the record. 
So this weekend she turned to social media, to see if any journalists would want to ask her about her marital status in an interview. The BBC was all too happy to offer assistance, as did Slate. Now, all is right with her Wikipedia page.
Ms Mandel finds herself in good company - in 2012, author Philip Roth wrote an open-letter to Wikipedia that was published in the New Yorker, so that he could correct an inaccuracy about the real-life inspiration for one of his novels. 
unds like the kind of surreal mundanity that could have happened to a character in one of her novels, which are often about the daily rhythms of cataclysmic events, be they pandemics, time travel, Ponzi schemes, or even fame itself. 
In her latest book, The Sea of Tranquility, the character of Olive Llewellyn, a stand-in for Ms Mandel, is an author whose book about a pandemic is published just before an actual pandemic takes hold. A similar thing happened to Ms Mandel, whose 2014 novel Station Eleven, about the near-end of humanity after a pandemic, became a bestseller again during the height of Covid-19 and was adapted into a critically acclaimed series on HBO Max.
She said she chose to write about her experiences because it was ""such a strange existential moment"".
""I don't feel like I predicted anything. Pandemics are just something that happens, as horrible as they are. But at the same time, it was kind of an interesting and surreal experience to have spent so much time talking about and travelling in the service of a book about pandemics and then all of a sudden, it's the real thing and having to compare fact and fiction.""
She also mined some of her odd real-life encounters on tour for Station Eleven for the character of Olive. 
""Ninety-nine per cent of the time, it's great, but if you do hundreds of events that 1% does add-up. I had a collection of sort of surrealist tour moments that I kind of wanted to write about.""
Perhaps her recent encounters with online bureaucracy could be fodder for her next book. "	/news/world-us-canada-64033028
entertainment	Birmingham: Black Sabbath pub The Crown returns as music venue	"A Birmingham pub where Black Sabbath played their first gig is to be restored as a live music venue after years of closure.
In its heyday, The Crown in the city centre also hosted other local acts that would go on to become household names, including Led Zeppelin and UB40.
roject is led by arts organisation Birmingham Open Media (BOM). 
Under plans, the revived venue would also become a digital hub for the community, BOM said.
Crown, built in 1881, shut down in 2014 after it was bought by a Japanese development company, remaining derelict ever since.
Local Democracy Reporting Service said the project for the site opposite New Street Station won the blessing of Birmingham City Council - which would work in partnership with not-for-profit BOM - in September, although no timeline was given for the venue's opening.  
Music archivist Jez Collins, who is supporting BOM in its work, called the venue ""the birthplace of metal"", and said Ozzy Osbourne and the original Sabbath line-up announced themselves to the world there in 1968.
""From the early 70s to the 80s, it was arguably one of the most important venues historically, not just in the UK but globally,"" he said.
""Can you imagine saying to bands 'come and play where Ozzy, Tony [Iommi], Robert Plant, Jon Bonham and Judas Priest were jumping around on stage'? I'm super, super excited.""
He added: ""I'm excited to see how we can bring The Crown back to life as a progressive live music venue, pushing forwards as it always did, while acknowledging and celebrating its past.""
, there are plans to create a ""centre for digital inclusion"" in a car park to the rear of the building to help equip disadvantaged communities with digital skills.
re are also plans to add ""boutique art hotel"" bedrooms to the venue. 
BOM expects the project to create at least 37 jobs and help 500-plus families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to get online.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-birmingham-63347414
entertainment	Radio 1Xtra: Jamz Supernova 'happy and complete' as she leaves station	"""It's the end of an era. All I ever wanted to do was to broadcast on Radio 1Xtra from when I was 17.""
After 12 years, DJ and presenter Jamz Supernova will be hanging up her 1Xtra headphones.
""To have been there for so long, I'm feeling really happy and complete,"" she tells BBC Newsbeat.
w will be on 27 December, with long-time friend CassKidd taking over the slot in the New Year.
Jamz started out as an intern at 1Xtra, working her way up through the production ranks before becoming a presenter with her own show on the network in 2015.
For Jamz, the station means ""so much to black broadcasters, black artists and black creators because there's nothing like it"". 
""It's been about pushing it further and supporting black alternative artists that weren't getting a look in.""
""To have played so many artists and supported them on their journey, it's been incredible. I'm proud.""
Jamz says the standout from her time presenting is ""having the freedom to be able to do deep dives"".
""I've loved the intersection between identity, heritage and music.
""The black and Irish special that we did last year was a really beautiful moment,"" she says.
She says the summer of 2020, with the Covid pandemic and the death of George Floyd, was a time which made her understand ""the power of radio"".
Jamz says it was a chance to be ""reflective of what the world was going through... creating radio that feels really special"".
""As sad as it was, it was an opportunity to go on the radio, take that collective grief and play music that responded to that moment,"" she says.
""So I will never forget that.""
For the person taking over, CassKid, it's a ""weird feeling between nerves and excitement"".
""I just can't wait to put my stamp and flair as well as my personality and my music tastes into such a specialist slot,"" he says.
ry of Jamz and CassKidd makes this feel like a ""full circle moment"" for the pair.
""I've known [him] since he was 16. And we've had this crazy journey of him being my intern,"" Jamz says.
""We both went to a youth radio station called Reprezent Radio. He started on my show as a producer to help me out and we were both into the same music.""
Having followed that journey of climbing the ladder herself, Jamz pushed CassKidd to be his best and advised him to make himself ""indispensable"".
She got him to come to the studio with her every Tuesday night and paid for his taxi home. 
All she asked in return was to ""just shadow everything that's happening"".
""Our lives through radio have been intertwining with each other. It actually flips, one minute I'm the mentor. And he's the mentee. And sometimes he's my mentor and I'm his mentee.""
Like with any passing of the baton, there has been advice from Jamz to CassKid.
""It was to almost disregard everything that I've done to make it his own,"" Jamz says.
And that's exactly what he plans to do.
""I don't only DJ and broadcast, I'm making music as well. And I definitely want to get that across on radio,"" CassKidd says.
""I want to combine all of those worlds together to just bring a different listening experience to the show.""
""Listen each and every Tuesday. The words continue, it's different vibes but vibes all the same,"" Jamz adds.
Catch The Best of Jamz Supernova on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 27 December here.
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-64037858
entertainment	Ipswich radio project creates 'safe space' for migrant women	"A radio project in Suffolk has been set up to ""empower"" women and to provide a ""safe space"" for them to share their experiences.
Woman2Woman project was set up in Ipswich to support migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women. 
As well as learning technical skills, the group hosts podcasts.
Monika, who attends the sessions, said: ""One of the most important things is that it's a safety space for [us to] share our experience.""
Rabab from the group said: ""I miss my home a lot... and this is a kind of family I can see.""
roject is run by Future Female Society - a not-for-profit organisation which organises programmes and workshops to raise aspirations and confidence in women. 
roject, based at The Hive, has funding from Ipswich Borough Council and Spotlight."	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63460279
entertainment	National Television Awards: Emmerdale praised by the King as soap wins big	"King praised Emmerdale's contribution as the soap won big at the National Television Awards (NTAs) on the eve of its 50th anniversary.
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby kept their titles as king and queen of daytime telly, too, in the wake of their ""queue-gate"" controversy.
And money saving expert Martin Lewis criticised the government's handling of the economy during his winner's speech.
Elsewhere, Ant and Dec won their 21st straight best presenter trophy.
r missed the ceremony, though, after both catching Covid.
r's NTAs, voted for by the public, took place at London's Wembley Arena, a month later than planned due to the death of the Queen.
In a video recorded before his mother's death, the new monarch congratulated the ITV serial drama on having nearly made its half century and recalled ""being so old"" he could remember it originally being called Emmerdale Farm.
He described the show as an ""amazing British export"" that had kept true to its creator's original vision - ""depicting what life is really like for those who work the land and protect our precious countryside"".
""It also stresses brilliantly something that concerns me greatly: the long-term sustainability of the way we produce our food.""
After the speech, it was announced that Mark Charnock, who stars as Marlon Dingle, had won the serial drama performance award.
Charnock, whose character suffered a stroke, later told the BBC's Daniel Rosney it had been ""overwhelming"" to see so many people share their similar experiences, following the powerful plotline.
Boy George presented the Yorkshire soap with the big final award of the night for best serial drama, quipping: ""I've been upstaged in my life by a few queens but never by a King.""
Segments of the show marked both the Queen's death - with many stars opting for black outfits on the night - and the war in Ukraine.
Morning presenters Willoughby and Schofield were recently backed by ITV bosses after they were accused of jumping the queue for the Queen's lying-in-state.
Accepting the award for best daytime show for a second year, Schofield said: ""Don't think we ever get complacent and please don't think we ever take this for granted.
""This means so much to us every year, especially this year.
""We have the most amazing team, I have the best friend,"" he added, in Willoughby's direction. ""We have the best boss.""
While some boos were heard around the arena, they soon died down once the famous pair were up on stage alongside their team.
""Thank you so much, this award means everything because it is voted by you, and I think This Morning has a very special relationship with you,"" Willoughby added. ""You make our show for us, you really do.""
Ukrainian broadcaster Timur Miroshnychenko thanked the UK for its continued support and said his country is ""looking forward"" to Eurovision 2023, which is being hosted in Liverpool because the 2022 winners are currently unable to host such an event.
UK's Eurovision star Sam Ryder got the night going with an energetic performance of his track Space Man, before a casually dressed Lewis Capaldi sang his new single, Forget Me.
But in between all that, things got political when consumer champion Martin Lewis won a new category for best expert.
Referencing the cost-of-living crisis, Lewis, who expressed surprised at having beaten Sir David Attenborough to the award, noted it ""has been a pretty horrible year, financially"".
""I mean, the energy crisis has been disastrous and left many people with terrible issues and mental health problems,"" he said.
""I'm afraid the next year, with the mortgage problem and the knock-on to rent, is going to be pretty bad.
""And you know what?"" Lewis added. ""We need somebody to get a grip on the economy and put things a little bit back.""
Soon after the ceremony, BBC News reported that chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng had cut short his visit to the US for urgent talks in Downing Street, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Liz Truss to U-turn over the mini-budget.
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly beat the likes of Alison Hammond to bag their 21st consecutive presenting award, meaning the last time they didn't win it was in 2000, to Michael Barrymore.
winner of the rising star award on Thursday night, Coronation Street's Paddy Bever, who plays Max Turner, wasn't even born then.
Stephen Mulhern accepted the award on their behalf, saying: ""Full respect to these guys, 21 years on the trot!"" 
He then jokingly added his own name to the trophy, declaring: ""This baby is coming home with me.""
ward for best authored documentary went to Kate Garraway for a second year, as she continued to chronicle her family's life as her husband Derek Draper gets treated for coronavirus.
Flanked by her daughter Darcey, she thanked the film-makers for ""making a very difficult thing easier"" and dedicated the win to the nation's carers.
""We have a care crisis in our country but we don't have a crisis of love,"" declared Garraway, while confirming her husband was now back in hospital.
recognition award went to a slightly tearful Sir Lenny Henry, after the comedian, actor and Comic Relief fundraiser was praised by stars in a video for having paved the way for other black British artists.
""These awards are so long David Beckham is still queuing to get in"", he smiled, with his own nod to the royals.
Other winners on the night included After Life, Gogglebox and Peaky Blinders/Cillian Murphy, as well as Strictly Come Dancing.
Strictly champion Rose Ayling-Ellis, who wowed the nation last year with a dance dedicated to the experience of deaf people everywhere, said the show had helped to ""change people's perceptions"", as it won the talent show prize.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63245342
entertainment	Derelict Loftus church to become artists' centre	"A derelict church which has stood empty for 20 years is set to become a centre for artists.
United Reformed Church was bought from private ownership for £52,000 by Redcar and Cleveland Council in 2020.
Having completed urgent repairs, the council has secured £1.15m for major improvements and is due to sign a deal with a group of artists, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
roject is due to be completed by January 2024.
Previous plans to convert it into flats were refused planning permission with the council hoping it could become a ""cultural hub"". 
A council cabinet report said it had been marketed in the hope of appealing to a community group with an ""established artist"" coming forward with a plan which would include creating up to 13 studio spaces.
It said: ""The aim is to adapt the building to accommodate the artist group, who will use the building as their studios, gallery and workshop space.
""A programme of community art exhibitions and events will develop as needs and partners are identified.""
w investment has been provided by the Tees Valley Combined Authority's Indigenous Growth Fund.
Phase one will create studio space on the ground and first floor, a kitchen, staff office and toilets, while printing presses and two small kilns are also being accommodated for.
A proposed second phase would create a mezzanine level but that would require further funding sought by the artists' group.
An unusual external pulpit which previously came away from the church's stonework is also set to be reinstated as part of the overhaul.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-tees-63114249
entertainment	Madchester: Woman surprises photographer who took 1991 shot	"Music fan Zonya Jeffrey's recollections of a Happy Mondays concert in 1991 remain clear, but she had long believed that memories were all she had of that day, until she found herself unexpectedly tagged in a picture on Facebook.
In 1991, the world had gone Manchester mad.
Happy Mondays, along with the likes of Inspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses, were the kings of music, comics Steve Coogan, Caroline Aherne and John Thomson were on the rise and Terry Christian's stewardship of Channel 4's youth culture show The Word was at its height.
On the outskirts of the city in Wythenshawe, the 19-year-old Zonya and her best friend Andrea Crump were high on the crest of that wave.
""At that point, people just wanted to be in Manchester,"" Zonya said.
""There was always a buzz, always an excitement - suddenly, we were part of something bigger and something cool. 
""There were these famous people from working-class families in Manchester and this represented us.
""Celebrities mixed with everyone, people blended together, there was something very special about being part of it.""
So when Happy Mondays, one of the pair's favourite bands, announced a huge show at Leeds United's Elland Road stadium, they knew they had to be there.
Also on the bill were fellow Mancunians Northside and The High, Liverpool's The Farm and The La's and DJs and regulars at Manchester's famous Hacienda nightclub, Paul Oakenfold and Mike Pickering, the latter of whom was a year away from finding international success with M People.
Zonya said Leeds felt ""like miles away"", but coaches were put on from Manchester, so the pair set off for a memorable day, wearing T-shirts adorned with the slogans ""...And on the sixth day, God created Manchester"" and ""Born in the North, return to the North, exist in the North, die in the North"".
returned home later with a head full of memories, but no other reminders of the day.
""We had no pictures of the day as we didn't want to take a camera with us in case it got stolen,"" Andrea said.
rty-one years later, the pair got Facebook notifications that they had been tagged in a picture.
Opening up the post, they were hit by an ""iconic"" image - a black and white photograph of the pair in a smiling embrace on the Elland Road pitch, surrounded by a crowd of gig-goers.
Zonya said they had almost forgotten about it and seeing it was ""brilliant"".
""We never knew who the photographer was,"" she said.
""We just remember this cool guy, saying 'Hi girls, can I take your photo?' and we said 'Yeah'.""
Andrea said that without the picture, there would be no proof they were even at the gig, as they had lost the tickets and the t-shirts were ""long gone"".
ure was taken by Richard Davis, who had moved to Manchester to study photography at the city's polytechnic and had no idea that he ""was about to walk into the global phenomenon that the media called Madchester"".
He included it in his book about the scene, titled Madchester Years 1989-91, along with images of everyone from Factory Records impresario Anthony Wilson and New Order's then-bass player Peter Hook to Coogan, Aherne and possibly the scene's most recognisable member, Happy Mondays dancer Bez.
Spurred on by the post, Zonya went in search of the book and discovered Davis was doing a signing of it in a Manchester bookshop.
She said she could not resist going along, even though she had no idea what he looked like.
Standing in front of him, she opened the book to the page with their photo on it.
""I pointed to the book and said 'that's me',"" she said. 
""He couldn't believe it.""
grapher said it had been ""such a lovely surprise"".
""I didn't know them at the time, but both were wearing Leo B Stanley-designed T-shirts, which were very popular,"" he said.
""Thirty-one years on, it was nice to finally meet her, and to thank her for letting me take her photo back in '91.
""And, of course, it was nice to finally find out her name.""
For the friends, the appearance of the photograph gave them a chance to relive a special moment, which, thanks to the designer of the T-shirts, they were also able to recreate.
Zonya said looking that 1991 shot ""makes us feel happy"".
""Happy to be a real part of history, both in Manchester and the music scene back in the day.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-manchester-62561555
entertainment	Tim Westwood review issues call for evidence	"rrister examining what was known about former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood's conduct during his time at the BBC has published a call for evidence.
In August, Gemma White KC was appointed by the BBC Board to lead an independent review.
She announced on Monday that she now wants to hear from anyone who may have had concerns about his behaviour.
rporation previously acknowledged six complaints about bullying and sexual misconduct, which the DJ denies.
review also wants to hear from anyone who has knowledge of any such allegations or concerns being raised and any known responses from the BBC, as well as any reasons why allegations or concerns were not raised with the BBC.
In April, Westwood first faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by women who said he had abused his position in the music industry to exploit them.
In a joint investigation by BBC News and the Guardian, the 64-year-old was accused of predatory and unwanted sexual behaviour and touching, in incidents between 1992 and 2017.
Westwood has strongly denied the allegations. 
After the joint investigation was published, BBC director general Tim Davie initially said the BBC had ""no evidence of complaints"" about Westwood.
But after BBC News challenged the corporation's response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made in November 2021, it later acknowledged the six complaints - one of which was serious enough to have been referred to the police.
BBC said the director general's initial response had set out the position as he understood it at the time, and ahead of the internal report Mr Davie said he wanted to ""ensure everything is flushed out"" and ""any cases are looked at"".
BBC Board's senior independent director, Sir Nicholas Serota, said recently that new allegations continue to emerge and that there may have been times when the corporation should have done more to investigate the complaints.
BBC has said it would pass any relevant information gathered to the Metropolitan Police, which confirmed in August it was investigating a man over four alleged sexual offences in 1982, 1985, 2010 and 2016.
quiry is expected to last six months and the BBC wants to include Westwood's other employers, MTV and Global - owner of Capital Xtra, which the DJ joined after leaving the BBC.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact the review via email at GWKCBBCReview@blackstonechambers.com, or by post, marked for the attention of Gemma White KC BBC Review, to Linklaters LLP, One Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8HQ. You can also request a meeting with Gemma White."	/news/entertainment-arts-63114461
entertainment	The Traitors: Why viewers became so loyal to the BBC reality series	"Depending on your television diet, your favourite reality competition might take place in a Spanish villa, the Australian jungle, a Hertfordshire ballroom, or a giant tent filled with ovens and self-raising flour.
But recently, an increasing number of viewers have instead been escaping to a Scottish castle with Claudia Winkleman and 22 members of the public who just want to avoid being murdered.
Fortunately, the murders committed in BBC One's The Traitors are metaphorical, but the bloodless backstabbing has nonetheless inspired a fiercely devoted following since the series launched in late November.
""It's got a fresh formula which nobody else has really done,"" says Harrison Brocklehurst, pop culture writer for the Tab. ""And in a time when a lot of reality TV has blurred into one, all following the same formulas with who they cast, I think the Traitors really stands out as unique. 
""They have a really wide range of ordinary people, different ages, races, sexualities, it makes for a real smorgasbord of personalities. What's made it so fun is it's always the people you don't really expect who have played a blinder.""
format sees the players gathered at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Upon arrival, three of them are told secretly, via a squeeze on the shoulder from Winkleman, that they are traitors.
m is for the other contestants - known as faithfuls - to root out the traitors, provided they can survive themselves. The traitors can ""murder"" one player every night, removing them from the game.
A possible jackpot of £120,000 can be won by the faithfuls who make it to the end. However, if any traitors make it to the final undetected, they take all the money instead. The concept is delicious, and makes for addictive viewing.
format was developed by Dutch producer IDTV and broadcaster RTL and the original version, De Verraders, launched last year. RTL's director of content, Peter van der Vorst, says the initial idea was pitched to them three years ago, which they began developing.
""We played it with my management team in my back yard. And it worked!"" he recalls to BBC News. ""Within seconds the whole dynamics within the team changed. We ordered it on the spot.""
He adds he is ""really enthusiastic"" about the BBC's version. ""In the Netherlands we played it with celebrities, in Britain you do it with unknown people which works really well too,"" he says. 
""So that could be an inspiration. Our British colleagues also added some game elements that will be useful to us.""
It's clear from the prime-time scheduling the BBC has confidence in the UK adaptation. But the corporation's director of unscripted Kate Phillips, who brought it to British screens, tells BBC News: ""Every time you take a new show, it is a punt, because there's no guarantee it is going to work. 
""I don't think there was any doubt that the series would be good, but because the television landscape is so competitive now, the only worry I had was, 'Will it break through?'""
Catch-up viewing has played a key role in the show's momentum. ""We knew it would be word-of-mouth, we wanted people to talk about it and pass it on and that's what's happened, it's a grower,"" Phillips says.
raitors maintains a constant air of suspicion even as bonds start to form between the players, nearly all of whom have huge personalities. Nobody gets through a sentence uninterrupted; the atmosphere is one of chaos and tension.
In the absence of concrete evidence, the contestants come up with theories based on each other's real-life jobs, facial expressions, body language and behaviour during the physical challenges.
Amanda in particular has become the show's breakout star. Assigned a traitor in the opening episode, she left viewers awestruck by skilfully using her kind nature and lilting Welsh accent to mask her deceit. 
format feels fresh, yet familiar - as if several successful reality show concepts have been combined. The contestants spend their days in close quarters, much like Big Brother, while the outdoor physical tasks are reminiscent of I'm A Celebrity.
""Inevitably, there will be a few [familiar] things,"" says Phillips. ""You might think 'Oh I've seen a task a bit like that before', but I think nobody has ever seen a show quite like this. I think partly that's because of the gothic melodrama, the capes, the fires, the night time, make it feel very distinctive.""
Plus, the core game itself is recognisable to viewers. It is similar to card games such as Mafia or Werewolf. Camilla Long of the Sunday Times likened it to wink murder.
""The main crux of the game is familiar to different people,"" says Brocklehurst. ""I did theatre at university and college and we played a variation of it as a warm-up game.""
Some viewers have even been throwing Traitors viewing parties, where friends gather together to play the game themselves before watching the latest episode.
Reviews have been increasingly positive as the show has progressed. The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson said: ""The BBC has waited until the end of the year to slide out what is turning into one of its most exciting series in ages.
""On paper, it sounds perfectly fine if relatively tepid. Cut to three weeks later and I am watching each episode with multiple text chats on the go, as if in charge of an air traffic control tower at Heathrow. This is masterly reality TV.""
Independent's Isobel Lewis was more restrained, writing: ""The Traitors definitely isn't a perfect reality show, or even the best in its genre right now, but it is pretty entertaining.""
Its viewing figures paint a mixed picture. The opening episode attracted 2.9 million viewers - a respectable but not outstanding figure.
It has, however, grown its following via iPlayer, with many viewers racing to catch up as word has spread. The first episode has now been seen by five million viewers. More complete data will become available in the coming weeks. 
rice-weekly broadcast rollout means The Traitors is a less overwhelming proposition than others. ""It doesn't have the intensity of Love Island, which is on six nights a week,"" says Brocklehurst. 
He suggests social media has stimulated catch-up viewing. ""The memes and everyone live-tweeting it has played a big part in its success. Nobody wants to miss out on a reality TV show that everyone is talking about.""
Phillips agrees, adding: ""When I'm looking at a new show, the other thing I always say is 'What are the Gogglebox moments?' 
""So if I was watching that show, would there be several moments that would give me a strong reaction? Would it be a show that would make it on Gogglebox because it would be a gift to all those people responding?""
It's perhaps telling that The Traitors has indeed featured heavily on Gogglebox (which is also made by Studio Lambert, the production company behind the British adaptation of The Traitors).
Many viewers are enjoying seeing a darker side to Winkleman, who initially turned down hosting the show until producers showed her the Dutch series.
""They sent me it. My kids did not get fed, I didn't brush my teeth, I watched the Dutch version weeping because I loved it so much,"" she told Graham Norton.
""Every other game show is about luck or about general knowledge. This is purely a game of charm, nous, of being wily.""
Philips, who has worked with Winkleman for many years, says: ""I think Claudia's a perfect host. We're seeing another side to her, she's got that wit and that drollness, but she is a tough Claudia, she can be a bit severe and scary, and she genuinely cares about the show and its contestants.""
re is a noticeable difference with the contestants on other shows, notes Brocklehurst. ""It doesn't feel like people are in there to become influencers,"" he says. ""I think the public are a bit over that.""
rs' entertaining reaction to the twists and turns of the game can be credited to ""the joy of the first series"", suggests Phillips.
""It's like when Big Brother first launched,"" she says. ""These contestants are coming to it new and they're not sure what's going to happen.""
""Already we're thinking that if we do have a second series, they will have to cast it a bit differently, because contestants will be coming to it with more knowledge."""	/news/entertainment-arts-63970819
entertainment	Leslie Phillips: Carry On and Harry Potter star dies aged 98	"Actor Leslie Phillips, who was known for appearing in the Carry On films, has died aged 98 after a long illness.
Phillips was also familiar to younger fans as the voice of the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter films.
His wife Zara told the Sun: ""I've lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman.
""He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.""
Phillips' agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed the star died peacefully in his sleep on Monday.
mic actor starred in more than 200 films, TV and radio series over his eight-decade career.
He was known for catchphrases such as ""Ding dong"" - a reference to the name of his character Jack Bell in 1959's Carry on Nurse - ""I say"" and ""Well, hello"", which he delivered with suggestive intonation.
While he only starred in four of the 31 Carry On films, the actor said his famous catchphrases followed him for the rest of his career.
His death - which comes two years after Barbara Windsor's - leaves Jim Dale, 86, as the last surviving regular from the Carry On films.
Coronation Street actor Tony Maudsley, who worked with Phillips, was among those paying tribute, tweeting: ""RIP Leslie Phillips. Working with him was a joy. And yes he did say DING DONG (because I asked him to).""
Actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar shared a video of the ""wonderful"" Phillips on his own BBC show, The Kumars at No 42, in which the late star recalled how he once found himself stuck in the London Underground surrounded by members of the public demanding he do his catchphrases.
Bhaskar recalled him as ""a truly warm, funny and gentle man"".
rainspotting writer Irvine Welsh posted his own tribute to Phillips, who he exchanged messages with online, saying he ""always liked his pater"".
Broadcaster Piers Morgan said it was ""sad news"", describing Phillips as a ""wonderful character and superb comedy actor"".
Author Melanie Blake added: ""Another legend gone, thanks for the entertainment old chap.""
Although he became known for his plummy accent and exaggerated portrayals of the English upper-class, Phillips was born in Tottenham, north London, speaking estuary English.
He attended Italia Conti Stage School before serving as a lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry during World War Two - between 1942 and 1945, when he was invalided out.
1930s had marked his first film appearances, but it was later in his career, in 1959 and 1960, when he starred in Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher and Carry On Constable.
He became well known for his appearances in the Doctor film franchise - succeeding Dirk Bogarde in films like 1960's Doctor in Love - as well as in a series of fast-moving comedies that teamed him with Scots comedian and impressionist Stanley Baxter.
He also appeared in Brothers In Law, The Smallest Show On Earth and The Man Who Liked Funerals.
For 17 years he appeared alongside Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee on hit BBC radio show The Navy Lark.
He also took on dramatic roles, including a Bafta-nominated appearance opposite Peter O'Toole in 2006's Venus.
A long-term fan of Tottenham Hotspur, Phillips appeared on the pitch as part of the half-time entertainment during the team's home match against Swansea City in 2012.
Phillips was made an OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours list and was promoted to CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours. 
r suffered two strokes six months apart at the age of 90."	/news/entertainment-arts-63557414
entertainment	Peter Kay announces return to stand-up during I'm A Celebrity	"Comedian Peter Kay has announced his return to stand-up with his first live tour in 12 years.
49-year-old has been largely absent from the spotlight since he cancelled his 2017 tour due to ""unforeseen family circumstances"".
Announcing his new live dates, Kay said: ""It's good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy.""
His comeback was announced during an ad break in the series launch of ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
DJ Chris Moyles, rugby player Mike Tindall and singer Boy George were all seen entering the jungle in Sunday's opening episode, but the former health secretary Matt Hancock will not appear until later in the series. 
During the commercial break, Kay was seen carrying a rolled-up carpet into a house while confirming to nearby fans he will return to stand-up comedy next month.
median will embark on a new UK arena tour, spanning from December to August 2023.
What is it like seeing Peter Kay live 38 times?
By Daniel Rosney, BBC News Entertainment reporter
Back in 2010 I worked as a yellow blazer-wearing steward (""no filming of the stage, please"") at the Manchester Arena - something Peter Kay himself had previously done - and it was there that The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour was on for 20 nights.
It later did go on tour, and returned for a further 20 shows.
Fans would cry tears of laughter at his opening gambit about those in their seats being his employer for the night, along with his impressions of people using an ""I'm ill"" voice to call their boss and bunk off work for the day. 
He'd reference his old jokes as well: ""Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, they give me free garlic bread… it's why my new catch-phrase is plas-ma… plas-ma…."" (because he wanted a free TV set).
While the routine was largely the same every show, I still laughed out loud each time, along with those seeing it for the first time. His observational comedy was something everyone could relate to.
""Have we got any teachers in?"" he'd ask. There'd be a cheer. ""Woah, woah, woah, no shouting out, put your hands up, one rule for one…""
But it was his encore which proved he's a true showman. He'd impersonate Freddie Mercury, using a shovel as a make-shift guitar, belting out the hits he and audiences loved. 
After a near two-hour comedy gig he became a rock star and people would be on their feet wanting more and they're finally getting it. 
I didn't get to keep my yellow blazer when I traded it in for a BBC lanyard, but given Peter Kay sometimes wore one to show his fans to their seats, he might get one dry-cleaned, just in case.
will mark Kay's first live tour since 2010, when he scored the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling stand-up tour of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.
rt concluded with the fans asking Kay whether he had finally bought his mother a bungalow - a reference the comic's previous Mum Wants A Bungalow tour. Kay replied that he had, explaining that his mother now wanted a new carpet to go in it.
In a statement, the Bolton-born comic said: ""It's good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy, and if there's ever a time people need a laugh it's now.
""And with the cost of living at an all-time high, ticket prices are starting from £35 - the same price they were on my previous tour in 2010.""
Kay will begin his tour on 2 December at the Manchester AO Arena before visiting locations including Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow and Dublin.
His run will end on 11 August at the Sheffield Utilita Arena. London was absent from the tour locations listed in the advert.
A poster for the event featured Kay holding a sign reading, ""Better late than never"" and described a ticket to his shows as an ""ideal Christmas gift"".
Kay has kept a low profile in recent years. He notably returned to the stage in August 2021 for two special charity events to raise money for Laura Nuttall, a then 20-year-old with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.
re was also a brief return in January 2021 when he appeared on BBC Radio 2 for a conversation with Cat Deeley - who was filling in after Graham Norton left the station - about his love of music, mixtapes and the musical Mamma Mia.
He also made a surprise appearance at a charity screening of his series Car Share in 2018."	/news/entertainment-arts-63537991
entertainment	Royal Albert Hall: Behind the scenes at the world-famous concert venue	"From ballet, to Christmas carols and the BBC Proms, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the world's most recognisable concert venues. 
In 2021, it celebrated its 150th birthday with a rich heritage of music and arts behind it. 
BBC London's Wendy Hurrell was invited behind the scenes during its busy Christmas season to find out more about one of the gems in London's musical crown."	/news/uk-england-london-64043622
entertainment	St David's Hall: Private money can protect services - Cardiff leader	"Money from private companies must be an option for councils to protect crucial services, the Labour leader of Wales' biggest local authority has said.
Huw Thomas spoke as Cardiff council considers leasing St David's Hall to the Academy Music Group (AMG), which runs concert venues across the UK.
re is opposition, with musicians speaking out, and a petition launched. 
But the council leader said private sector deals are a tool which local authorities need to consider.
""We have had 12 years of austerity, which for Cardiff council means one-third of a billion pounds reduction in our spending power, but we have objectives we want to achieve, so we have to think very creatively,"" he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement. 
""In some cases, that means involving the private sector, which allows us to focus on the other areas of our work where the private sector won't do it, such as schools.
""If it allows us to protect not only that service, but in turn other services, then it is incumbent on us, I believe, to consider those options.""
Former and current venue staff are among those opposing the plans, citing ""loss of cultural output"" as a key factor.
Some have accused Cardiff council of seeking a ""quick fix"", after Labour councillors voted down a Liberal Democrat motion to hold a consultation specifically on the AMG proposals for the hall.
Instead, the authority has opted to include the future of the venue in its overall budget consultation before it is officially agreed in March, if the plans are accepted in principle.
Mr Thomas said the plans have been included in previous consultation too, as the concert hall lost its Arts Council funding in 2014 and the authority has had to look at ""alternative models"" to make up the approximately £1m a year costs. 
He added that a lot of the types of events run by AMG are similar to those currently hosted at the hall, adding that ""the pop and rock genre offering would be a significant improvement"". 
He said: ""We have been very clear throughout this process - which has been going on for eight years - that our key thing is about protecting the status of the concert hall, and protecting their programme"". 
He said he felt the parts of the petition were ""utterly misleading"", such as the implied risk to events including the Welsh Proms and Festival of Remembrance.
Mr Thomas added that cultural offering remained high on the authority's  plans, referencing a proposal for an outdoor swimming pool and other visitor attractions at Cardiff Bay reported by WalesOnline.
With significant budget gaps forecast for many local authorities over the coming few years, Mr Thomas said the council is ""very conscious"" of the impact of the cost of living crisis and ""significant rises in council tax are not really on the agenda"". "	/news/uk-wales-63927712
entertainment	RSPB lodges Natural World Heritage site bid for wetlands area	"An application has been submitted for wetlands along the east coast of Britain to become a Natural World Heritage site. 
, submitted by the RSPB, includes the Humber estuary, Lincolnshire, through Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, to The Thames in Kent.
rity said a wide range of species use it as ""an essential home and refuge"" during migration journeys.
It has been submitted to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. 
A decision on whether it will be added to the UK's Tentative List of World Heritage sites is expected early next year.
A report, by marine and coastal habitat consultants ABPmer, found the east coast had ""outstanding universal value"" due its world class network of coastal wetlands which support globally important migratory bird populations, the RSPB said.  
One billion birds are reliant on the area, which covers 420,079 acres (170,000 hectares), each winter to shelter from the harsh conditions in Scandinavia, Canada, Greenland and Siberia. 
relines include a ""a rich buffet of invertebrates"" for birds to feed on, and its marshes are places to fish and for tourists to visit, the report said.
Adam Rowlands, RSPB England area manager for Suffolk, said: ""In Suffolk the coastal estuaries will be welcoming large numbers of dark-bellied brent geese, avocet, black-tailed godwit and knot for the winter, whilst coastal marshes will ring to the whistling cries of wigeon, rubbing shoulders with beautiful pintail and white-fronted geese."" 
Russell Leavett, a volunteer at the Stour Estuary reserve, in Suffolk, said it would be ""incredible"" to gain heritage site the recognition. 
""I've experienced some of the most amazing natural spectacles as a volunteer - from the arrival of avocets in recent years to getting to know a long-established group of mute swans at Manningtree.""
UK has two Natural World Heritage sites - Dorset and East Devon Coast and the Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast, in Northern Ireland.
If successful, the east coast could join some of the world's most iconic sites including the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands and Mount Kilimanjaro, the RSPB said. 
upport of the National Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, local authorities and The Crown Estate, it added.
Source: RPSB
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63314659
entertainment	Leicester Adrian Mole show celebrates book's 40th birthday	"A university is planning to stage an exhibition and a series of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 1980s bestseller The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾.
University of Leicester holds the original manuscripts to the novel, which was written by Sue Townsend, who was born in the city.
will look at the life, work and enduring literary legacy of Townsend, who died in 2014.
xhibition will launch on Friday.
unch event will see author Bali Rai, associate professor of English Emma Parker and curator Sarah Wood discuss Townsend's legacy.
Dr Parker will also offer a guided bicycle tour of Leicester, focussing on significant places associated with Townsend on Saturday.
Dr Parker described the book as being ""cherished as a warm-hearted comic novel about adolescence"".
However, she added Townsend's writing ""deserves greater approbation for its razor-sharp satire of Thatcherism and astute working-class, feminist assessment of the changing landscape of the 1980s"".
Source: University of Leicester
xhibition will remain in place in the Exhibition Zone of the David Wilson library until 14 January.
A new edition of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ is to be released in October to mark the book's 40th anniversary, featuring a forward by journalist and writer Caitlin Moran.
wnsend was awarded an honorary degree by the university in 1991 and received the award of Distinguished Honorary Fellow in 2008.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63203747
entertainment	RNAS Culdrose officers float their Christmas single	"Royal Naval officers have released a charity single as a tribute to military families awaiting the return of their loved ones at Christmas.
Lt Cdr Dave Emery and Lt Cdr Phil Clark are based at RNAS Culdrose in Helston.
fficers, members of band Little Red Ambulance, invited Culdrose Military Wives Choir to add backing harmonies to the single.
Funds from ""Sailing Home for Christmas"" downloads will go to the choir and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
g was written by the pals while serving on HMS Queen Elizabeth with 820 Naval Air Squadron.
record the song after a seven-month deployment to the Far East for Operation Fortis.
Lt Cdr Emery said: ""While we were at sea... we wanted to write a song that summed up the emotion we all started feeling towards the end of the trip about looking forward to coming back and seeing family and loved ones at Christmas time and the anticipation and excitement that goes with that."" 
He said the choir had ""brought life"" to the song which was recorded at a studio in Perranporth.
With harmonies written by choir director Peter Truin, this is the 10th Christmas single by Little Red Ambulance but Lt Cdr Clark said this was ""the most special"".
He added: ""We get the chance this year to roll it out to the public. Doing music on board the ship is something both of us really enjoy.""
He said their seven-month deployment last year had been ""tough"" for both them and their families. 
Music was ""therapy"" on long deployments away, he added.
On the feeling of returning home to family, Lt Cdr Emery added: ""You can't wait, you get giddy and you also get nervous. I think the song tries to capture both sides.""
He asked people to download the song for 79p to support the two charities and ""get it to number one"". 
Choir lead Ciara Graham said deployments were ""never easy"".
Commenting on the single, she added: ""It's magical so we are thrilled to have added our voices to this compelling, catchy track.""
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-cornwall-63835106
entertainment	Cheryl to make West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story	"Singer-songwriter Cheryl is to join the cast of supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story in London's West End.
former Girls Aloud star is taking over from TV presenter Laura Whitmore. 
39-year-old will join People Just Do Nothing's Hugo Chegwin, Horrible Histories actress Louise Ford and theatre star Scott Karim for a 14-week run at the Lyric Theatre next year.
In an Instagram post she said she was ""SO excited to be starring"" in the thriller in her West End debut.
""I went to see the show with a previous cast and LOVED IT!"" she said.
""It is a totally new and exciting experience for me.""
w follows Jenny who believes her new home is haunted.
Her husband Sam does not, and the couple argue with an old friend and her new partner, who are their first dinner guests.
Previous seasons of the show have featured the West End debut of pop star Lily Allen, as well as appearances from Harry Potter's Tom Felton, podcast host Giovanna Fletcher, Encanto's Stephanie Beatriz, Busted singer Matt Willis and Inbetweeners actor James Buckley.
Cheryl, who has dropped her previous surnames of Tweedy, Cole and Fernandez-Versini, will play Jenny.
fifth season and moving to the Lyric Theatre after previous runs at the Noel Coward, Gielgud and Criterion theatres.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-tyne-63890440
entertainment	'I'm 81 and can't imagine playing my last gig'	"An 81-year-old rock 'n' roll band member has played gigs around the country for more than 60 years.
David Norris, who plays guitar, appeared on TV show Opportunity Knocks in 1964 with his band The Mad Classix but lost to bodybuilder, Tony Holland.
Mr Norris said: ""I know there comes a time in life when you do something for the last time. I hope that day is a long way away.""
Video journalist: Chris Waring
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entertainment	Emma Corrin: The Crown star calls for gender neutral awards	"Crown star Emma Corrin has called for the best actor and best actress categories at major film awards to be merged into a single, gender-free one. 
""I hope for a future in which that happens,"" Corrin told BBC News.
r, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, added: ""I don't think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment.""
rganisations behind the Baftas and Oscars have indicated they are engaged in discussions about the subject.
""It's about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented,"" Corrin said.
26-year-old previously won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for their performance as Princess Diana in series four of The Crown - but that was at a time when Corrin was still accepting she/her pronouns.
re starring in two high profile films this year - My Policeman and Lady Chatterley's Lover.
""It's difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being non-binary and being nominated in female categories,"" Corrin said. 
Reflecting on the fact that they largely play female roles, Corrin wondered: ""When it comes to categories, do we need to make it specific as to whether you're being nominated for a female role or a male role? 
""You can discuss awards and the representation there, but really the conversation needs to be about having more representation in the material itself, in the content that we are seeing for non-binary people, for queer people, for trans people, because then I think that will change a lot. 
""When those parts come up, meaning more people and more actors are playing those roles then I think there will be more of an urgency with which these questions will be addressed.""
A Bafta spokesperson said the organisation was ""engaged in proactive and thoughtful consultation on this subject"". The organisation behind the Oscars, the Academy, is also believed to be conducting research and holding discussions on the issue.
Debate about gender-free categories is gathering steam, with the music industry leading the way. The Grammys went gender-neutral in 2012, while the Brit Awards merged their male and female solo categories into an artist of the year category this year. 
Chart-topper Adele went home with the first trophy. However, in her acceptance speech, she said: ""I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist. I do. I'm really proud of us.""
Analysis by Steven McIntosh, entertainment reporter
more complicated debate than it looks. While gender-neutral categories are seen by some as socially progressive, they could have unintended consequences and there are several factors to consider. 
Firstly, this decision could actually result in less equality in the long term. The Oscars currently guarantee two male and two female acting winners every year, but a merger could mean it skews one way or the other over time.
ke the most recent winners as an example. It is unlikely Jessica Chastain would have beaten Will Smith if they had been competing in one overarching category. 
rtly because this year's best actress race was wide open, whereas Smith was considered a dead-cert in his category. 
But it's also because the best picture category tends to have more overlap with best actor than best actress. Chastain's film wasn't even nominated for the top prize, unlike Smith's. As a result, women could have a higher hill to climb to score a win.
In the long-term, it's not hard to imagine the outrage if a decision like this led to a repeated loss of recognition for worthy winners, particularly women.
's not the only obstacle. The Academy is made up of thousands of members, many of whom have been around for decades and are keen to protect the traditions of the Oscars. Getting some of them on side could be difficult.
feelings of other actors should also be taken into account. If gender-neutral categories were implemented at the Oscars, that would halve the number of acting awards from four to two, permanently reducing an actor's chances of winning an Oscar during their lifetime by 50%. 
While many Hollywood stars consider themselves progressive, they also have rather large egos and will not be enthusiastic about the prospect of forgoing trophies (and the career boost that comes with them).
It's worth noting the existing model does not discriminate against trans actors - Elliot Page and Laverne Cox could both be nominated in the current gendered categories - however it does leave non-binary stars without a home.
But how should this be addressed? Creating a new, separate category for them wouldn't be realistic as there would not be enough nominees. Another proposed solution where actors submit for the gender of the character they are playing would only be a short-term fix, until non-binary characters become more common in films. 
So far, only a few film awards have eliminated gender-specific acting categories, but in August, the Independent Spirit Awards, which honour filmmakers outside the major studios, became one of the most high-profile awards groups to ditch separate best actor and best actress categories and combine them into one prize, with 10 nominations. 
move followed similar steps by the British Independent Film Awards,the Gotham Awards, and the Berlin Film Festival.
Corrin's comments come as they prepare to take to the stage in an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando, which was published in 1928 and explores gender identity.
Orlando begins life as a young man in the 16th Century, who travels through time and gender to become a woman in the 20th Century, having affairs and heartbreaks along the way.  
""On a very personal level, I really relate to the journey of gender and the celebration of fluidity,"" Corrin said.
me something of a pin-up for non-binary identity, sharing their gender journey on social media. Last year they also posted pictures of themselves wearing a chest binder.
Corrin said they decided to share their story publicly because ""it was a journey that was at the very centre of who I am, who I was when I started talking about it"".
""Your gender identity is so much to do with how you feel and it ties into so much of how you want to be seen or are seen by people and that can be very triggering or can make you uncomfortable if you don't feel you are being seen honestly or correctly.
""I think that it was necessary for me to be open and honest about it because otherwise I would have felt I was being perceived wrongly.""
""visibility and representation"" is key to the ""necessary and urgent"" discussions around gender in society at the moment.  
""I know how much I've been helped by people in the public [eye] who have been open and generous with their journeys and how much it's helped me feel comforted and acknowledged and like I am on the right path. 
""And I think that if I could help in any way by being open, then that would be good.""  
worry that being so up front would limit the kind of roles they got offered in the future. 
""I would never sacrifice integrity or honesty because of work that I may or may not get. My being non-binary is not a rejection of femininity or my femininity in any way. It's sort of an embrace of that. 
""I still want to play women, my experience on this earth has been a female one - and now it's sort of a very fluid one.""
Orlando is at the Garrick Theatre from 26 November to 25 February 2023."	/news/entertainment-arts-63741519
entertainment	Thame Town Music Festival will not take place again	"A market town's music festival which showcased hundreds of acts will not be staged again, organisers have announced. 
me Town Music Festival was first run in 2017 and saw more than 200 acts on various stages in the town centre. 
A fifth festival for 2023 had been advertised but will not take place.
""We are very proud of the contribution we have made to the cultural life of Thame and of our support for live music,"" organisers said in a statement.
""We want to thank all our sponsors, artists, volunteers, contractors and the council for all the support and enthusiasm. Thank you all and we hope you enjoyed the music,"" they added. 
festival had hosted its first BBC Music Introducing stage at the festival in July.
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entertainment	Actress appears on Stafford stage seven months after stroke	"A woman said she was thrilled to have performed in a play seven months after she suffered a stroke and collapsed.
Andrea Keady, 46, from Stafford, was due to appear in an amateur dramatics production in May.
Four weeks before the dress rehearsal, she collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
was postponed while she recovered and Ms Keady said it was ""absolutely brilliant"" to perform in the opening night on Tuesday.
She said:""My first thing was 'oh my God, I'm not going to be able to do the play.' My doctor thought my priorities were off!""
46-year-old said the stroke came out of the blue as she had been out walking the day before, but then woke on the Monday morning and ""my right side felt a bit tingly"".
""It just got worse and worse until the whole of my right side was completely paralysed, it wouldn't hold me up,"" she told BBC Radio Stoke.
She was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital where doctors told her she had suffered a stroke.
, Memory of Water, was postponed at the Gatehouse Theatre by the Stafford Players while she recovered and Ms Keady said she was delighted to be able to take part.
""It's probably slightly more tiring than it used to be and maybe takes a little bit more brain power to get the lines to stay in my head but other than that, it's been fantastic,"" she said.
While she said she was nearly back to normal, there are still a few limitations in her right hand with fine motor skills and she struggles to write.
""That's probably my biggest frustration, I'm a scribbler so I love notebooks and things like that, but my writing is basically like it was when I was about six!""
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entertainment	The Lost King: Legal action 'likely' against Richard III film	"A university academic has said he is likely to take legal action against the makers of a new film about Richard III, which he said was ""littered with inaccuracies"".
Richard Taylor was part of the University of Leicester team that found and identified the king 10 years ago.
A character bearing his name features in the film The Lost King, starring Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins.
But Mr Coogan has said: ""The university are responsible for their own undoing.""
film, released on Friday - which was also co-written by Mr Coogan - stars Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winning Ms Hawkins in the lead role of Philippa Langley, an ordinary woman who - it says - ""took on the country's most eminent historians, forcing them to think again"".
It tells the story of Ms Langley, whose quest to find the remains of the last Plantagenet monarch prompted his discovery in 2012.
In its promotional material, it said it was the ""remarkable, true story"" of the find.
But the university said claims its staff sidelined Ms Langley and took the credit for the find are ""far removed"" from the truth.
Mr Taylor, former deputy registrar at the university, told the BBC he had felt ""absolutely shell-shocked"" by the way he was portrayed.
He said: ""I think the film is inaccurate, and I think the writers have been very reckless in how they've put it together.
""Anybody who knows me knows my integrity is important to me.
""There are lots of people I have to work with who don't know me - what are they to think, seeing a film like that?""
Mr Taylor said the film-makers had not sought to speak to him at any point.
""The film is littered with inaccuracies,"" he said.
""It makes up a scene where I mimic Richard III's disability, and have to be told by Philippa that it's wrong to equate physical characteristics with evilness.
""That is the most hurtful personally and the most damaging reputationally. It is not true; it did not take place.
""I'd hoped my concerns would have chimed with Steve Coogan, who had his privacy invaded by newspapers over phone hacking.
""To see him on the other side of the fence now, doing this to me is quite frustrating. I feel kind of powerless in the way Steve would have felt.""
Mr Taylor said he had sought to engage with the producers to get changes - including the removal of one scene and a note added to the credits that the character is not based on him - but had been refused.
""I'm trying to be reasonable,"" he said.
""I've tried to offer a way to bring this to a conclusion where they make some small changes.
""I have sought to engage in good faith with the producers to gain changes, but have been refused. 
""Legal action is now likely.""
university - which said it funded the bulk of the excavations and subsequent research to identify the king's remains - said they were never consulted over their depiction by the film-makers.
""No University of Leicester staff were interviewed for the film,"" a spokesperson said.
""We offered to help the film-makers and were ignored and have the correspondence to prove it.""
In a statement, it added: ""We understand the portrayal of Richard Taylor in the film does not in any way resemble the reality during this period, whilst an employee of the University of Leicester.
""Our records point to a colleague engaging constructively, collegiately, fairly and professionally throughout the project.""
However, Mr Coogan has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believed the university had ""played this quite badly"".
""Had they at the start been generous towards Philippa, and elevated her to the front and centre position, which is where she deserves to be, this film wouldn't have been necessary.
""But at every turn they marginalised her, edged her out, because she wasn't cut from the right cloth.""
Dan Winch, the film's producer, said the filmmakers had had contact with the university, despite the institution claiming otherwise.
""We did interviews. We subsequently had contact through the course of pre-production,"" he said.
""We don't want to sound desperately defensive. It just did happen.
""We were very courteous and respectful but we explained if we were to engage too far over the line then it wouldn't be the story we wanted to tell - that's Philippa's story.
""It wouldn't be the film we wanted to make.
""We couldn't be more proud of our film.""
Ms Langley said: ""It's not a documentary. It is a movie.
""I have had to fight to get my story told and the film does this.""
A spokesperson for the film-makers said: ""We stand by our film and Philippa's narrative.
""The university and Richard Taylor have a different narrative, much of which is factually incorrect.""
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entertainment	Anfield's Gaumont: Art Deco cinema reopens after charity revamp	"An Art Deco cinema which last welcomed audiences more than 60 years ago has reopened after being given a new lease of life.
Charity Liverpool Lighthouse has used crowdfunding and donations to give the Gaumont in Anfield a major revamp. 
ma originally opened in 1931, but closed to film audiences to 1960.
Creative director Rebecca Ross-Williams said she was pleased the venue could ""once again bring the joy of film to our local community"". 
""There is currently no local cinema, so we plan to bring the experience... back to the community which has been culturally underserved for generations,"" she added.
Andy Brown, whose grandfather Charlie managed the cinema in the 30s, said just like the modern venue, the Gaumont ""supported the community, bringing entertainment and opportunity to Anfield"". 
""Charlie and his wife Nell would have been very proud to know that their legacy is still living on,"" he said.
restoration has included the installation of a new 32ft (10m) screen and vintage popcorn makers and candyfloss trollies fitted in the foyer. 
uilding is also home to recording studios, workshop rooms and a cafe. 
rity said the renovation was completed after it raised more than £25,000 to buy ""state-of-the-art equipment"" for the auditorium and the revamp meant the cinema ""will no longer be a memory of the past"".
""Screenings will be on a regular basis for the community from much-loved classics to independent screenings, at an affordable price for all,"" a representative said.
""over time"", the charity also intended to bring some of the building's Art Deco decoration ""back to life"".
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entertainment	Line of Duty star Vicky McClure's dementia choir series returns	"A new series of Vicky McClure's Dementia Choir series is returning, which will depict the work that has gone into making a new charity single.
Line of Duty star's documentary Our Dementia Choir Sings Again is on BBC One at 21:00 BST.
In the new series, McClure looks at issues surrounding the care system and works with the choir on their debut single at Abbey Road Studios.
McClure was inspired to form the choir after caring for her grandmother.
Nottingham actress said: ""I couldn't be prouder of every single person who makes Our Dementia Choir what it is.
""Being able to record a song that gives voice to people living with dementia at the most famous recording studio in the world is an extraordinary achievement, and it's made even more incredible when you think that the recording was made with people living with dementia.""
r's single What's Your Story? supported the launch of a report, published in April, called the Power of Music which looked at how music could improve the nation's health and wellbeing.
Grace Meadows, campaign director at Music for Dementia, one of the organisations behind the report, said: ""Music can have a transformative effect on people living with dementia and few things show the power of music in action better than Our Dementia Choir.""
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entertainment	Battle rap: Quips and insults galore at NI event	"""To be in that situation where it's dead silent and everybody in the crowd is looking at you; everybody's paying attention to what you're going to say, that's so different to just going up and singing a song.""
Strabane native Scott Moore is a battle rapper. 
Later this month, he will take part in a battle rap event, Acquisition, in a Belfast bar.
For the uninitiated, battle rap is the exchange of quips and insults between two or more performers with an accompanying backing track.
While battlers have different styles and approaches, champions of the genre include Busta Rhymes and even chart topper Drake, who has spent the last decade co-hosting and funding Canadian battle rap events.
Eminem's 2002 semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile depicts how he gained notoriety by outperforming some of Detroit's best battle rappers.
genre has evolved over the last 40 years. Nowadays, the majority of battle raps are prewritten, rehearsed and performed acapella for three, 90-second rounds.
However, modern battlers can still respond to insults or accusations from their opponents, with freestyle lines still featuring in many performances.
It's a structure Scott Moore, who performs under the alias Scomo, believes makes the genre accessible.
""I was always into rap, I always saw it as a creative outlet,"" he told BBC News NI.
""But music doesn't come as naturally to me. I see music as having a lot of hoops to jump through, a lot of barriers.""
Six years ago, Scomo stumbled upon an old-school battle rap video in a Facebook group. Since then, every spare moment is spent noting down bars he could use in upcoming battles.
""I didn't do that well whenever I started battle rap, I struggled a bit because it was just a case of figuring out what do people consider good,"" he said.
Although he participated in online battles during Covid and flew across the Irish Sea for events, Scomo admits it was not always plain sailing.
""I was, at times, the butt of the joke, I was the token bad Irish battle rapper,"" he said.
But practice makes perfect and in August a clip of Scomo's performance against rival Mellow D went viral, racking up thousands of views on social media in a matter of hours.
Perhaps most notable is the clip featuring Scott calling out his opponent for making fun of his autism.
""One of the genre's advantages is that it allows for people to be held accountable,"" Scomo said.
""Battle rap provides that space if someone says something or does something that you don't agree with or you object to, then you have that space where you can say your piece."" 
For a genre well known for insults and attacks, perhaps most surprising is the admission that battle rap events can be a confidence boost for up-and-coming performers.
""These events, they are places where you can go and you can watch people battle. For me, they're a place where I can go and perform in front of a crowd,"" Scott said.
""It's a chance to see people that you maybe have been talking to online, it's a fun day out.""
Over the last four years, Michael Largey, otherwise known as Vizual, has been establishing himself as a household name within the battle rap scene.
First influenced by his brother's love of rap music, Vizual, originally from the Oldpark area in north Belfast, stumbled upon battle raps on YouTube when he was 14.
""It got to a point over a couple of years instead of listening to music, I would listen to battles. I wouldn't even watch them, I would just listen,"" he said.
""The intricacy of the writing itself was something that I couldn't find as much of in music and I think battle rap allowed for a much higher level of complexity and writing.""
Since becoming involved in a league in 2018, Vizual has won several battles and was even offered the chance to fly to New York to compete before the trip was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
Now, he is planning to offer the same opportunities to others closer to home.
""There's so much talent here that deserves to be put on.
""I want to give that same professional platform to people here that I know have the same amount of talent, if not more.""
manifested itself as Acquisition, a rap battle event to be held in Northern Ireland on 22 October.
Featuring up-and-coming and established Irish talent, organisers have taken the decision to fly professional battlers from England and America over for the event.
""I'm so conscious of the fact 90% of the crowd will never have seen a rap battle before, they're not going to have a clue what's going on,"" he said.
""So I really want to hand-pick ones that are going to show what this culture is and what it's about.""
For those who want to cut their teeth, try outs for a rap battle league will also be available as a way to nurture new talent.
""For anyone who is intimidated, come to an event, see the vibe that's there and how nice everyone is,"" he said.
""We're constantly looking for people to come in."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-62918216
entertainment	Rare Harry Potter book kept in attic auctioned for £8,000	"A rare edition of the first Harry Potter book, never released to the public, has been auctioned for £8,000.
, which was signed by author JK Rowling, was one of only 15 produced for a competition to mark the 15th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
It was awarded to entrant Chloe Esslemont, then aged 16, from Cumbria.
Auctioneers had described it as ""particularly scarce"" as there was no record of similar copies being sold.
Publisher Bloomsbury organised the competition in 2012 and asked fans of the series to write a colourful letter explaining why they loved it.
Entries could only be submitted through specially-designed post boxes at participating bookshops and libraries.
rall winner received one of the leather-bound books and a holiday to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal theme park in Florida.
Ms Esslemont, then 16, was one of the runners-up who also received a book. She said she had ""kept the book wrapped up in the attic for years"" but had decided to part with it as ""the money would be useful now"".
k, which contained a dedication to her, was sold along with her original competition entry which was in the form of a folding document inspired by the series' magical Marauder's Map.
Hansons Auctioneers, in Staffordshire, said there had been ""lots of interest"".
Speaking earlier this month, the firm's book expert Jim Spencer gave a guide price of £5,000-£10,000.
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entertainment	Matt Hancock on I'm A Celebrity led to dozens of complaints to MPs' watchdog	"Parliament's watchdog received dozens of complaints about former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's appearance on reality TV show I'm A Celebrity. 
rliamentary commissioner for standards Kathryn Stone said the issue was not something she could investigate as it did not break any rules. 
But she said it raised ""important questions"" about what MPs did when they should be representing constituents. 
Her role investigates alleged breaches of the Commons Code of Conduct.
re has been widespread criticism of Mr Hancock for appearing on the show while he is a serving MP and he has been suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party. 
Ms Stone told MPs on the Standards Committee: ""It raises really important questions about members' proper activities while they're supposed to be fulfilling their parliamentary duties and representing their constituents.
""One member of the public contrasted the dignity of veterans on Remembrance Sunday with a former secretary of state... waiting for a buffet of animal genitalia and they wondered what had happened to the dignity of public office.""
She added that ""there is no job description for MPs but we have to think very carefully about the conflict between public and private interests, bringing the House into disrepute and so on"".
Ms Stone said she was also frustrated by the number of complaints she received about ministerial behaviour, which she is not responsible for investigating.
rime minister does not currently have an independent adviser on ministers' interests, who would normal provide advice on alleged breaches of the ministerial code. 
role has been vacant since Lord Geidt resigned as Mr Johnson's adviser in June and Ms Stone said a decision needed to be made soon on his replacement. 
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to appoint a new ethics adviser shortly. 
Ms Stone told MPs the largest number of complaints to her office - almost 1,500 - were over Partygate fines given to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak. 
Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak were both fined for breaking lockdown rules when they attended a birthday gathering in Downing Street in June 2020.
She said the issue was ""outside my remit"" but people felt they had ""nowhere else to go"". 
During her appearance in front of the committee, Ms Stone suggested that former cabinet minister Sir Gavin Williamson could be investigated over his past conduct. 
She was asked about claims that as chief whip, responsible for party discipline, Sir Gavin had instructed that when a cheque was given to an MP in financial difficulty to make sure ""he knows I now own him"". 
In response, she said: ""I have to consider very carefully any live case and I don't want to prejudice or undermine any investigation into a live case.""
Sir Gavin resigned from Mr Sunak's cabinet last week, after allegations of bullying emerged, and said he wanted to clear his name ""of any wrongdoing"".
Ms Stone, who is soon to leave her role, said she had been subject to death threats in the job and had separately received abuse from a ""minority"" of MPs over her investigation of Owen Paterson.  
Last year she found the then-Conservative MP had been responsible for ""serious breaches"" of lobbying rules. 
Mr Paterson subsequently resigned after a backlash at the government's decision to block his suspension from Parliament. 
Ms Stone said the abuse she received over the case did not affect her decision-making. "	/news/uk-politics-63641686
entertainment	Taraneh Alidoosti: Top Iran actress who supported protests arrested	"Iranian authorities have arrested one of the country's best known actresses, after she expressed solidarity with anti-government demonstrators.
raneh Alidoosti was detained on charges of ""spreading falsehoods"" about the protest movement that has gripped the country, state media said. 
In an Instagram post last week, she condemned the execution of a man over his involvement with the protests. 
Ms Alidoosti is best known for her role in the Oscar-winning film The Salesman.
In her post, the 38-year-old took aim at some international organisations for not speaking out against the execution of Mohsen Shekari. 
He was hanged by authorities after they accused him of being a ""rioter"" who blocked a main road in Tehran in September and wounded a member of a paramilitary force with a machete.
""His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organisation who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity,"" she wrote. 
According to a post on the state news agency IRNA's Telegram account, she was arrested by police for failing to provide ""any documents in line with her claims"". 
Her Instagram account, which has more than eight million followers, was recently taken down. 
38-year-old is one of Iran's most successful actresses. She starred in The Salesman, which won an Academy Award in 2016 for the Best International Feature Film.
But since the outbreak of the protest movement she became a vocal critic of the Iranian government's attempts to clamp down on the nationwide unrest, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. 
In November, she attracted attention after posting an image of herself on Instagram without a headscarf to signal solidarity with the demonstrations. 
rotest movement has become one of the most serious challenges to the Iranian regime since it came to power in the 1979 revolution. 
Authorities have already executed two men after they were found guilty of ""moharebeh"" - roughly translated as ""enmity against God"". Under Iranian law, the crime is defined as ""creating public insecurity"" by threatening lives or property with a weapon. "	/news/world-middle-east-64014920
entertainment	Glastonbury 2023: 'Challenging times' blamed for ticket price rise	"Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis has said ""incredibly challenging times"" are behind a rise in price for next year's event.
Festival-goers will be charged £335 plus a £5 booking fee for standard tickets, with a £50 deposit.
In 2019, they cost £265 plus a booking fee for the 2020 festival that was ultimately postponed. In 2022, tickets went on sale for £280 plus a £5 fee.
Eavis said they had tried ""very hard"" to keep costs down.
""We're facing enormous rises in the costs of running this vast show, whilst still recovering from the huge financial impact of two years without a festival because of Covid,"" she said.
""The £50 deposit on ticket sales day in November will be the same as ever, with the balance not due until April.
""And, as always, there will be opportunities for many thousands of people to come as volunteers or as part of the crew.
""In these incredibly challenging times, we want to continue to bring you the best show in the world and provide our charities with funds which are more vital than ever.
""We are, as always, hugely appreciative of your ongoing support.""
world-famous music event will return to Worthy Farm in Somerset from 21 to 25 June 2023, and tickets - which usually sell out in minutes - will go on sale on 6 November.
Fans must register before purchasing in a bid by organisers to stop ticket touts.
-up has yet to be revealed but Roxy Music has been rumoured to be filling the Sunday tea-time legends slot.
Glastonbury returned in the summer after two years of cancellations due to Covid-19.
Sir Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish headlined as the event made a triumphant return, finally marking its 50th anniversary.
Robbie Williams recently told the BBC he would like to fill the legends slot at the 2023 event.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-somerset-63298334
entertainment	TV tram that killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley saved	"ram that knocked down and killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley will have a new home in a museum after it was saved.
which saw Bradley chase his long-suffering partner Rita Fairclough into the path of the tram in Blackpool was watched by 27 million people.
ram was facing eviction from its old home and £2,500 was needed to move it to Blackpool's Tramtown Museum.
A public appeal has now raised the money needed to rescue it.
money was to transport it from nearby Fleetwood. The land where it had been kept will be used for a different purpose so the tram could not stay there.
ramtown volunteer and councillor Paul Galley told the BBC: ""We are speaking to the hauliers to see when we can actually transport it.
""But this is when all the work starts and we hope to unveil it in 2023 and get a Coronation Street star to open the attraction.""
He said there was a plan to create a special area at the museum dedicated to the long-running soap and ""give the tram back its 1980s look"".
""We know it will be popular as 'where is the tram that killed Alan Bradley?' is the most popular question we get asked by visitors to Tramtown.""
uble-decker, which is known as tram number 710, has been owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and based on land at Fleetwood Docks.
ram needs to be in its new home by the end of the year.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-lancashire-63791802
entertainment	Melisa Raouf: Going make-up free in the Miss England final	"Beauty pageants can have a reputation as glitzy, glamorous events where young women are cloaked in a thick layer of make-up. 
first part may still be true, but Melisa Raouf is on a mission to change the second. 
20-year-old student will be the first person to compete in the final of the Miss England contest without make-up in its nearly 100-year history, in a bid to show girls they don't have to wear it to feel beautiful. 
Ms Raouf, from south London, won a special ""bare-face"" round of the competition last week, cementing her place in the final between 40 contestants on 17 October.
But while previous winners of this round have returned to wearing make-up for the final, she will not. 
And if she wins, she says she will will leave it off for the Miss World competition, hoping to ""inspire the world"". 
""I wanted to prove we have a choice,"" she tells BBC News. ""We don't have to wear make-up if we don't want to.""
Like many of her peers, Ms Raouf began wearing make-up in her teens.
She says she was ""significantly insecure"", and found comparing herself to the ""unrealistic standard of beauty"" shown on social media had a negative impact on her mental health. 
""I never felt comfortable in who I was, never felt comfortable in my skin,"" Ms Raouf says. 
But as she got older she gained confidence - and she thinks taking part in the beauty pageant, while ""very daunting"" at the time, has increased this. 
""I just thought, I'm doing this for all of us.""
Since last week's bare-face round, Ms Raouf says she has been ""overwhelmed"" by positive messages on social media. 
""I've heard from girls of all ages, from women in their 40s and 50s, saying they feel more comfortable in their own skin,"" she says. 
Ms Raouf does not object to wearing make-up in general, and will still do so on other occasions. She wore some skin products allowed by the bare-face round, including toner, moisturiser and lip balm. 
""I appreciate make-up as a form of art and creativity,"" she says. 
""It's ok to wear make up to enhance your looks or for special occasions, but it shouldn't define us. It's about the choice.
""I wanted to prove we don't have to wear make-up if we don't want to.""
Ms Raouf wants girls to place more value on their ""inner beauty"" rather than comparing themselves to others.
""When you wear that amount of make-up you're just concealing yourself. Remove all those layers and you'll see who you truly are,"" she adds. 
Miss England, which is owned by the Miss World competition, is one of four beauty pageants from each of the UK nations which sends a contestant to the global event each year. 
Miss World was first organised in 1951 in the UK by television host Eric Morley. His widow, Julia Morley, became CEO after his death in 2000. 
franchise has faced some criticism over claims it objectifies women, most famously in 1970 when members of the Women's Liberation Movement used flour to disrupt the Miss World final at London's Royal Albert Hall.
re were also protests, from various groups including the London Feminist Network and UK Feminista, when the competition final was held in London in 2011 and 2014. 
Some of the rules of entry for the competition have not been changed since 1951. 
Miss England hopefuls cannot be older than 27 in their year of entry, and are not allowed to be married or have given birth to children. 
In 2018, Veronika Didusenko, who had been crowned Miss Ukraine, said the rules needed to change after she had her title taken away for being a mother. 
Julia Morley later said it was difficult to alter entry rules as local competitions took place in so many different countries. 
But for Ms Raouf, the events are a ""positive and inspiring"" influence.
""The contestants use their platform to do something good in the world.""
Ms Raouf, who is in the second year of her politics degree at King's College London, wants to enter diplomacy after her studies.
She says the women competing alongside her have a more varied range of interests and backgrounds than is often portrayed.
""Everyone has their own story,"" she says."	/news/uk-62713645
entertainment	House of the Dragon: HBO defends Game of Thrones spin-off's dark scenes	"HBO has defended the latest episode of its Game of Thrones spin-off after some viewers complained that it was too dark to see what was happening on screen.
f House of the Dragon was released on Monday, with some scenes set during the night.
But a number of fans complained or joked about how poor lighting meant they could not see what was going on.
In response, broadcaster HBO Max said: ""The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.""
A significant number of viewers tweeted about the darkness, and the network replied to several of them with the same message.
One viewer said: ""You've got to watch House of the Dragon at night in the dark with blackout curtains drawn tight, because if you try to watch while the sun is out you cant see a damn thing.""
""This episode of House of the Dragon is so dark it's unwatchable,"" tweeted another. ""Might as well just turn off my screen and listen to it at this point.""
Other fans agreed. ""It's amazing with the budgets Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons have, they can't produce better lighting for the dark scenes,"" one wrote. ""Might as well drive with sunglasses on at night.""
""The night-time visuals in House of the Dragon are simply too dark,"" concluded another. ""These scenes would be so epic if I could actually see what was happening.""
But others defended the show, with one writing: ""If you couldn't see the full moon scenes in House of the Dragon then your TV contrast sucks. I loved it, it was beautifully shot.""
Another said: ""Half the world is mad about House of Dragon being so dark. Have y'all never had an intense romantic convo on the beach at night? Adjust your settings if you can't see.""
Some made light of the backlash, with podcast host Jesse David Fox tweeting: ""I was gonna tweet that last night's House of the Dragons was too dark but then I realised my TV was off and I actually hadn't started watching yet.""
Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the latest episode, previously defended the darkness of a Game of Thrones episode, The Long Night, during an interview with the IndieWire Filmmaker Toolkit podcast in 2019.
""Everybody who was making it thought about it a lot, bought hook line and sinker into the idea that it was about embracing the darkness, and made that decision,"" he said.
""I can't control what people watch it on. I've never made anything to be seen on an iPhone. Everything I've made, I've made to be in the largest format possible, to be experienced with people. 
""And The Long Night is made to be watched in a cinema with as many people as you can possibly stick in there, and I don't have a solution for the problem that arose out of it.""
But like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon was not released in cinemas. It was launched on TV and streaming earlier this year and received mixed reviews from critics, with the Guardian describing it as ""a roaring success"" but the Wrap saying it ""pales in comparison"" to its predecessor.
It is far from the first show to annoy its own viewers with scenes which are too dark. 
BBC One drama The Luminaries, based on Eleanor Catton's Booker-winning novel, was criticised in 2020 for its darkly lit scenes.
w's director said the dim lighting was deliberate as it added a ""sense of mystery and intrigue""."	/news/entertainment-arts-63130241
entertainment	Swansea: Band return to club frozen in time from 1980s	"When one rock band last played a city nightclub 34 years ago it looked… well, almost identical to how it does today.
Because for some unknown reason, when the doors of Swansea's Cavalier nightclub closed in 1988, it was left entirely untouched to the present day.
Earlier this month workers found half-full drink bottles, menus, DJ equipment and cigarette packets left abandoned.
Members of the Swansea band By Appointment have now returned to visit the ""spooky"" time capsule. 
Bassist Craig ""Lewi"" Lewis and drummer Nigel ""Mugs"" Morgan played the venue many times during the 1980s before the bookings stopped coming. 
""Obviously we found out eventually that it had closed down, but we had plenty of other gigs so we never really looked into the details,"" said Mugs. 
Lewi added: ""I heard something from my agent that the two brothers who owned it might have had licensing issues around exits and fire regulations.
""But that doesn't explain why it was left exactly as it must have been when they closed up on their last night. 
""To me that suggests they must have left in one hell of a hurry - it's all a bit spooky really.""
ghtclub, located above a former British Home Stores shop, was discovered by workmen who were turning the site into a community hub.
Among the undisturbed scene are bottles of Corona lemonade and sweet vermouth Martini Rosso on the bar, both half-full, as well as a jar of cocktail cherries. 
re is also a bar menu offering spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pie or faggots and peas for just £1.50 each.
A poster still hangs publicising which horseracing fixtures are due at Bangor, Hereford, Ludlow and Worcester in 1988, alongside period beer mats and a smashed mirror ball.
écor has a distinct ""Flintstones"" cavernous vibe, adorned with chicken wire and concrete palm trees. 
re derelict Oxford Street shopping unit has been purchased by Swansea council. It will house a new community hub as part of the council's £1bn regeneration programme.
Due to open in early 2024, the hub will be the new home for the central library, West Glamorgan Archives and several other public-facing services.
Swansea council cabinet member Elliott King said: ""It's exciting that our efforts to repurpose a building to play a key role in the city's future have also reminded us of the recent past.
""Nobody knew what to expect when we went in to start our preliminary surveys, but it certainly wasn't this.
""It's possible that shops used the former Cavalier as a storage area, but why the bar was left untouched is a mystery.
""Some of my cabinet colleagues have vague recollections of who owned and managed the bar - but I'd be really interested for the people of Swansea to let us have their memories using #SwanseaCavalier on social media.""
units were hurriedly constructed during the 1950s to replace the shops destroyed when Swansea was bombed by the Nazis in 1941.
While chain stores occupied the ground floor, upper floors were frequently let out to other businesses.
In the early 1970s the predecessor to the Cavalier opened as the Penthouse Club, and was said to be Swansea's only upmarket nightspot of the time.
However, As Mugs explained, when the Penthouse became the Cavalier Club around 1980, it catered for a very different clientele.
""It was rough - even the rats used to wear overalls in there - and the bouncers were brutal,"" he said. 
""The first time we played there in 1984 we had a guitarist  - he could only have been around 15 and his guitar case was almost the same height as him. 
""The doormen threatened to chuck him back down the stairs unless we got him out of there.""
And the punters weren't very well behaved either, Lewi recalled.
""We'd done a pretty good set - Bowie, The Cult, Lou Reed and some of our own stuff - and we were having a beer in the office, laughing at the band after we got pelted with bottles… until we realised our own guitars were still out on the stage.
""We had to dodge the missiles while we crawled back out there to retrieve them… it was like something out of The Blues Brothers.""
For Lewi, in particular, the visit proved highly emotional after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago. 
""I've been a performer all my life. First in bands and latterly as a magician, but now I no longer have the slight of hand for magic, and I even struggle to bang out a tune on the guitar these days,"" said Lewi.
""But worse than the physical side of MS is the effect it's had on my memory. Before today I was stumped as to what songs we even used to play, but coming back here has made it all flood back.""
Mr King said the council will consider the future of the material discovered.
He said: ""Living memory is hugely relevant to our commitment to future generations.
""Key material will be preserved, documented and made available as part of our responsibility to provide access to local history all for our communities.""  "	/news/uk-wales-63315679
entertainment	BBC female workforce behind NI average, says Ofcom report	"Women are under-represented in BBC NI's workforce compared to Northern Ireland's overall working population, according to a new Ofcom report.
Research by the UK's communications regulator looked at the make-up of the workforce in several media companies.
BBC NI said it sought to reflect the diversity of local society, and had set targets to achieve by 2026. 
For the first time, the BBC provided diversity data to Ofcom separately for England, Scotland, Wales and NI.
BBC employed more than 21,000 staff in 2021-22, around four per cent of whom work in Northern Ireland. 
Along with seven other broadcasters - ITV, Channel 4, Paramount (with includes Channel 5), S4C, Bauer, Global and STV - the BBC provided Ofcom with information about its employees in 2021-22.
BBC was the only broadcaster to provide specific information for its workforce in each of the four UK nations.
Ofcom said it strongly encouraged other broadcasters to follow the BBC's lead in providing this data by location.
In its report - entitled Equity, diversity and inclusion in television and radio: 2021-22 - Ofcom compared the proportion of women employed by the BBC to the proportion of women employed overall in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
""The representation of women employed at all levels across the BBC generally reflected the make-up of the workforce in each nation, with the exception of Northern Ireland, where women were less well represented at the BBC than in the local working population,"" Ofcom said.
About 43% of the staff in BBC Northern Ireland were women, lower than Northern Ireland overall where 49% of workers are women. 
BBC has previously been criticised for the gender pay gap between male and female employees, although that gap has reduced more recently.
In Northern Ireland, the BBC's workforce was also generally older than the workforce in the nation as a whole.
About 37% of staff were over 50, compared to 32% of workers in Northern Ireland overall.
Just more than half the staff in BBC Northern Ireland (51%) described themselves as religious - a higher figure than the BBC in any other part of the UK. 
When it came to sexual orientation, seven per cent of staff in BBC Northern Ireland were described as LGBTQ - although there was no data on sexual orientation for 9% of staff and 4% preferred not to say their sexual orientation.
However, BBC Northern Ireland had proportionally more employees from working-class backgrounds than the BBC in any other part of the UK, said the report.
More than a quarter of staff in BBC Northern Ireland were from working-class backgrounds.
""The BBC's data shows people from working-class backgrounds are most represented in Northern Ireland (26%) and least represented in England (20%),"" Ofcom said.
But it warned that people from working-class backgrounds were generally under-represented across the UK workforce of the eight broadcasters. 
Overall, ""13% of employees attended private school, compared to 7% of the UK working age population, and 62% of employees had parents in a professional occupation when they were aged 14, against the UK benchmark of 33%,"" said Ofcom.
Channel 4 was the broadcaster with the highest proportion of employees (16%) who had attended a private school, followed by the BBC and ITV with 13%.
regulator also said disabled people continued to be significantly under-represented.
Continued improvement was needed to increase the number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds at senior-management level across the eight broadcasters, added the report.
A BBC Northern Ireland spokesperson said: ""We seek to reflect the diversity of local society in the BBC's workforce and across everything that we do. 
""We have made clear commitments in relation to the profile of BBC staff and the targets that we are working to achieve by 2026. 
""All of this activity is underpinned by relevant legislation in Northern Ireland and is kept under regular review."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63485034
entertainment	Lewis Capaldi overtakes Ed Sheeran with the UK's most-streamed song of all time	"Lewis Capaldi's aching ballad Someone You Loved has become the UK's most-streamed song of all time, overtaking Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You.
g has been played 562 million times, counting both audio and video streams, said the Chart Company.
Capaldi celebrated the news by calling himself ""the king of streaming"".
""Listen…The Beatles, Drake, Metallica, The Eagles, Michael Jackson, don't worry guys, no hard feelings, I just had to take this one,"" he added.
""Take a step back and let Daddy steer the ship now, OK?""
On beating Sheeran's record, the Scottish singer said: ""Ed's a man who is like a brother to me, he's been a mentor, he's put his arm round me and said, 'Don't worry everything's going to be ok'. 
""He's been nothing but kind and gracious and beautiful, a good friend in an ever-changing industry. So to Ed I say... nice guys finish last. You snooze you lose, kiddo. Keep up!"" 
Official Chart Company announced the news to mark its 70th anniversary. 
first chart was compiled by music newspaper the New Musical Express on 14 November, 1952, with Al Martino's Here In My Heart becoming the first ever number one.
12 was rather rudimentary, constructed from a survey of 20 record shops by the NME's advertising manager Percy Dickins, who thought a chart would lure new advertisers to the publication.
Over the next seven decades, the chart became more sophisticated, and now tracks every sale, stream and download that occurs in the UK.
In figures released on Monday, the Official Charts said a total of 4.55 billion singles, 683 billion audio streams and 128 billion video streams have been consumed in the UK since the chart began.
A total of 1,404 songs have reached number one in that period, from The Beatles' She Loves You and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, to Madonna's Into The Groove and the Spice Girls' Wannabe.
urrent number one is Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero, which is expected to spend a fourth week in pole position when the latest chart is announced this Friday.
Elton John's Candle In The Wind is the UK's biggest-selling single of all time, with 4.94 million copies sold.
A further 178 singles have surpassed one million sales - and the latest to achieve the feat is Taylor Swift's Shake It Off.
She is the is the first act to reach the milestone in two years. The last was Goo Goo Dolls' Iris, which hit one million sales in February 2020. The last solo artist to make the list was Frank Sinatra, with My Way, in 2018.
rt company noted that Shake It Off could be the country's last million-seller, as downloads and physical sales are now negligible, even for the biggest hits.
Streams now account for 98.6% of the singles market, with the number one single currently averaging 6.82 million streams per week.
ree songs have topped 500 million streams - Someone You Loved, Shape Of You and Ed Sheeran's Perfect. 
Seven tracks have achieved 400 million streams, including George Ezra's Shotgun. The Weeknd's Blinding Lights and The Killers' Mr Brightside.
most streamed music video is Baby Shark by Pinkfong, which has amassed 220 million plays.
Meanwhile, Queen's Greatest Hits is the UK's best-selling album of all time, surpassing 7 million copies.
Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63621185
entertainment	Liverpool roadworks on hold until after Eurovision	"ge of a redevelopment of a major Liverpool road has been delayed until after the city stages Eurovision.
multi-million pound revamp of The Strand from Bath Street to James Street was finalised in November after work began in June 2020. 
New trees and public spaces were installed to improve links for pedestrians and cyclists between the city centre and waterfront.
It has been confirmed the second phase will start after Eurovision in May. 
Liverpool was chosen as the UK host city last week, stepping in for last year's winner Ukraine, who cannot host owing to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Before last year's works, the Strand has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s.
Local Democracy Reporting Service said Peter Randles, interim highways manager, told the council's climate change and environment select committee work on the scheme would not go ahead for at least another seven months. 
It was expected the second phase of the £22m project would start in spring.
works between James Street junction and Liver Street include the continuation of segregated cycle lanes, new traffic signal equipment at all junctions, road markings and traffic signs, LED street lights, street trees, drainage improvements and carriageway resurfacing.
As part of the first phase, a lane was removed in both directions as well as a number of junctions. A new segregated two-way cycle lane was put in place as well as new seating and the planting of more than 80 trees.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63253854
entertainment	Former BBC Scotland journalist Derek Bateman dies aged 71	"Broadcaster Derek Bateman who reported and presented for BBC Scotland has died at the age of 71 after an illness.
He was born in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders and in 1968 became a teenage journalism trainee at The Scotsman.
Over the next 20 years he worked as a reporter there and at The Glasgow Herald.  
Mr Bateman went on to become the political editor of the newly-launched Scotland on Sunday newspaper before joining the BBC in the late 1980s.
His 1986 investigations into Robert Maxwell and that year's Edinburgh Commonwealth Games led to him co-writing a behind the scenes book about what had gone wrong.
During his 25 years at the BBC he became a distinguished and popular reporter, correspondent, and presenter.  
For more than a decade he was one half of a double-act with John Milne, presenting Good Morning Scotland.  
He also presented the weekend programme Newsweek Scotland; was a main anchor on Radio Scotland's election programmes, and towards the end of his time with the BBC worked as a reporter and presenter on political programmes and on Newsnight Scotland.
Mr Bateman retired from the BBC in 2013 but continued to blog and broadcast on Scottish politics.
Paying tribute, BBC Scotland's head of news, Gary Smith, said: ""BBC viewers and listeners across Scotland will be saddened to hear about the death of Derek Bateman.  
""His well-known voice kept our audiences informed - and Scotland's politicians on their toes - throughout his time on Good Morning Scotland, and on our television output too. 
""In addition to his illustrious broadcasting career, Derek was previously a highly regarded print journalist. 
""He will be missed by his former colleagues in the newsroom. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.""
Mr Bateman's long-term colleague, the former BBC Scotland correspondent Kenneth Macdonald, said: ""He knew he was good but not in a bad way.  It didn't come across as arrogance but as a calm confidence.
""And what an interviewer he was. I'm sure he did his homework but his political knowledge seemed as effortless as it was extensive. No politician ever got the better of him"".
Mr Bateman was married to the former BBC journalist Judith Mackay and they had two daughters, Hannah, and Clara.  
He also had two daughters, Eilidh and Lucy, from his first marriage to Alison, who died in 2001. "	/news/uk-scotland-64029023
entertainment	Kanye West interview pulled over 'more hate speech'	"An upcoming episode of the YouTube talk show The Shop: Uninterrupted has been scrapped after Kanye West allegedly used ""hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes"" in an interview.
move came as it emerged the star had shared a series of comments based on racist conspiracy theories in a separate interview with Fox News.
Fox removed those segments before broadcast, but the footage was leaked to technology website Motherboard.
West has not commented on either case.
BBC has asked both him and Fox News for a response.
r, who is legally known as Ye, was previously suspended from Instagram and Twitter for making anti-Semitic comments.
me in response to a backlash against his show at Paris Fashion Week, where he wore a t-shirt carrying the slogan ""White Lives Matter"".
Anti-Defamation League has called the phrase ""hate speech"" and attributed it to white supremacists, who began using it in 2015 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Amid the backlash, he appeared on Fox News, where he told host Tucker Carlson the t-shirt was ""funny"" and ""the obvious thing to do"".
In unaired clips from the same interview, which leaked on Tuesday, West detailed his belief in an unfounded anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Planned Parenthood was founded ""to control the Jew population"" in conjunction with the Ku Klux Klan.
""When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah... who the people know as the race Black really are,"" he told host Tucker Carlson, referring to a claim, unsupported by historical evidence, that Black people are the ""real"" Jewish race, and that Jews are attempting to ""steal"" their birthright.
West also complained that his children were attending a school where Kwanzaa - an annual celebration of African-American culture - is taught, saying he would rather they learned about the Jewish holiday Hanukkah because ""at least it will come with some financial engineering"", yet another anti-Semitic trope.
In another clip, the rapper confirmed he had received the Covid-19 vaccine, despite previously claiming the shots were ""the mark of the beast"" and part of a plot to implant chips in people. 
He also claimed that ""fake children"" had been placed in his home to manipulate and ""sexualize"" his four children with former wife Kim Kardashian.
Fox has not explained why it excluded these clips from its broadcast, although most television interviews are edited and condensed for clarity.
Producers of The Shop: Uninterrupted on the other hand, decided against airing their interview with West altogether, and said they would not share details of his comments. 
Maverick Carter, who produces the show with basketball legend LeBron James, told the Andscape website: ""Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments. 
""Unfortunately, he used The Shop to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes.""
ment continued: ""While The Shop embraces thoughtful discourse and differing opinions, we have zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind and will never allow our channels to be used to promote hate. 
""I take full responsibility for believing Kanye wanted a different conversation and apologise to our guests and crew. Hate speech should never have an audience.""
It is believed that James was not present as the interview took place.
West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago and has publicly spoken about his challenges with his mental health.
However, medical experts and people who share West's condition have warned that mental health problems do not go hand-in-hand with anti-Semitism.
""There are many people who don't have mental health issues who are racist and bigoted. And there are people with mental health issues who are not racist or bigoted,"" clinical psychologist Carla Manly told USA Today. ""We want to see those as two very different issues.""
""I think Kanye is honestly just an idiot,"" Sam, who has bipolar disorder, told BBC World Service. 
""He rolls with his disorder and lets it harm whoever is around him, and I think that's extremely irresponsible. 
""I don't think he should be associated with bipolar disorder or the mental health movement, because he doesn't speak for us.""
Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63226918
entertainment	World Cup 2022: More than 16 million watch England knock out Wales	"An average UK audience of 16.59 million TV viewers watched England's 3-0 win over Wales on BBC One on Tuesday night.
figure comes from overnight figures courtesy of ratings body Barb but does not include the number who watched on Welsh language channel S4C.
Some will also have watched the group game on iPlayer, figures which aren't fully reflected in Barb's data. 
Wales are now out of the World Cup, with England progressing to the last 16 as group winners.
BBC said its match coverage across all its platforms - TV, iPlayer and BBC Sport Online - was watched by a peak audience of 18.7 million.
While England took part in the last World Cup in 2018, the Wales match marked the nation's first in a World Cup for 64 years.
England goals came from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, who both made the starting line-up for the first time in the tournament.
will face Senegal on Sunday night, with the game being shown on ITV.
roughout the tournament, the total number of viewers watching any particular match will be higher when further data is added - such as people who watched at different times or on certain catch-up platforms."	/news/entertainment-arts-63808150
entertainment	Factory International: Manchester arts venue goes £100m over budget	"A major new arts venue in Manchester has seen its budget rise by another £25m, taking its total cost to £211m.
£100m more than the original estimate for the Factory International, due to open next year.
Manchester City Council blamed high inflation as part of the ""extremely challenging wider environment the project is being delivered in"".
It said ""we must not lose sight of"" how the benefits ""for many years to come will far outweigh the one-off cost"".
ue would create or support 1,500 jobs and bring in £1.1bn to the economy over a decade, the council said.
rising costs were down to ""exceptional levels of inflation, workforce shortages and supply-chain disruption exacerbated by the war in Ukraine,"" it said.
A council report added: ""The ongoing impacts of Covid-19 - with precautionary measures still in place across the construction industry - and challenges associated with the one-off and complex nature of the design have also contributed to budget pressures.""
Factory International, which will feature a 1,600-seat theatre and a 5,000-capacity warehouse space for performances and installations, is due to open next summer, four years behind schedule.
ws of its latest budget increase comes days after the opening line-up was announced, including a major installation by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and a live dance version of The Matrix directed by Danny Boyle.
Speaking at the launch, Boyle, from Radcliffe, in Greater Manchester, told BBC News: ""The scale of it's just extraordinary. And the fact that Manchester is going to be able to produce its own homegrown, large-scale pieces - and you're talking world-scale pieces - is fantastic.""
Councillor Luthfur Rahman said: ""It's an audacious project and with that comes challenges, especially when set against a volatile economic backdrop, but the ongoing benefits for many years to come will far outweigh the one-off cost. We must not lose sight of that.""
uncil will have to cover the extra £25.2m, with £10m coming from a contingency fund and the rest from borrowing.
It had already pledged £55m, with the government providing £105m and another £24m to be found through commercial and philanthropic fundraising over the next five years.
Separately, the council will also fund ""increased costs for the fit out of the building, which have also been driven up by soaring inflation by up to £7.8m"".
It said it hoped to recoup ""a significant proportion"" of its costs by selling the venue's naming rights.
uilding, which will provide a permanent home for the Manchester International Festival (MIF), has already been renamed Factory International after formerly being known as The Factory.
Eddy Rhead, co-director of Manchester-based architecture and design organisation The Modernist Society, said it felt like the venue was ""importing culture into the city as opposed to growing culture within the city"", and questioned how the council was able to ""magically find money to prop up this vanity project"".
He said: ""The Factory and MIF are basically sucking up all the cultural funding for this city. We believe it should have been more evenly distributed and would have borne more fruit if it had been more evenly distributed among smaller, more grassroots organisations across the city.
""As a Manchester taxpayer, it feels that the city council appears to be finding money behind the sofa, metaphorically speaking, whenever it needs it - but when small grassroots cultural organisations need money, apparently there is no money to be had.""
A council spokesman said it funds a range of arts projects in the city and Factory International wasn't taking funding from any others. The money is coming from its capital building budget, and he said the venue had attracted more than £100m of national investment that would otherwise not have gone into the city's arts scene."	/news/entertainment-arts-63131003
entertainment	Quick Q&A with drumming star Nandi Bushell	"welve-year-old rock star Nandi Bushell has answered some quick-fire questions upon the release of her new song.
girl, from Ipswich, has drummed with some of the world's biggest names in rock including Foo Fighters and Lenny Kravitz. 
Her new song, The Shadows, is inspired by her father's health struggles, and she said she wrote it to ""cheer him up"".
Speaking of her love of music, she said: ""I love the way it makes me feel and how I can give messages to make the world a better place."""	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63062120
entertainment	Megan Thee Stallion testifies Tory Lanez shot her	"Megan Thee Stallion has described in emotional courtroom testimony her ""shock"" as fellow rapper Tory Lanez allegedly opened fire on her. 
""I can't believe I have to come here and do this,"" she told a jury in Los Angeles. 
Grammy-winning rapper said she was shot in the feet after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house.
Jurors heard she insulted the accused and demanded to be let out of a luxury car before he fired five rounds at her.
rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, 27, testified that her alleged attacker became enraged after she disparaged his musical talent. 
She said the 30-year-old defendant, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, had told her to ""dance"" before opening fire in the incident in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020. 
He denies multiple gun and assault charges relating to a dispute with the Savage artist. If found guilty, he faces up to 23 years in prison. 
""I'm in shock. I'm scared. I hear the gun going off, and I can't believe he's shooting at me,"" she told the court on Tuesday, the second day of the trial, according to the LA Times. 
She became tearful on the witness stand, expressing regret for ever having come forward about the incident.
""I wish he would've just shot and killed me if I knew I was going to have to go through this torture,"" she told the court.
WAP rapper left a trail of blood at the scene, before getting back into the vehicle, which was stopped minutes later by police.
A gun that was still warm to the touch was found on the floor near where Mr Peterson had been sitting, prosecutor Alexander Bott said in his opening statement.
Megan Thee Stallion testified that the Canadian hip-hop artist had offered her $1m to keep quiet about the attack because he claimed to be on probation for a weapons offence.
She initially said to police that she had cut her feet on glass.
But she told the court on Tuesday she had lied because of concerns about how the police would react, especially amid nationwide racial justice unrest in the summer of 2020. 
""At the time, we are at the height of police brutality,"" she testified, ""I felt like if I said this man has just shot me, they might shoot first and ask questions later."" 
Minutes after the shooting, a female friend who was in the car texted Megan Thee Stallion's security detail, saying: ""Help... Tory shot meg."" 
Several bullet fragments were removed from her feet, but some remain and she told investigating officers that she had difficulty walking in certain shoes.
In a phone call, Mr Peterson had ""profusely apologised for his actions"" and claimed he was ""just too drunk"", prosecutors said.
His lawyer, George Mgdesyan, said the jury needed to keep an open mind and he would prove the accusations were lies.
rial continues."	/news/world-us-canada-63967227
entertainment	Doctor Who trailer drops for fans at Christmas	"A Doctor Who trailer has been released on Christmas Day giving viewers a glimpse of what’s to come as the show prepares to enter its 60th year.
With David Tennant back as the Doctor, the three specials will air in November 2023 before Ncuti Gatwa takes over.
Executive producer Russell T Davies said: “We wanted to give fans, friends and families a lovely little Christmas present - with a promise that 2023 will be a riot of Doctor Who goodness!"""	/news/entertainment-arts-64091495
entertainment	Walk with Joe Children in Need events kicks off in Maidenhead	"Hundreds of people have turned up to join TV fitness coach Joe Wicks on a walking event for BBC Children in Need. 
Wicks invited families to Walk with Joe around a parkrun route in Maidenhead, Berkshire, for the first of four events.
He will also be visiting Newport on Sunday and Camperdown, Dundee and Rushcliffe, Nottingham, next weekend. 
Wicks has also pledged to walk 30 miles in an ultra-marathon challenge for the charity on Friday 18 November. 
fitness coach rose to fame with his online workouts during the Covid-19 pandemic and was awarded an MBE for his work. 
He said the Walk with Joe fundraising campaign was inspired by everyone going for walks during the first lockdown. 
""One of the things I really connected with during lockdown was walking, getting outside,"" he said.
""Before that I didn't have much time for it - but what I realised was when you get outside and you're with your friends, your family, having a chat - it's almost like you're walking your stress away.
""Being in nature is so good for your mood and your energy. I always say you never regret a workout and going for a walk is a great time to connect and actually communicate and talk about things that you might have on your mind."" 
re all in partnership with Parkrun, and Wicks said he hoped to meet as many people as possible at the events across the UK. 
Claire Hoyle, from BBC Children in Need, added: ""We know times are really uncertain for everyone, which is why now more than ever it's so important that we all pull together to support one another. 
""Walk with Joe gives people a really easy way to do this, and at the same time, make a life-changing difference to children.""
Wicks' ultra-marathon walking challenge will see him set off from MediaCityUK and aim to finish in ten hours to reach the BBC Children in Need Great Spotacular Appeal Show. 
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-berkshire-63525846
entertainment	American Music Awards: Kelly Rowland asks crowd to 'chill' as they boo Chris Brown	"Kelly Rowland asked the audience at the American Music Awards to ""chill out"" after they booed Chris Brown's victory in the best male R&B artist category.
Brown has been a divisive figure ever since he pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
He did not attend Sunday's AMAs after a planned tribute to Michael Jackson was cancelled at the last minute.
Rowland, accepting the award on his behalf, seemed surprised by the audience's reaction.
""Excuse me... chill out,"" she said as cameras panned to show the audience, some of whom were booing and making other unclear remarks.
Rowland then continued: ""But I wanted to tell Chris, thank you so much for making great R&B music and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. 
""I'll take this award [and] bring it to you. I love you. Congratulations. And congratulations to all the nominees in this category.""
Brown had been due to honour the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson's blockbuster Thriller album at Sunday's ceremony in LA, performing hits including Beat It, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Starting Something and Thriller.
No reason for the cancellation was given. Brown himself was taken aback, posting a video of his rehearsal with the caption: ""U serious?""
""Would've been the [biggest] AMA performance but they cancelled me for reasons unknown,"" he added in the comments. 
Artists who did perform at the show included Imagine Dragons, Carrie Underwood and Pink - who gave a poignant rendition of Grease's Hopelessly Devoted To You in tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who died in August.
Lionel Richie was given the Icon Award, honouring his legacy of hits with the Commodores and as a solo artist.
He was given the prize by fellow Motown artist Smokey Robinson, who joked that he first knew the singer as ""the guy with the biggest afro in the Commodores"".
king the stage, Richie thanked his family and made a point of speaking directly to the ""young superstars"" in the room.
""God has given you a light. That light is special, that light is only given to a few,"" he said. 
""When you hear the word 'hip,' it means today. When you hear the word 'inspiring,' it means forever. If you get a chance to have that light on you, understand what God has in store.""
Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth then celebrated his discography in a head-to-head piano duel, performing Three Times a Lady, Easy, All Night Long (All Night), Say You, Say Me, Brick House and Jesus Is Love.
rounded off their set with a star-studded version of We Are The World - the charity single Richie co-wrote with Michael Jackson for Ethiopian famine relief. They were joined on stage by Ari Lennox, Muni Long, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmie Allen, Yola, Smokey Robinson and, eventually, Richie himself.
r Swift was the night's biggest winner, taking home all six of her nominations, including the night's top prize - artist of the year.
""I have the fans to thank essentially for my happiness,"" said the singer. ""I cannot express how unbelievable it is to me that I still do this and that you still care.""
She also won album of the year for Red (Taylor's Version) - a new version of her 2012 album that re-recorded to reclaim ownership of her music, after her former record label sold her master tapes to a hedge fund.
""I cannot tell you how much my re-recorded albums mean to me, but I never expected or assumed that they would mean anything to you,"" she said. ""So I can't thank you enough for caring about this album that I'm so proud of.""
Swift now has a lifetime total of 40 AMAs, extending her lead at the most successful artist in the history of the fan-voted awards ceremony.
Dove Cameron, a former Disney Channel and Marvel actress who scored a global hit this year with sultry single Boyfriend, was named best new artist.
ger, who is bisexual, dedicated her award to the ""queer community at large"", and paid tribute to the victims of a fatal shooting at a gay club in Colorado on Saturday night.
""On the heels of what happened at Club Q in Colorado Springs, I want to remind everyone how important queer visibility is and how important our community is. 
""And I want to direct your attention to organizations like GLAAD and The Trevor Project for what you can do right now... Thank you for holding the space - I'm holding it for you too.""
Harry Styles won best male pop artist and pop song of the year, for As It Was; while Korean pop group BTS took the best duo/group prize for the fourth year in a row,
Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-63700530
entertainment	Sites ban gamer who removed Spider-Man Pride flags	"A modification to the new PC version of the Spider-Man Remastered video game removing its LGBTQ+ Pride flags has been banned by two gaming sites.
Players are able to modify some video games by adding new features such as weapons and locations.
rson who replaced Pride flags with the USA flag in Spider-Man was banned on Nexus Mods and ModDB.
Nexus Mods director Robin Scott told users who disagreed with this decision to ""delete your account"".
resence of LGBTQ+ Pride flags in Spider-Man Remastered was supported by fans who were in favour of more in-game LGBTQ+ representation when it was first released in 2018. 
game was released for PC last week.
Nexus Mods said the modification was ""very clearly done deliberately to be a troll mod"".
Game modification sites like Nexus and Mod DB allow users to upload their own tweaks or edits to a game which can be downloaded and implemented for other users, to enhance their playing experience.
Modifications, or mods, can range from changing colours and surroundings in games to adding new characters and storylines within existing worlds.
modifications can even result in the creation of entirely new games. 
first game in the popular Counter-Strike franchise was initially developed as a mod for the 1998 first-person shooter blockbuster Half-Life.
Mr Scott said in a blog post on Wednesday that the upload of the Spider-Man Remastered mod had sparked ""some silly drama"" on Nexus's site.
""The mod replaced the very few Pride flags the game actually has, with the already prevalent USA flag texture from the game,"" he added.
He said the upload was removed and its creator was banned from Nexus Mods for violating the company's policies. 
which could be considered provocative, discriminatory or abusive towards ""any real-world individual or group"" may be moderated. 
""In regards to the replacement of Pride flags in this game, or any game, our policy is thus: we are for inclusivity, we are for diversity,"" Mr Scott added.
ModDB, another popular modding site, also deleted similar uploads to its site this week.
uded an ""Anti-Gay Mod"" replacing LGBTQ+ flags in the Spider-Man game with a flag promoting former US president Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
After a Twitter user flagged a mod on the website which, according to its description, ""changes the stupid Pride flags to American flags"", ModDB said it removed the content and banned users.
""ModDB is an inclusive environment for all and we do not permit targeting marginalised groups,"" it wrote, adding the site had a ""zero tolerance policy"" for such content. "	/news/technology-62605749
entertainment	The Fabs: How a '60s all-girl band (nearly) ruled the world	"""You're fabulous, fabulous to be with.""
So sang 1960s girl group The Fabs of their imagined loves. 
But in truth, the fabulous ones were the performers on stage.
It was a time where not many women played guitar and drums, but band leader Wally ""Waldini"" Bishop wanted to change that. 
He formed the quartet who would become The Fabs, whose story is being re-told in the Cardiff Music History: City of Sound exhibition.
One of the four was Sarah Wrigley, nee Johnston, a 19-year-old Cardiff girl whose musician father had taught her to play the guitar.
She said Wally Bishop had a show with dancers in Ilfracombe, Devon, but decided in 1963 to form a girl band in a similar vein to the Beatles. 
Sarah said Wally heard about her through her father and got the other girls, who did not play instruments, the gear and lessons they needed. 
Sarah said the quartet - her on lead guitar, Linda Mazey from Barry on drums, Margaret Lewis from Bedwas on bass guitar, and Newport's Maria Kitsom on rhythm guitar - were a bit of a ""novelty"" for those watching them in the summer of 1964.
""We did three or four numbers of the day which only required three or four chords… and we were very popular with the audiences.""
After the season, an offer came for a contract to perform for US bases in Germany for American GIs.
Sarah said the band all had ""good figures"" and wore ""all the gear all the time"".  
""The guys absolutely loved us,"" she added. ""It didn't really matter what we sounded like, to be perfectly honest, however I have to say after four months of playing six nights a week four hours a night, we did rapidly improve.""
group going back and forth to Germany as well as playing clubs in south Wales. 
But the band faced disparaging jokes made by boy bands they performed alongside, including from a future rock star. 
""We worked with The Who at one point. Roger Daltrey said to me as I came off stage from our spot, 'you're quite good, love, but you won't get anywhere' as pop groups were 'all boys'."" 
She said the band knew they were a ""novelty"", but also knew they had become good at playing and said they were not put off by Daltrey's comments.
After a year, Wally Bishop died. It did not stop The Fabs.
Sarah said: ""We'd been back and forth to Germany quite a bit, and we could drive, we could look after ourselves, we kind of knew our way around. So we decided to carry on by ourselves.""
Sarah said the group, despite being young and female, were treated well, were well paid and ""having a great time"". 
group performed covers of popular songs, but Sarah did write ""a few ditties"", including their theme tune You're Fabulous.
""We could throw [them] into the show so weren't doing totally all covers. We didn't worry about learning new songs all the time.
""Linda used to do a drum solo which used to raise the roof and they absolutely loved her doing that.""
women also found the attitude abroad towards them quite different, facing less sexism when they travelled to Spain, the Azores and Turkey, proving popular wherever they went. 
In 1967, the band were offered a contract for a nightclub residency in Mexico City, where the Olympic Games were to be held in 1968.
Despite being offered six months, they stayed for a year, living in an apartment and travelling to Acapulco on days off. 
rubbed shoulders with Hollywood. One evening, a rumour went around that film star Steve McQueen was there. 
During a break, Sarah slipped out to see if she could glimpse The Great Escape star, before feeling a tap on her shoulder. 
""I turned and he said 'Hi, my name's Steve. I saw you guys playing. You're great, what are you doing here?'""
She had to get back on stage, but - although the band would not initially believe her - McQueen arranged to meet the quartet afterward.
went to an all-night dinner together, and Sarah said, he was ""so interested in us"" and ""wanted to know what four Welsh girls were doing here"". 
ut a record while in Mexico to be sold in the club.
""In the UK people would spend weeks, months, longer, making an album. We did it in a day,"" Sarah laughed.
work visas for the USA, but American businessmen who befriended the girls paid for them to come to San Francisco to perform in a charity concert.
""To come home and say to people we've been to San Francisco, in '68, '69 - it was a massive time for flower power and all the stuff that was going on there.""
Encouraged by a visiting UK singer who said they should be back in the UK ""being a big hit"", they returned home, changed their name to The Jonson Sisters and appeared on the popular talent show Opportunity Knocks, which had 20 million viewers.
""We did go on and amazingly we won,"" said Sarah. ""We started to think, maybe this is it, maybe it's going to happen. We had lots and lots of work, we went up and down the country.""
were also offered a record contract, but despite cutting tracks at Rockfield studios in Monmouth in 1971, the producer told them he still could not sell the idea of a girl band to the big record companies.
After eight years together, things were also changing within the band. 
""Linda was married, Maggie was engaged, I think Maria was engaged, I was seeing the guy who was our road manager. We had other people to consider where we went and what we did.""
r final appearance was at Cardiff's New Theatre panto in the winter of 1971-72. 
remained friends, even attempting a comeback in the late 70s as Honky Tonk Women and Sarah later became a solo performer. 
David Taylor, who runs Cardiff Music History, came across the band when doing research for his site.
He has not found any other all-women bands in Wales from that period.
""I think that's what I found interesting, that they were four girls from south Wales at a time when it was so totally dominated by men.
""And not just that they were four girls, but that the music is really good. They were a really good band.""
Fabs feature in the exhibition as part of Llais at Wales Millennium Centre, while Sarah will speak on an all-women panel there on Saturday.
During lockdown, she used the enforced time at home to write her memoir, titled Twenty Pairs of Pants and a Passport.
She said: ""It was the travelling that really made our lives so adventurous and exciting. 
""Yes, it was great to get up on stage, we loved it, but to find ourselves in Mexico, Acapulco, San Francisco - when we look back, that travelling actually was for us an unbelievable happening."""	/news/uk-wales-63313669
entertainment	A controversial number two in the Official Chart	Radio 1's Newsbeat explains the curious rise of a 73-year-old song to number two.	/news/entertainment-arts-63588451
health	Nottingham maternity review: About 1,000 people get in contact	"More than 750 families and over 200 staff have contacted an ongoing review of maternity services in Nottingham.
Midwife Donna Ockenden is leading a review into failings by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.
One of the families that fought alongside others for the review to take place said the numbers of people coming forward meant that parents who had felt ignored now had a voice.
rust said it was doing all it could to support the review.
review comes after dozens of babies died or were injured at hospitals run by the trust - the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital.
Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet died in 2016, have led calls for an inquiry into failings.
Mrs Hawkins said: ""We said at the time there was a problem and frankly nobody listened to us.
""We were made to feel so lonely as if we were an isolated case. That was the case for a lot of people and now we have all come together.
""That feeling like you are on your own is one of the worst feelings ever. I'd just like to reach out to people and say if there's anything we can do, they can contact us families directly too.""
Mr Hawkins added: ""We've been part of a team of families that have shared this load.
""There are now a lot of us and that gives us a voice.""
Ms Ockenden was approached by families in Nottingham after chairing a review into the deaths of more than 200 babies at Shrewsbury in what was the UK's biggest maternity scandal.
Letters have now been sent to more than 1,000 families identifying them as having cases relevant to the Nottingham review.
Ms Ockenden said receiving these letters may be difficult for some families, but she encouraged them to respond and give their consent to join the review.
""It is really important to say that families must respond, because otherwise we can't have access to their medical records,"" she said.
""Clearly the larger the number of families where my expert team are able to look at the care received, it will have implications for the success of review, but most importantly it will help maternity services in Nottingham improve.""
She also encouraged further current and former members of staff to get in contact, and reassured them they would be kept anonymous.
""I think that some staff will perhaps feel frightened, they won't necessarily want to speak up, they may feel perhaps this review 'isn't as confidential as Donna says it is',"" she said.
""I give you my word that all off the communication that comes through to our review team is only seen by our review team.""
A spokesperson for NUH said: ""We are committed to making the necessary and sustainable improvements to our maternity services and this is why we will continue to do all we can to support the work of the independent review.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63865668
health	Stroud: Women 'feel let down' by closure of postnatal beds	"Campaigners say they are receiving ""daily calls"" from women concerned about the suspension of a maternity unit's postnatal beds. 
Callers are said to be ""distressed"", ""angry"" and ""feeling let down"" by the changes at Stroud Maternity Unit. 
People can still give birth there but since October have been asked to leave within 12 hours.
rust says the move is due to a shortage of midwives and will be reviewed in January.
It also stressed it is committed to the long term future of the maternity unit. 
Kate Buckingham, chair of Stroud Maternity Matters, which represents patients and also works alongside the unit's midwives, said some women are choosing not to give birth at the unit.
""The accounts we hear from women is that they are distressed, they're angry and they're feeling let down,"" she said.  
""The beds have been part of their birth choices package and it's not just an optional extra or a satellite service. 
""This was core to their sense of empowerment and core to their sense that they would be able to birth in the way they wanted to.""
More than 6,800 people have signed a petition calling on the trust to reopen the six beds as a matter of urgency. 
Katerina Hasapopoulos, from Stroud, was hoping to recover in one of the beds after giving birth to her son Solomon in November, having used them after delivering her four older children.
""I've always stayed for a short period of time to get some respite and to recover from birth but most importantly to establish breastfeeding,"" she said.
""What about those who don't know what to expect and haven't breastfed before? 
""There's several new mums I know who have been sent home without knowing the basics of how to look after their child. 
""From how to change a nappy, to how to bathe baby, to different positions to breastfeed.""
Stroud's Conservative MP, Siobhan Baillie, used the postnatal beds after giving birth to both of her children, most recently in the summer. 
She said high-quality postnatal care is vital for women across Gloucestershire and the UK as a whole.
""It's not a fluffy issue, it's not a nice to have, it's not a luxury,"" she said. 
""For some women it's the difference of mental health recovery and their ability to not only parent their new baby but their other children. 
""And it can be life and death if maternity teams are able to spot things that are going on with the mother or the baby.""
She added she has raised the issue with the Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was previously reviewing the measure on a weekly basis but has now said it will not consider reopening the beds until January. 
Chief executive Deborah Lee said: ""Thanks to a range of targeted initiatives from our dedicated midwifery recruitment team we have made significant progress over the summer in recruiting new midwives, with 14 new starters in October and a further seven being offered places in November. 
""However, staffing remains very challenging due to a combination of sickness, maternity leave, Covid-related sickness and an ongoing national shortage of midwives. 
""Given that it is unlikely that staffing levels will change sufficiently to enable us to reopen the service in the coming weeks, we have decided to move from a weekly review pattern, to a review in January.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63920893
health	1 in 3 infected with HIV in blood scandal was a child	"Almost one out of every three people infected with HIV through contaminated NHS blood products in the 1970s and 80s was a child, research has found.
About 380 children with haemophilia and other blood disorders are now thought to have contracted the virus. 
w estimate was produced by the public inquiry into the disaster, after a BBC News report into the scandal.
In August, the government agreed to pay survivors and the partners of those who died compensation.
first interim payments of £100,000 per person were made last month. 
greement does not cover bereaved parents or the children of those who have died. 
A wider announcement on compensation is expected when the inquiry concludes, next year.
Between 1970 and 1991, 1,250 patients with blood disorders were infected with HIV in the UK when given Factor VIII - a new treatment that replaced the clotting protein missing from their blood.
About half died before life-saving antiretroviral drugs became available.
f thousands of others are believed to have been exposed to hepatitis, which can cause liver failure and cancer, through the same treatment or a blood transfusion.
Previous estimates for the number of children infected were based on documents referenced in the national archives. 
files, from November 1990, showed at least 175 children infected with HIV had qualified for a financial settlement after bringing a legal action against the Department of Health.
But after BBC News reported that figure, in October, staff at the public inquiry worked to produce a more accurate estimate. 
And they have now concluded, based on three separate sources, about 380 children were infected.
When the new estimate was read out at the public inquiry, there was an audible gasp from some survivors and relatives.
Richard Warwick was infected with HIV and two forms of hepatitis as a young boy. 
He was one of more than 120 pupils with haemophilia at Treloar College, a specialist boarding school in Hampshire, in the 1970s and 80s. 
At least 72 of them died after being given contaminated blood products at a centre run by NHS staff on the school site.
""We lost so many friends from Treloar's - it was absolutely heartbreaking,"" Mr Warwick told BBC News. 
His medical records show he first tested positive for HIV in December 1984, aged 19, but was not told about the diagnosis for another three years. 
""We have now been bombarded with so many horrible statistics that it gets to the point where it starts to wash over you,"" he said. 
""We can't bring those friends back - but we can still try and get answers for the families of the children who have died.""
UK was not self-sufficient in blood products in the 1970s and 80s, so Factor VIII concentrate was often imported from the United States.
Each batch was made from the blood plasma of thousands of donors. 
Drug companies in the US paid donors - including some in high-risk groups, such as prisoners and drug users.
And if just one was HIV positive, the virus could be transmitted.
Haemophilia Society chief executive Kate Burt said: 'We know that some very young children with bleeding disorders were given high-risk factor-concentrate treatment from mid-1983 onwards, which went against guidance at the time. 
""As a result, some parents have had to live with the unbearable question of whether their child's death or infection could have been prevented.""
You can follow Jim on Twitter."	/news/health-63569463
health	North West Ambulance Service still extremely busy - director	"An ambulance service has issued another urgent plea to think before calling 999 and 111 while crews face a ""significant"" amount of calls.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said in the past day, the 111 service mainly been contacted about repeat prescriptions and sore throats.
It said crews were ""extremely busy"" after severe weather and handover delays caused problems on Monday.
""We are not where we want to be yet,"" operations director Ged Blezard said.
An NWAS representative said as of Tuesday afternoon, there were more than 300 patients waiting for an ambulance, which had reduced from 600 at 17:00 GMT on Monday. 
more than 40 emergency vehicles were waiting at hospitals to hand over patients.
NWAS was grateful to the public for using the 999 service for only life-threatening emergencies, but people needed to think carefully before contacting the 111 service.
majority of conditions people were calling with could be assessed and supported by the NHS's online service. 
Mr Blezard said NWAS's ability to respond to patients ""as quickly as we would like is still an issue"".
He said the problems were ""mainly due to the continued severe weather and hospital handover delays"", which were tying up crews at hospital sites and ""making it difficult to get to other vulnerable people in the community"". 
""We urge the public to continue to follow our guidance on when to use our services,"" he added.
""We are not where we want to be yet and supporting patients with life-threatening conditions remains our priority.""
Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was ""shocking"" that it was ""no longer the case that patients can call 999 safe in the knowledge that an ambulance will arrive at all, let alone on time"". 
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said previously that ambulance delays represented ""a material risk"" and stressed it was important to fix the flow of patients through hospitals.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ""These levels of performance are clearly unacceptable, and patients deserve access to the highest-quality urgent and emergency care. 
""That is why we are prioritising health and social care with up to £14.1 billion over the next two years, on top of record funding.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-lancashire-63958818
health	Cancer mRNA vaccine completes pivotal trial	"Researchers say they have successfully completed a trial of a personalised cancer vaccine that uses the same messenger-RNA technology as Covid jabs.
xperimental vaccine, made by Moderna and MSD, is designed to prime the immune system to seek and destroy cancerous cells. 
Doctors hope work such as this could lead to revolutionary new ways to fight skin, bowel and other types of cancer.
Moderna and MSD called it ""a new paradigm"" moment. 
Other pharmaceutical companies are looking to run similar studies. 
But this is the first phase-IIb randomised clinical trial to test the investigational mRNA vaccine in patients. 
Could Covid vaccine technology crack cancer? 
Patients taking Keytruda for advanced melanoma were less likely to die, or have the skin cancer reoccur, if they also had the jab, mRNA-4157/V940, Moderna and MSD said.
findings, in 157 patients, have not yet been scrutinised by independent experts or regulators. 
More trials will be needed to check how effective the treatment might be. 
Moderna's chief medical officer Paul Burton said: ""This is a significant finding. It's the first randomised-trial testing of an mRNA therapeutic in cancer patients. 
""It's shown a 44% relative reduction in the risk of dying of cancer or having your cancer progress. That's an important finding and I think it has the potential to be a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer patients.""
rmade to match each patient's cancer, the vaccine is very expensive to make - although, the company has not named a price.
Prof Alan Melcher from The Institute of Cancer Research said: ""There's no question, this is very exciting. These results show the feasibility of making and delivering personalised vaccines to treat cancer, and that the vaccine can add benefit to current treatments.
""These results establish the principle that this complex technology is doable.""
Consultant colorectal surgeon at the University of Birmingham Mr Andrew Beggs said: ""Although early data, it is very encouraging that this is a likely effective treatment option in the future. 
""This advance is likely to have important implications for metastatic cancer patients in the future and opens a new therapeutic avenue for these patients.""
Dr Sam Godfrey from Cancer Research UK, said: ""There is unlikely to be a single cure for cancer and we must focus on ways to tailor treatment for patients. These results are grounds for optimism that the science which helped get us out of the pandemic could add another powerful treatment option for cancer in the future."""	/news/health-63959843
health	Out-of-hours GPs facing most difficult Christmas ever, says BMA	"It has been the most difficult Christmas on record for out-of-hours GP services, a senior doctor has said.
Northern Ireland Chair of the British Medical Association (BMA), Dr Tom Black, said record numbers of patients were attending GP services.
Southern Trust said its out-of-hours department was prioritising urgent calls.
On Christmas Eve, Western Urgent Care received 640 calls - up from 158 calls last year, Dr Black said.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, he said the health service had been overwhelmed. 
""It has been for the last two months,"" he said. ""Since September we've really struggled to keep things going.""
Dr Black said emergency departments have also been very busy.
Almost 800 people were waiting to be seen at EDs at midday on Wednesday, according to Health and Social Care figures. 
Some 333 patients were waiting for more than 12 hours. 
Dr Black said Wednesday was set to be ""the busiest day we've ever seen"" and warned people to only visit EDs in an emergency. 
""It's a shared resource,"" he said.
""We all pay for this through our taxation and we all understand you can't be pushing to the front of the queue because you've got a sore toe - we have to look after the vulnerable people in our society, particularly today.""
Dr Black said a number of different factors were to blame for the pressures being felt across the health service, including strep A, Covid-19, flu and respiratory viruses and vomiting bugs.
""We've seen a confluence of an extraordinary number of infections peaking at this time, all different things - we haven't seen anything like it before.
""We knew coming out of Covid it would be more difficult but we didn't expect this to be so severe.""
He said the situation has meant healthcare staff have been forced to prioritise patients.
""I think that's what we'll have to do for the next few months,"" he added.
""We don't have enough resources to see everybody with a sore throat or a cough - we're trying to make sure the most vulnerable and the sickest are being seen.""
ressures facing Northern Ireland's health service have been well documented. 
Earlier in December, the BBC News NI was given access to the emergency department at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
Staff said they were treating the acutely unwell in areas which were ""overcrowded and undignified"" and a senior consultant likened the scenes to ""battlefield"" medicine.
In August the British Medical Association warned almost 100 GP practices in Northern Ireland had sought emergency support or were in crisis.
Meanwhile, a consultant at Londonderry's Altnagelvin hospital said the emergency department there has been ""utterly overrun with patients"".
""I have just done a round of the A&E here and there are 50 patients and 34 cubicles,"" Dr Paul Bayliss told BBC Radio Foyle on Wednesday morning.
""More often than not when I pick up their notes it says 'has been unwell for five or six days'. There are more people here than there is physical space to accommodate them,"" he said.
He urged people with non-urgent conditions to stay away.
""If it isn't an emergency then this isn't the place to come at this time because we are talking 12 hours (wait).
""I am sorry the service is so poor but we are really flat to the mat with emergencies only and doing our very best for the people who are really, really sick,"" he said."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-64080298
health	Strep A: 'For the majority, the symptoms are mild'	"Public Health Agency (PHA) is asking parents to be vigilant after the death of a five-year-old Belfast girl from an illness linked to the bacterial infection strep A.
Stella-Lily McCorkindale became severely ill last week and was treated at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. She died on Monday.
Black Mountain Primary School said she was ""a bright and talented little girl"".
Speaking to BBC News NI, the PHA's Dr Philip Veal said parents concerned about their child should contact their GP.
Read more: Five-year-old girl dies from illness linked to bacterial infection"	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63881824
health	Strep A: Parents say son misdiagnosed before death	"family of a boy who died of an invasive form of strep A have said they sought medical help three times before he was admitted to hospital.
Jax Albert Jefferys, who attended Morelands Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire, died on 1 December, aged five. 
His family said they were initially told he had flu.
Since September, UK Health Security Agency figures show 15 UK children have died after invasive strep A infections.
Paying tribute to their ""darling son"", Jax's family said they had sought medical advice on three occasions during the four days leading up to his death and were told that he was suffering with influenza A.
""We then followed the recommended course of action: to administer a proprietary paracetamol-based medication in the prescribed dosage,"" they said in a statement. 
However, they said on the fourth day Jax's condition ""deteriorated so much"" they ""rushed him to hospital"" and he later died. 
""Only after his death was it confirmed that the cause was [strep A],"" the family said. 
""We would dearly like to express our deepest thanks to all the hospital staff who did their utmost to save Jax.
""We sincerely ask that people respect our privacy at this time."" 
Earlier this month, Alison Syred-Paul, head teacher at Morelands Primary School, urged parents to know the signs of the strep A bacterial infection. 
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) the infection usually causes a sore throat, scarlet fever or skin rash and is passed by physical contact or through droplets from sneezing or coughing.
But in ""very rare occasions"" the bacteria causing scarlet fever could get into the bloodstream and cause an illness which can be ""very serious"", UKHSA warns. 
According to the World Health Organization, influenza A is one of four types of seasonal influenza viruses. 
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health	SWAH surgical applicants did not meet criteria, trust says	"No applicants for vacant consultant general surgeon positions at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen ""met the shortlisting criteria"", the Western Trust has said.
Last month, emergency general surgery was temporarily withdrawn from SWAH.
rust said this was necessary to protect the public's safety after it had problems recruiting surgical staff.
Earlier, the trust confirmed it received a number of applications for four vacant posts. 
Western Trust medical director Dr Brendan Lavery said it was ""unfortunate"" that none of the applicants met the essential criteria.
jobs were advertised as trust-wide, which covers Londonderry, Omagh and Enniskillen.
Dr Lavery said the trust would look at re-advertising the posts and begin another round of recruitment in early 2023.
He said he was unable to give any specific information about what criteria the applicants did not meet, but that the essential shortlisting criteria were ""relatively typical of all general surgical jobs across the UK"". 
Patients requiring emergency general surgery are taken to Altnagelvin, Craigavon or Sligo.
f surgery relates to the treatment of patients with conditions such as acute abdominal pain, infections, bleeding and trauma.
It includes operations such as removal of a gall bladder, appendix or part of the bowel.
If left unattended, these conditions could become life-threatening.
mergency department and other services at SWAH, including obstetrics, continue to operate as normal.
Other, mostly lower-grade, surgeons remain on site, and stabilise patients before they are transferred to other hospitals by ambulance.
rust said that in the first week of reduced operations, 12 patients were transferred from SWAH to Altnagelvin.
were all admitted directly to a ward where there are ""ring-fenced"" beds for SWAH patients.
Dr Lavery said the majority did not require emergency surgery but ""ongoing patient management and investigation"".
rust said the majority of acute services at SWAH are unaffected and the emergency department will continue to treat more than 90% of people who attend.
Dr Lavery revealed there had been no decrease in the numbers attending the emergency department and there was no desire to downgrade services.
""We need that department to continue to see the 110 to 120 patients that it does on a daily basis,"" he added.
Save Our Acute Services campaign group, which has staged a number of demonstrations against cuts to hospital services, has raised concerns that tens of thousands of people could be left with too far to travel for treatment if services at the hospital are downgraded.
It said its research group had concluded that if SWAH was to lose its emergency department, 58,607 people in County Fermanagh would be left outside the ""golden hour"" for providing life-saving treatment.
group said it had studied statistical sources as well as mapping data to analyse the increase in journey times and distance.
It added that people in Fermanagh would need to travel an extra 37 miles (60km) on average, and the roads infrastructure and levels of deprivation need to be considered.
But Dr Lavery said there was ""a huge misconception"" about the golden hour which he described as ""a very outdated concept"".
He claimed it had been used ""in an inappropriate way"".
""Effectively the golden hour, as it was talked about, it comes from the 1980s and is to do with trauma management, absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with general surgery,"" he added
He also said that the trust had been in discussions with the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Air Ambulance to treat SWAH as a special case if required to transfer patients to the regional trauma centre in Belfast."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63949938
health	Leicester hospitals declare critical incident	"Hospitals in Leicester have declared a critical incident due to ""high levels of patient attendance"". 
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said it was also down to challenges with ambulance handovers and difficulties discharging patients.
rust runs the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield and General hospitals in the city.
Health bosses urged patients to phone 111 for medical concerns that are not life-threatening.
Chief Nurse Julie Hogg said: ""The safety of patients and the wellbeing of our colleagues remain our top priorities as we work to care for the people who need us.
""As we approach the New Year Bank Holiday weekend, we urge people to call or go online to NHS 111 if a medical need is not life-threatening. 
""This ensures that you get to the right place of care for your needs and the emergency department is available for those who need it.""
Earlier this month, health bosses said accident and emergency services in Leicester had seen record-breaking levels of patients with 1,000 patients arriving one day in December, against an average of 600 to 700.
rusts in neighbouring Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have also declared critical incidents for the second time in as many weeks.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64126868
health	Northampton Town FC wins award for loneliness project	"A football club's community trust has won an award for its project to tackle loneliness.
Northampton Town FC Community Trust received the More than Football Award, which honours the best social initiatives in the sport across Europe.
rust developed the project during the first Covid lockdown to support older fans who were at risk of experiencing loneliness and isolation.
Club chairman Kelvin Thomas said he was ""exceptionally proud"".
roject began with a small team conducting phone call check-ins.
More than 1,200 people were contacted and it expanded to online quizzes, pen-pal schemes and socially distanced conversations.
roject now provides activities and opportunities for people to get together in person.
""To win this European wide award is simply unbelievable,"" Mr Thomas said.
""This particular project was a club wide effort and I am so, so proud of everyone involved.
""I made a number of calls myself so I know the impact the calls had.
""We have always felt this club has fantastic community engagement but to see that work honoured on both a national and international scale makes us all exceptionally proud.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-63647258
health	Derby puppy that survived parvovirus home for Christmas	"A puppy that nearly died after contracting a virus will be spending his first Christmas with his family at home.
Ralph the cavapoo was just over eight weeks old when he was taken to Scarsdale Vets in Derby with diarrhoea and unusual behaviour.
He was quickly diagnosed with having parvovirus and was ""very touch and go"".
His owner Rebecca Dean said having their ""little fighter"" home would make it a good Christmas.
Mrs Dean, 29, said they had only had Ralph - a cavalier King Charles spaniel/poodle cross - for 24 hours before taking him to the vets on 25 September. 
She said: ""We noticed that he had constant diarrhoea and sickness, not eating and just not being a puppy.
""He started collapsing next to his water bowl.""
Seamus O'Cathail was one of the vets that treated Ralph.
He said: ""It was very quickly identified that he was infected with parvovirus.
""Parvovirus is an intestinal virus - it attacks the small intestines of a dog. Typically it affects young dogs, puppies would be most at risk.
""They can die very quickly from an infection if they're not properly treated.""
Ralph spent about 10 days in intensive care and was very close to developing sepsis.
Mr O'Cathail added: ""For a lot of that time he was very touch and go.""
Mrs Dean said it was ""quite scary"" for her family and she had to explain to her children that Ralph might not be coming home.
However, after a long stay at the vets, Ralph did get better.
Mrs Dean said having him at home this Christmas would be special.
""He's our little fighter. He's got plenty of Christmas presents - he is a very spoilt little doggie.
""It's going to be a very good Christmas,"" she added.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-derbyshire-63971289
health	Respite caravan funded by Shropshire children's cancer charity	"A charity has raised £70,000 to fund a static caravan to offer breaks to families with children affected by cancer. 
Shropshire's Harry Johnson Trust says the caravan gives children and their families the opportunity to get away and spend quality time together. 
It can also be used by bereaved parents as well as local hospital medics in need of respite.
rust was founded in 2014 following the death of a seven-year-old.
Harry Johnson died after a nine-month fight with double-hit non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
His parents Sally and Stephen Johnson work with volunteers to raise funds for a range of projects helping those in care of the oncology team at Princess Royal Hospital, Telford. 
""The last few years have been tough financially for everyone, so being able to raise enough to fund Harry's House is wonderful and we would like to thank our supporters, old and new, for continuing to help us help these amazing children,"" said Mrs Johnson. 
""The caravan will provide much needed breaks for so many people and we know it will be a welcome, fun and safe place for children and families to spend time with their loved ones.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-shropshire-63819676
health	Immensa lab errors may have led to 23 Covid-19 deaths	"Staff mistakes in a private laboratory may have caused 23 extra deaths from Covid-19.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) made the claim in a report into errors at the Immensa lab in Wolverhampton.
It said as many as 39,000 positive results were wrongly reported as negative in September and October 2021.
mistakes led to ""increased numbers of [hospital] admissions and deaths"", the report, published on Tuesday, concluded.
usands of people, many in the South West, were wrongly told to stop testing after their results were processed by Immensa.
Wolverhampton laboratory was used for additional testing capacity for NHS Test and Trace from early September 2021, but testing was suspended on 12 October following reports of inaccurate results.
Experts said high case rates in some areas were down to people unwittingly infecting others when they should have been isolating.
UKHSA experts said the mistakes could have led to as many as 55,000 additional infections in areas where the false negatives were reported.
""Each incorrect negative test likely led to just over two additional infections,"" the report said.
""In those same geographical areas, our results also suggest an increased number of admissions and deaths.""
Immensa was paid more than £100m to carry out Covid testing for the NHS during the pandemic.
UKHSA said a total of about 400,000 samples had been processed at the lab in Wolverhampton.
""The cause [of the mistakes] was the incorrect setting of the threshold levels for reporting positive and negative results of PCR samples for Covid-19,"" said the UKHSA.
""Based on background infection rates in different population groups at the time, UKHSA estimated that this error could have led to around 39,000 results being incorrectly reported as negative when they should have been positive.""
Richard Gleave, UKHSA director and lead investigator, said: ""We have concluded that staff errors within Immensa's Wolverhampton laboratory were the immediate cause of the incorrect reporting of Covid-19 PCR test results in September and October 2021.
""It is our view that there was no single action that NHS Test and Trace could have taken differently to prevent this error arising in the private laboratory.""
Jenny Harries, UKHSA chief executive, said: ""I fully accept the findings and recommendations made in this report, many of which were implemented as soon as UKHSA discovered the incident.
""These ongoing improvements will enhance our ability to spot problems sooner where they do arise.""
When asked whether the UKHSA would be taking legal action against Dante Labs, the owners of Immensa, Dr Harries said: ""The contract ceased anyway shortly afterwards and it clearly hasn't been renewed, there is a legal case proceeding and you'll understand I can't comment on that in detail, but it is fair to say we are pursuing or rights under the contract."" 
Dante Labs have been contacted for comment.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-63795285
health	RSV and flu: Parents 'panic' amid Canada shortage of children’s pain meds	"In early November, as temperatures in Toronto, Canada fell below freezing, Natalia Timofeeva's eight-year-old son, Alex, came down with a fever.
fever itself was pretty routine, said Ms Timofeeva, a 47-year-old single mother living in Canada's biggest city. But this time, when Alex's temperature climbed - reaching 40C (104F) - she ran out of medicine.
Ms Timofeeva went to a Shoppers Drug Mart - the largest pharmacy chain in the country - and found empty shelves. 
""They explained to me that the entire chain doesn't have Tylenol,"" she said. ""And they said don't even try other drugstores, because they all have the same supplier."" 
For months, Canada has faced a shortage of children's ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Advil and Tylenol), leaving parents desperate and without medication amid a nationwide surge of respiratory viruses. 
week, Canada's federal health agency said it had secured a foreign supply of children's acetaminophen to help curb demand. But the agency would not say when, exactly, these shipments will arrive or how much will be delivered, doing little to calm parents with the worst of flu season still to come. 
Observers say the intense demand for painkillers has been spurred by an unusual jump in viral infections among children - primarily coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), all three of which produce fevers in young children.
""We're seeing this rapid rise in kids getting sick,"" said Kelly Grindrod, a licenced pharmacist and professor at the University of Waterloo. 
Part of the jump, Dr Grindrod said, is because Covid restrictions helped limit the spread of other viral illnesses, meaning a large cohort of children who have not been exposed before are getting sick all at once. 
""Respiratory virus season is challenging anyway, and now it seems to be even worse,"" she said. 
Parents have been left to scramble for the dwindling supply, relying on networks of friends and family to track down available medication before the shelves are cleared out. 
In recent weeks, Toronto Mommies, a parenting Facebook group with more than 23,000 members, has been dominated by pleas for the medication, as well as posts from anyone who has a ""sighting"" of one of the drugs. 
""There's panic, there's fear and there's worry,"" said Alisa Fulshtinsky, the group's founder. ""And parents don't know how long it's going to last."" 
For Ms Timofeeva, the hunt for medication involved a frenzied search of six drug stores over two days. 
""It was just helplessness,"" she said. ""And then your mind keeps looking: 'What else can I do?'""
She eventually found a specialised pharmacist who could compound the drugs and make her a generic version. 
Still, it's an expensive solution. Compounded products can cost C$60 to $100 ($45 to $75; £38 to £64) - compared to around C$10 for an average box - and typically expire within two weeks. 
medication shortage has also put added strain on an already overwhelmed children's health system. Emergency rooms and intensive care systems have been running over capacity for weeks, and wait times can reach 13 hours. 
At the largest paediatric hospital in the country, Toronto's SickKids, surgeries last week were limited to prioritise urgent procedures as its ICU ran at 127% capacity for several days in a row, with about half of intensive care patients on a ventilator.
""We are seeing an unprecedented stretch and pressure to the health system, especially in the paediatric realm,"" said Dr Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University Health Network in Toronto. 
rug shortage is making it worse, he said. 
""If you don't have the tools to care for your child at home... it might lead to a more ill child, and it might culminate in a visit to an emergency department."" 
rain is especially concerning given the time of year, he said. 
""Yes, we hear foreign shipments are coming, but today they're just not here,"" he said. ""What are people supposed to do today?"""	/news/world-us-canada-63656978
health	Hong Kong to scrap almost all its Covid rules	"Hong Kong is dropping almost all its Covid restrictions this week, following a similar move by mainland China.
From Thursday, people arriving in the city - a special administrative region of China - will no longer have to do mandatory PCR tests.
m will also be scrapped - but compulsory masks in public places will continue. 
It is a dramatic move by the city, which once had some of the toughest restrictions in the world. 
Also being scrapped from Thursday is the rule that limits the number of people allowed to gather outside to 12. 
was increased from four people in October as part of measures to begin reopening the city.
Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, cited high vaccine rates as one of the reasons for lifting restrictions. 
According to government figures, 93% of the population have had two vaccine doses, while more than 83% have received three.
But only 64% of people over 80 - the most vulnerable age group - have had three doses.
Unlike mainland China, which has developed its own vaccines, Hong Kong has also used mRNA vaccines - including the BioNTech jab made in Germany - that have been shown to be more effective.
""Hong Kong has a sufficient amount of medicine to fight Covid, and healthcare workers have gained rich experience in facing the pandemic,"" Mr Lee said on Wednesday.
""The society has established a relatively extensive and overall anti-epidemic barrier.""
Mr Lee added that instead of the vaccine pass, which has limited access to public places for unvaccinated since it was introduced in February, the city would take ""more targeted measures"" - including promoting vaccination for the elderly and children. 
More than 11,000 people have died with Covid in Hong Kong, according to official numbers, from more than 2.5m cases.
Since the pandemic began, the city has largely followed mainland China's lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a ""zero-Covid"" strategy. 
riticised by some residents and business owners - who said the policy damaged Hong Kong's economy and international standing.
rapping of the Hong Kong's Covid restrictions comes weeks after mainland China made a similar move following landmark protests against the strict controls. 
On Monday and Tuesday, Beijing announced further plans to ease travel restrictions. Hong Kong has said that it will fully reopen its borders with the rest of China before mid-January.
mainland is currently experiencing a surge in cases, with reports suggesting hospitals are overwhelmed and elderly people are dying. 
Hong Kong is part of China and is governed by the ""one country, two systems"" principle, but Beijing has tightened control in recent years.
From May: How Hong Kong's 'cage men' were hit hard by Omicron"	/news/world-asia-china-64107851
health	Birmingham Children's Hospital warns of long A&E waits	"A children's hospital trust says it is under ""significant, sustained pressure"" due to high levels of respiratory infections.
Birmingham Women and Children's trust said it had seen an ""unprecedented"" rise in patients in the emergency department at its children's hospital.
A number of units were also reporting a lack of beds for admissions, it said.
Letters are being sent via Birmingham schools to parents and carers in a hope it will help ease pressure.
Nationally, parents are being urged to get their children a flu vaccine after a 70% jump in hospital admissions of patients under five. 
In its letter, the Birmingham NHS trust said: ""The children's hospital emergency department is incredibly busy - those who are not seriously ill will face very long waits to be seen and may need to go elsewhere for help.
""Remember, the children's hospital emergency department can't help with dental or eye issues. For an eye emergency, please attend the Midland Eye Centre at Dudley Road.""
Dr Fiona Reynolds, chief medical officer at the trust, said: ""Our emergency department has been under significant pressure due to high levels of respiratory infections locally and unprecedented attendances.
""The trust has been asking everyone to help by sharing some key advice to children, parents and carers to ease the pressure on staff who are working incredibly hard.""
udes viewing the trust's virtual consultations to get advice on the most common reasons people come to the department, visit Healthier Together, a website recommended by doctors which has advice and resources for parents and young people and visit 111 to answer questions about symptoms.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-birmingham-63824075
health	UK's most premature twins spend first Christmas at home	"A pair of ""miracle twins"" thought to be the UK's most premature to survive are spending their first proper Christmas at home.
Brother and sister Harry and Harley Crane, from Heanor in Derbyshire, were born at 22 weeks and five days and weighed just over 1lb 10oz each.
r parents spent last Christmas in hospital, with both babies breathing with the help of ventilators.
Mum Jade said: ""It's hard to put into words what this means to us.""
r were born on 26 October 2021 and were described by doctors as the size of Mars bars. 
Christmas in incubators at the neonatal unit at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Harry and Harley came through and they got to go home in March.
Both are healthy and looking forward to a large pile of presents from Santa. 
""I have to pinch myself sometimes now to think we're here with healthy, thriving babies, and defeated all the odds,"" mum Jade, 40, said.
""This time last year, we were in a completely different space with them. We didn't know if they would survive. 
""Here we are today with them not just surviving, but thriving. What a difference a year makes. 
""This Christmas means everything.""
Dad Steve, 53, said the couple felt ""incredibly blessed"" to spend their first proper Christmas together. 
""You can't help but relive last year, you're transported back to those difficult moments,"" he said. 
""But Christmas is about miracles and these are two living examples of that. We feel incredibly blessed to have them.""
uple, who had tried to have children for 11 years with several rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), said the novelty of having children still had not worn off. 
""I didn't think it would ever happen, so it's a pinch me moment all the time,"" Jade added.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook,  Twitter, or  Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64069996
health	Hospitals told to free up beds for ambulance strike	"Hospitals should free up beds to prepare for ""extensive disruption"" caused by ambulance staff strikes in England, NHS bosses have urged.
fely discharged where possible to enable ambulance staff to hand over patients.
Ambulance staff are to walk out on 21 and 28 December in a dispute over pay.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said freeing up more beds would be very difficult for hospitals to achieve.
""We don't hold up ambulances for fun,"" he told Radio 4's Today. ""It really is difficult. We always want ambulances to return to the front line as quickly as possible and we've been struggling to do this in the last three years.""
Asked what the solution was, he said it was not just provision of social care to enable elderly people to be discharged from hospital.
""We run our hospitals very tight compared to our European comparators,"" he said, adding: ""It's not just about social care but about making sure our hospitals are big enough to cope.""
rike by ambulance staff on 21 December comes the day after a nurses' strike.
""It's something that makes everyone who works in this sector pretty anxious,"" said Dr Boyle
-ordinated walkout in England and Wales by the three main ambulance unions - Unison, GMB and Unite - will affect non-life threatening calls only.
Unison, Unite and GMB are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.
walkouts will involve paramedics as well as control room staff and support workers.
In a letter addressed to hospital bosses, NHS chiefs in England have called for patients who complete emergency medical care to be moved out of emergency departments as quickly as possible. 
Measures, such as placing additional beds in hospitals and creating ""observation areas"" should be put in place to ensure that patients arriving by ambulance are handed over to A&E in less than 15 minutes, they said.
Sir David Sloman, NHS England's chief operating officer, wrote in the letter co-signed by national medical director for England Professor Sir Stephen Powis and chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May that plans should be in place by Monday, 19 December.
Some outpatient appointments could be cut back to allow senior medical staff to be redeployed to emergency departments. But NHS chiefs say ""every effort"" should be made to maintain urgent cancer diagnostics or cancer treatment, with rescheduling to be considered as a last resort. 
Ambulance handover delays in England have hit a new high, according to recent NHS data. Last week, one in six patients waited for more than an hour to be passed on to A&E teams. 
NHS Providers' interim chief executive Saffron Cordery also said reducing handover delays would be ""incredibly difficult to implement"" because of factors including staff absences and rising flu admissions. 
Ms Cordery said: ""We understand why ambulance staff have voted for industrial action but it's vital that the government and unions talk urgently to find a way to prevent this and further strikes from happening.""
r sent to NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards said bosses should create and co-ordinate plans on how to handle strike days by 19 December. 
Staff have been offered an average rise of 4.75%, with a guaranteed minimum of £1,400 - but the unions have asked for above-inflation pay rises.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said pay rises for ambulance workers and nurses were decided by independent pay review bodies.
Asked on Radio 4's Today how the government could afford to increase state pensions in line with inflation, but not NHS staff pay, Mr Shapps said: ""Nurses and ambulance workers would have a pay rise that was recommended independently which I think is the right way to do this.""
He said expectations for pay increases were greater since energy prices began rising and the subsequent high inflation rates, but people will ""all end up much worse off"" if ministers award inflation-busting pay rises.
Mr Shapps added that following the advice of the pay review bodies was ""right and proper"".
It is clear that NHS leaders are very concerned about the possible impact of the ambulance strikes planned for Wednesday 21 December and a more limited walkout a week later. 
r to hospitals urging rapid preparations, including moving as many medically fit patients as possible out, is evidence of that - with references to a ""very challenging period"" and involving ""extensive disruption"". 
A senior NHS England official Sir Jim Mackey has said that action by ambulance teams represented a completely different order of magnitude of risk compared to nurses strikes. Tuesday's second nurses strike will see thousands more appointments and procedures cancelled.
r from health leaders suggests there may have to be more postponements of appointments on Wednesday when ambulance staff go on strike in order to allow senior doctors to be redeployed to emergency departments.  All this with no sign of ministers and unions being in any hurry to start pay talks.
Following an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday, the prime minister's official spokesman said the number of ambulances available to attend calls would be reduced ""significantly"".
Armed forces could be deployed to hospital trusts ahead of the strikes, Downing Street has confirmed. 
Police Federation has also suggested police officers may also be called upon to drive ambulances.
Nurses took strike action on Thursday in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a dispute over pay.
Figures released by NHS trusts in England and Northern Ireland show at least 19,000 patients had their surgeries and appointments postponed because of strike.
Ministers had predicted that a larger number of around 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries would be lost.
Royal College of Nursing members are expected to walk out for a second time on 20 December 
If you work for the ambulance service do you plan to go on strike or not? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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health	People urged to think before 999 call or A&E visit in the South West	"People across the South West are being urged to choose the best healthcare options this Christmas when GP surgeries are closed.
NHS England South West said while dialling 999 was essential for life-threatening injury or illness, there was other help available.
Medical director Dr Michael Marsh said the NHS continued to face ""great pressure"".
He said most illnesses could be treated at home or with advice from a pharmacy.
Dr Marsh said: ""If you're unsure where to go, NHS 111 is there to help, whether online or on the phone.
""You can also help ease pressure by making sure your relatives can get home as quickly as possible if they're in hospital and staff say they're ready to go.""
NHS England South West said minor injury units and urgent treatment centres would be open for less serious accidents and illnesses.
Some GP practices will have appointments as usual on 24 December, but all will be closed on 25-27 December, before reopening on 28 December.
Speaking to BBC Spotlight, medical director at Torbay Hospital Ian Currie said: ""I think in the first instance, I can reassure viewers that if you have a serious medical illness, that we are here and we are able to treat you. 
""In the first instance, if you are worried, phone 111.
""If you're still worried, we're here, we're open, please come."" 
Mr Currie said he was confident staff at Torbay Hospital were ""motivated to provide the very best care"" they possibly could.
Plymouth's director of public health Dr Ruth Harrell urged people to take steps to reduce the spread of seasonal illnesses.
She said: ""I know this isn't what anyone wants to hear, but we are seeing lots of Covid-19 and flu cases as well as old-fashioned coughs and colds and the recent and well-publicised increases in strep-A infections.
""It's important to remember that even if something is 'just a cold', it can make us feel really miserable for a day or two which we would all want to avoid if we can. 
""And of course, for some of us, the risks of becoming really poorly are much higher, especially if a 'cold' turns out to be Covid-19 or flu.""
Dr Harrell said people who were feeling poorly should try to avoid other people and especially avoid crowded indoor spaces.
She said people should not visit elderly or vulnerable relatives if they felt even only mildly unwell and reminded anyone eligible for a Covid-19 booster they could still get it.
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-64064291
health	Climate of fear putting patients at risk, say doctors	"Whistleblowers at one of England's worst performing hospital trusts have said a climate of fear among staff is putting patients at risk. 
Former and current clinicians at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust allege they were punished by management for raising safety concerns, a BBC Newsnight investigation found. 
One insider said the trust was ""a bit like the mafia"". 
rust said it took ""patient safety very seriously"".
It said it had a ""high reporting culture of incidents"" to ensure accountability and learning. 
Staff concerns included a dangerous shortage of nurses and a lack of communication leading to some haematology patients dying without receiving treatment, an investigation by BBC Newsnight and BBC West Midlands found.  
rust - which is rated ""requires improvement"" by healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission - is one of the largest in the UK, with four hospitals serving more than two million patients a year. 
f 20 patients in the haematology department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is run by the trust, led to a review in 2017 by consultant Emmanouil Nikolousis. 
Mr Nikolousis, who left the trust in 2020, told the BBC he was shocked by the failings he found and believes patients' lives could have been saved.  
A report by Mr Nikolousis criticised a lack of ""ownership"" of patients and a lack of communication among senior clinicians. In some cases this led to patients dying without having received treatment, he said. 
""Certainly there should have been different actions done,"" he said. ""They could be saved. Certainly, when you don't have an action done, then you don't really know the outcome.""
""All these diseases in haematology, they're highly complex…they require immediate management and they require ownership of the patient. And quite a lot of times they require coordination of the teams, and that certainly hasn't happened.""
Mr Nikolousis said he felt he had no option but to quit after his findings were ignored and his position was made ""untenable"". He left the NHS after 18 years. 
""They were trying, as they did with other colleagues, to completely sort of ruin your career,"" he said. 
Another clinician, who the BBC has agreed not to identify, said when they and other consultants raised safety concerns they would be ""punished quite quickly and quite harshly"".
""They will make all kinds of spurious investigations and they will try to intimidate you that way,"" the whistleblower said. 
In the past decade, the trust has referred 26 of its doctors to the General Medical Council, which can investigate a doctor's fitness to practise, a Freedom of Information Act request by an NHS safety campaigner found. In all cases the GMC took no further action. 
Eye surgeon Tristan Reuser was referred to the GMC in 2017, several months after raising concerns about a lack of nurses to support operations at the Heart of England NHS Trust, which merged with UHB in 2018. On one occasion he needed to perform emergency eye surgery, but there were no nurses to help and he resorted to using an untrained, non-clinical staff member to assist the procedure. 
He said that whistleblowers were subjected to ""victimisation and retribution using GMC referrals"". 
""I think my case particularly, I have no doubt that that was true,"" he said.
""If you criticise senior management, they'll have you.""
GMC took no further action against Mr Reuser, but issued a formal warning against the hospital's medical director David Rosser for not telling them the eye surgeon was a whistleblower. It said his conduct risked ""bringing the profession into disrepute and it must not be repeated"". Mr Rosser is now chief executive of UHB. He is due to stand down at the end of the year for another NHS role in the region. 
Mr Reuser won an employment tribunal for wrongful dismissal. 
Although the tribunal found that Mr Reuser was unfairly dismissed, the trust told the BBC that the tribunal did not support his claim that he was dismissed because of his whistleblowing and pointed to other whistleblowing doctors against whom they say no action was taken.
Mr Reuser said he remains worried that patients would suffer if senior management did not listen to criticism about safety issues. 
""Somebody has to speak up on behalf of the patients,"" he said. ""I felt a moral obligation to speak out about this, because what happens in Birmingham, what happens to Birmingham patients is just shocking."" 
In the 12 months from April 2020, there were 12 ""never events"" - serious safety incidents which should never happen if proper safety procedures are correctly implemented. That was the highest figure in the country for the period. The number fell to four in the following 12-month period. 
rust said: ""All patient safety concerns and incidents are rigorously investigated to prevent harm to our patients.""
It said there were well-established routes and support in place for staff to raise concerns, and it promoted and encouraged this. 
Additional reporting by Michele Paduano, Charlotte Rowles and Emily O'Sullivan. 
Have you been affected by issues covered in this story?  Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-england-63827648
health	Covid in China: Checks on visitors under review - UK defence minister	"UK government is reviewing whether to introduce Covid restrictions on visitors from China, the defence secretary has said.
Ben Wallace said the Department for Transport would take medical advice and talk to the Department of Health.
Earlier, an ex-health minister urged the government to consider testing arrivals from China for Covid.
A number of countries are introducing mandatory testing in response to China's coronavirus surge. 
Asked whether the government would consider restrictions, Mr Wallace said: ""The government is looking at that, it's under review, we noticed obviously what the US has done and India and I think Italy has looked at it.""
""We keep under review all the time, obviously, health threats to the UK, wherever they may be.""
Several countries - including the US, Japan, Italy and Malaysia - are now enforcing testing on visitors from China. 
follows a surge in cases in China after Beijing's decision to effectively end its zero-Covid policy.
UK Health Minister Will Quince said he knew that many people would be concerned ""about the news coming out of China"" and the government was taking the situation ""incredibly seriously"".
However, there was ""no evidence at this point of a new variant from China"", which he said would be the ""key threat"".
""At the moment the variant that is in China currently is already prevalent here in the UK.""
Meanwhile, the Scottish government said it currently has no plans to change travel requirements, and would continue to work with the UK Health Security Agency and other countries to ""monitor the spread of harmful variants"".
In 2019, 813,532 visas were issued to people wanting to travel to the UK from China. This dropped to less than 200,000 over the following two years, owing to Beijing's strict Covid border controls. 
re are concerns that a new variant may emerge in China and that international travel could quickly spread it. 
When there is lots of virus circulating in any population, there will be opportunities for it to change or mutate in potentially harmful ways.
Covid is circulating in lots of countries around the world. 
According to latest estimates for the UK, one in every 45 people in Britain is infected. 
Vaccines are saving lives but they can't stop infections. Instead, experts are tracking the virus and seeing if the vaccines need updating to be a better match for any significant new mutations. 
So far, science is keeping up with the virus and there are no particularly worrying new variants. 
Lord Bethell, who was health minister during the pandemic, told the BBC there was a good reason to look at testing people when they land, a policy Italy has adopted.    
""What the Italians are doing is post-flight surveillance of arrivals in Italy, in order to understand whether there are any emerging variants and to understand the impact of the virus on the Italian health system,"" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
""That is a sensible thing to do and something the British government should be seriously looking at.""
China is reporting about 5,000 cases a day, but analysts say such numbers are vastly undercounted - and the daily caseload may be closer to one million.
Prof Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said he did not think the current situation in China was likely to generate many more Covid cases in the UK or generally across the globe.
While China was in a ""dark"" and ""difficult"" place, the current evidence suggested the particular variant causing most infections in the country was ""very common elsewhere in the world"", he told BBC Radio 4's PM programme on Wednesday. The UK has seen many such cases since it appeared in the summer, he added.
On Wednesday, the US said a lack of ""adequate and transparent"" Covid data in China had contributed to the decision to require Covid tests from 5 January for travellers entering the country from China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Others have also announced restrictions:
On Thursday, Italy urged the rest of the EU to follow its lead and ensure Chinese arrivals were tested. However, the EU's disease agency said the surge in cases in China was not expected to impact members states and said screening travellers from China for Covid would be ""unjustified"".
Beijing's foreign ministry has said coronavirus rules should only be put in place on a ""scientific"" basis and accused Western countries and media of ""hyping up"" the situation.
China only announced on Monday its decision to end quarantine for arrivals - effectively reopening travel in and out of the country for the first time since March 2020. "	/news/uk-64116416
health	Nurses' strikes: Union warns of more action unless pay talks open	"Royal College of Nursing could announce a fresh wave of strikes if Health Secretary Steve Barclay does not agree to reopen pay negotiations. 
Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, the union's leader Pat Cullen said if the government continued to refuse to ""get in a room and talk"" then the dispute could escalate in the new year. 
UK government says the union's demands are unaffordable.
Nurses are already planning to strike on Tuesday. 
f thousands of nurses took industrial action across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday, with tens of thousands of patient appointments cancelled or postponed.
Union sources have told the BBC that if there is no move to reopen pay talks, then new strike dates will be announced before Christmas with a series of walkouts likely in January. 
f disruption could also increase, with nurses striking across more NHS trusts in England and for longer periods of time - perhaps over two consecutive days. Industrial action is also taking place in Wales and Northern Ireland. 
NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals, has urged ministers to act to avoid strikes in the new year which it said could be ""more severe"" and coordinated with other health unions. 
government said the nurses' demands for a 19% pay rise are unaffordable and it has followed the recommendation of an independent pay review body in setting wages.
Nurses got an extra 3% last year after the pandemic and another rise recommended by a pay review body.
Speaking outside a hospital in London on Thursday, the UK health secretary said the government was ""hugely grateful"" to nurses but the 19% pay rise they wanted was ""not affordable given the many other economic pressures that we face"".
Mr Barclay said three-quarters of trusts had not gone on strike that day and many nurses had continued working in areas excluded from the strike because of the risk to life.
Under strike rules, emergency care must still be provided during action, for example in intensive care and A&E, and urgent cancer treatment and dialysis should run as normal - which means the biggest impact will have been on routine services. These include planned knee and hip replacements and out-patient appointments.
Rebecca, a nurse striking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London on Thursday, said her job was ""too tiring, it's too much, it's just not safe for either the staff or the patients to continue the way it is now"".
Under-staffing was a major concern for Kelly Hopkins, who has been a nurse for 25 years in Liverpool, as well as the financial struggles of her colleagues.
""They're having to use food banks, they're coming in cold, they're going without food to feed their children, it's just crazy,"" she said.
Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay
In England and Wales, most NHS staff have received a pay rise of roughly £1,400 this year - worth about 4% on average for nurses.
uation in Northern Ireland meant there was a delay in processing the increase - but nurses should receive backdated payments before the end of the financial year.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) wants a larger rise, of 5% above the RPI inflation rate, which currently stands at 14%, saying its members have received years of below-inflation pay increases.
government says it has followed the recommendation of the independent NHS Pay Review Body, which said in July NHS staff should receive the £1,400 increase, with slightly more for the most experienced nurses.
RCN has criticised this body for not being independent enough. It is made up mainly of economists and human resources professionals.
Welsh ministers said they were unable to enter pay talks without extra funding from the UK government.
In Scotland, the RCN's strike action was ""paused"" after ministers made a fresh offer worth just over £2,200, or 7.5%, a year for most NHS staff. Nurses have been asked to vote on that deal, with results due next week. "	/news/health-63998488
health	Long Covid: Teen with long Covid misses two years of school	"A previously fit and healthy teenager has missed almost two years of school due to long Covid.
Hayden, from Elvington, near Dover, says his life ""completely changed"" after he caught Covid in December 2020.
15-year-old once enjoyed sports such as swimming and judo, but must now use a wheelchair, and is largely bedridden with symptoms such as severe fatigue. 
""I wake up every day and I'm really drained,"" he said.
""It's like I've woken up and I've run a couple of marathons."" 
His mother, Katherine, said it feels like no-one has been able to help her son. 
She said: ""It's like my child is on the subs bench and he's just watching his childhood being played out.""
Dr David Strain, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school and an expert on long Covid, said few facts were known about long Covid.
He added: ""We believe that long Covid for many people is caused by the virus not being cleared fully.""
f a ""significant flu-like illness"".
More than 2m people have experienced symptoms of long Covid, government figures show.
Within this figure, about 330,000 people say their day-to-day activities have been limited.
Katherine has started a Go Fund Me page in order to raise £20,000 to pay for specialist private treatment for Hayden.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-kent-63651536
health	Coroner warns of risks after Wymondham care home failures	"A coroner has warned of a risk of future deaths after a woman died weeks after a care home put the wrong person's details into her care plan.
Janice Hopper, 74, was taken to hospital from Windmill House, in Wymondham, Norfolk last January after she stopped taking fluids.
An inquest in November was told of failures at the home and delays in addressing them.
Runwood Homes Senior Living, which runs the home, has been asked to comment.
Mrs Hopper, who had Alzheimer's, had been admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with a fractured hip in December 2021 and was discharged to the care home on New Year's Eve.
However, two weeks later her condition deteriorated and she was readmitted to hospital, where she died on 12 February. 
Coroner Jaqueline Lake identified 12 issues of concern in a prevention of future deaths report largely relating to Mrs Hopper's care plan. 
Ms Lake stated some information in the plan was ""cut and paste"" from another resident's and contained ""several inaccuracies"". 
uded referring to her as ""a sociable man"" and that she enjoyed dining in the communal space, despite her being in Covid self-isolation at the time. 
roner also highlighted that a number of routine checks, including blood sugar levels for the diabetic, were not conducted in line with Mrs Hopper's care plan.
Records were also not completed correctly with some staff estimating her food and fluid intake rather than noting it accurately. 
An internal investigation by the care home had recommended a review of fluids and nutrition to be audited regularly and a ""lessons learnt"" document to be prepared for staff. However Ms Lake said there was ""no evidence these steps have been taken"".
At the inquest  Mrs Hopper's husband Christopher said the family felt his wife's short time at the home had worsened her Alzheimer's.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-63825426
health	Supreme Court says bill to ban anti-abortion protests at clinics is lawful	"A bill to ban anti-abortion protests at Northern Ireland health clinics does not ""disproportionately interfere"" with protesters' rights, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Former assembly member Clare Bailey developed the bill to set up so-called safe access zones outside clinics where abortions are carried out.
It was voted through the assembly in March by a majority of parties.
It was delayed from becoming law after the attorney general intervened. 
Northern Ireland is the first part of the UK to bring such legislation into place.
Attorney General Dame Brenda King referred the bill to the UK's highest court, asking judges there to determine whether part of the bill disproportionately interfered with the rights of people protesting against abortion.
It was the first time a piece of Northern Ireland legislation had been referred to the Supreme Court in this way.
gislation can now go on to become law, but it is not clear how long it will take to implement.
would make it an offence to protest against abortion within the zones, directly argue or harass people who may be attending the clinics or to obstruct access to the premises in question.
Dame Brenda King had asked the court to determine whether the bill was within the legislative competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Her concerns related to the omission of what is known as the ""reasonable excuse"" defence from the bill.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court President Lord Reed said judges had unanimously agreed that the legislation was within the assembly's competence. 
He said the bill had a ""legitimate aim"" and while it restricted the exercise of protesters' rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, the restrictions could be justified.
""It seeks to ensure women have access to advice and treatment relating to lawful termination of pregnancy under conditions which respect their privacy and dignity, and are not driven instead to less safe alternatives,"" said Lord Reed.
He said the legislation also protected staff working at health clinics from being intimidated, harassed or abused.
""The right to access healthcare and pursue employment are protected by article eight of the convention,"" Lord Reed said.
urt found the legislation balanced competing rights, concluding that as drafted the bill was ""justifiable"".
""The restrictions imposed are required to protect the rights of women seeking treatment or advice, and are also in the interests of the wider community, including other patients and staff of clinics and hospitals,"" Lord Reed added.
In October, MPs backed similar proposals for England and Wales but they are still going through Parliament.
In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the government will support plans to outlaw such protests outside health clinics.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission welcomed the court's ruling.
Chief commissioner Alyson Kilpatrick said it was a ""positive affirmation of women and girls' rights to protection from harassment"" when accessing abortion services.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill described the judgement as a step forward to protect patients and health workers.
Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw also said the judgement was a welcome step for women's rights and safe access to healthcare services was a fundamental right.
But the campaign group Abolish Abortion NI condemned the move.
""Today's Supreme Court judgement is nothing new,"" it said.
""Abortion clinic ministry has already saved lives in Northern Ireland and will continue to in spite of today's judgement.""
Ms Bailey, who began developing the legislation when she was first elected as a Green Party MLA in 2016, said the ruling came as a great relief.
""It's the best Christmas present ever,"" she said.
""We've been waiting for months in trepidation on the Supreme Court judgement on this bill and I think they've made the right judgement.
Department of Health said it had worked closely with Ms Bailey and welcomed the Supreme Court decision.
It said once the bill became law it would work with health trusts to ensure they could implement the new rules."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63886414
health	Covid-19: PM Modi cautions India amid China coronavirus surge	"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to start wearing masks again as the country steps up surveillance of Covid cases.
Mr Modi held a review meeting on Thursday amid a surge in cases in China which has put India on alert.
rime minister called for increased testing and encouraged a return to Covid-appropriate behaviour. 
India had relaxed its Covid rules, including mask-wearing, earlier this year after a drop in infection levels.
untry witnessed two deadly waves in 2020 and 2022 - and the government had come under heavy criticism for its handling of the second wave in the summer of 2021 when thousands died amid a lack of oxygen supplies and critical medicines.
At Thursday's meeting, Mr Modi asked states to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including a healthy supply of oxygen cylinders and ventilators.
While there was no reason to panic, the prime minister cautioned against complacency and urged citizens to take all necessary precautions. 
According to government data, India currently has only around 3,400 active coronavirus cases, but reports of the surge in China have created a sense of fear among many people. 
Over the past few months, India has reported four Covid-19 cases caused by BF.7, the Omicron subvariant linked to a spike in cases in China. 
- three in Gujarat state and one in Odisha - were detected in July, September and November and the patients have recovered, health officials have said.
Several experts have said that India does not have reason to panic.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has assured the people that no case of the Covid variant has been detected in national capital.
In the southern state of Karnataka, the government has made Covid tests mandatory for flu-like symptoms and said masks may soon be mandatory in closed spaces.
fficials have asked people to get vaccinated and take booster doses. Over 2.2 billion Covid vaccine doses have been administered so far in the country, but only 27% of the population have taken the booster dose - which India calls a ""precaution dose"" - so far. 
government said it had no plans yet to stop flights from countries where new cases were reported. But the country has resumed random testing of international travellers at the airports.
On Thursday, India's health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in parliament that though cases in China were rising, those in India were ""depleting"". He added that the ministry was closely monitoring new variants and advised states to increase genome sequencing.
On Twitter, the government also debunked a fake message circulating on WhatsApp regarding a subvariant of the Omicron strain.
Earlier this week, the federal government asked states to send samples of all Covid positive patients to labs runs by a health ministry forum which monitors various strains of Covid in India.
Mr Mandaviya also asked states to encourage people to follow social distancing and other rules during the upcoming festive season. Chief ministers of several states have been reviewing their preparedness to deal with infections if needed. "	/news/world-asia-india-64073259
health	Thornbury man facing final Christmas makes stem cell plea	"A man preparing for his last Christmas after being diagnosed with leukaemia has urged people to join the life-saving stem cell register.
Aerospace engineer Rob Hale was told he has just weeks to live.
33-year-old, from Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, initially thought he had long Covid but received the diagnoses last year.
Stem cell treatment gave him an extra 18 months of life and he now wants to encourage more people to donate.
Mr Hale said: ""When I was diagnosed I was told I only had a couple of weeks left but thanks to the chemo and the initial transplant it's got me about 18 months.
""I've been told now I've got a matter of weeks or months left to live.""
Mr Hale caught Covid in February 2021. When his symptoms persisted, he assumed he had Long Covid.
""I was tired, not eating properly, couldn't stop sleeping, was cold all the time and I had memory problems,"" he said.
wo months later, after visiting the doctors with a rash on his back, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
He then went through three cycles of what he describes as ""intense"" chemotherapy and spent four months in hospital in Bristol.
A bone marrow transplant followed in the summer, when stem cells were taken from a healthy donor to effectively reboot his immune system.
re is currently a shortage of stem cell donors from all backgrounds and particularly ethnic minority groups.
""Without people signing up they don't stand a chance,"" Mr Hale said.
His mother, Caron Hale, said: ""I can't say how proud I am. I'm amazed that he wants to do this and he wants to help other people.""
Donating stem cells is minimally invasive for the donor, and starts off with a cheek swab. 
When a match is found, the donor will have a few injections and will undergo a process similar to giving blood.
""You might not be saving lives but you can buy someone like me 18 months or a year,"" Mr Hale said.
""You're giving someone a chance, not just at life but having a little bit of time with their families.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-bristol-64085579
health	Gloucestershire midwives call for change in maternity services	"usands of people joined vigils across the country to highlight problems in maternity services.
Midwives and parents joined marches in Stroud and Gloucester, to protest against a ""staffing and safety crisis"".
A recent survey carried out by the the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shows more than half of staff are considering leaving the profession.
One Gloucester midwife said safer staffing to provide the best quality care was needed.
""We need urgent change to ensure the right quality of care for the people of this country,"" Sharon Newman said.
Dozens of March with Midwives vigils have been held nationwide to highlight issues with staffing and working conditions.
Midwife Maria attended the march in Gloucester.
""Maternity services are not going to improve unless we get the correct staff levels of staff, as well as the right investment and incentives for students to come into our profession,"" she said.
In the survey carried out by the RCM, it found 57% of midwives planned to leave the NHS in the next year.
""Midwives are being driven out of the NHS by understaffing and fears they can't deliver safe care to women in the current system,"" the RCM said.
urvey also found the highest level of dissatisfaction was among midwives who had worked for the NHS for five years or less.
Midwife Paige, from Gloucester, said: ""At the moment, we are providing the best care we can, to the best level we can.
""But it could always be better - we want people to have the very best care possible.""
A spokesperson for The Department of Health and Social Care, said: ""We value the hard work of midwives and are committed to supporting them.
""We are investing 127 million pounds into NHS maternity services to boost the workforce and improve neo-natal care.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63695827
health	Nottingham trust declares critical incident due to A&E pressure	"A hospital trust has cancelled a number of operations and declared a ""critical incident"" due to A&E pressures. 
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said a ""large number of very poorly people"" were turning up at A&E with flu and injuries associated with the cold weather. 
rust said the demand was ""causing very long waits"" for patients.
Despite some cancelled operations, day surgeries went ahead, hospital bosses said.
Nottingham University Hospitals medical director, Dr Keith Girling, said a number of planned operations, where patients require a stay in hospital, will be postponed to prioritise patients with the most urgent need.
""We regret that this will impact on patients who were due to receive planned care over the next few days and sincerely apologise to all those affected,"" he said. 
""These appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible. If we have not contacted you directly, please attend your appointment as planned.
""Our staff are working tirelessly during a period of exceptional pressure on our hospitals and I want to thank them for their continued hard work and dedication to our patients.""
NUH critical incident comes in a week during which two NHS strikes are planned.
Royal College of Nursing members are walking out on 20 December and East Midlands Ambulance Service is striking on 21 December.
Dr Girling told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that A&E was ""one in one out"".
""We have got a number of patients in the corridor and that's far from ideal,"" he said. 
""Very sadly, we have had to defer some operations today because we have had to use beds in some surgical wards for medical patients.""
Speaking of the strike action, he added: ""It's going to be a very difficult week, we are absolutely sighted of that.
""The teams are doing a fantastic job, they are working hard to give patients the best care they can.
""The big ask is if families can support patients that don't need social care as soon as they are ready to come out, that would be really helpful to us.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook,  Twitter, or  Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64030037
health	Wales' archbishops mourn the Queen in first joint Christmas message	"""It's an outrage that we're dependant on food banks""
Wales' Anglican and Catholic archbishops have mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth II in a first joint Christmas message. 
Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales, and Archbishop of Cardiff Mark O'Toole also noted the many struggles faced in 2022.
ghlighted the people still grappling with Covid-19, conflicts abroad and the cost-of-living crisis.
rchbishops also spoke of the kindness shown and friendships formed throughout a year of many hardships.
Both of Wales' archbishops are relatively new to their roles, with Mr John having been elected last December and Mr O'Toole selected by the Pope in April. 
""Over the past year we have met many challenges. People are still grappling with the effects of the coronavirus. We mourned the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,"" said the pair. 
""Conflicts rage on in many countries across the world. Compounding this, the cost-of-living crisis is pushing many deeper into poverty as they struggle with day-today living costs.""
However, despite the moments of ""difficulty and despair"", they said there had been ""flickers of light in the darkness"".
""The kindness of a neighbour continuing friendships that grew out of the pandemic, buying groceries for someone down the road. Millions of people honouring the memory of a selfless and dedicated Queen.
""Schools, churches and other community organisations welcoming refugees with open arms into their places of sanctuary. 
""Here in Wales especially we want to be known as a place of sanctuary, a land of peace.
""A Happy and Blessed Christmas to you all."" "	/news/uk-wales-64052465
health	James Paget hospital in Norfolk reintroduces masks	"A hospital has reintroduced masks for visitors and has urged people with cold and flu-like symptoms to stay away.
James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, said the measures were being introduced to protect patients.
Its website said: ""Seasonal illnesses - including the flu - are spreading in the community.""
rust said a surgical face mask was to be worn anywhere on hospital premises.
""Flu is highly infectious - and can be extremely dangerous to vulnerable patients.
""As such, people planning to come to the hospital to visit are urged to stay away if they have flu symptoms.""
Previously, masks were only needed in clinical areas such as wards.
It also encouraged vulnerable groups to get a flu jab. 
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-64117014
health	France makes condoms free for 18 to 25 year olds	"Young people in France will have free access to condoms from January, in a bid to minimise the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
French president announced the new health measure on Thursday at an event for young people's health.
Emmanuel Macron said young people would be able to collect them from pharmacies, and described the move as a ""small revolution in prevention"".
In 2020 and 2021 France experienced a 30% national increase in STI rates.
Mr Macron said France had educational challenges around sexual education. 
""We are not very good on this subject. The reality is very, very different from the theory,"" he said. 
w measure comes alongside other health initiatives targeting the spread of STIs and improving access to contraception. 
In 2018 the French government started reimbursing the costs of condoms to individuals, if purchased in a pharmacy with a prescription from a doctor or midwife.
Earlier this year the government made contraception free for all women up to 26 years old - a move that affected three million women. Contraception had previously been free for women and girls 18 or younger.
Mr Macron added in a tweet that Thursday's announcement will exist alongside other health measures. They include free emergency contraception for all women in pharmacies, and free STI screenings without a prescription, except HIV, to those under the age of 26."	/news/world-europe-63915467
health	Ambulance strike: Blame game escalates between unions and ministers	"Ambulance strike: Unions refused to work with us on national planning - Steve Barclay
Ministers and unions have clashed over who would be to blame for preventable deaths during ambulance strikes.
Unite boss Sharon Graham accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of telling ""a blatant lie"" when he said ambulance unions had ""taken a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients"".
Mr Barclay blamed unions for striking when the NHS was under significant pressure.
But the unions said he was at fault for refusing to negotiate on pay.
Paramedics, control room staff and support workers, who are members of the Unison, GMB and Unite unions, are striking across much of England and Wales on Wednesday. 
Unions representing ambulance workers want pay increases to keep up with the rising cost of living. They have not set a specific figure but argue any offer needs to be high enough to prevent a recruitment crisis. 
However, ministers say they will not negotiate on pay as they have met independent pay recommendations.
NHS bosses are warning patient safety cannot be guaranteed during the strike action, although unions say life-threatening callouts will still be responded to by an ambulance. 
rgue patients are already being put at risk due to waiting times, made worse by staff shortages. 
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Barclay accused ambulance unions of choosing to harm patients and making contingency planning more difficult. 
He said unions had refused to work with the government at a national level on how they would cover emergency calls during strike action. 
Unison said it was ""utterly shocked"" by the comments, while the GMB union said they were ""insulting"".
Mr Barclay later told BBC Breakfast ambulance unions had chosen to strike at a time ""when the system is already facing very significant pressure"" from increased flu and Covid admissions. 
Asked who would be responsible for any preventable deaths during the industrial action, he said: ""It is the trade unions who are taking this action at a point of maximum pressure for the NHS.""
But unions rejected Mr Barclay's claims. 
Ms Graham said: ""The unions have negotiated critical cover, including 999 calls, at a local level with hosts of NHS Trusts. 
""Steve Barclay obviously doesn't understand how these issues are dealt with in the NHS. 
""That is an embarrassment for him and the government. He has now lost all credibility. Clearly he isn't the man for the job.""
Christina McAnea, head of Unison, said the health secretary had ""never specifically asked Unison for a national contingency agreement"" and had acknowledged local unions had negotiated ""detailed, appropriate plans for their areas"". 
She has previously said any deaths during the strikes would ""absolutely"" be the fault of the government for refusing to open negotiations. 
Patients who are seriously ill or injured, or whose lives are in danger, are being advised by the NHS to call 999. 
For all other healthcare needs, the NHS is advising people to contact NHS 111 online or via the NHS 111 helpline, or to contact their local GP or pharmacy.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said people should be ""sensible"" on a ""very difficult day"" for the health service. 
He urged people not to get ""blind drunk"" at Christmas parties and end up in A&E unnecessarily. 
Ambulance response times for emergency category two 999 calls, such as strokes and heart attacks, are already twice as long as two years ago. 
Some unions and ambulance services said there had been less demand than usual on Wednesday, as the public appeared to heed warnings to only call in an emergency. 
Unions have agreed striking workers can leave picket lines to respond to the most serious, life-threatening calls if necessary. This contributed to some picket lines being less busy than during Tuesday's nursing strikes.
In Cardiff, all those on the picket line were called away to respond to emergencies. 
Outside other ambulance headquarters the scene was noisier, with some members of the public honking their car horns or dropping off food to show their support. 
Dave Skinner, an emergency medical technician for the London Ambulance Service who is striking, said staff were burnt out and struggling with shortages.
""Patients are dying waiting for us because there's physically nobody to send,"" he told the BBC. 
He said experienced people were leaving the profession for better pay and conditions, adding: ""I don't blame my colleagues for going elsewhere.""
One paramedic, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they would not strike, after the ""bad memories of how [industrial action in 1989] left me financially"".
However, they said they understood why others had chosen to walk out.
""This government is systematically destroying the NHS and harming patients on a daily basis,"" they told the BBC.
re are currently no signs ministers will budge on pay, although some Conservative MPs believe they will have to compromise eventually. 
Asked whether the government would stick to its position not to deviate from the offer recommended by the independent pay review body, Mr Barclay said this was ""a long-standing position"". 
However, he said staff should ""look forward"" to next year's pay review process, which is already under way. 
UK is facing a wave of strikes this winter, with nurses, rail workers and Royal Mail staff among those walking out. 
Some MPs are concerned offering concessions on pay to one group of workers could lead to other demanding the same, which they argue would make inflation worse. 
Not all unions are striking for the same hours on Wednesday, and it is difficult to say how many workers at each individual service will strike. 
You can use our interactive tool to find out which unions are on strike at your local ambulance service:"	/news/uk-politics-64050277
health	NHS ambulance trust lost 12k hours to handover delays in one week	"An ambulance trust says more than 12,000 hours were lost in handover delays in one week.
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said the figure from September was the ""highest level of resource hours lost in a single week"" in its history.
In 2020, the trust was losing less than 500 hours-a-week to handover delays.
SWASFT has now released plans which aim to ""significantly"" reduce delays as some waiting times begin to come down.
A spokesperson for the trust said its staff ""strive every day to give their best"" but its performance had not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments. 
""We are working with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive,"" they added.
report, published by the trust on Thursday, comes as thousands of ambulance workers across England and Wales are set to go on strike on Wednesday in a dispute about pay.
In 2020, SWASFT was able to deliver Category 2 mean response times of less than 30 minutes. 
Category 2 two calls are judged ""urgent"" and the mean response target is 18 minutes for all trusts.
But in the week commencing 26 September, the response times to these calls was almost two hours.
rust said there was a ""close correlation between ambulance hours lost and response times"".
SWASFT - which serves 5.5 million people - said there had been ""some improvements seen across October and November in comparison to the peak position seen at the end of September"".
In a bid to improve on this, the trust's commissioners have shared steps to reduce the weekly time lost to handover delays to around 2,600 hours a week by March 2023.
would ""still be significantly higher than historic levels, but a substantial improvement on the current position,"" the report said.
Areas that have already improved include Gloucestershire, which has seen mean Category 2 response times on certain days fall close to 25 minutes, compared to over an hour at their peak.
rust said it was ""placing more ambulances on the road than ever before"".
It is also recruiting for call takers for its emergency operation centres and is ""continuing to work hard on triage to reduce the number of patients we take to hospital,"" the trust said.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-bristol-63985335
health	Autumn Statement: Is money for schools, social care and NHS enough?	"Alongside the tax rises and deep spending cuts announced by the government in the Autumn Statement, more money was also set out for three key areas.
Our correspondents look at what impact additional funding for schools, social care, and the NHS might have.
More investment in a ""public service that defines all our futures"". That's the chancellor's approach to funding schools in England. Jeremy Hunt has promised an extra £2.3bn per year for schools for the next two years.
School leaders say it sounds like positive news, but they'll be looking closely at the detail.
Among the financial pressures facing schools is the government's promise of a 5% pay rise for most teachers - which they have to find cash for in existing budgets. And they have to help pupils catch up after school closures during the pandemic. 
School spending per pupil dropped in real terms during the 2010s. Today's cash increase means that it will be back at where it was in 2010, according to analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
School funding, the think tank says, it now predicted to be greater than the growth in schools' costs. But the question teachers will still be asking is: will it be enough to take on all the challenges they face?
udget for the NHS in England was already due to increase by nearly £5bn next year to more than £157bn. A similar rise was planned the following year - the final one of a five-year settlement agreed under Theresa May's government.
But despite this, NHS bosses had warned the health service was still facing a £7bn shortfall in 2023-24 because of inflationary pressures. So by giving an extra £3.3bn next year - and the same the following year - the chancellor has gone some way to plugging the gap.
funding has been welcomed by NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard. But huge challenges remain. 
NHS is desperately short of staff - one in 10 posts are vacant - while the backlog in cancer care and hospital treatment continues to grow.
roblems cannot be solved by money alone. They require more staff to be trained and equipment and buildings to be upgraded - things that can take many years to achieve.
For many older or disabled people - and their families - the chancellor's statement should ease the immediate problems of getting support from a care system in crisis. But it also delays the promised help with the long-term catastrophic costs some face. 
£86,000 cap on care costs was due to start next autumn, but it will now be pushed back by two years. 
Sir Andrew Dilnot, who devised the policy more than a decade ago, says the delay is ""extraordinarily disappointing"". He describes the need for reform as ""critical and urgent"" and says without it, the most vulnerable are left with no idea how they will cope financially, should they need care. He also believes it breaches a Conservative Party manifesto pledge. 
government says the reform money and council tax flexibility will provide the care sector with up to £2.8bn extra next year and £4.7bn the year after. But nearly two-thirds of that money is dependent on England's councils increasing local taxes by the maximum allowed. That is unlikely to happen. 
A large chunk of the money will be needed for wages in a care sector that has 165,000 vacancies. The rise in the minimum wage to £10.42 an hour will be welcomed. But to compete with supermarkets and hospitality, care companies are likely to have to pay more."	/news/uk-63662726
health	China zero-Covid: Hope and worry in Beijing as key policies scrapped	"Life is returning to normal on the streets of Beijing after big changes to China's most severe Covid policies. 
It comes just a week after protests against the strict controls - which included forcing people into quarantine camps. 
Locals have expressed hope and worry about the decision to abandon key policies that dominated their lives for almost three years. 
Reporter: Stephen McDonell 
Filmed and edited by Joyce Liu
Read more about what partial abandonment of zero-Covid policies mean for people in China here. "	/news/world-asia-china-63894878
health	Flu jab call as hospital admissions rise in Herefordshire and Worcestershire	"re has been an increase in the number of people admitted to hospitals in Herefordshire and Worcestershire with serious respiratory infections.
re said to have been caused by viruses, including flu and Covid-19.
Dr Kathryn Cobain, chief nursing officer for the counties, urged those at high risk to get their jabs.
Meanwhile, Wye Valley NHS Trust said the number of patients being treated for flu at Hereford's County Hospital was higher than ever seen before.
Dr Cobain said the available flu vaccine was a good match for the current strain.
Parents of two and three-year-olds have been asked to take up the offer of a flu nasal spray for their children.
Other people including unpaid carers, people who have lower immunity because they are pregnant or have a long-term condition, people with a learning disability, frontline health and care staff and those aged over 50 are also entitled to the free flu vaccine.
Dr Cobain said: ""Flu can be an unpleasant illness for children, but it can also lead to very serious complications such as bronchitis or pneumonia.""
Wye Valley trust is asking people not to go into its hospitals or clinics if they are not feeling well, and to wear a mask if they do go inside one of its buildings.
rust said it wanted to protect the patients it was caring for.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-64118991
health	Comedian Janey Godley reveals cancer has returned	"Comedian Janey Godley has revealed she will undergo cancer treatment just five months after announcing she was clear of the disease.
In a video posted on Twitter, Godley told her 276,000 followers she still intended to go on tour early next year.
But she admitted it could be the final time fans get the chance to see her perform on stage.
61-year-old Glaswegian confirmed last year that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
In an update on Tuesday she said treatment was ""back on the cards"" after evidence of the disease was recently found in her abdomen. As a result she will now undergo chemotherapy.
Despite the setback, Godley said she aimed to fulfil her 27-date Not Dead Yet tour in February and March.
It includes shows across Scotland, from Inverness to Galashiels, and concludes with three dates at the Leicester Square Theatre in London.
Godley said: ""I am determined to get back on stage.
""I have always been a kind of die on your feet no your knees type of person, you know me, so I'm looking forward to the tour.""
She then added: ""I think it is going to be fair and honest to say it might be the last time you'll see me live on stage.
""I am hoping it's no but I think it's a fair estimation that that will be what we are looking at.""
Godley explained her ovarian cancer was stage three and therefore treatable not curable.
rtainer also said she was being supported by the staff and specialists at The Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow.
She then turned back to her tour and said: ""I don't want to fade away. I want to go out with a bang. Are you ready to see me go out with a bang?
""I am not going sing My Way. It's no gonna be that kind of tour. There's going to be a lot of fun.""
Godley added that getting back on stage would be a ""dream come true"".
Stars including tennis legend Martina Navratilova and singer Curtis Stigers were among those who wished Godley well after her announcement.
In November last year the comedian confirmed she had been diagnosed after suffering from a bloated feeling in her stomach.
Godley, who found viral fame with her dubbed sketches about First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, urged anyone with symptoms to get them checked out.
Her pastiches of Ms Sturgeon's coronavirus news briefings gained her a massive social media following during the pandemic.
She featured in Scottish government coronavirus adverts but they were pulled after offensive historical tweets by her came to light."	/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-63964719
health	QEQM Margate: Revamped A&E department opens doors to patients	"mergency department at one of the biggest hospitals in the South East has been expanded and modernised after a multimillion-pound investment.
Patients at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate will see new, larger treatment areas from Wednesday.
revamp includes a new waiting area and children's emergency department.
Jo Williams, head of nursing for urgent and emergency care, said staff were ""excited"".
mprovements are part of a £30m investment in the QEQM and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, which are run by East Kent Hospitals trust.
It was criticised last year by inspectors who said the design of the buildings did not always keep patients safe.
With up to 280 people arriving on average each day at the QEQM, it is hoped the changes will drive down waiting times.
Ms Williams said: ""It should help with the flow and the demand, which will make things slightly easier.
""It won't combat all of the problems, but it will certainly help.""
first phase of development also includes larger treatment areas for adults, dedicated areas for patients with mental health needs and new staff facilities.
Ms Williams said new private booths would give patients ""privacy and dignity"".
Mark Norman, Health Correspondent, BBC South East
roblems in A&E departments are well-documented: long waits to be seen, challenges finding enough beds for patients and buildings that simply aren't fit for purpose. 
w building in Margate might not solve all those issues but staff here believe it will help.
mit it has been really difficult to treat patients with privacy and dignity, with some patients being treated in open areas.
marks a radical change from what they have had to cope with and will completely alter the patient experience.
Kat Miller, paediatric and emergency department matron, told BBC South East: ""Over the last two years we have almost doubled on the paediatric attendances and this is vital.
""We have got an open, colourful, bright space for children which is vital for a sick child.""
rust said the second phase of development starts later this month, with a new rapid assessment area and further areas for patients with mental health needs. 
rd phase, due to start next year, will expand and renovate the resuscitation area, where some of the sickest patients are treated. 
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-kent-63639774
health	Sheffield: Call to tackle 'systemic racism' in mental health care	"A suicide survivor has said there are ""systemic issues"" with racism in the mental health system.
Gambinga Gambinga, 43, from Sheffield, said black people ""have a rougher ride"" in getting support than white people.   
NHS figures show a black person suffering with a mental health episode was nearly five times more likely than a similar white person to be detained.
government said it was committed to ""addressing racial disparities"" in mental health care.
Mental health charity Mind said the Mental Health Act ""was systematically racist"" in its current form.
Mr Gambinga, who was born in Zimbabwe, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after moving to Sheffield in 2003 at the age of 24.
However, he said he did not get help until after his suicide attempt on New Year's Eve 2015.
""I was planning my death, but still seeing friends and family and having fun with them,"" he said.
""The scary part is how well I hid it. That's the terrifying thought.
""First and second-generation immigrants from Africa - we're spectacular at hiding it.
""It's culture, it's upbringing - that whole 'man up, pull your socks up', that kind of thing, but also because a lot of us have people back home that are depending on us.""
Mr Gambinga ended up in crisis care after a neighbour called an ambulance, and it was only then he started getting help, including talking therapy and medication.
He said mental health service staff did not always understand black people and their culture.
""I think we are being failed and I think we have been failed historically,"" he said.
Figures from the NHS show that in the last five years the rate at which black people have been detained under the Mental Health Act has increased, while detention rates for white people have remained flat.
Under the Mental Health Act, a person can be detained if they are considered to be suffering from a mental disorder and in immediate need of care or control.
Rheian Davies, head of legal at the Mind charity, said people of Black African and Caribbean heritage have consistently been over-represented in mental health crisis care, ending up in the system via uncomfortable routes, such as via the police.
She said: ""They are at a greater risk of being physically or chemically restrained against their will, as well as more likely to be readmitted to hospital without getting the right support.""
Mr Gambinga said: ""The journey for most black men is you end up in mental health services via the police. That is almost always the case that you hide it so well and you carry on going and then one day you go out drinking and you snap.
""You either get in a fight or some people have a nervous breakdown, but almost always the first port of call is someone has called the police.""
However, he said: ""I think we in the black community also have to take ownership of our own wellbeing.
""We should take a very honest, but I think harsh look at ourselves to ask why are black men more likely to attempt suicide than any other group in the country and why are black men more likely to only ever get help when it's forced on them.""
king about what he called ""racism within the system"" Mr Gambinga said: ""It's less blatant out-and-out name calling or withholding services because you're black. 
""I think a lot more now is micro-aggressions or systemic issues that just mean black and ethnic minority people have a rougher ride within the system than white people.""
Mr Gambinga is calling for better training for staff working in mental health services, and said things needed to change to reduce the disproportionately high rate of black people being detained under the Mental Health Act.
Ms Davies said the government's draft mental health bill was ""an opportunity to create a step change for black people with mental health problems"" who have ""for far too long been let down by the system which is meant to protect them"".
""many welcome measures"" but needed to go much further on ""explicitly tackling racism in mental health services"", she added.
Mr Gambinga now uses his experience to help other black people struggling with their mental health. He works for the Sheffield Afro Caribbean Mental Health Association.
As part of his role, he works with staff in mental health hospitals in the city to help them understand service users more. 
He said, for example, differences in how people negatively associate eye contact if they grew up in Africa could cause issues during care. 
""A lot of things are probably misunderstandings rather than out-and-out racism, but in the end they all add up.""
As well as educating staff, he also works with the black community in hospitals so they can understand the mental health system more.
He hopes he can ""bridge the gap"" between the community, NHS and the police.  
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government ""is committed to reforming the Mental Health Act to address racial disparities in mental health services"" including ""tightening the criteria under which people can be detained"".
re piloting advocacy services to support the needs of people from ethnic minority groups to ""ensure cultural differences - such as religious preferences or specific communication requirements - are understood and acted upon"".
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, visit the BBC Action Line.
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63313351
health	Scarlet fever cluster found at County Down school	"Dozens of children at a County Down primary school are suffering from strep A bacterial infections, including cases of scarlet fever, a principal has said.
Michael Peacock, from Brackenagh West Primary School near Kilkeel, said that two children had been hospitalised.
Most strep A infections are mild and get better with antibiotics, but some people who catch it can get very sick. 
mother of a five-year-old boy at the school with scarlet fever urged parents to watch out for the symptoms.
Nikol Chambers' son AJ is now recovering, but she worried something was ""badly wrong"". 
Public Health Agency (PHA) says the number of cases of scarlet fever in Northern Ireland had been rising in the ""past few months"".
Figures show there were at least 104 cases in November, up from 43 in October. 
Mr Peacock said most of the cases at his school involved children in primaries one and two. 
""We've had quite a lot of sickness over the last week or two which is not unusual for this time of year in schools,"" he told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.
""But we discovered this morning just a raft of cases connected to the strep A bacterium and we have a total of 32 children off today.""
Elsewhere, the Public Health Authority has recommended ""all children in P1-P3"" at Black Mountain Primary in Belfast take a preventative course of antibiotics. 
It issued a letter to parents at the school after a pupil was diagnosed with ""a severe form"" of ""Group A strep"". 
re had also been a case of chickenpox at the school. Developing both conditions at the same time can cause a more serious infection. 
Strep A can cause a range of illnesses. Most cases are mild - a sore throat or a skin infection that can be easily treated with antibiotics.
Some people develop scarlet fever, which causes a skin rash (that feels like sandpaper) and flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature.
Very rarely, strep A can cause something called invasive group A streptococcal infection or iGAS, which can be deadly.
PHA said it had received reports of 29 cases of iGAS so far this year. This figure, while higher than last year, is lower than in previous years, it said.
In the rest of the UK, eight children have died due to complications from strep A bacterial infections since September.
Of those, seven were  in England and the other was a seven-year-old in Wales.
Mr Peacock said that while the vast majority of the sick pupils at Brackenagh West were being cared for at home, two had been hospitalised as a result. 
Most of those affected in the school are young children with 21 cases in primary one and two classes and a further 11 spread across other classes.
""This would be quite typical as obviously younger children are more susceptible to germs. Their immune systems are less mature,"" Mr Peacock said.
Ms Chambers said she didn't suspect scarlet fever when her son became sick. 
""He had the cold, he had a runny nose, he had a bad cough. He just wasn't feeling great and then he got a temperature,"" she said.
""Then he started with a rash on his chest and it coated him right down to his toes, like a blanket and about six hours. 
""His was tongue turned white, he wouldn't drink anything, and the temperature just was through the roof.""
Ms Chambers said she then took AJ to the out-of-hours GP in Newry on Saturday where he received antibiotics to treat the infection.
""I just knew there was something really badly wrong,"" she added.
Ms Chambers said AJ is now recovering from the infection with treatment. 
Parents need to be vigilant - that is the message from health officials and local doctors.  
While those looking after children may be nervous about this unfolding story, it is important to remember a majority of cases are mild. 
UK is experiencing an outbreak because for two years, and during the pandemic, children didn't mix and their systems are not immune to a number of different infections.  
re is a warning that the number of cases of both strep A and scarlet fever will rise over the coming weeks.
It is highly contagious so the advice from experts is keep sick children at home.  
Parents of children who deteriorate quickly should seek urgent medical advice.
Mr Peacock said that he is aware of other schools in the area that have reported higher than normal cases of the infection. 
""We know that there are still a large number of our parents who are waiting to see their GPs about this, so at the moment we don't have a full picture,"" he added.
As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact your GP if:
Call 999 or go to A&E if:"	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63864560
health	Using my family's dark history to teach about vaccines	"How do you ask a community to trust medicine when history has given them many reasons not to?
It's a dilemma US nurse Victoria Baptiste has to deal with every day as she travels around Baltimore County, Maryland, in a mobile clinic, administering Covid vaccines.
Over the past couple of years, one question has kept coming up, especially from her black patients. We've been experimented on in the past - how can we trust this treatment?
Often they've come across inaccurate posts on Facebook or Twitter. But her black patients' fears have not just come from online misinformation - their mistrust began long ago.
""When they start to tell their stories they say, 'Remember Tuskegee and Henrietta Lacks, they always experiment on people of colour,'"" she says.
uskegee was a 40-year experiment conducted by the US government in which hundreds of black men were deliberately left untreated for syphilis, without their knowledge. After it was exposed, regulations were introduced in 1974 that required voluntary informed consent from all subjects taking part in research. 
And as for Henrietta Lacks - few people are better placed than Victoria to understand that story of unethical medical research. Henrietta was the mother of Victoria's beloved grandfather, Lawrence. 
Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951 and whose cells were used for medical research without her or her family's consent.
As she was being treated for her cancer, some tissue was scraped from Henrietta's cervix into a petri dish, as part of a search for cells that could be studied and experimented on outside the body. 
She wasn't told this was happening. Nor was she kept fully informed about the effects of the treatment she was receiving for her cancer, Victoria tells me. She had radium - a radioactive substance - sewn into her cervix to try to kill off the tumour. It was an accepted treatment at the time, but she was not told that this could prevent her from having more children. 
Meanwhile, where other cell samples quickly died despite scientists' best efforts, Henrietta's cells not only stayed alive - they multiplied at a rapid rate, leading them to be termed ""immortal"". 
ralling number of these cells, a feature of her cancer, would prove devastating for her - but revolutionary for science. 
k of human cells can then be used to understand how diseases affect the body, and as a first testing ground for treatments, improving both the speed and safety of medical research. 
Henrietta Lacks's cells - dubbed HeLa - have been involved in understanding cervical cancer, tuberculosis, Ebola and HIV as well as laying the groundwork for polio, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Covid vaccines.   
fited millions of people - and made potentially billions of dollars for the drug companies that use them to test their products. Yet the Lacks family has never seen a penny of these profits. At one point some family members couldn't even afford medical insurance.
full details about HeLa cells were only drawn to some of the family's attention when science writer Rebecca Skloot, who wrote a best-selling book about the case, started investigating.
So when Victoria says she understands why people might be mistrustful of the pharmaceutical industry, she means it. 
Victoria grew up hearing about the mother her grandfather Lawrence lost before he reached adulthood: a mother of five who cared for everyone and yearned for more children, and who loved to cook, dance, and make herself look nice.
Victoria and her posse of cousins - her best friends to this day - spent their early years running around the home of Henrietta's husband David, known as Day. And it was really thanks to him that Victoria became a nurse in the first place. 
""He had to live with diabetes when I was a young child, and I was always very curious and asking questions like, 'Pop why are you giving yourself needles? And what is this for?' And he was always very patient with me."" She eventually learnt to administer his insulin injections. 
In early 2020, Victoria was working as a nurse in a hospital kidney unit. But when Covid hit, her work changed dramatically. Like many healthcare workers she was afraid of taking the disease home. 
Fearing burnout, but wanting to keep caring for people, in 2021 she became a travelling nurse, giving Covid-19 vaccines. She quickly realised she had a knack for working with people who were anxious or hesitant and had questions - pointing them to the best research and helping them to find the information themselves.
And Henrietta Lacks's story was always in the back of her mind.
""Knowing what my family history has been, I don't want anybody else's family to have that same history. I don't want them to feel like they were silenced or a silent voice in their care, like Henrietta was.""
For someone who feels personally connected with the darker side of what has been done in the name of science, Victoria knows that simply asking patients to ignore online rumours and trust the science would not be enough.
""I'm never going to try to dance around those hard topics,"" she says. 
""Yes, these things happened to Henrietta. We've come a long way since then. And we are still fighting to make sure that these types of injustices don't happen now.""
But at the same time Covid was disproportionately affecting the black community, and vaccines were the most powerful tool available to prevent serious illness and death. 
Victoria believes in the possibility of acknowledging genuine problems in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry and holding them to account, while also recognising the weight of independent data about a vaccine that has saved an estimated 20 million lives in its first year.
She will explain to her patients how things have changed since Henrietta's day - including safeguards like the Institutional Review Board, designed to make sure research is conducted ethically, and the need for informed consent.
""We've come a long way from 1951. Research has so many checks and balances before they put things out to the public,"" she says.
't mean there aren't still issues to solve. 
Now, as well as her day-to-day work as a nurse and with her family's initiative HELA100, Victoria is serving as a World Health Organization ambassador for cervical cancer elimination, which she sees as something of a personal mission. 
""We know what we know now about cervical cancer because of the loss that my family had to go through,"" she says. 
It's another illness that black people in the US are more likely to die of.
Victoria wants as many people as possible to be screened for the HPV virus, to be given access to the vaccine and to early treatment, to bring down deaths from a cancer that is preventable in more than 90% of cases. 
""We lost our loved one to cervical cancer,"" she says. ""But through her death, science was able to come up with the vaccination.""
Photographs courtesy of CELLebrate Henrietta Lacks #HELA100
BBC 100 Women names 100 inspiring and influential women around the world every year. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Join the conversation using #BBC100Women."	/news/health-63780712
health	NHS pay talks 'between union and employer'	"foreign secretary says ministers must be ""good custodians of the public purse"" in relations to NHS pay rises. 
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, James Cleverly said Health Secretary Steve Barclay has spoken to union leaders, but ultimately salary negotiations were done between unions and employers  - in this case the NHS."	/news/uk-politics-63934733
health	Somerset group to give 24/7 mental health support over Christmas	"A mental health support group is running a 24/7 service for people in need over Christmas.
Crisis Safe Space, in Bridgwater, said it had good listeners and peer volunteers who have battled through their own issues before helping others.
It has supported nearly 1,500 people across Somerset since January.
Shane Weller, senior recovery navigator, said: ""We're here to help. We're here to listen. We're here to offer support.""
fe space is run by Open Mental Health - an alliance of mental health organisations - and is offering out-of-hours support to anyone over 18 throughout the festive period.
Chris Malin became a peer volunteer after getting support for his own mental health through the group.
""When I first made contact, I was in a very dark place. The only way I knew how to could cope was to self-harm,"" he said. 
""Coming here once a week was just mind-blowing because I really felt respected and listened to.
""And then I was asked, 'would I want to be a peer volunteer?' and I jumped at the chance.""
rvice is offering Zoom or phone support to anyone in the county and has 90-minute slots available.
Mr Weller said people were likely to be able to speak to someone on the day they called. 
It is hoped the service will take pressure off GPs and hospitals by giving people support. 
Fellow peer volunteer Jo Poole urged people not to wait ""until things are terrible"".
""If they are terrible get in touch,"" she added.
""But don't think that just because we're called Crisis Safe Space that you have to be in absolute crisis because the sooner you can get this help from from the service the better. 
""When I was poorly, I would have definitely used Crisis Safe Space.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-somerset-64075784
health	The NHS backlog: Who are the 7 million?	"re are more than seven million people on a hospital waiting list in England - one in eight of the nation's entire population. 
Many have spent months waiting to be seen. 
But who are these people and what is the impact on their lives? The BBC has been investigating the backlog to find out.
Jane Probyn has spent much of the past three years on an NHS waiting list. She has osteoarthritis and was referred for a hip operation in October 2020.
Before surgery could be completed, however, came the fallout from the Covid pandemic, meaning nearly all routine hospital treatment was stopped. It was March 2022 by the time Jane had her right hip replaced. 
By that point, her left hip had deteriorated so badly that it needed replacing too. She is still waiting for that operation.
""I am in constant pain,"" says the 66-year-old, from Cambridge. ""It's all-consuming and is overshadowing every aspect of my life. 
""I can't walk properly and have to rely on a walker and mobility scooter to get around. 
""I can't look after my grandchildren. It is spoiling my retirement. 
""The most frustrating thing is not really knowing when I will get treated. My life is on hold.""
Jane is not alone. Nearly 800,000 people require hip, knee and joint-related orthopaedic treatments. Close to half of them have been waiting longer than 18 weeks, which is not just the target waiting time but supposedly a patient right, written into the NHS Constitution.
Deborah Alsina, chief executive of the charity Versus Arthritis, says these long delays are having a ""devastating"" effect, both physically and mentally, as many of the patients her charity supports end up clinically depressed.
Among the waiting backlog are a broad range of patients needing a wide variety of care.
re are 640,000 waiting to see eye specialists - many will have declining eyesight with its obvious consequences on their daily lives - and there are more than 500,000 waiting for gynaecological care and another 500,000 waiting for ear, nose and throat (ENT) treatments.
Not all of them will need to have an operation: fewer than a quarter of patients on the waiting list end up undergoing surgery - with medication and care, such as physiotherapy, more common when patients are finally diagnosed.
Nonetheless, Prof Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, says the situation has left his members feeling they are letting down patients. ""Their health may be worsening by the day; their independence being slowly eroded and quality of life deteriorating while they wait.""
klog is often referred to as a waiting list for routine, or non-urgent, treatment. But it does include more than 300,000 people with heart-related problems - a third of whom, currently, have waited more than 18 weeks.
Some are waiting for tests, such as CT scans and echocardiograms, or procedures - such as stents and balloons to open blocked arteries, as well as pacemakers. Others need heart surgery, such as transplants or a bypass.
Garry Cogan, 62, from Essex, is one of them. He needs a triple heart bypass after having a heart attack last year. He hopes to undergo surgery early next year, but says the wait has been agonising. 
""I'm constantly living in fear, worried I could have another heart attack at any point. I can't go on holiday and have had to cut back how many days I work, which is difficult financially.""
British Heart Foundation associate medical director Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan says the delays are a real risk for patients like Garry. ""Tragically, we've already seen tens of thousands of extra deaths involving heart disease since the pandemic began - and disruption to heart care has likely contributed.
""We can't afford to let long waits for heart care become the status quo because heart disease can't wait. Delays can result in avoidable heart failure, or even death.""
re will also be thousands of yet-to-be diagnosed cancer cases. Around a fifth of cancer cases are diagnosed through routine referrals where the disease is not suspected by a GP, but subsequent tests  given while patients are on the general waiting list reveals cancer is present.
An analysis by NHS data experts Insource has estimated there could be as many as 25,000 people on the waiting list with cancer who are not aware of it yet. The longer it takes to get through the backlog, the poorer their chances of survival will be.
Also on the list are more than 360,000 children. They are waiting for an assortment of treatment, from surgery for growth-related problems and major dental work through to tests for abdominal pain and breathing difficulties. 
umbers are rising all the time - in the past 18 months the overall number of children waiting has risen by 50%.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is very worried about their plight. Dr Mike McKean says, in the worst cases, children are having to miss school: ""We need to do something to protect children, young people and their families from lasting consequences.""
But it is not just the fact the backlog is growing. The number of patients facing long waits is also rising, despite government efforts to address the issue.
While the NHS has managed to eliminate two-year waits almost entirely, the number of patients who spend more than a year on hospital lists, such as Garry, is continuing to rise. 
re are now more than 400,000, among the 7.2 million people waiting in England, in this position - a rise of a third over the past year. Before the pandemic, fewer than 2,000 patients were waiting more than a year.
NHS's 18-week target now appears a distant dream. Currently 40% of patients have spent longer than that on waiting list.
But there is a huge variation between hospitals. Where you live in the country can make a big difference too.
It is a similar story across the rest of the UK: in Scotland more than 25% are waiting longer than 18 weeks, in Wales - where there is a 26-week target instead of 18-week - nearly half of patients are waiting longer.
In Northern Ireland the situation is even worse - more than half of patients there have waited over a year.
Faced with such long waits, some patients are simply giving up. Those that can afford it pay to go private - a trend that appears to be becoming increasingly common.
But there are others that have dropped off the waiting list, and are left struggling with their health issues.
for Jane Nandi, from Nottingham. She has a non-cancerous lump on her tongue, known as a lymphatic malformation. It is the size of a small plum and prevents her eating foods which require a lot of chewing. 
""If I catch it or bite it, it bleeds really easily,"" says the 56-year-old. ""I can't eat an apple, or crisps, or foods like that.""
Since the condition is not common, the treatment she needs is not available at every hospital. The service that was due to treat her informed her earlier this year they could no longer carry out the treatment.
She has not sought a referral elsewhere: ""You just lose the fight. 
""I'm just putting up with it for now and will maybe try again next year. Perhaps things will be a bit better then.""
Data analysis by Christine Jeavans"	/news/health-63905269
health	UK-Guernsey reciprocal health deal including Alderney and Sark	"A new agreement enabling Bailiwick of Guernsey residents to access free healthcare when in the UK starts from 1 January.
Reciprocal Health Arrangement (RHA) also allows UK residents to access necessary healthcare when visiting the islands.
RHA extends to the whole of the bailiwick, so visitors to and residents of Sark and Alderney are also covered.
- described as ""landmark"" - was signed earlier this year.
rrangement also means certain treatments, such as dialysis treatment - could be arranged ahead of travel to the other jurisdiction for free.
ry healthcare while in the UK, bailiwick residents will need to provide documentation that proves their eligibility to access healthcare under the RHA, such as passport, driving licence or other proof of address or travel. 
UK visitors to the Bailiwick should bring their GHIC or EHIC card with them.
States of Alderney said travel insurance was still strongly advised, as the RHA does not cover everything that a person may require when travelling - for example, repatriation is not covered.
Follow BBC Guernsey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk."	/news/world-europe-guernsey-64080941
health	Health staff in Unison and Nispa to take industrial action	"Healthcare staff who are members of two of Northern Ireland's biggest unions will begin industrial action on 5 December as part of a dispute over pay.
move by the Unison and Nipsa unions follows an announcement by the Royal College of Nursing that its members will strike on 15 and 20 December.
Unison said the cost-of-living crisis was ""biting deep"" and it was ""foolish"" to assume workers would ""suck it up"".
Nipsa said the action was ""likely to be the strongest ever"" by health staff.
A spokesman for Stormont's Department of Health said health authorities would work to protect critical services as much as possible during the industrial action but warned there would ""inevitably be an impact on patient care"".
Unison members will take action short of strike on 5 December before a one-day strike on 12 December.
Nipsa members will begin ""indefinite action short of strike"" on 5 December.
Patricia McKeown, Unison's Northern Ireland regional secretary, said action short of strike meant health staff would only work the hours they were contracted to do.
""There are thousands of free hours given by health workers to the system every week,"" she said.
""People do much more than they are paid to do and we are asking them to stop that.
""They will stop covering for free all the jobs of the people that are currently missing from the system - they will get on with their job.
""Those thousands of free hours that will be missing from the system will have an impact.""
Nipsa deputy secretary general Padraig Mulholland said the health service had reached a ""tipping point"". 
""What may appear to be sort of the norm in other jobs is not the norm in the health service and it's an extraordinary state of affairs where people can't even eat their lunch,"" he added.
Health workers in Northern Ireland have yet to receive an increase in pay for the 2022-23 financial year.
In July an independent pay review body recommended that they should receive a rise of £1,400.
In England and Wales, NHS staff have been given a rise of at least £1,400.
Unions in Scotland are considering a government offer averaging 7.5% that was made last week.
Ms McKeown said health workers in Northern Ireland did not want to take strike action but felt they had no other option.
She said Unison hoped Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris would intervene to solve the pay dispute.
Nipsa said 92% of its members who took part in a ballot voted for strike action and 97% supported action short of strike.
Its members are taking the action on three fronts - pay, travel reimbursement and staffing levels within the health service.
union said the safety of patients ""remains a priority"" and it was having discussions with health service employers in order to ""take the necessary steps to protect patients during the dispute"".
""We'll be engaging with management to ensure that life and limb of the patient is not put at risk by any action that is being taken,"" Mr Mulholland said.
In a statement, a Department of Health spokesman said Northern Ireland's health and social care system was ""planning for a very difficult winter period"".
""The Department of Health shares the frustration of Northern Ireland health care staff at the absence to date of a pay award for this year.
""We greatly value our health care staff and very much regret that so many of them believe industrial action is necessary,"" the statement said. 
""In the event of strike action, the department and health and social care trusts will work closely with trade unions with a view to protecting critical services as much as possible.
""However, there will inevitably be an impact on patient care, and further impairment of already highly-pressurised services,"" it added. 
Health staff in Northern Ireland last went on strike in late 2019 and early 2020 in protest over pay and staffing levels within the health service."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63776652
health	West Midlands nurses walk out in dispute over pay and conditions	"Members of the Royal College of Nursing have walked out, as their union calls for a 19% pay rise. 
're suggesting that below inflation increases are compromising care, by making it hard to attract and retain nurses."	/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-63990113
health	Needle spiking: 'I'm losing out on my 20s and having fun'	"It was during a night out with friends in the Suffolk town of Ipswich that Chloe Ward's speech became slurred and she passed out. She had been spiked by injection. A year on from the incident, with her attacker still at large, she remains too scared to go for a night out with friends.
""I feel like I'm losing out on living my 20s and having fun,"" the 23-year-old Ms Ward said. ""It's been difficult.""
She explained how during the first few months after she was spiked by injection she was too scared to go anywhere.
""Even going to a supermarket felt really scary because you can't trust people any more,"" said Ms Ward, of Trimley St Martin, near Felixstowe.
""I don't enjoy going out any more and it's sad to say that. 
""Going out was my idea of having a really good night with friends, forgetting about everything, enjoying the time and making memories. 
""It's hard because my friends still go out, but I don't want to, so I'm missing out.""
On the night she was needle spiked, Ms Ward had enjoyed a few drinks at a club before walking a short distance to another venue.
It was there that her speech became slurred, she could not hold herself up and then she collapsed.
She was taken to the club's medical room where her friends called 999 and an ambulance attended. She later regained consciousness and was taken home. 
Ms Ward spent the next day - Sunday - asleep before waking during the evening to find her hip was sore from a circular bruise. When she checked her trousers, she found a small hole that corresponded to the location of the bruise.
On Monday morning she contacted her GP about what had happened, but was refused a blood test.
Ms Ward was initially reluctant to report what had happened to the police because she was concerned they would not take her seriously. After speaking with family and friends, she said, she realised she had to report the incident because of how serious it was.
Suffolk Police visited her to take her statement before returning on the Wednesday to take a urine sample.
She also contacted her doctor's surgery once more to demand a blood test, which was carried out the following day. 
Ms Ward is not alone in fearing the police might not take her report seriously.
A YouGov survey carried out this month found just 40% of people in the UK were ""confident"" they would be believed by the police if they reported having their drink spiked.
Suffolk Police said as well as collecting a sample four days after the spiking, it had reviewed ""all CCTV available"" and carried out various inquiries into the matter.
But the force said because ""specific national guidelines"" had not been met in Ms Ward's case, her urine sample was ""not submitted for further analysis"". 
A spokesperson for the force said: ""The case has been closed pending further lines of investigation coming to light.
""We ask that incidents are reported to both police and ambulance as early as possible so the necessary health and initial forensic enquires can be carried out.""
Spiking, which involves having drugs or alcohol put in a drink without consent or being secretly injected, is a ""largely under-reported crime"", according to the government.
Between September 2021 and January 2022, 1,382 reports of needle spiking like Ms Ward's case were reported to police across the UK.
Last year, a YouGov survey found one in nine women said they had been the victim of drink spiking, while a third of women knew someone who had been targeted.
Establishing how many people have been prosecuted for spiking is difficult.
Crown Prosecution Service said spiking data was not recorded because there was not yet a legal definition of ""spiking"".
Instead, such cases are prosecuted under a number of offences which involve administering substances to another without their consent.
ude: 
ross-party Home Affairs Committee warned spiking would remain an ""invisible crime"" unless more efforts were made to improve awareness and support victims.
It also found there was insufficient data surrounding spiking and said making it a specific criminal offence would help deter offenders and demonstrate it was being taken more seriously.
In response, the government said it would update Parliament in October as to whether spiking would be made a separate offence. This decision is currently delayed.
Ms Ward said she hoped that sharing her experiences would raise awareness of the problem.
She urged anybody who thinks they or a friend might have been spiked to get tested as soon as possible.
Ms Ward received three months of counselling, which was organised by police, and is continuing to regain control over her life.
""It is a big situation which can affect [not just] someone's physical health but also their mental health,"" said Ms Ward. 
""My advice to anyone who's been in a similar situation is just push yourself slowly."" 
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63960790
health	Urology inquiry: 'Fear' prevented colleague challenging Aidan O'Brien	"A consultant urologist has said he personally regretted not recognising that a deeper look was required in to the work of a   fellow doctor.
Mark Haynes said fear prevented him from tackling Aidan O'Brien personally. 
He was giving evidence to a urology inquiry examining the work of Mr O'Brien, a consultant urologist.
quiry is also examining the Southern Health and Social Care Trust's handling of urology services before May 2020.
Mr Haynes took up a post as consultant urological surgeon at Craigavon Area Hospital in 2014, joining a team which included Mr O'Brien. 
In October 2017, Mr Haynes took up a managerial position of Associate Medical Director within surgery and elective care, which covered urology. 
Counsel for the inquiry, Martin Wolfe KC, said that through Mr Haynes' evidence the inquiry wished to obtain ""a better sense of the clinical and administrative issues in instants of concern relating to Mr O'Brien and the way he practised which lead eventually to the events of 2020 - the early alert and the announcement of this inquiry"".
Mr Haynes told the inquiry that he was a colleague of Mr O'Brien and aware of how he worked. He said he was also aware that ""he was a challenge to challenge"".
""I also had an awareness of his personal connections with members of his family within the legal profession, his personal connections with the chair of the board and the rumour mill had told me that a previous AMD (Associate Medical Director) had been accused of bullying when trying to tackle Mr O'Brien. 
""So I guess the answer to why didn't I personally tackle him is because I had to work within a team with him, essentially it was a fear thing,"" he said. 
Mr Haynes told the inquiry he didn't want to find himself in a difficult working relationship as a result of things he had heard on the rumour mill or grapevine rather than anything documented.
""I should have tackled him personally but I was coming in late to this with a many-year history of other people attempting to tackle it to no success and it becoming part of normal working arrangements for him,"" he said.
Counsel for the inquiry spoke about urology services in Northern Ireland and specifically in the southern trust, saying ""the resources to meet the demand is wholly inadequate"". Mr Haynes agreed.
Mr Wolfe, the counsel for the inquiry, said that the inquiry ""may well understand that the pressure created by the absence of resources to deal with demand"" but that ""issues [in relation to Mr O'Brien] were there to be discovered and could have been discovered with relative ease"".
Mr Haynes again agreed and said: ""I personally regret not recognising that a deeper look into Mr O'Brien's practice was required at the time of the MHPS (Maintaining High Professional Standards) investigation being instigated. 
""What was looked into were the issues that had been identified but we didn't proactively look for other things"".
quiry continues."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63644067
health	IVF patient devastated about weight comments by clinician	"A woman who has been trying to have a baby for more than two years said she was devastated to be told to ""lose weight and come back"" by a fertility clinic without any offer of support.
Rachel Rowlands, 33, from Nelson, Caerphilly county, said clinicians ""didn't explore any issues as to why that might be"", adding that she had health conditions affecting her weight.
Charity Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales claimed Ms Rowlands' experiences were ""not rare"". 
Welsh government said all clinicians should support families with fertility issues. "	/news/uk-wales-64017833
health	Cardiff: Fraudulent NHS doctor's suspension extended	"A gambling-addicted doctor who was convicted of fraud has had his misconduct suspension extended by four months.
Dr Aled Meirion Jones, from Cardiff, admitted two counts of defrauding the NHS of £67,420 in January 2021.
He was later sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, and given 200 hours of unpaid work.
A medical practitioners' tribunal in October 2021 also suspended his registration as a doctor for 12 months.
Dr Jones defrauded the NHS as he claimed for shifts he had not worked and stole cheques, while also borrowing from friends.
ribunal service held a review hearing which looked at evidence about Dr Jones' ongoing recovery from his gambling addiction.
However, the tribunal concluded Dr Jones' fitness to practise remains impaired because of his fraud conviction.
greed to extend his suspension for a further four months.
Dr Jones described his gambling addiction as ""catastrophic"" and said it had seen him lose £800,000.
""I'm enormously ashamed and I always will be, but I can't change the past and all I can do is recover and try to do good things,"" he said."	/news/uk-wales-63814459
health	Rob Callister: Manx health minister sacked after seven weeks in role	"Isle of Man's health minister has been sacked after seven weeks in the post.
Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said he asked Rob Callister MHK to step down after deciding the health department needed a ""different approach"".
Mr Callister said the island's politics ""can be extremely difficult and unfair at times"" and he had not been given a ""fair opportunity"" to make changes.
""To say this announcement has broken me is an understatement,"" he added.
Lawrie Hooper MHK will now return to head the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) while remaining Enterprise Minister.
Mr Hooper had been moved to his enterprise role in a mini-reshuffle overseen by Mr Cannan in September, which also saw Mr Callister take up his health role.
Mr Cannan said the change was needed because the DHSC was at a ""critical juncture"".
Reacting to the news online, Mr Callister said Manx politics ""can be extremely difficult and unfair at times"" and he would make ""a more formal statement in due course"".
f minister said the island's health and care sector was facing a ""complex set of challenges"" and, after recent talks, he had ""reluctantly concluded"" the DHSC needed new leadership.
He thanked Mr Callister for his ""positive work"" and said he expected the Onchan MHK to be ""back contributing in the near future"".
It is the third time a minister has left the Council of Ministers during Mr Cannan's administration, which began in October 2021.
David Ashford resigned as treasury minister in May in the wake of an employment tribunal which found the island's top medic was unfairly dismissed while he was in his previous position as health minister during the pandemic.
was followed by the resignation of Tim Crookall as enterprise minister in July after he decided he could no longer ""play an effective part in the Council of Ministers team"".
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk"	/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-63582957
health	"ADHD: women ""mask' symptoms but more are coming forward"	"A nurse diagnosed with ADHD three years ago is using her experiences to help other people manage the condition.
Victoria George is a clinical nurse specialist based in Maisemore, near Cheltenham. 
ADHD, or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder estimated to effect between three to five percent (3-5%) of the population.
Ms George says changes in the criteria for getting a diagnosis mean more women who were ""missed"" are now recognising the symptoms and coming forward to get help later in life.
Video Journalist: Deborah Collins"	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63669370
health	GPs in Northern Ireland an endangered species, senior doctor says	"GPs in Northern Ireland are an endangered species, a senior doctor has said. 
Dr Frances O'Hagan, a partner GP at the Friary Surgery in County Armagh, said most surgeries did not have enough GPs or reception staff to meet demand.
umber of GP practices in Northern Ireland has fallen by about 9% and nine surgeries have recently handed back their contracts.
However the number of individual GPs has increased.
Dr O'Hagan said GP practices were on their knees.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Dr O'Hagan said low staffing was the main reason people would struggle to get an appointment.
""All we want to do is give good care to our patients, but the problem is we have no GPs and no reception staff,"" she said.
""GPs are an endangered species. There are not enough of us, they are not training enough of us and they're not facilitating keeping more of us in practice.""
Dr O'Hagan said she worked more than 50 hours a week, despite officially only working for three days part-time.
remaining two days are spent on administration and following up with patient's conditions. 
She said a GP's workload would make it impossible to see patients face-to-face on a full-time basis. 
""We have to be very careful,"" she said.
""If we don't make general practice an attractive place to work, if we don't bring young GPs in and we don't stop GPs like myself retiring, we're going to have nobody left.""
Friary GP Surgery has 9,000 patients on its books who live within a six mile radius and is one of three GP surgeries on the same site. 
Patients can call to arrange an appointment on weekdays between 08:30 and 09:00 GMT.
Reception staff Mary McIlroy and Rosie Prunty told the BBC the surgery usually received up to 130 calls during this period.
""You can feel your stomach churning a wee bit just before the phones start,"" Ms McIlroy said. 
""It's stressful. You feel under pressure because the phones ring all the time and you're trying to get people sorted as best you can.""
Ms Prunty said patients could become frustrated when appointments filled up.
""Most of the time they're good, but there's the occasional time that people don't react well whenever they're told the appointments are all gone for the day,"" she said. 
At the end of March 2022 there were 319 GP surgeries in Northern Ireland, down from 350 in 2014. 
umber of registered patients per practice rose by about 15% - from 5,500 to 6,340 - in the same period.
Despite the decrease in practices, the number of GPs, excluding locums, went up by 20% to 1,419 since 2014.
rman of the British Medical Association's Northern Ireland GP committee Dr Alan Stout said GPs' workload had increased dramatically over recent years. 
""We're trying to deliver a better service for our patients and we are more frustrated than anybody else whenever we can't deliver that. 
""The problem that we have at the moment is no matter what way you do it, whether its an appointment system, whether its phone-first, we just don't have the capacity to meet the demand - the demand is just phenomenal.""
Dr Stout said he believed GPs could deliver a much better level of primary care but practices needed to be realistic over the service they could provide.
""We need the whole system to change and to pivot to out-hospital care, keeping people at home and having the staff and the resource within primary and community care to achieve that,"" he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has confirmed a potential new contractor has been found to take over a County Antrim GP practice that was earmarked for closure.
Ballymena Family Practice was due to close in January after its doctor handed back their contract.
A total of 3,204 patients were to be moved to other surgeries, but the Department of Health said it is finalising arrangements for a takeover and it hoped this process will be completed by 31 January.
""The existing contract holder has agreed to maintain the contract for the month of January until this process is completed,"" it added.
A second GP practice in Ballymena, which has 3,840 registered patients, is due to hand back its contract on 31 May.
Department of Health said the contract would be advertised imminently, and applications sought from interested parties.
It said ""both practices are continuing to offer services as normal""."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63954968
health	Claims of sleeping staff at Redditch mental health ward	"Photographs and video footage appearing to show staff asleep at a mental health facility have been shared with the BBC.
In a raft of complaints about Hill Crest Ward in Redditch, Worcestershire, whistle-blowers have told a BBC investigation that the alleged activity was in full view of patients.
Sources claimed one nurse fell asleep twice when they were supposed to be monitoring patients at all times.
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said it was investigating."	/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-63638521
health	Government to sue Mone-linked PPE firm for £122m	"government is suing a company that supplied it with personal protective equipment (PPE) for £122m plus costs.
PPE Medpro won contracts through the so-called VIP lane in 2020, after being recommended by Tory peer Baroness Mone.
government is attempting to get its money back on one of the deals in the High Court, claiming the medical gowns supplied ""did not comply with the specification in the contract"". 
PPE Medpro said it would ""rigorously"" defend the claim.
mpany accused the government of a ""cynical attempt"" to recover money from suppliers who had acted in good faith and to contract specifications. 
government says along with the £122m contract, it has so far spent £6.9m on storage costs for the kit and each week it costs over £61,000 to store the gowns. It estimates the cost to dispose the gowns would be £4.7m.  
According to legal documents seen by the BBC, the government claims the ""the gowns did not comply with the specification in the contract"" and could not be used in the NHS. It also accuses PPE Medpro of a ""breach of contract and unjust enrichment"". 
A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said: ""We can confirm that we have commenced legal proceedings in the High Court against PPE Medpro Limited for breach of contract regarding gowns delivered under a contract dated 26 June 2020. 
""We do not comment on matters that are the subject of ongoing legal proceedings.""
Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: ""After nearly a year of hiding behind a mediation process with a company linked to one of their own peers, Conservative ministers have finally been shamed into action to recover taxpayers' money after damning revelations, public outcry and Labour pressure.
""Time will now tell if the shoddy contracts they drew up are sufficiently robust to retrieve the public money they carelessly handed over.""
government has previously described the PPE Medpro medical gowns deal as an ""underperforming"" contract. 
In a statement, the company said it was clear by the end of 2020 that the government had ""vastly over-ordered"" PPE and would never be able to use it all.
It said consultants had been brought in to ""pick over all the contracts"" on ""technicalities"".
""PPE Medpro will demonstrate to the courts that we supplied our gowns to the correct specification, on time and at a highly competitive price,"" the company said.
""The case will also show the utter incompetence of DHSC to correctly procure and specify PPE during the emergency procurement period.""
mpany said while it was examining the allegations made by the government it refuted all of them and said its case would ""seek to dismantle"" them and ""make uncomfortable reading for both the government and DHSC"".
government revealed last year that Baroness Mone was the ""source of referral"" for PPE Medpro getting a place on the so-called VIP lane for PPE offers coming from ministers, officials or peers. 
In other words, she recommended the company.
VIP lane offers were treated with greater urgency and were 10 times more likely to result in contracts than offers being made outside this route.
Baroness Mone contacted Lord Agnew, the Cabinet Office minister, about the firm and he directed the offer to the VIP lane.
She is taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords, meaning she will not sit as a Conservative peer. She says she wants to clear her name amid allegations she benefitted from the contracts.
In December 2020, lawyers for Baroness Mone said she ""had no role or function in PPE Medpro, nor in the process by which contracts were awarded to PPE Medpro"".  
House of Lords commissioner for standards has launched an investigation into her ""alleged involvement in procuring contracts for PPE Medpro"". 
But the Commissioner's website says his investigation has been paused while the matter is investigated by the police or another agency as part of a criminal investigation. "	/news/uk-politics-64029040
health	Northern Ireland faces 'cancer epidemic' without strategy - study	"Northern Ireland is facing a ""cancer epidemic"" if an effective strategy is not implemented, it has been warned.
A study has found that Northern Ireland is at the bottom of an international league table for cancer plans and policies.
Prof Mark Lawler said outcomes for breast cancer patients have gone from the best in the UK to the worst in the last decade.
report's authors have called for reforms of cancer services.
Prof Lawler, from Queen's University, is a senior author of the report which has been published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology.
udy looked at the relationship between consistency of cancer policy and improvements in five-year survival for seven cancers in 10 countries or jurisdictions across the world.
uthors found a correlation between consistent cancer control policies and better five-year survival for cancer patients over time.
Financial Times reported that the research shows the UK as a whole lagged behind other counties when it comes to cancer survival rates.
But, speaking to Good Morning Ulster on Wednesday, Prof Lawler said ""Northern Ireland was bottom of the league table in relation to consistent cancer control policies and their relation to outcomes"". 
He said that the health service in Northern Ireland has only implemented one cancer strategy in the last 20 years but that this was effective. 
""Ten years ago I would have been presenting on this and talking about Northern Ireland, for example, having the best outcomes for breast cancer in the United Kingdom,"" Prof Lawler added.
He described the findings of the report as ""very disappointing"" and said authorities are failing cancer patients. 
Prof Lawler said: ""We've had a vacuum in relation to policy, in relation to investment and that has led to significant challenges for our health system.""
re is an existing cancer strategy ""sitting on the shelf"", Prof Lawler said, but it has not been financed or implemented. 
""We can do it, but we need to do it now. If we don't do it now, we're going to have a cancer epidemic that's going to follow us in Northern Ireland and that's just not good enough,"" he added.
Department of Health said it ""fully agrees"" with Prof Lawler on the importance of having the necessary funding in place to implement the cancer strategy.
In March, the then-health minister Robin Swann announced a new 10-year cancer strategy with an estimated initial investment of £2.3m for the first year.
A department spokesperson added: ""The former minister also approved new governance structures that would provide strategic direction, oversight and ensure effective decision making to support implementation of the cancer strategy.
""However, in the absence of an agreed multi-year budget for health and a significant projected overspend for the year, the ability to strategically plan beyond 2022/23 is extremely challenging."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63638453
health	Avian flu: Birds in Wales to be kept indoors from 2 December	"Birds in Wales will have to be kept indoors or separated from wild birds from 2 December.
Welsh government announced the new measures to tackle an expected rise in avian influenza.
Interim Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Dr Gavin Watkins said bird keepers should prepare for the changes by ensuring bird housing is suitable.
w measures are in addition to those in the Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone.
re will also be extra biosecurity measures in place for poultry and captive birds. 
uncement comes as the UK government decided all kept birds and poultry in Northern Ireland must stay indoors from midday, on 28 November to combat the spread of avian flu. Similar rules were introduced in England from November 7.
Dr Watkins said the steps were being taken now to get ahead of a possible increased level of avian influenza virus in the environment, and build extra resilience to the important measures introduced in October.
From 2 December, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors, or otherwise separate from wild birds, and keepers must also complete and act upon a bespoke biosecurity review of the premises where birds are kept. 
Dr Watkins said: ""The latest data suggests a westward spread of avian influenza to Wales in the coming months, and increased risk of birds being infected outside, through increased viral survival times and a possible further spread in the range of wild birds carrying the virus.  
""Having assessed the evidence, we are taking further preventative action to help protect poultry and kept birds, the biosecurity and housing measures we are introducing in Wales will provide additional protection for birds and resilience for our poultry sector, and we will continue to keep the situation under constant review.
He thanked all bird keepers for the steps they had taken to keep birds safe and said the measures announced would build on that. 
re has been an unprecedented invasion of avian influenza into Great Britain and Europe in 2022.
Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low.
Food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers."	/news/uk-wales-63760964
health	Lancashire substance misuse support centre rated 'outstanding'	"A support service for people affected by drug or alcohol misuse is led by ""a passionate and committed team"" who have ""saved lives"", a report has said.
CGL Inspire East Lancashire in Accrington was rated ""outstanding"" following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Inspectors found staff treated people with compassion, kindness and respect and ""truly understood"" their needs.
People using the service said staff ""went the extra mile"" to help them.
m understand the impact of their addictions on their health, relationships, families and community in a ""safe place"" where staff were ""interested in their recovery"" and ""treated them as people and not addicts"".
Inspections at the centre on Eagle Street in September and October found staff understood the individual needs of people receiving care and treatment for addiction.
red the needs of different groups of people using its service and sought to address gaps where their needs were not being met.
Staff worked extremely well together and felt ""respected, supported and valued"" in jobs they loved.
Karen Knapton, CQC's head of inspection, said: ""When we inspected CGL Inspire East Lancashire, we found an outstanding service which was exceptionally responsive to people's needs.
""It was led by a passionate and committed team, who were well-trained and happy in their roles.
""People who used the service told us it gave them hope. It had saved their lives and helped them understand the impact of their addictions on their health, relationships, families and community.""
Ms Knapton said she would encourage other providers to read the inspection report to ""learn from the personalised quality of care and treatment being delivered"".
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-lancashire-63786918
health	Suicide: 'You're not alone, we all experience dark thoughts'	"A man who set up a mental health support charity after his daughter took her own life has urged people to talk to others if they are struggling.
We Mind & Kelly Matters was founded by friends and family of Kelly Hewitt, a prison officer who died in December 2018.
rity, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has launched a beer mat and poster campaign at pubs across the county, with the aim of starting conversations and spreading suicide awareness over Christmas.
John Hewitt said: ""If you're struggling and you can talk to somebody, it's like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders. You're not on your own, we all experience dark thoughts.""
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, BBC Action Line has details of support available.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64070036
health	Plymouth Argyle Ability Counts helps autistic boy who had rare illness	"An autistic boy who had a rare illness said a football club had helped him with his physical and mental health.
Daniel, 11, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome - which causes the body to attack the nerves.
Plymouth Argyle's Ability Counts delivers football sessions with help from Children in Need.
Daniel joined the team 12 months ago after a leg operation, as a result of the syndrome, which meant he had to learn to walk again. 
NHS said the syndrome was a ""very rare and serious condition that affects the nerves"".
""It mainly affects the feet, hands and limbs, causing problems such as numbness, weakness and pain.
""It can be treated and most people will eventually make a full recovery.""
Daniel said the football team allowed him to ""focus on the beautiful game"" and helped to make his ""muscles stronger"".
""The club helped me with my physical and mental issues.""
He said it had been ""the greatest choice of my life [to join]"" and ""we're all here for football and we all love it"".
""We have great coaches, but it's not just that... It's inclusivity, without this, you wouldn't have people like me being able to play football.
""There's nothing I don't like about it, it's a brilliant place.
""It's important that Children in Need keep funding my club because you can see all the great activities happening.""
BBC Children in Need's appeal night is on Friday from 19:00 on BBC One and iPlayer.
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-devon-63622235
health	Nurses' strike: 'We are striking to protect patients'	"Nurses are going on strike to increase staffing levels and protect vulnerable patients, a nursing union member has said.
Chuks Ifeajuma, from Hampshire, said he voted in favour of action by members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) because ""patients are at risk"".
RCN will strike on Thursday and 20 December at many NHS trusts in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Mr Ifeajuma said a substantial pay rise would improve patient care.
government has said the RCN's 19.2% pay claim is unaffordable and it has agreed to meet independent recommendations on pay.
Nurses will still provide emergency care, but routine services will be affected by the strikes.
Mr Ifeajuma, who asked the BBC not to disclose his place of work, said: ""We are campaigning to get better pay for staff to increase staffing levels. 
""So it's not just about the money, it's about the increase in staffing levels and patient care.
""You've got someone working really hard to protect the nation, to serve the people and at the end of the day they still go to the food bank to get food to eat or feed their family. I think that's a slap in the face.""
His employer is not one of the NHS trusts affected by the action.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-hampshire-63973587
health	Strep A: 'Get your child checked out' says father of four-year-old patient	"father of a four-year-old child who is in Alder Hey Children's Hospital with the Strep A bacterial infection, has urged parents to get their child ""checked out"" if they have any concerns.
Six children have died with an invasive form of the infection since September. Experts say there are more Strep A cases than usual this year.
Dean Burns, the father of Camila Rose Burns, has been speaking to the BBC about his daughter."	/news/health-63847866
health	Stratford-upon-Avon man to raise mental health awareness on solo sail	"A 23-year-old man is preparing to sail alone across several oceans to help raise awareness about mental health. 
Matty Duncan, from Stratford-upon-Avon, will sail to the Canary Islands then St Lucia, down to Argentina before making his way around Cape Horn. 
It has been called the wrong way round journey as it is against prevailing winds, making it much longer and significantly more dangerous, he said. 
He and two filmmaker friends will document the eight-month trip.   
Mr Duncan, who begins his trip from Brighton next month, said he had struggled with his mental health for years and wanted to help others facing difficulties. 
""Let's do something, let's be as open and honest about feelings and experiences as possible and hopefully that can help people open up to what they are going through as well,"" he said. 
He has been been sailing since he was a child and said the challenge was an opportunity to help others. 
""You think you know yourself and then you push yourself and you find out what else you learn along the way,"" he said. 
rpenter sold his business, tools and truck and bought a boat. 
Mr Duncan's friends Will Stone and Joe Donaldson make films and will meet him at points along his journey to document the challenge.
ribed his plans to sail around Cape Horn as ""the sailing equivalent of climbing Mount Everest alone"". 
Mr Duncan said he found peace comes from ""surrendering the desire to control everything"". 
""I think that's why I find it so easy to love sailing, I know I can't control the wind and the water I can just do my best to enjoy those rare moments they bring."" 
He is expected to spend Christmas in Argentina and finish the journey in Chile next February. 
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-61874387
health	Scarlet fever: 866 cases in Wales in one week	"umber of scarlet fever cases in Wales has jumped to its highest weekly level on record.
A total of 866 cases were notified in the past week, according to Public Health Wales (PHW).
But public health officials say the spike was in a large part due to more public awareness, a larger number of people getting tested and more GPs reporting cases.
It is 473.5% increase on the previous week, when there were 151 cases. 
Normally, there are two or three weeks each year when there are more than 100 cases notified in Wales - typically between February and April.
rise in cases has started earlier this season.
PHW figures showed the total number of cases in 2022, up to 11 December, was 2,225 - more than the previous highest year, 2018.
Dr Chris Williams, consultant epidemiologist at PHW, said: ""We expect a surge in cases of scarlet fever every three or four years, but the figures reported today are clearly higher than previous peaks in circulation.  
""However, the data needs to be interpreted with caution.
""Over the last fortnight, Public Health Wales and other health authorities have been urging GPs to report cases of scarlet fever to us.  Although cases are high at the moment, the reported rapid increase is likely to be in large part because of increased notifications by GPs, coupled with generally raised awareness.  
""We can infer this because other signifiers, such as severe illness, have not increased at anything approaching the same rate.""
Fifteen children in the UK have died with invasive Strep A infections since September, including seven-year-old Hanna Roap from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. 
Brynaman Primary School, in Carmarthenshire, saw 33 cases of scarlet fever in its pupils, including two who needed hospital treatment.
Dr Williams added most sort throats or headaches would be common seasonal viruses, with no need to contact doctors.
Signs of scarlet fever include a fever, nausea or vomiting, or fine pink-red rash that feels like sandpaper to touch. 
Health officials say in this case, people should, contact NHS 111 Wales or your GP for advice.  
rlet fever is usually a mild illness from which most children will recover without complications, especially if the condition is properly treated with antibiotics.
Mild strep A infections cause symptoms like a sore throat or skin infections and can also cause scarlet fever.
It is treated with antibiotics which may also help reduce the risk of complications and spread of the bug.
But a very small number of cases sees strep A getting deeper into the body causing invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS), which needs immediate medical attention.
re have been seven cases of invasive Strep A in the past week, according to Public Health Wales - with 83 cases so far this year.
Dr Williams added: ""Although iGAS is a worrying condition, the majority of these children will recover with proper treatment.""
He said parents should contact their GP or get medical advice straight away if their child has a fever (a high temperature above 38C) or if they have severe muscle aches.
""Catching flu increases the risk of becoming severely unwell with secondary infections.  Help protect your child and vulnerable family members from Strep A infections by taking up the offer of a free flu vaccine for your child or eligible adult,"" he added."	/news/uk-wales-63950492
health	Cost of living and Covid: School's effort to re-engage pupils	"School attendance in Wales has been hit hard by the pandemic with the number of pupils going to school below pre-Covid levels. 
Education welfare officer Susan Lees said ""being locked away in the house for so long"" has had a huge impact on learners at Henry Tudor Primary School in Pembrokeshire. 
Attendance is already down about 4% on pre-Covid levels.
But Covid is not the only thing that has had an impact. Cost of living pressures has taken its toll and pushed the school to help families with washing clothes, shower facility access and its own uniform shop.
James White, of Pembrokeshire county council, said that getting school attendances back to pre-pandemic levels would probably be a ""two-to-three year journey""."	/news/uk-wales-63994224
health	Dorset hospitals declare critical incidents over pressures	"Dorset's three main hospitals have declared critical incidents over ""extreme operational pressures"".
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust, which operates emergency departments in Bournemouth and Poole, said patients were experiencing very long waits.
rust, together with Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, said more patients were being admitted than were being discharged.
All three hospitals have asked patients with minor injuries to stay away.
relatives who could be cared for at home.
Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust said staffing issues were also having an impact on its services.
In separate statements, both NHS trusts said: ""Our focus is making sure our patients are safe and that we keep our critical services running.
""Elective procedures and outpatients appointments are currently still going ahead but are under constant review.""
Hospital trusts declare a critical incident when they are worried they are on the brink of not being able to provide critical services, such as emergency care.
It paves the way for measures to be taken, such as redeployment of staff.
On Wednesday, South Western Ambulance Service, which covers Dorset, declared a critical incident following ""extreme demand"".
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-dorset-64119450
health	10 years after UK's first hand transplant, patient and surgeon meet again	"On 27 December 2012, the UK's first hand transplant took place at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT). A decade on, we spoke to the patient and his pioneering surgeon.
""Many patients say after surgery it is the small things that are the most significant to them,"" says Prof Simon Kay OBE, a consultant plastic surgeon. 
""Being able to brush their daughter's hair, take money out of a purse or turn on the tap and fill a glass of water, and to feel complete again.""
Or, in the case of former West Yorkshire pub landlord Mark Cahill, save his wife's life after she suffered a heart attack.
Leeds, the home of the UK Hand Transplant Unit, is the UK's only provider of this type of complex surgery. It is also now considered one of the leading hand transplant services in the world. It's an area of medicine that would have seemed implausible just a few decades ago. 
Mr Cahill is the poster boy for this unit. In 2012, his right hand had become so badly infected following years of gout that it required amputating. 
He addresses Prof Kay as ""Prof"", revealing a familiarity forged through years of interaction. When the consultant takes hold of his patient's hand and inspects his work, the connection and pride is clear for all to see.
Some patients who have walked these corridors over the past decade lost their hands or limbs due to accidents. Others lost theirs to medical conditions such as sepsis or scleroderma. 
""My mother had seen Professor Kay on the television saying he was going to do hand transplants,"" recalls Mr Cahill, of Greetland near Halifax. ""I managed to get to see him, and he said I was an ideal candidate. I talked it over with my family and thought I may as well go for it, it's got to be better than what I've got, which it turns out it has been.""
Source: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Only after intense psychological interviews, did he go under the surgeon's knife. ""They test your psychological being to see if you're suitable,"" he says.
On Boxing Day, the call he and his family had been waiting for finally came. ""They said, 'can you come across?' They said you might spend a while in hospital while we do the tests to see if you're suitable. All sorts run through your mind - will it be successful, will I like it? You don't know these things until after the operation.""
m, the decision to have the transplant was a no-brainer. The surgical team liaised with surgeons in France who performed the first hand transplant in 1998.
""They put me to sleep and I woke up with a new hand,"" says Mr Cahill, who underwent the transplant the following day. ""I remember waking up in the high dependency unit afterwards and Prof came in and said, 'let's have a look'. 
""I could move my fingers just a slight bit and Prof said, 'don't do that just yet'. So I thought, it's working already. It's incredible that it moved so quickly.""
Mark Cahill says he can now perform basic tasks with his new hand.
Months of physiotherapy followed. ""It was difficult at the start,"" he recalls. ""Your nerves take a long time to grow back and without them your movement and feeling is not altogether there.""
ration has changed his life, giving him back his independence. He says: ""I used to have to ask people to do things for me. Driving, for instance, I can steer with my right hand that makes it so much easier.""
It also proved life-saving when, in 2016, Mr Cahill's wife Sylvia suffered a heart attack. ""She died for 19 minutes and for at least 10 of them I kept her alive with heart compressions using my right hand,"" he says. 
He says he will forever be grateful to the team.
""They have been absolutely fantastic,"" says Mr Cahill. ""Life is fine now. It's great.""
Prof Kay also looks back with pride. 
""In 10 years, we have moved from performing what was seen as a pioneering surgery, to establishing this service as accessible, well-coordinated and one of the top two units in the world,"" he says. 
""The level of expertise and quality of care in this team is exceptional and of course our surgeries would not be possible without the courage and generosity of the donors and their families. 
r contribution has enabled us to change lives and to work in this field is a privilege.""
But, 10 years on from that first operation, hand donation is still not an option that can be selected on the donor register. 
""We need donors,"" says Mr Cahill. ""It's a very difficult question for nurses to ask people (next of kin).""      
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leeds-64041081
health	Sacked health minister hits out at former political colleagues	"Isle of Man's recently sacked health minister has accused his former department's political members of ""behavioural issues"". 
Rob Callister was dismissed from the Department of Health and Social Care last week after seven weeks in post.
In response, the department's three political members said they ""utterly refute"" his claims.
Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said the ""serious matters"" needed to be investigated. 
ue was raised in Tynwald in an urgent question on the stability of the Manx government following the sacking.
Mr Cannan told politicians the dismissal was in the ""greater interests"" of healthcare on the island, but refused to elaborate on the specific reason for Mr Callister's removal.
Replying to those comments, Mr Callister said he was ""absolutely appalled"", stating he had raised issues about the behaviour of the department's political members when he was in charge.
In a joint statement released following the exchange, department members Michelle Haywood, Joney Faragher and Tanya August-Hanson said they were ""sorry"" Mr Callister felt they had acted ""in any way unprofessionally"".
But the trio said they ""utterly refute"" the claims made in his ""outburst"" in Tynwald, and would cooperate with any subsequent investigation.
It comes after they wrote to the chief minster to say Mr Callister's appointment had ""exacerbated"" levels of ""unsettlement amongst staff, depleted morale, and evident uncertainty"" within the health department.  
Mr Cannan was under fire for a lack of transparency from some in the court, including Tim Glover MHK who repeatedly asked what had changed ""in the 50-odd days"" between Mr Callister's appointment and dismissal.
f minister said the government was tackling ""critical issues"", while Mr Glover was ""sitting moaning on the backbenches"".
""If you want to create an omelette, along the way a few eggs often do get cracked, and we're going to carry on focusing on creating the right omelette for this island,"" he added.
However, he said the allegations made by Mr Callister would now ""need to be properly looked"".
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk"	/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-63635901
health	Strep A: Fundraiser in Muhammad Ibrahim Ali memory reaches £4,500	"A fundraising effort in memory of a four-year-old pupil who died from a strep A infection has raised nine times more than its target.
Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died last month from the infection.
Described as a ""kind and thoughtful"" child, Muhammad attended Oakridge School and Nursery in the town.
Head teacher Stuart Cook initially hoped to raise £500. The current amount raised is more than £4,500.
money will be spent by the school on a ""lasting memorial"" to Muhammad with the remainder being donated to a charity of his family's choice.
Infections caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria are usually mild with symptoms such as a sore throat or skin infections.
ug can also cause scarlet fever which can, in the majority of cases, be treated successfully with antibiotics and people make a full recovery.
However, in a very small number of cases, group A strep infection can get deeper into the body - for example, into the lungs and bloodstream - causing an illness known as invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS), which is much harder to treat.
Mr Cook described Muhammad as having a ""lot of life and energy"" and ""always smiling"".
""He was a very kind and thoughtful boy and always wanted to help his friends,"" he said. 
""It's been a tough couple of weeks but the whole school community has come together, supporting parents, and probably most importantly the children, perhaps who are worried and have questions.
""We are one big family at Oakridge and will miss him terribly.""
UK Health Security Agency advises people to call 999 or go to A&E if:
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health	More than 12,000 Isle of Man GP appointments missed last year	"More than 12,000 GP appointments on the Isle of Man were missed in the last financial year, costing Manx Care an estimated £470,000.
rator has revealed an average of 48 people a day did not attend scheduled trips to see a doctor between April 2021 and March this year.
Associate Director of Primary Care John Snelling said the figures were ""shocking"" and would anger the public.
Missed appointments waste clinical time and cause delays for others, he added.
A Manx Care spokeswoman said the rate of people not attending appointments had continued into this financial year, with more than 7,000 missed between April and September.
ue was a ""huge concern"" across the island's 11 GP practices, leading to extended waiting times for other patients and pressure on other services, she added.
Each missed appointment is estimated to cost Manx Care £38, with one surgery recording a high of 500 people not attending in March this year.
Dr Snelling said that led to times where ""highly trained clinicians are sitting twiddling their thumbs"".
""It makes them frustrated, and it makes the system grind more slowly,"" he added.
Dr Snelling has urged anyone who cannot make an appointment to let their GP know, and reminded the public that they can now use text messages and other means to contact their local surgery.
But he acknowledged there were problems speaking to GPs over the phone due to high demand.
First thing in the morning was ""always going to be intensely busy"", so patients should consider calling later in the day or using alternative means, he said.
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health	China Covid: How is it tackling the latest surge in cases?	"Hospitals in China are reported to be filling up with Covid patients after the country relaxed its lockdown rules. 
government says it will now ramp up its vaccination programme, having immunised relatively few people until now.
Following mass protests over its controversial ""zero Covid"" policy, China has dropped mass testing in cities and regions where there have been outbreaks. 
People can now stay at home if they have mild Covid symptoms, rather than being sent to a quarantine centre. 
Officially, China is reporting relatively low numbers of Covid cases and a tiny number of deaths.
Because it has ended its mass testing programme, Chinese authorities no longer have reliable figures for the number of Covid infections.
However, there are anecdotal reports of hospitals filling up with patients. 
World Health Organization (WHO) has asked it to provide specific data on disease severity and hospital admissions.
Official figures for November suggest Chinese health authorities have now vaccinated 40% of over-80s with two jabs and a booster.
People in this age range are the most vulnerable to the virus. 
g improvement on China's past performance.
In April 2022, fewer than 50% of people aged between 70 and 79 age had received two jabs and a booster, and fewer than 20% of over-80s. 
China is now reported to have set a goal for 90% of its over-80s to receive either the initial two vaccination jabs, or both plus a booster, by the end of January.
However, vaccinations alone may not be enough to halt the surge in Covid cases.
Experts believe that because the Chinese population has been locked down so much, many people have not picked up ""hybrid immunity"".
means they haven't gained protection both from being vaccinated and from being exposed to the virus through other people.  
When China's government started rolling out vaccines in late 2020, it prioritised the working-age population. 
It did not test its vaccines on many elderly people, and told them it could not say whether they were safe for this age group.
f China's Covid expert panel, Prof Liang Wannian, says that made some people reluctant to get their jabs.
""Many old people have underlying diseases,"" he says. ""They reckon it won't be safe to get vaccinated.""
China has only used domestically-produced vaccines on its citizens: CoronaVac, made by a company called Sinovac, and Sinopharm.
Both use parts of a dead coronavirus to expose the body to Covid and stimulate the immune system to produce virus antibodies. 
A US study suggests that Sinovac - the more widely used of the two - is only 66% effective at protecting against Covid infection and 86.3% effective at preventing death.
Both Sinovac and Sinopharm are less effective than the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna which have been widely used in western countries. 
rain the immune system to attack the spike protein on the virus - the part of the virus which infects the body's cells.
ffer 90% protection against severe disease or death. 
Since the start of the pandemic, 64 other countries have used Sinopharm and 34 have used Sinovac. 
ular in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Chinese vaccines can be stored in a refrigerator between 2 and 8C, while Moderna's mRNA vaccine needs to be stored at -20C, and Pfizer's at -70C.
Many developing countries use China's vaccines because they do not have the facilities to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures.
China claims to have made about half of all the world's Covid vaccine stock. 
government has refused so far to approve Western mRNA vaccines for domestic use. Germany has sent doses of the Pfizer vaccine to China, but they will only be given to foreign residents.
China is believed to be developing its own mRNA vaccine, but has not said when this might be available.
It reportedly asked US company Moderna to give it the technology behind its mRNA vaccine, but the company declined to do so. "	/news/63798484
health	New sports hub in Glastonbury to offer health support	"Work to deliver a new sports hub will begin early in the new year.
Mendip District Council will extend Tor Sports and Leisure Centre in Glastonbury to create a new major leisure hub for the town.
w centre will offer opportunities for sports, training, education and health and well-being support.
A total of £2.09 million will be invested in the project from the town deal grant, with a further £200,000 being provided through match funding.
Glastonbury was one of 101 towns across the UK which has received funding from the government's towns fund, with £23.6 million being provided for projects designed to enhance the town centre.
roject will see a one-and-a-half storey extension being built onto the existing clubhouse building to create a new multi-use sports hall.
refurbishment will also include a gym, changing rooms, showers and toilets, three treatment rooms, a meeting space, a storage room, a social area with a bar and separate kitchenette, and a remodelled reception space complete with a café.
ransformed facilities will be available for use by a range of local sports and clubs, including cricket, football, bowls, rounders and acrobatics, and will provide opportunities for local people to improve their physical and mental health.
Councillor Liz Leyshon, who sits on the Glastonbury town deal board, said: ""I am absolutely delighted to see the Glastonbury Community Sports and Leisure Hub planning application approved by the council.
""This bodes well for the rest of the town deal, and the start of a new era for Glastonbury.""
ure complex is the first of the 11 town deal project to secure planning permission, with decisions currently pending on three other applications - the revamping of the Baily's Buildings, improvements to the tourism offer at Glastonbury Abbey, and the creation of a health and well-being hub at St Dunstan's House on Magdalene Street.
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health	China protests: Authorities fight losing battle against zero-Covid	"China's strategy for tackling Covid feels frozen in time. 
untry was the first to introduce lockdowns in Wuhan city, the place the virus emerged, nearly three years ago. A lockdown of the entire province of Hubei swiftly followed. 
But now the rest of the world has moved on while China turns to unpopular lockdowns again and again. Many are asking: Why?
It was abundantly clear in the earliest days of the pandemic that the virus could not be stopped. The question rapidly became - how are we going to live with it? 
Most of the world used strict restrictions on our lives for a clear purpose - in order to buy time to develop and roll out Covid vaccines. It was a means to an end. Once immunity was built up, restrictions were eased and life returned to normal.
China has consciously chosen, and stuck with, a strategy of total suppression or ""zero-Covid"". The problem is you cannot wish the virus away, so every time it appears you need more lockdowns. 
And even if China wanted to, the weakness of its vaccination programme means abandoning zero-Covid now would lead to huge numbers of deaths. 
It has challenges with both the vaccines being used and in getting them to the most vulnerable people.
China has developed its own vaccines - CoronaVac and Sinopharm. These are not useless as some have alleged, but they are not quite as good as the vaccines used elsewhere in the world.
Chinese vaccines take whole coronaviruses, kill them and inject them to train the body to fight the whole virus. By contrast, the mRNA vaccine technology used by Pfizer and Moderna trains the immune system to attack just the spike protein on the virus - the key part that is used to infect our body's cells.
It could be this difference - targeting everything rather than focusing on the critical part - that is giving less protection. 
Data from Hong Kong, published in the Lancet, suggests two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech give 90% protection against severe disease or death. The equivalent figure for two doses of Sinovac is 70%.
If you are using a less potent vaccine, then it means you have to vaccinate even more of the population in order to achieve the same effect. 
And the issue in China is far too few of the elderly - who are most likely to die from Covid - have been immunised. 
ge of zero-Covid was very few people died - around 5,000 deaths in a country of 1.4 billion is far more impressive than the UK's 170,000 deaths in a country of 67 million. 
But stopping the virus in its tracks also means there is very little natural immunity that comes from surviving an infection. 
Overall, China remains vulnerable to the virus and all this leaves the country with a massive problem. 
w variants, such as Omicron, spread far more quickly than the virus that emerged three years ago and there is a constant risk of it coming into the country. 
Being fully vaccinated and boosted saves lives, but it does not stop the virus spreading. In a world of eight billion people, it is hard to prevent the virus getting in. 
And if China does not lock down at first sight of the virus, then it risks the horrors of the early days of the pandemic. 
Estimates from March, published in Nature Medicine, suggested ending zero-Covid could overwhelm hospitals with 15 times more people needing hospital beds than those currently available. It predicted around 1.5 million deaths. 
ween being dependent on lockdowns indefinitely and solving the country's immunity problem. Even the World Health Organization says zero-Covid is not sustainable and there should be a shift away from the policy.
Other countries have successfully performed the pivot from ""zero-Covid"" to living with the virus. Both New Zealand and Australia stomped hard on the virus at the beginning of pandemic and used vaccines to open up. 
Now the question for China is still the same as in the beginning: What is the exit strategy?
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health	Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Documents reveal catastrophic collapse risk	"""likely"" collapse of reinforced panels in a hospital could be ""catastrophic"", new documents reveal.
A risk assessment for Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire found levels of concern over the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). 
rs were obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by campaigner Minh Alexander.
She said it was ""dreadful"" that staff and patients ""were expected to tolerate unacceptable risks"".
Caroline Walker, chief executive for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said it was keeping ""a very close eye on the RAAC structural issues"".
""We are focusing on redevelopment plans for Hinchingbrooke which would see us build a new hospital on the site, thus eliminating our RAAC issues, by 2030,"" she said.
Reinforced planks made from RAAC have been used in roofs, floors and walls of NHS buildings and schools built in the 1960s and 1980s.
material has serious weaknesses, as seen at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where ceilings are supported by more than 2,400 props.
Ms Alexander, who has campaigned on the issue, published disclosures from a dozen NHS trusts and organisations affected by the RAAC problem, including North West Anglia, which operates Hinchingbrooke.
""It is dreadful that trust staff and patients have been expected to tolerate these unacceptable risks,"" she said, ""and that trust staff have been forced to invest so much energy in managing dangerous, dilapidated buildings, instead of delivering care.""
risk document for Hinchingbrooke is similar to the one for West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, which the BBC obtained last year. 
rue extent of the risk at the Cambridgeshire based hospital isn't known due to some of the RAAC panels not being surveyed because of access issues.
Also included in the FOI disclosure is a recently updated ""risk action plan"" and an ""emergency evacuation plan"". 
An NHS England deadline to remove the panels from across its estate has also been brought forward five years to 2030, according to the papers.
North West Anglia published a business case last year to be included among eight trusts to be selected for funding as part of the government's New Hospital Programme.  
ument states the hospital's main theatres are located in buildings constructed from RAAC which need to be replaced ""as soon as possible because of the structural safety issues"".
An announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
Ms Walker added: ""The safety of our patients, staff and visitors is of the utmost importance to us. 
""Our estates and facilities team are working on an ongoing rolling programme across the affected areas of the hospital site to ensure that we can be aware of any faults as soon as they arise, implement safety measures and carry out remedial works.""
She said construction of a main seven-theatre block was already under way at the rear of the site. 
Surveys across the NHS estate have revealed 34 buildings containing RAAC planks at 16 NHS trusts, according to a parliamentary answer in July. 
NHS has earmarked £685m to deal with risks relating to the use of the material at these sites, including structural surveys and the installation of ""failsafe"" measures to prevent collapse.
A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesman said: ""We have publicly committed to eradicating Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from the NHS estate and protecting patient and staff safety in the interim period, with the NHS approaching this on a risk basis, prioritising NHS Trusts of concern"". 
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health	Milton Keynes mother says mould in flat caused son's skin condition	"A mother has claimed mould on communal area walls of her apartment complex has caused her son to develop a skin condition.
Kerry Sanders said her 15-year-old son developed ""contact dermatitis"" from the mould at Lanark House, West Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
She said she has raised the problem with Milton Keynes Council since she moved in four years ago.
uthority said it was would visit to check the shared spaces.
Ms Sanders revealed her situation after Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) was criticised by a coroner ruling on the death of a two-year-old boy , who died of a respiratory condition caused by exposure to the mould in his flat.
She said the ""horrendous"" mould problem left her son's skin ""red raw and bleeding"".
Ms Sanders said: ""Over the years I've lived here it's just got worse and it's starting to grow.
""The smell is horrendous, it's an odd smell but you know that smell is mould.""
Her 15-year-old son was diagnosed with ""contact dermatitis"", by their GP and they were told it was caused by ""allergens in the air, such as mould, damp and condensation"".
""Where his skin is peeling off it's red raw, it's bleeding it's cracking"", she added. 
She told BBC Three Counties Radio she has written to the council about the issues for years and had a point of contact.
She said although mould had been in her flat, due to her taking daily action, she has managed to keep it at bay. 
It was on the walls of communal areas, she said, which residents ""breathe in as soon as they come in the door"". 
She said: ""On a daily basis [in her flat] I'm having to clean all-round the windows, the ceiling, to get rid of the mould, the condensation build up.
""I buy dehumidifier bags for every room which I'm having to replace every other day as they're filling up so quickly.
""It's 2022, tenants shouldn't have to live in these conditions.""
A council spokeswoman said it was not aware of any ""current mould issue within Ms Sanders' flat, but she is welcome to get in touch if this is the case, as we want our tenants to feel secure and comfortable in their homes"". 
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health	Family claim Rotherham Hospital delays led to death of boy	"A five-year-old boy who died after being sent home from a hospital could have been saved if he had been treated earlier, his family has claimed.
Yusuf Mahmud Nazir's uncle said he had ""begged"" staff at Rotherham Hospital to treat his nephew's severe throat infection with intravenous antibiotics.
He said he was told the children's ward had ""not got the doctors"" and ""not got the beds"". Yusuf died on 23 November.
rust has begun an investigation into what happened.
Zaheer Ahmed said Yusuf fell ill with a sore throat on 13 November. The following day he went to his GP and was prescribed antibiotics.
When the boy's condition worsened he was taken to Rotherham Hospital in South Yorkshire. 
After waiting for hours Yusuf was seen by a doctor who, according to Mr Ahmed, told him the child had ""the worst case of tonsillitis he had ever seen"".
Despite the diagnosis he was not admitted to hospital. 
When Yusuf's condition deteriorated further, Mr Ahmed said he called the children's ward at the hospital. 
""We were begging them for their help,"" he said.
""I said 'Please can you help me I've got nobody else to go to. He needs IV antibiotics, he's struggling breathing'.
""They didn't want to know. They just said 'We've not got the doctors, we've not got the beds. I can't just pull a bed out of the air'. 
""'We've got queues of kids waiting, it's not just your child' and I said 'Yeah, but he needs this treatment'. 
""'So do other children' - that's exactly the response I got.""
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust later said its hospital did not provide paediatric intensive care beds. 
Yusuf Mahmud Nazir's uncle: 'We were begging for their help""
On Friday 18 November, Yusuf was unable to speak, eat or drink so was taken by ambulance to Sheffield Children's Hospital.
After being given intravenous antibiotics, Mr Ahmed said his nephew seemed to improve and started drinking and eating again. However, his condition deteriorated and he died on Wednesday 23 November.
""The infection - what should have been treated in Rotherham - just spread to his chest, spread to to his lungs... organ failures and just taken his life from there,"" said the boy's uncle.
""If he had got IV antibiotics, he would have been here. He would have be playing with us now, if he got that when I begged them.""
Mr Ahmed said the family wanted answers from the hospital and the government to prevent future deaths.
""I don't know if it would have been a different situation if they did have the beds or weren't overwhelmed,"" he said. 
Dr Richard Jenkins, chief executive of The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, offered his ""sincere condolences to Yusuf's family"".
""We have commenced a thorough investigation into Yusuf's care, which will include liaison with Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust,"" he said. 
""I want to assure families that we have an appropriately staffed medical paediatric service who provide support to our medical colleagues working within our Urgent Emergency Care Centre when required. 
""We, like other district general hospitals in the South Yorkshire region, do not provide paediatric intensive care beds. 
""The Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist trust who do provide paediatric intensive care beds.""
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ""All children deserve the highest levels of care and we are taking urgent action to ensure no families have to experience these kinds of tragedies.
""Last week we announced up to £8bn for health and social care in 2024-25 and we're giving an extra £500m to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds, ensuring people are only in hospital for as long as they need to be.""
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health	Milton Keynes University Hospital reintroduces face mask policy	"Staff and visitors will be asked to wear face masks at a hospital to protect them from viruses, its chief executive said.
Joe Harrison, of Milton Keynes University Hospital, said the decision had been made to ""keep people and their families safe"".
Mr Harrison said the hospital had 46 patients with Covid.
""We know there are lots of horrible viruses around and masks do protect you from them,"" he said.
Mr Harrison said people would be asked to wear masks in all clinical areas of the hospital.
""We are trying to do everything we can to make sure people look after themselves,"" he said.
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health	Overnight emergency doctors service returns after temporary closure	"Isle of Man's out-of-hours doctors service is set to resume its normal hours, Manx Care has confirmed.
Manx emergency doctors service (MEDS) was forced to close between midnight and 08:00 GMT on Sunday and Monday due to staff sickness.
rvice will now again be available throughout the night from 18:00 on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Manx Care said the temporary closure had affected ""a small number of people"".
Residents had been asked to consider whether their call could wait until GP surgeries opened the following morning.
who felt they could not wait were advised to go to the emergency department at Noble's Hospital.
When the service was closed on Monday an answerphone message explained the situation to those calling the MEDS helpline to speak to a doctor.
On Sunday night, calls received were diverted to the hospital switchboard and were assessed the next day.
rovider has also asked people to continue to choose community care where possible, based on their condition.
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health	Stoke hospital wards expanded to reduce ambulance delays	"Royal Stoke University Hospital is increasing the number of patients on its wards in a bid to reduce the pressure on A&E.
It hopes this will also reduce delays for ambulances waiting to hand over patients.
f executive of University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust, Tracy Bullock, said she recognised it was not an ideal solution.
But she said measures so far had appeared to reduce ambulance delays.
It has involved adding one extra bed to a number of wards, with Ms Bullock saying: ""We have now very, very few ambulances waiting over six hours, waiting over eight hours - they're the exception now.
""You'll see clusters of ambulances outside the A&E but they are not waiting for as long as they were doing,"" she added.
In one day in August, delays in patient handovers saw 25 out of the county's 57 ambulances waiting outside Royal Stoke.
Ms Bullock said the hospital was preparing to open another ward in January to cope with the expected increase in patients over the winter.
would also try to move patients through the hospital and out of A&E more quickly, she said.
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health	Great Yarmouth ambulance patient transport service suspended	"A private ambulance service has been suspended from transporting patients after inspectors said there was an ""unacceptable risk"" of harm.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Grange Farm in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, as inadequate.
watchdog said 16 staff were suspended and its registered manager resigned after the inspection.
Ikon Ambulance Services Ltd, which runs the Grange Farm service, said it had employed ""new policies and procedures"".
""When we aren't assured people can be cared for safely, we don't hesitate to act,"" said the CQC's head of hospital inspection, Zoe Robinson.
""Grange Farm's operating procedures were unfit for purpose, which exposed people using it to an unacceptable risk of avoidable harm.""
Ikon Ambulance Services typically provides first aid support at events such as stock car racing, horse shows and agricultural shows - a service which is not part of its registration with the CQC.
However, inspectors said any medical transportation of patients from events, such as to hospital emergency departments, was regulated by the CQC.
Following the inspection at Grange Farm on 6 September, the watchdog concluded:
CQC said the service suspended 16 members of staff after the visit because there was no record of a DBS check in their file.
registered manager was not available during the inspection and by the following day they had resigned, inspectors reported.
CQC said Grange Farm's operating base was a static caravan, using water from a tap and hose, and said the staff portable toilet was covered in spider webs.
It said the interior of all five vehicles was ""visibly dirty"".
report noted Grange Farm had key services available seven days a week, adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and enough staff to care for patients.
CQC's 12-week suspension of Grange Farm's registration, which covered patient transport and urgent and emergency care, ended last month and it said a second inspection took place on 29 November.
uspension continues until the CQC ""is assured the service can provide safe care"".
An Ikon Ambulance Services spokesman said: ""We acknowledge that the way in which we document and evidence our governance needed overhauling and have employed new reporting systems, new senior managers and new policies and procedures.
""These developments have enabled us to complete all the recommended actions within the report.""
kesman claimed the vehicles had returned from an equestrian event when they were inspected, and added: ""To deem a vehicle unclean without consideration for our business model is unfair and inaccurate.""
CQC said the company did not have an NHS contract at the time of the September inspection, but it started a contract in November with the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust providing staffing support in its new ambulance handover unit - a service that was not subject to the suspension.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council confirmed it used Ikon to provide medical support at previous events, such as the 2022 Easter Fair, but had no ""ongoing agreement"".
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action LineFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-63965640
health	South West Acute Hospital temporarily loses emergency general surgery	"Emergency general surgery is to be temporarily withdrawn from South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen, the Western Health Trust has said.
rust said this was necessary to protect the public's safety after it had problems recruiting surgical staff.
Despite saying the move was temporary, the trust did not say when it expected emergency general surgery would resume.
mergency department and other services including obstetrics will continue to operate as normal. 
Other - mostly lower grade - surgeons will remain on site at the County Fermanagh hospital.
will stabilise patients before they are transferred by ambulance to the likes of Altnagelvin Area Hospital in Londonderry, Craigavon Area Hospital in County Armagh or Sligo University Hospital across the border in the Republic of Ireland.
Local groups have said they are concerned that the road infrastructure does not support a quick transfer of patients from Enniskillen to Altnagelvin, Craigavon or hospitals in Belfast.  
In a further move it has been confirmed the hospital is to become Northern Ireland's third elective surgical hub.
In October, emergency general surgery was ""temporarily"" moved from Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon Area Hospital. 
Geraldine McKay, the trust's director of acute services, explained the decision was taken because of a lack of consultant surgeons. 
She said a consultant in the general surgery team had recently resigned.
means that emergency general surgery will stop at SWAH on 18 December.
""Despite our previous and ongoing efforts to recruit, we have not been successful to date in securing the necessary consultant workforce,"" Ms McKay said.
""The trust is therefore now unable to maintain the required workforce to sustain and deliver a safe emergency (unplanned) general surgical service to our population from SWAH.
""Put simply, we cannot provide an emergency general surgery service without a consultant surgical team in place to provide the required 24/7 cover.""
Ms McKay said the trust had done everything it could to maintain services and was disappointed by the announcement. 
She explained they had held six recruitment rounds since 2016 and in that time the hospital had gained five consultant surgeons.
However, during the same period SWAH lost six consultants - three of whom retired while the other three moved on to other jobs.
""Unfortunately we have now come to a position whereby, come the end of January, I will have no substantive [staff] consultants in post in South West Acute Hospital in the general surgical specialty.""
Speaking about the implications for patients, Ms McKay said: ""I completely understand the anxieties of the population of Fermanagh and south Tyrone, especially rural areas.""
Ms McKay said she was aware one of the key anxieties is what would happen in the case of a major road crash.
""We have agreed with emergency department team and trauma network that SWAH will remain a trauma-receiving unit,"" she said.
Emergency general surgery relates to the treatment of patients with conditions such as acute abdominal pain, infections, bleeding and trauma.
It includes operations such as removing a patient's gall bladder, appendix or part of the bowel.  
If left unattended these conditions can become life-threatening. 
According to the Western Trust, SWAH deals with about five such cases a day and that is not enough to sustain a dedicated emergency general surgical team. 
In a briefing on Thursday afternoon, the trust said there would be no change to emergency C-Section births, though if a patient is deemed at risk they will opt to deliver elsewhere.
""Fermanagh is so isolated… It's madness, people will die,"" County Fermanagh resident Jimmy Hamill told BBC News NI.
He was among people who began to gather outside Enniskillen Town Hall on Thursday evening in reaction to the announcement.
Mr Hamill described the move as ""lunacy"" and said he believed it was part of a ""choreographed plan"".
A former SWAH medic also questioned the ""temporary"" nature of the move, suggesting the trust had used that word euphemistically.
""In my experience, having worked in the health service for over 40 years, once the word temporary is used, therefore it becomes permanent,"" Prof Mahendra Varma told the BBC's Evening Extra programme. 
""So I don't accept what the Western [Trust] board is saying with regards to it being temporary.""
retired consultant cardiologist was among the medics who were involved in the establishment of the hospital 10 years ago.
Prof Varma also told the programme he did not believe the trust had made enough efforts to replace retiring surgeons.
Another former SWAH worker, Diane McCaffery, described the decision as ""shocking"".
Ms McCaffery is a retired emergency care manager who worked at SWAH's cardio assessment unit
She told BBC News NI she has seen first-hand how emergency surgery has saved lives. She said she thinks this decision is ""catastrophic"" and that Fermanagh residents were the ""poor relatives of this country"".
Western Trust said existing services including its emergency department and obstetrics remained unchanged.
It added there would be ""minimal to no impact"" on the other existing services at SWAH.   
rust said it was liaising with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Southern Health Trust on the new arrangements. 
When the hospital becomes Northern Ireland's third elective surgical hub it is planned that it will tackle waiting lists.
rust said this would secure the hospital's future. 
r surgical hubs are based in the Mater in Belfast and Daisy Hill.
will provide surgery for both day case and overnight procedures which are planned in advance. "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63663135
health	Strep A: London child among six deaths from bacterial disease	"A pupil at a west London primary school has been confirmed as having died with Strep A bacterial disease. 
f six in England to have died after contracting the bug, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
upil attended St John's School, Ealing, and died from a severe, invasive form of the bacterial illness Group A Streptococcal.
UKHSA said it was ""saddened"" to hear of the child's death.
Dr Yimmy Chow, health protection consultant at UKHSA London, said: ""We are extremely saddened to hear about the death of a child at St John's Primary School, and our thoughts are with their family, friends and the school community.
""Working with Ealing Council public health team, we have provided precautionary advice to the school community to help prevent further cases and we continue to monitor the situation closely.""
Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection can cause scarlet fever.
However, the UKHSA told the BBC it was important people understood that scarlet fever is a mild illness and the GAS bacteria that cause it only rarely become invasive.
It is this form of the bacterial infection - invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) - that can lead to serious illness.
Dr Liz Whittaker, a expert in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology at Imperial College London, said GAS was a ""very common"" infection.
""What we worry about is when it becomes invasive and severe,"" she explained.
She said parents of primary school children ""should not worry, but they should know when to seek medical attention - if a child's temperature is not settling after four or five days or they're breathing fast or lethargic or not drinking properly, then get advice from 111 online or by phone."" 
Dr Whittaker added that there had been very few cases like this in the past two years due to coronavirus restrictions.
""We are seeing more of Strep Group A circulating at the moment, and whenever you see more of anything, you see more the serious side of it.""
You can read more about Strep A here.
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health	Midwives warn staffing crisis risks mother and babies' lives	"Midwives at an NHS trust rated as inadequate have warned women and babies could be placed at risk, if staff recruitment does not rapidly improve. 
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was downgraded from good by a health watchdog in summer.
Four people from the midwifery service have spoken to the BBC anonymously.
gh workloads, staff sickness and unfilled vacancies mean ""mistakes will be made"" but the trust said it had recruited 48 midwives in the past year.
It also said it was committed to creating a ""positive culture"" in the service.  
whistleblowers, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions at work, said: ""Midwives come on shift, take handover and often cry in anticipation of a terrible shift.
""If nothing changes it will be unsafe to have a baby. Things will get missed and to be blunt, mums and babies could die. 
""There will be a rise in postnatal depression, and mums will not get the support they deserve.""
Another added: ""It's been normalised for us to not drink any fluids for a full shift, not eating anything or grabbing sugary things, not realising our periods have started, not sleep well between shifts, calling back to work because we've forgotten something and working on our days off. 
""If you're going to choose to birth in Gloucestershire, it is a guessing game.  
""Will you get someone happy in their job? Will you get something who is well slept, fed and watered? Will you get someone who is fully present?  Will you get someone who is feeling supported?""
Gloucestershire's maternity services were downgraded from good to inadequate in the summer. 
In its report, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted concerns with culture, safety and the quality of services and staffing.
midwives said recruitment was being focussed in the wrong areas and that was creating additional pressures. 
""We are constantly being told that there is no funding for an extra midwives, however they have recently recruited another manager,"" one said.   
""We have also asked for extra admin support to alleviate some of the mountain of paperwork, but again we are told the same story regarding funding.""
Another added: ""There is no effort to improve retention. There is an insidious blame culture at the trust, across all sites managers have little-to-no training on how to manage or lead, they speak and treat staff appallingly.  
""Management needs a drastic overhaul from the top down.  
""If nothing changes, our CQC rating will remain or decrease.
""The choice for women in the county will remain poor.
""The options for women who would choose to have their baby in a freestanding birth unit or at home will be non-existent.""
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was ""incredibly proud"" of midwifery staff, who worked in the ""most challenging of circumstances"".
Matt Holdaway, director of quality and chief nurse, said: ""Thanks to a range of targeted initiatives from our dedicated midwifery recruitment team we have made significant progress over the summer in recruiting new midwives, with 14 new starters in October and a further seven being offered places in November. 
""In the last 12 months, 48 band 5 and 6 midwives have joined our team."" 
He said the leadership team was also ""determined"" to develop a positive culture that ""focuses on fairness, openness and learning"".
But the midwives say it had made little difference on the ground yet.
""We often work over our allotted hours, have little time for effective breaks and our physical, mental and emotional health are being affected as a consequence,"" one said. 
""It's like being in an abusive relationship where we get up every morning thinking it's going to get better but it never does.""  
Clare Livingstone, from the Royal College of Midwives, said: ""England's NHS is 2,000 midwives short of the numbers needed and that is worsening with around 400 fewer now than at the same time last year."" 
""Staff are on their knees, exhausted and burnt-out and to continue like this is simply not sustainable. They desperately want to deliver the best possible care and often cannot. This is not good for them or for women, babies, and their families.  
""There is a need from this Government to ensure funding already committed to maternity services gets there quickly. They must also to step up investment to increase staff numbers and to ensure we keep the midwives we already have, because many are heading for the exit door,"" she added. 
government said the NHS was investing an additional £127m in maternity services in 2023 to increase the maternity workforce - on top of £95m already invested to recruit an additional 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians.
""We are also supporting training to ensure we have the staff in place to deliver high-quality care, and have increased the number of midwifery training places by more than 1,700 since 2019."""	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63922601
health	Hull: Families of dementia patients to get unrestricted visits	"Families of patients with dementia will be given unrestricted visiting to Hull hospitals after a national campaign.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) pledged to uphold John's Campaign - which looks to give families an active role in hospital care.
g with memory impairments may become uncomfortable without familiar family members, or doctors may not spot the early signs of distress.
""Family members are the experts here,"" lead matron Karen Harrison said.
mpaign, which started in 2014, encourages hospitals to allow essential care givers greater access to patients to improve the overall experience for people with dementia.
HUTH said despite the ""unprecedented pressure on hospitals"", it was important to give essential care givers unrestricted access at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.
""We're shifting mindsets from ""allowing"" family members to visit to actually promoting and encouraging visiting for these often-vulnerable patients while they're in hospital, away from familiar surroundings,"" Ms Harrison said.
""[Family] know these patients best so can tell us what's normal for their loved ones, explain their likes and dislikes and what works to calm and comfort them if they become distressed.""
Covid measures remain at the hospital, including a request for family members to test negative before visits, or the wearing of appropriate PPE if on a ward.
Meal times, which are usually off-limits to visitors, will be open for family members to help relatives eat or drink.
""Other patients on wards who do not have memory impairment or dementia often ask why their families can't benefit from unrestricted visiting too but, once we explain John's Campaign, they understand we're acting in the best interest of these often-vulnerable patients,"" Ms Harrison added.
Staff are to receive training around the campaign, which was set up after Dr John Gerrard died after a ""catastrophic"" stay in hospital, the campaign said.
Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-humber-63862078
health	Canada looks to delay assisted dying for mentally ill	"Canada's government has said it wants to delay expanding medically assisted dying for people with mental illness. 
Access to euthanasia was set to broaden in March to people whose sole conditions are mental disorders.
xpansion has come under fire from some experts, who worry that it offers death as an option to people with suicidal thoughts.
Supporters of the measure, however, say excluding people with mental illness is discriminatory.
xpansion of assisted dying to people with mental illness would mean that Canada would have one of the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world.
Canada's Justice Minister David Lametti acknowledged on Thursday that more time might be needed to get the country's Medical Assistance in Dying law right. 
""We want to be prudent, we want to move in a step-by-step way so that we don't make mistakes,"" Mr Lametti said at a news conference. 
Canada made medically assisted death legal in September 2016. The legislation was passed after Canada's Supreme Court ruled that doctors could help patients who had severe and incurable medical conditions to die. 
Advocacy group Dying with Dignity has supported the expansion, saying that excluding people with mental illness from Canada's assisted dying law is ""stigmatising, discriminatory and unconstitutional"".
But the law has been criticised by those who worry that it is being offered without safeguards in place for people who are disabled and are living in poverty, and that assisted dying has been easier to access for some than affordable housing. 
Some psychiatrists have also expressed concern that Canada's health care system is not ready to handle requests for assisted dying from people with mental disorders, as it is difficult to predict who can recover from a mental illness. 
A petition from the Society of Canadian Psychiatry has asked that the expansion be delayed until 2024, though it remains unclear how long the government wants to delay its implementation. 
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice
Should people with a mental illness be helped to die?"	/news/world-us-canada-63991452
health	China Covid: Chinese protesters say police seeking them out	"WATCH: Five dramatic days in China as protesters take to the streets
People in China who attended weekend protests against Covid restrictions say they have been contacted by police, as authorities begin clamping down.
Several people in Beijing said police had called demanding information about their whereabouts. 
It is unclear how police might have discovered their identities.
On Tuesday officials renewed a promise to speed up efforts to vaccinate older people. Vaccination rates among elderly people are relatively low.
China has recorded record numbers of new cases in recent days.
Over the weekend, thousands in China took to the streets demanding an end to Covid lockdowns - with some even making rare calls for President Xi Jinping to stand down.
But on Monday, planned protests in Beijing did not happen after officers surrounded the assembly point. In Shanghai, large barriers were erected along the main protest route and police made several arrests.
monstrations began after a fire in a high-rise block in Urumqi, western China, killed 10 people on Thursday. Many Chinese believe Covid restrictions contributed to the deaths, although the authorities deny this.
Asked whether the protests would prompt a change to zero-Covid rules, an official said China would continue to ""fine tune and modify"" its measures.
""We are going to maintain and control the negative impact to people's livelihoods and lives,"" said Mi Feng, a National Health Commission spokesman, at a press conference.
On Tuesday morning, police could be seen in both Beijing and Shanghai patrolling areas where some groups on the Telegram messaging app had suggested people should gather again. 
A small protest in the southern city of Hangzhou on Monday night was also quickly stopped with people swiftly arrested, according to social media footage verified by the BBC.
Reports also say that police were stopping people and searching their phones to check if they had virtual private networks (VPNs) set up, as well as apps such as Telegram and Twitter which are blocked in China.
One woman told news agency AFP that she and five of her friends who attended a protest in Beijing had received phone calls from police. 
In one case, a police officer visited her friend's home after they failed to answer their phone and asked whether they had visited the protest site, stressing that it was an ""illegal assembly"".
Another told Reuters that they were asked to show up at a police station to deliver a written record of their activities on Sunday night. 
""We are all desperately deleting our chat history,"" one Beijing protester told Reuters. ""Police came to check the ID of one of my friends and then took her away. A few hours later they released her.""
Police have also detained journalists covering the protests in recent days. News agency Reuters said one of its journalists was briefly detained on Sunday before being released. 
BBC journalist Ed Lawrence was also held for several hours while covering a protest in Shanghai on the same night. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his detention was ""shocking and unacceptable"", adding that Britain would raise concerns with China about its response to the protests. 
But overseas Chinese have continued protesting, in at least a dozen cities across the world.
Many also gathered outside Chinese embassies in major cities around the world like London, Paris and Tokyo, and universities in the US and Europe.
One expert suggested that local protests were not likely to die down any time soon, saying they were likely to ""ebb and flow"" because people were ""not being called out to the streets in a controlled fashion... they move between social media and the street"".
But Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore, added that it was also important to note that Chinese police had ""tremendous capacity... [and] the ability of China to control these protests going forward... is quite high"". 
Censorship has gone into overdrive on Chinese social media platforms since the weekend's protests, to stop people seeing and discussing them.
f millions of posts have been filtered from search results, while media are muting their coverage of Covid in favour of upbeat stories about the World Cup and China's space achievements.
It's a vastly different scene on Western social media platforms, which some Chinese people have taken to to share information including advice for protesters to avoid arrest.
One account on Instagram - a platform which is blocked in China and accessible only through a VPN - published a ""safety guide for friends in Shanghai and across the country"" and included tips like wearing dark coloured clothing for anonymity and bringing along goggles and water in the event that tear gas is fired. 
Chinese officials have implied that complaints over China's tough Covid curbs were a result of ""arbitrary measures"" rolled out at a local level, rather than as a result of national guidelines.
""[There is an] over practice of containment measures [in some localities]... that is not aligned to national policies,"" said Cheng You Quan of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration at Tuesday's press conference. 
""Local governments should show more responsibility and follow national guidelines, [instead of following practices like] arbitrarily stopping schools and industry. We should name and shame as well as pursue criminal responsibility if necessary. Lockdowns should be quick and the removal of lockdowns should be equally quick.""
China remains the only major economy with a strict zero-Covid policy, with local authorities clamping down on even small outbreaks with mass testing, quarantines and snap lockdowns.
While China developed its own Covid vaccines, they are not as good as the mRNA technology - such as the Pfizer and Moderna shots - used elsewhere.
wo doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine gives 90% protection against severe disease or death versus 70% with China's Sinovac.
given to enough people. Far too few of the elderly - who are most likely to die from Covid - have been immunised.
re is also very little ""natural immunity"" from people surviving infections as a consequence of stopping the virus in its tracks.
It means new variants spread far more quickly than the virus that emerged three years ago and there is a constant risk of it being imported from countries that are letting the virus spread."	/news/world-asia-china-63785351
health	UK zoonotic research site left to deteriorate - MPs	"UK's main facility for dealing with viruses that jump from animals to humans has been left to ""deteriorate to an alarming extent,"" according to MPs.
Public Affairs Committee report cited ""inadequate management and under-investment"" at the site in Weybridge.
It said the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) had ""comprehensively failed in its historical management"" of the centre. 
Defra said work was already under way to upgrade the laboratories.
re is operated by the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). It is central to the UK's ability to control the outbreak of animal diseases and detect any emerging pathogens.
Public Accounts Committee found more than ""1,000 single points of failure"" at the Weybridge site. 
Its report said deterioration had left the laboratories ""continually vulnerable to a major breakdown"" which would severely impact the UK's ability to effectively respond to outbreaks. 
Some of the deadliest viruses on earth are ""zoonotic diseases"" that cross between species such as Covid-19, Sars or Ebola.
report said the risk to the UK of a zoonotic disease was ""real and the consequences can be devastating"", and accused the government of not sufficiently prioritising this threat to ""UK health, trade, farming and rural communities.""
Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier said: ""After the 2001 disaster of foot and mouth disease, the past decades have brought one animal-sourced disease after another. 
""It is shocking that government has allowed UK capacity in this area to deteriorate so alarmingly over that same period,"" she said. ""These diseases are devastating for our food production systems, the economy and, when they jump the species barrier to humans as Covid-19 did, to our whole society.""
UK and EU are currently in the grip of a record avian flu outbreak that has led to the culling of 48 million birds.
Prof Paul Wigley, professor of animal microbial ecosystems at the University of Bristol, warned that avian flu ""had the potential to jump to other species including us.""
""Weybridge has always been a central resource of facilities and people. It has been placed in a perilous position by underfunding and crumbling facilities,"" he said. ""Without support it is increasingly unlikely the UK could cope with another major outbreak of animal or zoonotic disease along with the ongoing avian influenza epidemic.""
government has plans to redevelop the site, with the construction of a new science hub due to start in 2027. However the level of funding needed is still not finalised.
Prof James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at University of Cambridge, said that the ""steady decline"" of the facility had been clear. 
""We can no longer be reliant on laboratory resources from partner European laboratories. The significance of laboratories is demonstrated clearly by their central role in the diagnosis and control of the ongoing unprecedented avian influenza outbreak.
""The current major Weybridge redevelopment programme is very welcome and important but it will take many years to be implemented and there are risks of laboratory failure occurring in the meantime.""
A Defra spokesperson said: ""Significant funding and work is already underway to upgrade (Weybridge's) laboratories and ensure we are protected from these diseases into the future.
""Its world-leading scientists and our field teams are playing a vital role in responding rapidly and decisively to the threats from animal diseases, including the current Avian Influenza outbreak, which is the largest on record.""  
Follow Claire on Twitter"	/news/science-environment-63638501
health	Faye Fantarrow: Eurythmics' Dave Stewart helping singer with brain tumour	"Eurythmics musician Dave Stewart says a young singer who has an aggressive brain tumour is ""a rare artist"" producing ""magical"" music.
Stewart is helping Faye Fantarrow, from Sunderland, fundraise for medical treatment after she was diagnosed with the rare tumour.
He has also offered to fly Ms Fantarrow anywhere in the world for treatment.
20-year-old had been recording with Stewart at his studio in the Caribbean when she became ill weeks later.
Stewart said it was ""a special time"" as they recorded eight songs together.
He said he heard of her music while looking around for artists from his native North East and started to follow Ms Fantarrow on social media before meeting up with her and her mother Pamela in Sunderland.
""We were going backwards and forwards trying to record something, and I said the best thing would be being in the same room,"" said Stewart, who has compared Ms Fantarrow's talent to that of Amy Winehouse, Kate Bush and Björk. 
""I brought Faye and her mum out to my studio in the Caribbean and we had an amazing time - made a great record and recorded about seven or eight songs and she was vibrant and it was a special time. 
""The music was so magical and Faye was writing stuff on the spot she was so inspired, she was swimming in the sea and there was just not a sign of any illness.
""That's why it was so devastating when I got the call when I arrived in London about three to four weeks later.""
Ms Fantarrow was told she had a glioma brain tumour in August after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was eight - and again as a teenager.
Last year Ms Fantarrow won the Alan Hull award for north-east England songwriters, she had been championed by BBC Introducing as one to watch in 2022 and had recently signed to Stewart's Bay Street Records label.
She said the support and love she had received from the music community had been ""overwhelming"" and said she was surrounded ""by the best people possible"".
Stewart said he encouraged Ms Fantarrow to go public after hearing about the chance of treatment at a hospital in California, which would cost about £450,000.
He donated £50,000 and his bandmate Annie Lennox - who described Ms Fantarrow as a ""totally unique and brilliant artist"" - donated £10,000.
A fundraising campaign has so far raised almost £105,000.
""She's already survived leukaemia twice and she has such a positive, brilliant attitude about everything,"" added Stewart. 
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-tyne-63583303
health	Lung cancer detected earlier through screening trial, NHS trust says	"A city hospital has detected 10 lung cancer patients through a screening programme that it is hoped offers a better chance of a cure.
More than 40 areas in England are trialling checks for current and former smokers aged 55-74.
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said it picked up 80% of suspected cancers at a curable stage, compared to 30% before.
Respiratory consultant Dr Alexander Hicks said the results were a ""complete game-changer"" for patients.
Former smoker John Rochester, 74, from Portsmouth, said he was contacted within 24 hours of his positive scan.
He said: ""I never had shortness of breath, anything like that. I never realised I had cancer. 
""If I hadn't gone for the test, I could have quite well passed away tomorrow. You just don't know.
""I can't believe how successful it has been, to be perfectly honest. Just over the moon.""
Dr Alexander Hicks, the trust's lung cancer lead, said: ""Of people with signs of a lung cancer, 80% of them have been found at a point in time when we can offer them a cure to their illness, which is a complete game-changer for me in my role as a lung cancer doctor.
""I usually see only 30 or so per cent of people when they are still able to be cured of their lung cancer.""
NHS England said the Targeted Lung Health Check programme, currently in areas with the highest rates of lung cancer mortality, was expected to cover all areas of the country from 2024.
Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, accounting for about a fifth of cases.
Symptoms include a persistent cough, chest infection and breathlessness, although there are usually no signs in the early stages.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-hampshire-63665758
health	India steps up Covid surveillance after China surge	"India's health ministry is on alert following a surge of Covid cases in neighbouring China.
government has instructed states to ensure genome sequencing of all positive cases in the country.
It has also asked state governments to step up efforts to curb any possible spread during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
India witnessed two deadly waves of Covid in 2020 and 2021, but has seen low infection levels this year.
According to government data, the country reports roughly 1,200 Covid cases every week. Over 2.2 billion Covid vaccine doses have been administered so far.
On Tuesday, the federal government asked states to send Covid samples of all positive patients to labs runs by INSACOG, a forum under the health ministry which studies and monitors various strains of Covid in India.
move came amid growing concerns over the spread of Covid in China following the recent easing of strict lockdown measures.
Hospitals and medical facilities in China have come under increasing strain as those who've tested positive at home seek medical support.
In a letter to all states, federal health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it was important to track new variants through genome sequencing due to the ""sudden spurt of cases being witnessed in Japan, United States of America, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China"".
would help authorities detect newer variants and take measures to contain them, he said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met senior officials on Wednesday to review the situation and step up surveillance.India was one of the worst affected countries during the first two waves of Covid. Millions were affected and more than 530,000 people died, according to official figures. 
But experts believe the real number of Covid deaths was likely to be much higher as many cases people who died were not tested or reported into official figures.The government had also come under heavy criticism for its poor preparation during the second wave in the summer of 2021 as many people died due to lack of oxygen and critical medicines."	/news/world-asia-india-64048789
health	Alzheimer's drug lecanemab hailed as momentous breakthrough	"first drug to slow the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer's has been heralded as momentous.
research breakthrough ends decades of failure and shows a new era of drugs to treat Alzheimer's - the most common form of dementia - is possible. 
Yet the medicine, lecanemab, has only a small effect and its impact on people's daily lives is debated. 
And the drug works in the early stages of the disease, so most would miss out without a revolution in spotting it.
Lecanemab attacks the sticky gunge - called beta amyloid - that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. 
For a medical field littered with duds, despair and disappointment, some see these trial results as a triumphant turning point. 
Alzheimer's Research UK said the findings were ""momentous"". 
One of the world's leading researchers behind the whole idea of targeting amyloid 30 years ago, Prof John Hardy, said it was ""historic"" and was optimistic ""we're seeing the beginning of Alzheimer's therapies"". Prof Tara Spires-Jones, from the University of Edinburgh, said the results were ""a big deal because we've had a 100% failure rate for a long time"".
Currently, people with Alzheimer's are given other drugs to help manage their symptoms, but none change the course of the disease.
Lecanemab is an antibody - like those the body makes to attack viruses or bacteria - that has been engineered to tell the immune system to clear amyloid from the brain.
Amyloid is a protein that clumps together in the spaces between neurons in the brain and forms distinctive plaques that are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's.
rge-scale trial involved 1,795 volunteers with early stage Alzheimer's. Infusions of lecanemab were given every fortnight. 
results, presented at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease conference in San Francisco and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are not a miracle cure. The disease continued to rob people of their brain power, but that decline was slowed by around a quarter over the course of the 18 months of treatment. 
ready being assessed by regulators in the US who will soon decide whether lecanemab can be approved for wider use. The developers - the pharmaceutical companies Eisai and Biogen - plan to begin the approval process in other countries next year. 
David Essam, who is 78 and from Kent in the UK, took part in the international trial. 
His Alzheimer's meant he had to give up work as a joiner - he could no longer remember how to build a cabinet or use his tools. He now uses a digital watch as he can't tell time using a clock face. 
""He's not the man he was, he needs help with most things, his memory in general is almost non-existent,"" said his wife Cheryl. But she said the trial had given the family hope. 
David said: ""If somebody can slow it [Alzheimer's] down and eventually stop it all together that would be brilliant, it's just a horrible nasty thing.""
re are more than 55 million people in the world like David and the numbers with Alzheimer's disease are projected to exceed 139 million by 2050.
re is debate among scientists and doctors about the ""real world"" impact of lecanemab. 
wer decline with the drug was noticed using ratings of a person's symptoms. It's an 18-point scale, ranging from normal through to severe dementia. Those getting the drug were 0.45 points better off. 
Prof Spires-Jones said that was a ""small effect"" on the disease, but ""even though it is not dramatic, I would take it"". 
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said it was a ""modest effect... but it gives us a little bit of a foothold"" and the next generation of drugs would be better.
re are also risks. Brain scans showed a risk of brain bleeds (17% of participants) and brain swelling (13%). Overall, 7% of people given the drug had to stop because of side effects.
A crucial question is what happens after the 18 months of the trial, and the answers are still speculation. 
Dr Elizabeth Coulthard, who treats patients at North Bristol NHS Trust, says that people have, on average, six years of living independently once mild cognitive impairment starts.
Slow that decline by a quarter and it could equate to an extra 19 months of independent life, ""but we don't know that yet"", she says.
It is even scientifically plausible that the effectiveness could be greater in longer trials. ""I don't think we can assume that this is it,"" says Dr Kohlhass.
mergence of drugs that do alter the course of the disease asks big questions of whether the health service is ready to use them. 
rugs have to be given early in the disease before too much damage to the brain is done, whereas most people referred to memory services are in the later stages of the disease. 
requires people coming forward at the earliest signs of memory problems and doctors being able to send them for amyloid tests - either brain scans or spinal fluid analysis - to a determine if they have Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. At the moment only 1-2% of people with dementia have such tests. 
Alzheimer's Society says more than 850,000 people in the UK have some form of dementia. More than half have Alzheimer's, but everyone would need testing.
""There's an enormous gulf between current service provision and what we need to do, to deliver disease modifying therapies,"" said Dr Coulthard.
She said that, currently, only those living near big medical centres or paying privately were likely to benefit. 
Scientists also stressed that amyloid was only one part of the complex picture of Alzheimer's disease and should not become the sole focus of therapies.
mmune system and inflammation are heavily involved in the disease and another toxic protein called tau is the one that's found where brain cells are actually dying. 
""That's where I would put my money,"" said Prof Spires-Jones. 
She added: ""I'm very excited we're on the cusp of understanding enough to get a hold of the problem and we should have something that will make a bigger difference in a decade or so.""
Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer's Society charity, called for a 10-year government strategy on dementia to deal with what she called the ""biggest health crisis we face in the UK"".
Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, she also said Lecanemab would not have a ""huge impact"" on those who already live with dementia. 
But she added it should ""make a big difference"" for future generations. 
How has Alzheimer's affected your family? What are your questions about the disease and the breakthrough drug? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. 
Follow James on Twitter."	/news/health-63749586
health	NHS: Londonderry nurse's 'life-changing' move to private sector	"A Londonderry nurse has described how leaving the NHS for the private sector in 2020 has been ""life-changing"".
Karla Mullan is one of 788 nurses who have left the Western Trust since April 2020, BBC Radio Foyle has learned.  
40-year-old said that although she loved her profession, it had become unconducive to family life. 
She was speaking as nurses in NI, England and Wales prepare to strike over pay in what is set to be their biggest walkout in the NHS's history.
Ms Mullan began working in Altnagelvin Hospital in 2006 and stressed that she ""adored"" her job in the early years. 
""I remember the first day, I ran over to laundry to get my blue uniform, I was just so proud to be a nurse,"" she said.
But in more recent times, the mother-of-three found nursing to be an increasingly pressurised profession that was not conducive to family life and she often found it difficult to unwind on days off. 
""In the trust, even on my days off, I'd be taking calls. Nurses take the brunt of everything. They work hard, long hours and their patient care comes first, sometimes they take that home with them to their families. They can't just switch off.""
In August 2020, Ms Mullan was approached by a private healthcare manager who offered her more flexible work which was also better paid. 
""He was able to accommodate my family life. He offered me shifts that worked around my children and their needs,"" she added. 
In a statement, the Western Trust said 203 permanent and temporary nurses have left over the past eight months ""for a variety of reasons including resignation, retirement, end of fixed-term contract, ill health or termination"". 
Between April 2021 and April this year, 323 nurses left the trust. 
As well as her care-home work, Ms Mullan now also has the time to run a part-time aesthetics business and her childcare costs have reduced significantly as her children only need to attend a childminder once a week.
""It just gives me so much more flexibility and made family life easier, not juggling shifts and childcare. It's just less stressful,"" she said.
""And now I don't have the guilt, it's been life-changing. As nurses we put our profession before our children at times. It's not flexible for mothers and fathers.
""The pressure comes from trying to balance your work life and family life. I have that now."" 
She is really enjoying working in a care home too.
""The elderly are so lovely to care for, they have lovely stories. I feel like I've adopted 24 grannies and granddas,"" she added.  
A 2022 report by the Nuffield Trust concluded that although retirement was the most common reason for departures, work-life balance is now the second most common reason for leaving a role.
It suggested the numbers citing this reason are now nearly four times higher than a decade ago. It also stated numbers leaving due to health reasons have also nearly quadrupled.
""Nursing is the single largest profession in the NHS, but it suffers from substantial staffing shortages,"" the report stated. 
Last month, the BBC found NHS bosses are increasingly paying premium rates for agency staff to plug holes in rotas. 
Ms Mullan can see the appeal of agency work, particularly among young nurses who may have fewer family commitments.
""You'd see people leave, but then they'd be back in a different uniform, earning more money as agency,"" she said.
""It's not good for morale. They really should look after the staff that are there - pay them the double time if they want to do extra hours. 
""There are lots of agencies out there and they seem to be looking after their staff very well.
""I can see why they would go and then they have the opportunity of going to a different trust or they can go into private healthcare. There are so many different doors."" "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63879580
health	Antibody jab approved for common winter virus RSV	"A new treatment to protect babies against a common and potentially dangerous winter virus has been approved by the UK regulator.
gle antibody shot helps stop infants getting chest infections, such as pneumonia, for about six months.
A large study has now begun to find out whether nirsevimab should be offered to all babies in the UK.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the main reasons children under five end up in hospital.
Other treatments for RSV already exist and trials of a vaccine have also shown promise.
In a normal winter, RSV mostly causes coughs and colds which clear up in a couple of weeks - but it can be particularly serious in infants under the age of two, causing severe lung problems such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. 
Every year, about 29,000 babies need hospital care for RSV and most have no other health issues beforehand.
Many infants now have little natural protection from the usual winter viruses. They were born during the pandemic when lockdowns and restrictions helped suppress their spread - and that is concerning health officials.
Although RSV rates are currently higher in the UK than during the pandemic, they are still in line with a normal winter. Levels of RSV are also surging in the US.
Christine Burlison thought her newborn baby Aria had nothing more than a cold when she started sneezing and snuffling not long after coming home.
But then Aria started grunting when breathing, and the next day she suddenly went floppy.
""It was really distressing,"" Christine says.
""I'd never heard of RSV - it's not part of antenatal training, but I knew something wasn't right.""
An ambulance took Aria to hospital where she was given oxygen to help her recovery, and she was there for a week.
Christine says the experience of seeing her tiny daughter struggling to breathe was ""heart-breaking"" and ""so terrifying"".
When her second child, Jude, became unwell with breathing problems when he was eight months old, she knew the signs to spot.
""I was really aware of RSV and knew when his breathing had crossed a line,"" she says. 
w antibody treatment, called nirsevimab, from Sanofi and AstraZeneca, has already been shown to reduce lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV by 74.5% in trials involving 4,000 babies. 
It works by preventing RSV from fusing to cells in the respiratory tract and causing infections.
But it still needs more research in larger numbers of babies before it can be used on the NHS.
Researchers now plan to investigate whether it can cut the number of babies needing hospital care for RSV, and are urging parents to sign up to their study.
udy is open to newborn babies and those up to 12 months old. Only one visit for the antibody injection is needed, and follow-up sessions happen via an app.
Co-study leader Dr Simon Drysdale, consultant paediatrician in infectious diseases at London's St George's Hospital, said the treatment could eventually be given at birth to offer protection for the first months of life, or during routine immunisations at two months old.
NHS and the UK's vaccine committee will have to make, based on the study's results.
""We do need the hospitalisation data to make complicated decisions between different technologies available,"" said Prof Saul Faust, co-study leader from the University of Southampton.
Another form of preventative treatment, a vaccine against RSV made by Pfizer, has produced promising results in trials in the US.
Given to pregnant women to protect their newborns, trials show the jab was 81% effective against severe respiratory illness because of RSV in the first 90 days of a baby's life. 
It also showed 69% protection for the first six months of a baby's life.
Pfizer plans to start the process of getting approval from medicines regulators by the end of this year.
Vaccines prompt the body to make antibodies to protect it against RSV, and this can take a month or two to happen.
An injected antibody treatment works straight away to protect against RSV.
An antibody treatment called palivizumab already exists for infants in the UK, but it has to be injected once a month for five months. "	/news/health-63572228
health	Nottingham maternity units set to miss investigations deadline	"Bosses at Nottingham's crisis-hit maternity units are set to miss a deadline for clearing a backlog of incomplete ""serious incident"" investigations.
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) has 53 outstanding maternity incidents yet to be investigated.
rust had said it aimed to complete investigations by December 23.
But director of midwifery Sharon Wallis says they have not progressed as quickly as she had hoped.
""Serious incidents"" are unexpected or unintended events that could cause NHS patients harm.
Local Democracy Reporting Service said the trust has managed to clear a number of those incidents - but it declared another nine in September and October.
Maternity services at the trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, have been rated 'inadequate' by health watchdogs.
An independent review team, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, is examining dozens of baby deaths at the the trust.
Ms Wallis told a November board meeting the investigation work was NUH's ""absolute focus"".
She said: ""Our burning platform at the minute is our serious incidents.
""We have 53 serious incidents. Nine have been identified since September and October - this leaves us with 44 in the backlog.
""I am taking personal responsibility on this and we are absolutely driving that forward. It's not where we wanted to be or predicted to be.""
Ms Wallis added she now hoped the trust will have 19 or 20 outstanding investigations remaining by the new year.
NUH has lowered the threshold for what is classed as a ""serious incident"", which has increased the number being declared.
review was set up by the government following a campaign by bereaved families.
More than 700 families and 160 members of staff have shared their experiences since Ms Ockenden's independent review team started work in September.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63754474
health	Gender identity: Belfast Trust apologises for 'excessive delays' at clinic	"Belfast Health Trust has apologised for ""excessive delays"" experienced by patients waiting to be seen by Northern Ireland's gender identity clinic.
BBC News NI has learned 698 people are on the adult waiting list.
rust said that the longest waiting time is five years and three months.
Forty-seven young people are on a waiting list for the gender identity service for those aged 18 and under, with the longest wait currently 50 weeks.
rust said it wanted to ""sincerely apologise"" to everyone affected by delays.
A Stormont report published by the Department of Finance on Monday described current provision for people seeking to change their gender in Northern Ireland as ""severely lacking"".
It said the sole adult clinic was located in Belfast and could be difficult to access.
Belfast Health Trust said it fully accepted that the waiting times were excessive.
rust also said that a review of gender services in Northern Ireland has been undertaken and that the report is currently with the Department of Health for consideration.
Belfast Health Trust runs two gender identity clinics - one for adults experiencing gender dysphoria and one for young people under 18, called the Knowing Our Identity (KOI) service.
Gender dysphoria is defined by the NHS as ""a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity"".
Adults can be referred to the gender identity service by GPs or some other medical professionals, while young people are referred to KOI by children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) teams.
Some people with gender dysphoria may eventually decide to change their gender through the use of hormones or surgery.
Department of Finance's report had described services for people seeking to change their gender in Northern Ireland as ""severely lacking"".
""There is one gender identity clinic which is located in Belfast and for which there are long waiting times to access the service,"" it said.
""Restricted access to healthcare"" was also seen as a cause of mental health problems in the transgender community, according to the study.
Amelia Clarke, the trans youth officer with the LGBTQ support organisation Cara Friend, said waiting so long to access the gender identity clinic affected many of young people she worked with.
""It is absolutely detrimental to their mental health,"" she told BBC News NI.
""Even if they've been on the waiting list with Knowing Our Identity, moving on to the adult waiting list is like a kick in the teeth.
""They've been waiting all this time and then all of a sudden they're back to square one again, back to waiting many years even just for an appointment to be seen.
""It creates anxiety, it negatively impacts their gender dysphoria, it really brings down their mental health.
""I can see them struggling with their mental health because of the waiting list, because of the wait they're having to experience.""
Ms Clarke said that the waiting list figures also showed that more health services for trans people were needed in Northern Ireland.
""Provision is just not there and the provision that we do have is not adequate for the amount of trans young people and trans people in general,"" she said.
""It is completely swamping the workers that are doing it, they are trying their best.
""But they really need to bring in more people to ease down the wait time.
""There's definitely a lack of provision and a lack of staff that needs to be addressed.""
If they decide to, people in Northern Ireland can change their legal gender under the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2005.
However, they need to be at least 18 years old and provide two medical reports, one from a specialist detailing their diagnosis of gender dysphoria and another listing any treatment or surgery they may have had to change their sexual characteristics.
must prove they have lived full-time in their acquired gender for at least two years and have to apply to a UK gender recognition panel.
Department of Finance report, which was compiled by academics from Queen's University, said that reform of gender recognition laws in Northern Ireland would have a ""significant positive impact"" for the transgender community.
re has been significant recent debate over plans by the Scottish government to make it easier for people in Scotland to change their legally recognised gender."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63979930
health	Cornwall health and care system at critical incident level	"Cornwall's health and care system is operating at critical incident level, health bosses have said. 
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System said ""acute pressure"" had ""escalated our operational level"".
Bosses said there were high numbers of ambulances waiting outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, and ""a surge"" in emergency department cases.
People have been asked to get advice on the ""most appropriate place"" for help.
NHS said minor injury units were also busy and there were a large number of patients in hospitals ""who are deemed medically fit for discharge but awaiting the right onward care"". 
Planned industrial action this week was also expected to have a further impact, it added.
It said: ""Declaring an internal critical incident galvanises system partners to take additional and immediate steps to create capacity to aid the movement of patients through our hospitals and, consequently, release ambulances and their crews.
""People in our communities can help by making sure they make the right choice if they need urgent care, either by seeing a pharmacist, contacting their own GP, even if here on holiday, or by contacting NHS 111 online for advice on the most appropriate place for their needs.
""Families, friends and neighbours are urged to help us too by offering to support someone waiting for home care to leave hospital sooner and we would ask them to contact the ward directly if they can help in any way.""
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-cornwall-64037247
health	India Covid: Experts say people don't need to panic over China coronavirus surge	"Experts have told the BBC that the current Covid surge in China is ""unlikely"" to impact India, but they urged people to stay cautious and wear masks.
India has stepped up surveillance after a spike in cases in neighbouring China.
People travelling from China and four other Asian countries now have to produce a Covid-19 negative test report before entering India.
On Tuesday, drills were held to check if hospitals could handle a surge.
According to government data, India currently has only around 3,400 active coronavirus cases. But reports of the surge in China and the memories of two deadly Covid waves in 2020 and 2021 in India have made many people fearful.
But experts say there is no reason to worry right now.
""The infection surge in China is on expected lines. If you have a susceptible population that is not exposed to the virus, cases will rise. Nothing has changed for the rest of the world, including India,"" says Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and health systems specialist. 
China has been struggling with a rush of Covid cases after it started moving away from its so-called zero-Covid approach which mandated strict lockdowns, quarantining and closed borders. The country is now trying to ramp up vaccinations for its vulnerable elderly population as the case surge strains healthcare systems.
urge has also led some experts raising doubts over whether the main vaccines used in China - Sinovac and Sinopharm - can provide long-term immunity.
""People are getting infected because BF.7 [the Omicron subvariant that reports say is driving the surge in China] is highly infectious and escapes all previous immunity. If you don't have immunity, you get more diseases which will affect the elderly and immunosuppressed populations,"" says virologist Dr Jacob John.
Over the past few months, India reported four Covid-19 cases caused by BF.7 - all the patients have recovered, health officials say.
""Covid is still around, people are still getting infected and getting admitted to hospitals. So it's not that we're free of Covid, but it's become like another upper respiratory tract infection, like influenza,"" says epidemiologist Dr Lalit Kant.
w caseload in India can be largely attributed to the immunity Indians have already gained over the past three years.
Dr A Fathahudeen, a prominent critical care expert who has treated thousands of Covid patients, says that India's ""hybrid immunity wall"" against Covid-19 is ""satisfactory"" as a majority of people have either taken two doses of the vaccine or gained natural immunity from contracting the disease earlier.
He also points out that the vaccines used in India are ""more efficacious than the ones used in China"".
India has administered more than 2.2 billion doses of the Covid vaccine so far, including for both doses and the booster shot, which India calls a ""precaution dose"".
He says people should take the booster dose if they haven't already - only around 27% of the population have got it so far. 
It's an appeal that other experts broadly agree with.
""With time, the level of antibodies go down. So a third shot is always beneficial and will increase the level of antibodies,"" Dr Lahariya says, adding that it's good for people above 60 years of age.
""Among the 18-59 year age group, those who are high-risk can get boosters. For others, it's a personal call,"" he adds.
Experts also agree with the government's decision to step up genome sequencing which allows scientists to identify new strains.
""The current testing strategy of random genome sequencing of 2% of international travellers is enough to pick up any new variant,"" says Dr Fathahudeen.
Dr John says that the best mantra for the government and ordinary people to follow is ""expect the best and prepare for the worst"".
""Make it a habit to wear masks in crowded places - watching a football or cricket match, or on a crowded bus or train,"" he says, adding that he recommends creating ""long-term, sustainable behavioural changes"".
India had relaxed its mask-wearing rules earlier this year after a drop in infection levels, and it's now common to see people in crowded areas without any precautions.
m-line is ""be cautious, wear a mask and watch the news"", Dr John says. 
Dr Fathahudeen agrees, saying unnecessary crowding should be discouraged and people should wear masks if large gatherings can't be avoided. 
Coronavirus: Counting missing Covid-19 deaths in rural India"	/news/world-asia-india-64100007
health	Sheffield steel Covid memorial sculpture design revealed	"A stainless steel sculpture representing a willow tree is to be installed in Sheffield as a permanent memorial to the Covid pandemic.
Artist George King's design was chosen out of 14 entries after Sheffield City Council asked for submissions. 
re sculpture would be a ""meaningful, long-lasting and creative"" tribute to those who died, as well as to key workers, the council said.
memorial is due to be installed in Balm Green Gardens in spring next year.
Artists had been asked to propose ideas for a memorial tree reflecting themes gathered in the first phase of Sheffield's Covid memorial programme, known as Stories from the Pandemic.
Mr King, an architect and sculptor, said of his winning design: ""A willow has a strong trunk, which symbolises how people worked together to create the strength needed at such a difficult time.
""It's an honour to have been selected to create this sculpture and it's a big responsibility.""
He said his practice, George King Architects, would work with Sheffield steel fabricators on the piece to reflect the city's heritage.
ulpture would allow people to read stories of those affected by the pandemic and to attach temporary messages or ribbons, according to Sheffield City Council.
Balm Green Gardens, next to Barker's Pool, would be upgraded when the piece was installed to make it more accessible for people with disabilities, it added.
Council leader Terry Fox said: ""We've worked hard to get this point, so I'm really pleased work can now begin on the sculpture which will serve as a permanent memorial to those who have lost their lives, those who have worked above and beyond to keep people as safe as possible and those who have been affected by Covid.
""It sounds wonderful and I look forward to seeing it in place, as somewhere where anyone can go and just stand and look at it or inside it, to reflect, be thoughtful and show compassion.""
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here."	/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-64070586
health	Suicide: I'm sleeping rough to fund a new mental health centre	"A man is sleeping rough in a bid to fund a new mental health centre after losing friends to suicide.
Danny Thain, from Fraserburgh, is almost finished his month-long challenge in Aberdeen.
27-year-old father is on the streets until next week with a sign encouraging people to start conversations about mental health. 
He ultimately hopes to raise £3m to open Aberdeenshire's first ""strictly mental health rehabilitation centre"". 
Mr Thain lost three friends to suicide within eight years. 
""The first suicide I ever experienced was when I was 18-years-old,"" he told BBC Scotland.
""I actually carried the coffin of my best friend out of a church, so going through that is really intense.
""The year later I lost another close friend to suicide and another just this summer.""
Mr Thain wants his challenge to encourage people to be more open so they can begin conversations about mental health issues.
He said while he was glad people had opened up, their stories had also taken a personal toll on him.
""I've probably had around 30-plus people who have shared stories with me,"" he said.
""There have been people who have attempted suicide, contemplated suicide, or have experienced suicide and have felt that this is a safe place to come down and actually share their story with me and it's just been absolutely monumental.
""It's a true saying that a counsellor needs a counsellor. I'm obviously listening to everyone's things and hearing these heavy stories but I've not got anyone to hear what I'm saying. So I've been trying to hold back more now and look after myself.""
Mr Thain's World Suicide Prevention Project aims to open a 16-bedroom 300-acre site which would provide professional support. 
""I've got my eyes on an estate,"" he said. ""This is something that's not been done. It's professional in every single aspect of the healing process. It's not a virtual setting and not a waiting list.
""People need help now so we want to do something and provide something that's just going to be absolutely monumental.""
Speaking about sleeping rough in recent weeks, he said: ""In any given day I've got no food, no money, no shelter, no water, I've got to find all those things. That's a mental strain.""
He said he was dealing with rejection from people, having to carry everything around, poor weather and having to find a place to sleep. 
""All those things alone are tough, add homelessness to that as well it's unbelievably tough. So it's very, very draining,"" he said.
Mr Thain's last night sleeping rough is next Wednesday when he will host a sleep-out in Aberdeen's Duthie Park. 
If you or someone you know is struggling with issues raised by this story, find support through BBC Action Line."	/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63826293
health	Monkeypox given new name by global health experts	"Monkeypox will now be known as mpox, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced, after complaints over racist and stigmatising language linked to the virus's name.
rm will be used alongside the new one for a year, before being phased out.
Mpox was decided on after lengthy discussions between experts, countries and the general public.
It can easily be used in English as well as other languages, the WHO said.
Human monkeypox was first identified in 1970 and named after the disease caused by the virus was discovered in captive monkeys more than a decade before.
Since then, the WHO has introduced advice on naming diseases.
It stresses the need to minimise unnecessary negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and to avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national or ethnic groups.
During the Covid pandemic, it recommended that variants were referred to using letters of the Greek alphabet because they were ""non-stigmatising"" and easy to pronounce.
r, there has been unusual spread of mpox virus - a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox - in many countries outside central and west Africa, where it is often found.
In July, the WHO declared a global health emergency because of the worldwide surge in people developing symptoms, including a high fever and skin lesions or rash.
Watch: Dan spoke about his experience of contracting monkeypox at the start of June
Cases of the disease have been declining for several months now, but more than 100 different countries have been affected in 2022 - prompting huge demand for vaccine supplies to protect those most at risk.
US, Brazil, Spain, France and the UK have reported the highest total number of mpox cases this year. Globally, there have been 50 deaths from the virus.
Since May, the UK has reported more than 3,500 cases but a rollout of vaccines to vulnerable groups helped drive down numbers following a peak in July.
Most people affected were men who have sex with men."	/news/health-63782514
health	Who is striking? How Tuesday 20 December’s walkouts will affect you	"It's the most wonderful time of the year, so the song goes - that's unless one of this week's strikes disrupts your Christmas plans. On Tuesday, nurses are staging another walkout. Patient surgeries and appointments will be cancelled. 
Meanwhile, the government in England stands ""resolute"" on the issue of nurses pay. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden insisted on Sunday that ministers were ""trying to be reasonable"", but that they had a duty to keep finances under control. 
Last week, many thousands of nurses stopped work for a day. The same is likely on Tuesday.
my latest daily briefing, with lots of useful information.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will walk out again across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Last Thursday, the first strike day, at least 19,000 patients had surgeries and appointments postponed - according to figures released by NHS trusts in England and Northern Ireland. In England alone, 9,999 staff were absent from work because of the strike.
If you have a Tuesday appointment, and haven't been told it is cancelled, the advice is to assume it's going ahead and don't call your local hospital to check.
rike will involve nurses in about a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all health boards in Northern Ireland and all but one in Wales (the Aneurin Bevan in south-east Wales).
Check if nurses are striking in your area:
What NHS services will be running?
If there are safety concerns during the strike, nurses could be pulled off picket lines to work.
RCN is calling for a pay rise of 5% above the RPI inflation rate - currently 14% - against which salary increases are often judged. 
NHS staff in England and Wales, including nurses, have already been given an average increase of 4.75% - with a guaranteed rise of at least £1,400 for the lowest paid.
In Northern Ireland, NHS staff are to get a similar increase - backdated to April. 
Speaking after last Thursday's strike, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the pay offer to nurses was appropriate and fair. But some health leaders and former Conservative ministers have urged the government to rethink.
In Scotland, RCN members are not striking. They have been considering an updated pay offer from the Scottish government - an average 7.5% increase - which has already been accepted by Unite, Unison and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) - but rejected by the GMB union.
Civil servants in the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) - including driving examiners - are striking on Tuesday.
It's part of regional, targeted action - with different areas affected at different times. 
Until 24 December, the walkouts are in north-west England and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Watch Make Sense of Strikes on iPlayer and find out more about why people are striking and whether industrial action works.
From Tuesday teatime, we will have another strike briefing for you - looking ahead to Wednesday.
But, with Christmas edging closer, we know it's one of the busiest and most chaotic weeks of the year for many people. So bear the following in mind for the week ahead:
Wednesday 21 December - across most of England and Wales. The walkout by the three unions will affect non-life threatening calls only - but it could see people who have had trips and falls not being responded to.
Friday 23 and Saturday 24 December - members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will walk out on two of the busiest days for pre-Christmas deliveries.
If you still have cards to post, unfortunately you have missed the last Christmas posting days for both first and second-class mail. 
re is ongoing disruption and some localised strikes throughout this week and well into next, but a national strike of RMT members is due to start at 18:00 on 24 December until 06:00 on 27 December. However, under normal circumstances, trains don't run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day anyway.
ke a look at our full guide to the train strikes or the advice from Network Rail.
Check out our full rundown of all the December and January strikes. 
Follow Zoe Conway on Twitter
How are you affected by the strikes? Are you taking part in strike action? You can email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. 
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-63999154
health	North Northamptonshire Council approves takeover of Thackley Green care home	"A council has backed a plan to take over the running of a care home from another authority.
kley Green in Corby has been controlled by West Northamptonshire Council but North Northamptonshire Council has approved taking it over. 
It said running the home at a cost of £600,000 a year would ensure the best value for residents and provide better quality services. 
It added that taking it on would also provide ""flexibility and control"".
North Northamptonshire Council leader Jason Smithers said he was unsure how the authorities had got into the ""predicament"" where West Northamptonshire was controlling care homes outside its area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Four specialist care homes across the county were placed under its control after Northamptonshire County Council was dissolved last year.
kley Green was built, alongside the three others in the county, as part of a multi-million pound deal with Shaw Healthcare in 2003, with the county council due to take them over in 2029. 
Instead, the now-defunct Northamptonshire County Council took over the running of the homes from the company in November 2020.
In a report to the council's executive committee, it was recommended North Northamptonshire Council should run Thackley Green to put it ""in direct control of delivering the outcomes and improving the efficiency of the service"".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64109665
health	Record numbers faced four-hour A&E waits in England in October	"A record number of people had a long wait to be seen in A&E departments in October, NHS England figures show. 
More than 550,000 patients were waiting more than four hours in major A&E units, up from 492,000 in September - the highest proportion on record.
Society of Acute Medicine warned the situation was ""unacceptably poor"" and likely to deteriorate further. 
NHS said it faced the busiest October ever in A&E and for the most serious ambulance call-outs.
monthly data from NHS England showed hospitals coming under increasing pressure ahead of the busy winter period.
roportion of all patients in A&E and minor injury units being seen, discharged or admitted within four hours fell to 69% in October, down from 71% in September, and well below the 95% NHS target. 
umber of the sickest patients having to wait a long time for a spare hospital bed also increased sharply. 
Some 43,792 patients had to wait at least 12 hours in A&E after a decision to admit to a ward had been made, up 34% from 32,776 in September, and the highest number in records going back to August 2010. 
rage response times for ambulances also rose again across much of the country. 
Outside the capital, response times for a category two emergency, such as a stroke or suspected heart attack, rose in almost every English region.
In the West Midlands, the average time to reach those patients increased to one hour, eight minutes in October, up from 45 minutes in September, and well above the 18-minute target set out in the NHS constitution. 
Data from the London Ambulance Service was not available for October.
most recent weekly data from Scottish hospitals also showed record numbers of patients having to wait in A&E before being treated, admitted or discharged. 
Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said all parts of the NHS were ""unquestionably struggling"".
""This latest set of performance data show that standards are at an unacceptably poor level for both patients and staff, with an expectation that this will deteriorate further over the winter months,"" he said. 
""Pressures are at unsustainable levels and the results are scant justice for acute care staff who continue to strive to deliver a reasonable quality of care. Morale for patients and staff is low with little expectation of short-term improvement.""
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's medical director, said: ""There is no doubt October has been a challenging month for staff who are now facing a tripledemic of Covid, flu and record pressure on emergency services with more people attending A&E or requiring the most urgent ambulance call-out than any other October.
""Pressure on emergency services remains high as a result of more than 13,000 beds taken up each day by people who no longer need to be in hospital.""
Separate data showed the number of people in England on a waiting list to start routine treatment, such as a knee replacement or cataract surgery, has also risen to a new record high.  
A total of 7.1 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of September, NHS England said. 
up from seven million at the end of August and is the highest number since records began in August 2007. 
A total of 401,537 people had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start their treatment, up from 387,257 in August. 
government and NHS England have set a target to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025.
Very long waits of more than two years have fallen slightly, while the number of people waiting 18 months for treatment has dropped by almost 60% in one year, NHS England said.
Have you recently been to A&E? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/health-63583751
health	Fundraising in memory of TikTok's Piano Grandad	"granddaughter of a man who became a hit on social media by playing the piano has vowed to keep fundraising in his name.
Alan Melinek, known as Piano Grandad on TikTok, raised more than £20,000 for cancer research before he died from cancer himself in October, aged 86.
He was inspired by the death of his wife Pat from the disease 17 years ago and his videos have generated about 700,000 likes in 18 months.
Granddaughter Bella inherited his piano after telling him she would learn all the songs he used to play. She said: ""It's a big promise as he knew every piece ever written but that was my promise to him and we're going to find a cure to cancer."""	/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-63678354
health	'Nurses are using food banks now'	"usands of nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have begun the first of two day-long strikes over pay.
We hear from three nurses who work for the NHS, explaining why they have walked out from their jobs for 12 hours.
Live updates on this story here."	/news/health-63992959
health	Covid in China: Officials must share data on its impact, says WHO	"Chinese officials must share more real-time information on Covid in the country as infections surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Many of the country's strict restrictions have been lifted over the last few weeks, but cases have soared and several countries are now screening travellers from China.
WHO officials say they want to see more data on hospitalisations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths.
It also wants figures on vaccinations.
United States, Spain, France, South Korea, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan have all imposed Covid tests for travellers from China, as they fear a renewed spread of the virus.
And passengers arriving in England from China will have to provide a negative test before they board a flight. 
In a statement issued after talks with Chinese officials the UN health agency said: ""WHO again asked for regular sharing of specific and real-time data on the epidemiological situation... and data on vaccinations delivered and vaccination status, especially in vulnerable people and those over 60.""
gency said it was willing to provide support on these areas, as well as help with addressing the issue of vaccine hesitancy.
It also stressed ""the importance of monitoring, and the timely publication of data, to help China and the global community to formulate accurate risk assessments and to inform effective responses"".
WHO's technical advisory group on the evolution of Covid-19 is set to hold a meeting on Tuesday. The agency says it has invited Chinese scientists to present detailed data on viral sequencing.
It says it is ""understandable"" that some countries are imposing fresh restrictions on people travelling from China.
WATCH: Ros Atkins on... China’s Covid surge
udden lifting of many of China's restrictions follows November's protests against the government's management of the disease.
Until then, China had one of the toughest anti-Covid regimes in the world - known as a zero-Covid policy.
It included strict lockdowns even if only a handful of cases had been found, mass testing in places where cases were reported, and people with Covid having to isolate at home or under quarantine at government facilities.
Lockdowns have now been scrapped, and quarantine rules have been abolished. People are now free to travel abroad again.
Cases have since been on the rise, with the Chinese government reporting about 5,000 a day. But analysts say such numbers are vastly undercounted - and the daily caseload may be closer to one million.
Officially there have only been 13 Covid deaths throughout December, but UK-based health data firm Airfinity said on Thursday that around 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from the disease. "	/news/world-asia-64131713
health	Ambulance strike Q&A: Can I still call 999 and 111?	"Ambulance staff in Wales go on strike on Wednesday as unions call for bigger pay increases.
most urgent, life-threatening calls will be responded to, as normal and will be exempt from strike action.
But the walkout by GMB union members is expected to affect patient care significantly.
Welsh Ambulance Service and Welsh government called on people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
Some 1,500 ambulance workers are staging action in Wales on Wednesday. 
As the 24-hour strike begins at midnight, shifts which begin at 19:00 GMT on Tuesday will be affected.
Once the strike ends, those on the night shift will be expected to turn up for work as normal from Thursday.
re also planning to strike on 28 December. 
Paramedics as well as control room staff and support workers will all join the walkout.
Welsh government has given workers an average pay rise of 4.75%, but with inflation running at more than 10%, unions say this represents a pay cut in real terms. 
re asking for pay rises above inflation, but the Welsh government says it needs more money from Westminster to fund pay rises. 
Meanwhile UK government health secretary Steve Barclay, in charge of the NHS in England, says above-inflation pay rises are unaffordable and the unions should respect the independence of the NHS pay review body that proposed the current offer.
GMB union says the action is also about staff pressure. Members are concerned they are unable to deliver safe standards of patient care due to shortages, the union has said.
Calls will still be answered, so those on shift in the call rooms are exempt from strike action.
Fewer ambulance crews will be available but callouts for life-threatening emergencies will still be responded to. 
Speaking on Monday's Radio Wales Drive programme, Darren Hughes, from the NHS Confederation in Wales, said ambulances would be under ""huge pressure"" during the strikes, and would ""struggle to respond to chest pain [and] gynaecological emergencies"" for example.
Wales' health minister Eluned Morgan said red category life-threatening calls will be prioritised but added that people ""need to consider"" pressure on other calls ""will be even greater"". 
Welsh Ambulance Service is asking people to only call 999 when there is a genuine need to do so. Only life- threatening illnesses or injuries are likely to receive an emergency response. Other patients are likely to be asked to make their own way to hospital, the service says.
NHS Wales 111 advice line will also be affected by the strike and the Welsh Ambulance Service is warning to only dial the number if it's absolutely necessary. 
Patients may have to wait longer to be assessed and to receive a call back, the Welsh Ambulance service says.
Patients are being advised to consider alternatives like their GP, pharmacist, NHS 111 Wales online or a Minor Injuries Unit if they need medical help. The ambulance service also said people should stock up on prescription medications and over the counter remedies to reduce the risk of falling ill on strike days."	/news/uk-wales-64028133
health	Bristol student boxes at O2 Academy for Alzheimer's charity	"A student whose grandparents suffered from Alzheimer's has raised money for charity by fighting in a boxing match at Bristol's O2 Academy.
Ella Griffith trained from scratch for eight weeks before the fight.
University of Bristol student, 20, lost the bout on Monday night but managed to raise £500 for the Alzheimer's Society.
She took on the challenge because two of her grandparents are living with the disease.
Ms Griffith took on the pseudonym 'Cinder' Ella for her fight.
She said she was absolutely terrified when she stepped into the ring.
""I'm not a very aggressive person, so it was hard to channel that when it was so against my nature,"" she said.
""It was a crazy experience. It's not a normal thing to do, to hit someone, so it was quite an unnatural thing to learn.""
Ms Griffith said it felt poignant to raise money to combat Alzheimer's because of the impact the disease is having on her family.
""It's been really hard to see my Mum have both parents affected simultaneously... and for my grandparents' other halves, who have become primary carers,"" she said.
""It turns their life upside down and it's really painful to see that.""
She added that people's response to the challenge was heart-warming.
""People have really rallied behind me and it's reassuring that people are happy to support the cause.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-bristol-63816920
health	We waited three years to see a psychiatrist	"Nessie Simpson waited three years for an appointment with a psychiatrist but when it finally arrived it was 65 miles away from her home in Fort William.
""That's not ideal for someone who is anxious in the first place,"" she said.
Nessie has a range of mental health conditions including anxiety and bipolar disorder.
She said her mental health ""got very bad"" during the wait and sometimes she could not get out of bed or perform basic daily tasks.
Her niece Hayley McNamara, who also lives in Fort William, has also just got an appointment after more than three years.
""It was very difficult waiting for these appointments,"" she told BBC Scotland.
""I'm so thankful that I've had my family and friends with me, because I don't think I would have been here without them.""
Fort William is in the NHS Highland area which has a particular problem with its mental health teams being unable to serve huge rural areas.
More than half of people seeking psychological therapy in the Highland health board area face waits of more than a year.
mpares to a Scotland average of 15%.
New research from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland (RCPS) found there is only one consultant psychiatrist for every 10,250 people across Scotland. 
Psychiatrists said the shortage could lead to ""painfully long waits"" for treatment.
In order to avoid the long waits faced by her friends, Nicole Buchanan opted to go private to get the help she urgently needed.
Her psychiatrist is also more than 60 miles away in Inverness but they speak on a weekly Zoom meeting.
""So for me I have to outsource away from Fort William to be able to get the help that I need, which not everyone can afford to do,"" she told BBC Scotland.
Nicole, Nessie and Hayley have all lost loved ones to suicide, and believe the area suffers disproportionately for a number of complex reasons. 
""I think because of where we live, it's so rural, there's not much around us, there's not much to do here,"" Nicole said.
""There's not much for those who don't like the outdoors to do here, without having to travel places and spend an absolute fortune.""
Fort William is billed as the outdoor capital of the UK and attracts thousands of tourists each year but the picture can be bleaker for locals.
Hayley said: ""Even our clothing shops, we used to have a place that sold dresses and jeans and stuff like that, but everything has closed and they've changed it to mountain clothing.""
Another big problem is drug abuse, according to Hayley.
""Everyone just goes to drugs instead,"" she said.
For Nessie, it is not that officials are not paying attention but rather ""they don't have the resources or staff"" to handle demand. 
Hayley said services had become so stretched that when help was finally offered, it was not always appropriate. 
""When you do finally speak to someone, I don't know if it's because I've had bad experiences but I've not been given the help I've needed,"" she said.
""It's kind of just like, 'here's some medication and we'll come and speak to you in six months'. You don't really get therapy here.""
Dr Jane Morris, who is vice-chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said the situation in rural areas was at a ""crisis point"".
""We are very concerned about our rural populations' mental health,"" she told BBC Scotland. 
""In the culture of rural areas, people have always been very stoical and some of them are quite reluctant to consider that they might have a mental condition that requires support.""
She said that when people did try to access support there were significant ""workforce problems"".
""Particularly coming out of Covid, we've got smaller and smaller mental health teams serving huge areas of the country,"" she said.
""Although perhaps only a third of Scots live in rural areas, they're spread out over far more than 50% of the land mass.
""That means everyone will have a long way to go to meet with a mental health team, and when it comes to the specialist psychiatric services, they will be even further away.""
Dr Morris said this required a ""spectrum of solutions"" and that one big asset would be rolling out distance mental health treatment over the internet, such as Zoom meetings.
But for those who have to come into hospital or be seen face-to-face hundreds of miles from home, she said transport paid up-front and visiting by families was paramount.
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said its mental health services had longer waiting times than it would like for some time.
Even before the Covid pandemic it recognised that investment was needed to ensure it had the workforce to meet demand.     
""We have seen a significant increase in need for assessment and support during the pandemic and this has further added to the waiting times that some people are experiencing,"" the spokesperson said.  
""We are aware of the pressures and distress long waiting times are causing the people who are waiting, and their families, and we apologise for this. 
""We are working hard to improve access as quickly as possible.""
rd expected to see waiting times reduce over the coming months following resources from the Scottish government."	/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63621681
health	Redcourt Care Home: Families' shock at closure announcement	"Families of dementia patients at a Liverpool care home have told of the ""horrendous"" experience they are facing as it emerged it will suddenly close.
ft stunned and are assessing their options after learning Redcourt Care Home will close via a surprise email.
Argyle Care Group have not commented on the reasons behind the closure, which are understood to be financial.
's council said it was trying to find new homes for residents. 
Karen Walsh, whose 86-year-old mother Winnie is a resident, told BBC North West Tonight: ""Dementia patients don't like change, they can't cope. 
""My mum gets anxious and I'm sure many people in there will.
""It's horrendous, absolutely horrendous. I mean we can't believe they can do this.""
Ms Walsh said: ""The operators have a duty of care for these people and we haven't been given that.""
She described her sympathy for the staff at the care home, who she said were ""amazing"".
""This is no fault of the staff here because they are so upset,"" she said. ""They're very kind, they just look after them so well.""
Redcourt, in Mossley Hill, can accommodate about 50 people and was rated as good in a Care Quality Commission report earlier this year.
Families said they were told it was due to be sold until negotiations fell through at the last moment.
A spokeswoman for Liverpool City Council said: ""We have explored alternatives to enable Redcourt to remain open but sadly the provider has taken the decision to close the home.""
One relative, who did not want to be identified, said she had found a new home for her mother.
But dozens of other families are facing the possibility of a very anxious run-up to Christmas.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63915624
health	Mum's bid to raise awareness of pregnancy-related heart condition	"A mother who nearly died from a rare heart disease that affects pregnant women is campaigning to raise more awareness about it.
Paige Wilson from Coleshill in Warwickshire, was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy days after giving birth to her first child.
She said she wanted parents and health professionals to understand the dangers if not diagnosed quickly enough.
use the heart to enlarge, and cause heart failure.
Mrs Wilson said she fell ill four days after a healthy pregnancy and routine birth at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton three years ago.
""I started to feel really unwell,"" she said.
""I just felt like I couldn't get out of bed and there was something that wasn't quite right and I didn't necessarily know what was wrong.""
She was rushed back to hospital where doctors initially diagnosed sepsis, but two days later it was confirmed she had peripartum cardiomyopathy. 
Her condition declined rapidly, leading to her family being called to her bedside.
""They were basically having to call my mum and my husband to come and say goodbye because I'd got that ill,"" she said.
""I was on oxygen, I had a catheter in, I couldn't move, I couldn't breath and I did think I was going to die.""
She went on to recover but missing out on the first few weeks of her son's life took its toll mentally, she said.
""I just couldn't cope and I genuinely felt like I didn't want to wake up every morning,"" she said.
""I felt like I didn't bond with [her son] because I felt like this awful mum because I'd missed practically his first couple of weeks.""
Experts at the hospital where she gave birth said more needs to be done to spot the signs of peripartum cardiomyopathy early.
About one in 2,000 pregnant women will develop the condition either before or after giving birth, Dr Dawn Adamson, consultant cardiologist at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, said.
""We're doing a lot of work to train the future generations who are looking after the maternity services, the obstetricians, the cardiologists, the GPs, primary care, to try and be aware of all these different conditions that they're not going to see that frequently,"" she added.
Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review released this month - found 229 women died within six weeks of giving birth between 2018 and 2020 - a 24% increase on the previous three years. 
Of those deaths, 61 were related to heart disease - a quarter of which were from cardiomyopathy - and 90% of the women who died from heart disease had no pre-existing condition. 
Mrs Wilson said she hoped raising awareness could save lives. 
""I'm hoping this is just another way of getting people to think about it and want to learn more and hopefully save people's lives.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64094851
health	Ukraine: Girl with rare disorder now living in NI 'would have died'	"mother of a four-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder thinks she ""would have died"" had they not fled Ukraine and moved to Northern Ireland.
Vlada and Daria Yakovenko left their home in Ukraine when the war broke out.
When they reached the Polish border they met retired pharmacist Jacinta Curran, who was part of a delegation from Chernobyl Aid Newry.
Little Vlada had spent weeks without medication, sheltering underground from bombs.
Jacinta had not travelled to the region thinking she would return with refugees.
Ukrainian refugee says NI aid worker's help saved her young daughter
However, she felt her only choice was to take the mother and daughter to Northern Ireland for medical help. 
But because they travelled to Northern Ireland through Dublin and did not apply in advance, they didn't qualify for the Homes for Ukraine scheme. 
And without paperwork, Vlada waited three and a half weeks for medical treatment in Northern Ireland. 
Daria told BBC News NI: ""It was a very big stress for me and my daughter because my daughter has a serious disease. 
""She needs constantly special medicine and food and when we got here we had to wait a very long time. I was very worried.""
Jacinta said: ""At this point she was choking, her swallow had gone. 
""I honestly thought she would die and that I would be held responsible for her death. 
""I hadn't anticipated taking anyone home, it was the furthest thing from my mind but what was I supposed to do? 
""Really it was a matter of life and death.
""You wouldn't even leave an animal the way the child was left. I couldn't believe it was happening.""
was back in March. 
With the help of a local GP, Vlada did receive medical assistance and Daria describes the care she's received since as ""amazing"". 
But Vlada has Batten disease which is progressive, and since coming to Northern Ireland she has lost her sight. 
Her condition will eventually prove fatal. 
Daria said: ""She's my life. I don't know what I'll do without her. It's so sad. 
""Life is better here. I think if my daughter was in Ukraine she would have died.""
But with the medical battle under control, next up was a visa battle.
Vlada and Daria had been granted permission to stay in the UK for six months but that was due to run out on 22 November.
Following a query by the BBC, the Home Office confirmed on Tuesday that their visa had been extended to 22 November, 2025.
After all they've been through together, Jacinta, Daria and Vlada have formed a special bond. 
Daria said: ""Jacinta is very kind, an incredible woman. It's my second mum.""
Jacinta describes Daria as ""a lovely warm girl"".
""With all that she's going through, she still tries to help and support me because she knows I don't get money under Homes for Ukraine and she worries about that.
""When I'm tired, she's always fussing over me. She's good for me too. I just love her.""
Source: The Executive Office
Daria and Vlada's solicitor Sarah Henry said that securing a visa extension has proved difficult for many people who entered Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland.
She told BBC News NI: ""When we started to look into the visa options for them, we discovered that there wasn't really a viable solution for anybody who had crossed from the Republic of Ireland into the north without going through one of the two schemes - the Homes for Ukraine scheme or the Ukraine family scheme. 
""Other Ukraine refugees arriving in other parts of the UK or Great Britain were able to avail of this six month permission to stay immediately but because the Irish border isn't subject to immigration control, many fell short of that.
""We hoped the Home Office would have introduced a concession for people who have been living with sponsors, who were unable to avail of the Homes for Ukraine scheme or claim for the £350 a month because they didn't fall in under it because medical attention was the priority at that time. 
""They couldn't wait in Dublin or Warsaw for a visa because the situation was so urgent and dire.""
A spokesperson from the Home Office said: ""We will always work to resolve situations like this when possible and are pleased to have done so in this case.  
""In response to Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, we launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history. Over 143,000 Ukrainians have now arrived safely in the UK through our Ukraine visa schemes."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63636497
health	Doctors ask health board to declare major incident	"A&E doctors have urged NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to declare a major incident amid ""grave concerns"" over patient safety, the BBC understands. 
Staff working at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital said the A&E department continued to be overwhelmed.
NHS GGC, which declined the move, said it was taking action to support staff.
It comes as both NHS Borders and NHS Grampian issued a plea to staff on leave to come into work, due to ""extreme pressure"" at hospitals.
With an increase in flu and respiratory viruses across Scotland, health boards have asked the public only to attend A&E if it is urgent or life threatening. 
A series of messages seen by the BBC show a request from A&E consultants in Glasgow to declare a major incident was declined by NHS GGC on Thursday. 
ked for it to be called so extra resources could be diverted to the department. 
A major incident is declared when the the health of the community is under serious threat.
Special measures would be put in place to assist the demand on the health service, such as extra resources to manage the volume of patients.
messages said every space in the emergency department was occupied by patients waiting for a bed in the hospital, with no resuscitation beds and an eight-hour delay for ambulances offloading patients.
""We are now unable to provide safe critical care,"" read one of the messages.
Another read: ""This is without any doubt the worst shift I've worked, and I've never been more convinced of real patient harm due to overcrowding and exit block.""
Staff said a combination of issues meant critically-ill patients received ""substandard care both clinically and from [a] humanitarian perspective"".
rd was later asked to reconsider calling a major incident, which it again declined.
A spokesperson for NHS GGC said: ""We have an escalation policy that would allow us to declare any major incidents and we closely monitor the safety of our departments and patients at all times and keep this under close review.
""Our services, like the whole of Scotland, are facing major pressures including significant Covid, flu and norovirus cases and our staff are doing all they can to meet this demand.""
Both NHS Borders and NHS Grampian have put out an urgent call for any staff on leave to come into work.
NHS Grampian said it was facing ""an extreme level of pressure"" due to the number of acutely ill patients arriving at hospital and difficulties in discharging patients to the community .
NHS Borders also said its services were under ""extreme pressure"" and it had higher than normal staff sickness levels due to Covid and flu.
Meanwhile, NHS Lothian said the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, St John's Hospital, the Western General Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People were all at full capacity.
rd said high levels of respiratory viruses in Lothian was heaping extra pressure on its hospitals
Dona Milne, NHS Lothian director of public health, said: ""We have now reached extraordinary levels of flu in Scotland that we haven't seen for many years.
""Although they can be mild infections for many, it can be extremely serious for some people causing them to require urgent hospital treatment. 
""We are asking anyone who has cold or flu like symptoms to help limit the spread of infection. Stay at home if you feel unwell. And if you do have to go out, please wear a mask.""
Scotland recorded its worst ever performance times at A&E in the week up to 18 December, with 55% of patients seen within the government target of 4 hours. 
wn 7.4% compared to the previous week.
At the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, just 45% of patients were seen within four hours.
A total 1,821 patients spent more than 12 hours in emergency departments across Scotland."	/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-64126110
health	Bristol: Single women and transgender people to get fertility treatment	"Fertility treatment will be extended to single women and transgender people on the NHS in Bristol for the first time.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board approved a new policy after hearing the existing one was open to legal challenge under the Equality Act.
At present only straight or gay couples are eligible for the service.
maximum age for prospective mothers will also be lowered from 40 to 39.
Board members heard the decision to reduce the female upper age limit was based on evidence about the much lower effectiveness of treatment for women over 40.
NHS data from 2019 shows successful live births resulted from 19 per cent of women aged 38 and 39 who underwent IVF, compared with 11 per cent aged 40 to 42.
Men aged up to 54 will still be eligible under the changes.
w policy will come into effect from 1 April, and follows a review launched in March 2021 that gained the views of 438 people and organisations.
It involved consultations with local fertility specialists and a 12-week public engagement which asked what the priorities should be in the local approach to funding infertility treatment.
ree common themes highlighted in the feedback were:
umber of independently funded cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI) - a fertility treatment where sperm is inserted directly into the womb - needed to demonstrate infertility was also reduced from 10 to six.
In addition, people whose NHS treatment will have an adverse or irreversible impact on their ability to conceive will be able to freeze eggs or sperm.
udes patients having surgery on a second ovary or testes and transgender people on the transition pathway.
w policy will also support people with diagnosed therapy-resistant psychosexual issues that prevent them from having children without assistance, and will continue to offer individuals one fresh and one frozen cycle of IVF.
Chief nursing officer Rosi Shepherd said: ""The proposals aim to provide better equity of access for local people - which was important feedback we heard during the consultation - while staying within our limited resources.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-bristol-63835991
health	Woman who shed weight to qualify for IVF becomes pregnant	"A woman who had to lose weight to qualify for IVF treatment is celebrating becoming pregnant.
Marie Cheetham and her partner Paul Sbardella had been trying for a baby but she has a condition that made it harder for her to conceive.
32-year-old was told her body mass index (BMI) was too high for her to get an NHS-funded IVF cycle in Derby.
She said it had prompted her to change her diet and lifestyle and she subsequently lost a stone (6.3kg).
Ms Cheetham, from Littleover in Derby, said she was able to bring her BMI down below the threshold to make her eligible for IVF in the city.
Now, after successful treatment, she is expecting her first child in June despite having polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that affects how the ovaries work.
She said: ""In Derby, the NHS funds just one IVF cycle and we'd already started the process when doctors said we couldn't proceed due to my weight.  
""They gave me a three-month deadline to lower my BMI to below 30. To be honest it was the most stressful part of the process.""
Ms Cheetham had help losing weight from the Derby City Council-run Livewell healthy lifestyle service which advised her on exercise routines and diet.
She said: ""When I went back to the clinic in July, I'd achieved my goal - my BMI was 29 and the IVF cycle was approved to continue.""
Ms Cheetham said the three-minute wait for the pregnancy test result was the longest of her life.
She said: ""I was so shocked at the positive line that I bought more.
""I don't think we actually believed it was real until we saw the scan at seven weeks.
""When I had the push back of not going further with our fertility treatment, it felt a huge hill to climb.
""If there's one message I want to pass on, it's if you have a bad day, keep going - don't give it up.""
Livewell adviser Casey Baxter said: ""I know how hard Marie has worked to lower her BMI, particularly when it was only a small reduction she needed, which can make it so much harder.
""I was so pleased when Marie told me she was approved for the IVF treatment and absolutely thrilled when she discovered she was pregnant.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-derbyshire-63676203
health	North West Ambulance Service appeals to Christmas drinkers	"North West Ambulance Service has appealed to people out celebrating Christmas to drink responsibly.
rvice said it always sees a surge in alcohol-related calls around the festive season and urged people to ""look after each other"".
It also asked people to eat before drinking and plan journeys home.
follows an appeal last week which asked people to only call 999 for life-threatening injuries as crews were ""extremely busy"".
Strike action has also had an effect across the NHS.
A tweet from the ambulance service asked people to ""take care if you are out celebrating tonight"".
It added: ""Please look after each other, drink responsibly, eat before you start drinking and plan your journeys home. Enjoy!""
rvice covers Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Glossop in Derbyshire.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-lancashire-64077762
health	Nurses across UK back strikes in pay dispute	"Nurses across the UK have voted to strike over pay with action expected to start by the end of the year.
walkout will involve Royal College of Nursing members in more than half of hospitals and community teams, but emergency care will still be staffed.
Nurses in every service in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for action. In Wales all but one health board did.
But in England the turnout was too low in nearly half of NHS trusts for strike action to take place.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: ""Anger has become action - our members are saying enough is enough.""
She said nurses had been getting a ""raw deal"" on pay for years. 
""Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this."" 
rike will be the first time UK-wide action is taken by RCN members in its 106-year history.
It comes after the government in England and Wales gave NHS staff an average of 4.75% rise this year - with the lowest paid getting more.
Scotland has offered a flat rate of just over £2,200, which means a newly qualified nurse would get around 8% more.
In Northern Ireland, nurses are yet to receive a pay award because there is no working government.
RCN, which represents about two-thirds of nurses in the NHS, has asked for 5% above the RPI rate of inflation, which stands at over 12%.
Ms Cullen said members would ensure patients did not come to harm by continuing to provide urgent and emergency care during the strikes.
will see services such as intensive care fully staffed, while other services, such as cancer care, are also likely to be given some protection.
But the action will affect routine services, such as planned operations like knee and hip replacements, district nursing and mental health care.
It comes after the waiting list for hospital treatment has topped 7 million in England - a record high.
Ms Cullen said the walkout will be ""as much for patients as it is for nurses"" as staffing shortages were already compromising care.
Senior hospital staff nurse Jodie Elliott felt she had no choice but to vote for strike action.
She has opted out of the NHS staff pension because she could not afford to make the monthly contributions.
""My family were horrified, but it was the choice of that or going into debt each month. I just could not afford it.
""My pay has not kept up with inflation for 10 years and, given the cost of living now, it has got really bad.""
Ms Elliott, who is a local RCN rep, says she cannot even afford to replace clothes and shoes when they are worn out.
""My mother takes me shopping. That is ridiculous for a grown woman in her 30s.""
She said the squeeze on finances was driving nurses away from the profession. ""Every shift we are short of staff. Care is becoming unsafe.""
RCN said in services where the turnout threshold was not met the vast majority of those who took part supported walking out.
At least 50% of union members need to take part in a strike ballot for it to count.
Some nurses at local management bodies and national organisations including NHS England will also be striking after voting in favour.
government in England had urged nurses to consider the impact on patients.
It pointed out it had given a pay rise in line with what had been recommended by the independent NHS Pay Review body.
And that came after NHS staff were given a 3% pay increase last year while the rest of the public sector had a pay freeze in recognition of their work during the pandemic.
Mental health nurse Ian Summers was one of a minority of nurses who took part in the ballot to vote against taking strike action.
Mr Summers, who works in Cornwall, said: ""I voted no because I felt we were going to put patients at risk.
""During this nursing crisis, if we reduce the levels even further with strike action the only outcome can be patient safety.
""There's a crisis in the UK regarding nurses. Nursing numbers on wards are at critical levels. 
""If we strike, what's going to happen to people going to hospitals, people in the community - it frightens me because the risk is already there.""
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health managers, urged the government and RCN to get back to the negotiating table.
""The last thing anyone wants is a 'war of attrition' playing out over many months.""
England Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he ""deeply regretted"" that some union members had voted for action.
""Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.""
But Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the UK government should ""put its hand in its pocket"" to provide more funding for pay, saying: ""I don't have any more money."""	/news/health-63561317
health	'Leap forward' in tailored cancer medicine	"People with untreatable cancers have had their immune system redesigned to attack their own tumours.
xperimental study involved only 16 patients, but has been called a ""leap forward"" and a ""powerful"" demonstration of the potential of such technology.
Each person had a treatment developed just for them, which targeted the specific weak spots in their tumour. 
It is too early to fully assess the therapy's effectiveness and it is expensive and time-consuming. 
work focuses on a part of the immune system called T-cells, which patrol the body and inspect other cells for problems. 
use proteins - called receptors - to effectively sniff out signs of infection or deviant cells that have become cancerous. 
Cancers can be tricky for T-cells to spot. A virus is distinctly different to the human body, but cancers are more subtle because they are a corrupted version of our own cells. 
f the therapy is to boost levels of these cancer-spotting T-cells. It has to be tailored to each patient as each tumour is unique. 
w it works:
ransforming T-cells into a form that can hunt cancer requires considerable genetic manipulation to both remove the genetic instructions for building their old receptors, and give them the instructions for the new ones. 
It was made possible by tremendous advances in the gene-editing technology Crispr, which acts like a pair of molecular scissors - allowing scientists to easily manipulate DNA. The researchers who developed Crispr won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.
rial involved people with colon, breast or lung cancers that had failed to respond to other treatments. 
udy was designed to test the safety and feasibility of the technology, and showed the modified cells were finding their way into the tumour. 
ued to get worse in 11 patients, but stabilised in the other five. However, it will take larger studies to work out the correct dose and how effective it really is.
""This is a leap forward in developing a personalised treatment for cancer,"" said Dr Antoni Ribas, one of the researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, who tested the approach developed by the company Pact Pharma.
results were presented at a meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and published simultaneously in the journal Nature.
Dr Manel Juan, head of the immunology service at Clinic Hospital in Barcelona, said it was ""extraordinary work"" and ""undoubtedly one of the most advanced in the field"".
He added: ""It opens the door to using this personalised [approach] in many types of cancer and potentially in many other diseases.""
Prof Waseem Qasim, who has given life-saving designer immune systems at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said it was a ""powerful early demonstration of what might be possible with newer techniques"".
Dr Astero Klampatsa, from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said the study was ""important"" but warned that the ""time, labour and expense involved"" were ""huge"".
Follow James on Twitter "	/news/health-63584355
health	East Kent maternity deaths: Boss of troubled trust vows to end failings	"f executive of an under-fire NHS trust has vowed ""enough is enough"", as she pledged to act on a damning report into its maternity services.
racey Fletcher said East Kent Hospitals fully accepts the findings of a probe which found up to 45 babies might have survived with better care.
Speaking to BBC South East health correspondent Mark Norman, Ms Fletcher described the report as ""profound"".
""This report signals an enough is enough point,"" she said.
""We really do now need to continue with the improvement work we have done.""
Ms Fletcher said one of the key improvements the trust needed to make going forward was ""to both listen to our staff and listen to our patients"".
Medical experts led by Dr Bill Kirkup CBE reviewed an 11-year period from 2009 at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
report uncovered a ""clear pattern"" of ""sub-optimal"" care that led to significant harm, and said families were ignored.
It highlighted failings in areas including team-work, professionalism and compassion.
rust later said that further maternity cases were to be investigated.
If you have been affected by any issues in this story you can contact the BBC Action Line for advice.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-kent-63670425
health	Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust recruits 25 new midwives	"wenty five newly qualified midwives have been recruited at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).
Staffing levels were one of several issues highlighted as part of a major review into baby deaths at the trust.
Despite the critical findings, Director of Midwifery Annemarie Lawrence said staff had not been put off applying and it had retained all of its 2021 cohort.
25 new recruits, who all went through training at SaTH, will join those.
In March, a report by Donna Ockenden found failures may have led to the deaths of more than 200 babies at SaTH. at the trust, and many others left severely brain damaged.
quiry, the largest of its kind in the history of the NHS, among other things identified ""significant staffing and training gaps"" in maternity units and recommended minimum staffing levels were agreed.
However, Ms Lawrence said the latest recruitment was ""businesses as usual"" and was ""not a specific action of Ockenden"".
She added the trust was striving ""to provide safe staffing levels and the highest standards of care"".
Recently, SaTH also launched a dedicated Facebook page to share up-to-date health and pregnancy advice, changes to services, and patient experiences.
Ms Lawrence said the page would allow the trust to ""communicate directly with those using our services"".
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-shropshire-63796258
health	Christmas tractor run in memory of 19-year-old Keiran Hopkins	"A convoy of tractors decked in Christmas lights will take to the roads to raise money in memory of a young man who killed himself.
Around 250 brightly-illuminated farm vehicles will drive along a 19-mile (30km) circuit through Leicestershire on Saturday.
ractor run is taking place in the memory of Keiran Hopkins, 19, who died in September.
Money is being raised for mental health charity Mind. 
Keiran's brother Liam Hopkins, from Elmesthorpe, has arranged the event.
He said: ""I think Keiran would smile if he saw our tractors.  He absolutely loved tractors and farming.  I've got mine ready and it looks like the Blackpool Illuminations.
""It's pretty hard to explain how Keiran's death has hit us as a family.
""We didn't see any of the signs that he wasn't feeling right and I wish we had because we might have been able to help.
""All we can do now is try to get something good out of a tragedy.
""We're raising money for Mind to help it set up a base in Leicester. We want people to have more access to the help and support that could have helped Keiran.""
fundraising target was £5,000 but more than £7,000 has been pledged and the organisers hope the final total will top £10,000.
Liam added: ""It's going to be quite a sight. We'll be going pretty slowly and collecting money in buckets along the way.  
""We're going to have a great laugh because we know that's exactly what Keiran would want.""
ractor run will start at 16:00 GMT on Saturday at Bracknell Farm in Earl Shilton before heading to Barwell, through Hinckley before passing through a number of other villages and returning to its starting point at around 19:30. 
Head of community and events for fundraising at Mind Ian O'Reilly said: ""We are really grateful to Liam for organising this festive tractor run and choosing to support Mind. 
""Every donation that Mind receives through Liam's charity tractor run will allow us to continue to campaign to improve services, and provide information and support.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63823472
health	Plymouth care home placed in special measures	"A care home in Plymouth for people with dementia has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures. 
Care Quality Commission (CQC) said a ""closed culture may be developing"" at Dewi-Sant Residential Home in Mannamead which could lead to ""human rights breaches such as abuse"".
watchdog said that families had reported residents had been ""left in undignified states for long periods"".
Inspectors made 10 safeguarding referrals to the local authority. 
CQC said the home's overall rating was inadequate and the service was in special measures which meant it would be kept under review and re-inspected to check for improvements.
Inspectors found a failure to record allergies to medicines, medicine hidden in food or drink and residents ""left for long periods"" without contact. 
Amanda Stride, CQC head of adult social care inspection, said they were ""disappointed"" that the standard of care had dropped since their last inspection, when the rating was Good. 
She said people's ""basic safety and wellbeing needs"" were not always being met and risks weren't effectively managed.
She added: ""There were indications that a closed culture may be developing at Dewi Sant.
""A closed culture is a poor culture that can lead to harm, including human rights breaches such as abuse.""
She said bathing and toileting were carried out on a ""rota basis"" rather than in response to individual needs.
Inspectors saw staff who were ""clear about their aim of providing person-centred care"", with good knowledge of the service and they ""wanted to provide good quality care"", Ms Stride said. 
But this was hindered by ""lack of managerial oversight, staffing levels and ineffective training,"" she added. 
Ms Stride said they would continue to monitor the home and ""would not hesitate to take action"" if they were not assured people were receiving safe care.
me has been asked for comment.
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-devon-64003286
health	Flu rise warning from NHS in England	"re were more than 3,700 patients a day in hospital with flu last week - up from 520 a day the month before, the latest data from NHS England shows.
Of these, 267 people needed specialised care in critical care beds last week.
NHS England warns pressures on the health service continue to grow as viruses like flu re-circulate after a hiatus during the pandemic.
me last year, when social mixing was low, there were only 34 patients in hospital a day with flu.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: ""Sadly, these latest flu numbers show our fears of a 'twindemic' have been realised, with cases up seven-fold in just a month and the continued impact of Covid hitting staff hard, with related absences up almost 50% on the end of November.""
He warned this was ""no time to be complacent"" with the risk of serious illness being ""very real"" and encouraged those eligible to take up their flu and Covid jabs as soon as possible. 
Admissions among children under 5 have been high this flu season, as well as among older people. 
figures show, last week: 
report suggests NHS staff have also been affected by the spread of viruses during winter, with staff absences from all causes sitting at around 63,296 a day. This compares to 52,556 at the end of last month. 
In Wales, admissions with flu have been rising since the beginning of December, with 702 people in hospital with flu on Christmas day and 29 of those patients required critical care support.
Flu-related hospital admissions in Scotland have also been steadily increasing over the winter with the rate at 7.5 patients per 100,000 of the population, according to the latest figures. This is the highest on record since 2017.
figures published for Northern Ireland, for mid-December, show the number of positive flu tests in hospital have risen sharply compared to previous weeks. "	/news/health-64126654
health	Marathon man Gary McKee hits £1m goal after 365th run of 2022	"A man who vowed to complete a marathon on every day of 2022 has hit his £1m target after completing his final run.
Gary McKee, from Cleator Moor, in Cumbria, began his challenge on 1 January, with donations to be shared between Macmillan Cancer Support and West Cumbria Hospice at Home.
father-of-three often ran his 26.2-mile (42km) route before starting work at the Sellafield nuclear site.
As he crossed the finish line, he thanked the ""fantastic"" reception.
And he later revealed in a tweet that he had reached his £1m goal in aid of charities. 
Cheered on by crowds, he started his latest challenge at 08:30 GMT and finished at about 14:00 GMT in front of a fireworks display.
Mr McKee has gone through more than 20 pairs of trainers, run more than 9,500 miles (15,300km) and finished his final marathon at about 14:00.
Speaking afterwards, he said: ""The streets were lined. It was raining, but everybody was out clapping and shouting.
""It was fantastic seeing everybody there. It's something I'll always remember.""
Watch: Gary McKee crosses the finish line of his 365th marathon in 2022, raising £1m for charity
On the start line earlier in the day, he told BBC Breakfast he had received ""phenomenal"" support but was ""a little bit nervous"" ahead of the final challenge. 
""It's not the distance, it's because it's the last one. It'll be a special day. Cancer affects everybody so it isn't just a west Cumbrian thing, it's a national thing.
""I just hope that people do get behind us and we do raise that million pounds. If we don't, it won't be because I haven't run 365 marathons.
""We'll celebrate the day, have a good laugh on the route.""
Director of funding and communications for Hospice At Home West Cumbria, Hayley McKay, said: ""It's difficult to put into words how grateful we are to Gary for taking on this unbelievable challenge.
""The physical and mental strength he has shown is incomprehensible.
""Gary has not only raised money for two fantastic charities, he has sprinkled magic on the local community and brought people together supporting him with the challenge.""
Macmillan Cancer Support executive director of fundraising, Claire Rowney, added: ""Gary's achievement and selflessness is off the scale.
""Every single day this year, this extraordinary man has put his body through a marathon to raise money for Macmillan and our friends at Hospice At Home West Cumbria.
""I can only imagine the self-discipline and determination required to achieve this and there aren't enough words to express our heartfelt gratitude for everything that he has done to help Macmillan support people living with cancer at a time when they need us more than ever.""
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-cumbria-64134196
health	Covid-19: New mum leaves Royal Papworth hospital after a year	"A pregnant woman who contracted Covid-19, had an emergency C-section and was put into a coma before being able to hold her baby has left hospital after more than a year.
Nicole Tuna, 30, from Colchester, was transferred to Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge on 7 November 2021.
She was woken from the coma in February when her baby daughter Thea was nearly four months old.
Staff clapped her out of the hospital on Thursday, accompanied by her family.
Ms Tuna, who also has a six-year-old son, said the turning point in her recovery after the coma was her wish to see her children.
""One of the doctors came to me and asked what my last wish was,"" she said.
""I started to cry and I said, 'I want to live with my kids, this is my last wish' - the doctors said, 'OK, this is the best answer' and after that I started to fight.""
Ms Tuna, who was unvaccinated, caught Covid in October 2021 when she was 36 weeks pregnant.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was initially admitted to Colchester Hospital in late October 2021.
She underwent an emergency C-section before being placed in a coma - and never got to hold her baby.
wo weeks' later, with her condition not improving, she was referred to experts at Royal Papworth for ECMO support.
ECMO - extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation - is a form of life-support for patients with the most severe forms of heart and lung failure.
ECMO machine pumps blood out of the body, puts it through an oxygenator, puts oxygen in and gets rid of the carbon dioxide. It then pumps oxygenated blood back into the body.
In effect, it removes the need for the patient to use their lungs, which can then rest and recover.
Royal Papworth is one of only five centres in the country to offer this service, alongside bases in Manchester, Leicester and two in London.
Ms Tuna's run of 299 days on ECMO was the longest ever at the hospital, it said.
Ms Tuna was woken from her coma on 22 February this year.
She said she was shocked when she realised how much time had passed, telling a nurse: ""I can't believe it, it's too much.""
She finally held Thea for the first time when she was six months old.
Her husband said the hospital had been their family, and that ""my wife is alive because of you"".
Critical care sister Kerry Pooley said it was a ""timely reminder, as we head into the winter months"" that Covid could make people ""very, very poorly"" and urged everyone to get vaccinated.
As Ms Tuna was getting ready to leave the hospital she said the staff were ""just the best"" and she was looking forward to ""my second life"".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-63659893
health	Ambulance strike: Unions refused to work with us on national planning - Steve Barclay	"Health Secretary Stephen Barclay has said the three unions striking on Wednesday have ""refused"" to work with the government at the national level.
f thousands of ambulance workers, including paramedics and call handlers, are striking in England and Wales over a pay dispute
On BBC Breakfast, he said the unions' choice to only agree on local arrangements for dealing with the coverage of life threatening and emergency calls has led to ""further uncertainty""."	/news/uk-politics-64049793
health	Covid: Deaths involving virus pass 11,000 mark in Wales	"umber of deaths involving Covid has now passed the 11,000 mark in Wales.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number where Covid was a factor rose to 44 in the week ending 4 November, the highest weekly total since the end of July.
But Covid deaths over the past three months are running at about 40% of the numbers in the same period last year.
Deaths from all causes have been above normal  for 16 of the past 17 weeks. 
re have been more than 1,000 so-called ""excess"" deaths from all causes in Wales  - above what we might expect to see in the years before Covid - since July. Of these, 447 do not involve Covid. 
re have been suggestions that there could be several reasons for this - from people becoming less healthy during the pandemic, to not seeking or waiting longer for medical help for health issues.
Coronavirus in Wales - the latest in numbers
win Covid and flu test kit gets green light
Covid accounted for 6.2% of all deaths in Wales in the latest week, more than the proportion in England (5.5%).
In nearly two-thirds of deaths involving Covid in the latest week it was also the underlying cause of death - so the death can be said to be due to Covid. 
Across Wales and England, 85% of Covid deaths in the latest week involved those aged over 70.
Deaths due to Covid have also exceeded deaths due to flu and pneumonia for the past four weeks.
umber of deaths involving Covid - in which it was mentioned on the death certificate as a contributory factor - is 11,029 in Wales, since March 2020.
Rhondda Cynon Taf has seen the most deaths at a county level - 1,138 involving Covid have occurred up to 4 November, with six registered deaths involving Covid in the latest week.
RCT also has the highest mortality rate over the course of the pandemic in Wales - and also has the eighth highest crude mortality rate (478.8 deaths per 100,000) of all local authorities across England and Wales.
Merthyr Tydfil (474.5 deaths per 100,000) was the ninth highest and Bridgend 15th (457 deaths per 100,000).
Conservative health spokesman Russell George MS repeated his party's call for a ""badly needed"" Welsh-specific inquiry into the pandemic, to ensure that we ""limit the spread of viruses like this in future and get the answers people deserve"".
He added: ""It is tragic that coronavirus continues to take a toll on our society with every one of those 11,000 being an individual who leaves behind family and friends who cared for them and will miss them.""
registered deaths follow a period in early October when Covid infections in the community were estimated to have increased.
But now infections are falling again, while those in hospital being primarily treated for the virus remain at low levels.
ONS estimates are that one in 40 people - or 72,400 - are estimated to have had Covid in the latest week.
2.38% of the population.
-called R-number - or reproduction number - which estimates the spread of infection is also going down.
Meanwhile, Covid vaccine autumn boosters have now reached 80% of care home residents and 69% of the over 65s, according to Public Health Wales figures.
Wales has reached proportionately more of key groups with autumn boosters than England, although numbers are down on earlier phases of the programme and weekly numbers are down by a third on a month ago."	/news/uk-wales-63635652
health	Risk to patients getting worse, NHS leaders warn	"risk to patients will only get worse unless the government reaches an agreement to prevent further strikes, NHS leaders have warned.
In a letter to the prime minister and health secretary, they said there was ""deep worry"" about Wednesday's strike.
People are being asked to only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency, but NHS England says emergency care will continue to be provided.
Ambulance response times are already twice as long as two years ago.
r, signed by the leaders of NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, says the action being taken by ambulance workers ""isn't just about pay but working conditions: many have said they are doing this because they no longer feel able to provide the level of care that their patients need and deserve.""
urged ministers to ""do all you can to bring about an agreed solution"".
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the pay deal on offer to both ambulance staff and nurses had been agreed by an independent pay review body.
In England, eight out of the 10 major ambulance services have declared critical incidents - a sign of the intense pressure they are already under. 
Ministers have urged the public to take extra care and suggested they avoid contact sports and unnecessary car journeys.
Unions say life-threatening callouts will continue to be responded to over the next 24 hours but some urgent calls, for example for late-stage labour or a fall in the home, might not be answered.
Watch Make Sense of Strikes on iPlayer and find out more about why people are striking and whether industrial action works.
No industrial action is taking place in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and there will be no strikes in the east of England or the Isle of Wight.
But elsewhere, there is likely to be major disruption as paramedics, call handlers, emergency care assistants and technicians go on strike.
About 750 armed forces staff are being drafted in to cover the walkouts, however their role will be limited. They will not be sent on call-outs involving critical care, nor will they provide any clinical care.
Patients who are seriously ill or injured, or whose lives are in danger, are being advised by the NHS to call 999. 
For all other healthcare needs, the NHS is advising people to contact NHS 111 online or via the NHS 111 helpline, or to contact their local GP or pharmacy.
In the run-up to the strike, rhetoric from both sides has intensified.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: ""We now know that the NHS contingency plans will not cover all 999 calls. Ambulance unions have made a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients.""
But Rachel Harrison, national secretary of the GMB Union, accused the government of insulting NHS staff by claiming they are making a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients.
Union members had been forced into action and did ""not taken the decision lightly"", she told BBC Breakfast. 
She said earlier that ambulance staff were tired of spending all day outside a hospital with a patient because of delays in handing over patients to A&E. They often did not know whether patients would ""still be alive"" when they reached them after a callout.
""We've been raising these issues for years and [have] been ignored,"" she added.
Not all unions are striking for the same hours on Wednesday, and it is difficult to say how many workers at each individual service will strike. 
You can use our interactive tool to find out which unions are on strike at your local ambulance service:
ustrial action by ambulance workers follows two days of strikes by nurses this month over pay. It has also been one of the busiest months on record for people attending Accident and Emergency departments. 
Long waits for ambulances after an emergency 999 call have become a regular occurrence, as have queues of ambulances outside A&E waiting to offload patients.
rikes have come ""at the worst possible time"", Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told Radio 4's Today
Covid, the strep A outbreak and rising flu cases are among the reasons the system is under pressure, ""regardless of industrial action"", he said. 
""It's already very difficult, we're seeing deaths because of delay and dilution of care anyway."" 
Ambulance workers are asking for a pay rise above inflation - although not a precise figure - and a plan for recouping lost earnings over many years. 
Mr Barclay met union representatives on Tuesday afternoon but there were no discussions around pay - only what care would still be provided during the strike.
""I have never seen such an abdication of leadership like it"", Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. 
Negotiations lie ""squarely with the government who have simply got their hands over their ears"". They have the ""clear ability to pay if they make different choices"", she told the BBC.
She added that she was willing to discuss pay on Christmas Day. 
Mr Barclay called the strikes ""deeply regrettable"" and urged the public to take extra care and check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours.
He said most ambulance staff have received a pay rise of at least 4%, taking average earnings to £47,000. A further pay increase would mean taking money from frontline services, he added.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted he will not back down against striking workers. He has said the best way to help the workforce would be to reduce inflation as quickly as possible.
Not all Conservatives agree and want to see some flexibility from the government. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the Cotswolds, said: ""These things have got to be solved by negotiation. There are people who are desperately likely to need this service over Christmas.""
NHS England says it will have more staff answering 999 calls and is helping individual trusts speed up the process of handing over emergency patients and discharging those well enough to go home.
London Ambulance Service will not dispatch an ambulance to all 999 callouts. Instead, a team of clinicians will call patients back to see if they can be helped in other ways. 
xpect there to be 200 ambulances compared to the normal 400. Most will be staffed by the military, with a clinician alongside that may or may not be a paramedic. Taxis may also be used for some patients.
If there are not enough ambulances to get to all life-threatening emergencies, staff will leave the picket line to respond, the head of the service, Daniel Elkeles, said.
On Tuesday, eight ambulance services declared critical incidents, including North East Ambulance Service, South East Coast Ambulance Service, the East of England Ambulance Service, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and South Central Ambulance Service, because of pressure on services.
A critical incident allows services to prioritise certain patients and cancel non-urgent demands on staff such as training. It can happen because of a very high number of calls, for example.
Have you been affected by the strike? Are you an ambulance worker? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/health-64037468
health	Leprosy: Ancient disease able to regenerate organs	"Leprosy bacteria may hold the secret to safely repairing and regenerating the body, researchers at the University of Edinburgh say. 
Animal experiments have uncovered the bacteria's remarkable ability to almost double the size of livers by stimulating healthy growth. 
It is a sneakily selfish act that gives the bacteria more tissue to infect. 
But working out how they do it could lead to new age-defying therapies, the scientists say.
Leprosy causes disability when it infects the nerves, skin and eyes. 
roughout history, those infected have been shunned. 
But the bacterium that causes it, Mycobacterium leprae, has other, unusual properties, including the ability to perform ""biological alchemy"", converting one type of bodily tissue into another, which are fascinating scientists.
So the researchers turned to another animals that catches the disease - armadillos. 
xperiments, which were performed in the US, showed the infection heads to the armoured animals' livers, where it performed a controlled hijacking of the organ to reprogram it for its own purpose. 
""It was totally unexpected,"" Prof Anura Rambukkana, from the University of Edinburgh's centre for regenerative medicine, told me.
results, published in Cell Reports Medicine, showed the liver nearly doubled in size. 
You might expect such growth to be defective or even cancerous - but detailed analysis showed it was both healthy and functional, complete with the usual array of blood vessels and bile ducts. 
""It is kind of mind-blowing,"" Prof Rambukkana said. ""How do they do that? There is no cell therapy that can do that."" 
It appears the leprosy bug is rewinding the developmental clock in the liver. 
Fully grown liver cells are metabolic powerhouses with hundreds of jobs in the body. 
But the bacteria are taking them back a stage - like becoming a teenager again - where they can rapidly increase in number before maturing back into adulthood.
Interrogating the activity of different parts of the cells' DNA revealed a picture more akin to that of a much younger animal or even a fetus, when the liver is still forming. 
But the precise details of how this is all happening remain elusive. 
Nobel Prize-winning research has shown it is possible to forcibly turn the clock all the way back to the point at which cells regain the ability to become any other type of cell in the body - but this runs the risk of turning them cancerous. 
""The [leprosy] bugs use alternative pathways,"" Prof Rambukkana told me. 
""It's a much safer way and they take a longer time to do that, so this is a natural process."" 
roach can be harnessed for repairing the livers of people waiting for a transplant - or even to reverse some of the damage caused by ageing elsewhere in the body. 
""The dream is to use the same bacterial strategy, to use the ingenuity of bacteria to generate new medicines for regeneration and repair,"" Prof Rambukkana said.
""If you can harness that, you should be able to turn that mechanism into a jab you have every three months or something.""
All these ideas remain untested, however.
Dr Darius Widera, of the University of Reading, said: ""Overall, the results could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of liver diseases such as cirrhosis.
""However, as the research has been done using armadillos as model animals, it is unclear if and how these promising results can translate to the biology of the human liver.  
""Moreover, as the bacteria used in this study are disease-causing, substantial refinement of the methods would be required prior to clinical translation.""
Follow James on Twitter."	/news/health-63626239
health	Nurses bitten and screens smashed - life in A&E	"Busy, noisy, highly stressful - and sometimes violent. This is the reality of A&E as the NHS gears up for what will be an incredibly difficult winter.
much is clear from the experience of staff and patients at Royal Berkshire Hospital's emergency department.
Like all units, it is struggling to see patients quickly - more than a third of patients wait more than four hours.
ress and frustration means tempers can easily boil over. 
Receptionist Tahj Chrichlow says it can get so busy patients end up ""packed like sardines"".
""Sometimes people can be not as nice to us as we like,"" he adds, explaining how earlier this week the window of the reception office had been smashed by one angry person.
""Luckily we have got a very nice security team who can come down and help us - they're pretty much on our speed dial, just in case.""
Staff nurse Harriet Nicholls ended up getting slapped and bitten on the arm as she and a colleague tried to put a drip in a patient. 
ual had dementia - so it was not necessarily related to the delays seeing patients - but such episodes were not uncommon in the department. 
""We're overloaded and there are not enough staff,"" she says.
figures show the emergency care system has never seen such huge pressures - certainly since modern recording-keeping began 20 years ago.
roportion of patients waiting more than four hours to be seen has reached its highest level ever with more than 30% of patients facing delays.
Ambulances are also facing record delays.
And for those patients who cannot be treated on the spot and need a stay in hospital, there can then be long waits for a bed.
One of those was Anne Whitfield-Ray who was taken to her local hospital last month after she fell at home and broke her hip.
She spent 15 hours on a trolley until a bed could be found for her.
""It was absolute chaos - like something out of a third world country,"" said the 77-year-old from Worcestershire. 
""Patients were being squeezed in everywhere they could. It was horrific.""
But she said that despite her experience she cannot fault the staff: ""They are doing the best they can.""
Hayley, 34, from Ashford in Surrey, had an even longer wait with her six-month-old. 
She was told to go straight to A&E by her GP after her baby became unwell.
""It was totally rammed. We spent 33 hours in A&E waiting for a bed on the wards. 
""The staff tried their best to help us. I can't complain about the care we've had as it's been very good. But the NHS is totally overwhelmed.""
Royal College of Emergency Medicine is warning delays like these are putting patients at risk.
Vice president Dr Ian Higginson says hospitals are ""full to bursting"".
""When our hospitals are full, we can't get patients out of our emergency departments.
""That means emergency departments become overcrowded and we see patients waiting for long periods on uncomfortable trollies in corridors or other rubbish places.""
Dr Higginson says his colleagues are ""very worried"" and unable to deliver the care they would like to give to patients.
""It's just not possible,"" he adds.
Dr Vin Diwakar, of NHS England, said staff were working ""round-the-clock"" to try to see and treat patients as quickly as they can.
He said the problems in A&E were caused by a lack of beds, with 19 out of every 20 currently occupied.
He said the ""fundamental challenge"" was the difficulty hospitals were facing discharging patients who were medically fit to leave, but could not be released because of a lack of care in the community.
Every day more than half of patients ready to be discharged cannot be discharged.
Dr Diwakar said steps were being taken, including investment in community teams to stop people ending up in hospital, 
A network of regional ""war rooms"" has also been created, he added, which monitor the pressures on local hospitals in real time, so they can try to manage demand by diverting ambulances away from the most under-pressure hospitals.
Are you currently waiting in A&E? If you feel well enough to do so, tell us what it's like by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/health-63905272
health	Harry and Meghan: What's the link between stress and miscarriage?	"""I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,"" wrote Meghan in 2020, after experiencing a miscarriage.
Fast forward two years, and in their new documentary the Duke and Duchess of Sussex both blame the stress caused by their legal fight with a newspaper.
Experts say more research is needed to understand why miscarriages happen but stress alone wouldn't be a cause.
With a number of factors at play, they say parents shouldn't blame themselves.
It's estimated that about one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage - that's about 500 every single day in the UK.
Meghan has been vocal in the past about the importance of talking about the ""staggering commonality of pain"" caused by losing a baby. 
She covered the topic in a piece she wrote for the New York Times in 2020.
At the time, the couple were in a bitter court battle with the publisher of the Mail on Sunday after it printed a letter Meghan had sent to her dad.
""Do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don't,"" says Prince Harry in their Netflix series. 
""But bearing in mind the stress, the lack of sleep... I can say from what I saw that that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.""
uchess won her privacy and copyright case against Associated Newspapers Limited last year. 
It's often not possible to know what causes a miscarriage and a lot more research needs to be done.
While there is some evidence to suggest there may be a link between stress and miscarriage, the NHS and charities agree it is not a cause on its own.
""After a miscarriage, most people will ask themselves what caused it, why it happened,"" says Ruth Bender Atik, from the Miscarriage Association.
""Unfortunately, very few people will have an obvious cause diagnosed.
""In that situation, we tend to seek our own explanation, what we did or didn't do - and stress is one of those.""
Most miscarriages happen early in pregnancy. These tend to be caused by random chromosomal abnormalities - problems with a foetus's DNA which mean it can't develop properly.
After three months, a wide number of factors, including infections, the mother's age or a weakened cervix could be a reason.
Miscarriage research charity Tommy's says there's some evidence of a link between persistent stress and miscarriage.
But this is often connected to other lifestyle risk factors, such as poor sleep and diet or substance abuse.
It says it's important women don't worry unnecessarily about stress, which is normal during pregnancy. 
""What we don't want to do is scare women unnecessarily from being at work or engaging in stressful activities,"" says Dr Ellie Cannon, a GP.
She says there has always been an ""unhelpful"" misconception linking stress and miscarriage. 
""I have a huge amount of sympathy for any couple that's gone through miscarriage,"" she says. 
""It's a very difficult time, it's incredibly personal and any woman going through this will experience that differently.""
But she adds that it's important to recognise stress as not being a sole cause, to limit feelings of guilt and anxiety for pregnant women.
Amina Hatia, from Tommy's, says those who experience miscarriage will question why it happened and ""often blame themselves, feeling guilty about what they feel they did or didn't do"".
""We have very little control over stress in our lives, and in any pregnancy it is natural at times to feel a bit anxious or stressed,"" she says. 
""Therefore, telling people 'not to stress' for their own emotional and physical health doesn't usually work.""
Amina says it can even be counterproductive, leading to more guilt and worry.
re is, however, a strong emphasis on mental wellbeing.
Experts agree it's just as important as physical health during pregnancy and pregnant women should get the help they need.
And most women who miscarry go on to have healthy pregnancies - Harry and Meghan welcomed their daughter, Lilibet, in June 2021.
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63999486
health	Hospitals introduce new time limits to help emergency departments	"Northern Ireland's health trusts have agreed new target times for discharging patients and for ambulance handovers to ease pressure on emergency departments.
Patients medically fit for discharge will leave hospital within 48 hours if they have a suitable place to go to.
uld be an ""alternative interim placement"" while they wait for a space in their first choice of care home.
For ambulances, a three-hour limit to handover patients to EDs will apply to free staff for life-threatening calls.
Under the new plans if there is no available bed at the ED, ambulance crews will be asked to place their patients in corridors instead. 
If hospital inpatients are medically fit and are waiting to be discharged, they may be asked to use chairs rather than beds ""where appropriate,"" according to a joint statement from the trusts' chief executives.
r families will be asked to take them home if they can, or agree to admit them to the first suitable care home if they cannot go home.
""These are not steps that we ever wanted or indeed imagined having to introduce,"" the statement said. 
""They are not designed as a long-term solution, but as actions to reduce the risk to patients waiting in unacceptable circumstances in ambulances and emergency departments.""
It follows weeks of intensive pressure on hospitals across Northern Ireland, which are struggling to admit new patients because most beds are already occupied.
On Monday morning, there was a record 380 people waiting to be admitted across Northern Ireland's EDs and 360 of those had been waiting more than 12 hours. 
In one case, an elderly person was brought by ambulance to an ED at 08:20 GMT.  The patient was still in the ambulance at 16:15 GMT.
At 16:00 GMT on Sunday, 13 ambulances were waiting outside the Ulster Hospital ED. 
Often, hospitals are caring for patients who are well enough to leave, but who need additional support in order to live in the community.
Some of those patients stay in hospital because there is no-one to look after them on discharge or they cannot secure accommodation in their preferred care setting.
On Friday, 158 patients were fit to be discharged in the Belfast Health Trust, but because a majority of them turned down a temporary placement in a nursing home, they remained as inpatients. 
f executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said the system was under probably the greatest pressure it had ever been.
Michael Bloomfield said health workers would be expecting patients and their family members to cooperate with staff to free up hospital beds for the patients who needed them most. 
""We particularly need them to work with us around taking family members home, or discharging them into appropriate care homes when they become medically fit, when their care and their treatment in hospital is over,"" Mr Bloomfield said.
He added it was not in patients' best interests to remain in hospital longer than necessary and that staff would work ""sensibly"" with families to discharge patients into care facilities that would meet their needs.
NIAS chief said the patients who currently faced the ""greatest risk"" were those who were ill and waiting on ambulances to arrive and those who were waiting ""far too long"" in the backs of ambulances for admission to EDs.
As the ED crisis has been in the headlines for months there will be some who will question the timing of this announcement, particularly just days before Christmas. 
-called winter pressures began in the summer this year and have been building ever since.  
Some of those who work in the system have said it is all too little, too late. 
Discharging patients from hospital and placing them in nursing homes has not worked to date.  
Using a firmer tone when asking families to cooperate is unlikely to work. 
But health leaders have admitted these are not steps they ever imagined introducing and instead what is required is long-term funding and a system that is capable of meeting rising levels of demand.
f executives' joint statement said that they were deeply distressed at the ongoing situation in local hospitals.
xpected the current pressures to intensify after Christmas and into the early months of next year.
""Although strenuous efforts are being made to alleviate the pressures, we have a serious capacity deficit which means too many people are waiting too long for care,"" they said.
""Much of the impact of this is falling on frail and ill older people and on the staff caring for them.""
""cannot passively accept the status quo, with all that it means for patient care and safety"". 
RCN's Rita Devlin describes ""mayhem"" in the emergency department at the Royal Victoria Hospital last week
In relation to the 48-hour patient discharge target, they said there would be no ""cost to the patient or their family for this alternative interim placement and it will not impact on their place on any waiting list for their longer term option"". 
rusts and care homes will work closely together to make best use of any and all available capacity. 
""This will include new shared arrangements for pre-admission assessment for care homes seven days a week,"" the chief executives said.
Other departments in hospitals will be asked to make ""maximum use"" of available space in wards ""to improve patient flow out of overcrowded emergency departments"". "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-64031282
health	Diphtheria cases rising among asylum seekers	"umber of cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK has risen to more than 50, the BBC understands. 
It comes after it was confirmed that one migrant who died after being held at Manston processing centre in Kent had contracted the disease.
man died in hospital on 19 November after entering the UK on a small boat seven days earlier.
Home Office said it takes the welfare of those in its care seriously. 
week, health officials are set to confirm there have been more than 50 diphtheria cases among asylum seekers this year, the BBC understands. 
In 2021, there were three of the same strain, according to government data.
Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that affects the nose, throat and sometimes cause ulcers on the skin. 
According to the NHS website, it's spread by coughs and sneezes or through close contact with someone who is infected, and in serious cases can be fatal.
You can also get it by sharing items such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding with an infected person.
Babies and children in the UK are vaccinated against diphtheria, meaning cases are rare. However, the infection is potentially dangerous to migrants who come from countries where this is not the case.
UK Health Security Agency (HSA) says it is not known if the more than 50 people who have or have had diphtheria were infected at Manston. 
rising amongst asylum seekers across Europe and some people reported symptoms before arriving, and so could have been infected in their home country. 
However, the incubation period for the illness is between two and five days, with a maximum of 10 days, so infections in people who were at Manston are likely to be recent. 
A post-mortem examination is trying to determine whether the man held at Manston died because of his diphtheria infection. 
According to a Home Office spokesperson, hospital tests indicate ""diphtheria may be the cause of the illness"".
Initial tests were negative and the Home Office said at the time there was ""no evidence at this stage"" that the person had died from an infectious disease. But a follow-up PCR test for diphtheria has since produced a positive result. 
Health officials have advised vaccines and antibiotics are offered to people on arrival at their new accommodation, and close contacts are identified.
Manston centre was cleared of people earlier this month after reports of overcrowding and outbreaks of disease. There are concerns that people who may have had diphtheria have been moved around the country.
Sunday Times reports that Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said this ""had put asylum seekers and potentially hotel workers at avoidable and preventable risk"" and had ""created additional and preventable burdens on local health system"".
He also accused the Home Office of a ""lack of co-ordination"" that has ""made the situation far worse than it could be"".
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said the government should be ""ashamed"" of what she called ""callous complacency over the health and well-being of asylum seekers"".
A Home Office spokesperson said: ""We work closely with a range of partners within the community including local authorities and health leads to make sure information is shared in a timely way and that everyone leaving Manston is given access to appropriate treatment.
""As the UK Health Security Agency have made clear, the risk of diphtheria to the public is very low, due to high uptake of the diphtheria vaccine in this country and because the infection is typically passed on through close prolonged contact with a case. 
""We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously. As such, we continue to work closely with the NHS and UKHSA to support the individuals affected and limit the transmission of infection."" 
Manston migrant processing facility is a former military base and is designed to hold just 1,600 people. But in October there were around 4,000 migrants being held there. 
More than 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats this year.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the government had ""failed to control our borders"". She also blamed migrants and people smugglers for the chaos at Manston."	/news/uk-63771091
health	Energy bills: Patients prescribed heating as part of health trial	"Doctors are prescribing heating to patients with conditions that get worse in the cold as part of a health trial.
Warm Home Prescription pilot paid to heat the homes of 28 low-income patients to avoid the cost of hospital care if they became more ill. 
rial achieved such good results it is being expanded to 1,150 homes.
Michelle Davis, who has arthritis and serious pulmonary illness, had her energy bills paid for and said the difference was ""mind-blowing"".
Energy costs have soared in part because the war in Ukraine has reduced supplies of Russian gas. The government has stepped in to cap prices but it still means bills for a typical household will go up to £3,000 from April.
mum-of-two teenage daughters took part in trial backed by NHS Gloucestershire between December 2021 and March 2022 when she didn't pay a penny to keep her home warm and bright and charge her mobility scooter.  
""When the weather turns cold, I tend to seize up,"" she told the BBC. ""It's very painful, my joints ache and my bones are like hot pokers.""
In 2020 Ms Davis spent most of the winter in bed, trying to keep warm and was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy. But not in winter 2021. 
""You're not stuck in bed, you're not going to hospital, my children were able to have a life, they were able to go out and play and get cold,"" she said.
She welled up as she described being able to warm her kids pyjamas on radiators and have a good Christmas. ""I was able to be a Mum,"" she added. ""And my kids could be kids, not just carers."" 
Academics estimate that cold homes cost NHS England £860m a year and that 10,000 people die every year due a cold home. But that research was completed before the current cost of living crisis took hold.
first trial achieved such good results, that it's being expanded to 150 households in NHS Gloucestershire's area, plus about 1,000 in Aberdeen and Teesside.
Energy Systems Catapult is the organisation behind the pilot. With the backing of GP surgeries and a local energy charity called Severn Wye, NHS social prescribers, who visit those with long-term conditions in their homes, were able to identify people who would benefit. 
Dr Matt Lipson helped design the pilot programme and feels like this preventative step is a no-brainer for the health service. 
""If we buy the energy people need but can't afford, they can keep warm at home and stay out of hospital,"" he said. ""That would target support to where it's needed, save money overall and take pressure off the health service."" 
ge in patients was swift: ""The NHS were telling us they were seeing a benefit much more quickly than pills and potions,"" Dr Lipson added. ""It was taking days, not weeks and months.""
While Michelle was warm at home, more than 2,000 patients not on the trial but with similar conditions in Gloucestershire fell seriously ill or needed emergency hospital care. This cost local NHS services an estimated £6m.
Dr Hein le Roux's surgery in Churchdown, just outside Gloucester took part.
He said: ""Usually we wait until people get sick and then go out and see them, or worse they end up in hospital. But it's actually saved a lot of money for other services and also saved our workload."" 
It's given Dr le Roux a boost professionally, too. ""It was just a fantastic feeling to know you're doing your job properly rather than going to see sick people,"" he said. 
Ms Davis' monthly bill for gas and electricity has crept up to over £250 this year.
""For a disabled Mum on benefits, it's a lot of money,"" she said. She does not yet know if she'll be able to participate in this winter's trial so she's cutting back to save money. 
But even getting one year off has given her respite and headspace to feel healthier: ""If everyone was able to have this experience I had, it could really change peoples lives."" "	/news/business-63707689
health	Antibiotics for strep A in good supply, says health secretary Steve Barclay	"re are good supplies of antibiotics to treat strep A and stock can be moved around if there are issues in some areas, Health Secretary Steve Barclay has told the BBC.
But pharmacies are worried about patchy supply caused by rising demand for penicillin and amoxicillin.
medicines are used to treat cases of strep A and scarlet fever, which are higher than usual around the UK.
Nine children have died with rare but severe bacterial strep A infections.
Health experts say parents and doctors need to be vigilant and alert to the symptoms of infection.
GPs have been advised to prescribe antibiotics for children who may have worsening symptoms linked to strep A.
Strep A can look like a number of different conditions, and is mild in most cases, causing a sore throat or skin infection which is easily treated with antibiotics.
But it can develop into scarlet fever and, very rarely, into invasive group-A streptococcal infection (iGAS) which can be extremely serious. 
Schools with a number of cases of strep A or scarlet fever could be given antibiotics to hand out to pupils in order to prevent further spread of the bacteria.
rompting concern from pharmacists in England and also in Wales that stock of antibiotics could run low unless there is some planning around supply.
Mr Barclay told BBC Breakfast: ""We have very regular contact with the medical suppliers, and the manufacturers have said they don't have concern in terms of supply at the moment.
""It is always the case that if you have a particular surge in one or two GPs then the response suppliers look at warehouse depots and how they move their stock around.
""What the suppliers have said to us is they do have good levels of supply, and that is not a concern at the moment, and where there are particular issues with GPs, then they will move stock around accordingly.""
Martin Sawer, chief executive of the Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA), the trade body which represents drug wholesalers, said the UK could be in for a ""bumpy ride"" over the coming days.
He told the BBC that pharmacists and wholesalers had been ""caught by surprise"" by health advice issued to doctors to lower the threshold for prescribing antibiotics. It had led to over ordering by pharmacists resulting in ""extreme demand"", he said.
""The minister is right, there isn't a shortage, but the medicine is in the wrong place,"" Mr Sawer said.
""It's at the manufacturers and there are difficulties getting it from them to the wholesalers.""
He added: ""If I have one message... it's that someone needs to send a strong message out about not stockpiling. The government needs to take the lead and give out stronger messaging about not over ordering as everyone in the supply chain needs that reassurance.""
Earlier, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said pharmacies were having to ""work very hard to obtain stocks of these antibiotics and some lines are unavailable"".
It said there had been a spike in demand for some antibiotics, including those used to treat strep A in children.
""We have been advised by wholesalers that most lines will be replenished soon, but we cannot say exactly when that will be,"" the NPA said.
Pharmacists said they would work with local GPs to help people get the medicines they need as quickly as possible, but that could require a change of prescription.
Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, which represents 4,000 pharmacies, said the supply of antibiotic medicines in oral liquid form (for children) from wholesalers was ""patchy"".
It said pharmacies were experiencing supply issues from all wholesalers, and it puts this down to a big rise in the number of prescriptions for antibiotics.
rust your judgement if your child seems seriously unwell.
Contact your local surgery if they:
Call 999 or go to an accident-and-emergency unit if:
Additional reporting by Matthew Cole"	/news/health-63885776
health	MP sees Highley GP surgery closure as 'opportunity'	"An MP has welcomed the news a village GP surgery will close, saying the move provides a ""real opportunity"".
Highley Medical Practice, in Shropshire, was placed in special measures in January and the Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said the building in which it was based was too small.
urrent surgery provider has announced it wants to end its contract.
Mr Dunne said he had ""long campaigned"" for an alternative set-up and approved of NHS plans to find a new provider.
urrent provider has agreed to keep the practice open until the end of March to allow time for a new surgery to be established.
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, which commissions GP services, said it was told on Tuesday of the operators' decision to pull out.
Mr Dunne said he would help the NHS to find a ""sustainable long-term solution"".
Mr Dunne, Conservative, said: ""In my view the current practice, housed in a former domestic setting, has limited opportunity to improve or expand services.""
He said he had been asking the NHS to find an alternative for several years and, while he accepted change would be worrying for residents, added: ""This should provide a real opportunity to improve GP services for Highley residents.""
Mr Dunne said he would push to make sure the new surgery was also in Highley.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-shropshire-63670007
health	Kettering breast cancer centre gets a 'facelift'	"Work has started to create a ""tranquil and peaceful"" waiting area at a hospital's breast cancer treatment centre. 
Glennis Hooper, who helped raise funds for the facility, said the area at Kettering General Hospital, Northamptonshire, needed ""sprucing up"".
reast cancer survivor was the founder of the charity Crazy Hats Appeal in 2001, and it has donated £390,000 to the project.
It would also be landscaped, she added.
w area, due to open in May, was paid for with the final donation made by the Crazy Hats Appeal ahead of the charity's closure in June.
It raised about £3.5m over its 20 years. 
Ms Hooper, a former head teacher, said the project would ""help to make the experience of attending hospital appointments, at what can be a worrying time, that bit easier"".
""For us it is the culmination of a long journey of support for breast care patients and of support for Kettering General Hospital,"" she said.
By 2018, Ms Hooper said she noticed the waiting area ""was beginning to look 'tired' and so started the idea of ""sprucing it up"". 
""As a result we will be giving a much-needed facelift to the hospital's waiting area - creating a calm, tranquil and peaceful area for both patients and staff,"" she said.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-63673803
health	Hull hospitals worst in England for A&E waits, NHS figures show	"Patients at hospital A&Es in Hull are less likely to be seen within the official four-hour target than anywhere else in England, NHS figures show.
In November, 58.2% of patients at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust sites waited over four hours to be admitted or discharged.
was almost double the average figure for England of 31.1%.
Ellen Ryabov, from the trust, said the target was ""linked with other pressures within the wider health system"".
She added: ""The trust has been dealing with a sustained, high level of demand for urgent care for many months and our staff are working incredibly hard to provide the best possible care they can.
""As the major trauma centre for the region, we manage a lot of complex cases and will always prioritise those in need of emergency or lifesaving treatment over more routine, non-urgent requests for care.""
Ms Ryabov said there were problems with ""the availability of services to support patients' ongoing recovery outside hospital when they are medically fit to leave"".  
In the coming weeks, the Hull trust would be working with its partners across health and social to care to give ""a renewed focus on tackling our collective system pressures"", she said.
It was hoped there would be a ""corresponding improvement in performance"", Ms Ryabov added.
wo other hospitals in Yorkshire were also on the NHS list of England's 10 worst performers for A&E waiting times.
At Airedale Hospital, in West Yorkshire, 48.4% of patients waited more than four hours to be admitted or discharged in November, while at Barnsley Hospital that number stood at 46%.
Sheffield Children's Hospital was the best performing in the region, with 83.7% of patients seen within four hours, followed by the city's teaching hospitals with 75.7%. 
Meanwhile, at York and Scarborough Hospitals, 71% of patients were seen within the four-hour target time.
Dr Steve Crane, a consultant in emergency medicine at York Hospital, said it was the busiest period he could remember in his 20-year career. 
Pressure on the availability of hospital beds and difficulties discharging patients were among the reasons for delays seeing patients in A&E, he said.
Dr Crane described the last few months as ""difficult"".
""The A&E department is the barometer of the whole of the health service,"" he said.
""The reason we have these long waits is because the rest of the health service, the rest of the system, is struggling.""
York Hospital is currently in the middle of a £15m redevelopment of its A&E department and has introduced an Emergency Assessment Unit to try and cut waiting times.
unit treats around 50 patients a day who are unwell but may not need hospital admission. 
NHS England said nationally the figures were the worst since records began 17 years ago, with the target of 95% of A&E patients being seen within four hours last reached in July 2015.
Responding, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the health and social care services had faced ""immense pressure"" and £8bn was being provided ""to boost performance and recover services to pre-pandemic levels"".
He added: ""The coming months will be challenging, but I am determined to tackle waiting times and improve access for patients.""
government was allocating an extra £500m ""to speed up hospital discharge, get ambulances back on the road quicker, increase the number of NHS call handlers and create the equivalent of at least 7,000 more beds"", Mr Barclay said.
Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-humber-63904676
health	Barnsley Hospital apologises over childbirth heartbeat failings	"A hospital has apologised to the mother of a baby who died after staff failed to correctly monitor the child's heartbeat during birth.  
Emily Barley's baby, Beatrice, died at Barnsley Hospital after staff mistakenly checked the mother's heart rate instead of the baby's.
Earlier consistent monitoring of Beatrice's heart ""may have affected the baby's outcome"", a report concluded.
was implementing the report's eight recommendations. 
A hospital spokesperson said it ""entirely accepted"" the findings of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).
Ms Barley, 33, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said it felt ""like my whole world died"" following Beatrice's death. 
She said she had gone into labour on 20 May, with the maternity ward ""fully staffed and quiet"" at the time.
Ms Barley said midwives thought the cardiotocography (CTG) baby heartbeat monitor was broken when they started to struggle to find Beatrice's heartbeat.
Staff failed to act when the machine showed a problem and they were ""falsely reassured"" after mistaking her heartbeat for Beatrice's, she said.
""They didn't act when monitoring showed when Beatrice was in trouble. They made a mistake, thinking it was Beatrice's heartbeat, when they were actually picking up mine,"" she said.
""When they couldn't find Beatrice's heartbeat at all, they faffed around.""
HSIB report identified opportunities where Ms Barley's case could have been escalated sooner, including when an abnormal foetal heart reading was first detected.
When staff mistakenly monitored Ms Barley's heartbeat instead of the baby, the reading should have been confirmed with other methods, the report added.
""Earlier consistent continuous monitoring of the baby's heart rate may have affected the baby's outcome,"" it stated.
HSIB safety recommendations included:
Ms Barley said Beatrice's death had left her feeling ""robbed"".
""There's everything, not just me but everything, Beatrice was supposed to have,"" she said.
""It feels like a physical pain. It weighs in my arms and my legs. It makes everything really, really hard just to function.""
Using Freedom of Information requests, Ms Barley said she had since discovered there had been 12 other maternity investigations at the hospital between 2019-22, resulting in 41 safety recommendations.
""I think that phrase, 'lessons will be learned' is used a lot, but it needs to happen now because these babies, my baby, are so precious,"" she said.  
Dr Richard Jenkins, Barnsley Hospital's chief executive said: ""We are deeply sorry for the loss of Beatrice and we have met with Emily to apologise. 
""We immediately recognised this tragic event should not have happened and we reported it to HSIB.
""We have fully cooperated with their independent investigation and we entirely accept the findings and the recommendations which we are now implementing.""
Referring to the other maternity investigations at the hospital, Dr Jenkins added: ""Each case is unique and provides specific and distinct learning points that allow the service to make progressive improvements.""
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63822286
health	Mother of ill child grills health secretary on NHS plans	"Health secretary Steve Barclay was told by the mother of a child with cystic fibrosis that she was scared for ""the length"" of her daughter's life and what the government ""might do to the NHS"", during a visit to King's College Hospital in south London. 
Mr Barclay defended the government, saying that an extra £6.6bn for the NHS over the next two years was announced in the Autumn Statement."	/news/health-64024306
health	Cambridge University student Alexander Horner died by suicide	"A talented Cambridge University maths student took his own life having been ""unable to cope"" with his undiagnosed chronic pain, an inquest heard.
Alexander Horner, 23, died on 9 May at Eastbourne in East Sussex - one of six students to die by suicide or suspected suicide at the university this year.
An inquest heard the Trinity College student had long-term abdominal pain.
His parents said: ""The chronic and increasingly intense physical pain was too much for him to take.""
In a statement, his parents told the inquest at Peterborough Town Hall that their son was ""studious"" and had scored the highest possible grades in school.
He also spoke Chinese and Japanese and enjoyed watching football and basketball, but they said he ""had numerous medical problems that clearly directly led to what he eventually did"".
quest heard the pain was primarily abdominal and his parents said ""everyday tasks we all take for granted... became constant trials every day"".
Simon Milburn, area coroner for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said: ""He found various treatments and medications but despite these it's clear that none of the treatment was able to formally diagnose or alleviate, in the long term, the physical pain he was suffering.""
quest was told Mr Horner, who was from London, was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2019.
He had met with his college tutor on 22 April 2022 where ""no issues"" were identified and he had registered for graduation.
Concerns were raised on 10 May about Mr Horner, who had been missing for four days and had discussed methods of suicide with a friend.
quest heard he had died from a head injury.
Prof Sachiko Kusukawa, from Trinity College, said Mr Horner was ""remembered as a talented student"" and was a ""valued member of our community"".
Mr Milburn said Mr Horner had ""been unable to cope further with his chronic pain"" and concluded he had died by suicide.
His death was the third of a Trinity College student in three years, two of which have been suicides and one was a death from an overdose of anti-anxiety medication.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-63860244
health	Who is striking? How Thursday 15 December’s walkouts will affect you	"Christmas may be very close but when it comes to strikes good tidings are in short supply.
On Thursday nurses will walk out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The advice is this: if you haven't heard your appointment is cancelled, assume it's going ahead. There's no need to call your local hospital to check.
Rail workers are not striking today but check before you travel. Disruption from Wednesday's strikes mean services will start later and, in some places, finish earlier.
my latest strike briefing, with lots of useful information on what is happening - and how it might affect you.
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, nurses from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union are walking out.
rike will involve staff in about a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all health boards in Northern Ireland and all but one in Wales (the Aneurin Bevan in south-east Wales).
Under trade union laws, life-preserving care has to be provided - so all nursing staff are expected to work in services such as intensive and emergency care.
But the action will affect routine services, such as planned operations like knee and hip replacements, district nursing - and mental health care.
Each hospital trust has been negotiating with local union representatives about what care should be provided - so the level of care will vary.
RCN is calling for nurses to be given a pay rise that's 5% above the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rate, against which salary increases are often judged.
NHS staff in England and Wales, including nurses, have been awarded an average increase of 4.75%.
In Northern Ireland, NHS staff are to get a similar increase - backdated to April. Health sector workers in NI - members of Unison, Nipsa and GMB - have already been striking this week over pay and conditions. In Scotland, RCN members are not striking on Thursday. They are considering an updated pay offer from the Scottish government - an average 7.5% increase - which has already been accepted by members of the Unite and Unison unions.
Watch Make Sense of Strikes on iPlayer and find out more about why people are striking and whether industrial action works.
48-hour strike at the Royal Mail continues until 23:59 on Thursday. 
On strike days there will be no first or second class letter deliveries - and no collections from post boxes. 
If this all sounds like Groundhog Day, you are not wrong. Take a look at my briefing on Wednesday for Royal Mail's advice to customers.
walkout by members of the UK's biggest rail union RMT ends at 23:59 on Wednesday. 
But remember on Friday, the disruption starts all over again. The RMT is due to walk out for another 48 hours until the end of Saturday. 
Further RMT strikes are also planned over the Christmas and New Year period.
We will have another briefing for you from teatime on Thursday - looking ahead to Friday's disruption when rail workers will walk out again.
Check out our full rundown of all the December and January strikes.
Follow Zoe Conway on Twitter
How are you affected by the strikes? Are you taking part in strike action? You can email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. 
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-63976253
health	Errors on Swindon key workers' plaque branded insulting	"A plaque to show appreciation for key workers' efforts during the pandemic has been called sloppy and insulting due to being littered with mistakes.
It featured random capital letters and incorrectly gave the date of the pandemic as March 2019 when it was unveiled by Swindon Borough Council at a ceremony in Swindon on Monday.
Councillor David Renard said: ""I offer my sincerest apologies to all key workers and volunteers for the errors.""
He said a replacement had been ordered.
""As soon as it was spotted prior to the event, a replacement was ordered but could not be made in time,"" for the tree-planting event at Swindon's Coate Water Country Park, the council leader said.
Swindon Borough Council (SBC) voted unanimously for a plaque marking the service of key workers and volunteers during the pandemic.
Mike Davies, Labour parish councillor for Eldene in East Swindon, was among the first to tweet an image of the unfortunate sign, pointing out the ""random capitalisation, American spelling and mistakes"".
Someone called Paul D tweeted in response: ""It's sloppy to the point of insulting.
""Better not to have bothered at all than have this,"" they said highlighting the disrespect that not using a proof reader had caused.
""Really poor, everyone involved should be ashamed.""
Someone posting as Ashleigh Head tweeted: ""SBC not even sure when the pandemic began."""	/news/uk-england-wiltshire-63577176
health	Alzheimer's carer's drug hopes for husband, 56	"A woman whose husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 51 said she fears a new treatment might come too late for him.
Karen Bonser cares for her husband Mick, who was diagnosed in 2018.
Mrs Bonser, from Nottinghamshire, said the results of recent drug trials were ""wonderful to hear"" but added she feared he may not be eligible for the medication.
Alzheimer's Society has called for more early diagnosis of the disease.
recent development of a new medicine - lecanemab - was hailed as ending decades of failure to treat Alzheimer's.
rials have shown the drug can slow the progress of the disease.
However, researchers have warned it has a slight effect and worked only in the early stages of the disease, so many patients would miss out on the benefits.
However the breakthrough will, it is hoped, usher in a new era of drugs to treat the disease and make a difference for future generations.
Mrs Bonser said: ""We hold on to hope until told otherwise.
""The news brings much needed hope for people in the future but right now the medical system needs urgent attention to improve dementia diagnosis.
""There's no denying the results from the drug trials are wonderful to hear; it's a moment to celebrate in the dementia research world.
""As a carer for someone living with the condition now, hearing that it's likely not to be available for a few more years, it's time that could take us and others over a threshold for being eligible, and that's even if Mick would have been suitable.""
Alzheimer's Society has said there is a still a long way to go before lecanemab could be available on the NHS.
It has reinforced its calls for better dementia diagnosis.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research at the charity, said: ""More than ever there's a need to prioritise early diagnosis, so people can access these drugs when they become available.
""The exciting results offer our best hope yet for not only delaying symptom progression for people with early stage Alzheimer's, but, significantly, slowing the loss of quality of life for them and their carers.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63863068
health	Leicester hospital trust in court row with council over funding	"An NHS trust has taken a local council to court over the way it allocated funding from a development.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has taken Harborough District Council to a judicial review at the High Court in London in connection with a site called Lutterworth East.
row relates to a Section 106 agreement developers pay to local authorities to support the developments they build.
written judgement is due shortly.
Developers pay Section 106 agreements and Community Infrastructure Levies (CILs) as part of planning permission they agree with authorities, with the payment intended to support things like new roads, education and health facilities required by the new community.
wo-day hearing heard the trust had asked for Section 106 cash of up to £1m to cover costs for medical services at the Lutterworth East development.
- which includes 2,750 homes, two schools and warehousing - is being developed by Leicestershire County Council.
rust asked the council to reflect this in the agreement it struck with the developers.
Harborough District Council said it had considered the request but was not able to accommodate it as funding regulations stood.
During the hearing, problems arose in establishing exactly what contracts the local NHS were already committed to and how funding was being projected.
judge, Mr Justice Holgate, said: ""There is an allowance for population growth, but no-one knows exactly what it is - after all this hot air.""
After the two-day hearing, he said he would reserve his judgement.
rties involved expect a written statement from him in the coming days.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63923088
health	Barbers are being trained to spot mental health issues in the black community	"Black British men are four times more likely than white men to be hospitalised for poor mental health, and are less likely to seek help before they reach crisis point, according to the charity MIND.  
An initiative in Britain has been launched to give barbers the skills to recognise the signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health and how to help clients get the support they need.  Mental Health advocates say the system in place is broken.  
roject is a joint partnership between Islington council and the NHS.  The three-year $2m programme, Young Black Men and Mental Health, aims to improve both mental wellbeing and life opportunities.
Research by The Centre for Mental Health shows young black men in the UK lack mentors, role models and tailored support.
Produced and edited by Jean Otalor
Filmed by Stuart Antrobus"	/news/world-africa-64075290
health	Two NHS Scotland unions accept 7.5% pay deal	"Members of two major NHS unions in Scotland have voted to accept an improved pay offer. 
risk of strike action in the health service by members of Unite and Unison.
But ballots of GMB, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members are ongoing. 
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf welcomed the decision by Unite and Unison to accept the ""record pay offer"". 
Last month the Scottish government tabled an improved deal averaging 7.5% to health workers threatening industrial action.
It will see most NHS staff in Scotland get a rise of just over £2,200 a year.
Unite represents about 1,500 Scottish Ambulance Service staff including paramedics, advanced practitioners, planners and administrative workers.
It confirmed 64% of its health membership voted to accept the proposal which was tabled following talks involving unions, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and NHS Scotland.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: ""The improved offer for NHS Scotland workers which is worth over 11% for the lowest pay bands is a testament to the resolve of our members. 
""They were prepared to take the difficult step in taking industrial action but only because they had no other option left. 
""Unite makes no apologies for fighting for better jobs, pay and conditions in the health service because NHS Scotland workers should be fairly rewarded for the outstanding work that they do day in and day out."" 
Unison, Scotland's largest NHS union, announced that 57% of health members voted to accept the offer after a digital ballot closed at noon. 
union said negotiators would now work with the Scottish government, NHS employers and other unions to process the pay award as soon as possible.
Wilma Brown, chairwoman of Unison's Scotland's health committee said: ""Whilst this decision ends the immediate threat of industrial action, it is not a win for government - it is a warning. 
""It was far from a unanimous decision and many of the NHS professional grades feel badly let down. 
""Almost half of Unison NHS staff voted to reject this latest pay offer, and many who did vote to accept, did so reluctantly.""
Unison Scotland represents 50,000 NHS workers including nurses, midwives and support staff, such as domestics, porters and administrative workers. 
Scottish government will be hugely relieved that Unison and Unite members have accepted the latest pay offer.
But it does not mean the threat of industrial action in the NHS has gone.
GMB will say on Wednesday whether its members have voted for the deal. A ballot by the Royal College of Nursing continues until next Monday.
RCN result in particular is not a foregone conclusion.
Still the pay deal accepted by Unison and Unite will be looked at closely by their colleagues in the rest of the UK.
It is likely to be a line in the sand for them - something they can judge their offers against. 
It will also give negotiators an insight into the least amount that might be acceptable to their members.
GMB Scotland last month suspended a 26-hour ambulance strike and has put the new deal to more than 4,000 members in a vote. 
Senior organiser Keir Greenaway said staff needed to be valued to ""tackle the chronic understaffing crisis across NHS front line services"" after a decade of cuts and the Covid pandemic.
union is expected to announce the results of its ballot on 14 December.
CSP's consultation will also close on Wednesday. It has recommended its members accept the pay offer.
Meanwhile, the RCN, which has yet to confirm strike dates after members across the UK voted for action, said the new deal ""still does not meet our members' expectations"". 
It had asked for at least 5% above inflation, which is currently 11.1%. 
RCN's ballot of its 30,000 NHS members closes on 19 December but it is not clear when the result will be announced.
Scottish government previously said the new deal was an unprecedented pay deal for front-line employees, including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff.
Annual pay rises under the latest deal would range from a flat rate payment of £2,205 for staff in Bands 1 to 4 and up to £2,660 for staff in Bands 5 to 7, backdated to April. 
represents an increase of 11.3% for the lowest paid workers and delivers an average uplift of 7.5%, a government spokesperson said. 
Mr Yousaf said: ""We have engaged tirelessly with trade union representatives over recent weeks, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff across the service.
""This offer of over half a billion pounds underlines our commitment to supporting our fantastic NHS staff.""
He added that a newly qualified nurse would see a pay rise of 8.7%, and experienced nurses and would get uplifts of between £2,450 and £2,75.
retary said: ""We are making this offer at a time of extraordinary financial challenges to the Scottish government to get money into the pockets of hard working staff and to avoid industrial action, in what is already going to be an incredibly challenging winter."""	/news/uk-scotland-63947246
politics	Scottish infected blood victims to receive payouts next week	"Lawyer says victims are 'generally very happy' that compensation payments are beginning
Scottish victims of the infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s will receive compensation by the end of October, the UK government has said.
It confirmed that thousands of patients who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV from contaminated blood will be given an interim payment of £100,000.
If the patient has died, their partner will receive the cash instead.
Scottish government said it ""welcomed the UK government commitment to funding interim payments"".
Public Health minister Maree Todd said: ""We recognise how important the issue of interim payments has been for Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme (SIBSS) members, and those in the other UK support schemes, who have suffered for so long.""
""The interim compensation payments will build on the support already provided by SIBSS to many of those affected by this tragedy.""
Cabinet Office made the announcement following a report by blood inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff in July, saying the payments should be made ""without delay"".
He said the money should fund immediate bills and care needs, with final recommendations on compensation for a wider group of people expected when the inquiry concludes next year.
An independent study commissioned by the government in June said victims should be compensated for physical and social injury, the stigma of the disease, the impact on family and work life and the cost of care.
ments will not be subject to tax or national insurance deductions, or reduce any benefits being received.
It is estimated that about 3,000 people in Scotland were infected with Hepatitis C through NHS blood or blood products in the 1970s through to 1991. Some were also infected with HIV in the early 1980s.
People across the UK and around the world fell victim.
Patrick McGuire of Thompsons Solicitors in Glasgow, the firm representing a number of the victims, said people were ""generally very happy"" that compensation payments were beginning.
However, he added: ""If I was going to be hyper-critical I would say that it's taken a long time coming - but certainly this is a substantial sum of money that each victim of the contaminated blood scandal will receive and it's therefore to be welcomed. 
""Another very important thing to bear in mind is this is the first time the government has used the word compensation. 
""There have been support payments in the past but this is the first time that finally that word is being used and it's vital that is recognised as what is happening here - that the victims are being compensated for wrongs that were inflicted on them by the UK government.""
xpayer for the initial payments is expected to reach around £400m for the UK.
government is set to respond to any further inquiry recommendations when it concludes next year.
Ms Todd added: ""The Scottish government is grateful to Sir Brian for the interim report and welcomes the UK government's commitment to funding the interim payments.
""Existing SIBSS beneficiaries - both infected beneficiaries and widows, widowers or long-term partners of an infected beneficiary who has died - will receive an interim payment of £100,000 on 28 October.
""These are being administered by the Scottish ministers in conjunction with NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of the UK government.""
fected blood inquiry, which began in 2018, has taken evidence from more than 5,000 witnesses during hearings across all four UK nations.
Patients and their families described being kept in the dark about the risk of HIV infection among haemophiliac patients, having to keep diagnoses private through fear during the Aids crisis, and living with the physical effects of HIV.
Most of those involved had the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia and relied on regular injections of the US product Factor VIII to survive.
were unaware they were receiving contaminated product from people who were paid to donate, including prisoners and drug addicts.
Across the UK new cases of HIV and hepatitis continued to be diagnosed decades after the first contaminations, resulting in many early deaths."	/news/uk-scotland-63353508
politics	Social care tax rise should be re-examined, says Mark Drakeford	"An income tax rise to pay for free social care in Wales needs to be re-examined, the first minister has said.
Mark Drakeford said tax and public spending changes at a Westminster level ""strengthened"" the case for re-considering a specific social care tax.
Plaid Cymru's Adam Price said such a tax was an option for giving social care sustainable long-term funding. 
As part of a Labour-Plaid Cymru Senedd deal, both parties aim to provide a free National Care Service. 
-operation agreement aims to provide an implementation plan for a free social service by the end of 2023. 
udes commitments to provide free school meals for primary school children, control the numbers of second homes and holiday lets, and changes to the size of the Senedd. 
Marking a year since the start of the co-operation agreement with a news conference at the Welsh government's headquarters, Mr Drakeford and Mr Price said they would have to revisit their plans for free social care in light of changes at Westminster.
UK government has recently reversed its original plan to use an increase in national insurance - a UK-wide tax on earners - in order to provide long-term funding for social care.
In November, the chancellor also presented an Autumn Statement which outlined slower growth in public spending from 2025 onwards.
first minister said the ""changed context at the UK level does mean that we're looking again"" at the plans for free social care.
Mr Drakeford also said he believes the case ""has strengthened for us going back"" to look at options for a social care levy ""to see whether it offers us an alternative way of resolving some of these dilemmas in Wales"".
In 2018, economist Prof Gerald Holtham proposed an income tax increase of between 1% and 3% to fund elderly social care in Wales.
Speaking at the news conference, Plaid Cymru's leader Mr Price said: ""We've basically had Westminster for more than a decade continually moving in circles, u-turn after u-turn, no progress.
""What I think we have to conclude is if we wait for Westminster to come up with a sustainable solution to their social care challenges...then we will be waiting possibly forever.""
Mr Price added: ""I do think we need to revisit some of the ideas which were proposed earlier stages by Professor Holtham to see if that...is the way forward on a sustainable basis for the kind of National Care Service that we want to create.""
Ahead of the news conference, Welsh Conservative Senedd Leader Andrew RT Davies said: ""One year on since the cooperation agreement, Labour and Plaid have brought in one disastrous proposal after another, from default 20mph speed limits to tourism taxes to creating more politicians in Cardiff Bay, that are not only far removed from the wishes of the Welsh people, but their needs too.
""The priorities of voters have been completely ignored, with NHS waiting lists sky-rocketing beyond anything seen elsewhere in Britain, the blocking of a Wales-specific Covid inquiry, and school standards, public transport services, and pay packets all diminishing.
""Only the Welsh Conservatives would do what the Welsh people want and need: bin this plan for more politicians and instead focusing on growing wages, tackling waiting lists and building the roads we need so we can get Wales moving again."""	/news/uk-wales-politics-63825641
politics	Two energy storage firms win £14m for new technologies	"wo Scottish firms have been awarded a total of more than £14m by the UK government to help them develop new energy storage technologies. 
East Lothian-based Sunamp will receive £9.25m to help trial its advanced thermal storage system in 100 UK homes. 
And StorTera in Edinburgh will get £5m towards a prototype demonstrator of its single liquid flow battery technology. 
money is being provided through the UK's Longer Duration Energy Storage competition.
government said the technologies aimed to increase the resilience of the UK's electricity grid, while maximising value for money.
Sunamp wants to extend its existing heat battery to provide increased storage duration and capacity, and pair it with household energy systems to tackle periods of low renewables generation on the grid. 
StorTera, meanwhile, aims to develop a long-lasting megawatt scale battery that can operate for up to eight hours.
It plans to utilise recycled and recyclable materials, such as a by-product of the wood industry, and reuse sulphur from oil and gas.
StorTera said the technology would offer flexibility to the grid by storing electricity which could then be released when weather-dependent technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels had periods of decreased energy generation.
Chief executive Dr Gavin Park said that long duration energy storage was ""key to a more sustainable future and better utilisation of renewable energy"". 
Its battery will be installed at the Midlothian Innovation Centre in 2024.
UK Minister for Climate Graham Stuart said: ""Accelerating renewables is key to boosting our energy resilience. 
""Energy storage helps us get the full benefit of these renewables, improving efficiency and helping drive down costs in the long term. 
""This £14m UK government backing will support Scottish innovation to further develop this technology, helping create new jobs and encouraging private investment, while also safeguarding the UK's energy security."" 
funding announcement follows the first phase of the Longer Duration Energy Storage contest, which saw £2.7m awarded to 19 UK projects. 
rovides further funding to the most promising projects from phase one, enabling them to build prototypes and demonstrators to bring their projects to life."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-63779955
politics	The highlights of Sunak's second PMQs in 80 seconds	"Rishi Sunak was asked about the actions of his home secretary at his second Prime Minister's Questions session since entering No 10.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked about the processing of asylum seekers and the Conservative record on migration figures.
Live page: Sunak pressed on 'broken' asylum system at PMQs"	/news/uk-politics-63488772
politics	Starmer to PM Sunak on Braverman: He should sack her	"Removing Suella Braverman as home secretary would be the ""strong thing to do"" the Labour leader has said.
Sir Keir Starmer claimed keeping her in post, after claims about security breaches, showed “just how weak” the PM was.
He said of Rishi Sunak: ""He should sack her - that would be the strong thing to do. That's what I would do if I was PM.""
Rishi Sunak should sack Suella Braverman, says Keir Starmer"	/news/uk-politics-63429730
politics	Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross wants unity behind new PM	"Scotland's Conservative leader Douglas Ross wants his party to ""unite behind PM"".
Scottish MP backed Rishi Sunak and highlighted his experience in the Treasury at a ""very difficult economic period"".
Mr Ross added: ""While this has been a difficult time for the Conservative party for me, more importantly it has been a extremely difficult for people up and down the country and we need now to unite behind our PM and delver for people who are really struggling."""	/news/uk-scotland-63384704
politics	Supreme Court begins hearing NI Protocol challenge	"UK's highest court has begun hearing a legal challenge to the lawfulness of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
It has been mounted by a group of unionist politicians.
rgued the protocol, part of the government's Brexit deal with the European Union, breaches the Acts of Union and the Northern Ireland Act.
Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal in Belfast dismissed their challenge on all grounds.
Judges ruled the protocol had lawfully overridden part of the Act of Union. 
It followed a previous ruling by the High Court which also determined that the protocol was lawful.
Now the Supreme Court is hearing the case. 
rotocol was agreed by the UK and EU to ensure free movement of trade across the Irish land border after Brexit.
In March, the Court of Appeal found the Withdrawal Agreement Act, which includes the protocol, did conflict with the 1800 Acts of Union in respect of free trade between Britain and Northern Ireland.
However, the court added the Withdrawal Agreement lawfully modified the Acts of Union.
f justice said the Acts of Union had not been repealed but one section, Article 6, now has to be read subject to the Withdrawal Agreement Act, which placed into law the arrangements for the protocol.
Court of Appeal, however, suggested there were legal points of public importance which merit consideration by the Supreme Court.
It referenced whether a modification of the Act of Union by the protocol amounted to a change in Northern Ireland's constitutional status.
In the opening of his challenge on Wednesday, John Larkin KC said that issue was one of ""three central themes"" of the appeal.
He said the protocol had ""fundamentally changed"" Northern Ireland's position within the UK, in a way that was ""incompatible with the guarantee"" provided in the Northern Ireland Act.
He said that law was designed to guarantee constitutional change would not take place ""without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland in a referendum"".
Mr Larkin also told the court that the Acts of Union were the ""fundamental constitutional structure"" of the UK.
Part of the ""legality argument"" made by Mr Larkin, he said, relates to part of the Acts of Union which states Northern Ireland must be on an ""equal footing"" with Great Britain when it comes to free trade.
Normally, a constitutional law, like the Acts of Union, can only be expressly repealed, but they can be impliedly by another constitutional law.
means that the more recent legislation automatically overrides the older laws.
But Mr Larkin suggested that the protocol was in breach of the equal footing rule and said the court needed to ""give effect to a constitutional guarantee"".
He also argued that the Withdrawal Agreement Act was ""not a text that was designed to make certain things clear"".
ues. "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63799454
politics	The turbulent political year in 90 seconds	"With three prime ministers and four chancellors, 2022 has been an especially turbulent year in UK politics.
Watch the year in video, in 90 seconds.
Video by Nick Raikes"	/news/uk-politics-64070731
politics	Government wins legal case over definition of woman	"A court has thrown out a challenge against the Scottish government's definition of a woman in law.
For Women Scotland group complained about the way a bill aimed at gender balance on boards had included trans people under the definition of women.
won an initial challenge earlier in 2022, but went back to court saying the law still conflates sex and gender.
Judge Lady Haldane said that the definition of sex was ""not limited to biological or birth sex"".
She said it could also include people with a gender recognition certificate after changing their legally recognised gender. 
judge also stated that sex and gender reassignment were separate and distinct characteristics but were not necessarily mutually exclusive.
In her decision, Lady Haldane wrote: ""I conclude that in this context, which is the meaning of sex for the purposes of the 2010 Act, 'sex' is not limited to biological or birth sex, but includes those in possession of a GRC obtained in accordance with the 2004 Act stating their acquired gender, and thus their sex.""
judgement comes the week before controversial Scottish government plans to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender are due to face a final vote at Holyrood. 
red on the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act, which was passed by MSPs in 2018.
gislation aims to ensure gender balance on public sector boards, and originally stated that the quota should include people who were living as a woman and who either had gone through or intended to go through the gender recognition process.
For Women Scotland argued that ministers had broken with the definitions laid out in the 2010 Equality Act, which includes separate protections on the basis of sex and of gender reassignment.
group lost an initial judicial review, but were successful on appeal when Lady Dorrian ruled that the bill ""conflates and confuses two separate and distinct protected characteristics"".
However the Scottish government responded by changing the guidance notes for the bill to say that it includes both women as defined by the Equality Act, and people with a gender recognition certificate as defined under the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.
It quotes directly from that Act, to say that ""where a full gender recognition certificate has been issued to a person that their acquired gender is female, the person's sex is of a woman"".
For Women Scotland argued that by making reference to sex, the government was ""still confusing the protected characteristics and are trying to redefine 'woman' yet again"".
However this was rejected by Lady Haldane, who concluded that: ""The revised statutory guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers is lawful"".
Susan Smith, co-director of For Women Scotland, said the group was ""obviously disappointed"" with the ruling and would be looking at grounds for appeal.
But she said it had provided clarity about what a gender recognition certificate (GRC) provides for, ahead of MSPs debating reforms to make it easier to obtain one.
She said: ""What a GRC does was never spelled out. We asked the Scottish government if they could give us their interpretation of what it meant for someone to have a GRC, and they said it was a simple administrative change and made no difference.
""And then they went into court and argued the opposite, and they've won. But it does mean they've been saying one thing to the courts and another thing to parliament.""
Ms Smith also suggested that the legislation currently going through parliament could be challenged too, saying it ""potentially trespasses on reserved matters"".
Holyrood bill at the heart of this challenge was really just the vehicle for a broader question about the roles of two big pieces of Westminster legislation - the Gender Recognition Act of 2004, and the 2010 Equality Act. 
In short, how does a certificate granted under the 2004 Act affect one's right to protections under the 2010 Act?
For Women Scotland and the Conservatives say the ruling reveals that a gender recognition certificate effectively counts as a change of sex under the Equality Act.
mplications for the single-sex spaces and services that women are entitled to under that law.
r side of the debate insist that it does nothing of the sort - rather it simply reiterates the position as they had always understood it.
rans people can still be barred from women-only spaces, certificate or no.
ry timely because the row now moves back into parliament, where MSPs are finalising plans to make it easier to obtain a gender recognition certificate. 
ruling is sure to be cited during next week's debate. On an issue which provokes strong feelings on both sides, it may be less sure to settle anything conclusively.
wo other groups - the Equality Network and Scottish Trans - said the ruling ""confirms the position and we and many others have understood it to be for well over a decade"".
: ""This ruling does not affect the exceptions in the Equality Act which mean that single-sex services can exclude trans people or treat them less favourable where it is a proportionate means to a legitimate aim.
""In short, the ruling confirms the status quo and the rights of women and trans people under it.""
A spokesman for the Scottish government said: ""We are pleased to note the outcome of this challenge.""
During a two-day hearing in November, For Women Scotland's KC Aidan O'Neill argued that a gender recognition certificate should not ""result in a change of sex"".
He said the court should bring the Gender Recognition Act ""back down to earth"", arguing that ""sex means biological sex, that man means biological man, that woman means biological woman"".
However the Scottish government's KC Ruth Crawford said the case had nothing to do with the process of getting a certificate or its effect in law.
She said the 2004 Act was ""unambiguous"" that a certificate provided for a change of sex, and that ""there is nothing in the 2010 Act which takes away from the fundamental proposition"" of that."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63956604
politics	NI Protocol: Businesses question government's plans	"A consortium of business organisations has asked the UK government dozens of questions about how the replacement for the NI Protocol will work in practice.
rotocol is the post-Brexit trading deal agreed by the UK and the EU.
UK plans to override most of the agreement if the EU does not agree to changes.
questions from the NI Business Brexit Working Group suggest it is still unclear how UK unilateral measures would work on the ground.
It has called on the UK and EU to have businesses in Northern Ireland deeply involved in technical talks, warning that without that role there is a risk of ""misunderstandings and contradictions…resulting in further delay and controversy"".
rotocol keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods, preventing checks on items at the Irish border and giving Northern Ireland manufacturers preferential access to the EU.
It also means there are checks and controls on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, leading to added cost and complexity for importing businesses.
UK government says the protocol is not working and needs to be changed, preferably by negotiation.
It is also proceeding with legislation, the Protocol Bill, which would see the UK make unilateral changes.
ges it is proposing include the concept of green lanes and red lanes.
rusted traders would use a green lane for GB goods that are destined only for Northern Ireland, meaning that would not need to be checked and would have minimal paperwork.
Goods destined to travel onwards to the Republic of Ireland would enter via a red lane, where they would be subject to standard EU controls and checks.
Alongside that is a plan for a dual regulatory regime, which would mean goods made to either EU or UK standard could be sold in Northern Ireland.
framework to empower the government to act, with the substance of these plans to be worked out later.
working group, whose members include the CBI, NI Chamber of Commerce and Ulster Farmers' Union have posed their questions in a consultation on the bill.
focus most of their queries on how the green lane and trusted trader concepts will work.
For example they want to know if the NI customer, the GB supplier, the haulier or all three would need to be a ""trusted trader"" for the purposes of the green lane.
ked if goods which have not been definitively categorised as staying in NI would by default have to use red lane procedures.
re is also a pointed question on the dual regulatory regime which asks the government to confirm ""whether there are any international precedents for introducing a full dual regulatory regime of similar size and scale with an open land border which it is using to inform its decision making?""
It's understood the government has engaged at length on the issues raised but no firm commitments have been given on how implementation will work.
working group also reiterates its view that the floor for any new agreement is the existing standstill arrangements and grace periods - not full implementation of the protocol."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63629061
politics	Nimco Ali: Adviser to step down to avoid serving under Braverman	"government's independent adviser on violence against women has said she does not want to serve under Suella Braverman and will not continue.
On live radio, Nimco Ali said she was on a ""completely different planet"" to the home secretary when it came to women's rights and ethnic minorities.
Ms Ali was appointed when her friend Boris Johnson was prime minister.
A source close to the home secretary said Ms Ali's contract was coming to an end before Christmas.
: ""The home secretary is determined to make our streets and homes safer for women and girls.
""She will continue to focus on this policy and the rights of women and girls to live safely in our country.""
Home Office said they had not received any formal resignation and were therefore not commenting.
Ms Ali was being interviewed on Times Radio  when she said she would not ""feel comfortable in serving under Suella"".
""Suella and I are on completely different planets when it comes to the rights of women and girls and also the way that we talk about ethnic minorities,"" she said.
Ms Ali said Ms Braverman had different approaches to ""people like me who are from a refugee background"".
She also questioned if the home secretary shared her ""feminist ideals"". 
When pressed on whether she would remain as an adviser, she said ""ultimately no, I'm not going to continue"".
move comes hours after the home secretary agreed to back a bill criminalising street harassment. 
Ms Ali had a major role in preparing the ground work for the bill and led a consultation into making street harassment a specific crime while serving under former home secretary Priti Patel.
Ms Ali was appointed to her role by Ms Patel in October 2020.
BBC understands there has been no decision about appointing someone else to the role of Independent Adviser on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called Ms Ali's decision ""damning for Suella Braverman"". 
Ms Cooper said: ""Those around her clearly don't think she's capable of doing the job. 
""It shows how weak Rishi Sunak was to appoint her. More chaos at the heart of this Tory government."" 
An ally of Ms Braverman indicated she had not met Ms Ali in her three months as home secretary."	/news/uk-politics-63924098
politics	MSPs vote for changes to gender recognition bill	"A bill that aims to make it easier for Scots to legally change their gender is to be amended.
A Holyrood committee voted to change provisions for 16 and 17-year-olds.
will have to live in their acquired gender for at least six months rather than three before applying for a gender recognition certificate.
Social Justice Minister Shona Robison also said the government supported creating an offence to tackle fraudulent applications.
ges were voted for in a meeting of Holyrood's equalities, human rights and civil justice committee on Tuesday.
Members were considering the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill at its second stage.
A woman was ejected from the committee meeting for refusing to remove a scarf in suffragette colours - the Scottish Parliament's presiding officer later said this was an error.
Scottish government argues that the current process for obtaining a gender recognition certificate is too difficult and invasive, and causes distress to an already marginalised and vulnerable minority group.
Its proposal would see applications handled by the Registrar General for Scotland, rather than the UK panel.
No diagnosis or medical reports would be required, and the period in which adult applicants need to have lived in their acquired gender would be cut to three months.
ge one at the end of October, though seven SNP MSPs defied the whip to vote against it.
Scottish government minister Ash Regan also quit saying her conscience would not allow her to support the plans.
Opponents of the bill have raised concerns about the impact of the legislation on women and girls, while supporters say it will have little impact outside the trans community.
SNP's Christine Grahame proposed a number of amendments at the committee which were backed by the Conservatives' Jackson Carlaw.
Although changes were proposed for 16 and 17-year-olds, the period for living in an acquired gender before an application was maintained as three months for people age 18 and over.
Ms Grahame said she wanted to ""put precautions and support in"" for the younger age group.
Ms Robison said she backed Ms Grahame's amendments, adding: ""Increasing the time period to six months would allow many young people greater opportunity to access guidance before applying, which they can confirm to the registrar general.""
Maggie Chapman, a Green member of the committee, was opposed to the change.
She argued that the age of legal capacity was already set as 16, saying: ""It's almost as if we trust them to make big legal decisions on their own.
""I don't see why this should be any different.""
Conservatives' Russell Findlay also put forward a number of amendments which sought to prevent registered sex offenders from acquiring a gender recognition certificate.
He said the bill as it stands would allow male sex offenders to change their identities, adding that ""prisons are full"" of men who seek to exploit loopholes in the law.
He also raised concerns that female victims of sexual offences may have to refer to male attackers as ""she or her"" in the dock.
Mr Findlay said: ""It risks making a mockery of the justice system and re-traumatising victims of sexual violence.""
Ms Robison said she could not back Mr Findlay's amendment, but said the Scottish government was bringing in other changes.
One of these was a new requirement under the sex offenders notification scheme for offenders to alert police if they made an application for a gender recognition certificate.
Applications could be made to a sheriff if someone believed a certificate was being obtained fraudulently, she said.
minister also said the government backed the ""principle"" of a new offence of fraudulently applying for a gender recognition certificate."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63634397
politics	Rishi Sunak warns there is 'much more' to do over crossings	"UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the issue of migrant crossings in the English Channel cannot be solved overnight. 
He argued the government was starting to see some progress, but added there was ""much more"" to be done. 
Under a new agreement signed by Home Secretary Suella Braverman in Paris, the UK will pay France £63m this year, up from £55m last year.
UK strikes revised deal with France on Channel migrants"	/news/uk-politics-63624558
politics	Scottish secondary teachers vote for strike action	"Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) have voted to go on strike to push for an improved pay offer.
A ballot saw 96% vote for strike action on a turnout of 71%.
It comes after Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, set a date of 24 November for its own strike.
SSTA officials said they are considering a strike for the week beginning 5 December.
rade union laws mean at least 14 days notice of a strike must be provided.
SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said: ""The result is very good, we're pleased with the return that we got. It just shows the frustration of teachers.
""We've been trying to get this resolved since the beginning of the year. We haven't had a proper conversation about pay since August.""
Last week education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said a teachers' strike was not inevitable.
She said: ""As a Scottish government, we're absolutely determined to see what we can do, to see if there's additional funding that we can provide to Cosla as the employers to provide an enhanced pay offer.
""I very much hope teachers would be able to look at that offer, take it to its members and we could not have industrial action.""
Deputy First Minister John Swinney previously said there was no more money to fund public sector pay rises.
Meanwhile, EIS teachers will stage a 24-hour walkout on 24 November after voting overwhelmingly to strike in a dispute over pay.
Members of the union rejected a 5% pay offer, saying they wanted 10%.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said they had become ""increasingly angry over their treatment"" by employers and the Scottish government."	/news/uk-scotland-63655802
politics	Conservatives seek clarity on Holyrood's £20m for indyref	"Conservatives have written to the Scottish government's top civil servant to ask whether £20m should be spent on an independence referendum.
SNP plans to use the next general election as a ""de facto"" referendum were criticised by MSP Donald Cameron. 
He claims civil servants should not be deployed on ""party propaganda"".
Supreme Court last week ruled that Holyrood did not have the power to hold a fresh vote without Westminster's consent.
Scottish government said the role of the civil service was to support the elected government in developing and implementing policies.
A spokesperson added: ""In light of majority support within the Scottish Parliament for an independence referendum, Scottish ministers remain ready to engage with the UK government at any point on delivering that referendum. 
""The Scottish government will also continue to set out, through the Building a New Scotland prospectus series, what could be done with the full powers of independence, reflecting its Programme for Government commitments.""
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wanted to hold a referendum on 19 October next year.
In May, the Scottish government allocated £20m to be spent on planning an independence referendum as part of its resource spending review.
But the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that she does not have the power to hold the vote without the UK government's consent, because the issue is reserved to Westminster.
Court president Lord Reed rejected the Scottish government's argument that any referendum would simply be ""advisory"" and would have no legal effect on the union, with people only being asked to give their opinion on whether or not Scotland should become an independent country.
Figures obtained by the Tories on Sunday revealed more than £1.5m of taxpayer cash would be spent on civil servant salaries who are tasked to work on the independence brief.
Following the Supreme Court judgement, Mr Cameron said he struggled to see any legal justification for ministers to spend the figure.
In his letter to permanent secretary John-Paul Marks, the Highlands and Islands MSP said he was seeking ""urgent clarification"" on whether this remained the position of the Scottish government.
He also urged Mr Marks to seek a ministerial direction to settle the matter.
In a statement, Mr Cameron added: ""Nicola Sturgeon said her next step, after the Supreme Court's judgment, was to try to turn the next general election into a 'de facto referendum'. 
""But that's SNP strategy as a party - not a Scottish government policy. There is no excuse for impartial civil servants to be deployed on party propaganda in this way, and no reason for taxpayers' money to be wasted on it.
""In the midst of a global cost of living crisis and huge cuts being imposed by the SNP on key public services, it's outrageous for ministers to spend money pushing for a referendum that most Scots don't want.""
Ms Sturgeon has said she was disappointed but respected the ruling of the court, and stressed that the judges do not make the law and only interpret it.
first minister told a media conference that a referendum remained her preferred option, but in the absence of an agreement the SNP would use the next UK general election as a ""de facto referendum"" in an attempt to demonstrate that a majority of people in Scotland support independence.
""precise detail"" of how this would work will now be a matter for the party to debate, she said, with a special conference to be held in the new year.
Recent opinion polls have suggested that the country is essentially split down the middle on the independence question, but with a very narrow majority in favour of staying in the UK.
However the SNP and Greens form a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63785301
politics	Ukraine: Rishi Sunak meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv	"British prime minister has reiterated the UK's support for Ukraine on a visit to the country.
Rishi Sunak held a news conference with President Zelensky where he said that Ukrainians' courage was an inspiration to the rest of the world.
Later, the prime minister laid flowers at a memorial for the war dead."	/news/world-europe-63688947
politics	Rishi Sunak: New PM a friend to Wales - top Welsh Tory	"""Hopefully it just gets better,"" one woman said in response to the news Rishi Sunak will be the UK's next prime minister
A senior Welsh Conservative has described the next Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a ""friend of Wales"", who ""understands the challenges we face"".
He will take office in coming days, and Andrew RT Davies, the Tories' Senedd leader, urged the party's MPs to unite.
But the main Welsh opposition parties said he has ""no mandate"" and repeated their calls for a general election.
Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford urged Mr Sunak to ""work constructively"" with him in ""these difficult times"".
weeting in the moments after the appointment was confirmed, Mr Davies said: ""I know that colleagues in Westminster will realise the real need to come together to deliver for the people of Wales and the United Kingdom. 
""As a friend of Wales, Rishi understands the challenges we face, with high energy bills, high inflation, and household budgets being stretched to breaking point.
""I look forward to working with him to tackle those challenges.""
Mr Davies added that it was important to celebrate the UK's first British Asian and Hindu prime minister.
Former Conservative Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said the announcement ""ends the political uncertainty"".
Businesses and residents in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, reacted to the new occupant of 10 Downing Street.
Mary Caldwell, from The Deli on the Hill, said: ""I feel he is solid and he will help us through.
""We are very concerned - there's no question the high street is quieter. The higher luxury areas are suffering. 
""The small business is the backbone of Britain. We employ, they have money to spend.""
Omer Akca, owner of Gino's Tailoring, was hoping for the return of Boris Johnson as prime minister, but echoed Ms Caldwell's hope for business support.
He said: ""Maybe [Rishi Sunak] can help, I hope he's ok. Business is quiet, everywhere quiet.""
Hayley Morgan, owner of The Twisted Tree gift shop, added: ""I just want somebody to address the key issues: cost of living, energy.
""I don't want the deterioration of the high street. Here in Prestatyn we have worked hard to establish [it].""
However, Mike Hall, visiting Wales from Birmingham is not convinced after watching Mr Sunak's performance as chancellor.
He said: ""I wish him the best of luck getting everything straight, but I feel it's him giving stuff away that got us into this in the first place.""
Ethan Harvey, a Conservative Party member from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, told BBC Radio Wales Drive that he had voted for Liz Truss in the last leadership contest.
He said: ""She came in at a difficult time. It's about helping people now, through the winter, help them pay their bills. It's really important we do that, and party comes second.""
Edward Dawson, chair of Merthyr Tydfil Conservatives and regional chair for south east Wales, added: ""People who do need help, in Wales and elsewhere, cannot be left behind. 
""I've talked to Rishi. He understands that, he knows this is a key part of his job in the short term. Not that there won't be difficulties, and there will be upsets along the way.""
Labour shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: ""No-one voted for this. It's time for a general election.""  
While First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted his congratulations in Welsh to Mr Sunak, and added: ""The UK desperately needs a period of stability and cooperation to focus on the many challenges we face.
""I hope we're able to work constructively together to support people through these difficult times in a way that your predecessors didn't allow.""
Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, said: ""The anti-democratic nature of the Westminster system has been laid bare for all to see. Rishi Sunak has no mandate, no legitimacy. Democracy demands a general election.
""Rishi Sunak's coronation may soothe the financial markets in the short term, but the Tory party is still riven with factions who will be jostling for the upper hand at critical votes.""
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: ""The problem is clearly not any single prime minister or minister, but the Conservative Party as an institution which continues to put its own wellbeing above that of the country's and is so internally divided it cannot hope to produce a well-functioning government.
""Rishi Sunak showed time and time again in his role as chancellor that he was out of touch with the struggles ordinary people faced, whether it's paying their heating bills or being able to access key public services. 
""The public has lost trust in the Conservatives and Sunak does not have a mandate from the people, we need a general election now to get us out of this perpetual chaos and give the country fresh hope.""
Mr Sunak will succeed Liz Truss seven weeks after she defeated him in the previous Tory contest, following her resignation just 45 days into her tumultuous premiership last week.
x-chancellor gained the support of more than half of Tory MPs, with Penny Mordaunt struggling to reach the 100 MP threshold.  
He will become the UK's first British Asian PM and, at the age of 42, the youngest in more than a century. 
Ms Mordaunt, who dropped out of the Tory leadership race in the final minutes before nominations closed, said Mr Sunak has her ""full support"". "	/news/uk-wales-63377294
politics	Brexit: Call for rethink on ditching thousands of EU laws	"UK government plans to scrap thousands of EU laws at the end of 2023 should be reconsidered, according to a cross-party group of Senedd members.
Welsh Parliament's legislation committee heard the legal disruption could harm vital health, environmental and agricultural regulation.
mmittee raises its concerns about the Retained EU Law Bill in a letter to UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps.
UK ministers say they want to take ""advantage of the benefits of Brexit"".
EU laws were copied into domestic law when the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, and kept during a transition period that ended in January 2021.
re have been moves away from some of those laws in areas including immigration since then, but thousands of regulations - known as retained EU law - are still in force.
Retained EU Law Bill, currently being considered by MPs at Westminster, contains a ""sunset clause"" that means that, by the end of next year, some laws could expire automatically.
Welsh NHS Confederation, representing health bodies, has warned that rules on information consumers must be given about allergens and nutritional content in food, for example, could be lost ""due to a lack of oversight"".
UK Environmental Law Association highlighted a ""significant risk that the substance as well as the coherence of environmental law and policy in Wales (and throughout the UK) will be undermined and weakened"".
And farmers' union NFU Cymru emphasised ""we run the risk of discarding important regulatory protections"". 
Counsel general Mick Antoniw MS, Welsh government senior adviser on legal matters, told the Senedd last month there were ""something like 2,400 pieces of legislation"" involved.
""Basically, this would almost completely overwhelm not only the UK government's legislative programme, but ours as well, if we were to try and address this,"" he said.
UK government is seeking Welsh Parliament consent for its plans, because they concern matters the Senedd and the Welsh government are responsible for.
In his letter to Grant Shapps, also addressed to Industry and Investment Security Minister Nusrat Ghani, Senedd legislation committee chair Huw Irranca-Davies wrote: ""Stakeholders have expressed to us deep concerns about the extent of the task at hand and the significant pressure caused by, what is seen by many as, a completely unnecessary sunset date of 31 December 2023.""
Labour Senedd member also says his committee ""can see no reason why the power to extend the sunset date"" contained in the legislation ""should not also be granted to the Welsh ministers for devolved matters"".
A UK government spokesperson said they were ""committed to taking full advantage of the benefits of Brexit, which is why we are pushing ahead with our Retained EU Law Bill"". 
""We continue to engage with the devolved administrations on the progress and policy of the bill, supporting them as they review any retained EU law that falls within their devolved powers. 
""There are no plans to change the sunset deadline."" "	/news/uk-wales-politics-64051226
politics	Prime minister race: Penny Mordaunt says campaign isn't about Boris Johnson	"PM contender Penny Mordaunt has said she is ""very confident"" about her progress in the contest to be party leader.
Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, she denied reports she had been in touch with Boris Johnson's camp potentially offering her support, in return for a job. Ms Mordaunt also said the contest isn't ""about Boris Johnson""."	/news/uk-politics-63363875
politics	Boris Johnson had backing to challenge Rishi Sunak, Sir Graham Brady confirms	"""It's pretty bad, isn't it?"" - Sir Graham Brady on meeting before Liz Truss resigned as PM
Boris Johnson had signed up enough MPs to mount a challenge to Rishi Sunak for the Conservative leadership, senior Tory Sir Graham Brady has confirmed.
Mr Johnson dramatically pulled out of the race amid speculation he did not have the 100 nominations needed.
But Sir Graham, who runs Tory leadership contests, said Mr Johnson had just decided not to stand.
He also spoke for the first time about his meeting with Liz Truss when she realised she could not go on as PM.
He said the chat was ""the easiest and most straightforward"" of the three similar conversations he has held with Conservative leaders facing the end of their time in power ""because she had come to the same conclusion"" as him.
As chairman of the powerful 1922 backbench committee, it falls to Sir Graham to deliver the bad news to Tory leaders clinging to power that they no longer command the support of their MPs.
In an interview with BBC North West Tonight, Sir Graham said he had decided to call Downing Street to tell Ms Truss her position was ""unsustainable,"" following ""utter chaos"" during one of the final Commons votes of her administration.
Confusion over whether the vote on fracking was a confidence vote in her came amid crumbling support for her doomed premiership from Tory MPs.
""I was reaching for my phone when I got a message saying the prime minister had asked to see me,"" the Altrincham and Sale West MP told the programme.
""When I went in to see her with her chief of staff Mark Fullbrook, she asked me the question - she said 'it's pretty bad, isn't it?' To which I replied 'yes, it is pretty bad'"".
""She asked the second question, 'do you think it's retrievable?'. And I said 'no, I don't think it is'. And she replied that she didn't either.""
By contrast, he recalled a meeting with Mr Johnson the night before he announced his resignation in July this year, when he was ""still determined to go on"".
""He [Mr Johnson] mulled it over after that, and he called me early the next morning to say that he'd changed his mind.""
Mr Johnson was forced to resign after a mass walkout of ministers, including his former chancellor Mr Sunak, following a string of scandals. 
He tried to make a sensational comeback after Ms Truss resigned, attempting to muster the 100 nominations from Tory MPs required to make it through to an online ballot of party members.
But after flying back from a Caribbean holiday, he dramatically announced he would not be standing, even though he had 102 backers, including a proposer and a seconder.
In a statement, he said putting himself forward would not be ""the right thing to do"" for party unity.
His decision to pull out meant Mr Sunak became Tory leader automatically as the only MP to make it to the ballot stage.
uncement was greeted with some scepticism within Westminster, given only around half that number had gone public with their support for Mr Johnson.
But Sir Graham said ""two candidates"" had reached the threshold, and ""one of them decided not to then submit his nomination"".
Elsewhere in his interview, Sir Graham insisted the committee had wanted to involve party members in the leadership race, despite setting a ""very high"" nomination threshold to speed up the contest.
""We thought it was in the national interest to get a result as quickly as possible - but wanted to make sure we weren't closing that possibility that the members would also have a vote,"" he said."	/news/uk-politics-63503932
politics	The UK's problems will not all go away in 2023, says Rishi Sunak	"2022 was tough and the UK's problems will not go away in 2023, Rishi Sunak has warned in his New Year's message.
rime minister said the government was taking ""difficult but fair"" decisions to ""get borrowing and debt under control"".
He promised that his government would put ""people's priorities first"".
He also said the coronation of King Charles III would give the country the chance to ""come together with pride"".
Mr Sunak became prime minister towards the end of a turbulent political year which saw his two predecessors - Boris Johnson and Liz Truss - brought down by Conservative backbenchers.
In the coming year, the new prime minister faces the challenge of keeping his own MPs happy, while dealing with the rising cost of living and strikes in several sectors, including nursing and the rail industry.
Mr Sunak acknowledged the past year had not been easy: ""Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine.""
He said the war had created a ""profound economic impact"" which had affected people in the UK, and he promised to help the ""most vulnerable"" with their energy costs.
He also said he had taken decisive action to reduce the backlog in the NHS, and was tackling illegal migration.
""I'm not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the new year,"" said Mr Sunak, but added that ""the very best of Britain"" would be on display as it continues to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. 
Labour leader Keir Starmer used his New Year's message to promise that his party would set out the ""case for change"" in 2023.
Over the past year, Labour's poll ratings have risen, giving the party a consistent lead over the Conservatives.
means Sir Keir is likely to face greater scrutiny over what he would do if he were to become prime minister.
xt general election has to be held by January 2025, but it could be sooner if Mr Sunak decides to go to the polls early.
Reflecting on the past year, Sir Keir acknowledged that 2022 had been ""very tough"" for millions across the country.
He also paid tribute to Ukraine for ""showing so much bravery fighting for their liberty"" and said the UK should ""once again stand by"" the Ukrainian people. 
urning to the year ahead, the Labour leader said Britain needed to become a ""fairer, greener, more dynamic country and that he wanted to ""restore faith in politics as a force for good"".
""For that to happen,"" he said, ""we need a completely new way of doing politics."" 
He said his party would use the year ahead to ""set out the case for change, the case for a new Britain, the case for hope"".
In her New Year's message, First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, promised to ""keep doing everything we can for those who need it most"".
She also said her government would ""work hard to reap the massive economic benefits of our efforts to tackle climate change"".
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also used his New Year message to reflect on the past year, celebrating the ""wonderful jubilee street parties"", the Lionesses winning the Euros and ""another fantastic by-election victory for the Liberal Democrats!"".
In June, his party won the previously safe Conservative seat of Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, which became vacant after Tory MP Neil Parish resigned for looking at pornography in Parliament. 
Sir Ed also attacked Vladimir Putin's ""appalling war"", and the Conservative government for ""inflicting economic chaos on the rest of us"".
""The New Year is an opportunity to turn the page and look ahead, and although things are tough for millions, I sense change is possible - so I look to the New Year with hope and optimism.
""So for 2023, I wish you and your family all the best. Let's hope it's a year of fresh starts - in more ways than one."""	/news/uk-politics-64126709
politics	Rishi Sunak speaks for first time as prime minister	"w UK prime minister has given his first speech to the nation from Downing Street. 
After meeting King Charles, Rishi Sunak spoke of a “profound economic crisis” with Covid and the war in Ukraine contributing to the situation.
He said “some mistakes were made” by the Truss administration and that he had been appointed to fix them.
Mr Sunak warned there were “difficult decisions to come”, but he pledged to unite the country, delivering a stronger NHS, better schools. safer streets, and controlling UK borders.
LIVE: UK in economic crisis and I will fix mistakes, says new PM Sunak"	/news/uk-politics-63385601
politics	Conservatives in Northern Ireland overruled over ex-chair's return	"Northern Ireland Conservatives who snubbed their former chairman's bid to rejoin after he quit over Boris Johnson have been overruled by party headquarters. 
Alan Dunlop claimed he had been the victim of a ""kangaroo court"" when he was rejected in August.
At the time, he told BBC News NI he felt ""totally let down"".
But now the decision has been overturned by the party's national membership committee.
Mr Dunlop, a successful businessman who said he had given the party thousands of pounds over the years, said he was ""delighted"".
""I'm not going to pore over the reasons why my application was so strenuously spurned at regional level. There's no point in raking over the past,"" he said.
""Instead my focus is on the road ahead and how I can help restore the Conservative brand, build a party structure and, yes, move to a position where we can win seats in councils and in Stormont.""
He said the party in Northern Ireland was at ""a low, low point"", adding ""it can't get much worse"".
urrent chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, Matthew Robinson, said the party was ""always enthusiastic to welcome new members"".
""It is our intention to offer the people of Northern Ireland a truly credible alternative with a team of candidates who will endeavour to speak for the silent majority of the electorate tired of the stale Stormont politics of the past,"" he added."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63696187
politics	Brexit: Rishi Sunak rules out deal that relies on EU law alignment	"Brexit is ""already delivering” benefits and opportunities for the UK, the prime minister says.
UK will not pursue any post-Brexit relationship with the EU ""that relies on alignment with EU laws"", Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
It follows reports that some in government want to move towards a Swiss-style deal, with less trading friction and more migration.
Switzerland can trade easily with the bloc, but must follow some EU rules.
Mr Sunak told business leaders that control of migration was one of the immediate benefits of Brexit.
Speaking at the CBI conference in Birmingham he said: ""I voted for Brexit, I believe in Brexit.
""I know that Brexit can deliver, and is already delivering, enormous benefits and opportunities for the country.""
He argued that the UK was now able to ""have proper control of our borders"".
He also said the UK was free to pursue trade deals with ""the world's fastest-growing economies"". 
Over the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that senior government figures were considering pursuing a Swiss-style deal.
Government ministers as well as Downing Street have denied the story, but it still prompted concern from some Brexit-supporting Conservatives.
Former minister Simon Clarke tweeted: ""I very much hope and believe this isn't something under consideration. We settled the question of leaving the European Union, definitively, in 2019.""
And Lord David Frost, who negotiated the existing deal, said: ""I hope the government thinks better of these plans, fast.""
Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but does have a several agreements with the trading bloc, and has access to the single market for most of its industries. It also pays into the EU budget and has freedom of movement, meaning EU citizens can live and work in the country. 
Last week, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he hoped the UK would be able to remove trade barriers with the EU but added that it would ""take time"". 
""Having unfettered trade with our neighbours and countries all over the world is very beneficial to growth,"" he said. 
He was speaking after delivering his Autumn Statement in which he confirmed the UK was in recession and that the economy was due to shrink further. 
r's statement was accompanied by an economic forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility which said Brexit had had a ""significant adverse impact"" on UK trade.
Does Rishi Sunak really want to reopen the Brexit Pandora's box? 
Not if you listen to ministers on the airwaves, spokespeople in Downing Street and the PM himself this morning. 
You can understand why. The Conservative Party has been a pretty fractious place in the last few months. Revisiting the Brexit question would throw all the debates from 2016 onwards back into the open.
Labour's leadership don't want to spend months talking about it either. 
But even if the PM isn't going to revisit a Swiss-style arrangement, the debates about post-Brexit Britain aren't going away.
re are questions over migration, Northern Ireland and broader trade with Europe. Reducing friction is only likely if there are other compromises with Brussels.
So even if the fundamentals aren't back on the table, parts of the debate over Brexit are.
Asked if Brexit had damaged UK trade, Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick told the BBC it was hard to separate the disruption caused by leaving the EU, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. 
""There will be challenges and disruption as a result of fundamentally altering our relationship with the EU,"" he said but added that it was too soon to say whether or not that is going to be to the UK's long-term economic disadvantage.
He said the government was determined to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Brexit, pointing to plans for the regulatory regime of the financial services, life sciences and the green economy. 
He also insisted the government did not want to make any fundamental changes to the UK's relationship with the EU, arguing that the country had settled on the right approach.
message was reiterated by No 10 who said Mr Sunak was ""categorical"" the deal would not be fundamentally changed. 
Specifically the Downing Street spokesperson said there would be no reintroduction of freedom of movement, no ""unnecessary"" payments to the EU and ""nothing that limits the UK's freedom to do trade deals"". "	/news/uk-politics-63700905
politics	Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle opposes Labour's Lords plans	"House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has expressed his opposition to Labour's plan to replace the House of Lords with an elected chamber. 
Speaking to the BBC's World at One, Sir Lindsay said it would undermine the authority of the House of Commons.
He also praised the work of the Lords, arguing they tidied up bills that had been sped through Parliament by MPs.
It is an unusual intervention by the Speaker, a former Labour MP, who is supposed to be politically impartial. 
Earlier this month, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer argued that the current system - whereby political parties nominate people to sit the Lords - was ""undemocratic"" and ""indefensible"".
Instead, he supports a proposal - made in a report by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown - of replacing the Lords with an Assembly of the Nations and Regions.
Mr Brown's report says the assembly could be made up of 200 elected members and that a procedure could be established that would ""sustain the primacy of the House of Commons"". 
However, Sir Lindsay - who is in charge of keeping order in the House of Commons - said a second elected chamber would create confusion.
""If you have a second elected chamber, who has supremacy? You cannot have the competition"" he told BBC Radio 4's Carolyn Quinn. 
He also defended the work of the House of Lords. saying: ""Thank goodness we have had the house next door to reform some of the bills.
""They needed tidying up... because when you have speedy legislation, you need someone to really look at it.
""That's where the House plays a very important role.""
He added that he didn't think scrapping the House of Lords would be a priority for any future Labour government.
raditionally speakers are given a place in the House of Lords when they retire, although Sir Lindsay's predecessor, John Bercow was not granted a peerage. 
If Sir Lindsay does join the Lords, he will be following in the footsteps of his father Doug Hoyle, who has served as a Labour peer since 1997. 
Reflecting on the past year, Sir Lindsay regretted the political turmoil which saw two Conservative prime ministers, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, kicked out in quick succession by their own MPs. 
Asked if the turbulence had turned the UK into an international laughing stock, the speaker replied: ""It did.""
He added: ""People's respect for democracy has struggled - we didn't help ourselves this year with what went on.
""It was a disaster.""
He said he could not remember a worse year in Parliament and hoped for a ""more peaceful new year"". "	/news/uk-politics-64053545
politics	Gwent Police: Family of racism probe policemen no trust in force	"family of a former Gwent Police officer at the centre of an investigation into corruption, misogyny, racism and homophobia have said they have no trust in the police.
Ricky Jones appeared to be a respected officer with Gwent Police, before he retired in 2017.
He took his own life near the Prince of Wales Bridge in 2020.
But his widow and daughter said he was controlling and abusive at home.
Reports of offensive messages between Ricky Jones and both serving and retired officers emerged earlier this month.
Gwent Police asked Wiltshire's force to investigate, but Mr Jones' daughter has told BBC Wales the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), rather than another police force, should be investigating directly.
Gwent Police confirmed it had made three referrals to the IOPC.
force also said Mr Jones was due to restart work for them on the day he took his own life. Chief Constable Pam Kelly said none of the allegations were available to them at the point he was re-employed.
Mr Jones' wife Sharon and daughter Emma, whose names have been changed, said although he never caused them physical harm, he made Sharon sleep on the sofa, and controlled every aspect of life in the house.
Emma said her mother protected her and her sisters.
""My mam normally received the brunt of it, if we did anything wrong it was my mam's fault, if anything went wrong in his life it was my mam's fault,"" she said. 
""For a long time my mam stood between him and us.
""He would keep her sleep deprived, she didn't have a room on her own, my dad made her sleep on the sofa, he had the master bedroom so he could wake her up whenever he wanted, she still had to work, she still had to give him money every month,"" she said. 
Ricky Jones told the pair they could never report the abuse because he had ""sorted it"" with other police officers.
While searching his mobile phone after his death for evidence of his domestic abuse, Emma came across the messages between her father and other current, and former police officers that horrified her. 
""I was upset by what I found,"" she said. 
""The way they speak about women is disgusting, the racist terminology that they use is disgusting, and there's no excuse for it.
""It comes out of nowhere, it's almost like it's their normal terminology, it's the way they speak.
""No one seems to be shocked by it, and some of the examples of corruption.
""That is what is really upsetting, no one is taking it seriously, they all cover up for each other, and they all think it's a big joke as well,"" she added. 
Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Pam Kelly said she was ""horrified"" by the details and said ""we will continue to take swift and robust action"".
ree referrals have been made by the force to the IOPC since 15 November. 
An investigation into the allegations is being carried out by Wiltshire Police. 
Emma said during the inquest into her father's death, her mother was misrepresented as being the abuser in the relationship.
r examine his phone in detail.
""I had got myself in such a state - my mother was being portrayed as a villain, as an abuser, my father was being portrayed as a model citizen at the public inquest,"" she said.
""I looked through my father's mobile phone to find evidence to pass to the coroners to say 'look, something fishy is going on here, please look at it', and then I found everything else.
""People have asked me if I was shocked by what I found on that device and I wasn't, I was so upset that everything my dad said over the years that he could pull strings, he could 'sort it', he could stop my mother from reporting him - they were all true.
""The corruption in Gwent police is true, it's all real.""
Emma described some of the messages she found on the device.
""There's a lot of racist terminology, and pictures with annotations and jokes,"" she said. 
""There are conversations about officers having sex kits in the back of their cars, there's jokes between officers where they share articles about women being harassed and women being assaulted. 
""They joke and they say that they're pretty sure it's this officer that's done it, they always find that very funny.
""There's instances where officers who are accused of domestic abuse, misconduct, they're bragging and saying that Gwent Police offered them a way out through retirement or leaving the police early to avoid those allegations.""
Emma said she no longer had any trust in the police, and was concerned it had taken so long for investigations to proceed.
Such was her lack of faith, she said she made a secure digital copy of the device before handing it over to investigators, and wants the IOPC to investigate directly.
""I've lost all confidence in UK policing, I don't think it's right it should be passed to another force,"" she said.
In a statement, Ms Kelly said: ""The initial complaint raised by the Jones family did not include the conduct matters now emerging, and as new issues come to light we will continue to take swift and robust action. 
""We continue to be horrified by the comments and material shared by retired officers and a small number of serving officers.
""These behaviours and attitudes have no place in Gwent Police, and we will continue our ongoing work with our colleagues to set out clear expectations around the standards that both we and the public expect.
""We will not tolerate behaviour that falls short of this, and will continue to take action against serving officers."" 
She added: ""Ricky Jones had reapplied for a role as a roads policing analyst and was due to restart employment with us on Monday 6 January 2020, which was the day he took his own life.
""Any retired officer returning to the service, like any other applicant, is subject to a full and thorough vetting process.
""None of the details or allegations currently in the media were available to us at the point at which he was re-employed nor would these details have emerged during these vetting checks.""
A statement from an IOPC spokesman said:  ""We received a referral from Gwent Police on 15 November concerning the family's complaint and received two conduct referrals, on 18 and 19 November, relating to several serving and former officers identified as being involved in the phone messages. 
""We have now had further material from both Gwent Police and Wiltshire Police which we are assessing to determine what further action to take.""
Wiltshire Police said: ""Although this investigation is still underway, we can confirm that the devices being referred to in the national media were only provided to Wiltshire Police on 27 October 2022. We are now awaiting an update following the referral to the IOPC from Gwent Police on 15 November."""	/news/uk-wales-63703621
politics	What to look out for in the Scottish Budget	"It was quite the autumn for budgets. Who could forget Kwasi Kwarteng's spectacular tax-slashing experiment without figuring out what it would cost and how it would be paid for?
His successor threw that into reverse. Jeremy Hunt presented a package of tax increases, some measures to help the economy through recession, and then a fierce spending squeeze in the years to follow.
As the new Chancellor, he was not focussed so much on next financial year, starting in April 2023. His was a five-year outlook. His budget for 2023-24 is to be set out early next year.
In September and then November, John Swinney, as stand-in Holyrood finance secretary during Kate Forbes' maternity leave, set out emergency budget revisions for the current year, and he may not yet be finished with that.
re have been higher public sector pay bills than expected when the budget was set last year, and underspent programmes took a hit as a consequence. 
Mr Swinney said inflation cost the current year's budget £1.7bn. Experts at the Fraser of Allander Institute point out the minister's calculation uses consumer price inflation, but the government's price inflation is not as high. They reckon the gap is closer to £1bn. It's still a lot. 
week, with the economic dashboard registering chilly wintry territory, Mr Swinney sets out his draft budget for 2023-24, for consideration by MSPs over the next two months.
Mr Swinney has said there has never been more uncertainty around budget planning, though some of that was removed by Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement on 17 November.
Scottish administration now has a better idea of what's likely to be in next year's Westminster budget, and can plan on the larger part of a £1.5bn uplift in budget over the next two years.  That is reckoned to mean that the budget rises roughly in line with the rising cost of government, meaning this is not set to be the toughest of budgets over this decade.
What is less certain is the trajectory of prices, with inflation high, a cost of living crisis eating deep into a wide spectrum of household and business spending, and the Bank of England base interest rate likely to continue its rise less than three hours before the Holyrood budget is presented.
Growth is uncertain, though there's a strong expectation of recession during this winter and well into next year. A downturn sets back revenue from tax, and puts more pressure on governments to respond. Most governments do that by borrowing, but Holyrood's powers to borrow are limited.
flation and growth rates in the economy and in revenue with which Mr Swinney has to juggle are set for him by the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC).  An independent body, just like the Office for Budget Responsibility, it gets to see options for his budget over the preceding two months. 
And as the deputy first minister ends his statement on Thursday, the SFC will publish its findings on growth or contraction in the Scottish economy, on the path of inflation and unemployment, on tax revenue, on the likely cost of welfare benefits controlled at Holyrood, and on economic consequences of the budget.
Among the most difficult and important calls to be made in this budget will be the public sector pay policy. 
Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday that the gap between public and private sector pay across the UK is very wide - 2.7% to 6.9% in the year to October. That's in cash terms.  From that, subtract 9% consumer price inflation in the preceding 12 months, and you can see the scale of falling real incomes and spending power.
Government services have many more trade union members than private firms. Those factors help explain why there are so many strikes and threats of strikes in pursuit of pay claims that seek to match price inflation but which are mostly falling far short.
Within the pay policy in this week's budget, Mr Swinney could offer pay rises if there is a cut in headcount. There's already an effective recruitment freeze across much of the public sector, and that cut in the workforce was set as a target last May.
finance secretary could also tie pay to reform of contractual conditions, though the SNP has avoided doing much of that in the past, and looks unlikely to provoke unions while they are so active.
Most of budget day, however, is about how much money is available, how it's raised, and how it will be spent.
Much of the budget for Holyrood comes from the block grant allocated by the Treasury. The size of it flows from the 44-year old Barnett Formula, but with big adjustments.  
Where it allocates more to health in England, a fixed share of that comes to Scotland, as well as shares to Wales and Northern Ireland. The same is true of English schooling, which is getting an uplift.
But if there are cuts in English spending on items that are devolved, that will also be reflected in the grants to devolved administrations.
reasury deducts the amount it would have raised if it were still collecting income tax in Scotland.
It adds the amount it would be paying out in Scotland on those welfare benefits that have been devolved to Holyrood. But if Holyrood wants to pay more in benefits, it has to find the funds elsewhere.
What, then, can John Swinney do to make up the other third or so of his budget. The biggest share of that is in Scottish income tax. That has diverged from Westminster income tax rates and thresholds, but with the exception of the level at which people start to pay higher rate tax at 41%, there isn't much divergence. 
At Westminster, Jeremy Hunt is freezing thresholds for tax rates while holding the rates steady. That is a substantial stealth tax on earners as their pay goes through these thresholds, and with inflation, many people are doing just that. 
Not to freeze thresholds in Scotland would be a tax giveaway, relative to England at least. It would be difficult financially not to follow the Chancellor in doing that, and politically it would be odd not to take that more progressive approach. 
Mr Hunt also reduced the threshold at which additional rate is paid at 45p for each extra pound earned. That is coming down from £150,000, which is the level it has been at for more than a decade, to just over £125,000.  Again, it would be odd for the SNP, which levies that tax at a rate of 46p in the pound, not to do something similar.
For higher earners, Scotland already has a higher tax rate than the rest of the UK, by 1p in the pound. Mr Swinney could choose to raise that further. But higher tax, while household budgets are being squeezed by inflation, could harm efforts to return the economy to growth.
Other important decisions include council tax. Will Mr Swinney constrain the ability of councils to raise their tax bills, as he did for several years as finance secretary? While Green MSPs are pressing for major reform of council tax, there's a lot more talking before that happens.
Will the cabinet secretary respond to lobbying from Scottish business, not to impose higher business rates bills on them, and to close a gap with the rates paid in England?
And will he at least acknowledge pressure from the left, including the STUC trade union body, to fund public sector pay with a sharp increase in taxes on those earning over about £40,000, and then to tax wealth?
How much the Scottish government wishes to alter tax, and possibly raise more, is closely linked to how much it wants or needs to spend.
Last year's Budget was dominated by the costs of Covid. That continues to cast a long shadow. Many public services are struggling with numerous backlogs, from health procedures to court cases. Staff vacancies are high as retention of workers proves difficult.
Mr Swinney has no shortage of demands on his money. But the Fraser of Allander Institute economists say much of that is committed to the priorities already set out. The NHS gets a protected status, though it may not get either enough, or the same level of increase that has been seen in Whitehall. Scottish ministers may judge, for instance, that the health service's problems are not only financial but need other solutions.
Social care is a priority for this five-year term of office, with the creation of the National Care Service. The cost of it ranges between unclear and astronomic. But just setting up is likely to cost a lot, while raising expectations of what it will deliver. One of the high costs is its intended role of ensuring higher pay for care workers.
Welfare benefits are the newish element in Holyrood's budget, gradually being devolved. The biggest tranche of money being shifted from the Department of Work and Pensions came last year. With it came expectations that Scotland would have a more generous welfare system.
generosity is proving to be expensive, and spending watchdogs have warned of other budgets being squeezed in order to meet the commitments to new benefits, such as the Scottish Child Payment. There is also concern in Scottish government at the high cost of the commitment to support Ukrainian refugees.
Indications from the five-year Holyrood spending outlook, set out last May, are of some very tight budgets for other departments, local government grants down 7% in real terms between this year and 2026. Enterprise agencies are down 16% in that period. Universities, colleges and student grant, plus police, prisons, fire and rescue and legal aid were told to plan for real terms reductions of 8% over four years.
gs have changed since then, including higher inflation and likely recession, and some of that plan has already been altered.
Budget is not just about finance and economics. It's also about politics. 
When an administration lacks a majority of MSP votes, the draft version is subject to negotiation with opposition parties to ensure the Finance Bill can pass. That is not the case while Green MSPs share power with the SNP. The negotiations have already taken place behind the scenes. A majority is assured.
While John Swinney therefore does not have to find more money over winter to ease that process, that does not mean he won't find some, to reflect concerns about the cost of living.
Responding to that public and business anxiety about prices is going to be one of the main tasks of this budget. But Holyrood lacks Westminster's flexibility with borrowing, allowing the Treasury to help with energy and other bills on a very large scale.
Deputy First Minister won't miss the opportunity to complain about that state of constitutional affairs. But as things stand, there is less he can do."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63970775
politics	Rishi Sunak brings back fracking ban in first PMQs	"Watch: Rishi Sunak's first PMQs in the top job... in 64 seconds
gas fracking in England has been restored by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in his first PMQs.
His predecessor Liz Truss had lifted the ban on the controversial process where there was local consent.
In his first full day in the job, Mr Sunak also defended reappointing Suella Braverman as home secretary  just days after she quit over data breaches. 
During Prime Minister's Questions he would not commit to increasing benefits in line with prices. 
However, Mr Sunak said he would continue to ""protect the most vulnerable"". 
His spokesman also refused to comment on whether the state pension would rise with inflation ahead of a statement by the chancellor next month. 
Jeremy Hunt is now due to set out the government's plans for tax and spending on 17 November, after delaying the announcement by more than two weeks. 
Ms Truss announced her decision to lift the ban on fracking, which involves drilling into the earth to recover gas from shale rock, in September. With energy bills rising, she argued fracking could boost the UK's gas supplies. 
But the move provoked a backlash from many Conservative MPs because of concerns about earth tremors linked to fracking. 
roversial process was halted in 2019 following opposition from environmental groups and local communities.
Labour and other opposition parties are also against the return of fracking. 
Asked by Green MP Caroline Lucas if he would restore the moratorium on fracking pledged in the Conservatives' 2019 manifesto, Mr Sunak said: ""I have already said I stand by the manifesto on that.""
ries' general election manifesto said the party would not support fracking unless the science showed ""categorically"" that it could be carried out safely. 
PM's official spokesman later confirmed Mr Sunak was committed to this promise. 
few weeks saw the near-total junking of Liz Truss's programme for government.
Rishi Sunak's first PMQs, it felt like the last remaining remnants of her ideas were lobbed in the skip.
So her flirtation with fracking in England is junked, with the PM restoring a 2019 ""moratorium"" on drilling for shale gas.
It was also strongly hinted that the government will raise those benefits that don't automatically go up with prices in line with the rate of inflation.
Liz Truss was tempted to put them up in line with average earnings instead.
So what about pensions? Will they go up in line with spiralling prices too?
rime minister's official spokesman was less categorical about that, but the importance of the manifesto was repeatedly referenced.
Read more from Chris.
Mr Sunak has previously expressed support for fracking. Just a week ago he voted against a Labour motion to ban the practice. 
Asked during a Tory leadership debate with Ms Truss in July whether he would support fracking, he replied: ""Yes, if local communities support it.""
Labour's shadow climate and net zero secretary Ed Miliband said: ""Whatever their latest position, the truth is that the Tories have shown that they cannot be trusted on the issue of fracking. The only way to guarantee that fracking will be banned for good is to elect a Labour government.""
move was welcomed by environmental groups, with Friends of the Earth describing it as a ""fantastic victory for common sense"".
Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network, said: ""[Fracking] is unpopular, and few communities would approve fracking projects locally, meaning little or no gas would be extracted, despite the high political cost.
""Instead, the government should focus on building more cheap and popular renewables, including onshore wind and solar where there is local support.""
Chaos surrounding a vote on fracking, brought by Labour last week, contributed to Ms Truss's swift downfall, just 44 days after she took office. 
g before her resignation, there were accusations of Tory MPs being bullied and manhandled during the vote. 
Ministers denied physical force had been used to persuade colleagues to vote with the government. 
government ultimately won the vote with a majority of 96, but 40 Tories did not take part. 
Scottish and Welsh governments continue to oppose fracking, and say they will not use their powers to grant drilling licences.
In the past consent to begin fracking has been given only for two sites in Lancashire, neither of which are now in operation."	/news/uk-politics-63402777
politics	Gordon Brown: Labour plan would make UK work for Scotland	"Labour's proposed reforms to the British political system would ""make the UK work for Scotland"", former prime minister Gordon Brown has said.
rty's plans include a binding veto for Holyrood over devolved issues and the power to join international arrangements like the Erasmus scheme.
Labour is also looking at replacing the House of Lords with an elected ""assembly of the nations and regions"".
Sir Keir Starmer said they would give the nations a ""louder, prouder voice"".
But the SNP described the package of measures as ""underwhelming"".
roposals were launched at an event in Leeds, followed by another event in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon.
ude plans to spread power across the nations of the UK as well as to English regions and local mayors, in what Sir Keir called the ""biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people"".
r - titled A New Britain - says Labour in government would offer ""economic, social and constitutional innovations that can make the UK work better for the Scottish people"".
would include a ""legally binding"" replacement for the Sewel convention, which states that Westminster would not normally legislate across devolved areas without the express consent of MSPs.
umber of times as Brexit legislation was passing through the Commons, and Labour said this ""disregarded the conventions which govern the exercise of power"".
r also proposes giving the Scottish Parliament some powers over foreign affairs, so that Scotland could sign up to international groups or agreements within devolved areas - such as the EU's Erasmus student exchange scheme.
And it says there would be a consultation on increasing Holyrood's borrowing powers.
Mr Brown told BBC Scotland: ""I want the United Kingdom to work for Scotland and Scottish people.
""I want to see a change in the United Kingdom that makes it more attractive for Scottish people to support it and I believe we have come forward with measures to do so.""
x-Labour leader also wants to see greater co-operation between governments to deal with shared problems such as pandemics and pollution.
Mr Brown said he wanted to see ""new job creating clusters"" developing in Scotland in areas such as precision medicine in Glasgow and the video games industry in Dundee.
former prime minister called for an overhaul of the Lords, which he said was ""the biggest second chamber outside of China.""
Other reforms could see a new Council of the United Kingdom, to be chaired by the prime minister, which would replace the existing Joint Ministerial Committee system as a way of bringing together ministers from the UK's devolved administrations.
Another recommendation is for Scotland to be represented on key UK national bodies, such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Transport, Bank of England and the energy regulator Ofgem.
Scottish politics has become heavily polarised since the independence referendum in 2014, much to the Labour Party's disadvantage. 
minant force has been squeezed into third place - with ""yes"" voters typically backing the SNP and ""no"" voters tending more towards the Conservatives than Labour, in defence of the union. 
Gordon Brown is attempting to reset the debate with a package of UK-wide reforms that include some further devolution of power to Scotland and a bigger voice for Scotland in the UK and internationally. 
roposals will inevitably be considered too vague and weak by some independence supporters and as a misguided attempt to appease nationalists by some supporters of the union. 
Labour's hope is that instead of failing to please voters on either side of the debate, change within the UK could become a popular alternative to either independence or keeping the UK as it currently operates. 
Meanwhile, ""thousands"" of civil service jobs could be transferred from London to Scotland, with responsibility for job centres to be devolved to a local level.
ken together Mr Brown said the package ""could be more attractive than independence for Scotland"".
UK Supreme Court last month ruled that Holyrood cannot stage a second independence ballot without Westminster's go ahead.
SNP has said it could use the next general election as a single-issue campaign on independence, but Mr Brown said his party would be offering ""change within Britain rather than change by leaving Britain"".
He said: ""It may be that the SNP will have a one-line manifesto and want a one-issue general election. But we have done a huge amount of research on Scottish public opinion, and people want a better health service immediately, people want living standards improved immediately, people want jobs for young people immediately, people want better housing immediately, and people want change in the way we are suggesting immediately. 
""That is going to be the issue on which we fight - we are offering a plan for economic, social, political and constitutional reform, not a one issue election.""
But SNP deputy leader Keith Brown dismissed Labour's blueprint for change.
He said: ""After bigging up this report for months and months, this is yet another underwhelming constitutional reform plan from the Labour Party full of vague platitudes, empty promises, and what feels like the 10,000th time they have committed to reform the House of Lords.
""Ironically, a report which claims to be about strengthening devolution in many cases actually looks set to undermine it.""
He described Labour as a ""pro-Brexit party with a pro-Brexit leader"". 
Mr Brown added: ""Through independence, Scotland can build a genuine partnership of equals with other nations across these islands - not only protecting the existing powers of the Scottish Parliament, but allowing us to escape the failing, Brexit-based, UK economic model and build a fairer, more prosperous and sustainable Scotland."""	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63853652
politics	MP questions Braverman on safe and legal routes to the UK	"Home Secretary Suella Braverman is questioned in a committee appearance on UK immigration policy.
Conservative MP Tim Loughton asked the home secretary what routes were available to refugees who aren't part of the Ukraine, Syria or Afghanistan relocation schemes. 
me secretary struggled to provide an answer, with Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft saying there are some countries that do not have safe routes to get to the UK.
Later, the Home Office said that since 2015, the UK had offered a place to over 380,000 people, including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as family members of refugees. 
A spokesperson said: ""Our UK Resettlement, Community Sponsorship and Mandate schemes are accessible to refugees who have been assessed for resettlement by the UNHCR and we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us."""	/news/uk-politics-63734011
politics	Changing gender to be made easier in Scotland	"Scotland has approved a self-identification system for people who want to change their legal gender. 
w rules lower the age that people can apply for a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to 16, and removes the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
It's the only nation in the UK to simplify the process of transitioning.
But the Westminster government says it has concerns about the legislation and could yet prevent it from becoming law.
Scottish Parliament backed the controversial proposals by 86 to 39 in a vote on Thursday afternoon.
re were shouts of ""shame on you"" from protesters in the public gallery as the result was announced.
But there were also louds cheers and a standing ovation in the chamber from supporters of the reforms. 
UK government says it has concerns about the legislation and could seek to prevent it becoming law by blocking Royal Assent - when the Bill gets formal agreement by the King and becomes an Act of the Scottish Parliament. 
Women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said its impact on the Equality Act raised questions, and the Scottish government had not addressed the full implication of it in the bill.
She said in a statement on Twitter: ""The UK government is now looking at provisions that can prompt reconsideration and allow MSPs to address these issues.""
However, a Scottish government spokesman said ""any attempt by the UK government to undermine the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament will be vigorously contested"".
Conservative MSP Russell Findlay says the gender reform bill lets down women across Scotland
People in Scotland have been able to change their legal gender from male to female or female to male since 2005.
Scottish government believes the existing process can be intrusive and distressing and put people off applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate.
w rules, which are expected to come into force sometime next year, will mean applicants will now only need to have lived in their acquired gender for three months - or six months if they are aged 16 and 17 - rather than two years. 
re will be also be a three-month ""reflection period"" during which they can change their minds and it will be a criminal offence to make a false declaration or false application for a GRC, with anyone who does so potentially facing up to two years in prison.
It will be possible to de-transition by going through the process again.
Shona Robison says evidence from other countries shows trans rights have no negative impact on other people
Campaigners say a move to make trans peoples' lives easier is long overdue, and will allow them to ""live with the dignity and recognition that everyone deserves.""
Scottish Trans manager Vic Valentine said the change in the law would mean that trans men and women would be able to show a birth certificate ""that reflects who they are"" at important moments in their lives such as starting a job or giving notice to be married. 
But critics including author JK Rowling have raised concerns about the potential impact on women-only services, spaces and legal protections. 
rgued that there are insufficient safeguards to protect women and girls from predatory men who they say could seek to change their gender in order to gain access to facilities such as women's prisons.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: ""Trans rights are not in competition with women's rights, and as so often before, we can improve things for everyone when those discriminated against act as allies, not opponents.""
And First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would ""never apologise for trying to spread equality, not reduce it, in our country.""
UK government has not ruled out mounting a legal challenge, with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack saying it ""shares the concerns that many people have regarding certain aspects of this Bill, and in particular the safety issues for women and children"".
government is understood to be concerned about the potential impact of people with gender recognition certificates moving from Scotland to other parts of the UK, where a different system will still be in place, and on things like passports, pensions and some benefits.
Under UK law, it can apply to have Scottish laws struck down by arguing they would conflict with UK-wide equalities legislation. This power has never been used before. 
g of controversial gender reform laws receive mixed reaction in the Scottish Parliament
Efforts by some MSPs to keep the minimum age at 18 were voted down, as was an attempt by Conservative MSP Russell Findlay to prevent convicted sex offenders being allowed to change their gender.
reforms were backed by most SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MSPs but opposed by the majority of Conservatives, who accused the government of attempting to avoid proper scrutiny of the legislation by rushing it through before Christmas. 
Nine SNP MSPs voted against the government - the biggest rebellion since the party came to power in 2007.
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Rachael Hamilton said the party supported trans rights - but it should not come ""at the expense of the safety of women and girls, and their hard-won rights"".
She added: ""For a majority of MSPs to vote against an amendment that would have prevented convicted sex offenders from applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate will astonish and outrage most Scots.""
Bill, which was previously shelved by the government, has been been one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the history of the Scottish Parliament, with Community Safety Minister Ash Regan resigning in October after saying she could not support the proposals. 
moment the bill passed was an emotional one at Holyrood. 
re were big cheers from trans-rights campaigners and cries of ""shame"" from women's rights campaigners in the public gallery. 
wo thirds of MSPs backed the bill with opinion divided in the three largest parties. 
MSP who resigned as an SNP minister to protest against the law, Ash Regan told me she was ""ashamed"" of the Scottish Parliament, while one of only three Tories to support the bill, Jamie Greene said he was ""proud"" of what had been decided. 
gender recognition reform is not the end of the story. 
It is likely to face a legal challenge from somewhere and the UK government is reserving the right to block the legislation, if they decide it could negatively impact on UK law. 
minister who fronted the reforms, Shona Robison, told me the legislation was ""robust"" and that she intends to put it into effect as soon as possible. 
Speaking after the vote, Ms Regan told BBC Scotland she was ""ashamed"" of what the parliament had done. 
MSPs considered more than 150 proposed amendments to the proposals in two marathon sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday - with the latter not finishing until 01:15 on Thursday.
Conservatives were accused of attempting to delay the legislation by proposing numerous points of order and forcing almost all amendments to votes that were sometimes not required.
Nine other European countries have already adopted self-declaration systems for legal gender recognition, including Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland. 
Also on Thursday, Spain passed a bill bringing it a step closer to allowing people to change their officially registered gender by filling in a form. "	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64066938
politics	Sheffield Central MP: Labour's shortlist for next candidate revealed	"Labour has confirmed the shortlist of people from which a candidate will be chosen to represent the party in Sheffield at the next general election.
Comedian Eddie Izzard is to stand alongside Rizwana Lala, Abtisam Mohamed, and Jayne Dunn all hoping to contest the Sheffield Central seat.
Labour MP Paul Blomfield, who has represented the seat since 2010, announced in February he would stand down at the next general election.
An election is not due until 2024.
gender fluid comedian, who uses the pronouns she/her, told the BBC earlier this year she hoped to run in the contest as a former student in the city.
rocess will be between the star, local public health worker Dr Lala, councillor Abtisam Mohamed and councillor Jayne Dunn.
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63630381
politics	Immigration will be very important for the economy, says Jeremy Hunt	"Immigration will be important for the UK economy in the years ahead but the government still wants to bring numbers down, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said. 
Official forecasts say net migration in 2026 will be 205,000, higher than previously predicted.
Office for Budget Responsibility said it would help ""offset slower growth in productivity"".
Mr Hunt said the UK needed migrants but he wants to improve skills ""at home"" to lower dependence on foreign workers.
He also said Brexit had created trade barriers with the EU, but ruled out re-joining the single market. 
r was speaking a day after delivering his Autumn Statement in which he announced tax rises and a squeeze on public spending. 
He defended his actions arguing that tough decisions were needed to tackle inflation. 
Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme migration had a ""very positive"" effect on the economy but stressed the need to improve the skills of people already in the country in order to reduce the levels of migration ""we need"".
""That is why education is a big priority,"" he said. 
Department for Education was one of the few government departments to receive additional funding in Mr Hunt's Autumn Statement, getting an extra £2.3bn for schools in England.  
Conservatives have long promised to reduce net migration, with former Prime Minister David Cameron pledging - although ultimately failing - to get numbers down to the tens of thousands.
In October, when Liz Truss was prime minister, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the target was her ""ultimate aspiration"" but added ""we've got to take it slowly"".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also said he wants to get migration down ""over time"", but insists his focus is on tackling illegal migration. 
Speaking on Friday morning, the chancellor argued that rising levels of illegal migration would undermine the public's support for legal migration - which he said was a positive both for the economy and society.
Also appearing on the Today programme, Richard Hughes - head of the Office for Budget Responsibility - explained that the government forecaster had revised its estimates for migration up, after an expected drop in numbers had not materialised.
He said the OBR had anticipated numbers would fall following the creation of a post-Brexit immigration regime. 
He added that despite new rules, the UK was still letting in a net level of over 200,000 people a year and that the OBR therefore predicted net migration levels would stand at 205,000 from 2026, rather than earlier estimates of 129,000.
OBR still expects net migration to fall over the next five years, but from a higher base than it originally expected. 
In its forecast which accompanied Mr Hunt's Autumn Statement, the OBR said Brexit had had a ""significant adverse impact"" on UK trade and predicted that the UK's trade intensity would be 15% lower than if the UK had remained in the EU. 
r was asked if re-joining the EU's single market - a free trade area which removes tariffs and taxes on trade between member countries - could boost growth.
Mr Hunt responded that ""having unfettered trade with our neighbours and countries all over the world is very beneficial to growth""
He expressed the hope that over the coming years the UK would be able to remove trade barriers with the EU, while remaining outside the single market.
""It will take time,"" he added. 
He argued that re-joining the single market was not ""the right way to boost growth"" and would be going against ""what people voted for"" in the Brexit referendum.
gle market is a free trade area which removes tariffs and taxes on trade between member countries. "	/news/uk-politics-63676395
politics	Benefits: No easy answers, says new Welsh secretary	"re are no easy answers to increase benefits during the cost of living crisis, the new Welsh secretary has said.
Following calls for welfare to rise with inflation, David TC Davies said the UK government wanted to be ""as generous as possible"".
But there were limits to how much funding could be raised from borrowing and tax rises, he said.
Monmouth MP was promoted to the cabinet in a reshuffle on Tuesday.
He told BBC Wales Rishi Sunak's government ""understands the hardship that people are going through at the moment, but particularly those on benefits"".
""The question is not what would people in government like to do because clearly we would like to be as generous as we possibly can.""
government ""seems to have reached the limits of what we can practically do with borrowing money"", while a tax hike for individuals and businesses ""comes with its own problems"", he said.
""Everyone in government wants to help the least well off but it's a case of what can we actually afford to do without having further impacts on other people.""
He added: ""I think there are lots of people who are almost deliberately trying to suggest there's an easy answer without telling us what it is.""
Welsh Conservative group in the Senedd has also called for welfare benefits to rise with prices.
Welsh Labour has warned that cutting spending to balance the books in Westminster will lead to another round of spending cuts, similar to the austerity measures of the last decade.
But Mr Davies said First Minister Mark Drakeford had failed to explain whether he would raise more funding through tax rises.
Welsh Government ministers said they would consider the case for income tax rises as they prepare to publish their budget in December.
Mr Davies said he wanted a ""professional and constructive"" relationship with Mr Drakeford.
He and the prime minister have already spoken to Mr Drakeford, unlike Liz Truss who did not talk to the first minister during her seven weeks in Number 10.
He also defended the appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, saying the breach of rules that cost her the job last week was a ""very trivial matter"". "	/news/uk-wales-politics-63404873
politics	Stormont pay cut bill being fast-tracked through Westminster	"Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he will ""act rapidly"" to cut assembly members' wages once new legislation takes effect.
He was speaking as MPs debated a bill that will give him powers to impose a pay cut.
Executive Formation Bill is being fast-tracked through Parliament.
Chris Heaton-Harris introduced it last week, as the Stormont executive had not been restored. 
will extend the time period for parties to return to power-sharing government at Stormont.
Mr Heaton-Harris said he understood why the public was ""quite cross"" that assembly members were drawing full pay while unable to do their job properly.
uld see wages cut by 27%, or just over £14,000, reducing their incomes from £51,500 to £37,337.
It will face just one day of scrutiny from MPs.
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said cutting MLA wages was the ""right thing to do"".
But he added that the Northern Ireland secretary should be directing any reduction solely at the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for ""blocking restoration"".
While Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) MP Claire Hanna argued that ""DUP intransigence cannot be rewarded"" by further interventions from London.
""Those who vote for this party (the DUP) to protect the union should take a strong look at what they're getting.""
will now move to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before becoming law.
No amendments from MPs went to a vote on Tuesday evening.
Instead the government said it would remain in touch with parties and consider changes to the bill where necessary. 
If the DUP refuses to end its boycott of the Stormont institutions by 8 December, the bill will give Mr Heaton-Harris the option to either call an election - which would be for some time between mid-January and the beginning of March - or extend the deadline by six weeks to 19 January.
If nothing changes by then, an election could take place by 13 April..
Opening the debate on Tuesday, Mr Heaton-Harris said he did not want to be in the position of taking such steps, but had been left with no other options due to the ongoing stalemate. 
""We recognise this bill is a stop-gap and is not intended to be a long-term solution to the issues Northern Ireland is facing - that is a matter for locally-elected politicians,"" he said.
Mr Heaton-Harris previously said he would be able to use the power from mid-December, but he has not yet named a specific date he would implement such a cut.
gislation will also clarify the ""limited decision-making"" powers that civil servants now have in the absence of ministers.
Extra provisions are also being made to allow a regional rate to be set, should an executive not be in place, as well as powers for the approval of some public appointments.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the EU of being the ""biggest culprit"" in the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He told the Commons that while some MPs may wish to ""punish the DUP"" by cutting MLA salaries, it would not make any difference to his party's stance.
Speaking to reporters in Coalisland, Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill questioned what efforts the Northern Ireland secretary had made to restore power-sharing.
""He bought time to restore the executive, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of Chris Heaton-Harris, so what is he doing?
""What progress is he and the government making to make the protocol work and find an agreed way forward with the EU?"" 
Northern Ireland has been without a functioning government since February as the DUP has refused to return to power-sharing in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Unionist politicians argue the post-Brexit trading arrangement undermines Northern Ireland's position in the UK.
It keeps the region aligned with some EU trade rules to ensure goods can move freely across the Irish land border.
Despite an assembly election in May - in which Sinn Féin won the largest number of seats - and four attempts to elect an assembly speaker, the DUP continued to refuse to nominate executive ministers.
UK and EU remain in talks about the protocol, in the hope of getting a deal to suit both sides."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63783601
politics	What will be the impact of Scottish budget cuts?	"Deputy First Minister John Swinney has detailed £1.2bn of cuts from the Scottish government's budget for the current year, as inflation continues to wreak havoc on public finances.
What is the money needed for, where is it coming from, and are more cuts on the horizon?
mergency budget review started out as an exercise to find extra cash for cost of living measures, to help households deal with rising prices and bills.
But even as it was being considered, the government's own budget was hit by a tidal wave of inflation which wiped £1.7bn of spending power off the plans out less than a year ago.
It also meant public sector workers understandably clamoured for better pay deals, which have cost far more than originally budgeted - some £700m has been put aside, and negotiations with many unions are ongoing amid talk of strikes.
In a way pay deals are the ultimate cost of living measure, as they put money directly into the pockets of workers - but they still need to be paid for from a pot of cash that also covers frontline services.
And this is all just the 2022-23 budget we're talking about - the Scottish government has to balance its books on an annual basis, and can't just carry over some debts into the next financial year. So some cuts have had to be made straight away.
re is an extent to which money can be found by shifting things around within the budget.
An example is that fewer people than expected signed up for the concessionary travel scheme - there is less demand, and thus less money needs to be spent. Mr Swinney was able to claw back £37.6m from the budget, and unless there's an unexpected spike in applications for bus passes, the public won't notice any difference.
re are lots of examples of this, and of costs that can safely be booted into future years, such as money that hasn't yet been spent on delayed college-building schemes that can be dealt with later, or spending on City Deal projects that has moved further down the road.
w the government's budget differs from a household one, for all that they're both being hit by inflationary pressures. Households can't reprofile funds from capital budgets into revenue ones.
But there are only so many of these fiscal conjuring tricks that can be played and there's only so much fat you can trim before you start cutting into the bone.
So some of the cutbacks announced this week are coming from real, tangible areas. Efforts are being made to protect the most critical frontline services, but ultimately people are eventually going to start noticing changes on the ground.
One way of selling cuts is to make them to budgets that were already increasing - like that for mental health - so you can contend that they are just not rising as quickly as planned, rather than falling outright.
It might make £65m cuts to primary care improvement funds sound more palatable when it can be badged as a ""reduction in the planned growth rate"". 
But at the end of the day it is still less money for a core portfolio, and at a stage in the year when managers will have made plans for the bulk of their allocated budget.
What isn't known yet is how this will actually translate into reduced services on the ground.
When £116m comes out of the budget for Covid vaccinations, PPE and contact tracing, what does that actually mean at your local vaccine centre?
Are queues for jabs going to get longer? Will there be less face masks and gloves to go around? Or is there an extent to which money can be found down the back of a metaphorical sofa in a mothballed testing lab?
It's not clear from the documents published by the government, and it probably won't be clear to frontline staff on the ground yet either.
me goes for mental health and primary care - the detail of where precisely the cash will come from may not have translated all the way through to local clinics yet.
recent fiscal flip-flopping at Westminster has certainly caused uncertainty when it comes to drawing up plans at Holyrood.
At the height of mini-budget mania, it looked as if the Scottish Parliament's block grant might actually grow by £660m over three years, on account of the huge giveaways planned by Kwasi Kwarteng.
After the pendulum swung the other way under Jeremy Hunt, ministers are now expecting a £230m reduction in funding over that same period.
ffect for 2022-23 is actually still a £35m increase in the devolved budget, thanks to changes to stamp duty down south.
But nobody is expecting the longer-term figures to stand still, with Mr Hunt warning of difficult choices to come in his Autumn Statement on 17 November.
Chancellor makes will have a direct impact on Holyrood's block grant, both in terms of tax levels and spending limits for departments. The forecasts produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility will also be key.
All of that will play into Mr Swinney's own budget announcement on 15 December, when he will be able to make tax changes of his own.
We seem to have moved with dizzying speed from talk of tax cuts boosting growth to tax rises and service cuts being priced in.
re is a measure of political choice in this, of course - there are tax levers ministers have so far declined to pull, like the idea of a beefed-up windfall tax.
Income tax rises are broadly expected, but big hikes are not palatable to a Conservative government - particularly one led by a man who was dreaming of a 16% basic rate in the summer.
Scottish government too has talked about protecting those at the lower end of the income scale, at the same time as their advisors have warned against making big changes to the higher rates.
Departments in Scotland were already braced for real-terms cuts in any case, having been given a fairly grim outlook by Kate Forbes in her Resource Spending Review in May.
finance secretary - currently on maternity leave - was issuing warnings about the need to reset the public sector before inflation had blown a hole in the budget.
figures she set out are what have led to talk around Holyrood of the police service being ""hollowed out"", of courthouses having to close and the 101 phone line being cut off.
Mr Swinney now says the outlook is ""clearly even more difficult"" than when Ms Forbes drew up those plans, adding that ""measures for efficiency and reform in the delivery of our public services will be even more important"".
Whichever way you turn, politicians of all stripes seem to be suggesting that the worst is yet to come."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63498226
politics	Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson hold talks as ex-chancellor leads PM race	"Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have held talks as they edge closer to the deadline for nominations in the contest to replace Liz Truss as prime minister.
wo separate sources told the BBC the meeting took place, but neither camp has disclosed what they discussed.
Rishi Sunak continues to forge ahead in the race, gathering the support of 128 MPs from all wings of his party, including former Johnson allies.
Mr Johnson is in second place with 53 backers, according to the BBC's tally.
However his campaign claims he has the support of 100 MPs - the number required to officially enter the race.
Mr Sunak's supporters raised doubts over this and called for the former PM to show proof. 
Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to officially declare they are in the race, but she lags behind on support with 23 MPs.
BBC has been keeping a running total of MPs who have gone on the record with support.
g intentions of only 204 out of 357 Conservative MPs are currently known and have been verified by the BBC, leaving many still to declare their interest. 
fuls have until 14:00 BST on Monday to get enough support to run, qualifying them for the next stage of the race.
If the party's MPs get behind just one candidate, we could have a new prime minister by Monday afternoon.
But if not, it will then go to an online ballot of the Conservative party membership, with the result to be announced on Friday. 
Polling suggests Mr Johnson, who has returned from a Caribbean holiday to consider his options, would be favourite to win a members' vote. 
roughout Saturday, MPs were publicly declaring support for their favoured candidate.
Mr Sunak picked up backing from all wings of his party, including the right, and from figures like Mr Johnson's former Chief of Staff Steve Barclay, his former Brexit Minister Lord Frost, Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary and Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker.
Mr Baker - an influential MP on the right of the party - said Mr Johnson would be a ""guaranteed disaster"", and specifically expressed concern about an ongoing parliamentary investigation into whether the ex-prime minister lied to Parliament over Covid rule-breaking. 
He told Sky News a large number of Conservative MPs would ""refuse to lay down their integrity"" in order to defend Mr Johnson on the issue. 
Ms Badenoch, who made a big impact in the last Tory leadership contest but has ruled herself out this time, said in the Sunday Times that Mr Sunak was ""the serious, honest leader we need"".
Mr Sunak, who has yet to officially declare he is standing, also has the support of former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab.
Pointing to the parliamentary probe facing Mr Johnson, Mr Raab told the BBC: ""We cannot go backwards. We cannot have another episode of the Groundhog Day, of the soap opera of Partygate"". 
He said he was very confident Mr Sunak would stand, adding: ""I think the critical issue here is going to be the economy. Rishi had the right plan in the summer and I think it is the right plan now.""
former PM has so far won the support of six Cabinet ministers: Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, Chris Heaton-Harris, Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
Also among supporters of Boris Johnson is former home secretary Priti Patel who said he could bring together a united team and lead the UK to a stronger and more prosperous future.
An ally of former home secretary Suella Braverman told the PA news agency she had been ""heavily courted"" by both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak and was likely to decide who to back on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Andrea Leadsom, former business secretary, said Ms Mordaunt was the unifying candidate; an experienced minister and a ""robust Brexiteer"".
Writing in the Express on Sunday, Ms Mordaunt set out her plan to ""unite the party and the country"" and said the Tories had ""let ourselves become distracted by internal disputes"".
She stressed the need to ""make Brexit work"", ""focus on the potential of all our citizens"" and ""defend our Union and its territorial integrity"".
Conservative MP Bob Seely said ""I think we owe the country a collective responsibility to apologise"" and said he believes Ms Mordaunt has the best chance of providing ""unity and leadership"" within the party.
Mr Johnson's potential bid to return to power comes just seven weeks after his final day in No 10.
His successor, Liz Truss, is the UK's shortest-serving prime minister, stepping down after 45 days in power.
She announced her resignation on Thursday, after a series of humiliating U-turns forced on her by an adverse reaction to her tax policies in the financial markets."	/news/uk-politics-63361384
politics	Housing: Welsh family 'may have to move to Scotland'	"Sarah has been trying to find a home for her family after being given a no-fault eviction
A family-of-eight fear having to split up or move to Scotland due to a ""housing crisis"" in Wales. 
Sarah and Geraint, from Anglesey, said the only suitable housing for their six children is hundreds of miles away from family.
Almost 90,000 Welsh households are on a social housing waiting list and charities predict this is set to rise. 
Welsh government said it was ""committed to supporting the housing sector"" amid ""significant demand"".
In June, the family, who live in Llangristiolus, were given a no-fault eviction - where a landlord can evict a tenant without a specific reason. 
were given two months to vacate their home after the landlord's circumstances changed.
Sarah said they were ""desperately trying to find houses around here,"" but they fear ""the council has nothing"".
""All they can offer is a hostel, B&B, or Premier Inn. They haven't got a place big enough for all of us,"" she said.
Sarah does not want to split up her children Michael,18, Alfie, 13, Matilda, 12, Sofia, eight, Freddie, five and Liberty, two.
Anyone over 16 can ask the local council for support to help find affordable housing. However, council housing properties usually have a long waiting list.
Research by Shelter Cymru and BBC found the list stood at 65,000 households in 2018, but figures obtained by the BBC show it is now 40% higher in 2022 at about 89,200 households.
Sarah said the emotional strain has been particularly tough on her husband, who has a history of mental health issues.
She said: ""His mental health had begun to improve after the pandemic, but got worse when we were evicted. Some days he's confined to his bed.""
It means she is bringing in the family's sole income, and worries this is affecting their chances of securing a home.
""When they see there's six children and only one of us working they're not going to go with us,"" she said.
re now considering a move to Scotland, which would mean ending the children's Welsh-language education and moving away from family.
""We're all stressed and getting angry with each other, it's just not nice,"" she said.
""Why aren't there any more houses? Why isn't someone doing things to make this possible?""
She added her ""life was over"" if she needs to move and she wants to see ""urgent action"".
Anglesey council said it had seen an ""unprecedented amount of no-fault evictions being issued"".
A spokesperson said: ""Under no circumstances would we threaten to split any household in order to provide emergency accommodation.""
In Wales, Newport had the highest number of people waiting per household with seven in every 50 households on the list, followed by Merthyr Tydfil, the Vale of Glamorgan and Blaenau Gwent.
Newport Council said the area is dealing with ""unprecedented demand"" and ""the availability of accommodation is simply not keeping pace with demand"".
: ""There was an increase in the number of households presenting as homeless and this has continued because of the current financial crisis.'
""Like many other areas around the country - we're facing a housing crisis that has not been experienced for many decades.""
Housing charity Shelter Cymru has warned that the numbers of people waiting to access suitable housing is going to get much worse.
Chief executive Ruth Power said: ""We're in a housing emergency.
""Based on the really significant increases over the last four years, and in the context of a cost of living and housing crisis, we would expect to see these figures rising.
""For months and years [families are] living in very poor conditions, because that's all [they] can afford or find.""
rity said it has more than 8,000 people in temporary accommodation, in addition to 89,000 households on waiting lists.
Ms Power added: ""It is an enormous concern if we were to have further families tipped into homelessness.
""There is a need to intervene.""
Welsh government last year doubled its spending on social housing for rent, committing an initial £250m in 2021-2022 for 20,000 new low carbon homes.
But last week in the Senedd the housing minister, Julie James, said that target was ""hanging by a thread"" because of the economy.
She blamed the cost of living crisis - as well as problems in the construction industry - which were contributing to a ""perfect storm of misery"".
Community Housing Cymru - which represents housing associations in Wales, also has concerns.
It said housing associations are struggling to cope with the demand in house building due to rising costs.
Deputy chief executive Clarissa Corbisiero said: ""We're seeing the impact of three crises in a short period of time: the public health crisis; an energy bills crisis; and a wider cost of living crisis.
""All governments need to recognise the challenge has changed and we need to see urgent action.""
She added meeting the demand ""is going to require housing associations and social landlords to really scale up the number of homes"".
""That's not easy. It's never been more difficult to build homes in Wales. Costs have increased significantly. We're also seeing challenges with delays in the supply chain.
""It's really concerning.""
A Welsh government spokesman said: ""We believe everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home and are committed to supporting the housing sector during this period of significant demand in both the social and private rented sector.
""We are providing a record £310m for social housing this financial year, together with more than £190m for homelessness prevention and housing support - all of which supports our ambition to end homelessness and deliver 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent in the social sector during this government term."""	/news/uk-wales-63373590
politics	Cost of living: Wales' social housing rent rises limited to 6.5%	"Rent increases for social housing tenants will be capped at 6.5% from 2023, the Welsh government has said.
re will also be no evictions for cash-strapped tenants who talk to their landlords.
Social landlords have promised to invest in existing homes, according to the Welsh government.
Community Housing Cymru, which represents Wales' housing associations, said 75% of tenants have all or some of their rent paid by benefits.
Minister Julie James said: ""No social tenant will experience any change in their rent until April 2023, but I do need to set rents for the next financial year now to give the sector time to plan.""
She added that tenants who paid their own rent need to be protected from slipping into financial difficulties while trying to keep a roof over their head.
Welsh Conservatives housing spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said it was disappointing rent caps were being used to combat rent rises which she blamed on a ""Labour-made housing crisis"".
She claimed only 6,000 houses were being built every year which was ""less than half of what we need"".
""Labour must address the root of the housing crisis in Wales and not look to paper over the cracks that they themselves have caused,"" she said.
Plaid Cymru's housing and planning spokesman, Mabon ap Gwynfor, said it was important the 6.5% figure was not used as a target.
He urged housing associations to create support funds to help tenants in need who were not on benefits.
He said: ""During this cost-of-living crisis, it's important that Welsh government does all it can to protect all tenants and I would urge them to immediately bring in a ban on all evictions over this winter period."""	/news/uk-wales-politics-63653568
politics	Loyalists: Police say rising tensions remain under close watch	"Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) does not believe loyalist paramilitary groups, based on a current assessment, will break their 1994 ceasefires.
But it does acknowledge tension within loyalist communities has risen lately.
Much of this is down to talk, before being corrected, of joint London-Dublin rule being imposed.
""As a collective, they are not moving to a more 'military' footing,"" a senior security source said.
ment involved the input of the security service, MI5.
w development as far as evaluating whether loyalist groups, principally the UVF and the UDA, pose any national security threat.
But the fact this is being briefed out is a warning they are being watched very closely.
MI5 operations in Northern Ireland have historically been much more focused on dissident republican groups.
guage and the sentiment of a recent letter from the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) to Unionist leaders, which spoke of ""dire consequences"", was not new.
Irish ministers were first told they were not welcome in Northern Ireland in June 2021 and months prior to that, the UK Government was informed the basis of the ceasefires had been undermined by the Irish Sea border.
Among LCC members are representatives of the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando - proscribed organisations, significant elements of which remain deeply involved in criminality, such as drug dealing and extortion, and who continue to recruit.
LCC was formed in 2015 to address social issues in loyalist communities and help reduce paramilitary activity.
During the course of the last two years, the LCC, a legal organisation, has met Northern Ireland Office officials, Lord Frost, when he was Brexit minister, and the DUP.
So what was behind the latest letter?
""A lot of it was sabre-rattling,"" said one person aware of loyalist thinking.
uggested reports of an aborted attack in the Republic of Ireland the week before last were ""a bit of an exaggeration"".
Alluding to this, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne told Thursday's Policing Board meeting that while the PSNI could not have full knowledge of everything, there was a gap between what was stated and what loyalists had the ""capability and capacity"" to do.
For context, there has not been any significant street disorder in Northern Ireland since April 2021 and this was followed by two bus hijackings that November, both blamed on the UVF.
f note was the elaborate bomb hoax, again said to involve the UVF, targeting a visit to north Belfast by the Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney in March.
re is a belief in security circles that dozens of peaceful anti-Protocol demonstrations which took place up until the summer provided a kind of release valve for simmering anger and frustration.
A source said: ""They are happy the DUP has given no ground on the protocol or a return to Stormont. 
""At the minute it is watch and react.""
re are also suggestions that UVF and UDA leadership figures from the troubles era have tried to keep a brake on things, as was referenced in the last year's report by the International Reporting Commission.
But this could become harder to manage.
Beneath the headline of ceasefires holding, there is a current concern, one which may develop, or ease, depending on how the politics of the protocol ultimately plays out.
It is based on loyalism not being a cohesive body.
PSNI remains alive to the possibility that individuals could act and of a possible breakaway element which older leadership figures could not push back against.
""Tension has increased in the last couple of weeks. There's definitely been a turning up of the dial,"" a senior officer said.
""Our antenna is up and we are pro-actively monitoring things.""
At the Policing Board meeting, Simon Byrne stressed that he was not ""a soothsayer"" and the security picture he outlined is rooted firmly in the present.
He called for rhetoric to be calmed down - and provided a security assessment which appeared to match."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63514656
politics	Schools: Teacher prepared to strike despite feeling guilty	"rs to vote on strike: ""It's about safeguarding education""
A teacher said she's prepared to strike, despite feeling guilty about pupils who could lose out on education.
Lowri Lewis Williams, from Denbighshire, said strikes were needed to ""safeguard the future of teaching"".
It comes as teachers in Wales and other parts of the UK are being asked to vote on industrial action after being offered below-inflation pay rises.
It could lead to strikes in the new year after unions rejected a 5% pay offer from the Welsh government.
Union boss Neil Butler said the offer was ""not good enough"" and amounts to a 5% decrease given inflation.
Education Minister Jeremy Miles said the unions' demands were reasonable but a bigger increase was unaffordable.
wo biggest teaching unions start sending ballots to members this week, with others due to follow.
""Teachers have had their pay eroded by inflation for the last 12 years,"" said Mr Butler, of the NASUWT teachers union.
""In fact, teachers' pay has been eroded to the point of 25%, they've lost a quarter of their wage in the last 12 years, enough is enough."" 
In July, the Welsh government accepted the recommendations of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, which said teachers should get a 5% pay rise this year with the possibility of a further 3.5% uplift next year.
It would mean starting salaries for new teachers would rise to £28,866, before rising to a minimum of £30,000 next year. 
rs' pay depends on their experience and any extra responsibilities they take on - salaries for more experienced classroom teachers would rise to £44,450.
Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies' Luke Sibieta suggested it amounted to a 3% pay cut after inflation and a 10% reduction since 2010.
""[Morale] is extremely low. And teachers are not just worried about their own positions, they're worried about the future of the education service,"" added Mr Butler.
""We think our ask is extremely reasonable, we want to sit around a table and say if you can't afford 12% what are you going to offer? Because 5% frankly isn't good enough.""
Helen Johns, a teacher and union rep from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said their pay had dropped in value for the past 12 years.
""I feel very strongly that enough is enough,"" she said.
""The system wouldn't run if there wasn't goodwill from teachers - and I think our goodwill has been taken advantage of. 
""Youngsters aren't coming into the profession.
""If we don't stand up now I think we're selling teachers in the future down the river"".
Using another measure of inflation, she said the actual drop in real terms was closer to 20%.
Andrea Jones, a secondary school teacher from Abercrave, Powys, said several teachers she knew left the profession recently for jobs less stress and more pay.
""We have people who are bringing in breakfasts for children, we have people who are bringing in clothes and they simply can't afford it.
""But they are trying to do the best for the people in their care.""
With inflation currently running at 10% NASUWT, which represents Helen and Andrea, said the 5% pay offer would lead to ""more financial misery for hardworking teachers"".
National Education Union, also due to start balloting this week, said members had been ""undervalued for too long"".
School leaders represented by the National Association of Headteachers will also be asked whether they want to take industrial action for the first time in their history.
m was at breaking point because of the big reforms to education such as the new curriculum, combined with problems in recruiting and keeping staff and underfunding of schools.
Most unions are balloting members on the possibility of strike action as well as industrial action short of a strike which could mean sticking to contracted duties only.
riking would be a last resort. The last large scale strike action was in 2008.
Parent Andrew Couvret, from Cardiff, said he hoped the pay dispute was resolved soon.
""My daughter's 13 and with all the time they've had off with Covid I don't think it's the best time to be doing it.""
He said he appreciated the rising cost of living was having an impact ""but I don't think it's in the best interests of the children"".
mportance of teachers should be recognised, according to Amy Owen, also from Cardiff.
""In order for them to do their job properly and feel valued they need to be paid properly.""
ucation minister wrote to unions saying expecting pay to rise with inflation was ""perfectly reasonable"" but impossible without a big increase in the Welsh government budget.
""It is a disgrace the UK government has left us in such an impossible position,"" Mr Miles wrote.
In response, the Treasury said responsibility for funding public services was devolved.
""We have provided the Welsh government with a record £18bn per year for the next three years - the highest spending review settlement since devolution,"" a spokesman said.
Unions insist any pay offer should be fully-funded by government and not come out of individual school budgets.
It is not clear to what extent funding the pay offer will fall directly on schools rather than councils.
Mr Sibieta said ""school finances will be extremely tight"" with extra costs for pay on top of higher energy and food prices."	/news/uk-wales-63400434
politics	Welsh budget: Don't expect new cash, says Mark Drakeford	"re will not be ""much new money for even the most urgent of purposes"", in the Welsh government's budget next week, the first minister has warned.
g plans had ""undoubtedly been the most difficult"" since powers moved from Westminster to Cardiff Bay in 1999, Mark Drakeford said.
Inflation has more than swallowed up Welsh ministers' extra cash from Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement last month.
Finance Minister Rebecca Evans will publish the budget on Tuesday.
In the 2022-23 budget, Ms Evans announced a bumper increase for the Welsh NHS to tackle record waiting times created by Covid, and a big spending boost for local councils.
Addressing the committee for the scrutiny of the first minister on Friday, Mr Drakeford warned Members of the Senedd that plans for the 2023-24 financial year would be very different.
""The budget round which will culminate in the draft budget that we will lay in front of the Senedd next week is the most challenging that I've ever been involved in and I've been involved, I think, in every single one since the start of devolution, one way or another,"" he said.
""The debate has almost never been about where we can find more money, the debate has almost always been about how we can manage to sustain the level of investment that we currently make in different public services in Wales.
""So I mustn't hold out any false hopes for members this morning that there will be much new money for even the most urgent of purposes.""
finance minister will set out the budget in the Welsh Parliament on Tuesday afternoon."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63918978
politics	Cost of living: Heating payments for those on benefits to stop	"Warm home payments of £200 to help those in Wales on benefits keep the heating on will stop next year.
f the £90m winter fuel support scheme was confirmed in the Welsh government budget published on Tuesday.
But other funding to help people through the cost of living crisis is being expanded, the government said.
-off fuel payments were available through councils in addition to UK government support to help people with the spike in energy prices.
were extended to more people in July, making them available to 422,000 households on a range of benefits.
Luke Young, assistant director of debt advice charity Citizens Advice Cymru, said the decision would leave a ""bigger gap in low income household budgets"".
Welsh government said the budget will support the most vulnerable people, but the fuel scheme was limited to two years and ""current financial pressures do not enable an extension to that scheme in 2023/24"".
Its spokespeople said other programmes would put money back in people's pockets, such as the pupil development grant which helps children from lower-income families.
A fund for emergency payments for people in hardship is being nearly doubled next year to meet growing demand.
Almost £20m has gone to 173,650 people so far this year from the discretionary assistance fund, and an extra £18.8m will be paid next year.
Welsh government said it faced calls to make the ""vital lifeline"" even bigger, but ""our funding settlement does not meet all the budgetary and inflationary pressures we face"".
Labour has blamed the UK government for failing to provide Wales with a budget that keeps up with soaring inflation.
Opponents point out the Welsh government could use its income tax-varying powers to top-up funding.
But Finance Minister Rebecca Evans left income tax rates unchanged in her budget."	/news/uk-wales-63971585
politics	Conservative Gareth Davies apologises for storming out of Senedd	"Watch the moment Gareth Davies storms out of the Welsh Parliament chamber
A politician has apologised after he stormed out of the Welsh Parliament's chamber.
Conservative Vale of Clwyd Member of the Senedd (MS) Gareth Davies left during health questions after slamming his file on his desk.
Llywydd (presiding officer) Elin Jones said she would not call him to speak again until he had apologised.
One Labour MS was said to have moved seats because she felt threatened by his outburst.
Welsh Conservatives later said Mr Davies had apologised to both the Llywydd and the Labour MS involved.
Mr Davies had been asking Health Minister Eluned Morgan about plans to build a community hospital in his Vale of Clwyd constituency.
He said people had been ""promised this for a decade without a spade going in the ground or any tangible evidence that this Welsh government is doing anything"".
But Ms Morgan asked why she was answering questions from the Conservatives' spokesman on care, rather than health. 
Llywydd said political parties could decide who asks questions on their behalf.
Shortly after, Mr Davies threw a file stand to the floor, and his file to his desk, and could be heard saying ""grow up"" and ""I'm tired of this"". 
Llywydd said the minister did not need to answer his final question ""because things have got out of order"".
She asked Mr Davies to leave quietly, at which point he walked out saying: ""I will leave. It's an affront to democracy.""
Later, Labour MS Joyce Watson said one of her colleagues felt so threatened she had to move.
""I've never ever experienced behaviour like that in this chamber,"" she said.
Labour North Wales MS Carolyn Thomas was seen to move away from her seat near Mr Davies.
Llywydd said it was an ""unacceptable outburst by the member"" which ""shook us all at the time, not only those in close proximity"".
She added: ""I will expect an apology from Gareth Davies before he is called again in this chamber.
""That apology will be to me but it will be for all of us.
""Our expectations are high in this place and one member failed to reach that expectation of behaviour this afternoon.""
A Welsh Conservative Senedd spokesman said: ""Gareth has apologised to the chair and to Carolyn. He makes no apologies for raising legitimate questions with Labour ministers.
""The member was reflecting the frustration felt by many people in Wales about Labour's management of our health service."""	/news/uk-wales-politics-63654594
politics	Housing target vote faces delay over Tory revolt	"government is set to delay a vote on its housebuilding plans amid the threat of a backbench rebellion.
Some 47 Conservative MPs have signed an amendment to the Levelling Up Bill which would ban mandatory housing targets in England.
ue to come on the second day of the bill's report stage, which is scheduled for Monday.
A government source told the BBC it ""may slip"" but was still expected before Christmas.
urce blamed it on a ""congested parliamentary timetable"" due to votes on last week's Autumn Statement.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove had been expected to meet Conservative MPs in an attempt to head off the brewing backlash.
Downing Street earlier said it remained committed to the target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s.
Levelling Up Bill is a piece of flagship legislation intended to deal with regional inequalities, but also contains a number of planning measures.
An amendment signed by the 47 Tory MPs would ban government-calculated housing targets from influencing planning applications.
It would also scrap the current system under which local councils have to maintain a rolling five-year stock of land for future development.
Other amendments tabled by rebels would create stricter time-limits for developers granted planning permission to start building. 
One of the rebels, former minister Damian Green, said central targets ""cannot recognise the different pressures in different parts of the country"".
Writing for the ConservativeHome website, he added that the system needed to ""incentivise developers to build once they have received permission"".
""At the moment there are around a million permissions for homes granted, but where no home has been built,"" he added.
However, the amendment was criticised by fellow Tory MP Simon Clarke, until recently the levelling up secretary under former prime minister Liz Truss.
Writing on Twitter, he said abandoning targets was not the right response to ""inappropriate development"" that had ""poisoned the debate"" over housing.
He added that the move would ""wreck"" levels of housebuilding that were ""already too low"".
""We need to recognise the fundamental inter-generational unfairness we will be worsening and perpetuating,"" he added.
""Economically and socially it would be disastrous. Politically it would be insane.""
A No 10 spokesman said the government wanted to ""work constructively to ensure we build more of the homes in the right places"". 
government has a manifesto commitment to build 300,000 new homes every year in England by the mid-2020s.
Under the current system, councils are meant to plan to build a certain number of homes using a government-set formula for housing need.
rgets are then supposed to be incorporated into local plans for housebuilding drawn up by councils.
Where councils fail to keep these plans up to date, planning guidance makes it harder for them to block new developments.
Under Boris Johnson, the government had planned to create ""binding"" housebuilding targets as part of a new planning system based on zones.
However, the proposals were later dropped after a backlash from Conservative MPs."	/news/uk-politics-63720128
politics	Dominic Raab: Five more complaints about justice secretary being investigated, No 10 says	"Five further complaints about Dominic Raab's behaviour as a minister are being investigated, No 10 has said. 
rime minister's official spokesman said the claims related to Mr Raab's previous tenure as justice secretary. 
It means a total of eight complaints are now being investigated by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC. 
Mr Raab, who was reappointed by Rishi Sunak as justice secretary and deputy prime minister in October, has denied allegations of bullying. 
Appearing in front of Parliament's Joint Human Rights Committee on Wednesday, Mr Raab said he had ""behaved professionally throughout"". 
He told MPs he welcomed the investigation so he could deal with claims ""transparently"", rather than through ""tittle tattle that's anonymously leaked to the media"". 
MP for Esher and Walton previously served as justice secretary and deputy prime minister under Boris Johnson. 
A close ally of Mr Sunak, Mr Raab was sacked from those roles when Liz Truss became prime minister in September. 
ree complaints already under investigation related to his time as foreign secretary and Brexit secretary, as well as at the Ministry of Justice. 
A spokesman for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was ""pretty shocking"" that no action had been taken against Mr Raab and called for him to be suspended.
He said it was ""a consequence of having a weak prime minister"" that Mr Raab continued to serve in government while complaints about his behaviour were investigated.
Liberal Democrats also called for Mr Raab to step down as justice secretary while the complaints were investigated. 
Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: ""The trickle of allegations about Dominic Raab has turned into a flood and his position is becoming increasingly untenable.""
Asked how Mr Raab could remain in his cabinet role considering the allegations against him, the prime minister's official spokesman said: ""We think it's right there is an independent process, that the investigator looks into these claims thoroughly before coming to a view.""
He added that the investigation would be concluded ""swiftly"". 
Mr Tolley, a commercial and employment law specialist, was appointed by the prime minister to investigate complaints against Mr Raab in November. 
He was chosen to lead the investigation because the role of adviser on ministers' interests has been vacant since Lord Geidt's resignation in June. 
wyer will report to Mr Sunak, who will make the final judgement on whether Mr Raab's conduct breached the ministerial code and should be sacked. "	/news/uk-63974978
politics	Can Labour revive its fortunes in Scotland?	"Labour has outlined proposals for a series of constitutional reforms aimed in part at reviving the party's fortunes in Scotland.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the ground on which the battle is fought in Scotland ""is changing forever"", and that his party offers a fresh route through the debate over independence.
But is that true? Can Labour find a ""third way"" over a binary question? Does the party really need to win in Scotland to retake power - and how likely is that?
Labour is looking to the next general election, crafting a platform that it hopes can win back power - by promising to spread that power out around the country.
Many of the proposals laid out in a report by Gordon Brown are about reforming Westminster, such as by replacing the House of Lords, or by strengthening devolution to different regions of England.
When it comes to Scotland, and indeed Wales and Northern Ireland, the biggest reforms of devolution have already happened - driven by a Labour government, as party leader Sir Keir Starmer is keen to stress.
But it means there are not many big-ticket items left to promise. Perhaps the headline measure promised for Scotland is a more explicit devolved veto over Westminster lawmaking which crosses into devolved areas. 
gnificant development which would better allow Holyrood to push back on things like Brexit, but it is still fairly niche stuff.
me goes for ideas like extra legal protection for MSPs to speak out in parliament and a consultation on raising the ceiling for Holyrood's capital borrowing.
rall package and the broad promise of a reformed UK is a compelling alternative to what the other parties are pitching - independence under the SNP, or the status quo under the Conservatives.
With plans for an independence referendum in October 2023 having hit the buffers, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she will use the next election as a single-issue poll on the constitutional issue.
rospect of such a campaign makes it particularly important for Labour to have a convincing and consistent policy to pitch on the doorsteps.
roader proposition than just taking a side on the binary issue of independence. Labour needs to regain votes lost to both ends of the constitutional spectrum since the 2014 referendum, with the SNP and Tories having mopped up support as the parties of Yes and No.
And the party hopes its devolution-plus proposal means it will be able to talk about all kinds of other things during the campaign. Mr Brown highlighted the health service, youth employment, housing and living standards as particular examples.
SNP would not ignore such issues even if it did run on a one-line manifesto, of course. It's just that the party's answer would be that all of them could be enhanced using the powers of independence.
Labour's plan is to find a position that it can sell as less of a gamble than leaving the UK, but still a convincing step up from how things stand now.
And if they can pull it off, the prize for them would be twofold - in that it could kybosh the SNP's drive for independence at the same time as helping to retake Downing Street.
SNP are clearly alive to the potential challenge a Labour revival would pose to their project. That's why they are already painting their red rivals as a Tory-lite midwife of Brexit, hoping to find an attack line that sticks ahead of the big electoral test.
Labour leaders often say they need to win in Scotland again if they are to win back power. But are they right?
Certainly, the party's spell in the wilderness of Westminster opposition has coincided with a collapse in representation north of the border, with a single Scottish Labour MP clinging on compared to the scores returned in years gone by.
But because its former dominance has been supplanted by the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon's party has traded on the idea that this doesn't affect the balance at Westminster - because SNP MPs would not vote for a Conservative prime minster.
way they can continue to pitch themselves as the core anti-Tory vote north of the border, and could even end up in an influential position in a hung parliament.
rospect already being weaponised in Conservative campaigning, which is why Sir Keir has taken such a firm line on there being ""no deals"" with the SNP.
Of course, he would far rather win a majority on his own, without having to rely on support from any other party.
And given their recent history and enmity, trust is not at an all-time high between Labour and the SNP.
SNP has not always been as fervently anti-Tory as it is now; the parties routinely did budget deals when the SNP first took power  at Holyrood, when they shared an enjoyment of giving Labour a bloody nose.
And some students of Labour history still mutter about 1979, when the SNP's 11 MPs went through the voting lobbies with the Conservatives to hasten the demise of James Callaghan's government.
So there is more politics to this than the bare numbers might suggest.
rty's UK-wide polling has been strong in the wake of a Conservative meltdown which claimed the careers of two prime ministers in two months.
But when we do eventually get to an election, Labour does not have a huge list of obvious target seats in Scotland.
re are four constituencies with SNP majorities of under 10% where Labour was the runner up last time out - and oddly enough, in three of them the sitting MP has since left the party.
wo defected to Alba (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, SNP majority 2.6%; and East Lothian, SNP majority 6.6%), while the member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (SNP majority 9.7%) was found guilty of breaching Covid regulations.
r realistic target is Glasgow North East, an SNP majority of 7.5% - which has technically changed hands at every election since 2005, when it was held by the Commons Speaker Michael Martin.
Every other constituency that Labour might be looking at has a double-digit majority. Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill is the next most marginal, at 11.7%.
And they are not close to challenging in any of the seats held by the Conservatives, all of which are straight fights between the SNP and Tories.
re are more possibilities when you look to the 2017 polls, when there were 26 seats where Labour was within relative touching distance of the SNP, including four which it won and six where the SNP majority was under 2%.
As it stands, it might be fair to conclude that Labour's revival in the polls has more to do with Tory troubles than bold new policy ideas.
r has been in the pipeline for almost two years, and doesn't include much that's particularly new or surprising. Getting rid of the Lords would be a big step, but reform of that institution has been chewed over for years.
't mean this kind of announcement isn't important, though. Sir Keir knows his party needs substance to its platform, and in Scotland the constitution is an absolutely key part of that.
In the elections since the 2014 referendum, the SNP has campaigned as the party of Yes to independence, the Tories as the party of No, and Labour as the party of ""wouldn't you rather talk about something else""?
may persist in some ways. The party's position may well still be that other topics are more worthy of attention, and indeed it may be that they prove more compelling for the electorate next time around.
But in trying to carve out a particular position of their own, Labour are now seeking to play an active role in the constitutional debate rather than duck it altogether."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63312368
politics	Energy advice: Sunak to expand tips campaign to lower bills	"Rishi Sunak's government is drawing up plans to expand a public information campaign aimed at helping households reduce their energy use this winter.
A website has already been launched with tips such as switching off radiators and turning down boilers.
A government source told the BBC plans to step up the campaign were in the ""design phase"".
f the publicity blitz has yet to be revealed but ministers say they want to keep it to a minimum.
A Times report suggested the campaign could cost £25m and would involve broadcast adverts, social media messaging and online advice.
wspaper suggested celebrities would be recruited to deliver money-saving advice, but government sources have said this was ""unlikely"".
governments of Germany, France and other European countries have been promoting similar campaigns to save energy, but the UK has been slow on the up-take.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss was reported to have been ""ideologically opposed"" to such a campaign, fearing it would be too interventionist, or ""nanny state"".
But her government rowed back on that position last month and said it was considering how to expand the existing Help for Households website.
Ms Truss's successor as PM, Mr Sunak, and his ministers appear to be more comfortable with steering people towards advice on how to reduce their energy consumption.
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said: ""What we will be doing and should be doing is pointing people towards authoritative sources of advice on how to minimise energy usage.""
government says the Help for Households website includes simple actions people can take to save further money on their energy bills if they wish to.
ude:
A government spokesperson said while everyone has different energy needs, ""we recognise that people may be interested to learn more about how they can further cut their bills"".
""Our existing public information campaign, Help for Households, is driving up the public's awareness of all the support available to help them with the cost of living, including saving money on energy bills. We continue to look at ways to further promote energy savings,"" the spokesperson said.
government has capped the amount per unit of energy suppliers can charge consumers so that a typical bill remains at £2,500 a year until the end of March.
But help with energy costs will be less generous from April, with bills for a typical household going up to £3,000.
Office for Budget Responsibility says total support for energy costs is expected to cost the government £43.2bn this year.
ut costs at a time of economic downturn, Mr Sunak's government has introduced a drive to reduce household energy consumption.
In his Autumn Statement this month, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced plans shave £450 off the average household bill by increasing the energy efficiency of homes and businesses.
He said a further £6bn would be made available to fund improvements in energy efficiency from 2025.
Homes in the UK among the worst insulated in Europe, leaving the country exposed to the high heating bills expected this winter.
On Wednesday, Mr Hunt described cutting energy use as a ""national mission"" to stop the UK being ""blackmailed"" by the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
war in Ukraine has tightened supplies of gas, which the UK is heavily reliant on for heating and powering its homes and businesses.
Mr Hunt told MPs ""in the end everyone is going to have to take responsibility for their energy bills"" and consider how to cut their consumption."	/news/uk-63754094
politics	Bird flu a 'massive worry' for Wales' poultry farms	"Bird flu is a ""massive worry"" for poultry farms, compounding problems due to rising costs, one farmer has said.
Victoria Shervington-Jones, from Country Fresh Eggs in Newport, has welcomed new measures requiring farms to keep birds indoors and separated from wild birds from 2 December.
In Wales, bird flu cases have been found in Anglesey, Gwynedd, Flintshire and Pembrokeshire.
""It's getting closer,"" Ms Shervington-Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
""On top of all the other pressures that are going on with a rising cost to the industry, it's just a compounding issue.""
She said it was important that Wales followed similar rules put in place in England to try to contain the problem, as have other poultry farmers in Wales.
From 2 December, it will be a legal requirement in Wales for all bird keepers to keep birds indoors, or otherwise separate from wild birds.
Keepers must also complete and act upon a bespoke biosecurity review of the premises where birds are kept, according to the Welsh government announcement.
Ms Shervington-Jones explained how sheds housing almost 40,000 birds have been secured to prevent wild birds from entering, while staff also wore bio security outfits to prevent carrying the virus inside.
""We're keeping everyone off the farm that doesn't need to be on here,"" she said."	/news/uk-wales-63766608
politics	Speaker: No evidence of bullying during fracking vote	"Sir Lindsay Hoyle has told MPs that ""the atmosphere was tense"" during the fracking vote last month.
He said there was no evidence ""of any bullying or undue influence placed on other members"". 
""It is important that we treat each other with respect,"" he reminded the House of Commons."	/news/uk-politics-63477462
politics	What's the gap between public and private sector pay?	"A series of strikes has focused attention on the gap between pay in the public and private sectors. 
Public-sector employees are generally those paid directly by the state such as teachers and members of the armed forces. All others work in the private sector.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that private sector pay grew 6.9% between August and October 2022 while public sector pay grew 2.7%, and that this was among the largest differences ever seen between the two.
But both figures are still well below inflation - the rate at which prices are currently rising.
How much public-sector pay goes up usually depends on the recommendations of the Pay Review Bodies.
In several years since 2010, there have been public sector pay freezes or rises limited to 1%. 
rt shows average weekly pay for public and private-sector workers, excluding bonuses, adjusted for rising prices.
If you look at the total pay figures, which include bonuses, private sector pay has actually overtaken public sector pay. 
's because private sector workers are much more likely to receive bonuses than public sector workers and bonuses have been relatively high this year, particularly in finance and business services.
On the other hand, the figures do not reflect the fact that public sector workers tend to have considerably better pension provision than private sector workers.
reasury said that freezing pay in 2020-21 had helped ""to ensure fairness between the private and public sector"".
Regular pay is still higher in the public sector, but whether that is fair is a tricky question.
As the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says, public-sector workers are more likely to be highly educated professionals who command higher wages in the labour market. 
So the problem with comparing average earnings for the public and private sector is that highly educated professionals would be expected to be earning more.
IFS also calculates the percentage gap between public and private sector pay if you take into account characteristics such as a worker's education and experience, which is the red line in the chart below. 
Public-sector pay was frozen from 2011-13 and then capped at a 1% annual increase until 2018. 
As a result, the difference between public and private-sector pay has narrowed since 2011, such that in 2019-20, there was no gap once you took into account their characteristics.
In 2020-21, the gap increased somewhat, indicating that the public sector workers on average had a better year than the private sector.
And we know that employees in the public sector worked hard during the pandemic, weren't generally furloughed and were less likely to lose their jobs than those in the private sector.
But in 2021-22, the difference became negative, meaning that private sector workers were being paid more on average if you adjusted for their characteristics.
It is not entirely straightforward working this out. 
reasingly been the case as successive governments have paid private-sector companies to carry out lower-paid jobs such as cleaning, security or catering. 
Since privatisation in 2013, Royal Mail workers have counted as private sector workers.
University lecturers also count as private sector workers, but that may be reviewed in 2023.
Rail workers employed by Network Rail were counted as part of the public sector from 2013, and those employed by most of the train operating companies were moved to the public sector in July 2020, after emergency measures were brought in during lockdown. 
But many station cleaners, who have been outsourced to private companies, are counted as private sector workers, as are staff at some operators such as Hull Trains and Eurostar.
IFS found that after adjusting for workers' characteristics, the lower-paid half of public-sector employees are paid on average more than their private sector counterparts, while the higher paid half are paid less.
Higher paid public sector employees are more likely to be paid less than private sector workers with similar characteristics.
IFS warned: ""The continuing fall in public sector pay relative to the private sector poses recruitment and retention challenges for public services, and could threaten the government's ability to deliver on its public service objectives.""
Of course, the attractiveness of a job is not just about the amount you are paid.
xcludes pension provision, bonuses and overtime payments, which are not the same in the public and private sectors.
Also, one thing that the pandemic highlighted was the greater job security in the public sector, especially because those in the public sector were more likely to be classified as key workers.
And while unemployment is currently low, job security may become more of an issue as the country enters recession. 
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politics	Jeremy Hunt: Everyone will have to pay more tax	"Jeremy Hunt says he wants to make sure any recession is short and shallow
Everyone will have to pay more tax under plans due to be announced on Thursday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says. 
Offering a message few ministers would risk saying out loud, Mr Hunt told the BBC: ""I've been explicit that taxes are going to go up.""
He confirmed he would be giving details about further help for those struggling with energy bills, but warned there had to be constraints on help.
Labour accused the Conservatives of making a ""total mess"" of the economy.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Mr Hunt was choosing to tax working people, while doing ""little to close tax loopholes which mean some of the wealthiest don't pay their fair share"". 
Mr Hunt was speaking to the BBC just days before he is due to deliver his tax and spending plans in Parliament as part of the Autumn Statement. 
BBC has been told the chancellor is set to announce spending cuts of about £35bn and plans to raise £20bn in tax.
It comes as the UK faces major economic challenges, with soaring living costs and a warning from the Bank of England that the country is facing its longest recession since records began.
It also follows the mini-budget of former Prime Minister Liz Truss and her then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, which led to market turmoil and a jump in government borrowing costs. Many of those policies have since been reversed by Mr Hunt. 
Independent forecasts are understood to have identified a gap of around £55bn in the public finances - although some economists have questioned the size of the 'black hole'. 
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hunt acknowledged his plans would ""disappoint people"" - but he promised to protect the ""most vulnerable"". 
""We have a plan to see us through choppy waters... we will make the recession we are in as short and shallow as possible.""
BBC has been told Mr Hunt is planning to freeze tax thresholds - the levels of income at which people begin to pay more tax - until 2028.
While he did not confirm these plans when appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the chancellor said: ""I think I've been completely explicit that taxes are going to go up, and that's a very difficult thing for me to do because I came into politics to do the exact opposite.""
As ever at this stage in the cycle, the occupants of the Treasury are coy about giving any specifics. 
It is also abundantly clear that public services are in for a hard time - with no guarantee there'll be extra cash to help them to cope with the costs of inflation.
Some Conservatives MPs have warned against increasing taxes, with former party leader Iain Duncan Smith telling Sky News it could lead to a ""deeper"" recession. 
Addressing the concerns of his colleagues, Mr Hunt said the previous leadership had tried that approach, ""in other words a plan that doesn't show how, in the long run, we can afford it"".
""We have tried that, we saw it didn't work."" 
With the Conservatives significantly behind in the polls, Mr Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak face a challenge in getting public backing for their proposals. 
Rachel Reeves calls on the chancellor to make ""fair choices"" on the economy
r also made clear that the support people were receiving for energy bills would come to an end for many. 
rgy price guarantee had been due to last for two years, but after taking over from Mr Kwarteng, Mr Hunt announced it would expire in April.
Speaking to the BBC, he said he would set out what further support would be given to those struggling on Thursday. 
However, he emphasised that future help had to be ""done on a sustainable basis"" and there would have to be ""some constraints"".
Asked if he was ditching the energy plan set out by former prime minister Boris Johnson, the chancellor said he admired Mr Johnson's ""big visions"" but added there were elements of ""cakeism"" - a reference to the phrase: ""Have your cake and eat it.""
He said he wanted to ""deliver the exciting things he outlined"" but that actions had to be credible and affordable. 
During his interview, Mr Hunt also accepted that Brexit had had costs for the economy too.
Wrapped up in suggestions that there were lots of opportunities still to come, it is a rare acknowledgement from a Conservative politician.
He said the coronavirus pandemic had prevented the UK from taking advantage of opportunities open to it after leaving the European Union. 
Labour's Rachel Reeves said she recognised there would be ""constraints"" on what the government could do, partly because of ""mistakes the government has made"".
However she added: ""Just because you have to make difficult decisions it doesn't mean you have to make the same decisions."" 
She said Labour had ""no plans"" to raise income tax or national insurance and would focus on closing ""loopholes"" in the tax system.
Liberal Democrat's Treasury spokewoman Sarah Olney said: ""Hardworking families look set to be clobbered with yet more unfair tax hikes because the Conservative party crashed the economy."""	/news/uk-politics-63614124
politics	Jeremy Corbyn: I do not see ex-leader standing for Labour, says Starmer	"Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not see how ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could stand as the party's candidate at the next election.
Mr Corbyn was suspended from Labour in 2020 over his response to a report that found anti-Semitism in its ranks.
rty's governing body reinstated him as a Labour member, but Sir Keir barred him from representing the party.
Mr Corbyn says it would be more democratic for the party's election candidates to be chosen by its members.
x-Labour leader, who has represented Islington North since 1983, could potentially stand as an independent candidate.
He won the seat in 2019 with a 26,000 vote majority and Mr Corbyn remains popular with the left wing of the party who helped propel him to the Labour leadership in 2015.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Keir said: ""I don't see the circumstances in which he will stand at the next election as a Labour MP.""
Asked if he believed Mr Corbyn could stand as an independent against a Labour candidate, he added: ""I can only speak for the Labour Party, I can't speak for Jeremy on this.""
A few hours afterwards, Mr Corbyn tweeted that party members should be able to pick election candidates, set policy and ""decide what their movement stands for"".
Referencing a newly-announced Labour blueprint for transferring power away from Westminster, he added this would ensure ""the same principles of devolution and democracy"" are respected by political parties. 
Mr Corbyn had the whip removed and was suspended by Labour after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that the party had breached the Equalities Act over its handling of complaints of anti-Semitism during Mr Corbyn's time in charge.
In his initial response to the EHRC report, Mr Corbyn claimed the scale of antisemitism in the party had been ""dramatically overstated for political reasons"" by opponents both inside and outside Labour, along with the media.
But he later attempted to clarify his comments in a statement to the party, saying concerns about anti-Semitism were ""neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'"".
A panel made up of members of the party's National Executive Committee readmitted Mr Corbyn to the Labour party a month after he was suspended. After it decided to readmit Mr Corbyn, Sir Keir tweeted that it had been a ""painful day for the Jewish community and those Labour members who have fought so hard to tackle anti-Semitism"".
While sitting as an independent MP, Mr Corbyn has repeatedly clashed with the party's leadership.
In April, he called for Nato be disbanded to ""bring peace"" after the war in Ukraine ends.
At the time Sir Keir said the Labour party's position is ""not to accept the false equivalence between Russian aggression and the acts of Nato"" and to support the transatlantic military alliance."	/news/uk-politics-63857810
politics	UK-Swiss science deal as both barred from EU scheme	"UK and Switzerland are striking a deal on science collaboration as both countries continue to be blocked from a major EU scheme.
Political tensions mean the two nations have been shut out from the EU's multi-billion pound Horizon programme.
re are no fresh funds as part of the UK-Swiss deal.
But Swiss ambassador to the UK Markus Leitner described it as a ""political signal"" to researchers to deepen existing ties and find new projects. 
greement will be finalised on Thursday in London.
UK Science Minister George Freeman said: ""Being a science superpower means deepening our international relationships with leading research and development economies like Switzerland."" 
greement will focus on areas including artificial intelligence and turning academic discoveries into start-up businesses. 
UK and Switzerland have been trying to join the EU's key funding scheme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, which has a budget of €95.5bn (£81.2bn) over the six years to 2027.
But the UK left the EU in January 2020 and membership of Horizon has been held up in a dispute about post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, with London accused of treaty breaches.
Switzerland has never been a member of the European Union, but has dozens of bilateral deals with Brussels instead. Full Swiss participation of Horizon has been blocked after Switzerland rejected plans for an overarching treaty with the EU. 
EU programme brings together leading academic and industrial researchers from across member nations. People based in third countries can participate but cannot usually lead projects or access EU funds.
Ambassador Markus Leitner said the UK-Swiss deal was ""separate"" from its efforts to join Horizon, which remained a ""priority"". 
UK's associate membership to Horizon was agreed in principle under a Brexit treaty, called the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. 
However, the European Commission has repeatedly pointed out that no binding deadline for association was specified within that agreement.
Resulting uncertainty for the sector and fears of a ""brain drain"" mean that ministers say they could soon pursue their own international scheme known as Plan B.
International agreements would form part of that alternative programme, along with new academic fellowships and funding for cutting-edge research. 
But universities have said reverting to Plan B would be a ""second-best"" outcome, while the scale of the Swiss deal is no match for Horizon. 
However, Mr Freeman told the BBC he plans more: ""This Anglo-Swiss agreement is the first of a number I am negotiating. I was recently in Israel, which will follow next."" 
f Universities UK International, Jamie Arrowsmith, welcomed the Swiss deal but said the interests of everybody including global science would be ""best served by all parties agreeing to remove political impediments, and proceeding to ratify UK and Swiss association to Horizon Europe"".
re are jitters within the science and research community that the Treasury could seek to cut the £15bn that was earmarked for Horizon.  
Billions of pounds worth of public spending cuts are expected by the Conservative government on 17 November. "	/news/world-europe-63566579
politics	When will Northern Ireland next go to the polls?	"Voters in Northern Ireland have avoided a return to the polls before Christmas.
But if the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continues to refuse to reform an executive, the Northern Ireland secretary will remain under a duty to call another assembly election next year.
Legislation setting new deadlines is now in force, but it is possible those dates could end up drifting.
xt local government elections could also be rescheduled due to a clash with King Charles III's coronation in May.
Council elections in Northern Ireland take place every four years and the next one is currently scheduled for Thursday, 4 May 2023.
However, the decision to hold King Charles III's coronation ceremony two days later has put a spanner in the works.
Unlike in Great Britain where council elections are also happening, results in Northern Ireland will not be counted overnight.
Counting is not due to begin until the Friday morning.
During the last council elections in 2019, counting continued well into Saturday evening.
rocess can take many hours as results are determined using the proportional representation system of Single Transferable Vote (STV). 
DUP and the Alliance Party's deputy leader, Stephen Farry, have asked if government will change the date of the election to ensure it does not clash with the coronation events, which a number of local politicians would be expected to attend.
Yes, the law allows for this to happen.
It was even referenced by Northern Ireland Minister Lord Caine on Monday when asked by peers if the government intended to do so.
He pointed to Section 84 of the Northern Ireland Act, the legislation underpinning Stormont's institutions after the Good Friday Agreement peace deal was reached in 1998.
wer allows Mr Heaton-Harris to change the date of a council election.
Lord Caine did not commit outright to maintaining the current 4 May date.
Instead, he told peers that the timing of local government elections would be considered in due course, and that there was a ""short window"" to reach a decision.
It is not clear how short or long that window is but it is understood the Electoral Office would need clarity in early 2023, before it begins notifying schools and other centres of the requirements around polling day.
On Thursday, the Northern Ireland secretary also confirmed the government is ""taking soundings"" on whether to change the date of next year's council election. He said that decision would be made after he had spoken to all the political parties at Stormont about it. 
After Mr Heaton-Harris decided not to call a Stormont election before Christmas, he introduced legislation to delay the deadline for reforming a power-sharing government.
It put in place two new dates: initially 8 December, with the option of a six-week extension until 19 January.
In the event that talks between the UK and EU have not made progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol - the reason the DUP has protested and blocked Stormont from functioning - the secretary of state could then face another big decision.
Would he at that point follow through on his legal duty to call a fresh election within 12 weeks, at the latest taking place on 13 April?
ms an unlikely prospect, given it would fall just three days after the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Events marking the anniversary are already being planned and there is speculation of a visit to Northern Ireland by US President Joe Biden.
government could then opt to introduce legislation to push back further the deadline for restoring the executive, although this is an option it said it was not considering for now.
If the executive is not restored and an assembly election is not further delayed, the government could choose to hold it and the local government elections on the same day.
In 2014, council and European Parliament elections were held on the same day although counting of the results took place on separate days.
Carrying out similar plans next year would be less than ideal for electoral staff if they had to manage two counts concurrently.
rospect of 850 council candidates and more than 200 assembly runners canvassing at the same time could also prove challenging.
Difficulties aside, we can rule very little out and it will be up to the government to decide the dates.
For now, watch this space. 
Are you a Northern Ireland business owner being impacted by the political limbo? How would an election affect you? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63902927
politics	Ukraine war: Welsh government scales back services for refugees	"Refugees who fled war-torn Ukraine to live in Wales will have to start paying for laundry and some meals, under new Welsh government plans. 
ges will affect refugees who have been in temporary accommodation for five weeks.
will also be charged a fee if they turn down two offers to rehouse them.
Rooms in hotels, holiday parks and other accommodation are being funded through Wales' super sponsor scheme.
A letter from First Minister Mark Drakeford explaining changes to the scheme was being sent to refugees on Thursday. 
It said the changes were meant to help people into long-term accommodation as early as possible and ""settle into life in our country"".
From January, refugees who have been in Welsh government-funded accommodation for more than five weeks will have meals reduced from three a day to two.
will also have to start paying for their own laundry; free toiletries, sanitary products and nappies will stop; and pet-owners will have to pay for their animals' food and vet bills.
Also after five weeks, refugees who turn down two offers to move on to permanent accommodation will also face a service charge of £25 a week - rising to £37 for a family of four or more. 
ges could affect as many as 1,500 people, once they have been in accommodation for five weeks.
will not be implemented in most places until 9 January, but four councils are piloting accommodation fees from 1 December.
Officials denied the move is intended to save money, but said it will help people integrate into the community.
Welsh government funds the super sponsor scheme, which is distinct from the wider UK government Homes for Ukraine system, although no new visas are being provided because the scheme is paused.
About 1,600 people with Welsh super sponsor visas are yet to come to the UK, but it is not expected all will use them.
It was unable to move people on from initial accommodation - originally dubbed ""welcome centres"" - into other accommodation as fast as it wanted. 
It was initially envisaged they would stay in welcome centres for weeks, but that turned into months, although officials claim the speed that people can move into a supported placement, such as a vetted host placement or the private rented sector, is increasing.
About 800 are said to have gone through that process of moving into different accommodation, with 500 in Wales and the rest elsewhere in the UK. Officials have not been able to provide a breakdown of how many have been given host accommodation, or have found another type of home.
Officials said they want to find ways of increasing people's independence and reduce ""the financial disparity"" that people experience when they move out of Welsh government-funded hotels.
first five weeks of a stay will be like the scheme operates now, with the Welsh government not expecting refugees to pay for the services they receive.
After five weeks, in which time universal credit should be provided if they are eligible, they will be expected to arrange for their clothes to be cleaned themselves, and to pay for at least one meal a day.
Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt told BBC Wales: ""It's really just about making sure they (refugees) have got the essential services and then they can contribute - on universal credit, in jobs.
""Also making sure they can make choices about food and self-catering is really what people want.
""We've got many already in self-catering accommodation.
""It is a way of encouraging and ensuring that independence is gained."" 
In a third phase, the Welsh government will try to find the refugees places to live. If two ""reasonable offers"" are refused, a charge will be levied to help fund councils to source additional offers. 
Some authorities - Wrexham, Monmouthshire, Conwy and Blaenau Gwent - are already piloting the scheme.
re are roughly 1,500 people in initial accommodation, and officials have been unable to provide a figure for how much the Welsh government has spent as a whole.
Ministers are also now looking at getting out of some of their ""spare capacity"", beginning with more ""costly hotels"", officials say.
Meanwhile officials said they would like more hosts to come forward, with currently about 700 waiting to be matched or are in the process of being matched."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63824035
politics	Stormont: Who is minding the shop without any ministers?	"Northern Ireland's ministers left office at the end of October and since then Stormont's nine government departments have been left in the hands of senior civil servants.
But, who are the officials running Northern Ireland?
With no ministers in place, the powers of civil servants are severely limited.
mplement policies previously agreed by politicians and their ability to react to changing circumstances is negligible.
In a statement to BBC News NI, The Executive Office (TEO) outlined how Northern Ireland is currently being run.
""Departments will continue to deliver services as far as possible and business as usual will continue for the majority of services in the immediate future,"" said a spokesperson.
ment spelled out the limitations faced by civil servants.
""The courts have made clear what departments can do in the absence of a minister. The Court of Appeal confirmed in July 2018 that the role of the civil servant is to advise ministers and be accountable to them. 
""The court also stated that any matter, which as a matter of convention or otherwise would normally go before the minister for approval, lies beyond the competence of a department in the absence of a minister.""
So who are Northern Ireland's top civil servants?
Jayne Brady - Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service
Ms Brady became Head of the Civil Service in June 2021 and leads a workforce of 23,000 civil servants.
Unlike most top Stormont officials she was appointed from outside the civil service having previously worked as Belfast City Council's digital innovation commissioner.
She holds an MBE for Services to Economic Development in Northern Ireland and describes herself as ""an engineer at heart"".
Addressing the current challenge facing senior officials Ms Brady said: ""There is no doubt that what we are faced with is very difficult but we will continue to do our best to serve citizens.""
NI Civil Service offers a salary of up to £166,000 for its top job.
Denis McMahon - Permanent Secretary at the Executive Office
role of Permanent Secretary at the Executive Office (TEO) previously included the function of head of the civil service. This changed when Jayne Brady was appointed. 
role was divided and long-term civil servant Denis McMahon became the leading official at TEO.
In normal times, it is the department at the heart of government and headed by the first and deputy first ministers.
EO's official role includes ""the effective operation of the institutions of government in the delivery of an agreed programme for government"" - a tough job given the absence of an executive, or a programme for government.
Mr McMahon was previously permanent secretary at the Department of Agriculture and began his career as a statistician.
His many jobs have included a spell as principal private secretary to former first minister Ian Paisley.
Responsibility at the head of the remaining eight executive departments transferred to their individual permanent secretaries when the politicians lost their ministerial posts.
Some of them have been civil servants for all of their working lives, others have experience working in business, academia and the voluntary sector.
Colum Boyle -  Department for Communities
Mr Boyle was appointed to the top job at the department in April 2022.
He had previously been interim permanent secretary in the Department of Finance.
role of the Department for Communities includes responsibility for the social welfare system, housing and support for local government.
Katrina Godfrey - Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Ms Godfrey is an experienced senior civil servant, having spent three years as permanent secretary at the Department for Infrastructure.
She's the first woman to fill the top job at the Department of Agriculture.
In addition to her Stormont duties, the permanent secretary is a visiting professor at Ulster University where she teaches on the Masters in Public Administration course.
Neil Gibson - Department of Finance 
Mr Gibson was the chief economist for Ireland in the consultancy firm EY before becoming permanent secretary in the department that holds Northern Ireland's purse strings.
He replaced Sue Gray, who had been highly tipped for the post of head of the civil service but subsequently returned to a career in Whitehall.
Neil Gibson is also a visiting professor of Economic Policy at Ulster University.
Mark Browne - Department of Education 
Mr Browne is a familiar figure at Stormont having spent 36 years in the civil service.
He started out as a statistician in the Department of Finance in 1985.
Mr Browne was appointed permanent secretary at the education department in March 2021 having previously served as deputy secretary in TEO since 2013.
Peter May - Department of Health
Mr May took the helm at the department in May following a job swap with Richard Pengelly, who took over his position at the Department of Justice.
He has had a long civil service career at a senior rank. In addition to his period with the Justice Department, he previously held the top job at the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure. 
Mr May recently grabbed the headlines for comments he made regarding the future of Northern Ireland health service.
""Ultimately, we get the health service we pay for,"" he said. 
""Without sustained investment, we will need as a society to recalibrate our expectations of what our health and social care system can deliver.""
Richard Pengelly - Department of Justice
Richard Pengelly became the top official at the Justice Department in May following a stint of eight years as permanent secretary at the Department of Health.
His time at health coincided with the Covid pandemic when he worked alongside then Health Minister Robin Swann.
Mr Pengelly started out as a chartered accountant in private practice and worked in the Northern Ireland Audit Office before joining the Department of Finance and Personnel in 1998.
He is married to the Lagan Valley MLA, Emma Little-Pengelly.
Julie Harrison - Department for Infrastructure
Ms Harrison worked in a number of jobs outside the civil service before her appointment as deputy secretary in the Department of Justice in 2020.
She assumed the top job at infrastructure in April, where she heads a department employing 3,000 people. 
Ms Harrison previously served as Northern Ireland chair and UK board member of the National Lottery Community Fund.
Mike Brennan - Department for the Economy
Mike Brennan took on the top job at economy in December 2020 having spent much of his civil service career at the Department of Finance.
He served as deputy secretary in the EU Exit Policy Group.
Prior to joining the civil service, Mr Brennan was an economist at the Northern Ireland Economic Council."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63807822
politics	Tory leadership: Kemi Badenoch backs Rishi Sunak to be the next PM	"Kemi Badenoch has ruled herself out of the race to be the next prime minister, throwing her weight behind Rishi Sunak.
Ms Badenoch - who made a big impact in the last Tory leadership contest - said in The Times that Mr Sunak was ""the serious, honest leader we need"".
rnational trade secretary joins a growing list of Sunak backers, even though the ex-chancellor has yet to officially declare he is standing.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson is also gaining supporters.
But claims by his campaign team that he had reached the threshold of 100 MPs needed to secure place in the first round of voting were met with scepticism by Mr Sunak's supporters.
ged the Johnson camp to release a list of names, as the number of MPs to have gone on the record as backing the ex-PM is considerably smaller.
BBC understands Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson were due to meet face-to-face earlier on Saturday. It was postponed for reasons that are not clear, but may still go ahead later. Neither side is commenting on what is to be discussed, although there is speculation they will seek to avoid a potentially damaging contest.
Only Penny Mordaunt has officially launched a campaign to be the next PM, since nominations opened on Friday.
Ms Badenoch is seen as a rising star on the right of the Conservative Party but she had not attracted any public support from MPs urging her to stand for leader this time.
She said: ""Mrs Thatcher won the public's trust and three elections in a row by making it about us, not about her. We need someone who can do the same. I believe that person is Rishi Sunak.""
Another leading figure on the right of the party, former Brexit secretary Lord Frost, has also backed Mr Sunak.
According to the BBC's running total of MPs who have gone on the record with support, Mr Sunak has 122 backers, to Mr Johnson's 53 and Ms Mordaunt's 23.
fuls have until 14:00 BST on Monday to find 100 backers. If any candidate reaches 156 nominations out of the 357 Tory MPs the race will be reduced to two candidates, as there will not be enough MPs left to support a third candidate.
It will then go to an online ballot of the Conservative party membership, with the result to be announced on Friday. 
But if the party's MPs get behind just one candidate, we could have a new prime minister by Monday afternoon.
Polling suggests Mr Johnson would be favourite to win a members' vote. 
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Transport Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan -  plus former home secretary Priti Patel - have thrown their weight behind Mr Johnson.
His supporters say he is the only contender to have the backing of the voting public after winning the 2019 general election. Mr Johnson still has a Parliamentary investigation hanging over him over whether he lied to MPs about Covid lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.
Some leading figures in the party have reacted with horror to the prospect of a second Johnson premiership, with former leader Lord Hague warning the party would enter a ""death spiral"".
Mr Sunak's supporters include former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab.
Pointing to the parliamentary probe facing Mr Johnson, Mr Raab told the BBC: ""We cannot go backwards. We cannot have another episode of the Groundhog Day, of the soap opera of Partygate"". 
He said he was ""very confident"" Mr Sunak would stand, adding: ""I think the critical issue here is going to be the economy. Rishi had the right plan in the summer and I think it is the right plan now.""
Launching her campaign on Twitter on Friday, Ms Mordaunt said she would ""unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next [general election]"".
Mordaunt backer Conservative MP Bob Seely said ""I think we owe the country a collective responsibility to apologise"" and said he believes Ms Mordaunt has the best chance of providing ""unity and leadership"" within the party.
Among those to have ruled themselves out of the race are Defence Secretary Ben Wallace - who has said he is ""leaning"" towards supporting Mr Johnson - and current Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. 
Boris Johnson was ejected from office in July after a string of scandals, but the replacement chosen by the Tory Party, Liz Truss, lasted just 45 days, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. 
She stood down on Thursday, after a series of humiliating U-turns forced on her by an adverse reaction to her tax policies in the financial markets."	/news/uk-politics-63353097
politics	Tory leadership: Labour 'not complacent', says Keir Starmer	"Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he is not complacent about the party's current lead in the polls - and that every single vote must be fought for.
He told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg he preferred not to focus on the ''chaotic circus'' in the top ranks of the Tory party."	/news/uk-politics-63363877
politics	I live rent free in Rishi Sunak's head, says Jeremy Corbyn	"Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joked that he now ""lives rent free"" in Rishi Sunak's head because the prime minister mentions his name so often.
Mr Sunak has repeatedly attacked current Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over his support for Mr Corbyn at the last general election.
In his latest jibe, at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Sunak claimed Mr Corbyn had wanted to abolish the army.
Mr Corbyn accused the PM of creating a ""wholly inaccurate representation"".
Since Mr Sunak took over as prime minister last week, the Conservative Party has frequently linked Sir Keir to Mr Corbyn, despite Sir Keir expelling Mr Corbyn from the Parliamentary Labour Party in a long-running row over anti-Semitism.
In an email to Conservative supporters earlier this week, Mr Sunak said: ""Jeremy Corbyn might be gone, but Labour is still led by the man who tried to make Corbyn Prime Minister. And nothing has changed.""
At PMQs, Mr Sunak hit back at Sir Keir's claims his government had lost control of the asylum system, by saying: ""This is the person who, in 2019, told the BBC - I do think Jeremy Corbyn would make a great prime minister'. 
""Let us remember that national security agenda: abolishing our armed forces, scrapping the nuclear deterrent, withdrawing from NATO, voting against every single anti-terror law we tried, and befriending Hamas and Hezbollah. He may want to forget about it, but we will remind him of it every week, because it is the Conservative government who will keep this country safe.""
Mr Corbyn - who now sits as an independent MP - raised a point of order in the House of Commons on Thursday, accusing the PM of giving ""a wholly inaccurate representation of the 2019 election manifesto of which he must've been fully aware"". 
""If I am going to live rent free in his head at least he could accurately reflect what I think and what I say rather than inventions made up by him or his office."", he added. 
He also accused Mr Sunak of breaking the convention whereby MPs inform other MPs if they are going to mention them in the Commons. 
Rishi Sunak is questioned about the actions of his home secretary at his second session as prime minister.
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt said the former Labour leader should get used to being mentioned by the PM on a weekly basis.
She added that if he wanted to ""correct the record"" he could ""publish the manifesto that he stood on which would have weakened this country and dismantled Nato"".
Mr Corbyn hit back saying Labour's 2019 manifesto was ""freely available"" and added: ""If it had resulted in a Labour government we would not have such poverty, such food banks, such misery in this country today.""
Prior to becoming Labour leader Mr Corbyn had called for Nato to be disbanded however the party's 2019 manifesto promised to ""maintain our commitment"" to the organisation. 
It also supported the renewal of Britain's nuclear weapons system - despite Mr Corbyn's long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons - and pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence to ""guarantee that our armed forces are versatile"". 
Sir Keir was shadow Brexit secretary under Mr Corbyn, who led the Labour Party to two general election defeats, in 2017 and 2019.
Mr Corbyn was suspended from the party in October 2020 over his reaction to a highly critical report about anti-Semitism in the party under his leadership."	/news/uk-politics-63503486
politics	Minister Lee Waters apologises for 'hysterical' remark about female Tory	"A minister has apologised for accusing a female politician of making ""hysterical"" comments.
On Wednesday, Lee Waters said Tory Senedd member Natasha Asghar threw ""hysterical labels"" at him, after she said he was ""punishing drivers"".
Presiding Officer Elin Jones called hysterical an inappropriate word which she did not expect to hear it again.
Deputy transport minister Mr Waters said: ""I completely understand the point, have reflected and apologised.""
In response Ms Asghar said: ""Patronising, condescending, and misogynistic language like this has absolutely no place in today's society, let alone in the Welsh Parliament.""
Ms Jones had told the Welsh Parliament there was a long history of the term hysterical ""being used by men to demean women"". 
She said it was an inappropriate word to describe any contribution by any woman in the Senedd chamber and that, although the minister may have used the term ""naively"" at the time ""I don't expect to hear it again"".
Ms Asghar, the MS for South Wales East who speaks for the Welsh Conservatives on transport matters, had criticised Mr Waters for confirming in a television interview that motorists should expect to see road charges introduced in the future. 
""People across the country are struggling to make ends meet with the rising cost-of-living pressures, whilst at the same time you are drawing up plans to squeeze even more cash out of them,"" she said. 
""Deputy minister, will you finally stop punishing drivers at every available opportunity and go back to the drawing board and re-think your 50 mph and road charge plans?""
Mr Waters responded: ""By definition, the [UK] Treasury's reliance on fuel duty to fund large parts of public services will have to be reassessed because people won't be buying petrol. 
""So, some of form of road user charging is inevitable, and is, in fact, being actively worked on by her [Conservative] government in London. 
""So, whenever she comes up with hysterical labels to throw at me, she really needs to think beyond the soundbite to what she's saying, because this is something all governments are doing, because, simply, the rules are changing.""
After considered the exchange overnight, Waters tweeted: ""I was criticised yesterday for my choice of language.
""I honestly didn't think of the gendered context and would have said same to a man.
""But I completely understand the point, have reflected and apologised.
""Change is achieved by calling things out, whether meant malignly or not."""	/news/uk-wales-politics-63742967
politics	Supreme Court to rule on indyref2 powers next week	"Supreme Court will deliver its judgement next Wednesday on whether the Scottish Parliament can hold a second independence referendum without Westminster's approval.
UK's highest court heard arguments in the case last month.
Scottish government said a referendum would fall within devolved powers, but the UK government said it was a reserved matter.
will be delivered at 09:45 on Wednesday 23 November.
Scotland's lord advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, referred the case to the Supreme Court due to uncertainty over whether Holyrood could legislate for a second independence referendum while this was opposed at Westminster.
judgement on Holyrood's proposed Scottish Independence Referendum Bill will come six weeks after the two-day hearing on 11 and 12 October. 
Supreme Court's senior judge, Lord Reed, warned at the time that it could be ""some months"" before a ruling is reached in the case.
He said the arguments heard in court were just the ""tip of the iceberg"", with more than 8,000 pages of written material to consider.
mparatively quick turnaround from the court, six weeks on from the hearing - although we shouldn't read anything into what that means for the judgement.
re are three possible outcomes: the judges let MSPs pass a referendum bill; they block them from doing so; or they refuse to make a ruling either way.
Obviously the Scottish government has fingers and toes crossed for a green light.
But the UK government side spent much of the hearing last month arguing for no ruling at all, hoping to leave Scottish ministers in an awkward limbo.
underlines that this case won't necessarily settle the vexed question of indyref2 once and for all.
Even if judges do make a ruling, that still only tells us whether there can be a referendum, in strict legal terms. There would still need to be a political settlement over whether there should be a vote next October.
So regardless of the result, the case is sure to tee up an almighty political clash between ministers in Edinburgh and London.
Ms Bain, the Scottish government's top law officer, argued that a referendum would be ""advisory"" and would have no legal effect on the Union.
She told the court that while Scottish ministers might have the ""subjective intention"" of independence, the bill itself would be objectively neutral.
But Sir James Eadie KC, the UK government's independent barrister on legal issues of national importance, said it was ""obvious"" that the bill related to reserved matters and the Union.
He said that meant it would fall outside of the competence of the Scottish Parliament, and argued that the Supreme Court should not rule on the case.
When Scotland held an independence referendum in September 2014, voters backed staying in the UK by 55% to 45%.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has made repeated attempts to push for another vote, but there has been no agreement with the UK government.
In June, Ms Sturgeon unveiled what she called a ""refreshed"" case for independence and said her government had an ""indisputable mandate"" for a second referendum, which she wants to hold on 19 October 2023. 
But if the Supreme Court ruling goes against her, she has said she would use the next election as a ""de facto referendum"" and attempt to use the result to trigger independence negotiations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has given no indication that he is likely to grant formal consent for a second vote."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63649795
politics	Scottish National Party MPs react to UK Supreme Court ruling	"SNP members repeatedly questioned the prime minister on the issue of Scottish independence after the Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold an independence referendum without the UK government's consent.
Live: We'll find another way to Scottish independence - Sturgeon"	/news/uk-politics-63734419
politics	Q&A: Will there be an election in Northern Ireland?	"A second Northern Ireland Assembly election within the space of 12 months had appeared to be a highly a likely scenario.
With Stormont in crisis again and no sign of a resolution, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris had repeatedly said he would call a new poll.
revious election had taken place in May and devolved government had not function in the months since then.
gal deadline on 28 October for restoring power-sharing was missed, meaning another election was required by law.
But on Friday Mr Heaton-Harris announced that there would not be one in December.
BBC News NI has assessed how Northern Ireland politics has reached this point and what could happen next.
Sinn Féin became the first nationalist party to win the most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Michelle O'Neill, the party's vice-president, to take the first minister position.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) came second but refused to nominate a deputy first minister.
roles form a joint office at the head of Northern Ireland's Executive, without whom the governing body cannot function.
By refusing to nominate, the DUP blocked the executive from forming.
It also blocked the appointment of a speaker, rendering the legislative assembly unable to meet, form committees or hold ministers to account in the assembly chamber.
r the law was changed at Westminster to buy more time for the Northern Ireland Executive to be formed in the event of an impasse after an election.
reviously agreed in the New Decade New Approach document of 2020 and would allow ministers from a previous executive to continue in their roles for a period of 24 weeks after the assembly first meets following an election.
Previously that deadline had been 14 days following the first meeting of the assembly.
xtended period, it was stated, would ""allow for greater continuity of decision-making"".
However, without a first and deputy first minister, ministers cannot make decisions which are seen to be cross-cutting, or needing the support of the executive as a whole.
A key example of that is the budget, which has not been agreed.
It is after this 24-week period that an election must be called if the executive has not reconvened.
After May's election, when the 28 October date was reached, the way the law has been formulated means there was no way to appoint a first minister and deputy first minister.
means there is no option left other than an election, unless the UK government changed the law, which it has indicated it has no intention of doing.
DUP has protested against the Northern Ireland Protocol, a part of the UK-EU Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules.
It was designed to ensure goods could move freely across the Irish land border, from the UK into an EU member state, the Republic of Ireland.
However, in turn, the protocol imposed some new checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
DUP, which had backed Brexit, has argued the protocol has undermined Northern Ireland's position within the UK.
As a result, in February 2022, the DUP's Paul Givan resigned as first minister, collapsing the executive.
Since May's election the party has continued its protest.
ks have been taking place between the UK and the EU about the outworkings of the protocol, with both sides expressing hope that a negotiated solution could be found to minimise the impact on trade to Northern Ireland.
None of the Northern Ireland parties are directly involved in the talks and there has been no indication there will be an imminent movement on the issue.
Alongside the negotiations the UK government is proceeding with a bill in Parliament, which would override many aspects of the protocol.
EU has taken legal action against the UK for not enforcing the rules.
Mr Heaton-Harris had repeatedly said he would call an election if an executive was not formed by 00:01 on 28 October.
With the parties having not formed an executive by that date, the rules state the Northern Ireland secretary must call a new election ""as soon as is practicable"".
mean he had to call an election on 28 October, contrary to what he had said.
rules do stipulate, however, that the election must be held within 12 weeks, which would mean the second assembly election in the space of 12 months.
Previous deadlines in Northern Ireland have been adjusted by emergency legislation at Westminster.
BBC News NI understands that the chief electoral officer wrote to parties to suggest 15 December as a likely date for a poll.
But on 4 November Mr Heaton-Harris confirmed that an election would not be held in December.
r open for one to take place in the new year.
uld take place within the 12-week period set by Westminster is 19 January but that would require a campaign over Christmas.
Instead Mr Heaton-Harris may now have to delay the new deadline by passing legislation at Westminster.
He has already faced criticism from some political parties for rowing back from his initial pledge.
re were a number of scenarios in which an election could have been prevented.
One option was for the DUP to re-establish the executive by nominating a deputy first minister before Friday's deadline.
However, that has not happened with the DUP maintaining their stance in protest of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Although talks continue between the UK and the EU, the DUP has so far said its demands had not been satisfied.
rty has also supported the government's legislation to override parts of the protocol.
r option open to the government is the passage of emergency legislation which would scrap or delay the deadline.
With more time there could also be the potential for developments in the protocol talks and the potential for the DUP to return to the executive table.
Rishi Sunak may have his own ideas on Northern Ireland policy and the protocol.
He reappointed Mr Heaton-Harris to the role of Northern Ireland secretary after succeeding Liz Truss as prime minister.
question is whether Mr Sunak, facing a busy in-tray in his first few weeks in 10 Downing Street, wishes to press ahead with an election or delay it until another day.
Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) have all urged the DUP to return to the executive table.
f living crisis and healthcare pressures as reasons why the institutions should return in full.
Since the election in May, ministers have been limited in their powers and confined within their budgets.
After 28 October deadline it is up to civil servants to run Stormont's departments.
Sinn Féin had previously said another election would not be helpful.
But it has since criticised Mr Heaton-Harris for not calling a poll after the deadline to restore an executive passed, saying he had a duty to adhere to the law.
r parties have expressed relief than an election will not take place this year, saying it would have been a waste of public money.
w from the Irish government is that another election would not be a good thing for Northern Ireland.
Are you a Northern Ireland business owner being impacted by the political limbo? How would an election affect you? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63345938
politics	MP has SNP whip restored following misconduct ban	"Patrick Grady apologised to MPs in June
SNP has restored the whip to Glasgow MP Patrick Grady, following a suspension for making a sexual advance to a teenage member of staff. 
Mr Grady was given a two-day ban from the Commons in June after a panel ruled he had engaged in ""unwanted physical touching"". 
At the time, he told MPs he was ""profoundly sorry"" for his behaviour at a social event in 2016. 
SNP has confirmed that a six-month suspension from the party has expired.
re was a wider row about the party's handling of the case after then group leader Ian Blackford was recorded urging MPs to ""give as much support as possible"" to Mr Grady.
Mr Blackford later apologised that this had ""caused distress to the complainant"", and established an independent review of the support available to staff.
Mr Grady, who represents Glasgow North, had been sitting as an independent MP since a complaint was made against him, which led to his Commons suspension in June.
An independent panel found that he had touched and stroked the neck, hair and back of a colleague 17 years his junior at a social event in a pub in 2016.
former SNP whip admitted his behaviour and apologised ""without reservation"", saying he had undertaken ""bespoke and generic training"" since the incident.
""I am profoundly sorry for my behaviour and I deeply regret my actions and their consequences,"" Mr Grady told the Commons, giving a ""firm undertaking that such behaviour on my part will never happen again"".
It is understood that Mr Grady served a six-month suspension from the SNP, backdated to the point of his Commons ban in June.
f the suspension means he is part of the party's group in the Commons again - now led by Stephen Flynn.
However it is not known if he could be eligible to stand on the SNP ticket again at the next general election, with the party having begun its selection procedures in September in anticipation of a snap vote.
Scottish Conservatives said the SNP should have ""sacked Patrick Grady for good"", saying he had ""got away with little more than a slap on the wrist""."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64117132
politics	Ukraine round-up: Inside liberated Lyman and Ukraine makes further ground against Russia	"Victory can look desolate. 
So writes BBC News Correspondent Orla Guerin, from the liberated Ukrainian town of Lyman. 
wn - which had a population of 20,000 before the war - was retaken from the Russians at the weekend, and is full of the raw scars of its brief occupation. 
reets are mostly deserted, lined by boarded-up, burned-out or smashed-in buildings. 
re were few people about, save for a few rejoicing Ukrainian soldiers, quietly busy humanitarian volunteers, and the abandoned bodies of Russian troops. 
One 66-year-old woman told the BBC team that she used to live well. ""And in one moment it was turned upside down.""
Read Orla's report here. 
Watch: Flags being raised in retaken areas of Ukraine
Ukraine has continued to make ground against Russia.
Davydiv Brid, a strategically key village in the southern region of Kherson, has been liberated, reportedly along with several other villages nearby. 
Russian forces have already been forced to retreat in the north-east of Ukraine. 
ment means they are being pushed back in the south as well. 
Read this report from the BBC's online Europe Editor Paul Kirby. 
And to help you keep track of the war, and Ukraine's recent gains, the BBC Visual Journalism Team have created some new maps.
map shows Ukrainian advances in the southern region of Kherson. 
In Donetsk, Ukrainian forces are pushing east, having taken the town of Lyman featured in Orla's report above. 
Both Kherson and Donetsk are regions that Russia has recently attempted to annex, following self-proclaimed referendums. 
Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are the other two regions subject to annexation. 
View the maps and explanation from the Visual Journalism team. 
And in news following a previous annexation, Russian authorities have fined a beauty queen in Crimea for singing a Ukrainian song. 
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. 
Olga Valeyeva, who won the ""Mrs Beauty Queen - Crimea"" competition in May, was arrested and fined 40,000 roubles (£609) after she appeared in a video on social media singing Red Viburnum.
19th-Century military march is popular with Ukrainian nationalists - but Ms Valeyeva said she was not aware of its association. 
Read the full story here. 
Finally, there are some dilemmas in life which are best solved by Twitter poll. 
But this does not extend to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Multi-billionaire Elon Musk asked his followers to vote on ideas for resolving the crisis, with options including ceding territory to Russia. 
Mr Zelensky responded with his own poll, asking users if they liked Mr Musk more when he supported Russia or Ukraine.
Read the full story here. "	/news/world-europe-63137663
politics	Calls for Liz Truss not to take yearly £115,000 as ex-prime minister	"Sir Keir Starmer has called on Liz Truss not to claim an allowance of up to £115,000 a year that she would be entitled to after resigning as PM. 
Liz Truss announced her resignation from the lectern outside No 10 on Thursday after just 45 days in the job. 
It means she will now be able to claim the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), currently set at £115,000, to which all former prime ministers are entitled.
But the Labour leader said she had ""not earned the right"" to the allowance.
Former prime ministers are able to draw on the PDCA for any costs that arise as a result of public duties. 
But Sir Keir, speaking to the BBC, said: ""She shouldn't take that entitlement. After 44 days she has not earned the right to that entitlement, she should turn it down.""
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has also said she should not claim the money.
He likened the expenses allowance to a ""full state state pension"", telling LBC radio it was ""many, many times"" what workers could expect in retirement.
r remarks follow similar calls from unions and campaigners for the prime minister to turn it down.
PDCA was announced by former prime minister John Major in March 1991 in the wake of Margaret Thatcher's resignation. 
It was introduced in order to assist former prime ministers still active in public life, with payments only made to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. 
re a reimbursement of incurred expenses for office costs and secretarial costs ""arising from their special position in public life"" - for example office costs, salaries for staff who help them with their work in public life, or travel to events where they are appearing as an ex-PM.
It is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties, with the fact-checking charity Full Fact concluding it is incorrect to describe the allowance as a salary or pension - or to claim former prime ministers simply ""get"" the money.
All former prime ministers are eligible to draw on the PDCA. Mr Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May have all claimed the allowance after leaving No 10. It is not yet known whether Boris Johnson has claimed the allowance as the most recent annual figures are yet to be published.
urrent limit on what they are able to draw is set at £115,000 and has remained frozen since 2011. 
Former PMs have not always claimed the full amount, and it is not paid automatically, so they have to provide receipts.
Both Mr Major and Mr Blair claimed the full amount for 2020-21, Mr Brown claimed £114,712, Mr Cameron claimed £113,423 and Mrs May claimed £57,382.
fund also allows former PMs to claim up to 10% of the cost of this allowance to fund the pensions of staff who work in their post-prime ministerial offices.
re is also a severance payment, which amounts to a one-off payment of 25% of the annual salary for the post that ministers have left. For prime ministers it is about £19,000 (25% of £79,000 annual salary).
ual salary for ministerial roles is in addition to the basic annual salary for MPs, which has been £84,144 from 1 April 2022."	/news/uk-politics-63340998
politics	Ukrainian refugee cruise ship deal extended	"Ukrainian refugees will spend a further five months on a ship which has been accommodating them since June, the Scottish government has announced.
MS Victoria is serving as temporary accommodation for families arriving in Scotland from the war-torn country.
ruise liner is docked in Leith, Edinburgh and is currently housing about 1,275 Ukrainians.
Scottish government said it will continue to provide ""safe accommodation for displaced people"" until June 2023.
re is also an option to extend this deal further. 
A second cruise ship used for accommodating displaced Ukrainian refugees is docked in Glasgow.
More than 21,500 people with a Scottish sponsor have arrived in the country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, representing 20% of all UK arrivals.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, has criticised the extension.
He said: ""This isn't a new life, it's a new limbo. Ukrainian refugees deserve a long-term solution.
""I spoke to aid workers, working in Lviv, connecting Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Scotland with homes and routes out of Ukraine, who have described the Scottish government as being humiliatingly underprepared.
""They wanted the kudos of throwing open their doors but they did none of the groundwork.""
Appropriate long-term accommodation is yet to be identified for those living on the cruise ships.
However, the Scottish government pointed out it has provided up to £50m of funding for local authorities and registered social landlords to bring old properties back into use to address the situation. 
Neil Gray, the Scottish government minister with responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, said: ""We do not want people to spend any longer than is absolutely necessary in temporary accommodation.
""However, we know from speaking to those on board the MS Victoria that it is a safe environment that has built a powerful sense of community.
""We've extended the contract with the MS Victoria to continue to safely accommodate arrivals from Ukraine. Work continues to match people in temporary accommodation with hosts and matching teams are operating on board both ships."""	/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-63845498
politics	How bad is the gender reform rebellion for the SNP?	"SNP has suffered its biggest-ever backbench rebellion since it came to power in Scotland, with nine MSPs failing to back the Scottish government's gender reform legislation. 
uded Ash Regan, who quit as the government's community safety minister shortly before the Holyrood vote.
How significant is the uprising and why have rebellions been so rare at the Scottish Parliament?
SNP was always expecting some of its MSPs to oppose its plan to make it easier for people to change their legally-recognised gender when it faced its first vote at Holyrood on Thursday.
government hoped this could be held to single figures, and it was - just - with seven SNP MSPs voting against the general principles of the bill, while two more abstained.
But it was clear from Nicola Sturgeon's icy response to Ms Regan's resignation letter that the first minister and her team are not happy at all. 
Ms Sturgeon said Ms Regan had not approached her to raise concerns before she quit - but friends of Ms Regan have disputed this, saying that the first minister was told of her opposition to the proposals by an adviser.
government clearly want to nip any spirit of rebellion in the bud, and isn't in the mood for letting pleasantries intrude while imposing discipline. 
ue the party has wrestled with for years, with the SNP being elected in 2016 and 2021 with manifesto commitments to reform the Gender Recognition Act, and it is keen to push on as quickly as possible after previously having to shelve the plans.
SNP has 64 MSPs. A total of 25 of them are (or at least were) ministers, and bound by collective responsibility - they are required to sing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to government policy.
means Ms Regan suffered the most immediate consequences, having given up her ministerial post while coming firmly under the spotlight in a topic where debate online often resembles a bin fire.
It also means eight out of the 39 backbenchers - 20% of the non-ministerial group - failed to vote with the government.
umber of rebels would cost the SNP-Green administration its majority, if they were to join a united opposition - an unnerving prospect for any government.
In this case, of course, it made little difference. The government still won the vote by 88 to 33, with four abstentions - every Labour, Lib Dem and Green MSP voted in favour, along with two Tories, who had been given a free vote.
going to pass comfortably through parliament and the government hopes that will put the issue to bed, at least at Holyrood, so that they can move on with the rest of their agenda.
SNP whips office - led by Gordon MacDonald - may be wondering what exactly to do now. They have never had to deal with a real rebellion before.
Ms Regan has lost her job, but it is unlikely that the nine rebels will lose the SNP whip. There are frankly too many of them, and this was not characterised as a confidence vote in the government.
A disagreement over this one issue doesn't change the fact they were elected as SNP MSPs and back the bulk of the party's agenda.
And they are united on the core issue which draws the SNP together. Earlier the same day, one of them was asking a helpful question at FMQs by querying whether Ms Sturgeon agreed that independence might be beneficial to Scotland.
A slap on the wrist seems the most likely outcome - if nothing else because at this early stage in a parliamentary term it could be better to keep these members inside the herd, rather than plotting on the outside.
really striking thing about this episode is how unprecedented it was.
Holyrood does not have a tradition of backbench unrest in the way Westminster does, and the SNP benches have been incredibly united and disciplined in public since it took power in 2007.
wo MSPs quit to sit as independents following a row over Nato membership in 2012, but that followed a conference vote rather than a parliamentary one.
Ms Regan is reckoned to be only the second ever minister to quit a Scottish government over a matter of policy.
And the other - former Labour communities minister Malcolm Chisholm - said he actually thought his vote against Trident renewal would have been allowed because it was about a reserved matter.
Parties have developed an ever-stronger grip on their MSPs in recent years, particularly as longer-serving members have retired or lost their seats.
w the likes of the SNP's Joan McAlpine and Alex Neil leaving the parliament, as did Adam Tomkins from the Conservatives, Neil Findlay and Johann Lamont from Labour, Andy Wightman from the Greens, and Mike Rumbles from the Lib Dems. 
All were free-thinking members who might have broken the whip on their day if they felt strongly about an issue. 
rocess for prized constituency seats and list rankings means new crops of members are typically grateful to party chiefs, and less likely to forge off in their own direction.
't mean we have been left with a parliament of compliant drones. Fergus Ewing and Christine Grahame frequently ask difficult questions from the SNP back benches.
Labour has the likes of Monica Lennon and Richard Leonard sitting occasionally at odds with the leadership, while in the gender reform vote, Jamie Greene and Sandesh Gulhane went against the rest of the Conservative group.
But there is concern that parties have completely taken over the parliamentary system.
In 2019, the original steering group of senior politicians who helped set up Holyrood wrote a report reflecting on 20 years of devolution.
mplained that the parliament is ""driven much more by party political tribalism than we expected"", noting that ""parties dominate the debate with little scope for personal contributions and inclusive discourse"".
""polarised"" nature of the party system had blunted the parliament's attempts to scrutinise the government, and that committees had become ""a forum for delivering party politics rather than for challenging ideas or building cross-party consensus"".
Because parties are ultimately in charge of MSP selection and of how the government and parliament are run, there is little prospect of this changing any time soon.
means rebellions like the one over the gender reform bill are likely to remain rare events."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63427332
politics	What is the Scottish child payment and can I get it?	"Scottish Child Payment has increased to £25 a week, having previously been worth £20.
Almost half of all children could benefit from the payment - which is only available to peope living in Scotland - after it was extended to include anyone under 16.
About 407,000 children are in families eligible for the £25 weekly benefit.
Scottish Child Payment will cost £219m in total for the 2022-23 financial year, with the new changes costing £15m.
It could cost up to £474m yearly in future years.
Scottish Child Payment was first introduced on 15 February 2021, with the intention of delivering a benefit for low-income families with children under six. 
It is administered by Social Security Scotland through an application-based process, and is paid on a four-weekly basis.
rough the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, the Scottish government has pledged to reduce relative child poverty to less than 18% by 2023-24, before dropping to less than 10% by the end of the decade.
Scottish Child Payment has been implemented using powers devolved through the Scotland Act 2016, which gave the Scottish Parliament responsibility for £2.8bn of social security expenditure. 
udes the power to top-up reserved benefits for people who require additional financial assistance.
Scottish government's tackling child poverty delivery plan recognises that no action in isolation can make the required changes
Measures around work, earnings and the cost of living, on top of Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods benefits are also intended to tackle child poverty. 
In the financial year 2022-23, the Scottish government estimates that 41% of children under six are eligible for the payment and 48% of children over six. 
Scottish Child Payment is available to families who live in Scotland, get certain benefits or payments, and contains the main carer for a child under the age of 16.
rents and guardians can apply for the benefit whether or not they work, and are eligible if they receive Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). 
Social Security Scotland also accept claims if one of the adults receives Pension Credit, Income Support and, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). 
Child benefit on its own is not an accepted benefit for Scottish Child Payment. 
waiting for qualifying benefits to be approved can still apply. 
People receiving a benefit from a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland may be eligible for Scottish Child Payment and should call Social Security Scotland for more information.
for Scottish Child Payment can be completed online, by phone or by post.
You do not need to apply again if you are already receiving the benefit.
, applicants need to provide their national insurance number, bank details and personal details about themselves and their families.
Scottish government website says the form usually takes around 10 to 20 minutes to complete but that it's possible to save the form and come back later if required.
website crashed on Monday morning, due to ""massive demand"".
If applicants want to apply over the phone, they should call Social Security Scotland which is open Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.
British Sign Language (BSL) users, can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay.
for Scottish Child Payment by post, applicants can fill in a paper form and send it via the Royal Mail. 
Scottish government estimates that in the financial year 2022-23, 41% of children under six are eligible for the payment and 48% of children over six. 
quates to roughly 407,000 of children in total. 
Of that number, however, it is estimated that only 85% of children under six and 71% of children eligible over six will have caregivers who take up the payment.
xpected to rise to 85% and 80% respectively and stay at a steady rate for the next five financial years."	/news/uk-scotland-63635698
politics	Kemi Badenoch: Anti-woke 'darling of the right'	"Watch: Kemi Badenoch's campaign launch in July
Kemi Badenoch was the surprise hopeful of the previous Conservative leadership contest, triggered after Boris Johnson announced his resignation in July. 
Rarely mentioned in speculation before the contest started, she saw off some far bigger names before being knocked out in the fourth round of voting by MPs.
Seen as being on the right of the party, the 42-year-old former equalities minister stood on an ""anti-woke"" platform - and argued for the state to be slimmed down.
She was named international trade secretary by Liz Truss on her first day in office on 6 September. 
Born in Wimbledon, south London, to parents of Nigerian origin, she grew up in the US and Nigeria, where her psychology professor mother had lecturing jobs.
She returned to the UK at the age of 16, and studied for her A-levels at a college in south London while working at a branch of McDonalds.
After completing a degree in computer systems engineering at Sussex University, she developed a career as a systems analyst before moving into banking.
She was an associate director of private bank Coutts and later digital director of the influential right-wing magazine The Spectator.
Ms Badenoch's leadership campaign team made much of her status as a ""fresh face"".  
She had been described as ""the new darling of the right"" by one MP backing a rival candidate in July, BBC News political correspondent Jonathan Blake said. 
She joined the Conservative Party at the age of 25, and spent several years trying to get elected to Parliament - and had a stint on the London Assembly, where she was Conservative spokesman for the economy. She backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.
She eventually achieved her ambition of becoming an MP at the 2017 general election in the safe Conservative seat of Saffron Walden, Essex.
As an equalities minister, she enraged many on the left and won admirers on the right when she challenged the notion that there is widespread institutional racism in the UK.
Often labelled a ""culture warrior"" - a tag she disputes - she has been outspoken on issues like gender-neutral toilets (she is against them).
In her speech, she vowed to ""discard the priorities of Twitter and focus on people's priorities instead"", adding: ""We have been in the grip of an underlying economic, social, cultural and intellectual malaise.""
And she took aim at what she claimed were examples of government waste. 
""While the priority of the £300bn the government spends on procurement should be value for money, in truth this is being undermined by tick-box exercises in sustainability, diversity and equality.
""These are good things but they need to be done properly. Why are we spending millions on people's jobs which literally didn't exist a decade ago, like staff wellbeing co-ordinators in the public sector?""
In an LBC interview, she said she had only ever experienced prejudice from left wingers, and that the diverse line-up of contenders to be Tory leader proved that the party does not have problem with racism.
""I came to this country aged 16 and now I am standing for prime minister - isn't that amazing? I was born in this country but I didn't grow up here.
""That is amazing. And I don't understand why people want to ignore all of the good things and only focus on the bad things and use the bad things to tell the story.""
Correction 17th November: An earlier version of this article reported that Kemi Badenoch's team had taped handwritten ""men"" and ""ladies"" signs on the gender neutral toilet doors at her campaign launch venue in July. Evidence subsequently emerged that these signs had been in place before the event and so we have removed this line from our story. "	/news/uk-politics-62176280
politics	Who is Sir Gavin Williamson?	"Sir Gavin Williamson is in the spotlight again, after he resigned from the government amid accusations of bullying and harassment.
Former chief whip Wendy Morton has handed over a series of expletive-laden text messages from Sir Gavin to Parliament's bullying watchdog and made a complaint to Tory HQ about his conduct.
Following a report in the Guardian that Sir Gavin told a senior civil servant to ""slit your throat"" and ""jump out of the window"" when he was defence secretary, No 10 said it would be conducting its own informal investigation. 
In his resignation letter, Sir Gavin said allegations about his ""past conduct"" were becoming a distraction for the government - even though he ""refutes the characterisation of these claims"" and has apologised to the recipient of some text messages. 
rd time Sir Gavin has had to leave government, having already been sacked from cabinet twice previously - as education secretary and defence secretary.
His rise through the Conservative ranks has been blown off course by a number of separate scandals. 
However, he has been widely seen as a political survivor, serving under four different prime ministers. 
46-year-old was raised near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, by Labour-supporting parents. 
Educated at state schools, he became involved in Tory politics while studying at Bradford University and later went on to become a county councillor in North Yorkshire. 
A former fireplace salesman, he also ran a pottery firm, making and selling ceramic tableware, before being elected as MP for South Staffordshire in 2010.
Sir Gavin began his parliamentary career as a ministerial aide to David Cameron, acting as the then-prime minister's bag carrier and eyes and ears at Westminster.
He remained in this important role until Mr Cameron left office in June 2016. 
After Theresa May became prime minister, he was made chief whip, responsible for keeping MPs in line and enforcing party discipline. 
In the aftermath of the disastrous 2017 election, he played a crucial role in paving the way for the Conservatives' agreement with the Democratic Unionists to prop up Mrs May's minority government.
In his role as chief whip he was known for keeping a tarantula called Cronus on his desk.
Describing his methods in the whips office, he told the Conservative Party conference in 2017: ""We take a carrot and stick approach... Personally I don't much like the stick, but it is amazing what can be achieved with a sharpened carrot.""
Nick Timothy - a senior adviser to Mrs May - described Mr Williamson as an ""excellent"" chief whip, who was ""a shrewd tactician"" and ""a judge of character"".
""Even MPs who don't like him admit that he was the best chief whip the party has had in decades - and he did it through some of the hardest years,"" he said in a tweet.
Sir Gavin's promotion to defence secretary in November 2017 came as a surprise to some within the Tory Party and the armed forces. He had no military background and little opportunity to build up a public profile because his role in the whips office meant he did not speak in Parliament.
While at the Ministry of Defence he lobbied successfully for more funding for the military, often to the irritation of the Treasury.
But he was derided in the press for telling Russia to ""shut up and go away"", and for suggestions the UK should respond in kind to ""acts of warfare"" by the Kremlin. 
His downfall came after an inquiry into a leak from a top-level National Security Council meeting about whether to allow Chinese firm Huawei to help build the UK's 5G network. 
Sir Gavin denied leaking information from the meeting, but Mrs May said she had ""lost confidence in his ability to serve"" and sacked him in May 2019.
He was not on the backbenches for long and returned to cabinet as education secretary in July the same year, when Boris Johnson became prime minister. 
When the Covid pandemic broke out in 2020, the role became even more high profile, with Sir Gavin responsible for tricky areas including home-learning and managing the return to classrooms and exams when schools fully reopened. 
He was widely criticised for U-turning over getting all primary school pupils back in school after lockdown and there were also clashes with footballer Marcus Rashford over his campaign to provide children with free meals during holidays. 
Perhaps the biggest debacle was the chaos of the 2020 school exam period, with multiple U-turns over how to grade pupils after examinations were cancelled because of the pandemic. 
resulted in his department's most senior civil servant and the head of the exams watchdog both leaving their roles. 
Sir Gavin stayed put until September 2021, when he was replaced by Nadhim Zahawi. 
Some argued he had been made a political fall guy - used as a lightning rod for the criticism of how the government had dealt with the challenges Covid posed to education and taking the blame for decisions that were never down to an individual minister. 
But in March, the news he would receive a knighthood for his political and public service prompted anger from some teachers and parents, who blamed him - at least in part - for the mistakes on schools policy during the pandemic. 
Sir Gavin returned to cabinet as a minister without portfolio under Mr Sunak in October. But it took less than two weeks for concerns to be raised about his appointment following claims he had bullied a fellow Conservative MP. 
In texts sent to then-Chief Whip Ms Morton in the run-up to the Queen's funeral in September he appeared to complain that MPs who were not favoured by Prime Minister Liz Truss were being excluded from the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. 
In the messages, published by the Sunday Times, Sir Gavin reportedly warned Ms Morton ""not to push him about"" and that ""there is a price for everything"". 
He was quoted by the paper as saying he regretted ""getting frustrated"" and was happy to ""work positively with [Ms Morton] in the future as I have in the past"".
No 10 described the messages as ""unacceptable"" but the prime minister's official spokesman insisted Mr Sunak had full confidence in Sir Gavin. 
When he resigned, the prime minister said he accepted his resignation with ""great sadness"" but understood his decision to step back.
Separately an unnamed official at the Minister of Defence said Sir Gavin ""deliberately demeaned and intimidated"" them.
fficial said they raised concerns to the Ministry of Defence's human resources department, but did not make a formal complaint at the time.
Sir Gavin did not deny using the language attributed to him but said he ""strongly"" rejected allegations of bullying.
However, the pressure of multiple accusations and inquiries became too great, and Sir Gavin was forced to step down.
Writing in his resignation letter, he said he would ""clear my name of wrongdoing"" but it remains to be seen if this consummate Westminster operator can, once again, bounce back."	/news/uk-politics-48126839
politics	Labour pledges to fast-track Albania asylum claims	"Labour has said it would ""fast-track"" asylum applications from countries considered safe, to help clear a mounting backlog of claims.
rty says it would cut the number of Albanians put up in hotels after crossing the Channel in small boats.
Less than 1% of Albanian applications in the past year have been decided.
um backlog has ballooned in recent years, with the number of people awaiting an initial decision on their application standing at 143,377.
government has not ruled out setting up a fast-track system for Albanians, similar to what is being proposed by Labour.
um process allows people to apply to live in the UK to escape war, persecution and human rights abuses in their home countries. 
Ministers are under pressure to speed up the claims process, because the backlog has led to a multimillion-pound daily bill to put them up in hotels whilst their claims are heard.
Labour says it would fast-track applications from countries designated safe - a list including countries like India and Brazil as well as Albania.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said this would mean ""clearly unfounded"" cases could be decided quickly as a way of clearing the backlog.
She told the BBC that ""more complex"" cases would require further consideration. 
""But we also know there are very straightforward cases that should be able to be decided very swiftly,"" she added.
rty has not provided detail of how the fast-tracking would work, but said it would be based on similar schemes in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.
It points out that the UN's refugee agency has said an accelerated process for clearly unfounded claims can comply with international refugee law, as long as certain safeguards are met. 
Currently, asylum claims from designated safe countries are normally considered unfounded - unless the person applying can show otherwise.
If that fails, they generally do not have the right to appeal. They can, however, try to argue the decision was unlawful on procedural grounds.
Labour introduced a fast-track scheme for safe countries when it was last in power in 2002, which involved detaining applicants at a former army barracks near Cambridge whilst their applications were processed.
me was mired in legal challenges, however, and was eventually suspended in 2015. 
Ms Cooper said the ""existing system"" would apply to asylum applicants waiting for a decision under Labour's latest proposals, suggesting the party is not looking to replicate detention in its new plan.
She said her party wanted to ""properly resource"" the asylum system, as part of a broader package of measures to grip the ""chaotic"" backlog in claims.
Home Office says it has increased the number of asylum caseworkers, and is increasingly digitising the process to speed up case handling. "	/news/uk-politics-63908240
politics	Sacked Tory minister Conor Burns cleared of misconduct	"Former government minister Conor Burns has been cleared of misconduct and will be readmitted to the Tory Party.
Mr Burns was sacked as trade minister in October amid allegations that he touched a man's thigh in a hotel bar during the Tory Party conference.
MP for Bournemouth West consistently denied any wrongdoing. 
A Conservative Party spokesperson said it had reviewed ""all of the evidence available"" and concluded there was ""no basis on which to investigate further"".
""The matter is now closed and Mr Burns's membership will be reinstated at the nearest possible opportunity,"" the spokesperson said. 
In an interview with the Bournemouth Echo on Saturday, Mr Burns - also a former minister of state for Northern Ireland - said the experience had been a ""living nightmare"". 
He told the newspaper he had been ""thrown to the wolves"" and suggested his suspension was connected to his praise of International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who ran for the party leadership in the summer against Liz Truss, who was prime minister at the time of his sacking.
""It felt and smelt like a stitch up and that is what it was,"" he told the Bournemouth Echo.
""I knew I was innocent and the truth will out and it has,"" he said.
At the time of the incident in early October, an eyewitness claimed they had seen the Tory MP in the Hyatt Regency hotel bar in Birmingham with his hand on the young man's thigh.
BBC has never spoken to, or heard the account of, the individual the ex-minister was allegedly seen with.
A source close to Ms Truss dismissed Mr Burns's claim that the investigation had been a ""stitch up"". It's understood the former prime minister's team believed that it was right to launch an investigation and that they acted decisively."	/news/uk-politics-63845838
politics	Brexit: What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?	"Northern Ireland Protocol has been a source of tension since it came into force at the start of 2021.
UK and European Union (EU) are holding talks on a way forward.
But disagreements over the protocol have stopped the Northern Ireland Assembly functioning and mean new elections may have to be held.
Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks.
Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.
EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries. 
's why a new system - the Northern Ireland Protocol - was needed.
rder is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's troubled political history. It was feared that cameras or border posts could lead to instability.
UK and the EU agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday Agreement - was an absolute priority. 
So, both sides signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
It is now part of international law.
Instead of checking goods at the Irish border, the protocol agreed that any inspections and document checks would be conducted between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. 
ke place at Northern Ireland's ports. 
It was also agreed that Northern Ireland would keep following EU rules on product standards. 
government wants to create red lanes and green lanes for goods imported from Britain into Northern Ireland.
green lane would be for trusted traders transporting goods to Northern Ireland only. These would be exempt from checks and customs controls. 
red lane would be for products going to the EU, including the Republic of Ireland. These would undergo full checks and customs controls.
x rules would also be changed. Northern Irish businesses currently follow EU rules on state aid and VAT. That means government payments to help firms in Northern Ireland, and tax breaks, must be within limits set by the EU. 
UK government wants to remove these limits.
It also wants an independent body to settle disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol, rather than the European Court of Justice.
UK government is threatening to make changes without the agreement of the EU.
Unionist parties support Northern Ireland being part of the UK. They argue that placing an effective border across the Irish Sea undermines Northern Ireland's place within the UK.
Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, the DUP, is refusing to take part in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government unless its concerns are resolved.
Even though the DUP came second in May's elections to Sinn Fein - a nationalist party that accepts the protocol - a new Northern Ireland government cannot be formed without its support. 
government says it is allowed to change the terms of an international agreement, like the protocol, in order to ""safeguard an essential interest"".
It says disputes about the protocol threaten to undermine peace in Northern Ireland. 
On 15 June the European Commission took legal action against the UK for not keeping to the protocol, and called on the government to return to negotiations.
It said it was not prepared to renegotiate the protocol, but has offered to work on how the rules apply, including:
gotiations between the UK and the EU restarted in October - for the first time since February. 
(Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said both the UK and the EU wanted a negotiated solution, but arriving at an agreed outcome would be difficult."	/news/explainers-53724381
politics	City of Chester: Cost of living and buses on new MP's agenda	"w MP for Chester has said the cost of living and bus services in the city are high on her agenda as she marks her first week in the role.
Labour's Samantha Dixon was elected MP for the City of Chester at a by-election on 1 December in what was Labour's best ever result in the seat.
She said she wanted to ""fight the corners of local people who are having difficulties making ends meet"".
was triggered by the resignation of Christian Matheson.
revious Labour MP had stood down after Parliament's watchdog recommended his suspension for ""serious sexual misconduct"".
Ms Dixon secured more than 17,000 votes in the by-election for a seat held by Labour since 2015, giving her a majority of almost 11,000 over the Conservative candidate Liz Wardlaw, who came second with 22% of the vote share.
She told BBC Radio Merseyside the main issue she would be raising would be the rising cost of living, describing it as ""very worrying"".
""It's a very troubling time and we need a strong voice in Chester to fight the corners of local people who are having difficulties making ends meet.""
She also highlighted local bus services.
""There are parts of the city that don't have regular evening buses but if you look at Liverpool and Manchester, they have the power to run their own bus services,"" she said. 
""That would be something that Chester, along with other towns and cities, would like to have.""
Ms Dixon - a former leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council - said she had wanted to be the city's MP after seeing ""problems in the community around you and you just get frustrated and want to see a way that you can help"".
""My family has always been involved in the Labour Party but as a mum with three daughters I really want to show people that it's something you can do too,"" she added. 
On Monday she was sworn in as an MP, taking an oath of allegiance to the Crown and on Wednesday she was welcomed to Parliament by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
He said: ""The best ever result in the 105 years that we've been fighting that seat and a staggering 61% of the vote, so that is absolutely brilliant.
""You're joining a brilliant team of Labour MPs and what we're showing is Labour has changed, we've got the answers to the challenges the country has and it's not just by-elections we want, it's a general election we want.""
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-merseyside-63916428
politics	Boris Johnson makes more than £1m from speeches since leaving office	"Boris Johnson has made more than £1m from giving speeches since leaving No 10, parliamentary records show.
former prime minister was paid £754,000 for three speeches in America, India and Portugal last month, according to the latest register of MPs' interests.
It comes on top of £276,000 he made from a speech in October.
records also show he and his family have continued to receive accommodation from Tory donor Lord Bamford. 
Mr Johnson registered a further £3,500 in accommodation from the JCB boss and his wife Carole for November and December.
was in addition to the £37,000 for accommodation he had previously registered from the couple since leaving office in September. 
uple donated £23,853 towards a summer wedding celebration for Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie, who married last year.
A previous entry specified it covered the cost of hiring a marquee, portable toilets, waiting staff, flowers, a South African BBQ and an ice cream van.
According to the latest update to the register, Mr Johnson was paid £277,723 by New York-based investment banking firm Centerview Partners for a speech on 9 November.
He then received £261,652 from the Hindustan Times for a speech on 17 November, and £215,275 from Portuguese TV station Televisao Independente for a speech on 23 November during the CNN Global Summit in Lisbon.
Mr Johnson was replaced as prime minister by Liz Truss in September, after his resignation in June. 
His downfall followed a mass revolt by ministers over controversies including his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Mr Johnson faced criticism for being too slow to suspend Mr Pincher from the parliamentary party, following allegations he had groped two men in a private members' club.
Mr Pincher stepped down from his government job in July, when he apologised for drinking ""far too much"" and embarrassing ""myself and other people"". 
MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip attempted a surprise comeback in October, when he emerged as a possible replacement for Ms Truss after she resigned. 
But he later ruled himself out of the leadership race, saying it was not possible to govern effectively without a united party. 
re had been suggestions Mr Johnson would stand down from Parliament after he was ousted as prime minister but he has told his local Conservative Party he will stand again as an MP at the next general election. "	/news/uk-politics-63975286
politics	Is a Sinn Féin taoiseach and first minister on the cards?	"Sinn Féin is keen to get back into government in Stormont - both Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill have already made that clear.
re are two reasons for that.                             
Michelle O'Neill will make history as the first nationalist first minister in Northern Ireland. She's already won the right to that job, but is waiting on a start date.
will depend on the DUP lifting its veto on the institutions. 
re's no sign of that in the short term.
But Sinn Féin in government in Northern Ireland helps the party in the Republic of Ireland too. It is performing very strongly in opinion polls in the Republic.
Its frontbench spokespeople are competent media performers but they've yet to spend as much as an hour in power. It frequently describes them as ministers-in-waiting.
responsible ministers taking day-to-day decisions, north of the border, would help combat opposition claims they are untested.
On Friday, the Northern Ireland secretary ruled out a fresh Stormont election.
Sinn Féin would relish the chance of a new poll, confident they'd secure even more seats.
In May, the party won the highest number of seats. Party insiders think there's the potential for at least three further gains. 
In 2020, the party shocked the establishment (and its own leadership) when they won the most first preference votes.
Back then, 22% was a high point. Now the party consistently polls well over 30% - way ahead of its nearest rivals.
No longer does the party dream of just being in government in Dublin - it now has a realistic chance of leading that government.
A Sinn Féin taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and a Sinn Féin first minister? Don't rule it out. 
must wait though.
xt election is scheduled for 2025. It can't come soon enough for Mary Lou McDonald and her team. 
With increased poll ratings, comes increased scrutiny. In the past week, the party's housing spokesperson had to apologise after calling for the country's chief economist to be sacked. 
Just weeks ago a former Sinn Féin councillor was jailed for four years after admitting to facilitating a murder. Political opponents have accused the party of trying to shut down debate. 
(Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin accused the party of a growing attempt to intimidate its critics, adding that opponents were now ""regularly receiving legal threats"". 
On Saturday night, Mary Lou McDonald gave the closing address to almost 2,000 delegates at Dublin's RDS.
It was her first return to this venue since she took over the leadership in 2018.
Along with Michelle O'Neill, she has brought the party to new heights, on both sides of the border.
But they aren't finished yet.  "	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63529073
politics	Rishi Sunak refusing to budge on pay as strike action escalates	"WATCH: Rishi Sunak is asked to give a personal message to NHS workers and others taking strike action
Rishi Sunak has insisted he will not back down against striking workers, as nurses walked out in England, Northern Ireland and Wales for a second day. 
Nurses' union boss Pat Cullen has urged the prime minister to resolve the crisis before Christmas.
But there is no sign of a breakthrough between the sides.
Speaking to MPs, Mr Sunak argued the best way to help workers would be to reduce inflation as quickly as possible. 
UK is facing its biggest week of industrial strikes in recent history in the run up to Christmas, with ambulance workers, customs and immigration staff, bus drivers and postal workers all staging walk outs. 
rmed forces have been drafted in to cover some jobs - but concern is growing about Wednesday's ambulance drivers strike in England and Wales, with a health minister warning people to avoid ""risky activity"".
Head of the NHS confederation, and a former Labour adviser, Matthew Taylor has warned that hospital leaders cannot guarantee patient safety during the strikes.
In a letter to Mr Sunak, he said: ""It is clear that we have entered dangerous territory and we hope this warning from NHS leaders should serve to focus minds in government and in the unions that a swift resolution to this damaging dispute is needed.""
WATCH: Ambulance staff are tired of waiting outside hospitals with patients, says GMB
Mr Sunak is facing calls to reopen talks on nurses' pay and deal with the growing wave of strikes across the public services.
Conservative backbencher Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said that both sides ""need to get round the table and see what can be done.""
But addressing the Liaison Committee of senior MPs Mr Sunak said: ""I've acknowledged it is difficult for everybody, because inflation is where it is. 
""The best way to help them and help everyone else in the country is for us to get a grip and reduce inflation as quickly as possible.""
He said sticking to the wage levels set by the pay review boards earlier this year was an important part of tackling high inflation. 
Despite the prime minister's insistence that he is holding firm, some Conservative MPs have said he will need to budge on nurses' pay.
So far only a handful have said so publicly, but others have expressed concern in private conversations with the BBC. 
One former minister said the government would have to shift eventually and come up with more money,
Another suggested ministers should consider offering a slightly increased offer, albeit still well below the 19% being called for, or a one-off payment to help with rising prices.
A third senior Conservative added: ""I'd be surprised if the pay offer as is on the table wins - unless they are prepared to carry this on for six months.""
However, even behind the scenes, government officials do not want to get into details about possible compromises.
And some Tory MPs are urging the PM to maintain his stance, fearing any concessions would encourage future strikes. 
""Give in to one group then the whole lot will cascade around him,"" said one former minister.
Earlier, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said she was ""truly sorry"" for every patient who would have their care disrupted.
Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Ms Cullen said she would negotiate with the government, saying ""we won't dig in if they don't dig in.""
""But we have no opportunity to do that because we can't get to a table to talk to government.""
She has warned that if the government isn't ""prepared to do the right thing"" her union would have ""no choice"" but to continue striking in January.
Royal College of Nursing has called for a 19% pay rise (5% above the RPI inflation rate) but the government has said this is unaffordable.
Ambulance staff - who are set to walk out on Wednesday - also want above-inflation pay rises, but have not set a specific figure.  
Health Secretary Steve Barclay met unions ahead of the strike on Tuesday afternoon, however Unite representative Onay Kasab described the meeting as ""entirely pointless"" because Mr Barclay had refused to discuss pay.
Following the meeting, Mr Barclay said the pay demands were ""unaffordable"" but added that he was open to ""engaging with unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work""."	/news/uk-politics-64037292
politics	Independence one of three viable options for Wales, say experts	"way Wales is currently governed is ""not sustainable"", according to a new report.
Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales said it would examine three ""viable"" options for the future, including independence.
mmission was set up last year as part of a deal between the Welsh Labour government and Plaid Cymru.
Welsh Conservatives criticised it as ""a waste of time and resources"".
Welsh government said ""our constitutional structures have a direct impact on the quality of services we all rely on"".
Plaid Cymru has called the report ""a landmark"" for recognising that independence ""is a credible and viable way forward"". 
Since it was set up, the commission has heard evidence from constitutional experts, political parties, charities and community groups.
It has now published an interim report which concludes the current system of devolution has ""significant problems"" and is not ""viable"". 
It said the ""pressure points"" on the current system included ""an imbalance of power"" between the UK and Welsh governments, and the ""fragility"" of their relationship.
ree options for change which the report identified will be examined in greater detail in the next phase of the commission's work. 
report said each option ""raised fundamental questions"" and the commission would ""seek more detailed and comprehensive evidence so that we can test these options with the public"".
When the final report comes next year, the commission is not expected to recommend any one of the three options. 
UK government's support would be required for any substantial change to the position of Wales in the UK.
Ali Abdi, a community activist, said: ""I think Wales should go it alone, Wales should have more power.
""If we're working on policing issues then we should control our policing budget, justice and laws. 
""We need to be independent of the chaos in Westminster. I think we should have more representatives of our community in our places of power here too.""
Ianna James said, as a home educator, she was disappointed with what has already been done with devolved powers in Wales.
""Home education is a 50-year-old culture of thousands of people in Wales who want to learn together as a family,"" she said.
""Seeing that they don't want to communicate with us to look into that further and understand it, does not give me faith that they would use further powers wisely.""
Another resident, Dan Ware, said: ""Going independent is a largely important step to be taken in order to rectify some of the unequal levels of wealth that have been quite rampant throughout the UK, especially in the last 15-20 years.
""I think independence has a strong pull for lots of people.""
Eda Stepanova works in the Hideout Café at Grange Pavilion.
She said: ""My question is if we break away from England where do we get our support from? 
""How do we become our own nation? I think probably together, staying together as a nation, that's how I see it.""
Welsh government welcomed the report, and said: ""We are committed to ensuring Wales has a strong future, which works for all of us.""
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the significance of the report ""cannot be overstated"".
""Plaid Cymru believes that only independence can deliver the greener, and stronger economic future, and fairness that the communities of Wales urgently need and deserve,"" he said.
But Welsh Conservatives rejected any further powers being given to the Welsh government.
""The current devolution settlement gives the Labour government ample powers to improve the state of the economy, education and the health service,"" the party said.
""Their focus should be on using the sufficient levers they possess now to improve their record with Wales having the worst waiting times in the UK, the lowest GCSE results, and a 50/50 chance of an ambulance arriving in time."" 
release of the report comes days after a UK Labour report called for the devolution of youth justice and probation, but stopped short of backing the full Welsh government take over of policing and criminal justice.
Labour having backed the ideas for years.
In the Senedd on Wednesday Wales' most senior legal adviser said the door was not ""closed"" under a UK Labour government.
Counsel General Mick Antoniw said: ""I'm confident in the inevitable devolution of justice.""
But he said the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales ""would be the place of Wales to decide what the future of Wales should be"".
""It will be for this Senedd and the people of Wales to decide what that should be,"" he said.
He said the Brown report said it would expect a Labour government to engage ""constructively with its recommendations""."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63872829
politics	Ministers consider tougher curbs on strike action	"government is exploring the idea of significantly restricting or even banning the right of ambulance workers and firefighters to go on strike.
A number of government departments are working up a range of options to toughen up new legislation designed to reduce the impact of industrial action.
I am told the prime minister hasn't made any decisions yet on precisely what he wants to do.
He wants to bring forward planned new laws as quickly as possible. 
meframe for doing so is expected soon, but no specific timetable is being committed to publicly yet.
Introducing new legislation isn't likely to be feasible before January and it wouldn't reduce the impact of industrial action due to happen imminently.
Ministers are thinking of extending existing plans to introduce what are known as Minimum Service Level Agreements to public transport to other sectors, including the emergency services.
would allow strikes to happen, but impose a legal floor on how limited the resulting service on a strike day would be.
Nurses, paramedics and rail staff are among those set to strike this winter.
rikes to be announced are by Border Force staff at several airports, who are walking out over Christmas in a row over pay, jobs and conditions.
Officials at the Department of Health are expected to meet trades unions as soon as Thursday to discuss broadening the range of emergencies they would be willing to respond to while a strike was under way.
As things stand, they would attend life-threatening emergencies but not others.
If there wasn't a willingness from the unions to volunteer to broaden the list of what are known as ""derogations"" or exceptions during a strike, there is a growing appetite within government to legislate to do this.
Senior ministers met on Wednesday, I understand, to discuss the options on the table.
Government figures insist they want to be ""reasonable,"" as they put it, in dealing with the waves of strike action being announced, but if trades unions behave in what they see as an ""unreasonable"" way, they have a duty to respond.
Rishi Sunak has told the BBC: ""It is my responsibility to make sure everyone can be kept safe and we can minimise the disruption on their day-to-day lives, and I will do what I need to do to make sure that is the case.""
He added that he had to ensure ""people can go about their day-to-day lives free of the enormous disruption these strikes are going to cause.""
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the trade union Unite, has said if the government ""put more hurdles in our way, then we will jump over them. We are ready industrially and financially. I will continue to fight and win for workers."""	/news/uk-politics-63897640
politics	David TC Davies: The ex-HGV driver in Sunak's cabinet	"After about three years as a junior Wales Office Minister the Monmouth Conservative MP David TC Davies has been promoted to the cabinet as Welsh secretary by the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
But what do we know about Wales' new man around the UK cabinet table?
Let's get the TC thing out of the way first. 
It stands for Thomas Charles, after the Methodist clergyman (1755-1814) from Bala - now in Gwynedd - who played a key role in setting up Sunday schools.
When the Welsh MP entered the UK parliament in 2005 the speaker would call him to speak as David TC Davies, to distinguish him from the English Tory MP David Davis who went on to become Brexit secretary.
Some MPs dubbed him Top Cat, a reference to the classic 1960s American cartoon series whose lead character was known as TC to ""close friends"".
Born in 1970 and educated at Bassaleg Comprehensive School in Newport, David TC Davies's grandfather on his mother's side was a miner at Clipstone Colliery, in Nottinghamshire, who would joke he was the ""only Tory coal miner in the town"".
His father, Peter Davies, was a prominent Conservative Newport councillor, a popular, larger than life character who was a regular fixture on the Welsh media.
After school David TC Davies worked for British Steel and joined the Territorial Army, spending 18 months as a Gunner with 104 Air Defence Regiment at Raglan Barracks in Newport. 
A time abroad followed, including Australia, where his employment included spells as a nightclub promoter, tobacco picker and rickshaw driver.
Back in the UK he worked as a continental lorry driver and then managed the family haulage business.
David TC Davies MP: ""I've been threatened and called scum""
He came to prominence in Welsh political life 25 years ago, as a ""No"" campaigner against the creation of the Welsh assembly.
He was on the losing side in that 1997 referendum, which came just months after Tony Blair's Labour landslide general election victory, although the referendum vote was tight, 50.3% for and 49.7% against.
Mr Davies had established credentials as a devolution sceptic.
He ran for election to the assembly he had opposed two years later, winning the Monmouth seat. He became the only Tory representing a directly elected assembly constituency, rather than one of the regional top-up seats using a system of proportional representation that secured his party colleagues a berth in Cardiff Bay.
He soon dedicated himself to learning Welsh, impressing Welsh speakers in the fledgling institution with his determination to use the language at every opportunity, even if he mangled his words a little as he was getting to grips with it.
Mr Davies made the headlines when, during a debate in the assembly's first year, Labour member Alison Halford was accused of inappropriate behaviour for saying said he had ""one of the nicest bottoms I have seen for some considerable time"".
His response: ""The bottom line is that there are more serious things we could be talking about but on this occasion I'll turn the other cheek."" 
He was elected MP for Monmouth in 2005. During his political career he has got himself into hot water from time to time for controversial comments on sensitive subjects. 
In 2006, after his house was burgled while his family and visitors slept, he called for homeowners to be allowed to arm themselves with Taser stun guns.
wo years later he was slow-handclapped at a National Black Police Association (NBPA) conference when he said they should let white officers be full members and not doing so might be seen as racist.
NBPA said Mr Davies had been disrespectful, that it was made up of local associations and that some of them allow full white membership.
Mr Davies, a special constable at the time, had been invited by mistake, when the NBPA wanted to hear from ""the other"" David Davis, a former shadow home secretary. 
In 2013 he said his opposition to same sex marriage and support for a referendum on EU membership would put himself into the ""swivel eyed-loon, fruitcake"" category reported to have been described by someone close to Prime Minister David Cameron at the time.
In 2016 his call for child migrants arriving in the UK from Calais to have their teeth tested to verify their age was condemned by dentists.
He has also been an outspoken critic of transgender rights.
In 2018 he joined a Twitter conversation about the Labour Party's suspension of a member for posting a message that read: ""Trans women are men.""
He wrote: ""Somebody possessing a penis [and a] pair of testicles is definitely not a woman. This should be a biological fact not a matter for political debate.""
LGBT+ Conservatives group replied: ""David TC Davies' transphobic views are abhorrent and out of kilter with Conservative Party policy"".
reply also included a phrase which implied an offensive term against Mr Davies - something he said was ""abusive and misogynistic"", which the group later apologised for, promising to ""continue to debate with him vigorously on trans rights but in a mutually respectful way"".
Speaking on BBC Radio Cymru about his controversial opinions last year, he told Beti George: ""I don't want to cause offence to anyone. 
""But, at the same time, I think I, or others in politics, have the right to say things that are sometimes difficult to hear.""
He said he would not apologise for anything he had said in the past. 
Fellow Tories say he has calmed down over the years.
MP David Davies is a keen amateur boxer
He spent nine years chairing the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, worked as an assistant government whip and as a junior Wales Office minister before his promotion to the cabinet as Welsh secretary.
He showed his pragmatic side in 2018 when, as a dedicated Brexiteer, he urged fellow Tory Eurosceptics in the European Research Group to ""swallow their pride"" and back Theresa May's ""half-loaf Brexit"" deal or risk wrecking the whole project.
Amid the increasing levels of abuse aimed at politicians at the time he took to wearing a body camera in 2019 for ""protection and evidential purposes"".
Later that year he expressed frustration over MPs representing English seats being made Wales Office ministers, but was appointed to that deputy role in the department a few months later.
Outside politics, he married his long-term Hungarian girlfriend Aliz in 2003, they live in Monmouth and have three children.
He is a keen fitness enthusiast, attending the gym every day. 
As an amateur boxer he provided lively footage for TV coverage of a committee inquiry into prisons and how to steer young people away from offending by sparring with Joe Calzaghe and has fought charity matches as ""The Tory Tornado"".
Nearly two and a half decades after TC arrived in Cardiff Bay as one of the first Welsh assembly members, he has finally become Top Cat at the Wales Office with a seat at the UK cabinet table."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63399169
politics	Rishi Sunak urged to raise defence spending by Estonia	"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being urged to raise UK defence spending by a key eastern European ally.
Estonia, which borders Russia, has hosted British troops on rotation for years.  
Its foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu told the BBC it was ""vital"" all Nato countries spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. 
Mr Sunak has not matched a pledge, set by predecessor Liz Truss, to meet that target by 2030.
w prime minister, who replaced Ms Truss in Downing Street this week, has previously described such targets as ""arbitrary"". 
However, he also said he believed in ""investing in our armed forces"" during his campaign to be Tory leader over the summer. 
UK currently spends just over 2% of GDP - a measure of the size of the economy - a year on defence. 
Asked whether countries in the Nato defensive alliance, including the UK, should aim to spend 3% of GDP on defence, Mr Reinsalu replied: ""Absolutely.""
He described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a ""game-changer"".
""Autocrats are investing in weapons,"" he told the BBC. ""They believe in [the] power of arms."" 
Nato estimates Estonia, which shares a 183-mile border with Russia and has a population of 1.3 million people, will spend 2.3% of its GDP on defence in 2022. Estonian ministers say they will raise this to 3% by 2024. 
Nato countries committed in 2014 to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence by 2024. Only nine members expected to meet that target this year.
""To defend our values - the rules based order - we need also to invest to the weapons,"" Mr Reinsalu said.
He also urged Britain not to cut troop numbers in Estonia, saying: ""We love UK soldiers"" and ""we want more"". 
A UK-led battlegroup has been based in Estonia since 2017, as part of a wider set of multinational Nato deployments in eastern Europe.
Around the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Britain's presence was nearly doubled in the Baltic nation, with around 700 more soldiers.
However those additional troops are set to be withdrawn by the end of this year, leaving around 900 UK personnel in Estonia. 
Discussions are said to be ongoing about plans for further British support that might better suit Estonia's longer-term needs.  
Mr Reinsalu said troop numbers should not be cut, but rather raised. 
""I think [it is] very important not to give any mis-interpretative signals towards Russia,"" he added.
He also called on the West to deliver more heavy weapons to Ukraine without ""any political caveats"", adding the UK had set a ""good example"" in this area.
In a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Sunak promised to maintain British support to Ukraine but some major European countries, such as Germany and France, have faced accusations of being too slow to provide arms. 
Mr Reinsalu said the West must be ""determined"" and that Kyiv must not be pressured into making concessions towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
""Are we successors of Chamberlain or Churchill?"" he asked, referring to two former British prime ministers.
Neville Chamberlain was associated with a policy of appeasement towards Hitler's Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
When that policy failed, he was succeeded by the famous war-time leader Winston Churchill.
""We need to look towards a Ukrainian victory. Then we will not be ashamed to look ourselves [in the] mirror,"" said Mr Reinsalu. 
UK Ministry of Defence said the additional British troops sent to Baltics countries earlier this year were ""always a temporary deployment"". 
A spokesperson added that forces will be held at high readiness in the UK for rapid reinforcement across the Baltic region. 
""Our commitment to Nato and Estonia in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is absolute,"" the spokesperson added.
Further details of UK defence spending will be set out in the autumn statement due on 17 November. "	/news/uk-politics-63397598
politics	Respect for Marriage Act: Why interracial marriage is also in the law	"President Joe Biden has signed a same-sex marriage protection bill that is being seen as a major win for LGBT couples.
marks an important turning point in the decades-long process to protect interracial marriage. 
After passing the Senate and the House earlier, the Respect for Marriage Act is now law.
requires the federal government to recognise the validity of all marriages - including between LGBT and same-sex couples - conducted in states where they are legal.
Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith sing at White House
It's been 55 years since a US Supreme Court ruling first made interracial marriage legal in every state, but it was not protected by federal law until now. Recent remarks by a justice of the top court had caused some concerns that gay marriage and interracial marriage could be overturned by a possible future court ruling.
west push to codify the right to gay and interracial marriage into law came after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court in June overturned the constitutional right to abortion, which had been legal nationwide for four decades. 
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing his opinion in the abortion case, Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization, called into question the legality of other rights that were established by Supreme Court verdicts, and not by congressional legislation. 
He wrote that the court has a ""duty"" to ""correct the error"" of previous Supreme Court judgements that established the national right to contraception in 1965, overturned state anti-sodomy laws in 2003 and added the right to same-sex marriage in 2015.
Mr Thomas's opinion made no mention of the case that legalised interracial marriage in 1967 - Loving v Virginia.
Court-watchers noted how that landmark case - like the three he mentioned - came down to the subject of due process and equal protections under the law.
Loving v Virginia was brought by a husband and wife who argued that the state of Virginia had unfairly discriminated against them by refusing to issue a marriage licence. At the time, 16 states still had laws against interracial marriage, known as anti-miscegenation laws. 
Liberals said Mr Thomas' omission of the case was hypocritical and motivated by self-interest, given the fact that he has been in an interracial relationship since the 1980s. Conservatives said the black Supreme Court justice's marriage to a white woman is proof that there is no actual judicial threat to racially diverse marriages. 
Cathryn Oakley, of the LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, says that there are currently no states challenging either interracial marriage or same-sex marriage, which are now both the ""status quo"" under US law.
What the Dobbs decision on abortion made clear to people, she says, is that ""these things that we thought were settled law - which people have depended on, people have built their lives around - are in fact not as settled in the eyes of the US Supreme Court as they are in the eyes of the rest of America"".
At a signing ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, Mr Biden praised the new law.
""Marriage is a simple proposition,"" he said.
""Who do you love, and will you be loyal to that person you love? It's not more complicated than that.""
At least 94% of Americans approve of interracial marriage, according to a 2021 Gallup poll. The approval figure was only 4% when Gallup first began conducting the survey in 1958.
Figures show that such unions are happening more frequently, too. 
In 2019, 11% of all married US adults had a partner who was a different race from them, according to the Pew Research Center. 
However, among newlyweds that year, 19% were entering into interracial unions.
John McKeon, a Democratic state assemblyman in New Jersey, last month submitted legislation to specifically legalise interracial marriage in New Jersey - one of only a few states that never banned it in the first place. 
re is nothing in the US Constitution explicitly guaranteeing reproductive freedom, equal marriage or contraception, he says.
He argues that all those could be ended someday by a court of jurists who believe rights established by courts - and not legislatures - are not actually rights at all. 
Mr McKeon was inspired to propose the legislation after his staff began investigating New Jersey law following the Dobbs decision, and were surprised to find no laws guaranteeing the right to interracial marriage. 
New Jersey, he says, was among Democratic-leaning states that ""rushed to make certain once Dobbs passed that reproductive freedom was part of our law"".
""And similarly that that was done for access to contraception,"" he tells BBC News. 
""And we had already done it as it related to marriage equality. But when I looked on the books, on interracial marriage there is nothing set forth in our law.""
Although he recognises that a legal challenge is unlikely, it would be better, he says, ""really to cross that T""."	/news/world-us-canada-63801108
politics	Sunak on strikes: Best way to help workers is reducing inflation	"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been asked to give a personal message to NHS workers and others taking strike action.
Appearing for the first time before the Liaison Committee of senior MPs, Rishi Sunak was asked about the strikes by Conservative MP Bernard Jerkin.
Mr Sunak said the best way to help workers was to ""get a grip on inflation"" and that he wanted to see things ""get back to normal"".
:ive: Sunak facing questions from top MPs' committee"	/news/uk-politics-63972507
politics	G20: What will leaders talk about at the Bali summit?	"World leaders are meeting for the annual G20 summit from 15 November, in Bali, Indonesia.
main aim is to help economies recover after Coronavirus, but tensions over the Ukraine war could hamper discussions. 
G20, or Group of Twenty, is a club of countries which meets to discuss plans for the global economy.
Between them, G20 countries account for 85% of the world's economic output and 75% of world trade. They contain two-thirds of the global population.
members are the European Union and 19 nations - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. Spain is always invited as a guest. 
A smaller group forms the G7 group of leading industrialised nations.
ues discussed by G20 leaders have expanded from economics to include climate change, sustainable energy, international-debt forgiveness and taxing multinational corporations. 
Every year, a different G20 member state takes over the presidency and sets the agenda for meetings. 
As 2022 president, Indonesia wants the Bali summit to concentrate on global health measures and economic recovery following the pandemic. It also wants to promote adoption of sustainable energy.
ummit is also an opportunity for national leaders to meet on the sidelines for one-to-one discussions.
US president Joe Biden says he wants to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the status of Taiwan.
Political tensions could overshadow the summit. 
Ukraine's foreign ministry has asked for Russia to be expelled from the G20, because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Indonesian government has said President Putin will not attend in person.
It is also thought US President Joe Biden will refuse to greet Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
President Biden has accused Saudi Arabia of helping Russia to finance its war in Ukraine and says the two countries have been working together to keep crude oil prices high.
f government often pose for a group photograph. 
It is used as an opportunity to sell whatever agreements the leaders have signed.
However, the diplomatic discord the photograph reveals often makes headlines in its own right. 
In 2018, following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Prince Mohammed bin Salman was largely ignored at the leaders' summit and made to stand at the far end of the group.
At the 2008 and 2009 leaders' summits, during the financial crisis, leaders agreed a host of measures to rescue the global economic system.
But some critics argue that subsequent summits have been less constructive, often as a result of tensions between rival world powers.
However, bilateral meetings at the summit have often proved constructive.
In 2019, at Osaka, then-US president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume talks to settle a major trade dispute.
Often, big demonstrations take place around the leaders' summits. 
Anti-capitalist protesters demonstrated at the 2010 summit in Toronto and the 2017 summit in Hamburg. 
usands of demonstrators marched during the 2018 summit in Rio de Janeiro to protest against the G20's economic policies.
In 2009 Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, died after he was caught up in protests during the the G20 summit in London. "	/news/world-48776664
politics	Conservatives miss out in Colchester City Council by-election	"Labour and the Liberal Democrats have taken a seat each in a city council's by-election.
, won in the Highwoods ward, in Colchester mean the Lib Dems remain as the lead party in a coalition with Labour and the Greens. 
Conservatives candidates came fourth and fifth out of the six who stood.
Liberal Democrat leader of the council David King said the deciding factor was the ""quality of the candidates"".
-election was held after two independent councillors, Beverley and Gerard Oxford, resigned. 
urnout was 21.44% from an electorate of 7,196 and the seats were won by Catherine Bickersteth for Labour and Alison Jay for the Lib Dems.
It was the first local election held since the town was granted city status and Colchester Borough Council became Colchester City Council.
Newly elected Labour councillor Ms Bickersteth said she was thrilled to top the ballot with 653 votes.
She said the Labour group would continue working in the coalition and do its ""utmost to make sure that, with all the things that people are facing in a cost of living crisis, we make Colchester as great as it deserves to be"".
Adam Fox, leader of the Labour Group and deputy leader of the council, said: ""Topping the ballot shows that people are fed up with the Conservatives nationally as well and that Labour is ready to take on the Conservatives when a general election comes."" 
Mr King said the outcome showed there was ""a clear preference for a non-Conservative councillor and that centre and centre-left have a strong voice"".
He added: ""The most important thing I take away from this is that if we have quality people who are prepared to put their heart and soul into helping people in their ward, and Alison Jay does, they will get a personal vote"".
Darius Laws, leader of the Conservative Party at the city council, said he was ""really pleased"" with the result despite his party not taking a seat.
""We haven't quite seen the Labour surge in numbers that perhaps people were predicting,"" he said.
""If you look at the national polls, things aren't great for the Conservatives at the moment, but locally here in Colchester, we've proved that there are people who want to vote Conservative. 
""They came out on a cold day in December and voted for us.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion get in touch via eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-essex-63919751
politics	Bolsover: Labour candidate Jerry Hague stands down	"A solicitor who admitted professional misconduct over his firm's handling of miners' compensation claims has stood down as a Labour candidate. 
Jerry Hague announced ""with sadness"" he would not be standing for the party in Bolsover, Derbyshire.
It came after The Times revealed Mr Hague had been fined £5,000 in 2010 after appearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Bolsover was held by former miner Dennis Skinner for 49 years.
ran politician - known as the Beast of Bolsover -  lost his seat to the Conservatives in 2019.
It was one of several so-called ""red wall"" Labour constituencies in the Midlands and north of England to be won by Tories in Boris Johnson's landslide election victory. 
uency includes many former pit communities which have struggled since the closure of the mines.
Mr Hague was a partner at Graysons, a Sheffield law firm, which handled compensation claims against British Coal by former miners suffering from lung disease from breathing in coal dust and vibration white finger, a condition caused by working with vibrating machinery such as chain saws and drills.
In 1998, the firm agreed a deal with the National Union of Mineworkers that gave them access to potential clients - and was designed to ensure former miners and their families faced no liability if their compensation claim failed.
But clients also had to enter into a ""funding agreement"" with the NUM, which meant they had to pay a ""fixed sum of money"" to the union out of any compensation won, according to the tribunal findings, which have been seen by the BBC.
In 2010, Mr Hague was one of four Graysons solicitors to admit breaking conduct rules by failing to give clients adequate advice about costs and the ""merits"" of the NUM funding agreement.
Labour Party is understood to have been unaware of Mr Hague's misconduct case during the candidate selection process and spoke to him after the details came to light. 
rty is understood to agree he cannot remain as the candidate. 
In a statement, Mr Hague said: ""With sadness I am standing down as the Labour parliamentary candidate for the Bolsover constituency.
""It has been an honour to be selected by local party members and the decision I have come to is based upon the interests of the Labour Party.
""I would like to thank everyone for their support throughout my campaign and look forward to offering my backing to the Bolsover CLP [constituency Labour party] and the candidate it will go on to choose.""
Conservative MP Mark Fletcher has represented Bolsover since the 2019 election. "	/news/uk-politics-64033841
politics	Climate change: State-owned wind farm 'could cut bills'	"Plans for a publicly owned energy company could see bills reduced and renewable supplies directly benefit communities, a minister has said. 
roposal is for a joint venture between the Welsh government and developers.
Profits would be used to construct wind turbine sites owned by communities.  
Climate Change Minister Julie James says ""it sticks in my craw"" that foreign governments get profits from wind farms in Wales. 
Ms James said communities would benefit from either owning turbines, getting homes fitted to save energy or from lower bills .  
""This will be a company that brings more of the profits back to the people of Wales directly, in the form of a state developer, but we will have to do that in a joint venture partnership with a range of other providers,"" she said.
At the moment, many big wind farms across Wales are foreign-owned, in some cases by other governments, with profits helping to fund their public services. 
ggest wind farm in Wales and England is at the heads of five valleys across south Wales.
Pen y Cymoedd, owned by Vattenfall, has 76 turbines that generate enough electricity for nearly 190,000 homes - one sixth of homes in Wales. 
generate profits for the Swedish state, which owns Vattenfall, with profits going towards heating Swedish hospitals, schools and other public services.
Rahel Jones, from Vattenfall, said the company has spent £300m in Wales in the past eight years and was not put off by the Welsh government's plans.
""Competition is good,"" she said.
""We can all work together to deliver the energy system we need and tackle climate change.""
A new wind farm is being developed between Port Talbot and Maesteg by the Irish government, owned by ESB and Coriolis, generating enough electricity for 100,000 homes. 
Gwynt y Môr, the offshore wind farm in north Wales, is owned by RWE, based in Germany. It has also taken over Innogy Renewables which built Wales' third largest wind farm near Brechfa, where there are 28 turbines. 
Ms James said: ""In the previous industrial revolution in Wales, the wealth of Wales were worked by its people, the profits were exported away. We need to make sure that doesn't happen again.""
Under its proposals, the Welsh government would help a developer with access to land, planning process, infrastructure and negotiations with the National Grid. 
r would bring in funding or venture capital - the money needed to get the project going, with the aim of having its investment returned when it makes profit. 
re would be a package so that the community benefited directly, and profits would be shared, with the Welsh government using its share for another project.
However, Ms James added that ""each joint venture will be developed differently, each site will have a different set of criteria"".
While there are existing community energy projects, the Welsh government said its proposals would include more community benefit and involvement.
""Some of the turbines will be directly owned by the community,"" said Ms James. 
She also wants ""off-grid"" communities who do not have oil or mains gas to get power directly from the turbines, if possible, making it cheaper, or energy efficiency improvements made to homes. 
Dyfan Lewis from Community Energy Wales wants decisions about how the money is spent to be decided at a local level.  
He said: ""We want to see the money go to community initiatives, funding different social businesses or helping people in fuel poverty. They have the choice then of where to use that money and how to do it best""
Communities have been getting money from wind farms already - for people living near Pen y Cymoedd, there is an annual fund of £1.8m they can bid into. 
Our Space, or Ein Lle Ni in Welsh, has had £81,500.  
Sylvia Strand and Jonathan Gregory, film and television music composers from Treherbert, Rhondda Cynon Taf, are working with people to record their stories. 
Ms Strand said the project was a way for ""the people of this area to tell the history of this area, from the ice age to the present day, in their own words"".
Recording in various locations, they work with 10 community groups with participants ranging from eight to 98 years old with contributors including a woodland therapy group and choirs."	/news/uk-wales-63917570
politics	Zelenska's visit must shock us awake again - Sir Lindsay Hoyle	"Commons speaker has warned that if Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine then “other nations will be in his sights"".
Introducing Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska in the Houses of Parliament, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the UK must not sleepwalk into thinking the war was going on in a faraway land.
He said she ""must make us listen"" about women in Ukraine being raped by Russian soldiers.
LIVE: Ukraine's first lady addresses MPs in UK Parliament"	/news/uk-politics-63797671
politics	Sunak 'stands by' manifesto commitment on fracking	"Green MP Caroline Lucas asked Rishi Sunak PM if he would reverse a decision by Liz Truss to allow fracking in England where there was local consent. 
He said he would ""stand by"" the party manifesto's moratorium on in and added the government had passed the ""landmark"" Environment Act.
Rishi Sunak reimposes fracking ban in England"	/news/uk-politics-63313538
politics	Sunak: Government planning 'tough new laws' over strikes	"government is looking at ""all options"" to minimise the effects of public sector strikes,  the PM hsa said.
Speaking on a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, to promote a new jet fighter deal, Rishi Sunak said ""tough new laws"" were being considered, but would not go into details at the stage."	/news/uk-politics-63918185
politics	Conservative Party increases membership fees by 56%	"Conservative Party is increasing its annual membership fees by 56% amid a drop in donations.
will rise from £25 to £39, although existing members will see their fees frozen in 2023.
rty does not release membership figures, but based on those voting in recent leadership contests, it is thought to be about 172,000.
Donations to the party fell to their lowest level since 2020, according to the latest quarterly figures.
rty raised £2.9m between July and September.
Conservative party sources said the figures covered the six-week leadership election when donors gave money to leadership campaigns.
Labour raised similar amounts in the same time period, receiving £2.8m including £1.6m from trade unions.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: ""An increase to the membership fee, which has been frozen for 16 years, has been agreed.
""Existing members will see their membership fee frozen in 2023 and the new membership fee remains substantially cheaper than Labour's.""
Full membership of the Labour Party costs £52 a year, although there are discounted rates for retired people, union members and the unwaged. Students, current and former members of the armed forces and 14-19-year-olds can join for £3 a year.
People can join the Liberal Democrats from £15 a year, with concessions, but the ""recommended"" rate is £72 a year.
SNP membership starts at £1 a month.
Conservatives also offer discounted membership to those aged under 26 and current or former members of the armed forces."	/news/uk-politics-63888581
politics	Rishi Sunak vows to fix Liz Truss's mistakes in first speech as PM	"WATCH: Sunak on Truss: ""Some mistakes were made""
Rishi Sunak has pledged to fix ""mistakes"" made under Liz Truss's leadership and warned of ""difficult decisions"" ahead, in his first speech as prime minister.
He said he would restore trust, rebuild confidence and lead the UK through ""a profound economic crisis"".
Mr Sunak promised to deliver the manifesto that won the Conservatives a landslide election victory in 2019.
His speech outside No 10 came after he was appointed PM by King Charles.
UK's first British Asian prime minister, Mr Sunak announced his cabinet this afternoon, after telling Tory MPs to unify or face electoral oblivion.
In major reshuffle, Dominic Raab returned as deputy PM, and Grant Shapps became business secretary, while Jeremy Hunt remained as chancellor.
A large majority of MPs backed Mr Sunak for the leadership and when his only remaining rival Penny Mordaunt withdrew, there was no need for a ballot of Tory members.
Following Mr Sunak's speech, opposition parties repeated their demand for an immediate general election and argued Mr Sunak had no mandate from the public.
Mr Sunak's effective coronation as Tory leader on Monday spelled the end of Ms Truss's turbulent premiership, just 49 days after she took office.
Ms Truss became prime minister after defeating Mr Sunak in a ballot of Tory members during the summer, winning over members with her tax-cutting economic agenda.
But her government was destabilised by political and economic turmoil, exacerbated by her mini-budget, whose package of unfunded tax cuts has mostly been ditched.
In her farewell speech, Ms Truss defended her economic policies and said her time as prime minister convinced her of the need to be ""bold"".
In his own speech, Mr Sunak paid tribute to his predecessors Boris Johnson and Ms Truss, saying she ""was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country - it is a noble aim"".
""But some mistake were made,"" Mr Sunak said. ""Not born of ill will or bad intentions, quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless.
""I have been elected as leader of the party and as prime minister in part to fix them. And that work begins immediately.""
Mr Sunak - who was chancellor until July this year - said he would place ""economic componence and stability at the heart of this government's agenda"", warning that ""will mean difficult decisions to come"".
He gave no details about what those decisions were, but how to fund support for energy bills, and bring down government debt, are likely to be among them.
Mr Sunak is expected to cut public spending to plug an estimated £40bn hole in the public finances.
On his first day in office Mr Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ""to underline the United Kingdom's steadfast support for Ukraine"", a Downing Street spokesman said.
United States President Joe Biden said ""that the UK remains America's closest ally"" in another call, according to Downing Street. 
rime minister and President Biden also agreed to ""preserve"" the Good Friday peace deal, which set up power sharing in Northern Ireland.
It comes amid an ongoing row over the Northern Ireland Protocol - part of the post-Brexit deal between the UK and EU. 
Mr Sunak also spoke to the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and of Wales, Mark Drakeford. 
Ms Sturgeon said that the call with Mr Sunak had been ""constructive"", and Downing Street said Mr Sunak had emphasised their ""duty"" to work closely together. 
Mr Drakeford said the call had been a chance to ""discuss the importance of working together as four nations"" to address the ""urgent challenges"" faced by the UK.
mic challenges ahead for Mr Sunak loomed large in his speech, which he delivered in a solemn tone, outside his new residence at Downing Street.
He appeared on his own without his wife, Akshata Murty, and two daughters beside him.
He reminded the public of his decisions when he was chancellor during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the furlough scheme to help employers pay their staff.
While ""there are always limits"", Mr Sunak said, ""I promise you this: I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today.""
Other than a brief, television statement on Monday evening, this was the first the public had heard from Mr Sunak since he was elected Tory leader.
42-year-old former hedge fund boss, who has only been an MP for seven years, enters office at a time when his party is cratering in the polls.
As the party searched for its third leader this year, Mr Sunak's former boss - Mr Johnson - insisted he was the only person who could unite the Conservatives and win the next election.
Mr Johnson, who only resigned as prime minister in September, ultimately withdrew from the Tory leadership contest, admitting it was not the ""right time"" for a comeback.
Mr Sunak reflected on Mr Johnson's ""incredible achievements"" in his speech, but downplayed his sole ownership of the party's 2019 election victory.
rime minister said ""the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual - it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us"".
""And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto,"" he said. ""I will deliver on its promise.""
If Mr Sunak moves too far away from his party's 2019 manifesto - which promised to ""level up"" the country - calls for an early general election may grow louder.
xt one is not due to take place until January 2025, at the latest, and Mr Sunak is under no obligation to hold one earlier under the UK's parliamentary system.
But Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Sunak's refusal to call a general election showed his party ""does not trust the British people"", who ""will be rightly furious that they have been denied a say"".
Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said the country needed ""a fresh start"" after ""12 years of Conservative failure"", which Mr Sunak had been part of.
In a meeting with his shadow cabinet this morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned his party against complacency, calling Mr Sunak a ""ruthless"" political operator.
Sir Keir said Mr Sunak ""will not deliver for working people"" and told his MPs to ""ignore the noise"", even if the new prime minister gives the Tories ""a significant poll bounce""."	/news/uk-politics-63388007
politics	Scottish Tories 'very frustrated' by party leadership turmoil	"Scottish Tories are ""very frustrated"" by the UK party's leadership turmoil, according to their chairman.
Craig Hoy told BBC Scotland his colleagues want to focus on holding the SNP to account over independence.
Supporters of ex-PM Boris Johnson had been resolute that he would stand, until he announced on Sunday evening that he would not put his name forward.
Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are now left in the race following Liz Truss's resignation.
Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney said the Tories had fallen into disrepute as he called for a general election.
Liz Truss was forced to stand down after 45 days in office - the shortest premiership of any UK prime minister - as her policy programme spooked the financial markets.
race for the party's next leader has begun with a winner being declared on Friday.
According to our own BBC figures, which are being updated here, Mr Sunak has 153 Conservative MPs who have publicly given him their backing, while Ms Mordaunt has 25.
During an appearance on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, Scottish Conservatives chairman Craig Hoy was pressed on whether his party could realistically lead a government in the wake of recent financial chaos.
It was put to him that other parties including Labour and the SNP have called for a general election.
He said: ""This is well within the constitution and within the rules and I think what the Scottish and British people now want us to do is to govern in their interest, which is to seriously tackle the issues we see in the economy. 
""And don't forget that many of these issues are global issues, which is why the distraction of events at Westminster has been very, very frustrating for us as Scottish Conservatives as well because we want to focus on holding the SNP to account.""
Asked to comment on whether the Scottish Conservatives could work with Mr Johnson if he were to become PM for a second time, Mr Hoy said ""we don't even know if he will throw his hat into the ring"".
He reiterated his position that it would be ""inappropriate"" for him to declare support for any candidate.
""I think we should be very cautious of hypothetical situations,"" he added.
""We will have this wrapped up by Friday so that we can start to focus on the people's priorities and that is making sure that we help households both here in Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK.""
Boris Johnson's final months in office were dogged by accusations he broke ministerial rules by not telling the truth about parties in Downing Street during the Covid lockdown.
He remains under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Committee, which could lead to him being suspended from Parliament, or being kicked out as an MP.
John Swinney accused the Conservatives of treating the leadership race as their ""plaything"", a move he said had ""completely wrecked"" their reputation.
Reiterating his party's calls for a general election, Mr Swinney said: ""The Conservative Party has to realise itself that it's no longer fit to govern and that the people of this country must be given the chance to decide on the way we are governed moving forward.
""If we put enough pressure on them, then the Conservative Party has to realise the mistakes that they have made and be held to account.""
Mr Hoy argued that the country ""would be in a much deeper hole"" if it was to pursue independence according to the SNP's economy paper released on Monday.
Indy opponents and some economists including the Institute for Fiscal Studies have said the paper lacks detail on key issues.
However, Mr Swinney said Scotland was ""very finely balanced"" on the issue of independence.
He said further information would be set out in the coming weeks and months that would ""provide answers that people are looking for"".
uty first minister said: ""We've got a credibility of a government - and to be fair to governments of all political colours in Scotland - for 22 years of living within our resources. 
""That gives fiscal credibility to the Scottish government. Build that onto an independent central bank and that begins to build the financial credibility that is essential - and which has been squandered by the Conservative Party by its behaviour in recent weeks.""
Meanwhile, Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray told The Sunday Show there must be a general election to end the Tory Party ""soap opera"".
He said: This isn't a game. People are struggling to pay their energy bills. They are making decisions about heating and eating, but can do neither. 
""The economy has been trashed, pensions have been trashed and yet we're in a situation today where it's like some EastEnders soap opera."" "	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63363803
politics	Living in Downing Street: Rishi Sunak and family move back in	"w prime minister and his family will be returning to live in the flat above No 10, Downing Street has said. 
Rishi Sunak, along with his wife and two daughters, stayed in the flat when he was chancellor to Boris Johnson.
Many PMs of recent years - especially those with children - have lived in the larger flat above No 11, officially designated for the chancellor. 
Asked why Mr Sunak has opted for No 10 instead, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: ""They were very happy there.""
residential areas inside Downing Street, are generally kept away from the public eye. But a few publicity shots from the past decades have offered glimpses into the décor behind the famous No 10 door. 
Speaking to the Times in August during the summer leadership contest Mr Sunak said the family would ""probably just move back into the flat where we used to live, to be honest"" if elected. 
""We have already decorated it and it's lovely.""
Meanwhile, several predecessors including Mr Johnson elected to live in No 11 because the four-bedroom flat there is much larger than the one above No 10. 
Blair and his wife Cherie and their family were the first to make the switch, swapping home with the then unmarried Gordon Brown. The Blairs turned the space into a family home. 
It was then extensively refurbished by David and Samantha Cameron in 2011 at a cost of £30,000. 
Days before Theresa May was due to move in in 2016, the Sun reported she was eying up the No 11 flat that had been renovated by the Camerons.
A row about the interiors of Downing Street emerged more recently when Mr Johnson faced criticism over an expensive revamp of the No 11 flat - which led to the Conservative Party being fined £17,800.
rime minister receives an annual public grant of £30,000 to spend on living quarters. 
However the work for Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie, carried out by interior designer Lulu Lytle, cost more than £200,000. 
work was initially paid for by the Cabinet Office, but £52,000 was given to the Conservative Party by Tory donor Lord Brownlow to cover the bills. 
Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie wanted to transform the flat from previous PM Ms May's ""John Lewis furniture nightmare"" into a ""high society haven"", according to society magazine Tatler.
Mr Johnson said he had since covered the costs from his own pocket. 
Electoral Commission fined the Tory party and found it had failed to accurately declare all of Lord Brownlow's donations towards the renovation.
Asked whether Mr Sunak and his family will redecorate, the PM's press secretary said: ""Not that I'm aware of.""
In April, before Mr Sunak resigned as chancellor, his family moved out of Downing Street to their west London house to be closer to their children's school. 
me at a similar time as reports emerged that Mr Sunaks' wife, Akshata Murty had claimed ""non-dom"" tax status, reportedly saving her millions.
In his final few months as chancellor, Mr Sunak split his time between the family home and his official residence.
In the interview with the Times, Mr Sunak insisted the move from Downing Street in April was because his eldest daughter was in her last term of primary school and was meant to be able to walk to school by herself every day. 
No 10 Downing Street has been the residence of British prime ministers since 1735, says the government's website. It has three functions - the official residence of the PM, their office and where the prime minister entertains guests from world leaders to royalty. 
It is much larger than it appears from the front, with a warren of rooms and staircases spreading from the hall with the chequered floor immediately behind the front door. 
And another important resident of No 10 Downing Street is the cat, Larry, who has lived there since 2011 and has often caught the public's attention."	/news/uk-63404315
politics	Starmer mocks idea of 'Get Tough' Tory relaunch	"Labour leader has mocked the idea of a Conservative Party relaunch with the slogan: Get Tough. 
Sir Keir Starmer asked the prime how he was going to ""get tough"" with Tory backbenchers he claimed were blocking government housebuilding plans. 
Rishi Sunak said his party was ""delivering a record number"" of new homes, and said Sir Keir seemed unable to stop Labour MPs joining picket lines.
Live: Sunak and Starmer clash over private schools at PMQs"	/news/uk-politics-63807562
politics	SNP's Flynn takes part in first Prime Minister's Questions	"w Westminster leader of the SNP has taken part in his first Prime Minister's Questions.
Stephen Flynn was elected following the resignation of Ian Blackford who announced last week he was standing down after five years in the post.
Aberdeen South MP defeated Alison Thewliss - who is seen as being closer to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon - by 26 votes to 17 in a vote of the party's MPs.
Mr Flynn faced Rishi Sunak at PMQs on Wednesday."	/news/uk-scotland-63891411
politics	Rishi Sunak is now going to COP27 climate summit	"rime minister has reversed an earlier decision not to go to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.  
No 10 had said Rishi Sunak was too busy preparing for the 17 November budget to attend the event which opens on Sunday. 
But this had been widely criticised by climate campaigners, opposition parties and climate adviser Alok Sharma.   
Mr Sunak said there was ""no long-term prosperity without action on climate change"" or energy security without investment in renewables. 
""That's why I will attend COP27 next week - to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure, clean and sustainable future,"" he told MPs during Prime Minister's Questions. 
On Tuesday, former prime minister Boris Johnson said he would attend COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.
UK hosted last year's COP (Conference Of The Parties) in Glasgow and it was chaired by Mr Sharma.   
Green MP Caroline Lucas welcomed what she called a ""screeching U-turn"" after ""an embarrassing mis-step on the world stage"".
""Let this be a lesson to him - climate leadership matters,"" she said.  
Caroline Lucas said it was ""quite extraordinary"" that Rishi Sunak was considering not going to COP27.
""We've lost a huge amount of credibility by the prime minister dragging his feet on this,"" she added. 
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of acting ""in the name of political management"" rather than the national interest. 
""Caving in to criticism is not leadership. Real leadership is seizing your seat at the table. For UK jobs. For clean energy. For our environment,"" he tweeted. 
Liberal Democrat climate change spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: ""This whole debacle has shown the environment is simply not a priority for Rishi Sunak. He's only going after being embarrassed by Boris Johnson's attendance.""
Downing Street rejected that, saying the prime minister had ""always recognised the importance of this summit and indeed tackling climate change more generally"". 
He ""wanted to make sure we were making good progress on the government's domestic agenda and the autumn statement in particular,"" it said. 
After discussions with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt this week, Mr Sunak felt there was ""sufficient space to make this trip"", it added.  
His official spokesman said the prime minister was hoping to make progress on the commitment to halt deforestation by 2030, and to agree new partnerships on clean and renewable energy.
Mr Sharma, who had said he was ""disappointed"" Mr Sunak would not be attending, tweeted that he was ""delighted"" the prime minister would now be going. 
Many world leaders including US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron are due to attend the UN event.
Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss had been set to go and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will also be there. 
A number of countries had also criticised Mr Sunak's earlier decision not to go and questioned the UK's commitment to tackle the climate crisis.
Egyptian government, which is hosting COP27, voiced its ""disappointment"". Carlos Fuller, Belize's ambassador to the UN, told The Guardian it looked as if the UK was ""washing their hands of leadership"". 
Mohammed Nasheed, speaker of the Maldives parliament and a former president, said nothing was more serious than climate change.
Let's be clear, Rishi Sunak attending the UN climate conference in Egypt isn't likely to significantly change its outcome.   
ual negotiations are done by the army of diplomats and civil servants who are already flying into the Egyptian holiday resort where the talks will take place. 
But the signal that the UK prime minister acknowledges the importance of the conference - albeit belatedly - will be welcome. 
Leaders have an important role to play, UN chief Antonio Guterres told me when we spoke last week. 
He says they help ""galvanise"" the talks, creating the momentum for more ambitious agreements to be reached.   
Mr Sunak also has a prominent ceremonial role. The UK hosted the last UN climate summit in Glasgow. and he will formally hand over responsibility for the process to the Egyptian government. 
King Charles - a long-time champion of environmental causes - will still not be going, despite speaking at COP26 in Glasgow. 
No 10 said there was a ""unanimous agreement"" with Buckingham Palace that the King would not attend. 
ual climate summits are designed to help governments agree measures to limit rises in global temperatures. 
r's conference takes place from 6 to 18 November, finishing the day after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to set out the government's tax and spending plans. "	/news/uk-politics-63484971
politics	Sunak on Channel migrants: We can make a difference	"After meeting President Macron to discuss migrant crossings, Rishi Sunak says he has ""renewed confidence and optimism"".
rime minister described it as a ""complex issue"", that would not be solved overnight.
No simple solutions on Channel crossings, Rishi Sunak says"	/news/uk-politics-63545093
politics	NI Troubles: Amendments on controversial legacy bill revealed	"government has told peers it will bring forward amendments to its controversial Troubles legacy bill.
Lord Caine said on Wednesday this would include ""a more robust process"" around immunity from prosecution.
He said the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) would be able to conduct criminal investigations.
ffers a conditional amnesty to those accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes.
Lord Caine of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) told the House of Lords anyone who did not co-operate with the ICRIR and went on to be convicted of a Troubles-related offence would serve a full sentence.
In May, the government introduced legislation that aimed to draw a line under the conflict by dealing with so-called legacy issues.
It was an attempt to deal with more than 1,000 unsolved killings.
Victims' groups and political parties at Stormont are opposed to the bill, arguing it will remove access to justice for victims and their families.
Lord Caine said he had personally found the legislation ""extremely challenging"" and he appreciated this would be the case for many.
Discussing his involvement in Northern Ireland, he said he had ""heard countless harrowing and heart-wrenching stories of suffering"".
""So I am hardly immune to the feelings of those affected by the Troubles who find this bill difficult and challenging,"" he added.
""At the same time, I am conscious as anyone, based on experience, that we will never solve the past or to bring, to use that horrible word, closure in every case.
""Equally, I am clear that no government can legislate to reconcile people though we can strive to promote it, but we can attempt to provide better and realistic outcomes.""
Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill had its second reading in the Lords on Wednesday.
mendments will next be discussed at committee stage in December.
Despite signalling new amendments, the bill continues to face a barrage of criticisms.
government appears to be fighting a losing battle over widespread buy-in in Northern Ireland.
Where does that leave one of the bill's goals of helping reconciliation?
Victims' groups and local political parties are still not won over and it's fair to ask whether they ever will be?
government seems completely wedded to the concept of amnesties, which is where it faces most anger.
It is promising more engagement and there could be further changes.
But it has the parliamentary numbers to pass the bill and is pressing ahead.
government said on Wednesday its amendments will:
In a statement earlier, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the government understood ""how important addressing the legacy of the past is for Northern Ireland, and is determined to deliver better outcomes for those most impacted by the Troubles, including victims and survivors, as well as veterans"".
""I have been clear that the government would consider changes to this bill seriously,"" he added.
""The changes announced today reflect the significant engagement that has taken place on the bill, and seek to address concerns that have been raised by many stakeholders.
""I also recognise that, even with these changes, this bill will remain challenging for many, and that concerns will remain.""
revious Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara said the government was open to making changes to the bill in August.
Under the legislation, immunity from prosecution will be offered to those who co-operate with Troubles investigations run by the new information recovery body.
ICRIR will be headed by a judicial figure appointed by the government and will accept applications for immunity for five years.
After that time, reviews will not be able to be requested but the ICRIR will continue to work through uncompleted cases.
A panel within it will be responsible for deciding if a perpetrator qualifies for immunity and once granted it cannot be revoked.
It will still take months before the legislation makes it into law and takes effect.
Commissioner for Victims and Survivors Ian Jeffers said while the commission remained opposed to the bill he welcomed that changes would be made.
""It is good to hear that he (Lord Caine) has been listening to the concerns of victims and survivors,"" he said.
""At this stage I am still of the opinion that the amendments will not go far enough to make the legislation effective for victims and survivors.""
In the Lords on Wednesday, many peers spoke out against the proposed bill.
Urging a rethink of the legislation, Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Murphy of Torfaen said he ""wouldn't touch it with a barge pole"".
Lord Eames, who served as Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006, said the bill needed to be heavily amended to centre on the suffering of victims of Troubles victims.
Former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord Judge said the legislation would make some men and women guilty exempt from prosecution.
""If the bill is enacted in its present form, they will literally be getting away or have got away with murder.""
Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain said he was flatly opposed to the bill and would vote to kill it if given the opportunity. 
""The effect of this legislation would be to make some of the most heinous crimes simply disappear,"" he said.
Former SDLP leader Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick said: ""This Bill should be scrapped and scrapped now.""
Former deputy leader of the DUP, Lord Dodds of Duncairn, said: ""The way to address legitimate concerns about vexatious investigations against veterans who served in Northern Ireland is not simply to impose a wholesale restriction on historical investigations or prosecution, it's to restore balance, ensure investigative activity is proportionate and to bring an end to the growing culture of politically-motivated actions against those who served in uniform""."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63737325
politics	RMT's Mick Lynch: Government don't want a settlement	"A rail union leader has said the government “does not want"" a settlement to industrial disputes affecting train services.
RMT's Mick Lynch said Grant Shapps, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Mark Harper, as transport secretaries, have not allowed train operators to make an offer to workers.
He also told Victoria Derbyshire that the strikes planned in December and January avoid the Christmas period.
I'm not the Grinch, says union boss ahead of Christmas train strikes"	/news/uk-politics-63730141
politics	Will Liz Truss get a pension? The perks former prime ministers get	"Despite making history and spending only 45 days in the job before resigning, Liz Truss is set to be offered the same package all former residents of No 10 have received.
But what are the perks she could get?
All former prime ministers are able to claim the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), currently set at a maximum of £115,000 per year.
ment was introduced to meet the cost of continuing public duties after someone leaves Downing Street.
ude office costs, salaries for staff, or travel to events where they are appearing in their capacity as an ex-prime minister.
John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May have all claimed at least part of the allowance. It is not yet known whether Boris Johnson has made a claim, as this year's figures are yet to be published.
Former holders of the office have not always claimed the full amount.
re is also a severance payment, which amounts to a one-off payment of 25% of the annual salary for the post that ministers have left.
In the case of prime ministers, it is about £19,000 - as their additional salary is £79,000, although currently ministers are not receiving the full amount they are eligible for, so the PM is paid £75,440 on top of the MP's wage of just over £84,000.
But if a former PM returns to a ministerial role within three weeks (or six weeks following the dissolution of Parliament for an election), they are not entitled to it.
And what about getting a new job? Former ministers are meant to seek advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments - more commonly known as Acoba - on any job offers in the first two years after leaving Westminster.
mmittee looks at whether the role could be seen as a ""reward"" for any favourable decisions they may have made while in power - or if it gives the employer any sort of advantage.
But Acoba's power is limited - it cannot impose fines or issue any other sanctions if someone ignores its advice. 
Holders of three so-called Great Offices of State, namely prime minister, speaker of the Commons and Lord Chancellor, are no longer provided with a pension of half their final salary on leaving office, regardless of length of service.
Instead, they now join all ministers in the Ministerial Pension Scheme, a contributory defined-benefit scheme part of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund. 
Ms Truss first became a minister in 2012.
For obvious reasons, we don't know a huge amount about the security operation that could be put in place for Ms Truss. 
But previous prime ministers are known to have continued to receive security after leaving office. 
Former PMs are also entitled to a chauffeur-driven government car for protection. The cost of such protection is also unclear.
If a prime minister is still an MP, they are entitled to their salary from doing that role. Being prime minister gives you get an extra salary on top of that wage. 
As of 1 April 2022, the average salary of an MP was £84,144. 
Politicians are also able to claim expenses to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
On top of these expenses, MPs also get a limited sum per year for postage-paid envelopes and House of Commons stationery. Each member of the House of Commons gets £9,000 for this.
Outside of politics, ministers have gone on to have more lucrative careers including:"	/news/uk-63350359
politics	Sir Keir Starmer: Lords reform would be driving mission of Labour government	"Labour leader has said the first five years of a Labour government would see the House of Lords abolished.
Sir Keir Starmer told BBC political editor Chris Mason he wanted the talks and consultations to be held now so Labour would be ""delivering"" in office.
Live:  Labour announces plans to abolish House of Lords"	/news/uk-politics-63859023
politics	Menai Bridge: Immediate closure for Anglesey crossing	"One of two bridges linking Anglesey and the north Wales mainland has shut suddenly over ""serious"" safety risks.
200-year-old Menai Bridge - the first in the world of its kind - closed at 14:00 BST on Welsh government orders. It was publicly announced five minutes afterwards.
work means it may be shut until next year, with vehicles diverted to the nearby Britannia Bridge.
Local businesses warned of ""nightmare"" traffic problems as a result.
Senedd Member said he was ""very concerned"", and councillors have met Anglesey council's chief executive Dylan Williams to discuss the situation.
Structural engineers recommended that the bridge close to all traffic, including pedestrian and cyclists, to allow essential maintenance work. 
However, it has since reopened for walkers on footpaths and cyclists who dismount their bikes, with marshals set to be in place to monitor numbers.
It remains unclear how long the bridge will be closed but, if required, officials said hanger strengthening works could take up to 16 weeks.
Welsh government instructed its roads agency Traffic Wales to implement the closure. The announcement came in an email to media organisations at 14:05 BST on Friday which said in part: ""This will take effect from 14:00 on Friday 21 October"""".
As part of UK Highways A55 maintenance of the bridge, it was identified that further testing would need to be carried out, alongside the replacement of some of the hangers.
Welsh government said ""serious risks"" have been identified and these findings are currently being reviewed which could take up to two weeks. 
It added that available options to reopen the bridge as soon as possible are being actively assessed.
In addition, further strategies to increase resilience on the Britannia Bridge are being worked on, to reduce the risk of both bridges being closed. 
However, the impact is already of concern to people living and working in the area. 
raffic early on Friday evening was backed up about 1.6 miles (2.5km) almost to upper Bangor, and one driver said it took him two-and-a-half hours to make that journey. 
A 30mph speed limit was also put in place on the bridge due to high winds.
Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth, was ""very concerned"", and ""will be seeking more information and sharing when I can"". 
""This is why we need to build more resilience by dualling the Britannia crossing,"" he said. 
Businesses have spoken out about the consequences for them and warned visiting customers to plan ahead, as traffic builds on the Britannia Bridge.
Steph Rielly, company secretary at T and V Haulage, Y Felinheli, said: ""It's going to be a massive inconvenience. Basically all of our trucks go over Britannia Bridge two or three times a day.
""One driver left 40 minutes ago, it's five minutes away and he still hasn't got over the bridge because of the traffic.
""It's appalling they haven't given us notice. [Our drivers] are going to run out of time and there's literally nowhere for these trucks to park up. 
""The trucks and lorries are going to be everywhere - it's going to be a massive nightmare.""
Kerry Jones, of Cefni Barber Shop in Llangefni said she has had customers phoning to say they have been stuck in the traffic for more than 90 minutes.
She said: ""It's bumper to bumper. People are ringing to say there's a possibility [they] might not make it. 
""It's going to be horrendous - when they closed the bridge last time due to a bad accident we couldn't even get to work.
""Hopefully plans get approved for a third lane or a third bridge.""
Road traffic cameras captured mounting queues on the A55 on Friday evening.
Menai Bridge is widely considered to be the world's first modern suspension bridge.
Its 200th anniversary was marked in 2019 with a programme of events.
In 1819 civil engineer Thomas Telford began working on improving the journey between London and Holyhead, and designed the bridge.
Construction started that year but was not finished until January 1826.
A spokesperson for UK Highways A55 said: ""While this issue will cause disruption, we must act in the interest of public safety. We are currently peer reviewing the findings that led to the recommendation of closure and assessing all available options to reopen the bridge as soon as possible."" 
Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters added: ""This urgent work is being carried out for public safety, unfortunately it is unavoidable, but we are fully aware of the implication this will have for people in the local area.
""We are working closely with UK Highways to ensure this work is carried out safely and as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to the local community."""	/news/uk-wales-63348053
politics	NI election: Sinn Féin says talks to be held on Tuesday	"Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy has said his party will meet the Northern Ireland secretary on Tuesday to discuss when a Stormont election will happen.
Chris Heaton-Harris has said he will call a poll but has not set a date.
He said he would hold another round of talks with the Stormont parties in the coming week before giving more details about a potential election.
But Phillip Brett of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said more discussions would be ""pointless"".
Devolved government in Northern Ireland has not functioned since February.
DUP has blocked the restoration of power-sharing in its protest against the post-Brexit trading arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.
rties had expected the Northern Ireland secretary to announce on Friday when an election would take place.
But Mr Heaton-Harris declined to set a date.
Speaking to BBC News NI on Saturday, Mr Murphy described the lack of an announcement as ""bizarre and unexpected"".
""We were as surprised by his U-turn as everyone else,"" said the former finance minister.
Chris Heaton-Harris denies he made a U-turn about calling an election
""We're not certain what's behind it... we have had no discussion with him at all and no advance warning of what he's going to do.
""I think that's the wrong way to do business.""
Mr Murphy said Sinn Féin planned to meet Mr Heaton-Harris on Tuesday to understand what the Northern Ireland Office is ""actually doing"".
""What we want to know from the secretary of state is when [an election] is going to take place,"" he said.
Mr Brett of the DUP said he said he wanted the UK government to resolve his party's concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
It keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules to ensure that goods can move freely across the Irish land border.
Unionist parties argue that the protocol has undermined Northern Ireland's place within the UK by effectively creating a trade border with England, Scotland and Wales.
""We've been talking for two-and-a-half years - now is the time for action,"" said Mr Brett.
""We will not re-enter the executive until action is taken to replace the protocol with arrangements that have cross-community support.
""That is where the focus needs to be, not on pointless talks.""
rties had until Friday to form a functioning executive at Stormont but the DUP blocked that from happening.
Legislation states that an election must therefore be held within 12 weeks.
It had been expected that one would take place on 15 December.
Mr Heaton-Harris denied that he had made a U-turn, saying that a vote did not have to be called immediately.
Alliance Party MLA Kate Nicholl said she was relieved that a date for the poll had not been announced.
""We really hope that there won't be [an election] and that we can use this time to be constructive,"" she said.
""People need us to do our jobs and to work together - it's what we were elected to do.""
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MP Clare Hanna said an election was now ""less likely"".
She said the Mr Heaton-Harris's decision not to declare a polling date on Friday had ""created space to think about what the actual impact of an election would be"".
""I think by common consensus it wouldn't be helpful,"" she said.
revious assembly election in May resulted in Sinn Féin winning the most seats for the first time.
meant the party's vice-president Michelle O'Neill was entitled to the role of first minister.
DUP was the second-biggest party but it refused to nominate a deputy first minister, meaning a ruling executive for Northern Ireland could not be formed.
In the run-up to that election the DUP withdrew Paul Givan from the first minister post in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63400016
politics	Penny Mordaunt: Brexiteer popular with the Tory grassroots	"Penny Mordaunt has become the first Conservative MP to officially announce she is standing to replace Liz Truss as Tory leader and prime minister.
She was one of the less well-known candidates in the summer Tory leadership contest, but made it through to the final three. 
In the first four ballots of Tory MPs in July, she came a clear second behind Rishi Sunak. She eventually lost out to Mr Sunak and Liz Truss in the last round, before Conservative members had the final say.
Her strong showing was rewarded when she was named Leader of the House of Commons by Ms Truss in her first day in office. 
Since then, she has impressed colleagues at Westminster with a series of sure-footed appearances and her use of humour in the Commons, at a time when crisis was engulfing the government. 
Pressed by Labour shadow Thangam Debbonaire on why she had not even mustered a nod for Ms Truss during Prime Minister's Questions, Ms Mordaunt replied: ""My resting face is that of a bulldog chewing a wasp, and people shouldn't read too much into that.""
Ms Debbonaire also challenged her about comments she was reported to have made at the Conservative Party conference, that ""our policy is great but our comms is shit"". The shadow leader suggested the government's policies were ""also shhh ... shocking, too"". 
Ms Mordaunt said she had been ""playing to the crowd as I was addressing a room full of communication professionals"" - and added, to cheers from Tory MPs: ""It is the anti-growth coalition whose policies are shhh ... shocking.""  
Just days before Ms Truss announced she was quitting, the Commons leader fronted up for her, answering an urgent question tabled by Labour for the the prime minister.
She denied Ms Truss was dodging scrutiny or hiding ""under a desk"" by sending Ms Mordaunt to cover for her.
Meanwhile, Ms Mordaunt raised her profile with the wider public by leading the Accession Council ceremony of the new King at St James's Palace, two days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 
Her role as Lord President of the Privy Council meant she played a central part in the event - which was televised for the first time.   
Opinion polls have suggested Ms Mordaunt is popular with Tory members, and she has put in the work on the so-called ""rubber chicken"" circuit of Tory fundraisers and charity dinners.
49-year-old Portsmouth North MP has been in and around government for the best part of a decade and even had a brief spell as a reality TV star.
She was a prominent backer of Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum. 
ughter of a paratrooper and a special needs teacher, she was born in Torquay but grew up in Portsmouth, and, like Ms Truss, was educated at a comprehensive school, before going to university.
In an eclectic career before politics, she worked as a magician's assistant, in hospitals and orphanages in post-Communist Romania, and for the Freight Transport Association. 
She headed the Conservative Party's youth wing and was a press officer for William Hague when he was leader. 
But she is probably best known outside Westminster for taking part in ITV's celebrity diving show Splash! in 2014. 
Penny Mordaunt relives her moment diving in to a swimming pool on TV and admits ""it hurt a bit"" as she hit the water
She did not win but earned praised from Tom Daley and other judges for ""having a go"".   
She was armed forces minister under David Cameron and became the first woman to serve as defence secretary. She held the role under Theresa May, but was sacked after a few months when Boris Johnson took over as PM.  
Launching her leadership campaign back in July, Ms Mordaunt pitched herself as the candidate ""Labour fear the most"".
She promised to return to traditional Conservative values of ""low tax, [a] small state and personal responsibility"".
rade minister committed herself to a 50% cut in VAT on fuel to help ease the cost-of-living crisis, but did not go as far as some other candidates in the leadership race in offering tax cuts.
And writing in the Daily Mail, Ms Mordaunt - who was a Royal Navy reservist - promised to honour the UK's Nato commitment of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030. 
At her launch event in Westminster, Ms Mordaunt declined to describe Mr Johnson as a good prime minister, thanking him for delivering Brexit but pledging to restore ""standards and trust"". 
She promised to put ""power back into the hands of parents"" through personal budgets allowing them access to subsidised childcare at any time before their child started school.
Supporters of other candidates criticised Ms Mordaunt for supporting trans rights when she was equalities minister and the so-called ""culture war"" issue was raised by journalists. 
Asked where she stood on gender, the trade minister replied: ""I think it was Margaret Thatcher who said 'Every prime minister needs a Willie [then Deputy Prime Minister Willie Whitelaw]'. A woman like me doesn't have one.
""I'm a woman, I'm biologically a woman. If you've been in the Royal Navy, and you have competed physically against men, you understand the biological difference between men and women.""
Ms Mordaunt came under fire from former Brexit minister Lord Frost who said he had ""grave reservations"" about the idea of her becoming PM.
He told TalkTV: ""She was my deputy - notionally, more than really - in the Brexit talks last year.
""I felt she did not master the detail that was necessary in the negotiations. She wouldn't always deliver tough messages to the European Union when that was necessary.
""She wasn't fully accountable, she wasn't always visible. Sometimes I didn't even know where she was.""  
During the Brexit referendum, Ms Mordaunt provoked a row when she told the BBC the UK could not veto Turkey joining the European Union. 
An hour later, David Cameron told ITV that was ""absolutely wrong"".  
Later that year she was in the headlines again for a speech she gave in the Commons on poultry welfare, which turned out to be an excuse to slip some very unparliamentary language into proceedings.
She admitted she had made the speech - with its liberal use of the words ""lay"", ""laid"" and ""cock welfare"" - for a bet."	/news/uk-politics-62163328
politics	Liz Truss pledges no public spending cuts as she defends mini-budget	"Liz Truss says she ""absolutely"" rules out making cuts to public spending.
Liz Truss has said she is ""absolutely"" not planning public spending cuts.
Since the chancellor's tax cutting mini-budget last month, markets have been waiting to find out how the government proposes to bring down debt.
Ms Truss has now said the government will focus on reducing debt ""not by cutting public spending but by making sure we spend public money well"".
Sir Keir Starmer said the government's ""borrowing spree"" had left homeowners worried about their mortgages.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, the Labour leader called for a reversal of the mini-budget, which set out plans for £43bn borrowing to fund tax cuts intended to stimulate economic growth.
Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank has warned the chancellor will need to make spending cuts to put the country's finances on a sustainable path, saying the government would have to spend £60bn a year less by 2026-27.
Kwasi Kwarteng has promised the government's economic plan will be outlined on 31 October, accompanied by an assessment by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. 
Sir Keir asked Ms Truss if she stood by her pledge, made during her leadership election, that ""I'm not planning public spending reductions"".
rime minister replied: ""Absolutely. What we will make sure is that over the medium term the debt is falling. But we will do that not by cutting public spending but by making sure we spend public money well.""
Later, the prime minister's spokesman said there would be ""difficult decisions"" for the government regarding public spending, and the chancellor would announce measures ""in due course"".
government has previously said it is committed to spending settlements set out in the 2021 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
Mr Kwarteng said earlier this month: ""I think it's a matter of good practice and really important that we stick within the envelope of the CSR.""
review set out plans for increases in public spending which were then above inflation. But with prices now rising and inflation at 9.9% in August, government departmental budgets will come under pressure.
rime minister's official spokesman has so far refused to confirm whether departmental budgets will stick to the below inflation increases set out in the CSR.
Privately several senior government figures have acknowledged there will be ""belt tightening"" in departmental budgets.  
Reporters repeatedly asked if public money being spent on the energy price cap freeze explains how the government can say that there will not be spending cuts, when belts are expected to be tightened.
Given the size of the intervention in the energy markets, there would still be capacity for significant cuts in some budgets, while allowing the PM to accurately say that overall government spending had increased.
Sir Keir said the prime minister needed to ""stop ducking responsibility"".
He told her: ""Does she think the public will ever forgive the Conservative Party if they keep on defending this madness and go ahead with their kamikaze budget?""
Ms Truss hit back, asking whether Labour would reverse the government's support for energy bills. 
PM said: ""We are seeing interest rates rising globally in the face of Putin's appalling war in Ukraine.
""What we are making sure is that we protect our economy at this very difficult time internationally.
""As a result of our action - and this has been independently corroborated - we will see higher growth and lower inflation.""
In the House of Commons later, answering questions from MPs on the economic situation, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chris Philp said there would be ""no real term cuts"" in public spending. 
""We do plan iron discipline when it comes to spending restraint,"" he added.
reasury Select Committee chair Mel Stride called on the Treasury to ""come forward with a further rowing back"" on the tax announcements in the mini-budget.
Mr Stride, who is Conservative MP for Central Devon, said the Chancellor had ""a huge challenge"" to reassure the financial markets with his 31 October statement.  
""He has to get the fiscal rules right, he has to come forward with spending restraint and revenue raisers that are politically deliverable,"" Mr Stride said.
Conservative MPs are already discussing ways to change elements of the mini-budget, former senior cabinet minister Damian Green has told the BBC. 
He told Radio 4's PM programme: ""It is indeed a topic of conversation around the tea rooms of the House of Commons as well, because we can all do the rough maths.""
government's growth agenda and deregulation plans needed to be ""done in an appropriately politically sensitive way"", he said.
""At the very least you need to have put to bed the thought that the markets might erupt at any moment in the background, which would put the whole project in jeopardy."""	/news/uk-politics-63229690
politics	Apsana Begum: Labour MP calls for duty of care for abuse survivors	"Labour MP Apsana Begum has called for a duty of care to be placed on political parties and employers to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse are not exposed to further harassment.
Ms Begum told MPs she had been in a marriage to a man which had become ""volatile and abusive"".
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, she claimed he had continued to harass her after the relationship ended.
But her ex-husband accused her of using ""a false narrative of domestic abuse"".
Ms Begum claimed that the harassment ""intensified"" when she indicated she was going to stand to be Labour's candidate for Poplar and Limehouse.
She said he had threatened to expose her for ""who she really was"" and told her campaign team that he had been contacted by the media to sell stories on her.
By the end of their relationship, Ms Begum said, she was ""sleeping in the living room with a sofa pushed up against the door so that he couldn't get in"".
Ms Begum also claimed that a family member of her ex-husband was behind a complaint which resulted in a court case being brought against her for housing fraud, which went to trial in July 2021.
She was cleared of all charges.
Despite that, Ms Begum said she ""had to endure an eight-day trial which brutally forced me to talk about painful, private experiences"". 
She added: ""I fear that the ordeal of that trial will haunt me for the rest of my life.""
In June this year, she was signed off sick and began a phased return to work in September.
Ms Begum is currently facing a ""trigger process"" called by her local Labour party under which she risks facing deselection as Labour's candidate for the next election.
In her speech in Parliament, she claimed the process was being overseen by ""associates"" of her ex-husband, which she said was, to her mind, ""no coincidence"".
Ms Begum's ex-husband, Ehtasham Haque, said he remained ""steadfast in being given an opportunity to defend myself against these false allegations"".
""I am grateful to those who are treating me as innocent until proven guilty,"" he said.
Labour party has been approached for comment. It has previously said the trigger ballot is a ""universal process"", with all of its MPs potentially subject to the ""same rules and procedures""."	/news/uk-politics-63722557
politics	Rishi Sunak accused of wasting billions servicing government debt	"Rishi Sunak has been accused of failing to act to save billions of taxpayers' money that has been used to pay interest on government debt.
National Institute of Economic and Social Research think tank said the losses were due to the Treasury failing to insure against interest rate rises.
It meant higher than necessary payments on £900bn of reserves created through the quantitative easing (QE) programme.
reasury said it was the Bank of England's role to decide QE measures.
Bank of England is independent from the Treasury.
reasury said NIESR's proposal would undermine this independence and be ""hugely damaging"" to the credibility of how public finances were managed.
""Proposals such as this risk undermining the independence of the Bank of England and forcing commercial banks to swap reserves for gilts would be an act of financial repression,"" a Treasury spokesperson said.
NIESR's Prof Jagjit Chadha, told the Financial Times that Mr Sunak's failure to act had left the country with ""an enormous bill and heavy continuing exposure to interest rate risk"".
Bank of England created £895bn of money through quantitative easing. Most of this was used to buy government bonds from pension funds and other investors.
When those investors put the proceeds in commercial bank deposits at the Bank, it had to pay interest at its official interest rate. 
Last year, when the official rate was still 0.1%, NIESR said the government should have insured the cost of servicing this debt against the risk of rising interest rates.
It said interest payments have ""now become much more expensive"" and it estimates the loss over the past year at around £11bn. 
""Such a lost opportunity is an unnecessary cost to the public finances at a very difficult time,"" the think tank said.
It suggested converting the debt into government bonds with longer to pay it back.
""It would have been much better to have reduced the scale of short-term liabilities earlier, as we have argued for some time, and to exploit the benefits of longer-term debt issuance. This is very much a question for the Treasury to answer,"" said Prof Chadha.
reasury said it would not have been commercially viable to convert such a high level of debt.
""The £11bn figure is based on the implausible assumption that it would be possible to undertake action of this scale in a single transaction,"" it added.
While there never was a single moment where the Treasury made a decision that cost the nation £11bn, the analysis from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research does point to some costly missed opportunities.
Early last year the Treasury itself was pointing towards the shortening maturity of our national debt as a by-product of the pandemic expansion of borrowing and the Bank of England's QE policy.  The UK has for the past two decades had, by international standards, many more years to repay its loans from the markets, but that was no longer the case. The Treasury was trying to explain why despite the UK borrowing record sums, interest costs were at record lows.
So a question arose - why don't they do something about it and lock-in then rock bottom interest rates for many years? It was suggested by NIESR, by Policy Exchange, by Boris Johnson's former economic adviser Gerard Lyons, among others.
reasury's answer is that to have done so would have interfered with the Bank of England's independence over its QE programme of buying bonds, and that it would have been commercially unviable to refinance £600bn of debt in the markets in one go. In addition, though we all know now that there has been a material rise in interest rates, back then, it would have been a bet. 
In short, they say, they could not have done the transaction that would have ""saved £11bn"", and with the benefit of hindsight they might also have put money into gas futures or the used car market and ""saved"" many tens of billions more.
But the wider point does raise questions about missed opportunities. And as we enter a new era of rising interest rates, and the reversal of QE, or Quantitative Tightening, many of the fuzzy accounting questions over government debts could have a rather material impact on the economic numbers.
Gerard Lyons, the former chief economic adviser to Boris Johnson when the prime minister was Mayor of London, tweeted that the issue was ""all too predictable"". 
Dr Lyons, now a senior fellow at the Policy Exchange think tank, said the ""UK should've locked into low rates, borrowing more longer dated debt and not over reliance on QE to fund the deficit"". 
But Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Gordon, tweeted that the ""£11bn 'cost' should really be set against the £120bn 'benefit' that the QE process has so far yielded for the Exchequer"".
""To be fair to NIESR in their paper of last year they do acknowledge this - but this seems to have been drowned out today.""
Labour's shadow treasury minister Tulip Siddiq said: ""These are astronomical sums for the chancellor to lose, and leaves working people picking up the cheque for his severe wastefulness while he hikes their taxes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
""This government has played fast and loose with taxpayers' money. Britain deserves a government that respects public money and delivers for people across the country."""	/news/business-61754394
politics	Second Future Generations Commissioner appointed	"Wales' second Future Generations Commissioner will be Derek Walker, currently chief executive of the not-for-profit organisation Cwmpas.
He will start work after Sophie Howe, who has done the job since 2016, steps down early next year.
Future Generations Commissioner's role is to encourage public bodies to consider the long-term consequences of decisions.
Mr Walker said it was about ""leading transformation across our nation"".
Cwmpas, which means scope in English, was formerly known as the Wales Co-operative Centre and describes itself as a development agency focused on ""building a fairer, greener economy and a more equal society"".
Mr Walker previously worked at the Big Lottery Fund (Wales), the Wales TUC and Stonewall Cymru.
mmissioner monitors whether public bodies comply with the Well-being of Future Generations Act, which came into force in 2016 and says all public organisations must carry out ""sustainable development"".
Mr Walker said it was a ""vital role in leading transformation across our nation, to create better lives and futures for our citizens"" but he did not ""underestimate the challenge ahead"".
""The Well-being of Future Generations Act provides Wales with a legislative framework that gives us the opportunity to lead the world in sustainable development."" 
""I commit to doing all I can to support public bodies in ensuring implementation matches the ambition of the act,"" he said.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: ""Wales needs a strong, independent, and respected individual to take on the role of commissioner, helping us all to leave a better legacy for people and planet.
""Derek comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I know he will build the relationships across Wales to continue the movement for change initiated by the Well-being of Future Generations Act and the work of Sophie Howe."""	/news/uk-wales-politics-63888982
politics	What does the Supreme Court decision mean for indyref2?	"Judges at the Supreme Court have ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold an independence referendum without the UK government's consent.
How could their decision affect the future of the constitutional debate in Scotland?
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hopes to hold a referendum on 19 October 2023, with the SNP and Scottish Greens forming a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament. 
She wants the UK government to do a deal similar to the one ahead of the 2014 referendum, to ensure the result would be legitimate and recognised internationally. 
But successive prime ministers have refused to do so, and the Scottish government instead asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Holyrood could set up a referendum on its own.
Judges heard two days of arguments in October. Court President Lord Reed - a Scottish judge - announced their decision on Wednesday morning.
re question of the case is whether the draft independence referendum bill drawn up by the Scottish government would ""relate to"" a matter reserved to Westminster, which only MPs can pass laws about.
Scottish government argued that a referendum would be ""advisory"", and would simply seek the views of the people of Scotland on the topic.
It said the vote would have ""no legal consequences"", and that there would still need to be negotiations and legislation at Westminster if a majority of those taking part in the referendum backed independence.
UK government said it was ""perfectly obvious"" that the fate of the union was reserved to Westminster, and that Holyrood does not have the power to hold a referendum on its continued existence.
Its lawyer said a referendum bill would be ""self-evidently, squarely and directly about the Union"", and that it was clear the Scottish government's intention was ""not just to have an opinion poll"".
UK government also previously argued that the judges should throw the case out without making a ruling, saying it would be premature to take a position on a draft bill.
judges ruled unanimously that Scottish government does not have the power to hold an independence referendum without the UK government's consent.
make a judgement - there had been a lot of debate about whether they would come down on either side.
Supreme Court president Lord Reed read the verdict of the justices
judgement underlined the difficulty of the position Lord Advocate Doroth Bain KC was in.
She had to convince the court that this was a weighty issue of constitutional importance, to get them to make a ruling.
But then she had to persuade the judges that a referendum would be of little legal importance.
judges were quick to point out the ""contrast"" between these two lines of argument, and said they were far more convinced by the first point than the second.
greed this was a significant constitutional matter - but that meant Ms Bain's second argument was bound to fail.
UK government argument meanwhile was a simple one - essentially to slap the Scotland Act on the table and say ""it's in black and white"".
me on it in the hearings that it felt like a bit of a gamble. But it's produced an equally simple ruling in their favour.
UK ministers had seemed confident of this result, but it is not the end of the matter as far as the Scottish government is concerned.
ked for years, and they hoped this case would move the matter forward regardless of the result.
Ms Sturgeon had already been clear that she would view a negative result as another roadblock in the path of Scottish democracy.
She hopes the perceived unfairness of being denied a say will prompt a wave of public support - again putting pressure on UK ministers to change their stance. 
She says there are significant questions for UK ministers too about how exactly the issue of independence is ever going to be resolved, given it continues to dominate Scottish politics.
But she knows she will face questions too about how she looks to move forward now - and has doubled down on her plan of turning the next election into a single-issue vote on independence.
re are significant practical issues when it comes to how that would actually work, given the other major parties involved in the vote are unlikely to agree that it constitutes a ""de facto referendum"".
So Ms Sturgeon has sought to push some of those questions down the road a bit, by annoucing a special SNP conference focused on answering them in the new year.
means detailed responses to how the question of independence will be settled are still some way off - as are answers to tricky issues like how an independent Scotland would get back into the EU, which are to feature in a government paper to be published at some unspecified future date.
It all means that after the legal fireworks, the debate is now squarely back in the political realm - and will continue to be as fiercely contested as ever, with no clear ending in sight."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63704822
politics	Rishi Sunak: Another UK prime minister... the whirlwind day in 58 seconds	"Rishi Sunak will be the UK's next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.
He will become the UK's first British Asian PM and the youngest for more than 200 years.
x-chancellor who oversaw the nation's finances during the Covid pandemic was the only contender to gain enough support from MPs.
Read more about what happened here.
Video produced by Mattea Bubalo
Edited by Suneil Asar and Gem O'Reilly "	/news/uk-63379215
politics	Rishi Sunak: A quick guide to the UK’s new prime minister	"former chancellor Rishi Sunak is the UK's new prime minister. Here's what you need to know about him.
He lost to Liz Truss in September, but she resigned six weeks later. In the latest leadership contest, Mr Sunak racked up the support of his fellow MPs early, and fast. He crossed the 100 nominations he needed long before the deadline - including from MPs that had previously backed Truss or Boris Johnson.
He clashed with the former PM during the previous leadership race, claiming her plan to borrow money during an inflation crisis was a ""fairytale"" that would plunge the economy into chaos.
His parents came to the UK from east Africa and are both of Indian origin. Mr Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980, where his father was a GP and his mother ran a pharmacy. He went to the boarding school Winchester College, then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, and business at Stanford in America. He is now the first British Asian prime minister.
Mr Sunak was first elected as an MP in 2015 - for Richmond in north Yorkshire - but rose quickly, and was made finance minister - or chancellor - in February 2020 under Boris Johnson. 
As Mr Johnson's chancellor, Mr Sunak was behind the financial aid during lockdowns - including furlough payments and the ""Eat Out to Help Out"" scheme for restaurants.
His wife is Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy. Mr Sunak himself has worked for investment bank Goldman Sachs and at two hedge funds. The Sunday Times Rich List estimates the couple's fortune to be worth about £730m. They have two daughters.
Over the summer, it emerged Akshata Murthy paid no UK tax on big earnings abroad - which is legal. Mr Sunak defended his wife saying, ""to smear my wife to get at me is awful"" - but eventually she agreed to start paying extra taxes. We also found out he temporarily had a US green card, allowing him to live permanently in America while he was the UK's chancellor.
""Free ports"" are one of his long-time favourite ideas: areas near ports or airports where goods can be imported and exported without paying taxes, to encourage trade. 
In 2016, he told a group of schoolchildren that he originally wanted to be a Jedi Knight when he grew up. His favourite Star Wars film is The Empire Strikes Back. "	/news/uk-63345272
politics	Council tax: What is it and how much will I pay?	"Councils in England that provide social care will be able to increase council tax by 5% next year.
ge could increase an average Band D bill by about £250 by 2027-28, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
government says the measure will give local authorities greater flexibility to set council tax levels based on needs.
Labour says this ""bombshell"" will force people to pay more. 
At present, the maximum amount council tax can increase is set by the government. If an authority wants to raise bills above the limit it has to hold a referendum to get residents' backing.
Local authorities in England can currently increase council tax by up to 2.99% if they provide social care, and 1.99% if they do not.
However, the government says it will now give councils greater flexibility to set council tax levels based on the needs, resources and priorities of their area.
From next year, a council providing social care will be able to increase bills 5%. Other councils will be able to increase bills by 3% without holding a referendum.
reasury expects 95% of councils to push ahead with the 5% rise.
Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, says that councils' ability to increase council tax is important. 
But it says it cannot provide a long-term funding solution for councils, because it adds to individual households' financial pressures. 
mount of money it generates also varies between different areas. 
use bills are higher for more expensive properties, so areas with lots of high-value homes will be able to raise more.
Council tax is a compulsory charge on properties in England, Scotland and Wales set by local authorities to raise money to spend as they wish to provide services in their area. 
Homes are graded into different ""bands"", according to how much they were worth at a certain point in time. In England, for example, bands are based on what the value of the property would have been on 1 April 1991.
rage property in England is in Band D. The exact amount is set by the local authority, but the average Band D bill in England is £1,966 a year. 
People with more expensive properties will be in a higher category.
You can find out what council tax band your property is in on the government's website. 
In Scotland, councils have complete freedom to set rates. In Wales, unlike England, councils may set rates, but the government can cap council tax rises that are deemed ""excessive"".
Northern Ireland is not covered by the council tax system - it operates a domestic rating system instead.
Council tax helps fund a number of local services, including:
It is the main source of income for most councils. According to the Institute for Government, council tax provides about half of local authorities' funding in England. 
A further 27% of council funding comes from business rates, while the remaining 23% comes from central government grants.
In England, an additional charge is levied which goes towards the cost of care homes and other adult social care services.
As well as the amount taken by councils - which makes up the majority of a bill - local police and fire authorities also charge council tax to help fund their services.
As a rule of thumb, anyone who is over 18 and owns or rents a home has to pay council tax, but there are exemptions and discounts based on individual circumstances.
Someone living alone, for example, is entitled to a 25% discount.
A property occupied solely by students is exempt, and you won't get a bill if you're living in halls of residence or a care home. 
If you work away from home and your property is empty, you can get a 50% discount. 
key thing to remember is that it is the occupant of the property who is liable for the bill, so tenants rather than the landlord have to pay."	/news/uk-politics-55765504
politics	Nicola Sturgeon urges leaders to deliver on climate vows at COP27	"Nicola Sturgeon is urging world leaders to deliver on climate pledges made in Glasgow last year as she attends COP27.
first minister is calling on more developed nations to make good on commitments made at COP26 in Scotland, including reducing coal usage and financing the shift to net zero.
r's climate summit is being held at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. 
It came as the Scottish government was accused of ""rank hypocrisy"" following cuts to its energy efficiency budget.
Ms Sturgeon is set to take part in an all-female panel discussion on financing decarbonisation with government leaders, including the prime minister of Barbados.
She will also meet representatives from countries in the global south – a term applied to developing nations in South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania – to hear their experiences of the climate crisis and what they want to be delivered at the climate talks.
Ahead of the summit, the UN published a report that said there was ""no credible pathway"" to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C by the end of the century.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, the first minister said there was more of a sense of ""nervousness and scepticism"" in Egypt than there was at COP26.
She said; ""I think Glasgow was a success - we didn't get everything that had been hoped for but I think the feeling coming out of COP26 was that it was a good foundation to build on. But it will only count if it is implemented.
""This COP is all about implementation - what happens here is absolutely crucial now to our chances of keeping 1.5 alive, and to be blunt about it, saving the planet for generations to come.""
At last year's COP, Scotland became the first developed nation to commit to finance that addresses loss and damage.
Scottish government pledged £2m from the Climate Justice Fund to fund the project. 
Other countries such as Denmark have followed suit, though some nations are reluctant as it could lead to unlimited compensation claims through the courts.
Now the subject of loss and damage has been added to the official COP27 agenda for the first time, something Ms Sturgeon called a ""big, big step"".
She said: ""Governments like Scotland and the state governments of United States, regions lined across Germany for example, hold a lot of power here so it's really important that we don't shy away from that and use that power and live up to our responsibilities. 
""Certainly the action the Scottish government took at the outset of COP26 has given a real momentum boost to the issue of loss and damage and you'll hear plenty people that are not associated with the Scottish government say that. 
""It's arguable that it wouldn't be on the agenda this year had we not put such a focus on it in Glasgow. But that's a first step, it's really important we keep that momentum going.""
At COP26 the first minister said it was ""highly likely"" that the Scottish government would associate itself with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.
She told the BBC that there would be an update on this in a new energy strategy to go before cabinet by the end of the year, adding she was ""absolutely not"" bowing to pressure from the fossil fuel industry not to join.
However, Scottish ministers have been criticised for cutting funding for green policies ahead of COP27.
utumn budget revision, which was announced by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, revealed almost £133m will be axed from the government's energy efficiency schemes.
Some £109.9m is being removed from the operating budget, while £23m will be lost from the capital budget, the documents show.
mes aim to improve the efficiency of public buildings and help people insulate their homes.
Scottish Labour said the decision was ""shameful"" as Ms Sturgeon headed to Sharm El-Sheikh.
rty's net zero and energy spokesman, Craig Smyth, urged the government to reverse the cuts amid the cost-of-living crisis.
He said: ""A year ago, Nicola Sturgeon promised to make Scotland a world leader in the green revolution, but these empty promises are in tatters.
""The cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency are two of the urgent challenges our country faces, but the SNP-Green government are gutting support schemes.
""Making these damaging cuts as COP27 gets under way lays bare the rank hypocrisy hiding behind this government's environmental rhetoric, as well as their failure to use the powers they have to help with the cost-of-living crisis.""
f the government budget cuts is almost £1.2bn when added to previously announced reductions of £560m as ministers grapple with tough financial pressures.
Mr Swinney said last week: ""I must balance the books, but I am committed to doing so in a way that prioritises funding to help families, to back business, to provide fair pay awards and to protect the delivery of public services."""	/news/uk-scotland-63536242
politics	Sexual assault claim against senior Plaid Cymru staff member	"An allegation of sexual assault has been made against a senior member of staff in Plaid Cymru.
BBC Wales has been told the claim is at the heart of an investigation conducted by an external company into misconduct in the party.
A former member of staff said the incident happened to them around four years ago when they worked for the party.
Plaid Cymru has not commented on the allegations.
Meanwhile, another person has said the same senior member of staff made them feel uncomfortable on several occasions.
In a previous statement, the party's chair Marc Jones, said: ""While at this point we naturally cannot share any information on any individual cases or allegations, I want to assure all Plaid Cymru members that I take all these matters and processes very seriously."" 
BBC Wales has not been able to contact the senior staff member involved.
ms are separate to allegations made against Plaid Senedd politician Rhys ab Owen.
former member of staff told BBC Wales the alleged incident had left them feeling ""helpless"".
""It felt like a place I should be safe, but I was always on edge, a little like a child in bed with nightmares.""
""There was a strange duality between feeling helpless and wanting to be included.""
former member of staff said initially they did not want to ""rock the boat"" and tell others what happened, ""because it was a happy family but with a secret"".
w or to whom they would make a complaint.
BBC Wales has also heard claims about the Plaid Cymru senior employee from a second individual.
r member of staff made them feel uncomfortable on several occasions and had sent flirtatious messages.
ual said they did not tell anybody about what happened because they were scared of this person and the potential consequences for themselves.
""I felt at the time that it would not have been worth the effort to make a formal complaint against such a powerful figure in the party, especially given that I would not have trusted the leadership of the party to deal with this properly and to have my best interests at heart.
""Many Plaid activists, staff and politicians feel lucky to be a part of this historical lineage that stretches back very far and don't want to be responsible for damaging a party that has played such a key role in shaping modern Wales.
""Of course, those speaking out are not the ones who damage the party, but rather it's clearly the perpetrators and enablers that are the real problem.""
Plaid Cymru declined to comment on the concerns raised, and referred to a statement issued when BBC Wales reported that an external human resources company had been appointed by the party to look into allegations of misconduct.
In the statement, party chair Marc Jones said: ""While at this point we naturally cannot share any information on any individual cases or allegations, I want to assure all Plaid Cymru members that I take all these matters and processes very seriously.
""We are offering support to all staff, as we prioritise their wellbeing.
""We are carrying out a survey of staff experiences that will inform future decision making.
""Consistent with not prejudicing the outcome of any ongoing investigation, we will be open as we can as we continue to ensure that all our internal processes are followed diligently at all times.""
gations have been made following claims of a toxic culture in the party and the suspension of Rhys ab Owen, MS for south Wales central, from his party's group.
uspension followed what is understood to be a serious allegation about his conduct, and is pending an investigation by the Welsh Parliament's Standards Commissioner.
wirl of multiple allegations would put pressure on the leader of any party and Adam Price is no exception.
Looking to the wider political context, his critics argue Plaid has underperformed at the ballot box under his leadership.
But Mr Price has said the co-operation deal struck with the Welsh Labour government keeps policies dear to Plaid on the political to do list - things like a bigger Senedd, action on second homes and expanding free school meals.
He retains a loyal core of support, and has said it would be inappropriate to get involved in individual investigations. 
But recent headlines must be deeply uncomfortable reading for party members and claims of a broader ""culture problem"" make this a potentially dangerous moment.
BBC Wales has spoken to several sources who said there was substantial unease within the party about the way allegations have been dealt with, and said concerns were raised about Rhys ab Owen's conduct last year.
One source spoke of an ""awful culture"" in the party and a ""lack of leadership"".
Speaking at the time of Mr ab Owen's suspension, a spokesperson for the Plaid Cymru group in the Senedd said: ""Rhys ab Owen MS, Plaid Cymru member of the Senedd for south Wales central, and the Plaid Cymru group in the Senedd have mutually agreed to his temporary suspension from the Plaid Cymru group.
""This is a neutral act, without prejudice, pending the conclusion of an investigation by the Senedd standards commissioner into an alleged breach of the code of conduct for members of the Senedd. No further comment will be issued.""
BBC Wales had approached Mr ab Owen for comment at the time of the suspension, but did not receive a response."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63781530
politics	Menai Bridge closure will have huge impact on UK, says MP	"ridge closure will have an effect on the local economy, business owners say
Closing a historical suspension bridge linking Anglesey with the mainland should ""not have been allowed to happen"", says the island's MP.
Menai Bridge was closed immediately on Friday for up to 16 weeks over ""serious"" safety risks.
It led to gridlock on the only other crossing to Anglesey, which is the main freight route to Ireland.
Virginia Crosbie, Conservative MP for Ynys Mon, said it will have a ""huge impact"" for the whole of the UK.
She said urgent questions about the bridge will be raised in both the Senedd and the UK Parliament.
""This is a huge impact not only on Anglesey, but for the whole of the UK in terms of our infrastructure,"" said Ms Crosbie. 
""We'll be writing a letter together to [First Minister] Mark Drakeford to really find out what on earth has gone wrong. Why did we not have any notice regarding this, and what is the plan going forward?""
She added that she wanted a plan from the Welsh government on how to ensure people will be able to get across to the island or to Bangor and Gwynedd safely.
""I'm looking to ensure that some of the key workers that work at Ysbyty Gwynedd can actually go to the hospital,"" she added.
""And want a plan to ensure that my constituents can get have access to an ambulance, should they need one, so we need to have a plan of action.""
Structural engineers initially recommended that the bridge close to all traffic, including pedestrian and cyclists, but the bridge has since reopened for walkers and dismounted cyclists.
On Friday Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters said that ""urgent"" and ""unavoidable"" work on the bridge was being carried out for public safety. 
""We are working closely with UK Highways to ensure this work is carried out safely and as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to the local community,"" he added.
Welsh government has said the findings were being assessed in a process that could take up to two weeks. 
ridge was built by Thomas Telford and opened to the public in 1826.
It cut the journey time from London to the port of Holyhead by 19 hours, for travellers heading to Ireland.
Holyhead remains the second busiest passenger ferry port in the UK."	/news/uk-wales-63370561
politics	Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford regretted losing temper in Senedd	"first minister's reaction in the Senedd was seen widely
Wales' first minister has told a newspaper he immediately regretted losing his temper in a Senedd row that went viral on social media.
Mark Drakeford erupted in anger following a questions from the Tories' Andrew RT Davies about ambulance response times.
Speaking to the i, he said he left the debating chamber ""thinking this is not a good look"".
But added that his comments about the Conservatives did ""strike a chord"".
Mr Drakeford had accused the Conservatives, then led by Liz Truss, of making a mess of the UK's reputation.
Angrily flipping the pages of his briefing notes, he told Mr Davies: ""You think you can turn up here this afternoon and claim some sort of moral high ground? 
""What sort of world do you belong in?""
Nicola Sturgeon was among those that praised Mr Drakeford's response.
But the comments earned criticism from the daughter of a man whose long ambulance wait had been raised by Mr Davies.
Keith Morris, 79, from Merthyr, was left in pain on the floor for 15 hours.
His daughter Angela Morris Nicholas said she was ""angry and upset"" at the first minister's outburst.
Mr Drakeford told the newspaper: ""I was cross with myself. You should not lose your temper, you should not allow yourself to be provoked. 
""I left the chamber angry at myself. 
""I was thinking this is not a good look for how we conduct politics in Wales but by the time I got home people were saying, 'Thank goodness you said it, it was about time' It did strike a chord.""
He said he did not ""deny there are people who don't get the service they deserve"".
""But to call the Welsh NHS a Third-World service was just such an insult to people who work so hard in it that I just couldn't react to it in my generally calm way.""
Liz Truss failed to make contact with the first minister during her short 49-day tenure as prime minister. 
Rishi Sunak spoke to Mr Drakeford on his first day in the job.
Mr Drakeford said her only words to her were ""hello Mark"" during  a memorial service for the Queen.
""That's the full script, verbatim,"" he said."	/news/uk-wales-politics-63475451
politics	'I'm living in fear for my life in Afghanistan'	"It is nearly 11 months since the UK launched its scheme to help vulnerable Afghans come to the UK. But MPs and charities say the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) has been too slow to get up and running and is leaving those who are in most danger stuck in Afghanistan. 
""Every minute, every moment is frightening. We are scared for our own safety,"" says Ghazal. 
Because of her previous job as a journalist and lecturer, as well as being an advocate for women's rights, Ghazal says she has been threatened by the Taliban.
BBC is not using her real name as she fears reprisals from the hardline Islamist group, which seized power in the summer of 2021. 
She applied to come to the UK through the ACRS in June and received a reference number but has heard nothing else since then. 
As she is still in Afghanistan she is not eligible for the first year of the scheme, when only three specific at-risk groups who remain in the country are being considered. 
Meanwhile, Ghazal is moving between the houses of friends and relatives with her sister so she cannot be found. 
Since the Taliban takeover, women's rights have been curtailed, with women barred from most jobs outside the home, secondary education and travelling longer distances without a male guardian.
Ghazal is unmarried and as she is unable to do her old job she is struggling financially, with her savings now gone. 
""I had a huge reputation, a successful career and respect. Financially, I was well off. I had my dream job... but all of a sudden jumping down from there to someone who doesn't even have an identity is very painful and stressful,"" she tells the BBC, speaking through a translator. 
Asked what she thought would happen to her and her sister if they stayed in Afghanistan, Ghazal says: ""Probably we will end our life, someone will kill us, or we will have a heart attack.""
""We have no hope for our future,"" she adds. 
Labour's shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock says the government promised to prioritise groups who stood up for democracy, including women's rights activists and LGBT campaigners. 
But in the first year of the ACRS, most vulnerable groups must already have left Afghanistan to be considered for the scheme. 
Crossing the border to neighbouring countries can be dangerous as it difficult to obtain travel documents, particularly for those who are in hiding. 
Mr Kinnock says all at-risk groups in Afghanistan should be eligible for resettlement in the first year and helped to leave the country. 
""It really is shameful that we have failed to live up to our obligations and to support those people,"" he tells the BBC. 
""They stood up for the values that we cherish - democracy, inclusion, rule of law - and as a result, they put their lives on the line. In many cases, we've abandoned them.""
Most of the Afghans who have come to the UK were evacuated as part of Operation Pitting, which saw around 15,000 people airlifted out of Kabul as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021. 
Most of these were British nationals, as well as people who worked with the UK in Afghanistan and their family members, who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
After its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the UK pledged to resettle up to 20,000 more vulnerable Afghans in the coming years under the ACRS. 
ACRS has three pathways for resettlement: 
me formally launched in January but pathways two and three only opened in June. 
UNHCR has referred 801 Afghan refugees to the UK this year up to the end of October but only 67 have departed for resettlement, according to the latest figures. 
Only four individuals had been resettled in the UK under pathway two up to the end of September, according to Home Office figures. 
Mr Kinnock says processing of cases needs to be sped up so people are not left ""languishing"" in refugee camps, ""terrified"" they could be sent back to Afghanistan.
re are 1,500 places available under pathway three in the first year but the Home Office would not confirm whether people had started to arrive in the UK under this pathway yet. 
rest of the roughly 6,300 Afghans granted indefinite leave to remain under the ACRS were through pathway one. 
A Home Office spokeswoman says this includes ""people who stood up for values like democracy and freedom of speech"", as well as vulnerable groups, including women and girls.
Earlier this month, a cross-party group of eight MPs and peers wrote to the foreign secretary calling for a specific asylum route for Afghan women who are at risk. 
One signatory, former Conservative minister Caroline Nokes, says it has been ""next to impossible for Afghan female activists to find a safe route to the UK"" and ""we're letting them down"". 
msin Baxter, from the Refugee Council charity, says the ACRS does not put those ""most in danger at its heart"". 
""We're talking about people whose lives are clearly at stake,"" she says. 
She says progress on resettlement has ""stalled significantly"" since the initial evacuation last year. 
""Many people face a dreadful wait of two, even three years before they might find safety here. The fact is that these people are desperately unsafe and simply can't wait that long."""	/news/uk-politics-63743620
politics	Boris Johnson's sister is asked who should be the next prime minister	"Rachel Johnson, who is the sister of former prime minister Boris Johnson, is asked on BBC Question Time who she thinks should replace Liz Truss. 
russ has become the shortest-serving British prime minister in history after her resignation, lasting only 45 days."	/news/uk-politics-63338910
politics	MP: What would home secretary need to do to get the sack?	"Speaking at PMQs, a Labour MP said Suella Braverman was overseeing chaos at the Home Office and had broken the law.
Meg Hillier asked the prime minister what she would need to do to get sacked. 
Rishi Sunak said Mr Braverman was ""getting on with the job"" of cracking down on crime and defending the UK's borders, which the Labour Party had ""no intention in supporting"".
Live page: Sunak pressed on 'broken' asylum system at PMQs"	/news/uk-politics-63333232
politics	Boris Johnson confirms he is attending COP27 in Egypt	"Former PM Boris Johnson has confirmed he will attend the COP27 climate conference in Egypt next week after being invited by the organisers.
His successor at No 10 Rishi Sunak has been under pressure to attend, after initially saying he was too busy preparing for the budget.
But it now looks increasingly likely that Mr Sunak will go after all.
His official spokesman said ""significant progress"" was being made on the financial statement.
No 10 said it would provide an update if Mr Sunak's travel plans change.
27th meeting of the Conference Of the Parties (COP) is due to start in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday.
World leaders including US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron are due to attend. 
Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss had been set to go when she was PM and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will also be at the event.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Johnson said he had a ""particular interest"" in going to the United Nations conference, which aims to get international agreement on reducing carbon emissions.
Mr Johnson claimed it had ""become unfashionable"" to talk about the previous COP conference that was held in Glasgow last year.
He argued that the UK-hosted COP ""was a fantastic global success"" which was ""doing a huge a mount of good for the planet"".
Mr Johnson said he wanted to use his appearance in Egypt to ""talk a little bit about how I see things and how we see things in the UK"".
UK is the current holder of the COP presidency, after hosting the summit in Glasgow last year.
Alok Sharma, the UK's COP26 president, is among those saying the prime minister to go.
Mr Johnson also used his Sky interview to say Russian President Vladimir Putin ""would be crazy"" to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Mr Johnson said using a nuclear weapon would mean Mr Putin ""would immediately tender Russia's resignation from the club of civilised nations"".
former UK leader said it would be a ""total disaster"" for Russia, which would be put into a ""cryogenic economic freeze"". Mr Putin would also ""lose a lot of the middle ground of global tacit acquiescence that he's had"", Mr Johnson added."	/news/uk-politics-63478120
politics	PMQs: Blackford and Sunak on how much benefits will rise	"SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said people were facing a ""winter of uncertainty ahead"".
After welcoming Rishi Sunak to the role of PM, he asked him to guarantee that benefits would rise in line with inflation.
Mr Sunak said his party was “compassionate” and always acted to protect the “most vulnerable"".
Live: New PM Rishi Sunak in first Starmer clash at PMQs"	/news/uk-politics-63399202
politics	Big Ben’s iconic bongs return after restoration work	"After five years of restoration work, the bells of the Elizabeth Tower - including Big Ben - are returning to regular service.
Big Ben will be struck 11 times at 11:00 on Remembrance Sunday to mark the beginning of the two-minute silence.
Clockmakers Ian Westworth and Alex Jeffrey spoke to the BBC about bringing the iconic bells back into service.
Producer, Nick Raikes, assistant producer, Perisha Kudhail, shot by Ben Barnett"	/news/uk-politics-63600578
politics	Nicola Sturgeon warns Rishi Sunak not to 'unleash another wave of austerity'	"Scotland's First Minister congratulates incoming PM Rishi Sunak but warns him not to ""unleash another wave of austerity"".
42-year-old  will take on the role after his only rival in the Conservative leadership election pulled out.
Nearly 200 Conservative MPs publicly backed the former chancellor ahead of the nomination deadline on Monday.
Reacting to the news, Ms Sturgeon  said: ""He [Rishi Sunak] absolutely should not unleash another wave of austerity. 
""Our public services, the Scottish government's budget - we are still dealing with the legacy of the first wave of Tory austerity. Right now dealing with the problem of soaring inflation our public services cannot withstand another round of Tory austerity."""	/news/uk-scotland-63371905
politics	How many backers do Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt have?	"Conservative MPs declared who they were backing to become the UK's next prime minister in October 2022. This article shows the BBC's final tally, updated at 13:27 BST.
A further 58 MPs had publicly declared their support for Boris Johnson, who pulled out of the race on Sunday. Some of those MPs moved their allegiance elsewhere.
We only included MPs who told the BBC on the record who they were backing, or who publicly declared their support.
Candidates required the support of at least 100 Tory MPs. Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak were the only two candidates to confirm they were running. 
ghlighted how Conservative MPs changed their minds since the summer.
Former chancellor Sajid Javid decided to support Mr Sunak, after backing Liz Truss during the last leadership election. Another notable Tory MP to switch their support to Mr Sunak was Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker - who initially supported Suella Braverman's leadership bid over the summer, before shifting to Liz Truss. 
re was surprise when former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former home secretary Priti Patel both announced they were backing Mr Johnson to return as prime minister, despite having called for him to resign in the summer. Both then switched their support to Mr Sunak, after Mr Johnson said he would not be running."	/news/uk-politics-63343308
politics	Cumbria coal mine: Will it threaten the UK's climate targets?	"government has approved the UK's first new deep coal mine for 30 years.
Cumbrian plant will provide fuel for steel-making.
Supporters of the mine, near Whitehaven, claim it will create much-needed jobs, but critics argue it undermines the UK's climate change targets. 
from the mine will not generate electricity, but make steel. 
Most steel production involves heating coal to high temperatures and combining it with iron. 
It takes about 770kg of coal to make one tonne of steel - and the UK produces 7.4 million tonnes of steel a year. 
UK steel-makers currently get nearly half their coal from Russia. 
But after the country's invasion of Ukraine, the UK pledged to stop using Russian resources.
However, the government's advisory Climate Change Committee (UKCCC) points out that 85% of the coal produced in Whitehaven is likely to be exported, which may limit its benefit to the UK.
roject was initially approved by Cumbria County Council in October 2020. West Cumbria Mining, the firm behind the project, promised to create 500 direct jobs and 1,500 in the wider community.
Critics questioned those figures, but more than 40 Conservative MPs backed the project.
However, in February 2021, progress was suspended after UKCCC warned the government that steel-making shouldn't use coal after 2035 if the UK wants to meet its climate targets. 
uncil had granted permission to dig until 2049.
Planning Inspectorate reviewed the original decision, and sent a report to Communities Secretary Michael Gove - who has now approved the project.
Mr Gove claims the coal mine would ""to some extent, support the transition to a low-carbon future"". 
But UKCCC chair Lord Deben previously called the proposal ""indefensible"". 
He warned that its approval would damage the UK's leadership on climate change, and ""create another example of Britain saying one thing and doing another"".
UK hosted the 2021 UN climate summit COP26, where it got countries to pledge to reduce their use of coal. 
Dr Sugandha Srivastav from University of Oxford said the new mine's approval will be seen as ""extremely hypocritical"". 
UK is meant to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - which are responsible for climate change - by 78% by 2035.
In order to do this, the steel industry must cut its emissions: in 2019 it was responsible for 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or 2.7% of the UK's total GHG emissions. 
UKCCC says if steel firms don't stop burning coal by 2035, they will have to use expensive technology to capture the emissions generated and bury them underground.
Chris McDonald, chief executive of the Minerals Processing Institute at the UK's National Centre for Steel Industry Research, told the BBC he doesn't expect coal to have a role in the future. 
He said the UK's two big steel plants want to replace it with new low carbon technologies.
Electric arc furnaces (EAF) generate fewer emissions by using electricity to melt scrap steel, which reduces the coal input and the amount of fossil fuels needed for heat production.
Replacing iron with hydrogen can reduce emissions by 61% - from 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide per tonne of steel to 0.7 tonnes, according to the OECD. 
At the moment, 41% of European steel is produced under the EAF process, while hydrogen is used in 10% of global production. 
But the International Energy Agency warns these technologies are not fully developed, and says governments must create a market for ""near-zero emissions steel"". 
China, India, Japan and the US are the world's biggest steel producers, and significantly dwarf the British industry. 
In 2021 China produced more than 1 billion tonnes of steel, compared to the UK's 7.4 million.
rge producers all continue to use coal in their steel industry. 
But agreements reached at the COP26 climate talks demonstrated a commitment to making progress. 
China has set a target to reduce steel production by 3%, and expects the industry's coal use to peak by 2024.
However, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has led some countries to delay the move away from fossil fuels over fears about rising prices. "	/news/explainers-56023895
politics	New PM Rishi Sunak retains Alister Jack as Scottish secretary	"w prime minister has confirmed that Alister Jack will continue in his role as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Mr Jack has held the cabinet post since being appointed by Boris Johnson in 2019.
MP for Dumfries and Galloway was one of the ministers to survive a major reshuffle by new PM Rishi Sunak.
Nine cabinet ministers have left their posts, including former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Mr Jack was previously a prominent supporter of Mr Johnson, and was one of the few ministers who did not resign ahead of the former prime minister being forced from office earlier this year.
He declined to say who he was backing in either of the Conservative leadership contests that have been held since then.
Mr Jack said he was ""very pleased"" to have been reappointed as Scottish secretary.
""We are facing very significant challenges both at home and abroad, and there is much to be done,"" he said.
A former government whip, he was first elected in the 2017 snap election but also runs a large dairy farm near his home in Dumfries.
Mr Sunak - the UK's third prime minister since September - announced his new cabinet shortly after being appointed as prime minister by King Charles.
uded Jeremy Hunt remaining as chancellor, James Cleverly as foreign secretary and Ben Wallace as defence secretary. 
Suella Braverman has been re-appointed as home secretary less than a week after she resigned from the same role in Liz Truss's cabinet.
Michael Gove and Dominic Raab are among the former ministers who have returned to the cabinet.
In many ways this is the Comeback Cabinet, with a number of high-profile figures returning to roles they held in the past, from Dominic Raab to Suella Braverman.
Rishi Sunak is pushing a message of stability as he tries to bring the Conservative Party back together after a fractious couple of months.
So perhaps it was no surprise that Alister Jack has remained in the Scotland Office, despite being seen as an ally of Boris Johnson.
He is a former whip, popular with colleagues, and has now served three prime ministers.
re is another familiar face for Scottish ministers to work with, too - Michael Gove has returned to his old post of minister for intergovernmental relations.
He always enjoyed sparring with MSPs during committee appearances at Holyrood, and Mr Sunak is keen to get his ministers appearing north of the border on a more regular basis.
Speaking outside No 10 in his first speech since becoming PM, Mr Sunak said he had been elected as Tory leader to fix the ""mistakes"" made by his predecessor Liz Truss.
He also warned of difficult decisions ahead as his government attempts to tackle a ""profound economic crisis"".
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Mr Sunak had been ""frank and honest"" and praised him for not attempting to ""sugar-coat the fact that tough decisions lie ahead"".
Mr Ross added: ""The country - like the financial markets - can be reassured that our new prime minister is uniquely qualified and will work day and night to steer Scotland and the UK through this period.
""What came across loud and clear from his address was that our new prime minister is a man of calm authority and integrity who won't be daunted by the hurdles he faces. Rishi Sunak is a serious leader for serious times.""
But the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford has accused Mr Sunak of being scared of voters after he ruled out a general election - with polls suggesting Labour would be likely to win a big majority. 
Mr Blackford also said the new prime minister ""shared the blame"" for the country's economic crisis because he ""imposed a hard Brexit, slashed universal credit, and raised taxes on everyone else while his own family avoided them"" while he was chancellor in Mr Johnson's government. 
He added: ""People are paying through their teeth for Tory mistakes as mortgages rise, pensions fall, and inflation soars.
""No-one voted for this and the Tories have no mandate to impose the devastating cuts they are now planning."""	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63387120
politics	Jeremy Hunt on interest rate rise and Bank of England forecasts	"government is ""taking the difficult decisions"" to bring down the UK’s debt, the chancellor has said.
After the Bank of England raised interest rates from 2.25% to 3%, Jeremy Hunt said the ""best single thing we can do"" is to help the Bank bring down inflation.
He added: “We are doing the same things that we are asking families to do, up and down the country.""
Live page: Interest rate rises to 3% - the biggest hike in decades"	/news/uk-politics-63501682
politics	Jeremy Hunt remains chancellor amid big cabinet reshuffle	"Rishi Sunak has kept Jeremy Hunt as chancellor, amid a major cabinet overhaul after entering Downing Street.
w PM has removed key allies of former leader Liz Truss and rewarded some loyal supporters with top jobs.
Michael Gove and Dominic Raab, key figures in Boris Johnson's government, have also returned to cabinet roles.
And Suella Braverman is back as home secretary, days after quitting over sending an official document via personal email.
Despite being tipped for a promotion, Mr Sunak's leadership rival Penny Mordaunt stays in the mid-ranking role of Commons leader.
Mr Sunak is under pressure to reach out to different parts of the Conservative Party, after becoming its third leader in seven weeks.
A number of close allies of Ms Truss, including Simon Clarke, Chloe Smith, and Wendy Morton, have left their cabinet positions. 
rese Coffey, a close friend of the former prime minister, has also been demoted from deputy PM to environment secretary. 
However, a number of her cabinet have kept their roles - including James Cleverly as foreign secretary and Kemi Badenoch as trade secretary.
Dominic Raab is back as deputy PM and justice secretary, roles he held under former leader Boris Johnson.
Michael Gove, a veteran of several recent Conservative governments, also returns to the cabinet table as levelling-up secretary. 
Several of Mr Sunak's longtime allies have been given promotions, including Oliver Dowden, who has become Cabinet Office Minister, and Steve Barclay, the new health secretary.
Mel Stride, who ran Mr Sunak's unsuccessful summer leadership campaign, has been given a cabinet job as work and pensions secretary.
Ben Wallace remains defence secretary, a role he has held since Mr Johnson entered Downing Street in July 2019. 
But Jacob Rees-Mogg, a big supporter of Mr Johnson, has been replaced as business secretary by Grant Shapps.
keep Mr Hunt at the Treasury has been seen as a move to reassure financial markets, which have seen in turmoil in recent weeks in the wake of last month's mini-budget. 
Mr Hunt, who reversed most of the tax cuts upon his appointment by Ms Truss, is expected to give more detail of the UK's tax and spending plans in a key statement next Monday.
return of Ms Braverman, a figure on the right of the party, has raised eyebrows given her dramatic resignation only six days ago.
She was forced to step down on what became the final chaotic day of Liz Truss' premiership, after admitting breaching government data rules.
In her resignation letter, she said she had emailed an official document from her private email account, but also attacked Ms Truss's approach to immigration.
re have been reports that Ms Braverman had been at odds with Ms Truss over plans to relax immigration rules in a bid to boost economic growth.
Labour criticised her reappointment, with shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accusing Mr Sunak of ""putting party before country"".
In other moves:
Earlier, Mr Rees-Mogg told the BBC the Conservatives would be ""toast"" unless they pulled together.
Only a couple of hours after leaving his post, he returned to the Commons to speak as a backbencher during a debate on government legislation to replace EU laws carried over after Brexit.
Mr Sunak has warned ""difficult decisions"" lie ahead for his new administration, as it grapples with a ""profound economic crisis"".
He said he had been elected as Tory leader to ""fix"" the ""mistakes"" made by Ms Truss, who has left after just 49 days in office."	/news/uk-politics-63388979
politics	Keir Starmer pushed on UK immigration levels	"Labour leader says he will not pick ""arbitrary migration targets"" over the number of workers coming to the UK from abroad. 
In an interview with the BBC's political editor Chris Mason, Sir Keir Starmer said there were some areas where the UK was ""over reliant"" on immigration, but more people were needed to help with some innovation and technical skills. 
Earlier in the day, Sir Keir spoke to the CBI about weaning the UK off its ""immigration dependency"".
We must wean economy off immigration, Labour leader warns businesses"	/news/uk-politics-63715808
politics	Nicola Sturgeon holds first meeting with PM Rishi Sunak	"Nicola Sturgeon has met Rishi Sunak for the first time since he became prime minister.
Scotland's first minister said the meeting was ""cordial and constructive"" despite the pair having ""profound political disagreements"".
She said they discussed the cost of living crisis, the NHS and her desire for a second Scottish independence referendum.
Mr Sunak called on political leaders to unite to tackle shared challenges.  
ks were held in Blackpool ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council.
Ms Sturgeon said: ""It is good to be able to sit down with the prime minister, as I used to do with Rishi Sunak's predecessors, and to talk through issues that we are all grappling with.""
Rising inflation and the cost of living crisis were among topics on the agenda. 
Mr Sunak said: ""The economic challenges we face are similar, whether you are in Belfast or Dublin, Swansea or Edinburgh or indeed Yorkshire. 
""So I thought it was important to come here, talk to other leaders about how we can relentlessly focus on coming together to serve the people that we represent across all these islands.""
Afterwards, he used Twitter to say it was ""great to meet"" Ms Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales. 
""Teamwork, absolute focus and collective effort will be required to deal with the shared challenges faced by people across the UK,"" Mr Sunak added. 
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove were also involved in the discussions. 
Ms Sturgeon said she spoke about her ""profound concerns about the NHS and the fact it is close to breaking point across the UK"".
""It's my government's responsibility to manage the NHS in Scotland,"" the SNP leader said. ""But our ability to invest in it depends on the decisions taken by the UK government and we in Scotland are at the limits of what we can do."" 
She called for an ""injection of investment"" in the health service ahead of the upcoming Autumn Statement.
And she explained their discussion about a second independence referendum, which she wants to hold in October 2023.
UK Supreme Court is currently considering whether the Scottish parliament has the legal power to hold a referendum without the UK government's consent.
On a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon said she would not allow Scottish democracy to be ""held prisoner"" by Westminster.
""The right way of doing that would be for the UK government to respect the mandate and agree a process to allow the people of Scotland to decide,"" she said. 
Mr Sunak has given no indication that he is likely to grant formal consent for a second vote.
He has previously said that ignoring Ms Sturgeon and the SNP would be ""dangerously complacent"" and described the first minister and her party as an ""existential threat to our cherished union"".
While acknowledging ""deep and profound political disagreements"", the first minister expressed hopes for a constructive relationship.
It comes after Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss failed to have any formal talks with Ms Sturgeon during her brief spell in Downing Street.
Ms Truss claimed during the contest to succeed Boris Johnson that the first minister was an ""attention seeker"" who was best ignored.
Ms Sturgeon said: ""There's been a lack of respect on the part of the UK government or riding roughshod over the powers and responsibilities of devolved parliaments.
""Now, I welcome Rishi Sunak's words about wanting to reset the relationship and do things differently. I really welcome that. 
""But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We need to see from the UK government proper respect.
""And if if that is the case, then I do believe that notwithstanding our disagreements, we'll be able to build a good relationship.""
Rishi Sunak appears to have pushed the reset button on relations with Nicola Sturgeon and the devolved Scottish government.
By making an early effort to meet the first minister, he's already done more for intergovernmental relations than his predecessor Liz Truss managed in her six-week premiership.
While Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed the chance to discuss shared challenges with the PM and his talk of closer co-operation, she is also putting their relationship to an immediate test.
ute with nurses and other NHS workers, the first minister has asked for more money from the UK government and will find out in next week's Autumn Statement whether or not that's forthcoming.
re are, of course, policy differences on things like independence and nuclear power where there is little scope for agreement but that does not have to mean they can't do business in other areas.
Rishi Sunak's expected to visit Scotland in the near future and it's not impossible that he and Nicola Sturgeon might jointly announce the two successful bids for green freeport status."	/news/uk-scotland-63587842
politics	Boris Johnson 'clearly' going to stand to be PM, backer Jacob Rees-Mogg says	"Watch: Boris Johnson 'clearly' going to stand - Jacob Rees-Mogg
Boris Johnson is ""clearly"" still going to stand to be prime minister, after holding talks with his rival Rishi Sunak, one of his supporters has said. 
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told the BBC the ex-PM had the 100 backers needed to be in the contest. 
However, just over half that number have publicly declared their support for Johnson, while former chancellor Mr Sunak has already passed the 100 mark. 
Mr Sunak officially declared on Sunday morning that he was running. 
He and Mr Johnson met on Saturday night, prompting speculation they could strike a deal.
would see one of them stand aside in the belief that it gives a clear run to the other, although Commons leader Penny Mordaunt has also declared her intention to stand. 
But asked what happened at the meeting, Sunak-backer Dominic Raab told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: ""I don't think there's any issues around deals here and that's not the right way to proceed.""
He added: ""What they did have was a very good conversation about the need for unity.""
Mr Sunak currently has 147 Conservative MPs who have publicly given him their backing, while Mr Johnson has 57 and Ms Mordaunt has 24, according to BBC research. 
Of the three, only Mr Johnson has not yet officially said he intends to run. 
Officially announcing his candidacy, Mr Sunak said the country was facing a ""profound economic crisis"" and as chancellor he had ""helped to steer our economy through the toughest of times"". 
He pledged to ""fix the biggest problems we face"" and ""deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto"", with ""integrity, professionalism and accountability"". 
Former home secretary Suella Braverman - who ran to be leader earlier this year - has thrown her support behind Mr Sunak, writing in The Telegraph that he could ""put our house in order and apply a steady, careful hand on the tiller"".
Mr Raab, who served as deputy prime minister under Mr Johnson, said Mr Sunak was ""the right person"" to be PM for both economic and political reasons. 
He said Mr Sunak had got the ""fundamental calls"" on the economy right and had the ""experience to deliver"" from his time as chancellor under Mr Johnson. 
Mr Raab added that Mr Sunak also had a broad range of support from Tory MPs, which was ""growing by the hour"". 
However, Mr Raab refused to say whether Mr Sunak would keep Jeremy Hunt as chancellor, saying it was not right to ""start handing out jobs"" during a leadership election. 
He added that Mr Sunak would ""put a government of all the talents"" in place. 
Ms Mordaunt has confirmed she would keep Mr Hunt in his role if she becomes PM to ensure a ""smooth transition of power"". 
r is due to give a statement on the government's plans for spending cuts and taxes on 31 October - just days after the new PM is set to be installed. 
Ms Mordaunt insisted she was ""in this to win it"" and denied reports she had been in touch with Mr Johnson's team about withdrawing from the contest in exchange for a prominent position.
Meanwhile, Mr Rees-Mogg said Mr Johnson was the ""greatest electoral asset"" his party had seen in modern times and highlighted his role in delivering Brexit, supporting Ukraine and getting the country through the Covid pandemic. 
Asked why the public should accept his return as prime minister given the scandals which forced him to leave office just over six weeks ago, Mr Rees-Mogg said Mr Johnson had a mandate from his 2019 general election victory. 
""Call for a general election is pretty hollow if the person who won the mandate is actually the prime minister,"" he added. 
Labour and other opposition parties have been calling for a general election, which is currently set for two years' time, following the resignation of Liz Truss. 
Leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC: ""Let the public in to decide. Do they want to continue with this utter chaos or do they want stability under a Labour government?""
However, to force an early general election the majority of MPs would need to support a motion of no confidence - meaning some Tories would have to vote down their own government. 
Sir Keir said Tory MPs had a choice to make ""because they can either put their party first or their country first"". 
Watch: Sir Keir Starmer says he is not being complacent about Labour's current popularity in the polls
Earlier, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, who is an influential figure on the right of the party, came out in support of Mr Sunak. 
former chairman of the European Research Group of Brexiteer Tory MPs said Mr Johnson becoming prime minister would be ""a guaranteed disaster"". 
He told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday a Johnson premiership would ""implode"" in the face of an investigation into whether he deliberately misled the Commons over what he knew about Covid rule-breaking at Downing Street.
Privileges Committee is due to begin taking oral evidence for its inquiry, including from Mr Johnson himself, in the coming weeks. 
Leadership contenders have until 14:00 BST on Monday to get the required 100 nominations to qualify for the next stage of the race. 
If Tory MPs get behind just one candidate, we could have a new prime minister by Monday afternoon.
But if not, it will then go to an online ballot of the Conservative party membership, with the result to be announced on Friday."	/news/uk-politics-63363420
politics	Suella Braverman: A quick guide to the home secretary	"Suella Braverman has been reappointed to the job of home secretary by Rishi Sunak. Here's what you need to know about her.
She was appointed home secretary, responsible for overseeing UK borders and policing, in September when Liz Truss became the new prime minister. She then resigned after sending an official document from her personal email, which was against the rules. She criticised the government saying it had ""broken key pledges that were promised to voters"".
Suella, short for Sue-Ellen, married Rael Braverman at the House of Commons in 2018 and their children George and Gabriella were born in 2019 and 2021. 
Born in Harrow, north-west London she grew up in nearby Wembley with her parents who come from Kenya and Mauritius. Her mum was an NHS nurse and Tory councillor who also ran to become an MP.
When the first flight was grounded by the European court of human rights she said the decision was ""unacceptable"".
She worked as a junior Brexit minister but quit in protest of Theresa May's EU deal. A qualified barrister, she was made attorney general - the government's chief legal advisor - by Boris Johnson in 2020.
During the summer, she pledged to cut taxes and stand up to ""woke rubbish"" but was voted out in the second round.
When she became an MP she took her oath of office on the book of Buddhist scripture Dhammapada."	/news/uk-62807062
politics	Labour MP suspended from party pending investigation	"Labour MP Conor McGinn has been suspended from the party pending an investigation, the BBC has been told. 
Mr McGinn, who has represented the St Helens North constituency since 2015, will now sit as an independent MP.
Details of the nature of the inquiry have not yet been confirmed. 
In a statement given to The Guardian, Mr McGinn said ""I strongly reject any suggestion of wrongdoing and I look forward to the matter being resolved quickly.""
""I have not been told the details of the complaint but I am confident that it is entirely unfounded.""
""The Labour party has informed me that it is automatically required to apply a temporary procedural suspension while a complaint is investigated.""
Mr McGinn - who has previously served as an opposition whip and the party's deputy national campaign co-ordinator - is the latest Labour MP to be suspended under the party's new complaints process.
m was set up last year in the wake of controversy over how anti-Semitism allegations were handled.
A 2020 Equalities and Human Rights Commission report into how the claims were handled recommended that the party put in place ""long-term arrangements for independent oversight of the complaint handling process"".
Party members backed creating this new system at its annual conference in 2021.
Under the rules, Mr McGinn's suspension from Labour Party membership will lead to automatic precautionary suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party."	/news/uk-politics-63896445
politics	Suella Braverman email could throw fresh doubt over security breach claims	"An email sent from Suella Braverman's personal account on the day she had to resign over a security breach could throw fresh doubt over her claims about the speed with which she took action.
mail, seen by the BBC, told the recipient of a highly sensitive message that Ms Braverman had sent in error to ""delete and ignore"" it.
She has said she reported the mistake ""rapidly"" to officials.
But the BBC understands it took hours for her to respond.
Ms Braverman quit as home secretary 10 days ago because she had breached security rules relating to email use. She was then reappointed by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Her reappointment has drawn criticism, with calls for an inquiry and Labour demanding Mr Sunak ""comes clean"" and releases assessments of the security breach.
In her defence, the home secretary said ""as soon as I realised my mistake I rapidly reported this on official channels"". She said she reported it to the cabinet secretary - the head of the civil service.
But the BBC understands she sent the original email from her personal Gmail account to the wrong person, a member of parliamentary staff, at 7:25 BST on 19 October. 
ument was a draft written ministerial statement related to immigration visas containing highly sensitive information about government policy.  
At 8:30 the recipient sent her a message saying that it had been sent in error. 
At 10:02 a message was then sent from the home secretary's personal Gmail account saying: ""Please can you delete the message and ignore"". 
It is understood the chief whip at the time, Wendy Morton, was told what had happened around half an hour later by the office that had received the message in error. Ms Morton then urgently tried to track down the home secretary to discuss the issue, it is understood.
One source told the BBC there was no evidence that Ms Braverman had raised the incident herself before she was confronted with the mistake later that afternoon, and subsequently had to resign.  
But a source close to Ms Braverman said around 12:00, she instructed officials to raise the breach with the cabinet secretary. That is still more than four hours after her original email that broke the rules and two hours after she had asked the recipient to ""delete and ignore"".
""The home secretary has been clear that once she realised she'd made this error of judgment she proactively reported it on official channels. 
""These events need to be seen in the context of a very packed schedule. She recognises she made a mistake, apologised and offered her resignation to the PM,"" the source said.
Ms Braverman had sent the document to her own Gmail address, before sending it on. Ministers are not permitted to send government documents to personal accounts, or to share further. 
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC he was glad the prime minister had given Ms Braverman ""a second chance"", describing her as ""a first-rate"" politician.
Asked about the home secretary's email, he said ""I am sure there are lots of inferences that can be drawn"" but added it would be inappropriate to ""rush to judgement"".
He said it would have been ""quite proper"" for the home secretary to ask the recipient to delete and ignore the message. ""That is standard practice,"" he said.
WATCH: I am satisfied Braverman coming back was right - Gove
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Mr Gove of ""badly minimising issues around national security"".
She argued that the email added ""to the serious list of questions that we now have about the reckless reappointment of Suella Braverman to be home secretary... it goes to the heart of Rishi Sunak's error of judgment.""
Ms Cooper has also said her party ""will use every parliamentary mechanism open to force government to come clean over her reappointment, to get answers and to require detailed documents to be released to the Intelligence and Security Committee"".
Meanwhile, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said Ms Braverman's appointment has undermined the prime minister's promise to have integrity ""at every level of his government. ""He has failed at the first hurdle,"" Ms Lucas said. 
Some Tory MPs have also expressed concern. Backbench MP Caroline Nokes previously backed opposition calls for an inquiry and former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry described the breach as ""really serious"". 
WATCH: Labour's Yvette Cooper says Rishi Sunak has shown an ""error of judgement"" returning Braverman to the Home Office"	/news/uk-politics-63444573
politics	World Cup 2022: Mark Drakeford to 'shine a light' on Qatar rights	"Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford will ""promote inclusivity"" and ""respect for human rights"" at the World Cup in Qatar, the Welsh government has said.
His decision to go to the tournament is in contrast to a boycott by UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Drakeford and other Welsh Labour ministers will travel ahead of Wales' first game on 21 November. 
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, accused UK Labour of ""hypocrisy"" over its stance.
A UK Labour source told BBC Wales that there were differences between the UK party's stance and the role of Mr Drakeford as the leader of Wales.
""Mark Drakeford is the first minister of Wales, he is the official representative of Wales at the Qatar World Cup, the first they have qualified for in over 60 years.
""Mark will use the opportunity of his official status to shine a light on critical human rights matters and work with others to promote the values of inclusivity and respect for human and workers' rights.""
Earlier this week, Sir Keir said on LBC that he would be boycotting the World Cup - even if England got to the final.
""I'd love to but I think that the human rights record is such that I wouldn't go and that'll be the position of the Labour Party.""
He also told LBC that no ""senior colleagues"" would be travelling there.
In response, the Welsh government said it was ""proud Wales will be competing at the World Cup"".
A spokesperson said Mr Drakeford would be going to boost Wales and also to help influence change in the country by adding a voice to ""promote the values of inclusivity"".
""We work hard to raise the profile of Wales and create trade and investment opportunities from our involvement in major events around the world.
""This World Cup has shone a light on the critical issue of human rights and we will add our voice to those of others and work together to promote the values of inclusivity and respect for human and workers' rights.""
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who will also be at the tournament, has said the UK has ""incredibly important partners in the Middle East"".
Mr Cleverly was criticised after he said LGBT fans who go to Qatar - where same-sex activity is illegal - should show ""a little bit of flex and compromise"".
Mr Cleverly said: ""These are Muslim countries, they have very different cultural starting point for us. I think it's important when you're a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation.""
But within hours, the prime minister's official spokesman said LGBT fans should not be expected to ""compromise who they are"" at the tournament.
Labour called his remarks ""shockingly tone-deaf"".
ry Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies said: ""It's absolutely right that the first minister of Wales should attend the Qatar World Cup and give his support to the Welsh team.
""It's pure hypocrisy for Keir Starmer to grandstand on this issue from opposition when his colleagues in Wales are rightly going to show their support for the Welsh squad.
""I hope that the first minister will, with UK government ministers, withstand any pressure from the Labour leader to cancel their visit to the World Cup.""
BBC Wales has asked to speak to Mr Drakeford about his Qatar plans.
In an event at the Senedd with Wales manager Rob Page, Mr Drakeford said: ""As a Welsh government, we have very clear ambitions for the World Cup itself. Promoting Wales. Projecting our values. Ensuring the safety of Welsh citizens at the tournament.""
""And then making sure that beyond the tournament itself there's that lasting legacy for Wales.""
Mr Drakeford said there were ""real challenges in hosting an event of this nature in Qatar and the fine balance that there is there for us to strike between maximising opportunities but also not stepping back from the need to assert our view of values in the world as well"".
""The way we'd choose to live our life in Wales places a real emphasis on human rights, on the rights of people in the workplace, and on the rights of people to live their lives in the way they'd choose to do.
""And as well as an opportunity to promote Wales, the World Cup provides us with an obligation to make sure we do not stand away from the need to explain why we believe that those are values that ought to be recognised right across sport."""	/news/uk-wales-63437302
politics	Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell gave £100,000 loan to SNP	"Nicola Sturgeon's husband gave a loan of more than £100,000 to the SNP to help it out with a ""cash flow"" issue after the last election. 
Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive, loaned the party £107,620 in June 2021.
SNP had repaid about half of the money by October of that year.
An SNP spokesman said the loan was a ""personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cash flow after the Holyrood election"".
He said it had been reported in the party's 2021 accounts, which were published by the Electoral Commission in August. 
kesman added: ""The nature of this transaction was initially not thought to give rise to a reporting obligation. 
""However, as it had been recorded in the party's 2021 accounts as a loan, it was accordingly then reported to the Electoral Commission as a regulated transaction.""
Electoral Commission records of the loan say that no interest was being charged by Mr Murrell, and that a total of £47,620 was repaid in two instalments in August and October of last year. 
was first reported by the Wings Over Scotland website.
Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said it was ""beyond odd for the SNP chief executive - and Nicola Sturgeon's husband - to be lending his employer a six-figure sum of money"".
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Bibby claimed that the SNP operated ""under a veil of secrecy"" and called for greater transparency ""about the dealings going on in the party of government"".
SNP spent nearly £1.5m in its campaign for the Holyrood election, which was held in May last year. 
Its annual accounts showed that its total income was £4.5m in 2021, of which, it said, 85% came from voluntary contributions by supporters and members.  Some £740,000 was raised through ""independence related appeals"", the accounts stated. 
However, the party has spent a total of £5,259,805, meaning it made a loss of about £750,000 over the year. It had about £145,000 in cash at the end of the year, and reserves of £610,000.
SNP MP Douglas Chapman quit as the party's treasurer shortly after the election, claiming that he was not given enough information about its finances to do his job. Three other members of the SNP's finance committee also resigned. 
Mr Chapman's decision to stand down was understood to be linked to a row about the use of £600,000 which was raised by activists who were told it would be ringfenced for a second independence referendum. 
Police Scotland recently confirmed that its investigation into what happened to the money was ongoing. The party has denied any wrongdoing. "	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63973961
politics	What Conservative Party members think of net zero	"zero was a bone of contention at the Conservative Party conference this year.
Party members have differing views on how to achieve the emissions target by 2050.
One member said ""renewable energies"" were ""obviously the solution"" and that ""people do need to get used to not being as warm at home"".
Another argued the only way to ensure a reliable energy supply was to have ""either fossil fuels or nuclear""."	/news/uk-politics-63544735
politics	Rishi Sunak's first speech as UK prime minister in full	"Rishi Sunak has delivered his first speech as prime minister outside Downing Street, after an audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning.
Mr Sunak said he would place ""economic stability and confidence at the heart"" of his government's agenda, but acknowledged ""difficult decisions to come"".
Here is his six-minute speech in full:
""Good morning. 
""I've just been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty the King's invitation to form a government in his name. 
""It is only right to explain why I'm standing here as your new prime minister. 
""Right now, our country is facing a profound economic crisis. 
""The aftermath of Covid still lingers. 
""Putin's war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over. 
""I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss. 
""She was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country. 
""It is a noble aim, and I admired her restlessness to create change. 
""But some mistakes were made, not borne of ill-will or bad intentions - quite the opposite in fact.
""But mistakes nonetheless, and I have been elected leader of my party and your prime minister in part to fix them. 
""And that work begins immediately.
""I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda. 
""This will mean difficult decisions to come. 
""But you saw me during Covid doing everything I could to protect people and businesses with schemes like furlough. 
""There are always limits - more so now than ever. 
""But I promise you this, I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today. 
""The government I lead will not leave the next generation - your children and grandchildren - with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves. 
""I will unite our country - not with words, but with action. 
""I will work day in and day out to deliver for you.
""This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. 
""Trust is earned and I will earn yours. 
""I will always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as prime minister, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit. 
""And I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual. 
""It is a mandate that belongs to, and unites, all of us. 
""And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto. 
""I will deliver on its promise. 
""A stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, control of our borders, protecting our environment, supporting our armed forces, levelling up and building an economy that embrace the opportunities of Brexit where businesses invest, innovate and create jobs. 
""I understand how difficult this moment is after the billions of pounds it cost us to combat Covid, after all the dislocation that caused, in the midst of a terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions. 
""I fully appreciate how hard things are. 
""And I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened. 
""All I can say is that I am not daunted.
""I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands. 
""But when the opportunity to serve comes along, you cannot question the moment, only your willingness.
""So I stand here before you, ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party. 
""Together we can achieve incredible things. 
""We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made, and fill tomorrow and every day thereafter with hope. 
""Thank you.""  "	/news/uk-63386413
politics	Starmer: Migrants are not answer to NHS staffing crisis	"UK is recruiting too many people from overseas into the NHS, Sir Keir Starmer has said. 
Labour leader argued immigration was not the solution to a staffing crisis as he called for more recruitment from within the UK.
Scotland's SNP government is spending £8m on hiring 750 nurses and midwives from overseas this winter. 
In England, 34% of doctors joining the health service last year came from overseas - up from 18% in 2014. "	/news/uk-scotland-63527783
politics	Louise Haigh and Huw Merriman on rail services in northern England	"rail minister agreed with the opposition that ""we cannot continue like this"" over rail delays and said reforms were needed.
For the government, Huw Merriman said negotiations were underway so that rail operators were not reliant on the approval of their workforce to run a seven-day operation, and called on Labour to back reforms.
Shadow rail minister and Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh said services in northern England were ""in meltdown"" and the government would have taken ""far greater action"" if this was happening in other parts of the country.
ransport secretary says North's railways have a real problem to solve"	/news/uk-politics-63822544
politics	Matt Hancock: It’s a pleasure to be back… and well-fed	"former health secretary has appeared again in the Commons after several weeks in Australia.
Matt Hancock has returned to his day job as an MP after three weeks in the TV jungle as a contestant on ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Mr Hancock was teased about his stint on the reality TV show as he made a speech in a near-empty House of Commons chamber.
He told MPs he was pleased to be back ""clean and well-fed"".
MP is trying to pass a law that would result in every child being screened for dyslexia in schools. 
former health secretary was suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party after joining the ITV show, and now sits as an independent MP.
Some Conservative MPs poured scorn on Mr Hancock's jungle jaunt, among them Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said he was ""very disappointed"" in the MP for West Suffolk.
Mr Hancock defended his absence from Parliament, insisting he wanted to ""show what I am like as a person"" and draw attention to issues such as dyslexia.
MP, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at university, said he would use the platform of I'm a Celebrity to raise awareness of the learning difficulty.
He was shown on camera doing so only a handful of times, including in his exit interview after he came third in the public vote on the show, which was filmed in Australia.
wo days after arriving back in the UK, Mr Hancock put the show's stomach-churning Bushtucker Trials behind him for a challenge of a political kind in Parliament.
Starting the debate on Mr Hancock's draft law - known as a bill - Commons Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans joked: ""This is the third bill of the day and I know Mr Hancock you appear to be making a habit of coming third these days.""
In reply, Mr Hancock said: ""I am not quite sure what to make of that. But I am honoured to be third today and let's see how that goes.
""But it's also a pleasure to be here and to be clean and well-fed."" 
He said only one in five children are identified as dyslexic in schools, branding those figures a ""gaping hole"" in the government's drive to improve literacy standards.
He told MPs that early identification of dyslexia was essential to reach full literacy in the UK.
""The next stage of the education revolution under this administration must be to improve opportunities that dyslexic children and children with other neurodivergent conditions have,"" he said.
After wrapping up, Mr Hancock was followed by Labour's shadow education minister, Matt Western, who said he was happy to see the former cabinet minister ""here in the flesh"". 
""He may have felt at home in the last week few weeks among late-career popstars and soap legends,"" Mr Western said.
""But I'm sure what he's hoping to do here is far more important than the past few weeks.""
Mr Hancock's Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill ran out of time in Friday's sitting of the House of Commons.
ut forward is known as a private member's bill and is only given limited time to be debated and voted on by MPs. The bill will next be considered the Commons in March next year, but is unlikely to progress any further given the time constraints on MPs when debating such matters.
Mr Hancock's reappearance comes as speculation mounts over whether he will be reinstated as a Tory MP and seek to stand again at the next election.
Conservative vice-chair Nickie Aiken told the BBC she thought Mr Hancock should not be let back into the Conservative Party.
Allies of Mr Hancock say he intends to stay in politics.
Meanwhile, a serialisation of Mr Hancock's new book, Pandemic Diaries, is to be published by the Daily Mail on Friday.
former cabinet minister has also given an interview to the newspaper, telling them, among other things, about how he fell in love with his former aide, Gina Coladangelo."	/news/uk-politics-63838557
politics	Indyref march through Glasgow after Sturgeon's 'not going away' vow	"Independence supporters have marched through Glasgow after Nicola Sturgeon insisted the Supreme Court ruling on indyref2 would galvanise the movement.
All Under One Banner (AUOB) march made its way from Glasgow Green to BBC Scotland's HQ at Pacific Quay.
It followed a series of rallies around the country after Wednesday's ruling that an independence referendum cannot go ahead without UK government consent.
FM plans to use the next general election as a de facto referendum.
Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy has accused Ms Sturgeon of ""behaving more like an ultra-nationalist than the first minister"".
Conservatives and Labour have rejected that idea of a de facto referendum, arguing that general elections are fought on a range of issues and not just the constitution.
All Under One Banner national committee member Patrick McCarthy said people were marching ""to demand the right to democracy"".
He added: ""We believe that the decision of the Supreme Court was wrong and that the people of Scotland have the right to demand a referendum after the mandates we've had in the past.
""Going forward, eventually we believe that the Tories will give in.""
Ms Sturgeon has claimed that the independence campaign has been ""strengthened"" by the Supreme Court judgement, while her political rivals insist the ruling should mean issues like the NHS and the cost of living crisis must now be her priority.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's march, Ms Sturgeon said: ""Wednesday's judgment from the Supreme Court has galvanised the Yes movement right across Scotland.
""Thousands of people took to the streets - in freezing Scottish winter weather - to demonstrate their support for Scottish democracy.""
She added: ""The inconvenient truth for Westminster is that, much as they would prefer otherwise, the Scottish independence movement is not going away.
""Indeed, it is growing. It is strengthening. And it is winning. Because it is now as much a democracy movement as an independence movement.""
Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy criticised Ms Sturgeon for describing the independence cause as a fight for democracy.
He told BBC Scotland: ""There is a very thin line between divisive language and dangerous language.
""Using the words that she is now, Nicola Sturgeon is behaving more like an ultra-nationalist than the leader of her party and the first minister, and I think she is getting very close to crossing that line.
""Nicola Sturgeon is operating in the SNP's echo chamber. At a point in time where the country want a first minister to be focused on the big issues - the cost of living crisis and the energy crisis - it is strange that she is turning in and simply talking to the SNP movement and not the country.""
SNP won 45% of the votes in Scotland at the last general election in 2019 while winning 48 of the 59 seats.
Recent opinion polls have suggested that the country is essentially split down the middle on the independence question, but with a very narrow majority in favour of staying in the UK."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63768609
politics	Did Boris Johnson mislead Parliament over parties?	"Some Conservative MPs have suggested that Boris Johnson should stand in the contest to be party leader and prime minister following the resignation of Liz Truss.
He is currently being investigated by a Commons committee over whether he misled MPs when talking about parties in Downing Street. The Privileges Committee plans to start taking evidence in public sessions before the end of November.
Mr Johnson, who has already been fined by police for breaking his own Covid rules, could face suspension from the House of Commons or even lose his seat, if the committee finds he was in contempt of Parliament. 
He announced his resignation as prime minister on 7 July, but stayed in post until Liz Truss took over on 6 September. 
re has been discussion about whether the committee needs to be convinced that he deliberately misled MPs to rule that he was in contempt.
In July, the Privileges Committee said its legal advice was that the prime minister's intent was not relevant to this judgement, although it could affect any penalties imposed.
Senior lawyer Lord Pannick was asked to look into this by Mr Johnson. He described the committee's approach as ""fundamentally flawed"". It rejected his criticism. 
re the key times Boris Johnson talked in Parliament about Downing Street parties, when he was prime minister. 
Date of quote: 8 December 2021
Context: Labour MP Catherine West asked: ""Will the prime minister tell the House whether there was a party in Downing Street on 13 November [2020]?""
What Mr Johnson said: ""No - but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times.""
Let's break down his answer. 
Party 
first part is the apparent denial that there was a party on 13 November 2020. 
Ms West's question specified ""party"" and that is not a term for which there is a precise definition. 
Sue Gray, the civil servant who investigated Downing Street parties and gatherings, does not use the word when detailing the events of 13 November. Instead, her report mentions: 
f the former show the then prime minister raising a glass in front of several people and a table with a number of wine bottles, as well as takeaway food.
Rules
Mr Johnson said the rules were followed ""at all times"". 
But we now know they were not. The Metropolitan Police investigation into gatherings at Downing Street led to a total of 126 fines being issued to 83 individuals for breaking Covid rules.
On the specific date he was being asked about, we know the Met issued fines - for breaches of the rules on indoor gatherings of two or more people. 
Met has not specified which event, but the BBC has been told that at least one person who attended the leaving drinks that Mr Johnson was pictured at was fined. The then prime minister did not receive a fine - the Met has not explained why.
Guidance
Mr Johnson said the guidance was followed ""at all times"".
guidance for working in offices at the time said ""only absolutely necessary participants should physically attend meetings"" and they should maintain social distancing. 
He told Parliament on 23 June that: ""Where it is possible to keep 2m apart, people should. But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of 1m-plus."" That guidance was still current by 13 November. 
re was nothing in that guidance document that implied that leaving drinks or other forms of socialising at work were allowed.
But the photos in the Sue Gray report clearly show Mr Johnson drinking in front of staff members - who are standing very close to each other - with bottles of wine on a table. 
r gathering on 13 November was in Mr Johnson's flat. 
report says there was a meeting that evening ""to discuss the handling"" of the departures of Mr Cain and special adviser Dominic Cummings. 
Five special advisers were present, along with food and alcohol. Mr Johnson joined at 20:00 and the ""discussion carried on later into the evening"". 
Previously, several newspapers reported that Abba songs could be heard playing in the No 10 flat that evening. 
Date of quote: 25 May 2022
Context: The prime minister's response in Parliament to the final publication of the Sue Gray report.
What Johnson said: ""I am happy to set on the record now that when I said - I came to this house and said in all sincerity that the rules and guidance had been followed at all times - it was what I believed to be true. It was certainly the case when I was present at gatherings to wish staff farewell.""
We know from the Sue Gray report that he attended leaving drinks on: 
Mr Johnson says both rules and guidance were ""certainly"" followed when he was present at these gatherings. 
We know that two of them (13 November and 14 January) led to police fines but we can't tell whether these rule breaches happened when he was there.
When it comes to the guidance, the photos of the Lee Cain event apparently show people closer than 1m together, and thus not following the guidance, while Mr Johnson was in the room and looking on. 
Date of quote: 8 December 2021
Context: Opening remarks to Parliament after a video emerged of members of his staff joking about whether there had been a Christmas party at Downing Street. 
What Johnson said: ""I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken.""
rty they were talking about is understood to be the one on 18 December 2020, when between 20 and 45 individuals gathered for a ""Wine & Cheese Evening"" and ""Secret Santa"".  
re is no mention, in the Sue Gray report, of Boris Johnson being present or having been notified about it.
Mr Johnson's claim, on 8 December 2021, revolves around what assurances he was given, which we do not know. 
If he was told there was no party - he could argue he had not knowingly misled the House.
Watch: What has Boris Johnson said before about alleged No 10 parties?
What claims do you want BBC Reality Check to investigate? Get in touch
Read more from Reality Check"	/news/60203864
politics	Gwent Police: Three officers suspended in racist message probe	"ree Gwent Police officers have been suspended after a watchdog launched an investigation into claims of racism, misogyny and homophobia in the force.
It comes after offensive messages were reportedly found on the phone of a retired police officer Ricky Jones, who took his own life in 2020. 
messages were discovered by his family.
Mr Jones's daughter said she was upset after learning of the suspensions via the media.
As well as offensive content, the messages - first reported by the Sunday Times - were said to show evidence of corruption within the force.
Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said several serving officers were under investigation and it would keep the involvement of other officers under review.
It comes on the same day a Gwent Police officer was sacked for sending inappropriate text messages to three women in a separate case.
wo senior police officers in the same force were also dismissed for gross misconduct following an incident at a social event.
revelations have put pressure on the senior leadership of Gwent Police, including Chief Constable Pam Kelly and Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert.
IOPC director for Wales Catrin Evans said: ""On the basis of our assessment of the conduct referrals received so far, we have decided that an independent investigation is essential to maintain public confidence.""
Gwent Police said the three officers had been suspended for allegations of misconduct.
family of Mr Jones found the messages after searching his phone for evidence of domestic abuse.
His widow and daughter said he was controlling and abusive at home. 
Mr Jones's daughter said the family was ""upset"" that it was learning the details of the IOPC investigation and suspensions from the media rather than from Gwent Police, Wiltshire Police or the watchdog.
Emma, whose name has been changed, said: ""It's a shame that we've had to go public for this to happen. This should have happened years ago when we raised it originally. 
""I think to myself 'what would have happened if we hadn't made it public? Would any of these officers have been suspended in the end? Would it have just been covered up'?""
She added that the ""family of an abuser"" should not have to go through more pain by making this issue public ""just for the police to do the right thing"".
Sunday Times article reported that WhatsApp and Facebook messages showed Gwent Police officers discussing the sexual harassment of junior female colleagues as well as racism, homophobic and misogynistic abuse, leaking of sensitive police material and corruption.
A subsequent report said veteran police officers joked about Jimmy Savile rescuing the Thai schoolboys who were trapped in a cave and swapped nude pictures of a female footballer.
IOPC said Wiltshire Police would continue to look at Gwent Police's handling of its investigation into Mr Jones's death and officers' contact with relatives.
It said the family would have the right for a review if they were not happy with the outcome. 
family have told BBC Wales they want an independent investigation, rather than other police forces carrying it out.
IOPC decision follows referrals from Gwent Police, which was asked by the watchdog for further information after the messages came to light, and Wiltshire Police.
Gwent had referred several serving and former officers to the IOPC.
Ms Evans said: ""I recognise that many people will find the messages aired in the public domain, apparently shared among police officers, highly disturbing. 
""After publication of the national newspaper article, we formally wrote to the chief constable of Gwent Police requesting they provide us with information to establish the chain of events and decisions taken in relation to the family's complaints, and any conduct matters.""
Gwent Police said it was ""committed to working with"" the IOPC to ensure ""a full and transparent process to tackle any unacceptable behaviour by officers"".
""Following allegations published in The Sunday Times on Sunday 13 and 20 November we have worked to identify the officers involved and to take appropriate action,"" it added.
Sunday Times journalist David Collins told the BBC Walescast podcast: ""The way these investigations work is it won't just end with Ricky Jones's phone. 
""I do think they've got a huge can of worms here that has been opened up."" "	/news/uk-wales-63742970
politics	Victory is not the only thing we need, we need justice - Olena Zelenska	"Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska has spoken to the UK parliament about the devastating war in her country.
She said Ukrainians were going through a terror similar to that experienced by the UK in World War Two, when Nazi Germany bombed cities in the blitz.
LIVE: Ukraine's first lady addresses MPs in UK Parliament"	/news/uk-politics-63797668
politics	Holyrood’s budget watchdog growls	"underspend by £1bn is unfortunate. To do so by £2bn looks like carelessness.
Or so Oscar Wilde might have said if he were commenting on the Scottish government's accounts for last year.
But this wasn't his dramatic dialogue to write. The auditor general was commenting, however, and Stephen Boyle's assessment of the underspend on a £51bn budget was not as harsh as some of the government's critics.
About 40% of that was due to money allocated to student loans but not drawn down.
A large share of it was due to funds being allocated but not spent on business support grants to help them through Covid, or those grants you could get if financially losing out due to self-isolation. The total budget for handling the pandemic last year came to £5.8bn.
It's perverse to criticise government for not paying out money that wasn't needed. At worst, it was a failure of budget planning rather than budget spending.
financial year 2020-21 was a second exceptional period of extra funds pouring into the budget to tackle the pandemic, and some fast manoeuvring to spend it effectively.
uditor general had other issues in his sights, with his comment on the accounts which were published on Thursday. And he highlighted some startling figures where policy had gone badly wrong.
Remember that spat with the European Commission, which began in 2019, with the Scottish government accused of failing to fit with the rules for spending the European Social Fund?
It reached the point where the Scottish government gave up trying to defend its position. So it has written off £43m.
Remember the civil case of malicious prosecution brought against the Crown Office for its handling of the controversial administration of Rangers football club? That has so far cost the government £60m.
's right. Sixty million pounds. It won't take you long to think how that might have been better spent.
Scottish government now controls some welfare benefits, most of which are administered through Whitehall's Department of Work and Pensions. An estimate of overpayments of these devolved benefits comes to £67.5m. 
re is no estimate of the overpayment of welfare benefits by the new Social Security Scotland agency. Mr Boyle says there should be, as administration is transferred.
re are those investments the Scottish government made in trying to shore up troubled firms deemed to be of strategic significance.
Prestwick Airport is of strategic significance, at least as a fuelling stop for military flights between the US and points east of here. It was taken over by the Scottish government nine years ago, and for several years turned in sizeable losses.
While not much of a passenger airport, it's turning a modest profit these days. But the accounts show that the cost of keeping it open has passed the £50m mark, including £7m of interest on loans that will never be repaid.
re was the controversial deal in 2016 with Sanjeev Gupta's complex web of companies that took over steel and aluminium works in Scotland.  The 25-year agreement to guarantee payments for production of energy from the Lochaber hydro scheme that feeds the aluminium smelter near Fort William carries a very high potential cost.
means a provision of £114m is made in the accounts. The potential cost per year is up to £32m.
re was the loss on the BiFab fabrication plant in Fife, which meant a £37m write-off in previous years' accounts. And there was the notorious cost of the Cal-Mac ferries being built in the government-owned Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow.
During the 2021-22 financial year, the government wrote off a further £52m to keep the yard open and to help get the ships finished. The total cost is heading north of £250m, when the original contract was for £97m. By last March, the two ships were valued at only £78m.
In comments on previous accounts, Stephen Boyle told the Scottish government that it needed a framework with which to judge the risk tolerance and risk appetite in taking on such companies, particularly because of the lack of flexibility in the budget.
Such guidelines have been drawn up. The auditor general would like them to be clearer about risk, and to have less flexibility for ministers to get round them.
His main concerns are of the type that auditors can be expected to care about more than most, but they matter for all of us, as government budgets head into some very tight squeezes.
unts that are published don't cover the Scottish government's agencies. They're not clear about some of its liabilities, including those companies it has taken over.
So Mr Boyle is particularly keen to see comprehensive whole-of-government accounts. These were promised in 2016, but six years later, they still have not been produced.
He wants to see more transparency in capital borrowing and in the way the Scottish government flexes its finances. He is not the only one to notice how extra millions can be found down the back of the St Andrew's House sofa, and he wants MSPs, in scrutinising budgets, to be given a better idea of how that is done.
uditor general is calling for a comprehensive workforce plan, warning that tight budgets can take a mental health toll on civil servants.
And he is concerned about the governance of government. There's been change at the top, but he warns of unnecessary duplication and inefficiency in handling decision-making.
Much of this is going to become all the more relevant in less than two weeks when John Swinney, as acting finance secretary, sets out his draft budget for the next financial year.
And in emphasising the need for a fuller picture of the whole of government's spending, risks and liabilities, Stephen Boyle doesn't hold back in arguing that the need for it has never been greater:
""The consequences of the pandemic, challenging global economic conditions, the cost of living crisis together with existing pressures in public services all pose significant risks to the sustainability of Scotland's public finances,"" says his report.
A fuller set of accounts will be ""important for decision-making over the longer term as it will provide information about the impact of past decisions on future budgets, the potential risk to financial sustainability, the scale of assets and liabilities and the opportunity to re-think how public finances are managed as the Scottish government seeks to deliver public service reform"".
It's worth dwelling a while over the words ""the opportunity to re-think how public finances are managed"".
In response to the audit report, Mr Swinney emphasised the careful management required to avoid an overspend, the upheaval of the pandemic and ""an extremely challenging time for the public sector"".
uty first minister also pointed to the auditor general's recognition of a strengthened focus on longer-term financial planning.
""The Scottish government is committed to producing additional accounts and the auditor general's report recognises the steps we have taken,"" Mr Swinney said.
""Progress has been slower than planned as we prioritised work on tackling the current exceptional financial challenges.""
So the Scottish government says it is committed to improved transparency. Its watchdog wants to see that made clear."	/news/uk-scotland-63831950
politics	Williamson texts: PM not aware of 'specific' exchange, says Oliver Dowden	"rime minister was not aware of the ""specific messages"" sent by Gavin Williamson, a cabinet minister has said.
Oliver Dowden was asked what No 10 knew about expletive-laden texts printed in The Sunday Times.
Rishi Sunak appointed Sir Gavin a minister of state at the Cabinet Office - a promotion for him after being a backbencher during Liz Truss' government."	/news/uk-politics-63534037
politics	Wales' schools face staff cuts to balance books - survey	"Some head teachers are warning that pressures on school budgets could mean staff cuts across Wales.
findings come from a survey of 670 of around 1,500 schools by head teachers' union, NAHT Cymru.
Director Laura Doel said there was ""nothing left to cut"" after 10 years of austerity and under-funding.
Welsh government said it recognised inflation and energy costs were causing pressure and that councils and schools were looking to use cash reserves.
""The significant levels of funding needed requires the UK government to act urgently,"" it said. 
UK government has previously told BBC Wales that the responsibility for funding public services was ""largely devolved across the UK, but we have provided the Welsh government with a record £18 billion per year"".
Overall, there were 11,000 respondents to NAHT's snapshot survey in the UK in which 54% of respondents said they would not be able to balance their budgets unless they made spending cuts.
NAHT Cymru found that 61% of those who responded in Wales said they were looking at reducing the number of teachers or hours that staff work.
Other actions being considered were:
School reserves at the end of the last financial year stood at £301m, up by £121m on previous figures mainly because schools spent less due to closures and they received extra funds to deal with Covid. 
But Ms Doel said the sum accounted for five months of staff wages, and money set aside for school improvements and repairs that were not undertaken during the pandemic.
""When we say £300m reserves, I would take that with a pinch of salt,"" she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
Welsh government said it would support local authorities and schools who ""were already discussing how to deploy their reserves"".
Speaking on Wales Today on Tuesday, Ms Doel said all spending, including free school meals should be on the table. 
""Everything needs to be on the table when we've got schools considering making redundancies,"" she said.
Last week, BBC Wales reported that pupils in Powys could be taught online one day a week to help schools balance the books.
Wearing coats in classrooms and leaving jobs unfilled were other cost saving ideas sent to head teachers in a briefing document.
Jackie Parker, an executive school leader in Powys, said not all schools had a reserve.
""The last thing you want to lose is your staff so you try to look at everything before you look at losing staff,"" she said. 
Jennifer Ford, head teacher of Treorchy Comprehensive School in Rhondda Cynon Taf, said all school leaders were ""having to think very, very carefully"".
She said she was ""using every penny"" available and reserves would dwindle, adding: ""That is the honest truth - I'm very concerned.""
Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru's spokeswoman for children and young people, said: ""To say that schools are sitting on money, and that they have plenty going spare, is not the reality on the ground.""
Ms Fychan, a member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales Central, said schools were making ""really difficult decisions"" such as stopping school trips and extra-curricula activities which benefitted children who may not otherwise have such experiences because parents could not afford them.
Welsh government said free school meals were essential to its educational programme as they delivered educational benefits as well as tackling child hunger and poverty. 
were, it said, integral to tackling the cost of living crisis.  
A spokesman said: ""We remain fully committed to ensuring every penny we spend reforms and improves our education system to narrow educational inequality and ensure standards rise.
""But we are under no illusions of the immense financial challenges we face, and continue to call on the chancellor to turn away from austerity and increase funding for public services."""	/news/uk-wales-63535054
politics	Rishi Sunak says he is unaware of any formal complaints against Dominic Raab	"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is ""not aware"" of formal complaints against Dominic Raab, who has been accused of demeaning colleagues. 
Several newspapers have reported allegations of bullying by Mr Raab, who was reappointed justice secretary and deputy prime minister by Mr Sunak.
Mr Sunak said  he did not ""recognise that characterisation"" of Mr Raab.
Mr Raab's spokesman said he ""holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism"".
Mr Sunak has come under pressure over his judgement after Sir Gavin Williamson resigned last week over allegations of bullying and threatening behaviour. Mr Sunak also faced criticism for reinstating Suella Braverman as home secretary just six days after she was forced to step down for breaching the ministerial code.
On Friday, the Guardian said it had spoken to multiple sources who alleged Mr Raab's behaviour with civil servants had been ""demeaning"" and ""very rude and aggressive"" during his first stint at the MoJ between September 2021 and September 2022.
Mr Raab was sacked as justice secretary and deputy prime minister by former PM Liz Truss, but was reappointed to those roles by Rishi Sunak following his election as leader by Tory MPs.
Mirror reported Mr Raab had acquired the nickname ""The Incinerator"" because he ""burns through"" staff. 
Sun, meanwhile, suggested Mr Raab had once hurled tomatoes from a salad across a room in a fit of anger, a claim a spokesman for the Cabinet minister said was ""nonsense"".
rime minister told reporters travelling with him to Indonesia for the G20 summit: ""I don't recognise that characterisation of Dominic and I'm not aware of any formal complaints about him.
""Of course, there are established procedures for civil servants if they want to bring to light any issues.""
Downing Street said that the prime minister believed that  people in public life should treat others with ""consideration and respect"".
A No 10 spokesperson said that, while they were not aware of any formal complaint concerning Mr Raab, there were procedures available to civil servants if they had concerns.
""There are established procedures by which civil servants can raise complaints. These processes allow allegations to be looked at and considered with due process and a fair hearing,"" the spokesperson said.
And a spokesperson for Mr Raab said: ""The DPM has worked in government for over seven years as a minister or secretary of state across four departments and enjoyed strong working relationships with officials across Whitehall.  
""He consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and has never received nor been made aware of any formal complaint against him.""
Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: ""This is yet another example of Rishi Sunak's poor judgement and weak leadership.
""As families struggle during a cost-of-living crisis made in Downing Street, yet another Tory government has descended into chaos.""
Liberal Democrats have written to the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, calling on the Cabinet Office to publish a list of ministers who have credible allegations of bullying made against them. 
rty's deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said: ""The prime minister is clearly determined to sweep these allegations under the carpet. 
""If the Cabinet Office knew about these allegations then they must make that public now.""
A spokesperson for Mr Raab said he had ""worked in government for over seven years as a Minister or Secretary of State across four departments and enjoyed strong working relationships with officials across Whitehall.  
""He consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and has never received nor been made aware of any formal complaint against him,"" the spokesperson added."	/news/uk-63624528
politics	Dominic Raab: Bullying investigation extended to include third complaint	"Addressing claims of bullying, the deputy PM says he has behaved in line with the ministerial code.
Rishi Sunak has asked for the investigation into alleged bullying by Dominic Raab to be expanded to include a third formal complaint.
Earlier this week, No 10 confirmed a lawyer would investigate two complaints about Mr Raab. 
Now it says a new claim relating to Mr Raab's behaviour as Brexit secretary in 2018 will also be examined.
Mr Raab, who is both the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, has denied any allegations of bullying. 
He has insisted he ""behaved professionally at all times"" and that he looks forward to dealing with the complaints ""transparently rather than dealing with anonymous comments in the media"". 
Mr Raab is a close ally of Mr Sunak and Downing Street has said he has the PM's full confidence.
But Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, has called for a wider ""proactive investigation"" of Mr Raab's behaviour during his time as a minister, covering informal complaints as well as any concerns raised formally.
She described restricting the scope of the investigation to only formal complaints as a ""stitch-up"" that ""will fool no one"".
It comes after sources told the BBC the Ministry of Justice, where Mr Raab now works, has been ""inundated"" with complaints of alleged bullying.
Last week, Mr Raab asked Mr Sunak to launch an inquiry into his conduct after allegations about his behaviour towards staff.
government appointed lawyer Adam Tolley KC to ""establish the specific facts"" about two formal complaints that have been lodged about Mr Raab's conduct when he was foreign secretary and justice secretary, during Boris Johnson's premiership.
wyer will report to Mr Sunak, who will make the final judgement on whether Mr Raab's conduct breached the ministerial code. 
But the scope of the inquiry can be widened ""at the discretion of the prime minister, in consultation with the investigator,"" according to its terms of reference.
Mr Raab was sacked as justice secretary and deputy prime minister by former PM Liz Truss when she took power in September.
But the Esher and Walton MP was reappointed to both roles by Mr Sunak following his election as Conservative leader by the party's MPs.
re is now a coordinated effort by former private secretaries of Mr Raab to ensure their allegations are heard as part of the investigation.
Private secretaries work in the private office of government ministers on the day-to-day running of the department, including managing the minister's diary and advising on policy matters.
BBC has been told that a number of these civil servants across multiple departments are preparing to submit their formal complaints.
Of these complaints, some have already been submitted formally to government departments, while others are being readied. 
r a wide timescale, spanning from when Mr Raab was a junior minister to his time in cabinet, which he joined in July 2018 as Brexit secretary. 
Labour's deputy leader said: ""There must be no hint of a whitewash when it comes to the slew of serious allegations the deputy prime minister now faces.""
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said: ""This flood of allegations about Dominic Raab's bullying behaviour cannot be swept under the carpet - Rishi Sunak must confirm he will sack Raab if these complaints are upheld.""
Downing Street said the latest formal complaint about Mr Raab was received on Wednesday and Mr Sunak asked for it to become part of the formal investigation on Thursday evening. 
Separately, BBC Newsnight has also been told that Mr Raab received multiple warnings from officials not to use his personal email account for government business.
Last month, Home Secretary Suella Braverman was forced to quit after sharing government documents using her private email.
However, Mr Raab has argued his use of private emails did not breach the rules, and that the ministerial code allows for it to be done in some circumstances. 
""I've always taken advice on the right means, particularly having been foreign secretary and dealing with a whole range of sensitive issues, I've always been very careful to protect the integrity of any communications I had,"" he said.
Asked if he had been warned by civil servants not to use his own phone for government business, he replied: ""No.""
A friend of the minister has told the BBC he used a private account on occasions for approving tweets and quotes related to government business.
Liberal Democrats said the Cabinet Office should ""determine immediately if overseas enemies could have seen national secrets sent by Dominic Raab"".
A Downing Street spokesman said: ""Ministers are able to use various forms of communication. As long as they take heed of that guidance, there is not a binary restriction on use of personal email addresses."""	/news/uk-politics-63754206
politics	Rishi Sunak could still attend COP27 climate summit	"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could still attend the COP27 climate summit if sufficient progress is made on preparations for the autumn Budget, Downing Street has said. 
On Thursday No 10 said Mr Sunak was not expected to attend ""due to other pressing domestic commitments"". 
But on Monday the prime minister's official spokesman said this position was ""under review"". 
Alok Sharma, the UK's COP26 president, is among those saying the PM should go.
UK is the current holder of the COP presidency, after hosting the summit in Glasgow last year. 
ual UN climate summits are designed to help governments agree steps to limit global temperature rises.
Mr Sharma will hand over the presidency to Egypt at the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheik, which takes place from 6 to 18 November. 
ference finishes the day after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to set out the UK's tax and spending plans in his highly anticipated autumn statement. 
On Monday, Mr Sunak's official spokesman said: ""The prime minister is focused on pressing domestic issues, most significantly preparing for the autumn statement, so any attendance at Cop would depend on progress on preparation for that fiscal event, and that work is ongoing.""
""The prime minister fully recognises the importance of the COP summit and is fully committed to addressing climate change,"" he added. 
Asked on BBC Breakfast whether the prime minister could attend, Environment Minister Mark Spencer said Mr Sunak had ""a huge inbox"", with challenges including the economy and rising global energy and food prices. 
""His focus at the moment is dealing with the autumn statement and the government's response to those global challenges,"" he said. 
Mr Spencer added: ""I'm sure if his diary allows he would want to go but at this moment in time don't quite know if he's going to be have time to do that.""
Mr Sunak has faced criticism from opposition parties, environmental groups and some Conservatives, after No 10 said he was not expected to attend the summit. 
Liberal Democrat climate spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse called for Mr Sunak to ""immediately confirm his attendance"", adding: ""It shouldn't take Boris Johnson going to COP to embarrass Rishi Sunak into doing the right thing.""
re are reports Mr Johnson, who attended the Glasgow summit when he was prime minister, could go to Egypt for this year's event.
Labour have accused Mr Sunak of a ""failure of leadership"" and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said it was ""absolutely so wrong"" that Mr Sunak was not going, as the UK is still COP president, adding: ""Symbols matter.""
At the weekend Alok Sharma, who was recently demoted from cabinet, told the Sunday Times he was ""pretty disappointed"" at news Mr Sunak was not going, saying his attendance would signal the UK's ""renewed commitment on this issue"".
On Monday, the government's most senior environmental advisers, including influential climate experts Lord Stern and Laurence Tubiana, urged Mr Sunak to attend the conference, saying it presented ""an opportunity... to restore the trust and confidence of the international community in Global Britain"". 
US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are all due to attend, while Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss had been set to go when she was PM. 
King Charles, who is a longstanding champion of environmental issues, will not attend after Buckingham Palace sought advice from then-PM Ms Truss and agreed he would not go in person. The advice has not changed under new PM Mr Sunak.
However, the monarch will host a reception at Buckingham Palace on 4 November, on the eve of the conference, for 200 international business leaders, decision makers and charities to mark the end of the UK's COP presidency and look ahead to the summit in Egypt. 
Mr Sunak will ""say a few words"" at the event, which will also be attended by US climate envoy John Kerry. 
ge climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has said she will not be at the summit in Egypt, called it a ""scam"" and said it was ""symbolic"" the conference was being held in a country which ""violates many basic human rights"". 
""Many world leaders are too busy to go there because they have their own problems. With that mindset we're not going to be able to solve many of the problems that we face,"" she told an event in London on Sunday. 
Egypt conference is expected to focus on three main areas - reducing emissions, helping countries prepare for and deal with climate change, and securing technical support for developing countries for these activities."	/news/uk-politics-63454966
politics	Ukraine round-up: Using drones in the war and new concern over nuclear power plant	"Watch: The BBC joins drone pilots under fire as they locate Russian targets
Kherson was the first major city in Ukraine to fall into the hands of Russian forces after the invasion began just under six months ago - but now, it's the one the Ukrainians have hopes of retaking.
Since last month, Ukraine and its allies have been saying the counter-offensive in the Kherson region is gaining momentum, with Maj Gen Dmytro Marchenko telling the BBC Ukrainian forces aim to recapture the city - strategically located to the west of the Dnipro river - within weeks. 
But if they do, it looks unlikely to be through a traditional full-scale attack: instead, small drone units could be playing a significant role.
BBC has met one of the drone pilots aiming to do just that - and he's using the call-sign Maverick, the name of Tom Cruise's character in the film Top Gun.
Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary general, has been in the Ukrainian city of Lviv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
UN and Turkey brokered a landmark deal that earlier this month saw grain exports resume from Ukraine's ports for the first time in months.
f grain had been trapped because of Russian blockades, leading to shortages and higher food prices in other parts of the world. Before the war, Ukraine was one of the world's key agricultural producers.
Not surprisingly, the leaders discussed the scheme, with Mr Zelenksy later saying they would not only continue with the initiative, but also discussed ""the possible directions of its development"". 
Mr Guterres plans to visit the Black Sea port of Odesa - from where the grain shipments have resumed - on Friday.
ree leaders also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, around which heavy shelling has been taking place for weeks. Ukraine and Russia have each been blaming each other.
- the largest in Europe - has been under the control of Russian forces since March, but has continued to function - although  some staff working there have told the BBC they are ""being kept at gunpoint"".. 
Russians have been urged to hand control back over fears of what could happen if fighting in the area continues.
Mr Zelensky has described the ongoing stand-off as ""Russia's nuclear blackmail"" and urged the UN to ensure the plant's security and liberation. ""This deliberate terror on the part of the aggressor can have global catastrophic consequences for the whole world,"" the president wrote on messaging service Telegram.
Mr Guterres, speaking on Thursday, said the plant should be demilitarised and re-established as ""purely civilian"". 
But those demands have already been rejected by Moscow. A spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry, Ivan Nechayev, described Guterres's proposal as unacceptable, claiming it would make the facility ""more vulnerable"".
""That is the very reason that the proposals are unacceptable,"" he said.
As deliberations continue over Zaporizhzhia's future, Ukraine is preparing for the worst.
BBC's James Waterhouse visited a supermarket car park close to the site of the power plant which had been transformed into a training ground.
""Emergency workers are dressed in yellow hazmat suits,"" our correspondent says. ""They are practising cleaning drills in the event of a radioactive contamination.
""They are watched by senior officials, who are keen to see how ready the region would be in the event of a worst-case scenario.""
Milton Keynes girl, 6,  joins Ukraine aid flight after charity idea
Six-year-old Madison, from Milton Keynes in England, said she was upset to see scenes of the conflict on TV and started a charity with her dad Mark Baker, who works in aviation.
rtered a plane from Luton Airport and flew to Bulgaria, which neighbours Ukraine, with toys and supplies for children who have fled their homeland since the Russian invasion, collected as part of their charity Hands Across the Skies.
Mr Baker said: ""The need that we can sense here just by being in the room with the Red Cross and the Foundation for Good, it shows us that we're doing the right thing and gives us the momentum to continue."""	/news/world-europe-62595496
politics	Autumn Statement: Jeremy Hunt plans billions in spending cuts	"Spending cuts of about £35bn and plans to raise some £20bn in tax in the coming years are expected to be set out in Thursday's Autumn Statement.
None of Jeremy Hunt's decisions have been officially confirmed, but it is understood most of the extra revenue will come from freezing tax thresholds.
rgy firms is also set to rise and last for another six years.
Independent forecasts are understood to have identified a gap of around £55bn in the public finances.
While the government won't confirm any of the decisions they have made so far, the shape of the building blocks are clear. 
We've already heard the chancellor say that in his view filling that hole between tax revenue and government spending is absolutely imperative after the chaos of early autumn. 
re is an economic debate about the urgency and necessity for doing so but the position this government takes, that we'll no doubt hear from Mr Hunt when he's on our show this Sunday, is that they have no choice.
And from the moment he became chancellor he has said in sombre tones that would mean tax rises and squeezing spending. 
It's always wise not to take a massive bet on any of the decisions until we see documents confirming the sums in black and white. 
But after conversations with multiple sources, we can be clear about what to expect. 
In order to stick to the Conservatives' manifesto promise not to raise individual taxes the chancellor will instead repeat the trick of his predecessor. 
He's expected to freeze the threshold at which you start paying tax. It's got a horrible technical name - ""fiscal drag"" - and it can have a horrible impact on earners too. 
Your wages might go up, but if the government doesn't also increase the level where you start paying tax, more of your cash will go to the taxman. 
Without explicitly hiking taxes the Treasury can raise billions for its coffers. In addition, the very highest earners could start paying the top rate of tax at £125,000 rather than £150,000. And I'm told the freezes on thresholds have been pencilled in to last until 2028. 
A higher levy on the profits of energy firms could also run that long - rather than as a one-off windfall tax. The Energy Profits Levy introduced by the government is also expected to increase from 25% to 35% and some electricity generators will have to pay for the first time too. 
re big decisions that will have big consequences, but the hope in government is raising all that cash will allow them to match rises to benefits and pensions with inflation. One minister told me they'd be ""very surprised"" if the chancellor didn't give that guarantee this week. There's a huge amount at stake. 
ursday's announcement will have a big impact on public spending too. 
Government departments are expected to be told on Thursday that they'll have to stick to the pots of cash they were originally allocated in 2021, to last up until 2025. 
So the actual amounts of cash that were doled out then are likely to stay the same - but that was before inflation took off at a rate of knots. 
Many departments are wincing at the additional costs they have to cover because of inflation. We all know a pound in 2022 simply doesn't buy what it did in 2021. 
So for government departments, sticking with the budget doesn't mean sticking with the same situation. And it won't get easier. The chancellor is likely to announce that beyond 2025, government departments can only expect budgets to rise by 1% every year. That would be a big change in how the government slices up the pie. 
re is huge uncertainty in all of this. Economic forecasts, not least by the OBR, are forecasts - like the weather - and subject to change. 
Rachel Reeves on UK economy: ""We should be doing so much better than this.""
Aside from anything else, the implications of these plans are that the Conservatives will go into the next election promising a less generous version of the state. For all Rishi Sunak's instincts, that seems hard to imagine right now. 
Yet on Thursday the chancellor will present his choices as an unavoidable reality. 
Mr Hunt and Mr Sunak will encounter problems from both sides of their fractious party. One former minister on the right suggested it was a big mistake to increase taxes.
""If we are going into a recession, it's the last thing you want to do,"" they said, and if things got worse they could ""kiss goodbye to the election"". 
An MP from a different wing worries the Treasury is simply going to its ""happy place"" of making cuts rather than grappling with the longer-term problem of getting the economy going. 
And the Tories are likely to face significant political problems with sections of the public: weariness and wariness of another squeeze on public spending after a promise that the years of austerity were over.
Increasing taxes could hurt at a time when millions are already really finding it hard to make ends meet due to the cost of living. 
Yet ministers will make the case that tough choices are imperative, irrespective of the 44-day trauma of the Truss administration, thanks to the pandemic and war in Europe.
One senior minister told me ""we have to get people to understand it"". This week, the pair now in No 10 and No 11 face a critical few days to try. "	/news/uk-63599465
politics	Climate change: Decarbonising UK public buildings to cost £25-30bn	"f decarbonising UK public sector buildings is estimated to be £25-30bn, government figures show.
mount was revealed following a Freedom of Information request by the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show.
government said the ""indicative"" figure is based on today's prices and should not be seen as the actual budget needed to move to low carbon heating.
ransitioning from fossil fuel heating systems is one way the UK can meet its aim of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from public buildings by 75% by 2037 as part of its net zero strategy.
While new buildings can have low carbon heating systems such as ground-source heat pumps and solar panels fitted from the outset, older properties will need to have the latest equipment retrofitted.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said the estimated figure for upgrading public sector buildings was based on current ""undiscounted 2022 prices"" and that it was being used within government to inform decisions around transitioning to alternative sources of heating.
It added that the suggested cost could change over time and should not be seen as the actual price of converting public buildings to low carbon. 
use the estimate is based on the cost of installing, converting or retrofitting the whole UK public sector estate - buildings used by the UK government, local authorities, NHS, schools, colleges and emergency services - today.
would also be spread over a number of years.
Decarbonising buildings also includes changing lighting to LED systems and investing in solar panels - which would offset the setup costs through savings on energy supplies.
Dr Sarah Ivory, director of the Centre for Business, Climate Change, and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh, has looked over the government's estimated figures.
She told the BBC: ""Responding to the impacts of climate change in the UK is going to be an expensive business. 
""It's estimated it will cost the UK economy 3.3% of GDP by 2050.
""Investments now - such as through the conversion of public sector buildings - will pay off in savings in the future. It will also ensure the UK meets our net zero by 2050 emissions targets.""
get an idea of the challenge of decarbonising buildings in the UK, the Climate Change Committee - which advises the UK government and devolved administrations - says there are 28.5 million homes in the UK and 1.9 million other buildings such as offices, shops and hospitals. 
majority are heated by gas boilers, it says, which would need to be replaced to decarbonise homes and buildings.
Nearly a fifth of UK emissions come from buildings, the committee says.
It has estimated the total cost of decarbonising residential properties would require an investment of £250bn - equivalent to £9bn a year from the late 2020s to 2050.
mmittee's David Joffe said the amount of money currently being spent by ministers on low carbon projects was ""insufficient"".
""While the emphasis on public sector leadership is welcome, a larger, firm, multi-year funding settlement is needed beyond 2025 to provide certainty and achieve this decarbonisation target,"" he said.
Public sector bodies can currently access government funds to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and reduce carbon emissions.
More than £1bn has been spent so far on almost 20,000 projects around the country, according to the company which administers the grants.
Local Government Association wants the government to help local authorities in England speed up investment in low-carbon technologies because it says doing so will save the public sector money, be more resilient to changing energy prices and reduce emissions.
Cllr David Renard, its environment spokesman, told the BBC: ""Investing now in making public buildings more energy efficient would allow councils to ready local businesses and supply chains to make it easier and cheaper for home owners to retrofit their own homes.""
Emma Ashcroft of the Carbon Trust, which advises organisations on net zero, said public bodies should be making decisions on decarbonisation now because of the benefits in energy bills and maintenance cost savings.
""Many public sector buildings will need to replace equipment by 2050, so some of the investment required should be part of business-as-usual spending,"" she told the BBC.
And Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said decarbonising public buildings is a ""no-regrets investment for the government"".
""As energy bills soar, schools, hospitals, and public offices are wasting money on heat leaking from poorly insulated roofs and walls. 
""At a time when public finances are stretched, it is ever more important to invest wisely in those opportunities that can reduce public spending over time,"" Ms Hirigoyen said.
A government spokesperson said: ""We have halved emissions from the central government estate in the last 12 years and invested £2.5bn in supporting those running our public buildings such as schools and hospitals to make similar progress.
""This is on top of our wider efforts to increase our use of home-grown energy such as renewables, increasing our energy security while meeting our net zero ambitions."" 
Additional reporting by Rob Corp"	/news/uk-politics-63514562
politics	Three PMs in two months, is political chaos the UK's new normal?	"Rishi Sunak is the UK's third prime minister in less than two months - the fifth in six years. It is the fastest turnover of leaders in No 10 for nearly a century.
Since the summer of 2007, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Mr Sunak have all held the top office. In contrast, there were just three prime ministers in the 28 years before - Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.
What is the cause of the revolving door at No 10? And could this trend be the new normal for British politics? 
Jill Rutter, from the think tank the Institute for Government, believes the Brexit vote in 2016 has been the number one destabilising factor in British politics over the last six years.
""We can attribute almost all of the instability to a fallout of the Brexit referendum and what it has done to the Conservative Party,"" she says.
""David Cameron was a long-serving prime minister. Had he not had the referendum, he could have been on track till 2018 and would have handed over to either George Osborne or Boris Johnson.
""He was derailed by calling the referendum. It was a tactical error not to go all-out for the victory and thinking victory was in the bag,"" she adds.
Mr Cameron's resignation after six years in office paved the way for Theresa May. She spent three years and 11 days in office, while her successor, Boris Johnson, spent three years and 44 days at the helm.
""Theresa May was clearly brought trouble by a twin combination - the disastrous election in 2017 and the fact that she and the party could not agree what Brexit meant,"" Ms Rutter adds.
She says the Conservative Party ""thought Boris Johnson could break the Brexit deadlock, but one of the ways he did that was by not paying much attention to norms and rules"".
""It was his failure to do this that brought him down. It meant his ministers could not take it anymore. They'd gone for somebody in desperation.""
Liz Truss's shorter premiership at barely seven weeks was, according to Ms Rutter, a direct legacy of the referendum. 
""The membership had changed quite a bit,"" she explains. ""They were ready for the message about ignoring orthodoxy. But they discovered when they went hell for leather against conventional wisdom, they fell over in a heap.""
Vernon Bogdanor, professor of government at King's College in London, agrees. 
""The referendum has destabilised British politics,"" he says. ""The difficulty has been to find the right relationship with Europe.""
But is it really all about Brexit?
m Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University, believes the trend could be something that runs much deeper.
He points to what he calls the ""presidentialisation"" of the UK's parliamentary system, or the greater focus on party leaders, as one of the reasons that prime ministers' terms are not lasting as long.
""There is far more focus from voters and politicians on party leaders and rather less on the party as a whole - that means that the leader is often held personally responsible for anything that goes wrong,"" he says.
""It is now pretty much impossible for a party leader to lead his or her party [after] an election defeat,"" he explains, adding that former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was the notable exception to the rule in 2017.
Aged 42, Rishi Sunak is the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years. He has risen through the ranks of the Conservative Party in the space of just seven years since he was first elected as an MP in 2015. 
""MPs can come into parliament and very quickly gain a name for themselves,"" Prof Bale says.
""That has destabilised parliamentary politics. It used to be quite hierarchical, but MPs are generally impatient to move up the ladder but also if they think things are not working they would be piling onto Twitter and the rolling news channels to say 'something needs to change - and that includes the leader'.""
Prof Bale believes the rise of social and digital media has also made a big difference to how voters view politicians. 
In the past, ""politicians were not faceless,"" he says, ""but they were not the celebrities they are now. That feeds through to how voters view politics.""
Prof Bogdanor disagrees. The governments of David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill during the two world wars, William Gladstone in the 19th century, and more recently Margaret Thatcher could all be described as ""presidential,"" he argues.
""Governments have always been presidential,"" he says. ""The power of the prime minister ebbs and flows really with their electoral position."" 
Prof Bogdanor believes Mr Sunak might now usher in a period greater stability.
""I cannot see him being overthrown in the next two years. There is going to be economic hardship, but the Conservatives have two years until the next general election.""
But Patrick Dunleavy, emeritus professor of political science and public policy at the London School of Economics, believes an election will be held before the two-year deadline.
""I do not think that the two years is a credible timeline now,"" he says, arguing that pinch points for Mr Sunak include the local council elections next year and then his anniversary in office, depending on his opinion poll ratings.
Prof Dunleavy also sees the problem in other Westminster-style systems. Australia, which is also a parliamentary system, has had nine prime ministers in 12 years, owing in part to what are called spill elections. It has led to Australia being dubbed ""coup capital of the democratic world""..
Leadership spills occur when members of the parliamentary party feel that the leader is taking them in the wrong direction, or not delivering on the promises made to those who elected them, and does not have the numbers to back their position.
""The Conservative Party has moved over to full spill election operations. They were threatening Cameron in 2016, they were used against May - she survived the first one then she had to give up - they were used against Boris and then against Truss,"" Prof Dunleavy says.
""Spill elections are definitely here in the UK.""
Watch: Yet another PM, yet another No 10 lectern"	/news/uk-63383616
politics	UK Youth Parliament: ‘We have fire in us to create change’	"More than 200 young people aged between 11 to 18 years old have gathered in Westminster to participate in debate sessions of the UK Youth Parliament. 
first time they've met like this since 2019; and their morning session was chaired by speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
In a first for the event, young representatives from British Overseas Territories were also invited to share their experiences.
Some of those that attended spoke to the BBC about the issues that matter to them – and their thoughts on the recent political drama at Westminster.
Video by Morgan Spence and Emaan Warraich"	/news/uk-politics-63520778
politics	Cost of living: Raise tax to help the poorest, says STUC	"Scottish ministers are being urged to use their tax raising powers to help fund public sector pay rises and provide more help for the poorest.
Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) says this week's budget could raise an extra £1.3bn to help address the cost of living crisis. 
STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said it was time for politicians to be ""stepping up to the plate"".
Scottish government said Scotland already had a progressive tax system.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison refused to reveal what might be in Thursday's budget statement, but said Scotland's tax system already took more from those ""with broader shoulders"".
Scotland, like other parts of the UK is facing a wave of strikes this winter by public sector workers who want increases that reflect the soaring cost of living. 
A STUC report has proposed a range of measures to raise more money within the scope of the Scottish government's devolved powers. 
STUC estimates this could raise an extra £1.3bn of additional revenue a year, with an extra £2bn possible through more complex reforms to the tax system in the longer term. 
General secretary Roz Foyer said she sympathised with the Scottish government because she believed it should be getting more support from Westminster - but she insisted there were measures available to it. 
She told the BBC's The Sunday Show: ""While we're facing the next two years of a UK Tory government that is no friend of ordinary people and will continue to make our lives worse, we need radical action from the Scottish government who claim to be on the people's side.""
Ms Foyer said that while strikes - particularly at Christmas - may cause disruption, many workers felt they had no other option.
""I have never seen such high public support for strike action,"" she siad. ""I think the reason for that is because 80% of workers out there are in the same boat.""
'People are happy to see someone fighting for them'
She added: ""There's a real fear. People can't sustain their lives. People are not getting Christmas anyway because they can't afford it.
""At the end of the day I think people are quite happy to see somebody fighting back for them because right now the politicians are failing us. So right now I want to see them stepping up to the plate and showing us they are on  our side.""
Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for social justice, housing and local government, said the Scottish government's budget had fallen by 10% in real terms due to inflation. 
She also highlighted measures that had been put in place to help families such as the Scottish Child Payment and the Fuel Insecurity Fund. 
She told the Sunday Show: ""We are looking to see what more we can do but we have very limited tax raising powers, we have very limited borrowing powers.
""Despite that we have a more progressive taxation here in Scotland and we have helped with public sector pay, putting £700m into the pockets of public sector workers to help people with this cost of living crisis.""
Scottish Conservative finance spokeswoman Liz Smith said Scotland already had the highest income tax rates in the UK. 
She said: ""Any widening of the tax differential would put us at an even greater competitive disadvantage.
""Those on the 41p rate are not by any means top earners - they are middle-income Scots who are already feeling the squeeze from the cost of living crisis."""	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63934633
politics	Home secretary on Channel crossings: I will tell you who is at fault	"Quizzed on the numbers of people crossing the English Channel in boats, Suella Braverman has blamed the ""people smugglers"" and ""people coming here illegally"".
me secretary was being questioned by Home Affairs Committee chair Dame Diana Johnson about the conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent, and she asked who was at fault for the ""big problem"" there.
ugh asylum cases handled by new Home Office staff, say insiders"	/news/uk-politics-63730140
politics	MSPs raise concerns over cost of new National Care Service	"MSPs have expressed ""significant concern"" over a lack of detail on how much Scotland's new National Care Service will cost. 
Holyrood's finance committee said it was difficult to assess whether the service would be affordable or sustainable. 
It called on the Scottish government to provide clarity before the parliament holds its first vote on the proposals.
w service is intended to end the postcode lottery around access to care.
roposals, which still need to be approved by the Scottish Parliament, would see a series of care boards set up that would operate in the same way as health boards.
It would mean that social care services would no longer be run by local councils, with government ministers directly responsible instead and up to 75,000 social work and social care staff transferring to the new bodies.
government says the service will be the most significant change to care in Scotland since the creation of the NHS.
But it has faced calls to pause the plan amid uncertainty about the costs of involved in setting up and running the new service and the implications for local decision-making.
government has estimated that the care service will cost somewhere between £664m and £1.26bn to set up over the next five years after initially putting the figure at about £500m.
In its report on the proposals, the committee said a financial memorandum from the government ""does not provide an overall estimate of the costs of creating a National Care Service"" and suggested the final bill could be significantly higher.
report added: ""A large number of decisions are yet to be made and no estimates of costings have been provided for VAT liability, transfer of assets and staff and the creation of a health and social care record, all of which have the potential to result in significant costs.""
report also said it was unclear whether inflation had been taken into account - and if so what assumptions had been made about what the inflation rate is likely to be.  
It said it would have expected this work to have been done before the legislation to create the new service was introduced to parliament. 
None of the three SNP or one Scottish Green MSPs on the committee disagreed with its criticisms of the government. 
mmittee's convener, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson, said: ""We have to ensure it is affordable, we have to ensure it is sustainable and we have to be able to scrutinise the detail.
""The underlying costings for the Bill were not available on such issues as the transfer of assets and staff and potential VAT charges or a social care record and the IT system to back that up.
""We need to make sure that those resources are available and we need to have the information so we can scrutinise to ensure that is indeed the case for the people who are going to benefit for this service and for the taxpayers who will pay for it"". 
mmittee's evidence sessions have previously heard calls for more money to be put into front-line social work services and service provision rather than on creating an entirely new service. 
Fiona Purchase cares for her husband Martin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1995. 
As Martin's condition deteriorated, the couple were given a budget by their council social work department that allowed them to employ a personal assistant, who his wife describes as being ""invaluable"".
But she said it took a long time for the support to be put in place, and described the budget available to them as being quite small given the extent of Martin's care needs. 
Fiona said she believes the difficulty in accessing support means many people simply give up before they get the help they need. 
But despite initially being hopeful that the National Care Service would improve things, she is now having doubts about whether it will achieve what it is intended to do. 
And she believes the government should immediately inject massive amounts of money into improving existing social care services rather than using it to set up a new service. 
She added: ""I am astonished that we're not seeing that injection of funding right now with all the backlog in hospital discharges, for example, and with pressures on unpaid carers and the lack of funding for unpaid carers.
""Social care is so understaffed and people are leaving in droves.
""I wonder by the time the National Care Service develops what is going to be left of the care service that we have unless we see that money going in right now to provide better pay for social care staff and to provide more support for people who need it.""
Scottish Conservatives said the ""devastating"" cross-party report should ""signal the end of Nicola Sturgeon's ill-conceived plans for a National Care Service"".
rty's social care spokesman, Craig Hoy, described the proposals as a ""hugely costly distraction""  which ""virtually no one supports"", and said every available penny should instead be redirected to local social care providers.
Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart faced calls to pause the scheme when he appeared before the finance committee last month.
But he refused to do so despite admitting that there were still ""various unknowns"" that could have an impact on the financial cost of setting it up.
He told BBC Scotland: ""We have said right the way through, and I have said to the finance committee and to other committees of the parliament, that as we go through this code design process, we will come back with the business cases to show exactly what each element of this costs.""
reation of a new national care service is supposed to be the flagship reform of this five-year term at Holyrood. 
Few disagree with the overall aim of improving the standards and consistency of care services across Scotland and ending what's sometimes called a postcode lottery of provision. 
roblem is the Scottish government is proposing legislation to enable them to create the new service that leaves much of the detailed design to another day. 
means ministers cannot say how much the whole thing will cost, even if they insist it will be affordable and that they are not asking parliament for a blank cheque. 
Holyrood's finance committee is far from happy with that. With budget cuts elsewhere, MSPs want to be sure money earmarked for better care is not wasted on bureaucracy. 
Economists from the Fraser of Allander Institute warned the committee that the service was unlikely to be any better than the system it was replacing if it was not properly funded. 
And the Audit Scotland public spending watchdog warned that ""focusing on such a major transformation may divert attention from addressing the immediate challenges within the social care sector, including workforce issues and unmet demand for support"".
Audit Scotland also said that the ""focus on improving lives should not be lost amid structural changes"" and that the final cost of the service could be much higher than the current estimate. 
Dr Donald Macaskill, the chief executive officer of independent care body Scottish Care, agreed that there were more urgent issues.
He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: ""We have got a care service at the moment that is in deep crisis. 
""Many of us feel that both the focus of time and resource should be put into making sure the care service doesn't collapse in the next few weeks and months rather than building reform, which we all agree is necessary in the future.""
Speaking ahead of the report's publication, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the National Care Service was about learning the lessons of the Covid pandemic and ""making sure we have consistently high standards of care for elderly and vulnerable people across the country"".
She added: ""There are a number of parliamentary committees scrutinising the legislation, as is right and proper.
""The government as it does with any legislation will reflect on any comments that come out of that process and reflect appropriately."""	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63812064
politics	Scottish government admits key wind power statistic is wrong	"Claims about Scotland's potential offshore wind capacity are not accurate despite regularly being cited by ministers, the Scottish government has admitted.
government first claimed in 2010 that the country had 25% of Europe's offshore wind potential.
used by several different SNP ministers since then.
But research by a campaign group suggested that a more realistic estimate was between 4% and 6%.
Lorna Slater, the government's circular economy minister, told Holyrood that the 25% figure was ""now out of date"" after being questioned about its accuracy by a Conservative MSP.
Ms Slater, a Scottish Green MSP, insisted that ministers had ""understood that the statistic was accurate at the time that they cited it"".
She added: ""Now that it has come to our attention that it is not, we are working to update statistics on how our offshore wind potential compares to other countries.
""This does not change the fact that Scotland already has an important offshore wind sector, and we have huge potential to grow this and become a global leader, with over 40 gigawatts of potential offshore wind developments already in the pipeline.""
Researchers from These Islands, which opposes Scottish independence, said the 25% figure had been included in Alex Salmond's speech to the SNP conference in 2012 and the Scottish government's White Paper ahead of the independence referendum in 2014.
: ""Since then it has become an SNP mantra: frequently cited in debates at Holyrood and the House of Commons, and a key message in campaigning material from the SNP, Yes Scotland, and Believe in Scotland.
""In March 2022 the 25% claim was prominently cited in Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Kate Forbes' National Strategy for Economic Transformation, and just last month it was heavily promoted in a report commissioned by Ian Blackford for the SNP Westminster Parliamentary Group.""
Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr accused ministers of ""putting out dodgy data"" and claimed that civil servants had warned the Scottish government ""several years ago"" that the 25% figure was not correct. 
rrect statistic had been repeated by seven different government ministers over the years, he added.
Mr Kerr said: ""The bogus statistic which civil servants and ministers knew was wrong has been repeated ad nauseum.
""This chamber has heard it either here or in the course of their duties from First Minister Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister Swinney, Minister Todd, Minister McPherson, Minister Robertson, Minister Matheson and Minister Slater.""
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur also accused Scottish ministers of ""cooking the books"" in citing the statistic, adding: ""It does the renewables sector no favours because misleading and misrepresentation undermine the industry's endeavour""."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63641770
politics	What’s the House of Lords? Your questions answered	"re are hundreds of members of the House of Lords. So how are they appointed?  What do they do? And how much do they get paid? 
BBC chief political correspondent Nick Eardley explains."	/news/uk-politics-63895691
politics	No evidence transgender law change has negative impact on others	"Scotland has become the first part of the UK to approve a self-identification system for people who want to change their legal gender.
Scottish Parliament backed the controversial proposals by 86 to 39 in the final vote. 
reforms were opposed by several SNP MSPs, with one government minister resigning in protest earlier this year.
Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said evidence from other countries had shown improved rights for trans people did not negatively impact others."	/news/uk-scotland-64070878
sports	French freediver breaks deep dive world record	"A French freediver broke the world record for deepest dive with bi-fins as he descended to a depth of 120m (393ft).
Arnaud Jerald took 3 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the dive, during the annual Vertical Blue competition in the Bahamas.
It's the seventh time the 26-year-old has broken the world record in his career."	/news/world-62498785
sports	NFL: Minnesota Vikings complete biggest comeback in NFL history to beat Indianapolis Colts	"The Minnesota Vikings completed the biggest comeback in NFL history to beat the Indianapolis Colts and secure their place in this season's play-offs.
After trailing 33-0 at half-time, Kirk Cousins threw for four touchdowns, with a 64-yard catch and run from running back Dalvin Cook making it 36-34.
A two-point conversion followed to tie it up with 2:15 left and Greg Joseph's field goal won it late in overtime.
Buffalo Bills are also in the play-offs after beating the Miami Dolphins.
Super Bowl favourites won 32-29 as time expired to clinch the AFC East title and guarantee a spot in the post-season while the Vikings became NFC North champions for the first time since 2017.
xtraordinary 39-36 victory, which took the Vikings' record to 11 wins and three defeats for the season, was their first against the Colts in 25 years.
Bills set the previous record for the biggest NFL comeback, coming back from 35-3 down against the now-defunct Houston Oilers in 1993.
Cousins revealed the team believed they could still win the game even at 33-0 down at half-time, when cornerback Patrick Peterson told the locker room: ""All we need is five touchdowns.""
""I thought he was being sarcastic,"" said 34-year-old quarterback Cousins, who completed 34 of 54 passes for 460 yards.
In snowy conditions at Buffalo, Bills kicker Tyler Bass made a game-winning field goal in the final seconds for the second time in four weeks.
His team-mates used their hands to clear a spot for Bass to make the kick from 25 yards and secure a fifth straight win for the Bills, who are now 11-3.
Quarterback Josh Allen completed 25 of 40 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 77 yards.
Dolphins (8-6) trailed 21-13 at half-time but moved ahead as Tua Tagovailoa made his two touchdown passes in the third quarter.
Allen made a five-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox and the Bills added a two-point conversion to make it 29-29 with 9:02 left.
Buffalo then regained possession on their own seven-yard line with 5:56 to play and, despite deteriorating field conditions, Allen navigated a 15-play drive that set up Bass' game-winning kick at the death.
In Saturday's other NFL game, Nick Chubb ran for 99 yards in the snow as the Cleveland Browns' defence held firm to earn a 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Deshaun Watson threw for 161 yards and the game's only touchdown, to Donovan Peoples-Jones late in the third quarter, to claim victory in his first home game with the Browns (6-8) after returning from suspension.
r Huntley continued to stand in for injured Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson but rookie outside linebacker David Ojabo, who was raised in Aberdeen, finally made his NFL debut after recovering from an Achilles injury."	/sport/american-football/64015133
sports	Snooker legend Ray Reardon at 90: 'Proud for Wales, proud for myself'	"As he celebrates his 90th birthday, former World Champion Ray Reardon says he is ""proud"" for Wales and himself as he reflects on an illustrious snooker career. 
Reardon won the World Championship six times in the 1970s and was the first player to be world number one when rankings were introduced in 1976.
""That's why I turned professional, to be number one,"" he says.
In the same year he was the Masters champion and among his other titles he won BBC's Pot Black twice, in 1969 and 1979.  
Born on 8 October, 1932 in the coal mining community of Tredegar, Reardon left school at 14 and followed his father Ben down the mine at Ty Trist Colliery. 
After pit closures in south Wales the family moved to North Staffordshire in 1956 and a year later Reardon had a terrifying experience at Florence Colliery in Stoke-on-Trent.  
While he was working underground the roof collapsed and he was trapped for three hours.
Reardon was hugely relieved his hands weren't damaged as he was rescued.
""When they came to rescue me they started shovelling and I thought if a shovel comes in it's going to hit my fingers and cut my fingers off,"" he recalls. 
""I was very worried about that, so as soon as I felt some freedom I wiggled my fingers, just to let them know I'm still alive because they didn't know.""
Reardon gave up mining and joined the police in 1960 before becoming a professional snooker player in 1967.  
ree years later he won the World Championship for the first time and he secured another five World titles in six years: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978, when he beat Perrie Mans in the final.  
was the only title he won at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield after the sport's biggest tournament moved there in 1977. In 1982 he lost against Alex Higgins in the final at the Crucible.
He was awarded the MBE in 1985 and Reardon retired in 1991, but in 2004 he helped Ronnie O'Sullivan to win his second World title, acting as O'Sullivan's coach and mentor.
""When I saw him at the table on the first day I was picking the balls up for him, it was something special, without doubt the best player I'd ever seen,"" says Reardon.
O'Sullivan celebrated by wearing a pair of false teeth as a light-hearted tribute to Reardon who was nicknamed 'Dracula' because of his prominent teeth and dark 'widow's peak' hairline.  
wo are still in touch and Reardon describes their relationship as ""pure friendship"".  
He is also in no doubt that the current World champion, who equalled Stephen Hendry's record of seven World titles in the modern era this year, can beat that record.
In 2016 the Welsh Open trophy was renamed the Ray Reardon Trophy in his honour and he presented it to Stuart Bingham in Cardiff the following year.  
Also in 2017 Reardon returned to the Crucible to take part in a parade of players who had won the World Championship there for a ceremony marking 40 years of the event being held in Sheffield. 
""It was wonderful, heart-warming,"" says Reardon. 
""It's easy to respond to that when you get such a warm welcome. I loved it.""
Reardon still plays snooker - ""very badly,"" he jokes - and, with the same smile that captured the hearts of millions of people who watched him dominate the sport in the 1970s, he feels very fortunate to be in such good health at the age of 90.
""I had a hip operation recently. I've got a bit of a limp, but other than that I feel fine. How lucky is that?"""	/sport/snooker/63158271
sports	The 'karate kid' helping young carers in north Wales	"Bethan Owen earned her black belt by the time she was 12
When young carer Bethan Owen took up karate it was merely as a means of ""distraction"" from looking after her mother who has epilepsy.
By the age of 12 she had already earned a black belt and was coaching others.
Now a sixth form student, she runs her own not-for-profit club helping fellow young carers gain confidence.
""I don't know what I would have done without karate - but now it's just me being me, I love helping people,"" she said.
Little wonder then that she was presented with a St David Award by First Minister Mark Drakeford, last month, in recognition of her work.
From the age of four, Bethan, from Bodelwyddan, Denighshire, was helping care for her mother.
It meant keeping a watchful eye for any sharp knives during washing up and standing outside the bathroom door while her mother was in the shower. Yet to Bethan, that was all normal.
""We all lived with mum's epilepsy,"" she said.
""Mum has had the illness as long as I can remember, which was hard as a child to see it and always be worrying about it. 
""Me and dad always have to be there for her, so she's not alone in case anything happens.
""I had to grow up quicker than my friends... but I'm glad I did - I feel more mature and can deal with stuff."" 
However Bethan, who studies at Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan in Abergele, admits karate has been the release that has got through the extra responsibility.
She responded to a leaflet that came through the front door advertising karate lessons and was immediately hooked.
""I enjoyed it because it really distracted me from what was happening at home.
""It provided me with freedom and my own space where I could feel comfortable and not worry.""
As she moved up through the ranks, Bethan had the idea to help other young people through her own club, aged just 12.
She began running classes in Rhyl and Llandudno for other carers and now has 35 members of all ages.
""I opened this class to help the less fortunate and to distract them from what's going on in their background,"" she added.
""I know what their experience feels like. I can see the worries they have. But karate is time away from that. 
""It's rewarding to me knowing I helped someone. It's incredible to watch the children grow in confidence and their shells open."" 
karate club has become a family affair with her parents helping with classes. 
""Bethan has maybe had to grow up a bit quicker than most. That's been her life really from the age of four,"" said her mum Julie.
""But she has turned the situation into an advantage and we've all benefitted."" 
One of her young pupils, Kira, said she started because she was ""afraid"".
She said: ""I've had a lot of opportunities because of Bethan. It's made me a more brave, I feel I can stand up to people if they are bullying me."" "	/news/uk-wales-47870951
sports	'I like to think of myself as a performer' - Huston wants 'a bit of bling' at Olympics	"Belfast archer Patrick Huston says he loves the thrill of competition and is immensely proud that he will be representing his country at the Tokyo Olympics.
Huston has been named in Team GB for this summer's Games and is confident he can win two gold medals in what will be his second Olympics.
""I did an awful lot of drama when I was young and frankly I love to go up on to that competition line and demonstrate what I can do. I look forward to coming away with quite a bit of bling from the Tokyo Olympics,"" he said."	/sport/av/archery/56849845
sports	NFL: Franco Harris, who made 'Immaculate Reception', dies aged 72	"Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris has died at the age of 72.
Harris won the Super Bowl four times with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1970s but was most famous for making the catch that became known as the 'Immaculate Reception' in 1972.
With the Steelers trailing at the end of a play-off game with the Oakland Raiders, a pass ricocheted to Harris and he ran in a game-winning touchdown.
In 2019 the play was voted as the greatest in NFL history.external-link
With 22 seconds left in the AFC divisional play-off on 23 December 1972, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw attempted a throw towards John Fuqua but the ball bounced towards Harris, who stooped to catch the loose ball before charging down the sideline to claim a 60-yard touchdown.
Pittsburgh to a 13-7 win - their first in the play-offs - and although they did not reach the Super Bowl that season, Harris went on to help them become NFL champions four times in the next seven years.
Steelers are set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception on Saturday when they again host the Raiders, who are now based in Las Vegas, and Harris' famous number 32 will also be retired.
""We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet,"" said Hall of Fame president Jim Porter.
Pittsburgh selected Harris with the 13th pick in the 1972 draft and he spent 12 years with the team before playing the final season of his career with the Seattle Seahawks in 1984.
A nine-time Pro Bowler, he ended his NFL career with 12,120 rushing yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
""Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways,"" Porter added.
""The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco's football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field.""
Harris was the Offensive Rookie of the Year for 1972 and in 1976 he earned the NFL's Man of the Year award, which recognises a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact.
In Super Bowl 9 in 1975, the Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 with Harris rushing for 158 yards, compared to just 17 for the entire Vikings team, to be named the game's Most Valuable Player."	/sport/american-football/64055339
sports	English Open: Mark Selby will face Belgian Luca Brecel in the final	"Mark Selby will face Luca Brecel in the final of the English Open in Brentwood, Essex on Sunday.
Four-time world champion Selby knocked out holder Neil Robertson 6-4 in a high-quality semi-final.
In the evening session, Belgian Brecel celebrated a comfortable 6-2 victory over Northern Ireland's Mark Allen.
""I'm really happy,"" said 2019 English Open champion Selby, having avenged a defeat to Robertson in the 2020 semi-finals.
Selby had battled back from 3-1 down on his way to victory, making two centuries and three breaks over 50.
39-year-old ended a run of seven defeats against the 40-year-old Australian to reach his first ranking final since winning the 2021 world title.
Selby added: ""The last two or three times he's beaten me he has played faultless snooker - it was a bit like playing against a computer. 
""I knew I needed to win frames in one visit to beat Neil and I managed to do that.""
Brecel made breaks of 61, 55, 50 and 71 as he raced to a five-frame lead over Allen and although the 36-year-old Northern Irishman pulled the next two frames back, Brecel kept his cool to win.
""I felt good today,"" the 27-year-old told Eurosport.
""I missed a couple at 5-1, but every time I come under pressure I feel quite good. I'm not going to crumble. If you are confident and calm, good things are going to happen.""
final starts at 13:00 GMT and is the best of 17 frames. 
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news on the BBC app."	/sport/snooker/64012932
sports	London International Horse Show: Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson win Jumping World Cup	"Great Britain's Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson won the FEI Jumping World Cup, narrowly beating Germany's Daniel Deusser and Killer Queen VDM.
Brash produced a very quick round of 39.67 seconds, going fourth in the seven-horse jump-off at the London International Horse Show.
2022 team bronze medallist couldn't be caught by Deusser, whose round was only 0.06secs slower. 
rd place went to Britain's Jodie Hall McAteer on Salt'N Peppa.
Hall McAteer went last in the jump-off and came close to beating Brash before crossing the line in 40.14secs.
Find out how to get into equestrian with our special guide. "	/sport/equestrian/64018972
sports	Dame Kelly Holmes: Cypriot radio, a lucky loo & pain - the inside story of 2004's double gold	"It started with a song.
At Athens 2004, Dame Kelly Holmes became only the third woman in history and the first Briton since Albert Hill 84 years earlier to win the 800m and 1500m Olympic double. This is how she did it.
One played by an unknown Cypriot radio DJ.
We were on the island for our pre-Olympics holding camp ahead of Athens 2004 and it was unlike any holding camp I had ever experienced before.
In the build-up to the previous six major championships, I always had an injury. Before Atlanta in 1996 I had picked up a stress fracture. Going into Sydney 2000, I had ripped a 12cm tear in my calf muscle.
But in Cyprus , I felt amazing. My track times were well ahead of schedule, I was eating more than ever before, but still losing weight while getting stronger. The whole combination was coming right.
But doing both the 800m and 1500m was still a massive risk.
My dream since I had been a 14-year-old girl was to be the Olympic 1500m champion. 
king on the extra workload of running the 800m event before could wreck that, setting me a schedule of six world-class races in a little over a week.
I still hadn't decided what to do as we were driving down to the track for the final session of the camp.
In the car were performance director Zara Hyde Peters and my training partner Anthony Whiteman. I joked to them that I really needed to hear Tina Turner's Simply the Best right now.
Immediately, on the Cypriot radio on the car stereo, those familiar opening chords started playing. 
We were all silent and the hairs went up on the back of my neck. It felt like a sign.
For that final session, all I had to do was two 400m laps, as fast as I could, with 10 minutes rest in between.
I knew the times I wanted and I smashed them to bits.
I was 34. I knew I was never going to be in this shape again this close to the Games. I knew I had to go for it.
Once I arrived in Greece, another song proved key.
Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got you is not your typical warm-up song. It is a slow ballad rather than high-tempo beats. 
But it was the one I listened to before every race at that Games because the lyrics summed up my mindset - fame, fortune, and anything else didn't mean anything if I didn't come home with the medals.
It was just one part of my carefully planned routine.
I would leave for the track at exactly the same time every race day. I would warm up in exactly the same place. I would wear the same Team GB dog-tag necklace.
It was strategy as well as superstition though. With my workload, my nutrition would have to be perfect to carry my body through the 800m-1500m double.
I wanted to start eating as soon as I could after every race, but you can't do exactly what you want as an athlete. There are certain obligations and protocols you have to go through.
As soon as you finish each race, you have to run a gauntlet of television, radio and written press. The whole media run could take 40 minutes, maybe more.
Fortunately I had an inside agent. Sally Gunnell, the former World and Olympic champion hurdler, was doing post-race interviews for the BBC. She would be the first person I would see after each race. 
And, after graciously agreeing to my texted plea for help, she would also come to the track each day with my pack of cashew nuts to hand over and help me get some calories straight on board.
It all ran like clockwork. Except once.
Before the 1500m final, the officials were calling for the athletes to come out on track. I had one last task: my now-traditional trip to the same portaloo - the one on the far left of a block of 10 close to the call room.
my horror though, as I tugged on the door I found it locked. There were another nine empty alongside it, but I couldn't break my routine.
I hammered on the door, frantic that I might miss the start of the final.
A massive foreign thrower opened the door, looked daggers at me, but thankfully let me in. I couldn't break that routine for anyone!
If that felt like pressure, I had already experienced plenty in the 800m final a few days before.
Coming around the final bend in that race, I was side by side with Maria Mutola. She was the reigning world and Olympic champion, but more importantly she had also been my training partner. 
I knew how formidable she was, not just from losing to her previously in major championships, but also from working alongside her up close.
So much of my training had been about trying to shrug off that pressure.
I would be doing the final 100m of a heavy session, full of lactic acid and in pain and my coaches would be shouting one word at me, one instruction that was entirely contrary to everything I was feeling: ""Relax!""
In the previous tight finishes, my shoulders had risen, my body had tensed up and my stride length had shortened.
Not this time. I was so strong, I had so much faith in my preparation that I overhauled Mutola in the final 15m or so. I was so focused on beating her though, that I was unaware what was going on behind me.
As we had duelled at the front, Moroccan Hasna Benhassi and Jolanda Ceplak were storming up behind.
ree of us crossed the line together. My instinct was that I had got across first. But I wasn't sure. For a few seconds, everything seemed to go into slow motion as I looked around for confirmation.
It didn't come from the big screen or the trackside clock. Instead it was when one of the British press photographers. I glanced across and he was jumping up and down in celebration, telling me I had won. 
We spoke later and he said seeing me win close up was the best night of his life, but also the worst as he got so caught up in the moment that he missed getting any pictures of the winning moment.
He certainly had an accurate eye and sense of timing though. I had won, if only by five hundredths of a second.
By 02:00 on the morning after winning Olympic gold, some champions might have been sipping champagne. About that time I was shivering in an ice bath, admittedly with the medal around my neck.
I slept with it on my pillow as well, but come the morning it was time for stage two of the plan. I put it in a box, out of sight and out of mind, and pretended I hadn't won it.
I wasn't the only one keeping up this pretence. On one of the few days off between the 800m and 1500m final, I went to catch up with some friends and family in one of the private lounges that Team GB had set up.
Before I arrived, unbeknown to me, they had swept the lounge to get rid of all the British newspapers that used to be left about for people to read. They didn't want me seeing myself staring out of all the front pages and being spooked by the all the attention that was brewing back in the UK.
Whether it was their efforts or not, the 1500m final was an almost surreally calm experience.
I was really conscious of was Benhassi, whose fast finish for silver in the 800m final had marked her out as a threat.
rest of the field didn't really exist for me. It was like racing silhouettes, while I felt like I was floating along as if someone had picked up and propelled me through the race.
As I hit 80m to go, I looked over both shoulders, realised Benhassi was nowhere to be seen and went as hard as I could, without looking back.
gold were so much sweeter for all the suffering that had gone before them.
A stress fracture of the shin in 1996. A complete rupture of the Achilles tendon and calf in 1997. A damaged femoral nerve that caused me to lose sensation down one side of my body for five months of 1999. Another calf tear in 2000. Knee problems in 2003. The list of physical problems in my career was long.
But just as painful was the mental side. 
I suffered badly with depression and self-harm. Just a year before winning double gold in Athens, I was in Paris preparing for the world championships. While the media obsessed over whether I was working tactically alongside my training partner Mutola in the final, I was suffering a breakdown behind the scenes. Every night away from the cameras and microphones I would be in the depths of despair, hating my life and hurting myself.
But through all that I never stopped believing in myself. I didn't necessarily believe that I would win two golds, but I was certain of my ability.
Somebody being better than you isn't failure. You only fail if you don't do something, if you give up. People had told me that I should. I wasn't prepared to.
Dame Kelly Holmes was speaking to BBC Sport's Mike Henson"	/sport/athletics/53411149
sports	WSL transfer window: Who could be on the move this January?	"Women's Super League clubs are not in action for a few weeks but they are still busy with the January transfer window set to open on Sunday. 
ubs may look to spend money as they fight for silverware, while teams at the bottom of the table need to add quality to avoid relegation. 
Here we take a look at some of the deals that could happen over the next few weeks. 
Arsenal are favourites to sign North Carolina Courage midfielder Debinha, 31, who has already confirmed she would be leavingexternal-link the United States club. 
Gunners could also sign Danish midfielder Kathrine Kuhl, 19, and Canadian forward Cloe Lacasse, 29. 
Chelsea forward Bethany England, 28, is expected to join London rivals Tottenham, who had a bid turned down for the striker in the summer.
Leicester are interested in bringing in Manchester United forward Rachel Williams, 34, on loan. 
Everton could sign Manchester United goalkeeper Emily Ramsey, 22, on a permanent deal after she joined the club on loan in the summer. 
Rangers midfielder Samantha Kerr, 23, has been a target for Liverpool.
Elsewhere, Manchester City have shown interest in Everton defender Gabby George, 25, but she has two years remaining on her contract with the Toffees.
City have also enquired about Lyon midfielder Damaris Egurrola, 23, and could renew their interest in Juventus midfielder Julia Grosso, 22, who they pursued in the summer.
Manchester United could be willing to listen to offers for midfielder Lucy Staniforth, 30, with Aston Villa among those interested.
Celtic forward Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, 21, has had interest from several Spanish clubs including Levante and Real Betis but could be attracted to the WSL. 
Norwegian midfielder Therese Asland, 27, is a target for Real Madrid but has also had interest from several WSL clubs.
Blackburn midfielder Emma Doyle, 23, has had interest from Leicester but she remains under contract at her club so could prove difficult to move. 
Liverpool midfielder Carla Humphrey, 26, could go out on loan, while Chelsea could recall defender Charlotte Wardlaw, 19, from her loan spell with the Reds because of a lack of game time. 
Chelsea had an offer for Paris St-Germain midfielder Grace Geyoro, 25, rejected in the summer but they could renew their interest in January.
Chicago Red Stars defender Zoe Morse, 24, has attracted attention from a few English clubs, while Reading are among those interested in Ghana international Wasila Diwura-Soale, 26.
Everton have enquired about HB Koge defender Andrea Norheim, 23, while Tottenham are also said to be interested.
Angel City midfielder Miri Taylor, 22, was looked at by several English clubs in the summer and there remains interest.
Canadian youth international Jessica de Filippo, 21, is also said to have had interest from a few WSL clubs.
Manchester United have several key players close to the expiry of their contracts including England international Alessia Russo and Spain full-back Ona Batlle, who have six months remaining.
Russo rejected an offer to extend in July, while Batlle has received heavy interest from several top European clubs including Barcelona.
United midfielder Jade Moore, 32, could also leave the club.
Several clubs in Europe have asked about the availability of Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland, 25, but the club has no intention to sell.
Reports suggestexternal-link Arsenal are close to finalising the signing of Canadian goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo, 29, on a free transfer.
Arsenal midfielder Mana Iwabuchi, 29, is keen for game time and would be open to leaving the club in January.
Gunners may consider recalling Giovana Queiroz, 19, back from her loan spell with Everton due to a lack of playing time.
Canadian defender Jayde Riviere, 21, has been linked with a move to the WSL.
Meanwhile, several players in the Scottish Women's Premier League are attracting interest including Celtic's Canadian forward Clarissa Larisey, 23, who could become part of a player-swap deal involving a fee, with Swedish club BK Hacken.
WSL's bottom side Leicester City hope to be very active in the transfer window in an attempt to avoid relegation but might need to fund signings with outgoings.
New boss Willie Kirk is targeting at least four new players, including a striker, with several players being offered out on loan deals to make room. 
Liverpool hope to bring in at least two more players, with a midfielder the priority. 
Aston Villa manager Carla Ward, who is expected to hold talks over a new contract in January, is hoping to have money to spend to strengthen an injury-hit squad. They are prioritising a midfielder and a winger.
Manchester United are expected to have incomings and at least one outgoing player as they look to secure a Champions League qualification spot.
m's priority is to sign a goalscorer and are expected to make further signings after injuries to players brought in the summer. 
West Ham boss Paul Konchesky told BBC Sport the club will add to the squad if the right player becomes available and he is expected to be backed with funds.
Reading and Brighton are likely to add a few players to cover injuries and improve squad depth, while Chelsea may react if a target becomes available in January.
Manchester City have money available and have already enquired about several targets.
Everton boss Brian Sorensen said they will ""not do a lot"" in the window but there could be one or two deals agreed depending on what happens elsewhere. 
Brighton named German Jens Scheuer as Hope Powell's successor as head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Liverpool re-signed former WSL-winning captain Gemma Bonner, 31, from Racing Louisville.
Wales international Sophie Ingle, 31, signed a new two-year deal with Chelsea, with the midfielder keen to stay despite interest from elsewhere.
Arsenal forward Beth Mead signed a new contract with the club, while England team-mate Alex Greenwood extended her stay at Manchester City until 2026."	/sport/football/64134838
sports	Oxford clay shooter continues competing after brain tumour	"A young clay shooter has said she is determined to pursue her dream of competing in the Olympics after ""conquering"" her brain tumour.
Philippa Stroud, 16, from New Milton in Oxfordshire, started shooting five years ago and reached the national final of The Schools Challenge, founded by the Oxford Gun Company.
But during the finals, Philippa became unwell and her optician discovered a brain tumour the size of a large egg. 
Now, with the tumour successfully removed, Philippa has her sights set on a promising shooting career in what she said was currently a male-dominated sport.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-61262996
sports	Serena Williams: How US Open victory of 1999 tells the story of what was to come	"As the story goes, Serena Williams' rise began before she was born. 
In 1979, her father Richard watched a women's tennis match on TV and saw the Romanian player Virginia Ruzici win $40,000 - about $4,000 more than his annual salary.
""I went and told my wife we had to have two more girls and make them tennis players,"" he recalled, 20 years later. ""I was 37 and knew nothing about tennis but I thought we could teach them and they could win the US Open.""
On 26 September 1981, Williams arrived - 15 months after her sister Venus. By the time the pair turned pro in the mid-1990s they were already making waves. 
""There was a rage inside these two little kids,"" says Rick Macci, the Florida-based coach who helped guide them through their developmental years. 
""They were just ready. I called it when they were nine, 10 years old. I said: 'They're gonna be world number one and they're going to transcend the sport.'""
In August 1999, the smart money was on Venus making the big breakthrough. A tall and imposing player, the 19-year-old had already racked up seven titles. She was third in the WTA rankings.
But Serena would get there first. Her victory at the US Open that year saw a future sporting legend announced to the world. 
Now, 23 years later, she is almost done. 
""I hate it,"" she wrote last month of her impending retirement. ""I don't want it to be over.""
In some ways, it already is. With her 41st birthday looming, Williams can no longer match her own imposing legacy on court. 
She has one more stop. From Monday she will return to Flushing Meadows to play in her final US Open, the site of that first Grand Slam title. 
Looking back on those two weeks of New York late summer in 1999, the signs were already there of what was to come for Williams. She was irrepressible, unpredictable, matchless. A 17-year-old girl from Compton, poised for greatness. 
Williams had made her US Open debut in 1998, when she was knocked out in round three. 
r, things looked different. She breezed through the two opening rounds against fellow American Kimberly Po and Croatia's Jelena Kostanic. 
Her father Richard had already stirred a minor drama, predicting that his daughters would meet in the final. ""They're too fast for the other girls,"" he said. ""They're a little too strong for them.""
World number one Martina Hingis replied saying the Williams family had a ""big mouth"". 
Serena laughed it off.
""Obviously she's number one, so she can say whatever she would like to say,"" she said. Then she smiled widely. ""I personally don't think my mouth is big, if you're just looking at it.""
In the third round, Williams showed no signs of letting up. She deployed her bruising serve and sprawling court coverage to defeat 16-year-old Belgian Kim Clijsters in three sets.
When Williams won, skipping across the court and throwing her arms to the sky, the crowd erupted, apparently thrilled by the new teen prodigy. 
But later, once Serena and Venus had become dominant, the Williams family began to notice a chill from spectators in New York, says sports writer SL Price.  
""Venus and Serena's mother Oracene said they felt for years, for almost 10 years, that the US Open crowds were not behind them,"" Price says. 
""They felt othered in their own home tournament, just because of the straight identification: a white audience with black players. They were African American women in a white-dominated world."" 
untry-club crowds of professional tennis were accustomed to a different sort of player - soft-spoken, demure and white. The Williams sisters stood out. 
""I'm tall; I'm black,"" Venus had said at her 1997 US Open debut. ""Everything's different about me. Just face the facts."" 
wo years after her 1999 victory over Clijsters, Williams met her again in the final at Indian Wells, a tournament in southern California seen by some as the unofficial fifth Grand Slam. 
Williams was booed relentlessly throughout the championship match. Rumours - unfounded - had spread that Richard had engineered Venus' last-minute withdrawal from the semi-final against her sister two days earlier. 
In his autobiography, Richard said that racial slurs ""flew through the stadium"" at him and his daughters. When Williams faulted on serve the crowd clapped. When she won, they jeered. She would boycott Indian Wells for the next 13 years.
""How many people do you know go out there and jeer a 19-year-old?"" she said after the match, looking uncharacteristically resigned. ""I'm just a kid.""
Back at the US Open of 1999, weeks away from her 18th birthday, the depth of Williams' talent was becoming obvious. 
In the fourth round she met Conchita Martinez. Then 27, the Spaniard had won Wimbledon in 1994.
rs of pro experience seemed at first to favour Martinez, who used deep, punchy shots and heavy topspin to clinch the first set 6-4. But in the second set Williams transformed, unleashing a series of flat and punishing groundstrokes. 
""She had a switch - she could flip it,"" says Shane Rye, Williams' former trainer. ""That's what separates the elite from everyone else, and she is the upper, upper echelon of elite elite."" 
Closing out what would be her biggest win in a major so far, Williams stared down Martinez before serving an ace - her 12th that day - and claiming the match. 
re was Williams' resilience on display: a stubborn refusal to lose that soon became her trademark; an ability to grit her teeth and battle her way back. 
""Richard Williams always said 'Serena is better because she's meaner,'"" says sports journalist Jon Wertheim. ""In retrospect, it was the perfect distillation. She had a fire, that 'Serena mean' that got her through a lot of matches.'"" 
Years later, in September 2017, Williams would endure a harrowing delivery of her daughter, Olympia. An emergency C-section, a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung), and two more surgeries left her bedridden for her first six weeks of motherhood. 
It would end up being her longest break from tennis since she was a toddler. 
""I'll never forget that phone call, when she was finally cleared by her doctor to play,"" says Rye, who worked with her through her recovery. 
""I remember how emotional that was for her.""
It was quite the comeback. Still breastfeeding and suffering from postpartum depression, Williams once again grit her teeth and bore down on court, making it to the finals of two majors in 2018 - Wimbledon and the US Open. 
Her burning drive also ignited some spectacular, regrettable on-court flameouts, many at the US Open.
Often these incidents reflected less on Williams than on the sexism still polluting tennis. Her temper almost always paled in comparison to the legendary meltdowns of male players, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Andy Roddick among them. 
When Williams was docked a game at the 2018 US Open final after calling chair umpire Carlos Ramos a ""thief"", Roddick called it the ""worst refereeing I've ever seen"". 
""I've regrettably said worse and I've never gotten a game penalty,"" he said. 
Still, Williams' protracted dispute with Ramos - a bitter back and forth that lasted almost all of the second set - seemed to rob Naomi Osaka, then 20, of a magic moment: her first major win, and against her childhood idol. During the trophy ceremony, both Williams and Osaka wept. 
""I was behind the umpire's chair at the time and you're just like 'here we go again, don't do this, get it together,'"" Price says. ""But there's something about that unpredictability; it's Serena being Serena."" 
Such would be the extent of her later dominance you could almost forget all the champions Williams had to overtake to get there. 
In the 1999 US Open quarter-finals she faced off against Monica Seles, her childhood hero, and by then a nine-time major singles winner. 
Seles, who had been badly wounded when a fan ran on court and stabbed her in 1993, took the first set. 
But a defiant Williams responded fiercely, dominating the rest of the match. When she won, she threw her arms in the air and held them there, spinning slowly to get a look at the crowd. In the stands Richard looked back at her, held up his index finger and mouthed: ""Number one, baby."" 
It was a similar story in the semi-finals, when Williams took on defending champion Lindsay Davenport, the second seed. 
With the score tied in the third set, Davenport blinked first. Williams broke her, to go ahead 4-3. Receiving serve in the next game, Davenport clawed her way back, earning five break points, but Williams held on. She won the next game too, and the match. She was in her first major final. 
""Every break point I had, she just hit a huge, huge serve,"" Davenport said at the time. ""I never got a second serve, I don't think, slower than 105 [mph].""  
Williams, meanwhile, basked in her burgeoning celebrity, telling assembled media she was collecting pictures of herself from national newspapers. 
""I mean, I touch everyone,"" she said. ""Everyone wants to see me. I don't blame them. Go get a look at Serena."" 
Up until that summer of 1999, most people had ignored Richard Williams' prediction that Serena would be the better player of his two tennis prodigies. 
But then the birth order was subverted: Venus lost to Martina Hingis in the semi-finals. And so while Serena walked on court at Arthur Ashe to play - defiant stare, white beads in her hair - Venus watched from the stands, black hoodie tugged tight around her face. 
It was a good match-up: Williams, a force of strength and poise, against Hingis, a brilliant tactician who ran famously cool. 
""We were like yin and yang,"" says Hingis, who was herself only 18 but already a five-time Grand Slam winner.
Williams took the first set 6-3. She looked untouchable, outpacing and outthinking Hingis. In the second she stormed into a 5-3 lead. Then suddenly she cracked, fumbling two championship points. 
""She was always leading, I felt like always behind, being defensive, but I was reborn when she missed those two match points,"" Hingis said that day. 
By then, Williams looked exhausted. Standing behind the baseline, she used her bright yellow dress to wipe the sweat from her mouth. She stared blankly at the ground in front of her, awash in sunlight and stadium glare, and bounced the ball a few more times than usual before winding up to serve. 
From 3-5 down, Hingis won the next three games to take a 6-5 lead, Williams adding to a growing tally of unforced errors. 
For the first time, Hingis was in the ascendency, her face relaxing into a slight smile. Williams was forced to defend a set point in her service game before pushing the set to a tie-break. 
But from there, Williams seized back control. As the intensity mounted, her strokes got better. 
""When I get into a tie-break, I feel that I never lose,"" Williams told reporters after the match. ""I feel that I can't lose."" 
Hingis now alternated between a look of grim concentration and amusement. 
At some points she looked like she might laugh, bowing her head and shaking it slightly as if she too was amazed by the singular power of a resurgent Williams. 
""Serena was the fiercest player for me. I didn't like playing her,"" Hingis says. ""Because the big points, the big moments, you could never think she would slow down, or have any mental weakness. I had a break point here and there and I had my chances, but then she would just hit an ace, you know?
""That was very frustrating on my side, but that's why she was Serena Williams."" 
Up 6-4 in the tie break, Williams was serving for the title. 
She took her time. She closed her eyes for a moment, face still, shoulders heaving, before making her way to the baseline. Smaller, more reserved than we know her now, she was already unblinkingly self-assured. The greatest female tennis player in history, not yet fully formed.
final rally didn't last long - a searing serve from Williams and two backhand returns before Hingis sent the ball out. 
Williams looked momentarily stunned, stumbling backward and clutching her chest. Twenty thousand people roared.
She had become the first black American since Arthur Ashe in 1975 to win a major singles title, and the first black American woman since Althea Gibson in 1958. 
Richard lifted a small camera to his eye, capturing the moment that launched the titanic career of his daughter. 
""Serena Williams has been dominant,"" says Price. ""She's been at this level that is beyond most people on earth.
""And now it's that decline, that descent, joining the rest of humanity."" "	/sport/tennis/62661318
sports	UCI Track Champions League 2022: Katie Archibald's London win not enough to retain endurance title	"Katie Archibald relinquished the women's endurance title in the UCI Track Champions League despite winning the final elimination race in London. 
Scot, 28, closed the gap on overall leader Jennifer Valente in the women's scratch race at Lee Valley VeloPark.
But Valente took second in the elimination to secure the overall title by three points from Archibald and chose not to contest the final sprint. 
Mark Stewart and Ollie Wood were the other British winners on the night.
wo-time Olympic champion Archibald said: ""I've experienced that feeling here with Laura [Kenny] racing Madisons, but it's not like an Olympics, it's so much more with it being in London.
""I can't imagine what they felt experiencing a home Olympics in this velodrome. It's an experience you can't describe and I'm so grateful I'm one of a handful of people who have felt something like that in my bones.""
Champions League format sees endurance riders compete in scratch and elimination races and sprint riders go up against each other in keirin and sprints.
men's and women's sprint and endurance champions were crowned after the last two rounds of the series were held on successive nights in London, as they were for last year's inaugural series.
Archibald clinched the title in London last year and came into this year's final round eight points behind Valente and came third in the women's scratch race, with Valente fourth.
Olympic and world champion had done enough in the elimination race to secure the 2022 title before the final sprint but Archibald still enjoyed celebrating her race win with the home crowd.
Stewart thrust himself into contention for the men's endurance title by winning the scratch race, with team-mate Wood third behind the Dutchman Matthijs Buchli.
""That genuinely is the best feeling I've ever had on a bike,"" said Stewart, 27. ""Not just the win but the win induced the crowd.""
k Stewart into third in the standings, five points behind leader Sebastian Mora and one behind Switzerland's Claudio Imhof.
Wood then claimed victory in the elimination race to finish fourth in the final standings, and Imhof's second place was enough to earn him the men's endurance title as he finished level on points with Mora, while Stewart was third.
me the men's sprint champion went down to the wire with Australia's Matthew Richardson beating Harrie Lavreysen in the men's keirin to take the overall lead back from the Dutchman and win the title by just two points.
Mathilde Gros of France beat Canada's Kelsey Mitchell in the final event, the women's sprint final to clinch the women's sprint title."	/sport/cycling/63849033
sports	Great Britain's double Olympic medallist Lutalo Muhammad retires	"Great Britain's double Olympic medallist Lutalo Muhammad has announced his retirement from taekwondo.
31-year-old won bronze at his home Olympics at London in 2012, before gaining a silver medal four years later in Rio de Janeiro.
Muhammad says his career has been ""a blast, full of fantastic memories and great achievements"".
He worked as a pundit for the BBC during Tokyo 2020 after not being selected to compete in Team GB.
He said: ""It was a dream come true as a Londoner to win a medal at London 2012, my home city and become the first British man to win an Olympic medal in taekwondo. 
""Although my Olympic journey is now over, I take great pride in the legacy that I will be leaving behind.
""My journey has been a blast, full of fantastic memories and great achievements, one that I will always be grateful for. I step away now knowing that this is not the fairy tale ending; I would have loved to have gone for gold in Paris [2024 Olympics].
""I would like to thank my family, those at Team GB and all of the athletes, staff and coaches at GB Taekwondo for giving me the opportunity to go to two Olympic Games and live out my boyhood dreams.
""Going forward, I hope to pursue new opportunities that maximise all of my combat experience. To my fans, I thank you sincerely for your support! I know I have been blessed."""	/sport/taekwondo/63073016
sports	Melika Balali: I got threats from Iran for wrestling in Scotland	"'When I received threats I knew my way was right'
An Iranian wrestler who won gold for Scotland has been given police security after allegedly receiving threats from her government.
Melika Balali protested against the forced wearing of the hijab on the winner's platform of a the British Wrestling Championships in June.
22-year-old said her family has since cut contact with her.
It came two months before the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, which has sparked protest across Iran.
Officers reportedly beat Ms Amini, 22, after she wore the hijab ""improperly"" - though police deny this and say she suffered a heart attack.
After moving to Scotland last November, Ms Balali joined the Scottish Wrestling Association - for whom she won gold in the senior female competition at the British championships in Manchester.
During the medal ceremony, she held up a sign that read ""stop forcing hijab, I have the right to be a wrestler"".
Many women and girls in Iran have been removing the mandatory scarf in demonstrations engulfing the country.
Authorities have tried to suppress them by force, while Ayatollah Khamenei has accused the US and Israel of orchestrating ""riots"" - a claim dismissed by critics.
Meanwhile Ms Balali told BBC Scotland's The Nine that since she has started speaking out about women's rights, she has been sent threats from the Iranian government on social media.
She said: ""They've tried to find where I'm living and who I'm practising with. But thanks to police in Scotland... I live safely, I train in a safe area - I have all kinds of security.
""The first time I wore a singlet in Manchester, my family stopped talking to me. They think they are ashamed of me. 
""But I'm happy because I decided to be this kind of person. These threats make me stronger. When I receive threats from the government of Iran I just think my way is right - if I were wrong, why would they threaten me?""
Police Scotland said it was made aware of online threats having been made in July, adding: ""Enquiries were carried out and a safety plan is in place.""
Born in Shahrekord, in Iran's Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Ms Balali said her parents made her wear the hijab from the age of five.
She also said she was not allowed to pursue wrestling because she was a woman, despite it being a tradition among the men in her family.
ged in 2018 when the Iranian Wrestling Federation created a women's team - though Ms Balali had to compete in a body suit which covered her hair, as well as shorts and a T-shirt.
Pursuing the sport more freely, she says, was the main reason she left home.
""It's not just the dress code,"" she said. ""You see the dress covering the face, the head scarf, but it's not just the clothes. You mentally cover your mind.
""But when I'm here and wearing a singlet I feel free.
""Not because I'm free to do wrestling, because I'm not wearing three layers of clothes - but because I'm free to think, free to build something that is for me.""
Now living in Edinburgh, Ms Balali is torn between two worlds.
Although she admits being threatened was ""terrifying"", she feels she can speak out about injustices from a place of relative safety in Scotland.
Watching her fellow countrywomen face violence on Iran's streets has been painful, but also makes her proud - particularly when she sees younger women on the front line of protests.
In solidarity, Ms Balali recently shaved her head at a protest in Glasgow's George Square.
As for the future, the 22-year-old said her sport has given her an important platform.
She is training at least twice a day and hopes to eventually compete internationally for Team GB.
But the growing sound of female unrest in Iran has also inspired her to continue speaking out.
""Their strength increases my energy, my potential to go for my next gold medal,"" she said. 
""It's not only about the gold, it's about what I'm talking about. I'm using that platform to talk - if that platform is big my voice will be louder. The strength comes from my homeland. 
""I lived in Iran for 18 years, but I didn't have any life. I didn't feel anything. When I abandoned Iran I came to Scotland and started thinking here - with this thinking I'm alive."" "	/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-63572748
sports	Geraint Thomas: Former Tour de France winner targets Giro d'Italia in 2023	"Former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has announced that he will compete in the Giro d'Italia next May.
36-year-old Welshman confirmed the news on social media on Monday,
He has previously said he has ""unfinished business"" with the Giro having crashed out of the prestigious race twice in the past.
Racing at next year's Giro, one of cycling's three Grand Tours, makes it less likely Thomas will ride in the Tour de France later in 2023.
In 2020 Thomas pulled out of the Giro after suffering a hip fracture in a crash.
ree years earlier his race came to an end after damaging a shoulder in a pile-up.
Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide."	/sport/cycling/63949247
sports	Commonwealth Games: Badminton - Women's Doubles results	Results from preliminary rounds can be found on the official Birmingham Commonwealth Games website.external-link	/sport/commonwealth-games/62409923
sports	Elite League: Belfast Giants surge back to defeat Glasgow Clan in overtime	"Captain David Goodwin scored an overtime winner as the Belfast Giants came back from 3-1 down to defeat Glasgow Claw 4-3 at the Braehead Arena.
r Soy cancelled out Andrew McLean's opener for Clan before Steven McParland and John Dunbar found the net.
ut the hosts 3-1 up with seven minutes to play, but the Giants hit back through Lewis Hook and Matt Foley in a dramatic closing period.
Goodwin then hit home the winner on the powerplay four minutes into overtime.
Adam Keefe's men have now won four games in a row and move into fourth in the Elite League table, nine point behind leaders Guildford Flames.
Giants face Glasgow, who remain bottom of the table, in Belfast on Tuesday night before a double-header with Fife Flyers to round out 2022."	/sport/ice-hockey/64098937
sports	Grandad who earned karate black belt at the age of 74	"When Mike Mitchell started his journey through the karate belts at the age of 69, he found himself competing at events full of children.
He was many decades older than the other students, and during one grading he even considered leaving.
""I was surrounded by children who had higher grades than me and 50 parents watching from the balcony, and I felt like running away,"" he said.
But Mike forced himself to overcome his embarrassment - and has become the oldest man to obtain a Japanese Karate Association (JKA) black belt in Scotland.
""There was nobody there as old as me at the gradings,"" said the former PE teacher.
""I felt embarrassed that people were watching but didn't know who I was or why I was there.""
Now after five years and thousands of hours of training, the 74-year-old has achieved the first dan grade.
While there are older people with black belts, they achieved them when they were decades younger. No-one else has achieved a JKA black belt in Scotland while in their 70s.
Mike, who has three children and two grandchildren, lives in Haddington, East Lothian, with his wife of 52 years, Gloria.
He said he had been on ""an endless search to prove myself to myself"", with previous interests including mountain climbing and badminton.
""I would hope the next mountain climb, or badminton competition, would be my masterpiece,"" he said.
""But it wasn't until I got my black belt that I realised I had been released from this and that I had achieved my masterpiece.
""I had been fighting all my life to prove myself. I didn't know why I was doing it at the time, but now I feel like an inspiration to my family - and I feel relief.""
Mike was well into his 70s when he started training with brown and black belts.
""During one of the sessions I was fighting a black belt and suddenly I was on the floor and I couldn't breathe.
""I hadn't been winded since I was a child, but that is what it was. He had swept my front leg with his, and dumped me on the floor, end of fight.
""After that I started to change my fighting style.""
When he went for his black belt last month, Mike was told he might not be allowed to do the fighting part of the grading.
""They were concerned I could have a heart attack or get really beaten up due to my age,"" he said.
However, he begged his instructor to ask if he could fight and was allowed to do so - against an opponent who was about half his age.
Mike said his style had evolved since the earlier fight when he was winded.
""When someone attacks you, your instinct is to move back - but if you move in just at the moment they initiate an attack it can be very effective, particularly if you have long levers, which I have.
""So he stepped in, I stepped in and stopped him in his tracks. It happened twice more.
""I think he was getting what they were afraid I would get.""
When the contest was over, Mike had achieved his black belt - which he described as ""an extraordinary moment"".
He now plans to spend the next two years training for his second dan.
Paola Burrows, his instructor at the JKA Bass rock Club in Gullane, said Mike was ""a great fighter and an inspiration"".
""People think that if you go to enough lessons you will become a black belt, but it just doesn't work like that,"" she said.
""You have to prove you are worthy of a black belt and Mike did more than this at his first dan grading.
""He was up against an opponent much younger than him who was incredibly shocked when Mike stopped him dead several times."" "	/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-59294720
sports	PDC World Championship: Nathan Aspinall beats Boris Krcmar to progress to the third round	"England's Nathan Aspinall beat Boris Krcmar to progress to the third round of the PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace. 
wo-time semi-finalist Aspinall, 31, came through the tough second-round tie 3-1 against Croatian Krcmar.
He wrapped up the match in the fourth set on double 18 after scoring his 14th 140 of the game.
In the afternoon session, two-time world champion Adrian Lewis suffered a third successive early exit.
Lewis, who won at Alexandra Palace in 2011 and 2012, was beaten 3-0 by Australian number 20 seed Damon Heta. 
It is the third year in a row in which the 37-year-old Englishman has been eliminated in round two.
Following his victory over Krcmar, world number 10 Aspinall told Sky Sports: ""I never make it easy. I think I robbed the first set to be fair, but likewise, I think I deserved the second set.
""It's the way that darts goes but credit to Boris - I'll say that because he's a big lad, isn't he! I knew he was going to play better than his first game and he played a great game.""
In the first round matches, Belgian Mike de Decker defeated Canada's Jeff Smith 3-1 to set up a tie with Mensur Suljovic of Austria, while England's Scott Williams also won 3-1 against compatriot Ryan Joyce on his debut. 
Williams, 32. delighted the crowd with his performance  - which included 10 180s - and took the match with an 86 checkout in two darts. He will play Englishman Rob Cross in the second round. 
Guam-born American Danny Baggish eased past Canadian Matt Campbell 3-0 and will take on England's Mervyn King as his next opponent. 
Earlier, Vladyslav Omelchenko made history by becoming the first Ukrainian to play at the Worlds, but was beaten 3-0 by England's Luke Woodhouse.
Omelchenko, a former miner from Krivyi Rih, enjoyed some memorable moments, including the first 180 of the match and a 143 checkout in the third set.
However, Woodhouse pulled through and will now face top seed Gerwyn Price in round two.
re was also a win for Karel Sedlacek of the Czech Republic - his first Worlds victory in three attempts - who impressively beat Australia's Raymond Smith 3-0. He plays 14th seed Dirk van Duijvenbode next.
Latvia's Madars Razma progressed with a 3-1 victory over Prakash Jiwa of India, and faces 11th seed Gary Anderson in round two."	/sport/darts/64018968
sports	Dorset: Ironman 70.3 Weymouth will go ahead	"A major triathlon event will go ahead, organisers have confirmed.
Ironman 70.3 Weymouth will continue as scheduled on Sunday.
Several events across the country have been cancelled in recent days as a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday. 
Her state funeral will be held on Monday. Organisers of the triathlon event in Dorset said they shared their ""deepest condolences with the Royal Family"". 
But they confirmed that following consultations with local stakeholders and authorities it was decided to go ahead with the event.
A moment of silence will be observed at the swim start on Sunday, organisers said. 
""We further encourage athletes to pay their respects on race day, however they feel comfortable doing,"" they added in a statement. 
mpetition - which includes 70.3-mile (113.2km) and 140.6-mile (226.3km) routes - involves a swim in Weymouth bay, a run through the town and a cycle race through rural west Dorset.
Earlier this week organisers of Southampton International Boat Show said the event would be held from 16-25 September but would close on Monday as a mark of respect to the Queen. "	/news/uk-england-dorset-62887999
sports	Sam Underhill: England flanker signs new Bath contract	"England flanker Sam Underhill has signed a new contract at Bath. 
26-year-old has joined fellow back rowers Alfie Barbeary, Josh Bayliss, Chris Cloete, Jaco Coetzee, Ted Hill and Miles Reid in committing to the club for next season.
""Sam has proved his quality at international and club level,"" said Bath's head of rugby Johann van Graan. 
""He is a leader, has fantastic defensive qualities and still has a great desire to develop his game.""
Underhill joined Bath in 2017, having previously had spells at Gloucester and Ospreys.
He added: ""I have learned an incredible amount over the past five years at Bath and I'm thoroughly looking forward to seeing where I can take my game with the group of staff and players we have here.""
Bath are bottom of the Premiership, winning three of their 10 games this season."	/sport/rugby-union/64103085
sports	Watch: Belfast Giants see off Glasgow Clan in nine-goal thriller	"Belfast Giants secured their fifth straight victory with a 6-3 win over Glasgow Clan at the SSE Arena.
Scott Conway bagged a double for the hosts with Mark Cooper, Lewis Hook, Ben Lake and Ciaran Long also on target.
Stephen McParland scored twice - one a penalty shot - for the Scots along with a Jordan Cownie strike.
ry, in front of a season-best 6,500 crowd, sees the champions remain fourth in the Elite League with Glasgow staying firmly rooted to the bottom."	/sport/av/ice-hockey/64110623
sports	David Ojabo 'shed tears' as Aberdeen-raised linebacker makes NFL debut for Baltimore	"David Ojabo admitted he ""shed a couple of tears"" after making his injury delayed NFL debut as Baltimore Ravens lost to Cleveland Browns.
utside linebacker, raised in Aberdeen, was picked by the Ravens in round two of the NFL draft in April.
But the 22-year-old Nigeria-born player has since been sidelined by an Achilles tendon injury suffered a month earlier.
""It was a dream come true,"" Ojabo said after his first NFL experience. ""All the hard work I put in was worth it.""
Having returned to training in October, he completed his jump from college football with Michigan Wolverines to the sport's top level after a late appearance in the Ravens' 13-3 defeat by their American Football Conference rivals on Saturday.
""Pre-game, I was on the field, I had my headphones on, shed a couple of tears just knowing it has been a long journey,"" Ojabo toldexternal-link Baltimore's YouTube channel.
Despite the fleeting nature of his debut, he still saw enough of his NFL opponents to conclude: ""Everybody's fast and everybody's strong.""
Responding to the suggestion that recovering from his injury in fewer than nine months was speedy, Ojabo replied: ""It was just building blocks - just day by day getting better.
""I know it'll be worth it. I am surrounded by good people, good staff, and I just trusted everything they told me and I worked hard every day."""	/sport/american-football/64017303
sports	FIH Nations Cup: Ireland defeated by Spain in Valencia opener	"Ireland began their Nations Cup challenge with a 2-0 defeat by hosts and favourites Spain on Sunday.
Spain struck in Valencia after just two minutes from a penalty corner with Clara Ycart slotting home a slick drag flick.
Both sides had chances before Spain made it 2-0 early in the second half.
It came from another penalty corner with Alejandra Torres-Quevedo deflecting on the backhand into the roof of the net.
Ireland applied good pressure throughout the match, forcing Spain to play a lot inside their own half and regularly winning possession.  
However, the final pass was missing for the girls in green as they failed to find the Spanish net.
feat means Ireland will most likely need to win their remaining two pool games - against Italy on Monday and Korea two days later - to finish in the top two of their group and progress into the semi-final matches.
m that wins the final of the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup wins a spot in the 2023 FIH Pro League.
""Spain and India are the two highest ranked teams here and both are going to be very hard to beat - I think it helps us for Monday's game that we played well against Spain,"" said Ireland coach Sean Dancer.
""Italy are a different opponent but with the Italian and Argentinian influence there are similar plays to what Spain did, so we're looking forward to the opportunity to take a step up again and keep doing the things we did well against the Spanish."""	/sport/hockey/63937512
sports	European Taekwondo Championships: Jade Jones and Lauren Williams target Manchester gold	"Jade Jones and Lauren Williams are intent on winning European Taekwondo Championships gold at the 2022 tournament in Manchester on 19-22 May.
Double 57kg Olympic champion Jones is seeking a fourth successive European title and aims to harness home advantage to bounce back from her 2020 Tokyo Olympics disappointment, having suffered a first-round loss at the delayed Games which took place in 2021.
Williams, fighting at 67kg, also has a point to prove after finishing runner-up in both Tokyo and at the previous Euros, having to settle for silver after two successive European titles.
Read more:  Keira Forsythe - From dog walking accident to European Championships
Watch all four days of the European Taekwondo Championships live on the BBC Sport website and app (UK only)"	/sport/av/taekwondo/61473566
sports	IFSC Para-climbing World Championships: Great Britain win six medals in Moscow	"Great Britain have won six medals at the 2021 IFSC Para-climbing World Championships in Moscow, Russia, including two golds.
Abbie Robinson (B2) and Matthew Phillips (AU2) claimed gold to become world champions for a third consecutive time. Richard Slocock (B2), Martha Evans (RP3) and Leanora Volpe (RP2) secured silver medals, while Jesse Dufton won a bronze in the B1 category.
Zoe Spriggins, competition programme manager, said it was ""a fantastic effort from the whole team"".
""It has been such a privilege to be here and watch the team perform after such a long break,"" she said."	/sport/disability-sport/58656253
sports	Josh Warrington: Leeds fighter loses featherweight world title to Luis Alberto Lopez	"re was an error
Watch highlights as Leeds fighter Josh Warrington is stunned on home soil as Luis Alberto Lopez wins on points to take the IBF featherweight world title.
READ MORE: Leeds fighter loses featherweight world title to Luis Alberto Lopez
Pictures courtesy of DAZN."	/sport/av/boxing/63934995
sports	Elite League: Manchester Storm 1-2 Cardiff Devils OT	"Trevor Cox and Joey Martin struck in a penalty shootout to give Cardiff Devils a hard-fought Elite League win at Manchester Storm.
Justin Crandall struck first for Devils, but Cole Carter had drawn Storm level by the end of the second period.
Neither side could find a breakthrough in the third period or in overtime.
Devils' ace in the hole was netminder Tyler Kozun who shut out Storm in the shootout, while Cox and Martin found the net to clinch victory.
Devils are next in Elite League action at Coventry Blaze on Boxing Day."	/sport/ice-hockey/64071910
sports	Joseph Schooling: Singapore Olympic star suspended for taking cannabis in Vietnam	"Singapore's first Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling has been suspended from competition after he admitted to consuming cannabis in Vietnam in May.
""I demonstrated bad judgement and I am sorry,"" he said.
27-year-old became a local sporting hero when he won the country's first Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games.
But the scandal has now divided opinion in a country known for its strict drug laws.
Many expressed sympathy for the national swimmer, noting that his father had died last November and he was facing immense pressure as an athlete. 
""Every young person makes mistakes,"" one person commented on an article about the case. Another wrote: ""This is a nothingburger. Many have tried it overseas.""
However, there were also those who condemned Mr Schooling. 
""It is totally unacceptable as a top sportsman who is supposed to be a national role model,"" a Facebook commenter said. 
Singapore bans the consumption of drugs within its territory and also prosecutes those who take drugs abroad. Citizens or permanent residents who fail urine tests for illegal drugs face up to 10 years in prison and a S$20,000 ($14,300; £12,300) fine.
It also has a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, which has become increasingly controversial as more young Singaporeans begin to speak up against capital punishment.
In a statement, Mr Schooling apologised that his actions caused hurt to his family and young fans who looked up to him. 
""I gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life,"" he said.
Another national swimmer, 29-year-old Amanda Lim, also admitted to consuming cannabis. She was given a warning by the Central Narcotics Bureau after an investigation.
""There is no excuse, and I will take the warning given to me seriously and reflect on my mistakes,"" she said in a statement.
Singapore's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that Mr Schooling had passed the urine drugs test, but that the star had confessed to taking cannabis while he was on a break from his military service to train and participate in the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi in May. Cannabis use is also illegal in Vietnam.
Given the ""abuse of disruption privileges"", Mr Schooling will no longer be able to take leave or disrupt his military service to train or compete, the ministry said. 
He will also be put on a supervised urine test regime for six months and could be sentenced to up to nine months' detention in military detention barracks if he tests positive.
All male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents have to serve about two years of full-time military service, usually starting when they are 18, unless they are exempted.
rt date for Mr Schooling's military service was deferred multiple times so he could compete in international competitions, before he enlisted in January this year.
Singapore's Olympic star returns to a hero's welcome"	/news/world-asia-62734018
sports	UCI Track Champions League 2022: GB's Katie Archibald and Ollie Wood win in Berlin	"Great Britain's Katie Archibald won both the scratch and elimination races to challenge the top of the women's endurance standings after round two of the UCI Track Champions League.
Scot, 28, followed up last week's opening weekend victory in the scratch race in Mallorca with her impressive double victory in week two in Berlin.
Another British rider, Ollie Wood, won the men's scratch race.
Compatriot Mark Stewart remains in second in the men's endurance table. 
Champions League format sees endurance riders compete in scratch and elimination races and sprint riders go up against each other in keirin and sprints.
men's and women's sprint and endurance champions are crowned at the end of the five-round series, which culminates in London on 4 December.
Archibald is the defending women's endurance champion after winning the overall title in last year's inaugural Track Champions League series.
And she has made an assault the top of the overall endurance standings with two dominant displays in Berlin giving her the maximum 40 points and leaving her six points off the lead.
America's Olympic and world champion Jennifer Valente remains top of the standings on 66 points after coming second in the women's scratch race behind Archibald. Australia's Chloe Moran was third.
Wood beat Claudio Imhof of Switzerland and Italy's Matteo Donega in the men's scratch race and now sits eighth overall. Canada's Matthias Guillemette leads the way, ahead of Stewart.
Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen tops the men's sprint standings while Colombia's Martha Bayona leads the way in the women's sprint table."	/sport/cycling/63691609
sports	PDC World Championship: Michael van Gerwen starts with win over Lewy Williams	"Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen opened his PDC World Darts Championship campaign with an emphatic second-round win over Welsh youngster Lewy Williams.
33-year-old Dutchman lost just one leg as he beat the 20-year-old 3-0 at Alexandra Palace.
Van Gerwen had an overall average of 101.84 in the match and won the second set with legs of 13, 12 and 11 darts.
""I think I played quite well. To be back here gives me a lot of pleasure,"" said Van Gerwen.
""I know I'm under pressure but then to do what I did gives a lot of joy and confidence. I feel good and comfortable.""
Van Gerwen, who was forced to withdraw from last year's competition, has won four major titles in 2022.
Meanwhile, Mervyn King led his match against Danny Baggish 2-0 but was pegged back to 2-2 by the American before the 56-year-old Englishman won the deciding set to make it through to the third round.
Germany's Gabriel Clemens was a 3-0 winner against Ireland's William O'Connor in their second-round match.
England's Stephen Bunting came from a set down to beat American Leonard Gates 3-1 to set up a third round meeting with Dave Chisnall, who beat Andrew Gilding 3-1."	/sport/darts/64059850
sports	Charlo-Tszyu off as undisputed world champion breaks hand	"Jermell Charlo's bout with Tim Tszyu has been postponed after the undisputed super-welterweight world champion broke his hand in training.
American Charlo, who holds the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA belts, became the undisputed champion when he knocked out Brian Castano in May.
After his win over Castano, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) ordered Charlo to defend his title against undefeated Australian Tszyu.
No new date has been set for the rescheduled bout."	/sport/boxing/64091245
sports	Eugene Laverty: World Superbikes rider returns home to Portugal after Phillip Island crash	"Eugene Laverty has arrived home in Portugal after sustaining pelvic and hip fractures in his final World Superbike race last month.
Northern Irish rider, 36, sustained a broken hip at Phillip Island, as well as fractures of the sacrum and pelvis. 
Having been discharged from hospital after four days, Laverty had to return for further treatment after internal bleeding but is now recovering well.
""I felt more ready to leave hospital the second time around,"" said Laverty.
""It took some time for everything to settle down after such a trauma.
""I've been very fortunate to have my wife Pippa by my side throughout and we're both very happy to return home following an extended period in Australia. 
""It wasn't the way I wanted to finish my racing career in WorldSBK but I was giving it my everything and that's how it should be.
""I want to thank WorldSBK race direction for red flagging the race immediately and all the medical staff at Phillip Island for taking such good care of me in the immediate aftermath of the crash. 
""There is a very good system in place to ensure that fallen riders are looked after and I owe a lot to them.""
Laverty was competing in his final race of a 16-year World Superbike career after announcing in July that he would be taking up a management role with the Bonovo BMW racing team, becoming a co-owner.
He was runner-up in the 2013 World Superbike Championship and his career also included racing for BMW Motorrad for three seasons and a two-year stint in MotoGP.
He won 13 races, finished on the podium 35 times and was twice runner-up in the World Supersport Championship."	/sport/northern-ireland/63928573
sports	Meet 15-year-old Aidan Heslop, Wales' Commonwealth Games cliff diver	"He spends his summers jumping off cliffs, but 15-year-old Aidan Heslop has made the leap to become Wales' first Commonwealth Games diver for 20 years. 
ger - who trains at Tom Daley's old pool in Plymouth - is currently competing at the Games in Gold Coast, Australia. 
Keep checking Get Inspired during the Commonwealth Games as to hear from the many faces of sport and activity in the UK.
us your story at GetInspired@bbc.co.uk"	/sport/av/diving/43560797
sports	Novak Djokovic: Serb lands in Australia after ban overturned	"Novak Djokovic has been welcomed back into Australia almost a year after he was deported over his Covid vaccine status.
Officials confirmed the 21-time Grand Slam champion, 35, had landed in the country for January's Australian Open.
Serb Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open winner, had an automatic three-year visa ban overturned in November.
""I think that he is going to be again the player to beat,"" said Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley.
Last January, when Djokovic arrived in Australia for the 2022 tournament, Covid cases were skyrocketing and government rules required anyone entering the country to be vaccinated - unless they had a valid medication exemption.
Djokovic, who was detained by the Australian Border Force on entering the country and forced to stay at an immigration hotel, claimed he had obtained a medical exemption to defend his title without being vaccinated because he had recently recovered from Covid-19.
However, after 10 days of legal argument, the government ruled he did not meet the requirements for entry, so his visa was cancelled and he was automatically not allowed to return to Australia until 2025.
Djokovic's detention dominated the headlines in the build-up to the tournament, with crowds gathering outside his hotel campaigning for and against his eventual deportation.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles - whose government came to power in May - overturned the ban last month and Djokovic said he was ""very happy"" on hearing the news.
xpect a backlash to the player's return and added: ""We welcome him back to Australia.
""I have a great deal of confidence in the Australian public. I have a lot of confidence that the fans will react how we hope they will react."" 
Djokovic, the world number five, said in November he was relieved to be able to return to Melbourne.
""[The] Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slam,"" he added. ""I made some of the best memories there.
""Of course, I want to go back there, I want to play tennis, do what I do best, hopefully have a great Australian summer.""
Djokovic, who is one Grand Slam title behind Rafael Nadal's record of 22, is scheduled to play in the Adelaide International, beginning Sunday, with the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on 16 January. "	/sport/tennis/64101511
sports	From GAA to AFLW: The women kicking their way to Australia	"It's a cool night in the busy village of Camlough in County Armagh, where the green and white flags of Shane O'Neill's Gaelic Football Club adorn every lamp-post in sight.
Normally at a time like this, Blaithin Mackin would be right in the middle of the exciting build up with her two brothers preparing to battle it out in the Intermediate Championship Final later this month.
But she is far from home, waking up in Melbourne where she's taking on a whole new challenge of her own: semi-professional Australian Football League Women's (AFLW).
23-year-old is one of 22 Gaelic footballers to join the AFLW this year. 
""It does feel like a dream sometimes,"" she told BBC News NI. ""I can't believe that I am over here and playing a sport full time.""
""I've learned a lot. At home you are working full-time hours so you didn't get as much time to focus on the off-field stuff, like your nutrition, your recovery.
""Now that I have the time to do that and recover well and get myself ready for the next training session, it definitely makes a big difference.""
Established in 2017, the AFLW aims to become a full-time professional sport by 2026 and as it grows toward that goal, the players salaries have grown too.
While still a fraction of the average salary in the men's game - which is over AUD$370,000 (£210,000) - AFLW salaries almost doubled for the 2022 season.
will range from a minimum wage of AUD$39,184 (£22,235) to over AUD$70,000 (about £40,000) for top-tier players.
For Irish players coming from an amateur sport, the opportunity to earn while they play offers real opportunity to develop further as athletes. 
""It allows you the freedom to focus on your sport, compared to home where you're rushing your dinner into you and rushing your lunch, rushing to training,"" Mackin, who signed with the Melbourne Demons, said.
""It would have been a hard one for me to say no to because I really wanted to come to this level and step myself up as an athlete and a player, see what impact I can have and really challenge myself in this sport.""
Irish women have a lot to offer in return. 
While they may be less familiar with the oval ball and the finer points of the Australian game, they've been finessing the art of kicking from a very young age.
Unlike AFLW, Mackin said, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) structures have been in place for a long time with a strong under-age set up. 
""The Australian girls are more skilled but we would have been playing from the age of five or six and we have a kicking background, which is quite appealing for AFLW.
""Obviously our sport at home has grown so much as well, and the players skill and strength levels are growing, too, which helps.""
A star in her home county's football team, Mackin would only consider an AFLW contract if she could finish the season with them.
""Earlier this year when I started talking about it, when I was approached by AFLW Ireland, the first thing I said was that I wouldn't leave Armagh this year.
""I was already in the middle of a season with them and I had committed to it so that was the main thing for me. So I'm really grateful to Melbourne that they let me do that.""
Before this year, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and AFLW seasons had lined up perfectly, with the Gaelic season finishing just in time for players to fly to Australia for AFLW pre-season training.
But the AFLW season has been brought forward this year, causing an overlap between the two.
Some clubs will allow the Irish players to miss part of pre-season but others will not, which is one of many factors that could determine how many Gaelic players make the transition in future.
""It's a very personal decision,"" Mackin said. ""It depends what you want, what stage in life you are at, your job at home. For some it wouldn't be worth it to come this far for this period of time.""
2022 season runs from August to November. 
""Some will want to stay on and travel or make Australia home, others will want to go back home to play for their county,"" she added.
But was the move from an amateur sport to semi professional a big jump in standards?
""Yes and no,"" Mackin said.
""The game at home has grown a lot so the standards Armagh would have set for us would be very similar and the amount of training sessions is probably fairly similar.
""Armagh has a great set up, we have a nutritionist, we have all the people in place and we always found time to fit in our strength work, our gym work.""
In Australia, there's just more of everything, she added.
""More masseuses, more physios, more strength and conditioning people, more nutritionists. There's more people that are being paid to support you throughout.""
In a few weeks time though Mackin will rise in the middle of the night to watch online her beloved Shane O'Neill's compete for a county title.
And while thankful for all the AFLW is offering her, her heart remains firmly in Armagh, where she intends to return next year for the 2023 Gaelic season."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63223010
sports	World Taekwondo Championships: Bradly Sinden suffers shock defeat in title defence	"Great Britain's Bradly Sinden has suffered a shock defeat in the -68kg final at the World Taekwondo Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Sinden was the defending champion after claiming gold at the 2019 Worlds in Manchester.
Olympic silver medallist was favourite to win again but he was beaten by 34th seed Kwon Do-yun.
South Korean edged Sinden 5-4 in the first round and secured the win with a 10-7 score in the second.
Iran's Reza Kalhor and Azerbaijan's Javad Aghayev both claimed bronze."	/sport/taekwondo/63659724
sports	Badminton Horse Trials: Laura Collett sets record score to win event for first time	"Olympic gold medallist Laura Collett set the lowest score in the 73-year history of the Badminton Horse Trials as she won the event for a first time.
Collett won the £100,000 top prize on horse London 52 with a final score of just 21.4 penalties.
32-year-old was 4.6 penalties ahead of British world champion Ros Canter on Lordships Graffalo.
""I am in a dreamworld,"" said Collett. ""My goodness, that horse. He just jumped higher and higher out there.""
She added: ""He is just exceptional, and he has truly shown the world everything that I always believed in him.""
London 52 was also the horse she won gold on in team eventing at last year's rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Oliver Townend, Collett's fellow GB gold medallist, came third making it a first all-British Badminton podium since 2002.
ging was the first Badminton since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and Collett said: ""We have missed it and we've missed the crowds. It is great to be back.
""This horse owes me nothing. He has given me my first five-star win [at Pau in France two years ago] and an Olympic gold medal, and yesterday was the biggest, most intense cross-country course he has ever seen."""	/sport/equestrian/61373713
sports	Gig rowing boat in Sidmouth blown across road in storm	"A gig rowing boat was blown across a road in high winds in the early hours of Tuesday.
Sidmouth Gig Club training boat in south Devon was stored by the sea wall.
Lynne Rattue, from the gig club, said the wind had got under the tarpaulin protecting the boat and pushed the boat ""right across"" the Esplanade.
She was alerted to the situation at about 07:45 GMT and managed to move the boat with help from her son's workmates at Sidmouth Scaffolding.
w been moved to its winter home in the Sidmouth Watersports Hub yard.
Ms Rattue said there was only minor damage to the boat and the tarpaulin.
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-devon-63638605
sports	Premiership: Bath 24-16 Newcastle Falcons - Bath fight back for victory	"Bath moved off the bottom of the Premiership as Ollie Lawrence, Ted Hill and Ben Spencer tries saw them beat Newcastle at a wet Recreation Ground.
railed 10-7 at half-time after Jamie Blamire's try for the Falcons but Bath controlled the second half for a fourth Premiership win this season.
Lawrence chased Spencer's kick to score the game's first try but Blamire was driven over to reply for Newcastle.
Hill and captain Spencer scored from close range to give Bath the victory.
win broke a five-match losing run for Bath in all competitions to move up to eighth in the Premiership, and above Newcastle, but they were forced to come from behind.
Lawrence collected Spencer's chip over the defence to score the opening try but, with Bath hooker Niall Annett in the sin-bin, his opposite number Blamire scored in the right corner.
Fly-half Brett Connon superbly converted from the touchline and a penalty then gave Newcastle the lead.
Gary Graham was close to extending the advantage after a wonderful step and surge to the line but the TMO ruled he was held up.
After half-time, Falcons' Elliott Obatoyinbo was sin-binned for illegally preventing a try for full-back Matt Gallagher but from the subsequent phases back row Hill burrowed over.
Scrum-half Spencer scored Bath's third, also from close range, after a penalty was kicked to the left corner.
A third Connon penalty kept Newcastle within a score but fly-half Orlando Bailey kicked another three for Bath to give them breathing space in the final minutes.
Connon had a chance to rescue a losing bonus point for Newcastle with the last kick of the game but his fourth attempt of the day was wide. 
Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, McConnochie; Bailey, B Spencer; Boyce, Annett, Rae, Attwood, Lee-Warner, Hill, Underhill, Bayliss
Replacements: Stewart, Morozov, Jonker, W Spencer, Reid, Schreuder, Joseph, Cloete
Sin-bin: Annett
Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Stevenson, Orlando, Penny, Carreras; Connon, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, Davison, Peterson, De Chaves, Graham, Chick, Fearns
Replacements: Fletcher, Mulipola, Palframan, Dalton, Marshall, Young, Moroni, Radwan
Sin-bin: Obatoyinbo
Referee: Jack Makepeace."	/sport/rugby-union/64120687
sports	Get Inspired: How to get into hurling	"Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is the governing body for hurling. The Gaelic Athletic Association websiteexternal-link offers video guides to the game as well as places to play.
Provincial Council of Britain GAAexternal-link looks after hurling in England, Scotland and Wales and has details of clubs and events.
A 15-a-side game popular in Ireland, hurling sees players use a wooden stick called a hurley to move a small ball, or sliotar, around the field.
re points you must hit the ball between your opponents' goalposts either with the stick or by scooping the ball up with your hurley and throwing it in.
Hurling is a fun, fast, full contact sport, a real adrenaline rush of a game - that is perfect for meeting new people and making friends.  
Are you inspired to try hurling? Or maybe you are a keen enthusiast already? Get in touch and tell us your experience of the activity by tweeting us on @bbcgetinspiredexternal-link or email us on getinspired@bbc.co.uk.
All clubs need a chair, secretary and treasurer to help things run smoothly as well as officials, coaches and judges. Whatever role you're interested in, Join Inexternal-link has opportunities to volunteer in your area."	/sport/get-inspired/23160639
sports	Hatton's Grace Hurdle: Teahupoo ends Honeysuckle's unbeaten run at Fairyhouse	"Teahupoo caused a shock in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle as Honeysuckle's unbeaten run came to an end at Fairyhouse.
wo-time champion hurdler Honeysuckle was seeking a record fourth win in the race and a 17th straight victory.
And Henry de Bromhead's mare cruised to the lead two flights from home.
But Willie Mullins' Klassical Dream and Teahupoo were in striking distance at the final jump, and Gordon Elliott's 20-1 shot prevailed on the line from Klassical Dream.
Honeysuckle has begun her season by winning the Hatton's Grace Hurdle in each of the last three years and De Bromhead was hoping she would become the first four-time winner of the Grade One hurdle.
Starting what is likely to be her last season in training, the eight-year-old and her ever-present jockey Rachael Blackmore were well placed before finishing third as Teahupoo stormed home.
""We've had some run with her for so long and there we go,"" said De Bromhead.
""They're going to get beaten one day. She's been incredible and fair play to the winner."""	/sport/horse-racing/63852764
sports	FIH Nations Cup: Ireland miss out on qualification after defeat	"Ireland missed out on qualification to the FIH Pro League after a 4-3 defeat by South Africa in the final of the Nations Cup in Potchefstroom.
Dayaan Cassiem saw his opener cancelled out by Shane O'Donoghue but the South African captain restored their lead.
Kok added a third but Ireland hit back through O'Donogue and John McKee.
However, the host nation had the final say when Mustaphaa Cassiem slotted home a penalty in the final quarter.
""Just gutted, to be honest, really gutted. Credit to South Africa, they were good today and they took their chances,"" said Ireland captain Sean Murray. 
""We put a lot of pressure on, had some good chances as well but in the end, it just comes down to little details and it's just bitterly disappointing.""
Ireland defeated South Africa 1-0 in the group stages of the inaugural Nations Cup and had just shy of double the amount of shots of their opponents in the final, but Mark Tumilty's men fell short. 
Captain Cassiem, who was awarded player of the match and tournament, opened the scoring in the fourth minute but O'Donoghue responded in the 19th minute.
Cassiem fired home his second just before half-time to give South Africa the advantage, and Kok swiftly added a third after the restart to extend their lead.
O'Donoghue hit back with a penalty corner to give Ireland hope, and they levelled in the third quarter when McKee fired into the circle and a touch off a South African defender took the ball past Estiaan Kriek.
South Africa hit the winner with 10 minutes to play when a penalty stroke was awarded for a foul of skipper Cassiem, and his brother Mustaphaa converted to secure the win."	/sport/hockey/63852112
sports	Scottish Open 2022: Gary Wilson beats Joe O'Connor 9-2 for first ranking title	"Gary Wilson claimed the first ranking title of his career with a 9-2 win against fellow Englishman Joe O'Connor in the Scottish Open final.
37-year-old opened up a 6-2 lead in the afternoon session at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh.
He then took the next three frames when the match resumed to clinch the Stephen Hendry trophy, as well as £80,000.
""Before this week I was nowhere really,"" Wilson, from Wallsend, told Eurosport.
""I'm just so so happy to win this one. I've worked so hard for so many years and been in so many situations where I thought it would never come. It's unbelievable. I'm so, so happy.""
O'Connor, ranked 50th in the world, was appearing in his first final having put in a superb display to beat Neil Robertson in the semi-final on Saturday.
And after countering an opening break of 102 from Wilson with 99, the 27-year-old continued to play aggressively, but was punished for missed chances.
At 3-2, a missed red allowed Wilson to step up to the table, and he produced the first of his two breaks of 102 to go two frames in front.
former World Championship semi-finalist, who knocked out Ronnie O'Sullivan on his way to the final, never looked back as he took the next five frames, finishing with a break of 94 to win a final at his third attempt.
Wilson added: ""I'm well into my career now and the longer it goes on you think: 'Am I ever going to win one?' 
""Especially the run of form I've had in the last couple of years, I've never even looked like getting to this stage. It's unbelievable.""
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news on the BBC app."	/sport/snooker/63854367
sports	European Aquatics Championships: GB's Kyle Kothari & Lois Toulson win synchro gold	"Great Britain's Kyle Kothari and Lois Toulson held their nerve to win European synchronised platform gold.
Kothari and Toulson were second in the standings after four dives, trailing Ukraine's Oleksii Sereda and Sofiia Lyskun by just five and a half points.
But world silver medallists Sereda and Lyskun's messy execution in the fifth round opened the door in Rome.
Kothari and Toulson's slick final effort leap-frogged them up to gold with a final score of 300.78.
""It's a bit of a shock to be fair,"" said Kothari. ""I knew we'd do well but coming away with a gold especially when we're still new together - it's gone perfectly to be honest.""
ulson added: ""We were always aiming for a medal and knew there would be tough competition but to put that last dive in and come away with gold is great.""
Kothari and Toulson's gold follows Commonwealth Games silver while representing England earlier this month.
m-mates Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Noah Williams won gold in Birmingham, but are not competing in this event in Italy.
It was Great Britain's fourth gold of this year's European Aquatics Championships and the first in diving.
Yasmin Harper came sixth in the women's 1m springboard final."	/sport/diving/62563813
sports	Tokyo Olympics medal table - which country has won most golds?	"Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis, Nielsen Gracenote:
Great Britain have ended the penultimate day of Tokyo 2020 with 63 medals, one more than at this stage at London 2012 and three fewer than Rio 2016 after 15 days. The 20 gold medals are seven behind Rio and eight behind London. The final day in Rio delivered Joseph Joyce's boxing silver medal. In London, Anthony Joshua won boxing gold on the last day amongst three medals.
r though, there are track cycling events on the last day with Jack Carlin and Laura Kenny as strongest potential medallists. In addition, Team GB have a guaranteed 64th medal from Lauren Price and Callum Hawkins amongst the best marathon runners.
On Great Britain v ROC for fourth place:
As expected, ROC won three gold medals to overtake Great Britain on the medal table on day 15. Both have 20 gold medals but ROC have won five more silvers. On Sunday, ROC have two opportunities to win golds - in rhythmic gymnastics and handball. Russia won both of these events at the last Olympic Games and are favourites to win both again. To finish fourth on the medal table, Great Britain probably need to win two gold medals on Sunday and hope that ROC do not win both of these events."	/sport/olympics/57836709
sports	Rob Burrow's wheelchair accessible van vandalised in Castleford	"Rugby league star and motor neurone disease fundraiser Rob Burrow's wheelchair accessible van was vandalised while his family were out for a Christmas meal, his father has said.
Geoff Burrow said his son had been out in Castleford, West Yorkshire, on Friday when the vehicle was targeted. 
""They made quite a lot of deep scratches on the back of the van where we wheel Rob in on the ramp,"" he said.
He described the culprits as ""cowards"".
family had been out for an evening meal at the Rockello restaurant in the Glasshoughton area and found the damage at about 21:00 GMT. 
Following a tweet sent by Rob's father, the family said they have been inundated with offers to pay for the repairs and businesses willing to carry out the work for free. 
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Burrow said: ""How anybody can do anything like that, it clearly had a disability sign on it and Rob's disability badges on the front.
""The outpouring of kindness shows you that there's more nice people than scumbags like this person, but we could have done without it - we're going through enough without having to deal with this.""
He said the vehicle was parked near the restaurant and was not obstructing any driveways or on any yellow lines.  
""It spoilt a good night out, they're cowards,"" he said.
""How could someone do it to a disability van, how they sleep is their problem I suppose.""
West Yorkshire Police has been asked to comment.  
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leeds-64086021
sports	Commonwealth Games: Wales weightlifter Amy Salt explains her battle through pain barrier	"The Commonwealth Games experience is not always about medals. Wales weightlifter Amy Salt has been the epitome of that in Birmingham this week.
Salt did not manage a podium position but pushed herself to the physical limit which resulted in a back injury and a visit to hospital.
Wrexham-born athlete, 29, who represents Wythenshawe Weightlifting Club, was competing in the women's 76kg weight class at the NEC.
Salt had been struggling with a hip injury before the competition but was desperate to compete after missing out on the Gold Coast four years ago because of a fractured back.
After lifting 86kg in the snatch section, Salt was struggling but bravely decided to make her third and final attempt to stay in the competition.
After completing her lift - which was ruled a foul lift by the judging panel - she fell to her knees in pain after attempting to exit the main stage.
She was treated next to the stage for more than 10 minutes by medical staff before being taken to hospital. 
""It is not what I dreamt of but I'm still delighted I ended up even stepping on the platform,"" said Salt.
""After all the injuries I've had I was happy to be there. In the lead up to it, I had a hip tear and knew I didn't feel very good.
""I broke my back last Commonwealth games and thought I don't want to pull out again. I knew my back wasn't fractured this time, so I was going to go.
""My hip was feeling okay so I thought I'll start pushing the weights and see what happens.
""Then I did an 86 kilo snatch and my hip was not happy at all, so I started limping and later in the warm-up my back started to hurt.
""For the clean and jerk I thought lets open light. I was not going to be in with a chance of a medal anymore I'm just going to get a total.
""My back went in to spasm after the first lift. I thought I've got to go out again otherwise I'm not going to get a total.
""It is the first Commonwealth Games I've been to and I wanted to get a total.
""I went out and did it and they didn't give it to me and I was absolutely gutted.
""Then my back went completely and I ended up going to A&E.""
A visit to hospital was not on the agenda but she was eventually discharged later that night.
""I went to get checked, the Welsh medics and physio were amazing and with me the whole time,"" Salt added.
""They sent me to A&E on a board which was no fun. Having your head all strapped together on a board, they didn't know whether I had fractured it again.
""I was on the board for about three hours which is why my back was completely ceased up.
""I was there a few hours because they put me on morphine and I was not very well.
""I got scanned and when we realised it was a tear and a disc bulge on a nerve it was like a big sigh of relief because it wasn't the same injury.
""I'm thankful I'm on crutches rather than in a wheelchair and it will rehab a lot quicker than last time and the injury is minor in comparison to 2017.
""They asked me to stay the night but I just wanted to go home and be in bed although I unfortunately had to leave the village because I couldn't go to the toilet on my own.
""I wasn't expecting my teammates to be caring after me when they are off wanting to have a pint.
""I am not walking properly and everything is still ceasing up but I am ok and the rehab starts now.""
Despite her experiences, Salt insists she has no regrets about competing.
""I wouldn't change trying to push the weights because it was my one opportunity and I had been waiting eight years to do it,"" she added.
""I knew there was a chance going in to it my back was going to go again but I still would have done the exact same thing.
""I had the best time and represented Wales and that's all I ever wanted to do. A lot of the public got behind me.
""It's very easy to see the successes and brilliance that happens at these Games but those moments are few and far between.
""You don't realise the amount of pain and sacrifice that goes into it.
""I work a full-time job and train six days a week, four hours a day to get there and then when I did get there things didn't go my way.
""Nothing was standing in my way of trying to leave everything on that platform be it a make or break kind of thing. And I broke. 
""I sacrificed eight years of my life to do it and I don't regret a second of it. I would go through this pain 10 more times to do it all again, it was worth it.""
So with another long period of rehabilitation on the horizon will that be it now for Salt and weightlifting?
""It is hard to say because it has only been a few days,"" she added.
""My family and physio hope it is because it's the second back injury and you've got to think about your health and whether it is all worth it in the long-term.
""It is not the way I wanted to leave the sport so that is also in my head.
""I knew I was capable of winning a medal after looking at the results. 
""It is a hard pill to swallow and not a nice way to leave the sport after eight years.
""So I am just not sure."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/62393534
sports	Premiership: Sale Sharks 40-5 Leicester Tigers - Rob du Preez leads home side to bonus-point win	"Sale Sharks reduced the gap on leaders Saracens to five points as they thrashed reigning champions Leicester Tigers at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Sale ran in five tries to record a bonus point and notch a sixth home win out of seven in the Premiership.
m O'Flaherty, Simon McIntyre, Ewan Ashman, Rob du Preez all crossed, along with a penalty try as they did the double over Leicester.  
It was a first loss for the Tigers under interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth, with just a Handre Pollard try to show for a difficult evening.
Since Sale beat Leicester to become champions in 2006, they have only reached the play-offs once.
But they have made big strides since Alex Sanderson took up the director of rugby role in January 2021 as he tries to turn them into a Premiership force once again. 
ry leaves them well placed for a top-two finish and a possible home semi-final for the chance to reach Twickenham for the first time in 17 years.
As for Leicester, they are now 10 points behind Sale and will have to do it the hard way if they are to defend their crown. 
was a difficult night as they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season and suffered a catalogue of injuries. Things were so bad that replacement hooker Gabriel Oghre finished the game at centre.
r former head coach and new England boss Steve Borthwick was in the stands, along with Kevin Sinfield, in a crowd of 9,491, the highest at the AJ Bell Stadium this season, as Sale showed why they have the meanest defence in the Premiership as they repelled early Tigers pressure deep within their own half.
Leicester were awarded a number of penalties, but despite being able to call on the boot of South Africa World Cup winner Pollard, who kicked 20 points as the Springboks defeated England in the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama, they opted to kick to the corner in search of a try but ultimately to no avail.  
And when Sale got into opposing territory, they had little hesitation in asking Rob du Preez to kick a hat-trick of penalties to get the scoreboard moving.
xtended that lead further thanks to a slick handling move across the backs featuring full-back Luke James and Arron Reed ended with Reed's opposite wing O'Flaherty touching down.
Reed thought he had put the game out of Leicester's reach at the end of the half but after a long deliberation by the TMO, it was deemed that he had knocked on rather than added a second try.
me side looked the more threatening at the start of the second half, but a loose pass by Du Preez allowed Pollard to run in an interception for his first Premiership try on his first start. 
Yet there was a gasp of disbelief when the fly-half sliced his conversion way off target from his only effort from the tee.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as a typical Manu Tuilagi burst opened a hole in the visitors' defence and the resulting pressure saw prop McIntyre claim the try.          
A penalty try saw the advantage grow further and with Leicester replacement Sean Jansen shown a yellow card, the bonus point was inevitable.
Replacement hooker Ewan Ashman delivered it and there was still time for Du Preez to run in a fifth try.
Former England scrum half Joe Simpson, on his final appearance before retirement, failed to add the champagne moment by missing the conversion, but it did not dampen the mood of excitement building among Sharks supporters. 
Sale Sharks defence coach Mike Forshaw:
""We thought it would be an arm wrestle, we didn't expect to put 40 points on them. But if you nail your set-pieces and your defence, you win games.
""You have to look at who's sat in the stand [for us], George Ford, a world class 10, Raffi Quirke, an England scrum half, Bevan Rodd. It's a juicy prospect to have that artillery coming back with what we already have.
""We need more nights like this, as playing in front of a crowd like this is a massive advantage to us.""  
Leicester Tigers interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth:
""We started quite well, we were aggressive and went for points but we didn't score. 
""If you don't take your chances at maul when you're close to the line, it feels like you're going to be on the back foot all game.
""Before we knew it, we were 16-0 down at half time and it was always going to be a long way back from there.
[on Handre Pollard]: ""Handre was only due to play 40 minutes but we managed him for as long as we could. He's new to this team and new to us, but you can see his class. He will only get better and better for us.""   
Sale Sharks: L James; Reed, S James, Tuilagi, O'Flaherty; R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, Van der Merwe, Schonert, Wiese, Hill, T Curry, B Curry (capt), JL du Preez.
Replacements: Ashman, Harrison, Harper, Beuamont, Ross, Simpson, Curtis, McGuigan.
Leicester Tigers: Steward; Watson, Porter, Kelly, Potter; Pollard, van Poortvliet; Whitcombe, Clare, Cole, Wells, Chessum, Liebenberg (capt), Reffell, Cracknell.
Replacements: Oghre, Leatigaga, Heyes, Green, Jansen, Youngs, Burns, Ashton.
Referee: Matthew Carley."	/sport/rugby-union/64119901
sports	Hockey World Cup: England and Wales drawn in same pool with hosts India	"England and Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the Hockey World Cup, which begins in India on 13 January.
It is the first time Wales have qualified for the World Cup and they are joined in Pool D by the hosts and Spain.
Defending champions and Olympic gold medallists Belgium are in Pool B with Germany, South Korea and Japan.
England took bronze at August's home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Wales finished sixth.
Australia took Commonwealth gold and will be in Pool A for the World Cup alongside Argentina, France and South Africa.
Netherlands - World Cup runners-up in 2018 - are in Pool C with New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile."	/sport/hockey/62830749
sports	Katie Taylor: Undisputed champion's fight preparation	"Ireland's undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor invites us into her training camp, sharing the most important exercises in her regime before defending her world titles against Karen Elizabeth Carabajal at Wembley Arena.
Follow coverage and reaction of Katie Taylor v Karen Elizabeth Carabajal on the BBC Sport website & app on Saturday, 29 October.
Promoter Matchroom produced this video for BBC Sport. It was originally published in April 2022."	/sport/av/boxing/61243230
sports	Keith Pelley on Golf for the Disabled Tour's second season	"The Golf for the Disabled Tour can help the game become the world's most inclusive sport, says European Tour group chief executive Keith Pelley.
G4D hosts events for disabled golfers on the same course during the same week as the professional DP World Tour. 
It was launched earlier this year and its second season - expanded from seven to eight tournaments - begins in Australia on Friday. 
Pelley said the tour was a ""major step"" to realising their aims on inclusivity.
""I firmly believe golf has the potential to be the most inclusive sport in the world and the G4D Tour is a major step in realising this ambition,"" said Pelley, before this week's Australian All Abilities Championship, which will run alongside the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Events in 2023 will take place in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sweden, Northern Ireland and England - at the British Masters at The Belfry during the week of the main tour's flagship PGA Championship at Wentworth - before the season-finale alongside the Race to Dubai climax at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
re will also be an Order of Merit for the first time in 2023, which will recognise the G4D's top player over the season. 
""The G4D Tour has been a tremendous success since it launched earlier this year,"" added Pelley, who heads up the group that also oversees Europe's Challenge Tour, Legends Tour and the Ryder Cup.
""We have seen unprecedented numbers of golfers with a disability enquire about playing on the tour and getting a world ranking, thanks to the ability for these inspirational players to play Tour-level courses next to the best players on the DP World Tour."""	/sport/golf/63805490
sports	World Championships: Adam Peaty 'angry' with 100m breaststroke bronze in Melbourne	"Britain's double Olympic champion Adam Peaty says he felt ""pure anger"" at winning 100m breaststroke bronze at the Short Course World Championships.
American Nic Fink claimed gold and Italy's defending champion Nicolo Martinenghi silver in Melbourne.
""I'm angry with bronze. I don't get bronze often, so it's a bit of a weird one on the Wikipedia,"" said Peaty.
""It's my first competition since the Olympics. The Commonwealths was just a trial really, after my foot (injury).""
Peaty, 27, was in second place before being passed by Martinenghi on the final 25m length as he claimed Britain's first medal of the event.
""I'm disappointed but I'm not going to allow myself to be,"" he said. ""It is what it is. I am what I am.""
Peaty is a former world record holder in the short course 100m but has never won the world title. He holds the world record of 56.88 seconds for the long course 100m, set in 2019.
""I'm looking forward to a long course season after this week and I've got to be uncomfortable - I've got to be challenged - if I'm going to challenge that world record,"" Peaty said.
""This is the fight I need and I just feel pure anger, which is when I feel very dangerous.""
Earlier, Britain's Tom Dean finished eighth in the 100m freestyle.
Australia's Kyle Chalmers took gold ahead of France's Maxime Grousset and Italy's Alessandro Miressi.
South Africa's Chad le Clos continued his return to form with victory in the 200m butterfly.
30-year-old had to cope with unspecified upset in his private life and contemplated suicideexternal-link last year while he lived with depression.
Cheered on by his father Bert in the stands, Le Clos, who failed to make it through the heats of the 100m butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics last year, came home almost a second quicker than Daiya Seto of Japan.
""This is a big win for me,"" said Le Clos. ""I have taken a lot of losses in the past few years.
""A lot of people doubted me, the swimming world doubted me, but the king is back.""
Australia's Emma McKeon won the 100m freestyle title ahead of Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey in a repeat of the Olympic final.
American Lily King won 100m breaststroke gold as she overtook Lithuanian rival Ruta Meilutyte in the final metres of a thrilling race, although Meilutyte was later disqualified and the Netherlands' Tes Schouten promoted to silver.
mpionships run until Sunday."	/sport/swimming/63982857
sports	Australia triumph & 'extraordinary steps' taken - but where next for rugby league?	"Australia's 30-10 victory over Samoa in the men's final brought the curtain down on the Rugby League World Cup - a tournament six years in the making.
With all 61 men's, women's and wheelchair fixtures broadcast live on the BBC, a record of almost 30 million people tuned in to watch the action that was delayed 12 months by the Covid pandemic.
Several attendance records were also broken - with nearly 500,000 tickets sold over the course of a five-week period.
New nations such as Brazil, Greece and Jamaica delivered a feelgood factor and memories to eclipse some of the lopsided outcomes in the group stages, before the intense rivalries, high quality and drama-filled later stages.
Alongside the positives, there were lessons to be learned too.
A slicker and more agile ticketing operation is likely to prove vital to the success of the next World Cup - in France in 2025 - and would have helped spread the gospel of the game even further this time around.
And the lack of an international programme for 2023 and beyond - coming off a five-week festival of rugby league - purveys a feeling of uncertainty for a sport that appears to trundle rather than accelerate towards realising its global potential.
England have a men's and women's double header against France scheduled for April next year, but as it stands there are no other international matches to look forward to.
rnational governing body has pledged to release a 10-year plan for the game in December, but fixture announcements have already been delayed and rescheduled twice in 2022 amid internal wrangling in Australia.
A southern hemisphere cup competition including Australia and New Zealand is reportedly close to being agreed, with one of the Pacific Island nations also given an option to tour the northern hemisphere.
When asked about the need for the issues to be resolved, Australia men's coach Mal Meninga said: ""Absolutely. I'm in a position where I can say that as coach of the World Cup winners.
""Like I've said many times, particularly in the last few days: 'Where to from now?' We need a schedule to work towards.
""The whole tournament was excellent. It was a good showpiece, and it shows where the international game is going with Samoa in there.""
Kangaroos - the sport's most successful international side - had been without a Test fixture for almost three years prior to their arrival in England.
Speaking on the BBC, former England captain Jamie Peacock said: ""We've been saying this forever, haven't we? We say this all the time. International rugby needs to sort itself out.""
Samoa captain Junior Paulo said: ""I don't know how we find a way but we need to find a way to block games out for international rugby league moving forward.""
While some of the thrashings doled out in the early stages were not pretty, some the celebrations will live long in the memory - in particular those after Siteni Taukamo slid over for a Greece side crushed by England, and following Ben Jones-Bishop's historic score for Jamaica against New Zealand. 
So too will the traditional pre-match war dances of Samoa and Tonga - breathtaking moments worth the entrance fee alone.
Samoa more than caught the eye once the action got under way too - becoming the first tier-two nation to reach the final with a dramatic golden-point defeat of an England side that had thrashed them 60-6 in the opening game.
king of a huge Old Trafford crowd in the showpiece match - and the delight at Stephen Crichton's late consolation try - told its own story.
""It was awesome,"" said Paulo. ""We were on the other end of the stick against England where they were booing and it goes to show how good rugby league is. 
""Seeing the boys celebrate that try despite being where we were on the scoreboard meant everything to us about how proud we are of this team.""
England's semi-final exit from the women's tournament inevitably pushed the case for professionalism if they are to compete with the two powerhouse nations - New Zealand and world champions Australia - whose players are almost exclusively based in the full-time NRLW.
But the quality of the product on show also underlined the massive strides over the past decade - and the Group A opener between England and Brazil set a new northern hemisphere record for attendance at a women's rugby league match.
Jillaroos were at their dazzling, skilful best in the final, with Meninga among many watching on in admiration.
""It has been a great rise for women's rugby league,"" he said. ""They have taken extraordinary steps forward and it is great to see.
""I want the game of rugby league to prosper. We are all equal and inclusive - that is what our game delivers.""
was obvious nowhere more than during the wheelchair tournament, which brought the sport to so many new people.
""I think we've seen the birth of a new pop culture phenomenon,"" Australian journalist Steve Mascord said on the 5 live Rugby League World Cup podcast.
As Rugby League World Cup chief executive Jon Dutton said on the eve of the final: ""We've got a new audience the sport didn't have.
""They've been attracted by how brilliant wheelchair rugby is to consume, for example, and what's happened here in the women's game is transformational.
""Different people will have a different take but, for us, the structure has been a resounding success."""	/sport/rugby-league/63691695
sports	Diana Kipyokei loses Boston title after six-year doping ban	"Kenyan marathoners Diana Kipyokei and Purity Rionoripo have been banned from athletics for doping, meaning there are now at least 60 athletes from the country currently serving suspensions issued by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). 
Kipyokei, whose 2021 Boston Marathon title has now been annulled, and Rionoripo, winner of the Paris Marathon in 2017, have been banned for six and five years respectively. 
for Kipyokei, 28, has been backdated to June 2022, when the AIU provisionally suspended her, while her results have been disqualified since the day she provided a urine test following her Boston win in October 2021. 
""That sample returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for the presence of a metabolite of triamcinolone acetonide, an anti-inflammatory,"" the AIU said in a statement. 
""With investigative assistance from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, the AIU discovered that Kipyokei provided false/misleading information in trying to explain her AAF, including fake documentation which she alleged came from a hospital."" 
Rionoripo's ban came after the presence of the diuretic furosemide in an out-of-competition test in Kenya conducted in May. 
Like Kipyokei, the 29-year-old was also found to have attempted to have tampered with the evidence against her. 
""In her explanation, she claimed to have been prescribed medication by a doctor at a hospital to treat an ankle injury and presented supporting documentation,"" the AIU continued. 
""Investigations revealed that though Rionoripo was treated at the hospital, she had altered her prescription form."" 
Since she has admitted her guilt, the six-year ban sought by the AIU for Rionoripo was reduced by twelve months, and has been backdated to start from 21 November. 
Elsewhere, another Kenyan - Betty Wilson Lempus - has been charged with a further violation, on top of the provisional suspension announced in October after also being accused of tampering. 
Like both Kipyokei, she was found to have triamcinolone acetonide in her system, which the AIU confirmed after dismissing the explanation given for her positive test. 
In response to the attempts to explain away failed drug tests through concocted stories, the head of the AIU has pledged to keep tackling these practices. 
""[We will use] the full extent of our intelligence and investigative capabilities to uncover the truth and keep the sport of athletics clean,"" said Brett Clothier. 
Clothier also addressed the recent pledge by the Kenyan government to commit $5m annually, which is believed to have helped avert a sanction by governing body World Athletics. 
""It is a crucial first step and has the potential to be a game changer because it will ensure [the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya] and Athletics Kenya have proportionate resources to play their part in the fight against doping."" "	/sport/africa/64043612
sports	Bruce Anstey: 'The doctors don't know how I'm still here' - Kiwi road racer talks about cancer battle	"When Bruce Anstey announced in April 2018 that he would be sitting out the forthcoming road racing season because of illness it came as a major shock to the sport's closely knit fraternity.
It was widely known that the popular New Zealander had previously been diagnosed with and received treatment for cancer but news that the illness had returned was met with a wave of sympathy and concern.
Anstey's partner Anny revealed on a Facebook post at the time that he had ""multiple tumours in his lungs and a tumour on his spine and a blood clot on the lung"".
52-year-old's impressive racing CV to date includes 12 Isle of Man TT wins, plus 13 and 10 victories respectively at the Ulster Grand Prix and North West 200 international events.
But in addition to his rare talent and exploits on the track, it is the quietly-spoken Kiwi's affable personality and laid-back attitude that have endeared him to legions of road racing fans across the world.
""I had cancer 25 years ago and it decided to come back in 2018,"" explained Anstey.
""I've been struggling with that, going through all the chemotherapy again, it's been a bit of a slog.
""By the second half of 2019 I was just starting to come right and won the 250cc race at the Classic TT on the Isle of Man, then Covid hit and I just had to keep out of the way for the last couple of years as my immune system is all shot.
""It's all good now. I had another small operation in 2019 to get rid of the last of it and I've been clear since then although I am still having blood tests every three months.
""The first time I had the treatment I really struggled but 25 years on the drugs stop you feeling as sick so that was much better.
""It was still hard but it seemed a lot easier this time as I knew what I was in for.
""The doctors still don't know if the cancer was the original one or the new one. They don't know how I'm still here really, so I'm a bit of a mystery to them.""
Anstey's ability to contend for major wins despite competing at just a selected few meetings each season has confounded observers of the sport for years and his consistency is evidenced by the fact that he achieved at least one podium finish at all three major internationals for 14 consecutive years between 2002 and 2015.
Wellington rider was a Superbike TT winner in 2015, the same year that his achievements were recognised by his native country when he became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours.
He is also a former lap record holder for both the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course and the Ulster Grand Prix course at Dundrod.
""I don't know if I'll do the main TT again as I don't think I'm strong enough to do six laps,"" said Anstey of his plans for the future.
""But I really want to get out in the Classic TT again - maybe do the 500 and 250 races - that's my goal and hopefully that will happen in 2022.
""I definitely want to do the Classic TT and maybe some other bits and pieces in between.
""I'm just glad to be here and plan to get out there, enjoy life and have as much fun as possible.""
Previously resident in Windsor, outside London, Anstey is now living in the village of Cullybackey in county Antrim after recently moving to Northern Ireland with Anny.
""We needed a change. It's a lot quieter than where I was outside London and we are looking forward to it.
""I was at the Cookstown 100 on Saturday and it was great to be back out and about as I haven't been out for a long time.
""I hadn't been at a bikes meeting since 2019 so it was good to meet some old friends. Everybody is so friendly and it was nice to have a chat with everyone. It had been such a long time with Covid and everything."""	/sport/northern-ireland/58544514
sports	Commonwealth Games: Scotland claim four golds in less than four hours	"Scotland claimed an astonishing four gold medals - and six in total - during less than four hours of incredible Commonwealth Games drama in Birmingham on Wednesday.
Para-bowlers Pauline Wilson and Rosemary Lenton started the rush, the latter becoming Scotland's oldest gold medallist at the age of 72.
, Sarah Adlington retained her +78kg judo title and became Scotland's first ever double judo gold medallist, before swimmer Duncan Scott added his second gold with a Games record in the 200m individual medley. 
And Eilish McColgan produced the most remarkable result of all to rampage to victory in the 10,000m and match her mother Liz's success in 1986 and 1990. And just for good measure, she did it in a Games record with her maw watching trackside.
ruscating few hours were bookended by Adlington's team-mate Rachel Tytler taking bronze in the -78kg category, and Scott joining Craig McNally, Ross Murdoch - in the last races of their career - and Evan Jones to claim third in the 4 x 100m medley relay.
It added an enormous dollop of polish to Scotland's standing. Medals have been surprisingly bountiful, but golds vexingly rare. Not any more. The nine won in Goal Coast four years ago are now in significant danger of being surpassed.
Birmingham tally now stands at 32, with seven gold, eight silver and 17 bronze after six of the 11 days. Just 12 more of any colour matches the amount of four years ago. 
Boxer Reese Lynch, Sam Hickey and Sean Lazzerini all won their quarter-finals earlier on Wednesday to secure at least another three bronzes, and will watch team-mates Lennon Mulligan, Matthew McHale and Tyler Jolly try to do the same on Thursday.
riumph of Lenton and Wilson, with their combined age of 130, was a gently enjoyable start to an enthralling day.
uo didn't just beat their Australian opponents, they overwhelmed them 17-5 in a dominant display, having seen off England in their semi-final. It matched the achievement of their male pairs counterparts.
""I'd never thought we'd be going home with a gold medal,"" Lenton told BBC Scotland. ""I hoped and prayed we would. When it really mattered - the semi-finals and finals - we really turned it on, both of us.
""In a couple of weeks' time, I will be 73, but records are there to be broken and somebody will break that.""
Scott is your man for that kind of business. The swimmer has not only ransacked 78-year-old Alister Allan's record of 10 Commonwealth Games medals this week and pushed the mark out to 13, but he has also now stripped the shooter of the consolation that he had won more golds.
Olympic medallist now taken gold in the 200m freestyle and medley, as well as bronze in the 400m medley, 100m free, 4 x 200m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relay, all in the past five days. And he took one of those off to rest.
""I'm absolutely exhausted,"" the 25-year-old told BBC Sport Scotland. ""I was really hurting and I'm really glad that I'm finished, to be honest. 
""It's been a really long week and I just scraped the barrel there and the team helped me out. I'm just absolutely buzzing for the four of us, and the four that did the heat. It's been all of us coming together to get that bronze.""
Given her recent difficulties with illness and injury - and the stacked nature of the 10,000m - it seemed a bronze might be the best McColgan could hope for. But the 31-year-old Dundonian is one of the most obdurate athletes on the circuit.
She led early and maintained her form throughout, before finding herself in a duel with Irine Cheptai with a lap to go. 
Kenyan surged ahead on the back straight but McColgan wasn't having any of her capers, digging in and rampaging past to record the biggest win of her career.
""I have never sprinted like that in my life and without the crowd I could never have done that,"" she told BBC Sport. ""It was vibrating through my body. 
""I couldn't have asked for anything more to have my family here. Your family know the ups and downs and this is my fourth attempt over four events and I have come sixth every time. You could see I wanted gold. To win it tonight was so special.""
Mother Liz, a redoubtably presence at the best of times, stood emotionally beside her as she spoke.
""To witness your daughter win in the same event is incredible,"" she added. ""She just ran the race I knew she was capable of running. I know how hard she works and it's fantastic it came together and she won."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/62400268
sports	World Championships: GB's Tom Dean takes bronze as Adam Peaty misses out on medals	"Britain's Olympic champion Tom Dean claimed bronze in the men's 200m freestyle at the Short Course World Championships in Melbourne on Sunday.
Dean finished 1.14 seconds behind South Korea's Hwang Sun-woo, 19, who defended his title from an outside lane in a championship record time.
Adam Peaty, who felt ""pure anger"" at winning 100m breaststroke bronze on Thursday, came sixth in the 50m event.
USA's Nic Fink finished first with a championship record 25.38 seconds.
In a dramatic end to the championships, Australia and America shared gold in the men's 4x100 medley relay after breaking the world record in a dead heat.
USA women's 4x100 medley relay team also took gold with a world record time of three minutes 44.35 seconds, beating Australia and Canada.
Elsewhere, South Africa's Chad le Clos continued his return to form, following up his victory in the 200m butterfly on Thursday with success in the 100m event.
30-year-old had to cope with unspecified upset in his private life and contemplated suicideexternal-link last year while he lived with depression.
Canada's Maggie Macneil, who also won the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly, defended her 100m butterfly title in 54.05 seconds, smashing the world record.
Home favourite Kaylee McKeown became the first female ever to hold the short course, long course, Olympic and Commonwealth titles in the same event when she finished first in the 200m backstroke.
Briton Imogen Clark came sixth in the women's 50m breaststroke - 0.97 seconds behind winner Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania, who broke the world record in her semi-final on Saturday but lost out on a silver in the 100m event after being disqualified.
Britain's Luke Greenbank finished fifth in the men's 200m backstroke, where American four-time Olympic gold medallist Ryan Murphy edged compatriot Shaine Casas to claim gold.
World record holder Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong successfully defended her 200m freestyle crown in one minute 51.65 seconds."	/sport/swimming/64017142
sports	London 2012: Ten years on, what lessons can we learn from London’s legacy?	"""Our vision is to see millions more young people in Britain and across the world participating in sport and improving their lives as a result of that participation. And London has the power to make that happen.""
So said Prime Minister Tony Blair in a speech to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 6 July 2005, the day London was awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympics.
rs on from the start of the Games, what is London's sporting legacy?
What lasting impact did those halcyon days have, beyond the enduring memories of the excitement and pride it generated? The answer is both complex and contested. 
In terms of facilities, five of the original venues from the Olympics are still being used.
roubled finances of the iconic London Stadium - now home to Premier League football club West Ham of course - have been the source of significant controversy. Not only was the £320m bill for converting it after the Games twice the original estimate, but the loss-making facility still costs taxpayers around £8m-10m a year to run. 
rd successive year the stadium has failed to host track and field, and UK Athletics is considering a move away from the stadium, where it has a 50-year lease, to be able to stage events during a short window every summer. 
More encouraging is the extension of a partnership bringing Major League Baseball to the venue. 
rome, meanwhile, will host the track cycling at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 
redeveloped, bustling Queen Elizabeth Park - where members of the public can swim and cycle at modified facilities originally used for the Games, and where there is now a cultural and education district as well as a tech and innovation hub - stands in stark contrast to the abandoned facilities that have blighted some other former Olympic host cities. 
usands of jobs have been created and 11,000 new homes in the wider area have been completed, although affordable housing targets have been missed, with fears some local people have been priced out of the area.
And yet the 10-year anniversary of the Games comes at a time when more than a quarter of adults in England are officially inactive, and obesity rates among primary school children have hit record highs. A time when half of British women do no regular exercise. 
A new survey by the Sports Think Tank has found that 61% of leaders in the sports sector feel the Games did not deliver the legacy promises made, with the biggest failure identified as the core commitment to 'inspire a generation'.external-link
So was what seemed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make us healthier and more active squandered?
Lord Coe, who chaired the organising committee, believes that without the Games the current situation could be even graver.
""The worst that you can say is we actually staunched the haemorrhaging of participation,"" the president of World Athletics says.
""It was never going to be a straight line on a graph. Many of the sports we've looked towards to improve physical inactivity have actually done very well. More people are cycling and running than ever before. 'Parkruns' are now part of our national heritage. More people are doing triathlons.
""One of the things about inspiring a generation was to make sure we had better and stronger Olympic teams, and there's no question we have gone from strength to strength.
""That's made a big difference, and one of the profoundest legacies has been the way people have reviewed their thinking around disability.""
As Lord Coe suggests, the medal haul delivered by British athletes at London confirmed the country's status as an Olympic and Paralympic powerhouse, set standards and expectations that were then met at the two subsequent Games, helped make the case for continued funding for the country's high-performance system, and certainly inspired some people to be active. 
ke British sprinter Desiree Henry for instance. Back in 2012, the Londoner was one of seven unknown teenagers to help light the torch at the climax of the opening ceremony. Four years later, she became an Olympic medallist in Rio, and says the experience of a home Games spurred her on to realise her dreams.
But there have also been fears that hosting the Games might have meant too great an emphasis was placed on winning at the expense of athlete welfare, contributing to the spate of bullying scandals to blight British sport in recent years.
London legacy has also been tainted by cheating, with more than 140 athletes who competed at the event found guilty of doping violations after the retesting of samples, making it officially the dirtiest Games in history. 
According to a recent National Audit Office report, the proportion of adults participating in sport actually declined in the three years following the Games. It said national participation rates then increased modestly between 2016 and 2019, but deep-rooted inequalities remain, with rates of exercise among women, people from ethnic minorities and those in poorer communities of particular concernexternal-link.
""Do we have an active and happy and healthy generation of young people as a result of London 2012? No we don't,"" says Ali Oliver, chair of the Youth Sports Trust.
""This is where discussion about legacy needs to go a little bit deeper. It did inspire some changes [such as] inclusive and disability sport. We deliver the 'School Games' programme to 21,000 schools, and that was a London initiative.  
""But the fact that we've lost 42,000 hours of PE in our schools since London, and have thousands fewer PE teachers, is a signal that the societal shift hasn't happened. We are not seeing PE and school sport of equal value to English, maths and science. 
""In 2017, one in nine young people had a mental health condition; it's now one in six. These are the big blocks to legacy.""
Youth Sport Trust is part of a new coalition including the Sport for Development Coalition, Sport and Recreation Alliance and leisure industry umbrella group UKActive, which this month called for ""radical change"" in the sector. The government has said it is preparing to unveil a new sports strategy.
relevant at a time when there are concerns over the extent to which Britain's Olympic teams reflect the nation they represent. At last year's Tokyo Games, 35% of Team GB medallists had been to private school, even though only 7% of the population has received such an education. Sport England board member Chris Grant, one of the country's most senior black sports administrators, estimates that around a third of the country's Olympic sports have never selected an athlete who was not whiteexternal-link. 
Beyond long-established concerns over sport and PE provision in schools, many believe London's legacy may have been undermined by a range of other factors; from the impact that cuts to local authority budgets have had on community sport and leisure facilities, to the effects of Covid lockdowns and the current cost of living crisis. 
re remains no national plan for sport and activity, the key recommendation of a House of Lords committee following an inquiry into inactivity last year. 
Former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman, the chairman of Sport England - the body responsible for distributing public money to improve participation and activity levels - told me the 2012 Games ""proved that just holding a magnificent sporting event is not enough to create a legacy"".
""It took a few years for that message to get through and things have started to change now,"" he said.
""'Legacy' is an easy word to say, but it takes sustained investment in the right places. We want real change in activity. We have to get into communities, and that takes time to set up and we are on that mission now.""
relevant on the eve of Birmingham's Commonwealth Games, at a cost of £780m, the most expensive sports event the UK has hosted since London 2012. 
Rather than simply assuming hosting a major event will automatically translate into greater participation, Sport England says it is already investing nearly £35m to help leave a lasting legacy from Birmingham 2022, targeting areas of highest inactivity, and directly funding more projects that lie outside the traditional network of sports governing bodies. 
A similarly proactive approach is being taken in the run-up to this autumn's Rugby League World Cup where £600,000 of initial funding tied to the event has been used to generate an additional £25m of investment, helping local communities with facilities, access and various schemes. 
Instead of the more abstract concept of 'legacy', organisers prefer to talk about 'social impact', something they believe can be more easily measured.
re important signs, perhaps, that when it comes to translating the hosting of events into positive change, one legacy of London is that valuable lessons have been learned. "	/sport/olympics/62299772
sports	Cheltenham, Doncaster, Newcastle & Hereford meetings abandoned because of frost	"Cheltenham's Saturday meeting has been called off because of frozen ground.
rd, due to feature the December Gold Cup and International Hurdle, did not pass a morning inspection.
Officials had deployed frost covers across the course, and Friday's fixture went ahead, but temperatures plummeted to -5C overnight.
Racing at Doncaster and Hereford was also abandoned, while Newcastle's fixture was called off minutes before the first race was due to start. 
Sunday's fixture at Punchestown, where Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs was set to run in the John Durkan Chase, was another casualty and is likely to be rescheduled.
m at Cheltenham had spent three hours putting down the covers at the Gloucestershire track after racing on Friday, to no avail.
""Unfortunately we have got areas of frozen ground under the covers,"" said clerk of the course John Pullin.
""At least we managed to race on Friday. At this stage no decisions have been made about rescheduling any races."""	/sport/horse-racing/63917905
sports	Rory Herrman: Cardiff Devils sign forward	"Cardiff Devils have signed forward Rory Herrman from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
23-year-old is available after graduating early and becoming available to sign a professional contract.
RPI is the same New York university that former Devils Jake Morissette and Andrew Lord attended.
""He's a young guy who is hungry to take the next step into pro hockey. He understands the role we are looking for,"" Devils boss Brodie Dupont said.
""We are short on bodies and we are looking to add players that can bring energy to our line-up. Rory fits that mould. He likes to hit, is reliable defensively and is excited for the opportunity to come to Cardiff.""
Herrman, who plays both centre and wing, has a British passport and will be flying into the UK this week, and could be in the line-up for Thursday night's Elite League game at Manchester Storm (face-off 19:30 GMT)."	/sport/ice-hockey/64041612
sports	How Hilmar Leon Jakobsen went from handball star to international striker in months	"When Hilmar Leon Jakobsen started 2020 as a Faroe Islands handball national team player, he could not have imagined he would end it representing his country at football.
Covid-19 pandemic has influenced the lives of billions of people around the world. In Jakobsen's case, it led to a change of career.
""I have always wanted to be a footballer but doctors advised me to stop at the age of 17 because I had to undergo an operation on my hip,"" says Jakobsen, now 23.
""They said playing handball would be better for my health. That was extremely disappointing at the time.""
Jakobsen was considered one of the best footballers in his age group as a youngster, and even made his First Division debut for HB Torshavn as a 16-year-old in 2013.
He used to play in midfield, and Steven Gerrard was one of his favourite footballers, which was a natural choice for a Liverpool fan. ""I aspired to have a professional career abroad as a footballer but had to abandon that dream and switch to handball,"" Jakobsen remembers.
He turned out to be very good in the other sport as well. ""I joined H71, who are the best club in the Faroe Islands, represented the under-20 national team, and was later called into the senior national team,"" Jakobsen says.
Left-footed on the football pitch, he is right-handed on the handball court. ""I started playing on the left wing and then was converted into a left-back,"" he says.
Whatever the position, the results were magnificent: ""I won three championship titles and two national cups with H71. I was fully focused on handball and didn't dare to think of football again.""
In January, Jakobsen took part in the World Cup qualifiers, but then the pandemic struck and handball activities were stopped. 
""In those circumstances, I decided to play football a bit with the reserve team of HB, in order to stay fit. I scored twice on my debut and then suddenly the head coach got in touch with me,"" Jakobsen recalls.
Jens Berthel Askou, the former Norwich City defender who is now in charge of HB, wanted Jakobsen to join the senior squad. ""Initially, I refused because it seemed like a bad idea, but then I thought about it for a while and changed my mind,"" Jakobsen says.
was the decision that changed his life completely.
Faroe Islands Premier League was well under way at the time, yet Jakobsen was immediately thrown into the starting line-up as a centre-forward. ""I never played in that position before as a youngster but the coach thought I should be used in the penalty area,"" he says. 
Askou was right. Jakobsen scored in three consecutive matches in July and was even more prolific in the autumn, finding the net in five games in a row. He contributed 12 goals and five assists in just 17 fixtures, helping the team to win the title comfortably.
In 2019, he won the double in handball with H71. In 2020, he was a champion in football too.
Last Saturday, the team celebrated the triumph after a 1-1 draw at KI, when Jakobsen received some breathtaking news.
""The coach entered the dressing room, asked everyone to be quiet and announced that I had been called up for the national team. That was quite amazing. My team-mates were jubilant and poured a bottle of champagne on my head,"" Jakobsen says.
In January, he faced Lithuania as a handball player. On Wednesday, he played against the same nation, but in a different sport. The coach, Hakan Ericsson, used Jakobsen for the full 90 minutes, signalling that he could be the Faroe Islands' new target man.
""This is definitely the best year of my life,"" he says. ""Suddenly, I am a footballer again, winning titles and representing my country in my favourite sport. Liverpool won the title in England too, which makes it even better. I wasn't born when they did it in 1990.
""From now on, I am fully dedicated to football. My handball team-mates might have been a bit sad to see me go, but they fully support me and understand.
""As for my new team-mates at HB, I have known some of them from the youth teams. They can't stop laughing when they think of what happened to me this year.
""Now, the target is to play abroad. That's what I wanted as a kid and I can think about it again. Maybe I would be able to move to Denmark, Sweden or Norway, and go to an even bigger league from there.
""Who knows? Life is full of surprises."""	/sport/football/54938224
sports	Jamie Chadwick to race in Indy NXT for Andretti Autosport in 2023	"Britain's Jamie Chadwick will race in the United States' Indy NXT series for the Andretti Autosport team in 2023.
24-year-old won her third W Series title in October after the final three races were cancelled because of funding issues.
Indy NXT is the second tier of the USA's open-wheel racing format IndyCar, which includes the Indy 500 oval race.
""My aim is always to challenge myself and continue my progression,"" said Chadwick.
""This represents not only a big step up but also a big step towards my goal of competing in the highest categories of single-seater racing.""
Chadwick's drive, in what was previously known as IndyLights, is a step up in speed from the W Series and includes 14 races - two of which are on traditional American oval circuits, notoriously tricky for drivers from Europe as they require a different style of racing.
She arrives with significant new funding for the season - from long-time F1 supporter DHL - after previous support did not materialise as hoped in 2020.
Chadwick, who won $500,000 (£409,000) for the W Series title, is aiming to become the first female driver to compete in a Formula 1 grand prix since Lella Lombardi in 1976. 
Britain's Susie Wolff took part in an F1 practice session for Williams at the British and German GPs in 2014.
Chadwick said: ""I've followed IndyCar over the years, and it definitely is something I'd love to race in. I've not looked that far ahead yet.
""But there's other opportunities as well in the States - not just single-seater racing, but in sports cars, as well as Formula 2 and Formula 3 - with Formula 1 being the ultimate goal.
""But it's important at this stage to focus purely on my development.""
Chadwick, who is a development driver for the Williams F1 team but does not drive the current F1 car, must amass 40 'super-licence' points to qualify to compete in F1.
She currently has 15 from winning the 2021 W Series, but cannot earn any more points in the 2022 championship.
She can win a maximum of 15 by winning the Indy NXT title.
Andretti Autosport is run by former IndyCar champion and McLaren F1 driver Michael Andretti, son of 1978 F1 world champion Mario.
Andretti Autosport have won the Indy 500 five times and the IndyCar championship four - twice each through Britons Dario Franchitti and the late Dan Wheldon."	/sport/motorsport/63382111
sports	Tokyo Olympics: Serhiy Kulish eliminated after shooting at rival's target	"It is bad enough if you have a wardrobe malfunction in an Olympic final - but it is even worse if the distraction causes you to shoot at your rival's target.
Serhiy Kulish was left cursing his luck when exactly this scenario cost the Ukrainian the chance of a medal.
world number two, who won silver in the 10m air rifle in 2016, was hovering around fourth place when it happened.
""Who shoots into someone else's target? Only people like me,"" he fumed.
""The button on my jacket came undone and I felt some discomfort, but time passed and I had to make a shot so I didn't notice that I was already aiming for someone else's target.""
28-year-old was the first of the eight shooters in the men's 50m rifle three positions final to be eliminated after his 35th shot was deemed to be worth nought.
China's Zhang Changhong won gold, the Russian Olympic Committee's Sergey Kamenskiy took silver and Serbia's Milenko Sebic bronze."	/sport/olympics/58059350
sports	Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Leona Maguire, Charley Hull among 2022 winners	"With an English winner of the US Open, a Northern Irishman returning to the top of the world ranking as well as English, Scottish and Irish victories on the LPGA, 2022 has been a memorable year for UK and Irish golf.
Yes, this period will be remembered for the unseemly and uncivil war that has followed the arrival to the professional game of LIV Golf, but we can still look back on numerous thrilling highlights.
Most notable was Matt Fitzpatrick's emotional triumph at Brookline when he became the first Englishman since Justin Rose in 2013 to land America's national championship.
A stunning nine-iron from a fairway bunker that set up what proved a championship-winning par was the shot of the year by some distance. We relived Fitzpatrick's maiden major victory in detail here on BBC Sounds.
Would Rory McIlroy have swapped years with his Ryder Cup team-mate from Sheffield? After all Fitzpatrick added to his major tally, something the Northern Irishman wanted to do more than anything else in the past year.
, McIlroy can reflect on a hugely creditable body of work in 2022. The 33-year-old was no worse than eighth in any of the majors, was runner up at the Masters - his best Augusta finish - and nearly won The Open at St Andrews.
From the moment he switched golf balls after missing the cut at the Texas Open the week before the Masters he was relentlessly consistent, living on leaderboards week in, week out.
McIlroy claimed three PGA Tour wins, won the FedEx Cup and DP World Tour rankings and only Scottie Scheffler collected more world ranking points in 2022.
26-year-old from New Jersey put together an astonishing first half to the year with his debut tour title, the Phoenix Open coming in February and followed by victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC Matchplay and Masters.
Scheffler racked up three more runner-up finishes, including a share of second with Will Zalatoris behind Fitzpatrick at Brookline last June. 
rformance came a month after Justin Thomas landed an overdue second major at the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills. The Tulsa course was perhaps the best set up of the men's majors, while a parched St Andrews' Old Course proved itself still capable of identifying the world's best players in a thrilling 150th Open.
With nine holes to go McIlroy seemed destined for his fifth major having steadily seen off playing partner and 54 hole co-leader Viktor Hovland.  ut his earlier failure to capitalise on birdie chances at the third and ninth proved costly.
Up ahead, Cameron Smith went on a charge for the ages.  
Aussie is arguably the greatest shotmaker in the game and the deftness of his touch and killer putting propelled him to a championship clinching 64, edging out Cameron Young who eagled the last.
It was a glorious tournament, befitting the 150th running of the game's oldest major. Smith later defected to LIV as their biggest and most significant signing, but the R&A have already said he will be welcomed back to defend his title in 2023 at Royal Liverpool.
AIG Women's Open broke new ground, staged at that former bastion of the male game Muirfield for the first time, and the championship proved equally dramatic. 
g off late to accommodate US television schedules nearly backfired when the popular South African Ashleigh Buhai won in near darkness and with too few spectators still present.
33-year-old from Johannesburg needed four extra holes to defeat Korea's Women's PGA champion In Gee Chun to claim only her second LPGA victory and first major title.
Australia's Minjee Lee and American Jennifer Kupcho produced dominant displays to win the US Open and Chevron Championship respectively while Brooke Henderson overcame the enforced need to use a shorter driver to land the Evian title.
In a year that saw New Zealand's ever popular Lydia Ko return to the top of the world rankings and American Nelly Korda overcome a nasty blood clot that required surgery, UK and Irish players also prospered on the LPGA Tour.
Solheim Cup heroine Leona Maguire proved her world class credentials by winning early at the Drive On Championship.  
, in a glorious autumn, Charley Hull earned a long overdue second victory on the main women's tour and Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart Shadoff landed her maiden title before Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh won the Japan Classic.
All four players will harbour hopes of starring in a European Solheim Cup defence in 2023.  
matches between Europe and the United States will form a big part of next year's narrative with home Solheim and Ryder Cups being played in consecutive weeks in late September.
For the Ryder Cup watch to see if the likes of Seamus Power and Sepp Straka can capitalise on superb years in 2022 to force their ways into Luke Donald's European team.
And how will the line-ups be affected by LIV? The United States look the more inconvenienced with Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau rendered unavailable for defecting to the breakaway series.
European players competing on the LIV circuit will find out their status with the DP World Tour after a legal hearing in February. That promises to be the first truly significant date in golf's calendar for 2023."	/sport/golf/64049848
sports	'Marcus Rashford impressing but Manchester United still need a striker'	"Marcus Rashford is fit, firing and having fun. Yet his impressive recent form also shows why he is not the answer to Manchester United's need for a new striker, according to two former England forwards.
Rashford led United to a dominant 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, but Alan Shearer and Michael Owen say they must buy a 'number nine' to complement the 25-year-old's quality.
Against Forest, Rashford scored United's first goal after sweeping in a well-worked corner routine initiated by Christian Eriksen and then teed up Anthony Martial to fire in the second midway through the first half.
With Martial operating as the main striker, the England international played a little deeper on the left, which enabled him to cause problems for the Forest defence with his movement.
""I think Marcus enjoys it more, he looks better certainly, in the position we saw tonight,"" Shearer said on Amazon Prime.
""He's been given a little bit of freedom - if he wants to go down the middle at times, he can. 
""But when he's got all that space to run into from out wide, he's a better player in doing that and he's very, very good at doing that.
""In terms of him being a centre-forward, he lacks that killer instinct, that natural ability to think 'yeah, I'm going to get in there, I'm going to get the two or three yarders'.
""But there's no doubting his ability, he's a fantastic player.""
Owen, also working at Old Trafford as a television pundit, agreed with his former England strike partner.
""I do feel that Rashford is better on the left, he will contribute a decent number of goals each year,"" said the former Liverpool and Real Madrid forward.
""But he's not going to be the Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Robin van Persie, the Wayne Rooney who scores 30-plus goals a season. 
""Obviously he is a huge asset to this football club, gives them something different, gives them pace, gives them directness.""
United's need for a new 'out and out' striker has long been apparent and the search has been accelerated by Cristiano Ronaldo's departure by mutual consent before the World Cup.
Frenchman Martial, 27, staked his claim to be manager Erik ten Hag's regular striker with a decent showing against Forest, but there remains the feeling he has already had enough chances to prove his worth to United over eight seasons without ever being fully convincing.
PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo was a long-time attacking target - even though the Dutchman, like Rashford, is seen as being more productive behind a frontman - but United appear to have been beaten to his signing by Liverpool.
After beating Forest, Ten Hag admitted it would be ""good"" to get another forward but only if United's ""sporting and financial criteria"" were met.
""I'd certainly look to go into the market to see if they could find a centre-forward,"" added Shearer.
""But that's easier said than done as that many clubs are looking for that guy that can go out and get you 25 goals a season.""
Owen, who also had a spell at Old Trafford, added: ""Rashford should be getting 20 a season if you include all the cups. In terms of the league, if he gets 15 that would be a very good return. 
""But I think Manchester United need that number nine - whether it's Martial or another player.""
Rashford suffered a dip in form under United interim boss Ralf Rangnick last season, scoring just twice in 23 appearances and rarely playing a full 90 minutes.
, looking reinvigorated under Ten Hag and playing with a smile again, he has netted 10 times in 21 games for his club.
""I don't know if it is as good as I've ever been playing but I'm definitely enjoying it,"" Rashford told Amazon Prime.
""We're winning a lot more football games and our level has been a lot higher. I'm happy with how were developing and hope we can keep kicking on.
""It's a completely different mindset to last season, a different team playing different football.
""For me, when you're not in the team and coming on, there is a different mindset and you have to think about making an impact and you're not sure when you get another chance or another goal.
""But I'm enjoying what I'm doing at the minute."""	/sport/football/64106065
sports	'It's nice to go out at the top'	"Eve Muirhead tells BBC Scotland ""it's nice to go out at the top"" after the Olympic champion announced her retirement from curling."	/sport/av/scotland/62513591
sports	Hampshire karate champion, 15, sets sights on Olympic dream	"At 15 years of age, Carla Rudkin-Guillen is already a British karate champion and the third member of her family to represent England.
ger, from New Milton in Hampshire, is currently British and English Kata Champion and a Commonwealth Karate champion at cadet level. She is now hoping to compete at the World Championships in October.
rained by her father, Collin, who is a sixth dan black belt and former England International, Carla ultimately hopes to one day become Olympic champion.
But with limited UK Sport funding, Carla's family is looking for sponsorship.
Report by Lewis Coombes
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-hampshire-62823233
sports	Commonwealth Games: Ozzy Osbourne surprise appearance headlines Birmingham 2022 closing ceremony	"Legendary Birmingham rocker Ozzy Osbourne made a surprise appearance to bring the curtain down on a hugely successful Commonwealth Games in fabulous fashion.
Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath received a rapturous ovation from the 30,000 capacity crowd at the Alexander Stadium as they provided a fitting climax to a star-studded closing ceremony.
73-year-old 'Prince of Darkness' has not performed for several years due to ill health. 
""I love you, Birmingham - it's good to be back!"" he shouted as he rose through the stage to round off the show with classic hit Paranoid.
Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, officially declared the Games closed after the flag handover to Victoria, the Australian state that will host the 2026 edition.
""Thanks to the manner, style and enthusiasm with which you have competed, officiated, supported organised and volunteered, you have once again brought the spirit and values of the Commonwealth Games to life,"" he said.
""You have inspired us and hopefully future generations - you have also demonstrated what unites us. Thank you Birmingham and the West Midlands.""
Earlier, other famed Brummie acts including Dexys Midnight Runners, Apache Indian, Musical Youth, UB40 and Panjabi MC entertained the crowd with classic hits amid a parade featuring hundreds of athletes who competed during the 11-day Games.
m England, who collected a record 176 medals during the Games, were the last to enter the stadium to a euphoric reception from the home supporters.
More than 1.3 million tickets were sold during the Games across 24 sports - with organisers estimating that more than 500,000 of those were snapped up by West Midlands residents who took the event to their hearts.
xtended not only to those who attended the sports themselves but also hundreds of thousands more who packed festival sites at event venues and other city landmarks to enjoy the action on big screens, meet the Perry the Bull mascot and soak up the atmosphere.
More than 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories competed in 280 medal events across 11 days, yielding a host of fantastic feats, stirring stories and memorable moments.
With the sun shining virtually throughout the week and a half in the West Midlands, the weather played its part too and that continued with a closing ceremony bathed in warm evening temperatures.
One of the ceremony's loudest ovations was reserved for Games organising committee chair John Crabtree's heartfelt speech, thanking the 14,000 volunteers for their efforts and the crowds for their support.
He also praised the seamless way disability sports had been integrated into Birmingham 2022, which featured the largest Para-sports programme in Commonwealth Games history.
""I think Birmingham should be so, so proud, they have put on an incredible Games,"" five-time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, from nearby Walsall, told BBC Sport.
""Sport has the power to change the world and you can see it in Birmingham.""
g ceremony began with a huge chimney soaring up from the stage, signifying Birmingham's industrial history and post-war rebuild, before cult 1980s band Dexys Midnight Runners got the crowd rocking with a rendition of their iconic hit Come On Eileen.
Birmingham's multi-cultural heritage, beginning with the arrival of Caribbean and Asian communities into the city in the 1950s and 1960s, was celebrated through performances of Apache Indian's Boom Shack-A-Lak and Musical Youth's Pass The Dutchie.
me of the Second City's diverse communities continued as reggae legends UB40's Red, Red Wine was followed by model Neelam Gill making an appearance during Panjabi MC's Bhangra hit Mundian To Bach Ke.
Musicians from the wider West Midlands including Goldie, Beverley Knight - the soul singer wearing a Wolverhampton Wanderers kit - and Jorja Smith also performed during a glittering ceremony. 
Of course, Birmingham would not be Birmingham without a nod to the ever-popular Peaky Blinders TV drama via a dance routine, which preceded a powerful segment featuring some of the area's young spoken word and musical talents foreshadowing the city's - hopefully bright - future. 
r to Victoria for the 2026 Games, where the host nation promises to deliver the ""first true multi-city Commonwealth Games"" across several cities, was followed by Australian songs and choreography, before Osbourne produced the surprise of the night with his unexpected finale.
A fortnight ago, Jake Jarman was a virtually unknown young gymnast preparing for his first major senior championship - four gold medals later, he's almost a household name at the age of 20.
Jarman's nomination as England's flagbearer for the closing ceremony reflected not only his leap from obscurity to stardom, but also the host nation's unparalleled gymnastics success at the Games.
11 gold medals England's gymnasts won was unsurpassed by any other sport, with triumphs for hometown favourites Joe Fraser and Alice Kinsella adding to the Arena Birmingham crowd's fervour.
From Alex Yee's scene-setting triathlon gold on the Games' opening morning, through emotional comebacks from cyclist Laura Kenny and swimmer Adam Peaty, there were individual stories aplenty.
But the team events provided just as much drama, not least England men's thrilling overtime 3x3 basketball final triumph against Canada and the women's hockey final victory over Australia.
In a Games that, for the first time, featured more medals for women than men, double medallist Eilish McColgan was chosen as Scotland's flagbearer after the women's 10,000m champion and Laura Muir provided the golden highlights of their nation's athletics efforts.
And success in the boxing ring - always a strong suit for the home nations - was reflected by Rosie Eccles and Dylan Eagleson carrying the Wales and Northern Ireland flags respectively.
Away from the action, the Games captured the imagination of a region and a nation - but they were just as successful from a sporting point of view for the host country.
England enjoyed their best ever Commonwealth Games medal tally of 176, beating the haul gained at Glasgow 2014 by two, although the 57 golds won were one shy of the 58 claimed eight years ago.
Even that terrific total was not enough for England to repeat their 2014 feat of topping the medals table as Australia took that honour by virtue of 10 more golds and two more medals overall.
It was a Games to remember for the other home nations too, with Northern Ireland recording their largest Commonwealth medal return and Scotland registering their second highest.
Scotland finished sixth in the medal table with their 51 medals and 13 golds, second only to their home Games tallies of 53 and 19 respectively at Glasgow 2014.
Northern Ireland's 18 medals and seven golds were both new records, beating marks set last century, while Wales enjoyed their fourth-best Commonwealth Games with 28 medals.
re was joy too for Guernsey as the Channel Island claimed its first Commonwealth medals in 28 years with Lucy Beere's lawn bowls silver and Alastair Chalmers' men's 400m hurdles bronze."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62468309
sports	Wales beat Croatia 8-0 to finish second in EuroHockey women's qualifiers	"Wales completed their EuroHockey qualifiers with an 8-0 win over Croatia to finish second behind England in Durham.
Leah Wilkinson, Sian French, Sarah Jones, Holly Munro, Xenna Hughes ensured Wales were 5-0 up at half time. 
Olivia Hoskins then struck twice and Maddie Goodman also hit the target
England were already guaranteed to qualify for for the 2023 EuroHockey Championships in Germany before their 11-0 win against Slovakia.
Wales opened their qualifiers with a 9-0 win over Slovakia, and succumbed 3-0 to England before finishing with a flourish against Croatia.
Find out how to get into hockey with our special guide."	/sport/hockey/62706729
sports	Tokyo Olympic gold medal replaced after first got bitten	"An Olympic gold medallist will be given a new medal after the mayor of her hometown chomped on the first.
kashi Kawamura, mayor of Japanese city Nagoya, sparked fury online when he lowered his mask and bit on softball athlete Miu Goto's medal at an event.
He was accused of ignoring Covid-19 restrictions and ""lacking respect"".
Now, Olympic officials say they will swap Ms Goto's medal for an untarnished one, after the mayor apologised and said he would pay for a replacement.
mayor faced a backlash after putting the medal between his teeth at a ceremony last week to celebrate Japan's victory over the USA in the women's softball final. 
Social media users said the act was unhygienic and impolite towards the athlete.
""Apart from showing a lack of respect for athletes, he bit it even though [athletes] are putting on medals themselves or on their team-mates during medal ceremonies as part of infection prevention measures. Sorry, I can't understand it,"" Japanese silver medallist fencer Yuki Ota wrote on Twitter.
""Germ medal"" was soon trending on social media in Japan.
Even Toyota, the owners of the team Ms Goto plays for, condemned the gesture, calling it ""inappropriate"" and ""extremely regrettable"".
72-year-old mayor apologised later for his actions, which reportedly prompted over 7,000 complaints to city authorities.
""I forgot my position as Nagoya mayor and acted in an extremely inappropriate way,"" he said, adding that he wanted to pay for a replacement medal.
A statement from Tokyo 2020 organisers on Thursday said the replacement had been agreed between the International Olympic Committee and Ms Goto. The IOC would cover the costs, it said.
Biting medals is a common quirk at the Games, but is usually reserved for winners.
kyo 2020 organisers appeared to make light of the incident in late July when they tweeted: ""We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020medals are not edible!""
Neither Mr Kawamura nor Ms Goto had any immediate comment."	/news/world-asia-58186002
sports	Commonwealth Games: Tears and cheers for Wales table tennis team	"It proved to be Wales' 28th and final medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and perhaps one of the most memorable.
might sound strange when there have been eight golds and defining moments such as the success of para sprinter Olivia Breen and two boxing golds for Ioan Croft and Rosie Eccles.
But a table tennis bronze for Anna Hursey and Charlotte Carey in the women's doubles was special in its own right. 
On a quiet Monday morning at the NEC in Birmingham, a little bit of history was made when Wales recorded a first female Commonwealth Games table tennis medal.
It had been a long time coming. Not only since the sport was introduced into the Games in Manchester in 2002 but also the last 11 days of action.
Like badminton and squash, table tennis was played every day of the competition in Birmingham. 
Carey summed up the marathon element, saying: ""I feel like I've been here for four years in this event it's gone on for so long.""
So along with everybody else, the Wales squad rocked up on the opening morning and were still going until the bitter end as others finished competing and started partying.
weather has been glorious in Birmingham but the table tennis players will not have known that after being stuck indoors and out of sunlight for almost two weeks.
It has been an exhausting and emotional journey that has tested the resolve and resilience.
re have been tears in Birmingham. Lots of them. Most notably when the Wales women just missed out on a medal by finishing fourth in the team event.
It was a highest ever Commonwealth Games finish in this event but bittersweet after how close they had come.
were defeated in the bronze medal match by Australia but the damage had been done the night before, after they agonisingly lost a three-and-half-hour semi-final epic to Malaysia when victory would have guaranteed a team silver.
It came down to the final game of the deciding singles which Carey lost. The Wales team were distraught as they broke down in floods of tears. They were inconsolable, and you feared, broken.
were never in contention for the bronze medal match when they came back to the same arena less than 12 hours later as Australia eased to victory and the third podium position.
It was hard to see how they would pick themselves up, but Hursey helped by reaching the women's singles quarter-finals.
wist of fate, Hursey and Carey found themselves back at the same venue exactly a week later after the team bronze medal defeat.
Monday morning at the NEC. 9.30am. Not much sporting success will have been achieved in these circumstances but this was the backdrop for the defining bronze medal match against Wong Xin Ru and Zhou Jingu.
me defeat was not an option for the well-suited Wales pair. The right-handed 16-year-old Hursey who shows little emotion and glides through games, complemented by the left-hander Carey, 10 years her senior, much more emotional and more vocal.
A controversial incident occurred in the first game where television replays showed the ball had brushed a Singapore player but had not been spotted or admitted to her opponents.
frustrated Carey but did not distract the Wales pair as they took the crucial opening game and went onto win 16-14, 14-12, 9-11, 12-10.
Cue wild celebrations and more emotion with Carey admitting she hadn't stopped crying during the competition. 
g journey for Carey, who was just 14 when she made her Commonwealth debut in Delhi in 2010 and is competing at her fourth Games.
Now 26, she is the leader of the pack.
""Charlotte has sacrificed a lot of her life to play table tennis,"" said head coach Stephen Jenkins.
""She loves it and it means a lot to her, and I know she will keep going now and in four years she will want to get a couple of medals.""
Carey was eclipsed as Wales' youngest Commonwealth Games competitor by Hursey who was 11 at the Gold Coast in 2018.
Now aged 16, Hursey has had to deal with the pressure of people expecting her to succeed.
""I know Anna incredibly well because I work with her weekly when she is home,"" Jenkins added.
""She was nervous for these Games and people did not realise all the pressure of being an 11-year-old and all that media attention and seeing whether will she deliver at this event, and she has delivered.
""To see people now here winning on this stage against the big teams is incredible. 
""We are not even meant to be sharing the same table as Singapore, let alone beat them. And today we beat them.""
It was Hursey and Carey who took to the podium but they were quick to point to the efforts of team-mates Chloe Thomas Wu Zhang and Lara Whitton and the gold medal of para table tennis player Joshua Stacey.
""I think we would have liked to have done it [the podium] with the girls as well,"" added Carey.
""But they are so with us, they came this morning and practiced with us before the match.
""Josh won his medal yesterday, that gave us so much motivation and we're so proud of him.
""I'm sure they're all proud of us, we're all one team, one big unit and we've done it for everyone."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/62464680
sports	David Florence: Scottish Olympic medallist retires from canoeing	"Three-time Olympic medallist David Florence has announced his retirement from canoeing.
Scot, 39, won a silver medal at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games and is also a former world and European champion.
Florence competed in C1 and C2 slalom events and his most recent podium was second in a C1 event in Catalonia in September.
""I've had so many fantastic experiences and races,"" he told British Canoeing.
""I've had a great time and achieved results that I'm proud of. I've loved going to the Olympics, winning medals, but what's kept me motivated is the enjoyment of trying to improve and trying to be my best.
""I've had great support from brilliant coaches. I've had good training groups, an awesome bunch of people that I've enjoyed growing up within the sport, people that I looked up to and I think all those things have combined to a really great career.
""I've always had a lot of support from my parents. My dad started me and my brother out canoeing and my sister has always been super supportive too. They've travelled to so many international competitions to watch me race. 
""My wife has been incredible and hugely supportive. It's been pretty full on, we've had three kids in the last seven years, so going away and training has been hard. My daughter was born just a few weeks before the Rio Olympics, so Becky has been so supportive."""	/sport/canoeing/61441947
sports	Mike Schultz: 'Helping others is bigger than a medal'	"In 2008, when Mike Schultz found his prosthetic leg wasn't strong enough for him to continue competing in snowmobile racing, he went away and designed his own.
Now the defending Winter Paralympic snowboard cross champion wants to help as many other adaptive athletes as he can as he looks to his next stage of life.
""I'm ready to turn the page,"" he says. ""The last two years have meant a lot of sacrifice for our family. It's cool I can create the tools that bridge the gap to what was once deemed impossible.""
Schultz carried the US flag at the 2018 opening ceremony - and is now he's aiming to carry away more medals from Beijing."	/sport/av/disability-sport/60572109
sports	Transgender athletes: 'Protect women's sport,' say two British elite athletes	"Transgender women should compete in an ""open category"" in order to ""protect women's sport"", say two current elite female runners.
British athletes, one of whom is an Olympian, believe athletes should only be allowed to compete in the category of their biological sex.
res around the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sport - essentially, whether trans women can compete in female categories without their biological sex giving them an unfair advantage or presenting a threat of injury to other competitors. The governing bodies of cycling and swimming are currently reviewing their transgender policies.
Many argue that transgender women should not compete in elite women's sport because of any advantages they may retain - but others argue that sport should be more inclusive.
In recent months, the debate has transcended sport, even drawing comment from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who does not believe transgender women should compete in female sporting events.
who spoke to BBC podcast The Sports Desk have asked to remain anonymous for fear of social media backlash and losing sponsorship deals.
were advised against speaking out by those closest to them - but felt they needed to ""stand up"".
""I believe sport needs to be kept in sex categories,"" said athlete A. ""That's the only way it remains fair.
""The categories aren't there for gender identity. The categories are there for sex and the difference between the two sexes.""
Athlete B added: ""Competition needs to be fair; it's meaningful if it's fair. 
""The whole point of competition is to make a fair and level playing field and the only way to do that is to have a female category and a male open category, where trans women can compete and it's a level playing field.
""We need to protect women's sport.""
round transgender athletes has recently focused on the case of transgender cyclist Emily Bridges.
In March, the 21-year-old was ruled ineligible to compete in her first elite women's race by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling's world governing body. The process to rule on Bridges' eligibility to race in international competitions is continuing, while British Cycling has suspended its transgender policy.
Bridges began hormone therapy last year as part of her gender dysphoria treatment and has now become eligible to compete in women's events because of lowered levels of testosterone.
She said she had been ""harassed and demonised"" after being told she could not compete.
Last year, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games in a different sex category to that in which they were born, while in March, American Lia Thomas became the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest US national college title.
""I think by trying to have inclusion it actually excludes who the category is for,"" said athlete A.
""The female category was made because women wouldn't get a look in if they played male sport.
""We have seen at the Olympics last year trans women being included in the female category, and that then takes away an opportunity for one woman to be called an Olympian, and that is something we all dream of.""
Athlete B said: ""We've made great strides in encouraging women into sport.
""This is actually excluding more women from sport and it will slowly turn around so then we won't have a female category any more, but it will be just taken over by trans women who are biologically male.""
However, this is disputed by sports scientist Joanna Harper, who is transgender herself. She told BBC Sport that ""trans women will never take over women's sport"".
""If you look at NCAA [US college] sports, there are more than 200,000 women competing every year. Trans women make up 0.5-1% of the population so we should be seeing 1,000-2,000 trans women [competing in the NCAAs] every year,"" she said.
""The NCAA 11 years ago allowed trans women to compete, based on hormone therapy. We should be seeing 1,000-2,000, but we see a handful every year.
""So 11 years after these hormone therapy-based rules went into effect, trans women are not taking over NCAA sports. They are still hugely under-represented.""
Both athletes say transgender athletes are welcome in elite sport and do not want to see anyone deterred from participating at any level, but add that it is a common belief among other female athletes that transgender women should not compete in women's sport.
""I haven't actually spoken to another athlete that doesn't feel the way I feel,"" said athlete A. ""Every single female athlete I've spoken to is scared to speak out.""
In April, a letter signed by a group of elite female cyclists - including retired Olympians, scientists and researchers - called on the UCI to ""rescind"" its rules around transgender participation and testosterone levels and implement eligibility criteria for women ""based on female biological characteristics"".
r - referring to the Bridges situation - said there was ""deep regret"" at the ""crisis situation"", claiming female athletes in the UK ""have shown they were willing to boycott"" in order for the UCI and British Cycling ""to hear their concerns about fairness in their sport"".
r included the signature of Sara Symington, head of Olympic and Paralympic programmes at British Cycling.
Later that month, Olympic cycling gold medallist Katie Archibald - who did not sign the letter - said she felt ""let down"" by the International Olympic Committee's stance that there should be no assumption that a transgender athlete automatically has an unfair advantage in female events.
""I read this and hear my world titles, Olympic medals and the champions jerseys I have at home were all won in a category of people who simply don't try as hard as the men,"" she said.
World Athletics president Lord Coe has warned that the integrity and future of women's sport is ""very fragile"".
International Olympic Committee's framework on transgender athletes - released in November - states that there should be no assumption that a transgender athlete automatically has an unfair advantage in female sporting events.
It places responsibility on individual federations to determine eligibility criteria in their sport, but does not require transgender women to suppress testosterone levels in order to compete in female events.
However, this latest guidance has been criticised from many corners, with the athletes speaking to BBC Sport saying it is ""not clear"", ""very vague"" and ""problematic"".
IOC's head of human rights Magali Martowicz told BBC Sport: ""It has always been the responsibility of federations to set their own eligibility criteria. This has not changed.
""The previous approach that we were recommending to have a set threshold of testosterone was no longer sustainable and we had to really rethink how to ensure inclusion and pathway for inclusion for transgender athletes, and those with sex variation, as well as of course maintaining the fairness of competition.
""One of the key things that came out strongly is that it has to be looked at on a sport-by-sport basis, that's one of the key outcomes of the consultation.
""There is nothing in the framework that suggests that you cannot exclude someone. What the framework says is that federation has to truly understand what constitutes a disproportionate advantage, and to do that it has to be based on a thorough review of the science, but also other considerations, as laid out in the framework.
""If indeed on a case-by-case basis a person has demonstrated a disproportionate advantage, there is nothing in the framework that says she has to compete at all costs.
""So it's not that we are favouring inclusion over fairness, it's really trying to balance the two but having a process that allows for a fair process for all athletes in that category.""
One of the athletes on the other side of the debate is transgender British racing driver Charlie Martin.
Since her transition, the 40-year-old says she has lost physical strength and muscle mass, but says the focus on the perceived advantages that transgender women hold overlooks the ""physical variation"" among all athletes.
""You look at people like Ian Thorpe, the swimmer - he had size 17 feet and hands to match, he basically had four flippers on the end of his limbs,"" she told BBC Sport.
""The guy won gold medals and did anyone turn round to say 'well, that's not fair, he's got a massive advantage'?
""You look at Nims Purja, the guy that just climbed the 14 highest mountains in the world. They put him on an oxygen machine on a bike and found that he has this incredible ability to keep going when he has virtually no oxygen coming into his lungs. 
""I'm sure if you look into sport there are people out there who have these advantages which people celebrate. Yet as soon as we look at transgender women, it's like a completely different set of rules and that to me feels like blatant discrimination.""
Like Harper, Martin disputes the view that transgender women would come to dominate women's sport.
""I just wish people would try to understand what a lived trans experience is like, and then really try to understand this argument that's aimed at trans women that they're trying to ruin female sport. No-one wants that,"" she said.
""Trans women just want to go out, live a life and play sport like anyone else. Whether you're a professional athlete - of which there are very, very few trans people in the world who are at that level - or whether you're just someone who wants to go and play football at your local club or go use your local swimming pool. 
""It's just creating a very toxic environment for trans people to try and step into when it's so easy for people to withdraw from sport in the first place. And we all know, as people who are into sport and love sport, we know the benefits. It plays such a massive positive role in people's lives and to take that away from people is criminal.""
Some women have also backed the inclusion of transgender athletes. Following the backlash against Thomas' 500-yard freestyle NCAA win in March, US Olympic silver medallist Erica Sullivan - who competed against Thomas - said she was ""proud to support"" her.
Writing in Newsweekexternal-link at the time, Sullivan said: ""Like anyone else in this sport, Lia has trained diligently to get to where she is and has followed all of the rules and guidelines put before her. 
""Like anyone else in this sport, Lia doesn't win every time. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labelled a cheater simply because of her identity.
""As a woman in sports, I can tell you that I know what the real threats to women's sports are: sexual abuse and harassment, unequal pay and resources and a lack of women in leadership.""
'Transgender inclusion, fairness and safety often cannot co-exist' says major review (September 2021) 
IOC releases new guidance on transgender inclusion (November 2021)
IOC transgender guidance criticised by medical experts (January 2022)
mas becomes first known transgender athlete to win NCAA swimming title (March 2022)
Lord Coe warns over 'fragile' women's sport (March 2022)
Florida governor DeSantis refuses to recognise Thomas win (March 2022)
ransgender cyclist Bridges set to race in women's National Omnium event (March 2022)
Bridges will not race in women's National Omnium event (March 2022)
Bridges still seeks clarity on 'alleged ineligibility' (April 2022)
UCI can ban Bridges even if she meets eligibility criteria (April 2022)
ransgender women no longer able to compete at elite female events run by British Cycling (April 2022)
British cyclist Katie Archibald says female and transgender athletes 'let down' by governing bodies (April 2022)"	/sport/athletics/61332123
sports	Houston Astros & Philadelphia Phillies reach World Series after beating Yankees & Padres	"The Houston Astros will meet the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series after clinching their league titles on Sunday.
Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 in Philadelphia to win the National League Championship Series 4-1.
After a rain delay in the Bronx, the Astros edged out the New York Yankees 6-5 to sweep the American League Championship Series 4-0.
-of-seven World Series will begin in Houston on Friday.
Because the Astros have the superior regular-season record, they will enjoy home field advantage, with four of the seven games at Minute Maid Park.
After finishing with the best record in the American League, Houston are yet to lose a postseason game in 2022, sweeping the Seattle Mariners 3-0 in the Division Series before overwhelming the Yankees.
Star outfielder Aaron Judge, who broke the AL home run record at the start of October, again struggled at the plate and went hitless in what could be his final Yankees game as he now qualifies for free agency.
Astros were indebted to shortstop Jeremy Pena at Yankee Stadium after the rookie hit a three-run homer to left field in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 3-3 - and was later driven in by Alex Bregman in the seventh for the go-ahead run to make it 6-5.
Judge came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth with the Yankees down to their last out, but he could only ground out to Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who flipped the ball to first base as Houston booked their fourth World Series appearance in six seasons.
Earlier, the Phillies were celebrating on home turf at Citizens Bank Park as they saw off the Padres to reach the 'Fall Classic' for the first time since 2009.
Designated hitter Bryce Harper, who hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to bring the Phillies back from 3-2 down, was named as the most valuable player of the NLCS.
Philadelphia had been the lowest-ranked NL team to qualify for the postseason, but overcame the St Louis Cardinals 2-0 in their Wild Card series, and then the defending champion Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the NL Division Series.
*if required"	/sport/baseball/63368290
sports	Winter Olympics: Team GB's results from Beijing 2022	"Great Britain have ended the Beijing Winter Olympics with two medals - a gold and a silver in women's and men's curling.
medal haul was short of the five won at the previous two Games but there were a number of near misses as well, with three top-six finishes.
Check out the information below to see how each member of Team GB performed in China. 
Britain are still searching for a first alpine skiing medal, with slalom specialist Alain Baxter's bronze at Salt Lake City in 2002 rescinded after he failed a drugs test. Dave Ryding finished 13th in the slalom in Beijing.
Britain have won five bobsleigh medals - four bronzes in four-man, and a gold for the 1964 two-man crew of Robin Dixon and Tony Nash. The 2014 bronze medal was awarded to Team GB in 2019 after two Russian crews were disqualified for doping. In Beijing the four-man just missed out on the podium, finishing sixth.
Andrew Musgrave finished seventh in the skiathlon at the 2018 Winter Olympics - Britain's best result in the sport - but he could not improve on it in Beijing.
Great Britain continued their medal success in curling with gold and silver in Beijing. Eve Muirhead clinched gold on the final day, adding to Bruce Mouat's silver.
Britain's most successful winter sport with 15 medals - including the seven won when ice skating was featured in the summer Olympics in the early part of the 20th century. From 1976 to 1984, Britain won gold medals in three successive Games with John Curry, Robin Cousins and Torvill and Dean. The ice dance pair then returned a decade later to take bronze in Lillehammer, Norway - which was the last time Britain won a medal in figure skating. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson showed their potential for 2026 by finishing 10th here.
Izzy Atkin wrote herself into the history books at Pyeongchang in 2018 by becoming the first Briton to win a Winter Olympic ski medal when she took bronze in ski slopestyle. Sadly, she was unable to compete in Beijing and, although no medals were won, there were a number of notable achievements including 17-year-old Kirsty Muir's fifth in ski big air.
Great Britain has never won a medal in luge. Rupert Staudinger, who competed in his second Games, came 23rd.
Nicky Gooch is the sole Britain to have won a speed skating medal at an Olympics, collecting bronze in the 500m short track race at the 1994 Games.
Until this year, Great Britain had won a skeleton medal every time the sport had been included in the Olympics - which equates to nine in seven Games. In 2018, Lizzy Yarnold became the first Briton to retain an Olympic title after also triumphing in Sochi four years earlier. Beijing was a Games to forget for the GB team, who struggled at the Yanqing Sliding Centre.
Great Britain had never won a Winter Olympic medal in a snow event - until Jenny Jones' bronze medal in slopestyle at the 2014 Games. Four years later, Billy Morgan became the first British man to achieve the feat when he claimed bronze in big air. Charlotte Bankes was favourite to win snowboard cross but was beaten in the quarter-final."	/sport/winter-sports/59586119
sports	Tokyo 2020: Marcus Mepstead is sole member of Team GB's fencing squad	"Marcus Mepstead will take part in his second Olympics in Tokyo after being named as the sole member of the Great Britain fencing team.
31-year-old, who competes in the men's foil event, won silver at the 2019 World Championships.
He also helped GB win the team gold at the inaugural European Games in 2015.
""Marcus' determination and consistency has been incredible to watch over recent years,"" said Team GB's chef de mission Mark England.
""This has ensured that Team GB can be represented in fencing at another Olympic Games - something Marcus should be very proud of.""
Mepstead, whose current world ranking is 14, was part of a four-man British squad at the 2016 Rio Olympics that finished sixth in the team event.
Find out how to get into fencing with our special guide.
After fencing lost its funding from UK Sport in 2017, he has battled to keep his career alive, establishing a personal training business and moving to New York to work with a world-class coach.
""Marcus has been on an incredible journey on the way to securing his qualification for Tokyo,"" said British Fencing Olympic team manager Johnny Davis.
""Faced with challenging financial and logistical circumstances, Marcus met the challenge head on and created a world-class environment and culture which has underpinned his qualification for Tokyo.
""Securing one of the two available individual automatic European qualification slots for the Olympics is arguably the most difficult route to Olympic qualification.
""For Marcus to have secured the number one European slot is an extraordinary achievement, given the quality of the opposition he has faced in this Olympic cycle."""	/sport/fencing/57201230
sports	Commonwealth Games: Isle of Man cyclists put in strong performances	"Isle of Man cyclists have put in a strong performance in the women's individual time trial final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Lizzie Holden finished in fifth place in a time of 41 minutes and 48.78 seconds, 1:43.58 back on the winner, Australia's Grace Brown.
Manx team-mate Becky Storrie finished sixth 5.71 seconds down.
Holden, who had just taken part in the Tour de France Femmes, said the course in Wolverhampton was ""brutal"".
24-year-old told Manx Radio: ""It's very different to most time trial courses I think anyone's done… it's very hard to get into your own rhythm because it's constantly stop, start. 
""It really hurts the legs, it's a hard course. I just went as hard as I could and tried to hold on.""
Meanwhile, Storrie said it was ""probably the most interesting time trial I've ever ridden"".
""I came through the finish and I felt like I'd just done a rollercoaster,"" the 23-year-old said.
""It was up, down, left, right but it was really fun. And very lumpy, which plays into the favour of our riders because you know the Isle of Man's very lumpy, so I think it was a great course for us anyway.""
It felt ""amazing"" to represent the island at the Games, she said.
""I've been looking forward to this for a long time… even though when you get selected it's still a long way to the start line, and you just want everything to go well and do a ride that you can be proud of, and I think I did that today.""
Fellow Manx cyclist Jessica Carridge finished the time trial in 24th place overall, with a time 46:42.04 said she was ""absolutely ecstatic"" to have taken part in the race.
30-year-old, who took part in her first competitive race in 2018, said: ""If you'd said four years ago I would be here I would have politely told that you were deluded.
""But here we are and I'm so grateful to be here, never dreamed of getting this far.""
In the men's time trial, Tyler Hannay finished in 16th place in a time of 51:02.83, 4 minutes and 41.59 seconds back on the winner, Australia's Rohan Dennis. 
Manx team-mate Leon Mazzone finished the race in 20th with a time of 52:28.38.
Speaking to Manx Radio after his ride, Hannay said the support from the crowds made it an ""experience like none other"".
""Through the tough times it spurs you on a little bit and blocks the pain a little bit. And also, you're able to pick out all the Manx flags and people you recognise, even if it's just for a split second,"" the 18-year-old said.
""It's definitely the toughest time trial I've ever done, but I quite like the tough ones, so I just went out there and gave it my best.""
In Badminton, Jessica Li continued her success so far in the Games with another straight games win.
24-year-old put in a strong performance to beat her opponent, Sabrina Charllene Scott of the Bahamas, 21-10 21-15.
In weightlifting, Kimberly Dean made history by becoming the first Isle of Man para athlete to compete in the Commonwealth Games.
After three lifts, she finished eighth in the lightweight powerlifting final with 73.7 points, 28.5 behind gold medal winner England's Zoe Newson.
34-year-old said preparations for the Games had given her a ""great platform to build and drive on forwards"" to the European championships.  
In another first for the Manx team, Jade Burden became the first woman to compete in boxing at a Games for the Isle of Man.
31-year-old was beaten on points by England's Gemma Richardson in the lightweight quarter-final round.
Speaking after the bout, she told Manx Radio she the occasion ""got to me a bit"".
""I'm still a novice, but you know what, you don't lose, you learn,"" she said.
""I'm proud to be able to be the first woman to box this, and it's a pathway for other young women in the gym as well. 
""I know I didn't win today but let's hope I can inspire them to make this step as well.""
On the track, athlete David Mullarkey took part in his first event of the Games, finishing 17th in the first round of the men's 1,500m.
22-year-old finished in a time of 3:50.06, 12.49 seconds behind the leader, Australia's Oliver Hoare."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62415774
sports	Bournbrook Skate Park: Campaigners fear for its future	"future of a skate park in Birmingham, which boasts a 10-year-old Olympic hopeful, could be in jeopardy as it faces possible redevelopment.  
Campaigners said Bournbrook Skate Park was under threat from a social housing application.
Built by volunteers, they said the skate park had become a place for people to ""express themselves"" and Rory, 10, who uses the site is training with Team GB.
unteers who make up Birmingham Skate Space established a community interest company in 2020, saying they liaised with the council about how to run it without a cost to the authority.
uncil said all feedback would be considered before a final decision was made."	/news/uk-england-birmingham-61614031
sports	Vote: British boxer of the year - Tyson Fury and Natasha Jonas in contention	"Tyson Fury and Natasha Jonas have led the way for British boxers in 2022, but are they the stand-out fighters of the year?
Jonas claimed three world titles at light-middleweight in just nine months, while Tyson Fury twice defended his WBC heavyweight world title with stoppage finishes, in front of 153,000 spectators.
It has also been a career-defining year for Chantelle Cameron who became England's first undisputed world champion in the four-belt era in November when she won all the world titles in the light-welterweight division.
Here you can vote for your British boxer of the year and the young British fighter of the year.
Fighters had to be 23 or younger to qualify for the young British fighter of the year vote.
Can't see this selector? Visit this page."	/sport/boxing/64057732
sports	Rishabh Pant: India wicketkeeper in hospital after car crash	"India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is in a stable condition in hospital after being injured in a car crash.
Police say the 25-year-old ""dozed off"" and lost control of his car. It flipped over twice and caught fire.
Reports in India say Pant suffered injuries to his head, back and leg.
Pant crashed between Mangalaur and Nursan, close to his hometown of Roorkee in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
""Rishabh is stable and undergoing scans,"" Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah tweetedexternal-link.
""I have spoken to his family and the doctors treating him. We are closely monitoring his progress and will provide him with all the necessary support.""
Delhi Capitals head coach and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting wished Pant a speedy recovery in a tweetexternal-link which read: ""Hope you're on the mend and back on your feet soon.""
Pant has played 33 Tests, 30 one-day internationals and 66 Twenty20s for India.
He was part of the India side that completed a 2-0 Test series win in Bangladesh on 25 December, top-scoring with 93 in the first innings.
He was not named in the squad for the three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals against Sri Lanka that begin in Mumbai on 3 January."	/sport/cricket/64124242
sports	Badminton World Championships: England's Ben Lane and Sean Vendy reach quarter-finals	"England's Ben Lane and Sean Vendy stunned the men's doubles top seeds to progress to the quarter-finals of the Badminton World Championships in Japan.
Lane and Vendy defeated Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 21-15 21-9.
Gideon and Sukamuljo are two-time former winners of the All England Open - the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament.
It is 14th seeds Lane and Vendy's first win over the pair after two defeats.
Ranked 17th in the world, they will take on another Indonesian pair in the last eight in Tokyo, fifth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
Lane and Vendy won the men's doubles silver medal at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham."	/sport/badminton/62671425
sports	European Cross Country Championships: GB's Emile Cairess wins silver behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen	"Great Britain's Emile Cairess took silver behind Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the European Cross Country Championships in Italy.
Norway's Ingebrigtsen - the 1500m gold medallist at Tokyo 2020 - retained his title in 29 minutes 33 seconds.
Cairess, 24, finished nine seconds later, outsprinting Belgium's Isaac Kimeli to the line.
In the women's event, GB - led by Jess Warner-Judd - won team silver a year after they took the title in Dublin.
Warner-Judd was the highest-placed Briton in the women's race in eighth, with team-mate Abbie Donnelly also recording a top-10 finish.
men's team finished sixth overall.
Earlier at Piemonte-La Mandria Park near Turin, Great Britain won men's and women's team gold in the under-23 races.
Charles Hicks won the men's under-23 title for the second successive year, with team-mate Zakariya Mahamed taking silver. In the women's race, Megan Keith claimed silver and Alexandra Millard bronze."	/sport/athletics/63936049
sports	Commonwealth Games: Inside NI's historic performance at Birmingham 2022	"The clues that it was going to be a record-breaking Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland came early.
uty and the curse of the multi-sport event is that you have different sports happening in different venues at the same time.
A glorious melting pot of sport and its unrivalled ability to bring people and cultures together? Yes.
A logistical impossibility for a reporter tasked with covering one nation's exploits? Also yes.
On day one, this reporter was just getting himself in position at Arena Birmingham to watch Rhys McClenaghan, Ewan McAteer and Eamon Montgomery go in the artistic gymnastics when Daniel Wiffen set a new national record and qualified fastest for the 400m freestyle final at Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
Come on now, Daniel, read the itinerary. You weren't meant to be the story until the evening.
At this point I should extend my thanks to the gymnasts, who ensured the morning's narrative would not centre solely around the swimming pool by making it the first time that Northern Ireland would have three gymnasts in apparatus finals.
ry first morning and an important lesson learned: it's going to be unpredictable, better to just lean into it. 
And so it went from there, the records never stopped tumbling.
When the Games schedule was released, Barry McClements and Wiffen couldn't help but notice that their first medal opportunities both came on the very first night.
Cue generic team-mate ribbing in the build-up to that Friday. Who was going to win NI's first Commonwealth swimming medal in the pool?
In the end it was McClements, whose bronze in the S9 100m backstroke prompted scenes of euphoria from the small pocket of his team-mates in the stands, who watched the last 25m or so between their fingers.
It hadn't been a bad night for Wiffen, who missed out on a medal by 0.13 seconds but broke the national record he had set the very same morning.
Call it hindsight, but after the first night there was a palpable feeling that everything was on the table. If day one was anything to go by, NI were primed to go beyond whatever had gone before.
r cause was aided by the Commonwealth Games' biggest-ever Para-sport programme, from which the team's first two medals were delivered courtesy of McClements and Para-triathlete Chloe MacCombe before judokas Yasmin Javadian and Nathon Burns struck bronze at Coventry Arena.
rd Para-sport medal came during a momentous evening in Team NI's Games history.
In many ways Bethany Firth's S14 200m freestyle gold was the least remarkable moment of that Wednesday simply because her dominance of that event, and standing as one of Para-swimming's biggest stars, was established long before she arrived in Birmingham.
On that same evening, Wiffen and heptathlete Kate O'Connor announced themselves on the global stage with silver medals in two arenas that Northern Ireland have rarely, if ever, had an impact.
O'Connor's heptathlon silver, behind one of the biggest names in UK athletics in Katarina Johnson-Thompson, was the type of performance that forces the rest of the track community to sit up and take notice.
Similarly Wiffen took second in the 1500m freestyle with a time that would have put him sixth in last year's Olympic final.
What's most exciting about O'Connor and Wiffen is that both are 21, and with their best years in front of them have in the last 11 days taken a huge stride towards joining the absolute elite competitors in their chosen field.
, perhaps, will in time come to be what NI's performance at Birmingham 2022 is most notably remembered for.
All the while the snowball kept picking up pace. McClenaghan found himself in that peculiar position of being initially disappointed by a major silver medal, but in the context of a disappointing 2021 the Ards man concluded it was evidence enough that he is on the right track.
Meanwhile over in the quaint surroundings of Royal Leamington Spa's Victoria Park, Northern Ireland's perfect blend of youth and experience were running amok through the competition in the lawn bowls men's fours.
Martin McHugh and Ian McClure partied like it was 1998 as they recaptured the title 24 years on from Kuala Lumpur, this time alongside Sam Barkley and Adam McKeown. Then just a couple of hours later Gary Kelly took silver in the men's singles.
It set things up nicely for the final day, where six NI boxers had advanced to finals after Eireann Nugent had taken bronze.
Carly McNaul, she of two surgeries and a broken femur since 2018, returned to the ring and claimed silver. The 33-year-old has already set her sights on the Paris Olympics.
me the fantastic five. On Sunday at the National Exhibition Centre, Northern Ireland's five gold medallists catapulted their team up the medal table on a day that will go down as surely Team NI's greatest.
As the madness unfolded at the NEC, Ciara Mageean used all her experience to break clear of her competitors alongside Laura Muir and take a silver which, like her athletics team-mate O'Connor's achievement, was a display worthy of global appreciation in an immensely competitive race.
Of course for those trying to cover the Games, the only maddening thing was that the athletics and the boxing took place some 10 miles away from each other.
But by this stage, it had long been established that one could not cover every event. The only thing to do was try to take as much of it in as possible and acknowledge the magnitude of what Team NI accomplished.
re is only so many times you can reiterate how impressive their medal haul is.
Although I suppose it's fitting that in these most historic of Games, it's rather easy to sound like a broken record."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62467474
sports	Elite League highlights: Cardiff Devils 4-1 Coventry Blaze	"Watch highlights of Cardiff Devils’ victory over Coventry Blaze in the Elite League.
match saw Coventry hitting 70 shots compared to Cardiff’s 52, with Devils netminder Taran Kozun making 37 saves."	/sport/av/ice-hockey/64114844
sports	Transgender athletes: What do the scientists say?	"Is there an unfair advantage? Should transgender women be banned from competing in female categories? Should there be a separate category established? Or should sport be more inclusive?
rsation around the inclusion of transgender women in women's sport is one that has divided opinion both in and out of the sporting sphere, even drawing comment from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
res around the balance of inclusion, sporting fairness and safety in women's sport - essentially, whether trans women can compete in female categories without their biological sex giving them an unfair advantage or presenting a threat of injury to other competitors.
As part of The Sports Desk podcast's look at the debate, BBC Sport spoke to two scientists who offer views from opposing sides.
Here, Tucker and Harper answer the key questions being debated from a science perspective. You will also hear from Dr Seema Patel, a lawyer who argues other factors - such as human rights - must be considered.
Harper: Advantages are not necessarily unfair, and let me use two examples, one where the advantages aren't unfair and one where they are.
Left-handed athletes have advantages over right-handed athletes in many sports. It is perhaps most marked in fencing where 40% of elite fencers are left-handed versus 10% of the population is left-handed.
But right-handed fencers and left-handed fencers can engage in meaningful competition despite the advantages that left-handed fencers have.
However, you never put a big boxer in the ring with a little boxer, no matter how good the little boxer is. No matter how hard the little boxer works, trains, how competitive they are, they can't beat a big boxer. The size difference means there's no such thing as meaningful competition between big boxers and little boxers.
So the question isn't 'do trans women have advantages?' - but instead, 'can trans women and women compete against one another in meaningful competition?' Truthfully, the answer isn't definitive yet.
rans women can have disadvantages because their larger frames are now being powered by reduced muscle mass and reduced aerobic capacity, but that's not as obvious as the advantages of simply being bigger.
Yes, it's true that competition can often come down to a very small margin, but there are, in any competition, many factors that come into overall performance and just saying that 'oh, somebody has an advantage' in one factor doesn't necessarily determine the outcome. 
ucker: When boys reach the age of 13-14, things start to change physically and we see increased muscle mass, bone density; [it] changes the shape of the skeleton, changes the heart and the lung, haemoglobin levels, and all of those things are significant contributors to performance. 
Lowering the testosterone has some effect on those systems, but it's not complete, and so for the most part, whatever the biological differences are that were created by testosterone persist even in the presence of testosterone reduction - or, if I put that differently, even after testosterone levels are lowered. 
It leaves behind a significant portion of what gives males sporting performance advantages over females.
ucker: The point of the women's category is to exclude male advantage, which comes as a result of testosterone.
Until it can be shown that that advantage doesn't persist or exist in trans women, then I would say that there's no basis to allow trans women in. 
f all that is that if there were no evidence at all, I would say that an exclusion policy would be the prudent start point.
However, we do have evidence - we have 13 studies that show significant retained advantage. We have a number of other studies of males with lower testosterone levels with prostate cancer, we know what happens with training, and so I think collectively the picture is quite strong to suggest that advantages are retained.
Finally, I think that what that leads to is the prediction that over time you will see athletes like Lia Thomas and Emily Bridges, so they are in effect the manifestation of what we know will happen physiologically. 
So I would be quite confident at this point that a policy that regulates women's sport by excluding male advantage, which includes trans women, is the evidence-based one. 
It's not impossible that in time evidence will emerge to challenge that and then we can reconsider that, but I think [the IOC] got it backwards in the beginning by allowing it in until proven otherwise. It should have been excluded until it could be shown that the advantages can be removed. 
Harper: The science is in its infancy and we are not going to have definitive answers for probably 20 years.
re are some, including the IOC, that have said until we know [more] we shouldn't restrict trans athletes.
What I would say is that until we know for sure, sport's governing bodies should do the best they can with the data that exists, with the knowledge that we have today, with the understanding that any policy they create now should be subject to change one we get more data.
So for instance, World Athletics has said that once transgender women reduce testosterone for 12 months, they should be allowed in. That's not a perfect policy - nobody is saying it is - but World Athletics has said this is the best we can do with the available science.
I think is a more reasonable approach than either saying there shouldn't be any restrictions on trans women or we shouldn't let trans women in until we know for certain.
Harper: In recreational sports, we should be creative; we can look at different ways of dividing. Do we need a male and female category in every case? Could we separate in other ways? Perhaps there may be cases where there is a third category that might be effective.
But the problem is if you strictly require all trans athletes to go into a trans category, then you have three categories - one with 49.5% of humanity, the other with 49.5% of humanity, and one with 1% of humanity.
So is the UK going to be able to field a transgender football team? And if so, will any other country field a transgender football team? Will the UK transgender football team have anybody to play?
In team sports especially, it's virtually impossible to consider a transgender category - it's not going to work in elite sport.
re are situations where it might be beneficial to be flexible and look outside the male/female dichotomy.
When we separate into categories, we don't necessarily eliminate advantages, but we reduce them to the point where anyone who is in the category can enjoy meaningful competition with anyone else in the category.
rue when we subdivide into male and female. If we want to see women winning Olympic gold medals or earning professional sports contracts then we can't be having men in the category.
Can we have trans women who have gone through male puberty in the category? That, admittedly, is not yet a settled question. 
ucker: It might be that in the future - that's where we head to. 
It would in some respects be quite a positive step, but I don't think that the world is really ready for that, and I don't just mean the sports world. 
us problem is there would be so few athletes that I'm not sure they would be able to sustain a sporting competition or even a category that is viable.
r problem is that there is still a lot of stigma attached to being trans and I'm not sure that trying to force or create a platform through sport would help overcome that. If anything, there might be certain barriers that are created. 
re are some countries in the world where it would be deemed illegal, so I'm not sure that society is necessarily ready for that and that it would be fair. 
, I think it might be a solution at some point in the future, but I just don't think that we are necessarily there yet. 
Harper: Trans women are never going to take over women's sport. First of all, trans people make up roughly 1% of the population. 
xample of a population study to look at comes from America. If you look at NCAA sports, there are more than 200,000 women competing every year in NCAA sports. Trans women make up 0.5-1% of the population so we should be seeing 1,000-2,000 trans women every year.
NCAA 11 years ago allowed trans women to compete, based on hormone therapy. We should be seeing 1,000-2,000. We see a handful every year.
So 11 years after these hormone-therapy-based rules went into effect, trans women are not taking over NCAA sports. They are still hugely under-represented. 
ucker: The problem is one of concept - not scale and number - and if you ask women about that, they'll say 'well, how many would you accept?' Would you accept five? Would you accept 10? Does it need to be 50? 
We've had a handful [of transgender women athletes] in the last while. There are a number of others in the United States who might not be receiving global attention, but they're certainly winning titles in the US. 
And again, they're taking places from women within the women's sports category, so playing the numbers game to me seems really dangerous because by 2028, at the Olympic Games beyond Paris, we could be seeing half a dozen, maybe a dozen. Who knows? 
It seems to be a problem that's only growing.
New guidance from the International Olympic Committee in November states there should be no assumption that a transgender athlete automatically has an unfair advantage in female sporting events. It invites individual sports to find the right approach.
ucker: It's quite clear that the IOC from the very beginning was intent on finding inclusion at the expense of the integrity of women's sport.
Where the IOC are now is that they've compromised it even further. No presumption of advantage - it's an extraordinary statement at a time when they have more knowledge than they would have had even seven, eight years ago.
So, despite the fact that we now know more, all the evidence, as I mentioned previously, points towards retained advantage, never mind existence of advantage in the first place, and yet they've gone in the direction of saying that we no longer need to measure testosterone, so there is a fundamental failure of scientific integrity on the part of the IOC. 
Most Olympic sports don't have the capacity to make this decision, let alone the evidence, so I think the IOC has failed in its leadership by not giving them a stronger framework with which to work.
've gone with a scientifically bereft policy guideline and now sports will have to sort it out as this problem continues to grow.
Harper: The new IOC framework doesn't provide enough substance, and certainly saying there shouldn't be any restrictions until we have data, I don't agree with that. 
IOC has prioritised inclusion, and I think inclusion is valuable, but again I would prefer the example of World Athletics, which is taking a more proactive stance, where they have said this is what we think we should do, we know it won't work for all sports, but they are showing more leadership. In that sense it is possible to criticise the IOC.
rying to create transgender policy is extremely challenging - you can criticise anybody for any policy that they have.
I certainly wish the IOC had done something other than what they did do, but it's also true that both trans women and cis women have been put in a very difficult spot.
Sports governing bodies have also been put in a very difficult spot, and we should have some sympathy too.
Harper: I have met Emily Bridges - she's 21 years old. She's a world-class athlete. She should be free to do her sport and go to uni and live a normal life.
Now, she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, people are debating her all across the world, she's been called some horrible things, there are some people who think she's a heroine, and she just wants to ride her bike, go to uni, have friends.
She's been devastated by this, and it's heartbreaking to see what has happened to Emily.
It is really hard to see on a personal level somebody you know go through this level of suffering.
ucker: What happened with the Bridges situation is a perfect illustration of the mess that sports have got themselves into and the reason that that exists is because, simply put, they haven't listened to their own athletes.
I'm uncomfortable at times with the way the conversation goes when it starts to talk about individuals, and you'll hear people saying that they're deliberately cheating; they're only identifying as women in order to win women's sports or to get into changing rooms and so forth. 
I find those kinds of - if you can even call them contributions to the debate - very uncomfortable and sometimes unpleasant. I wish that we could have this debate impersonally and without ever having to refer to individuals, because I think it is unfair on them and they're abiding by the rules. The rules are the problem. 
Now I don't know that that's enough to exempt individuals from the consequences of their own decisions and so forth, but I do think that we could have this conversation without needing to have exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C. It's quite invasive and sometimes unpleasant. 
I would really encourage people to debate the policy as opposed to the person. 
ucker: The reason this is so controversial is that there isn't an ideal scenario where the ideal is defined as keeping everyone equally happy. 
reality is that you cannot restore fairness by lowering testosterone, so therefore you either have to have fairness by exclusion of trans women or you must accept a degree of unfairness through the inclusion of trans women. 
Sports will have to make that difficult decision. 
Unfortunately, sports leaders will have to say: do they want inclusion of trans women or do they want to protect the women's category and therefore by necessity have to exclude trans women?
I can't see a compromise solution. It has to be a choice and I think some sports have leaned that way. 
Harper: The world has, over the last few hundred years, moved towards being more inclusive of minorities, whether that's people of colour, LGBT people... In many ways we've come to understand that human beings share more than we differ.
So trying to be accommodating of the differences that humans have is a valuable process and one that I hope will continue.
One of the things is that many people don't actually know any trans people, so this idea that trans women are men who think they're women, that isn't true. The gender identity that trans people have is such an essential part of our being that there is no way to separate that out.
rans people are who we say we are. I am a woman who was born with different physiology than other women, and so my place, I believe, should be with other women.
mething that an inclusive society would recognise. I do admit that when it comes to sports, things are a little more complicated.
What I would suggest is that it is impossible to maximise inclusion, maximise fairness, maximise safety in sport, all three of those, without some impact on the other.
If we maximise inclusion, it does come at some cost to fairness and safety. But I think that we can come up with solutions which, while they may not maximise any one of these three parameters, comes pretty close to maximising all three, and that none of these three important parameters - inclusion, safety and fairness - are overly impacted.
Equality Act 2010 lists gender reassignment as a characteristic given legal protection from discrimination - however, there are exemptions when it comes to sport.
Section 195 of the Act, which deals with sport, says it is lawful to restrict the participation of transgender people from sporting competitions where physical strength, stamina or physique are important factors in deciding who wins, but the restriction can only be done to ensure the competition is fair or the other competitors are safe.
Dr Seema Patel is a senior lecturer in law at Nottingham Law School. She has a PhD in discrimination in sport, looking at the regulatory balance between inclusion and exclusion in competitive sport. She has almost 20 years' expertise on the specific topic of transgender athletes and the law, and argues that the discussion around transgender participation needs to look beyond science and medicine.
In contrast to Harper and Tucker's criticism of the IOC's current guidance, Patel backs the new framework as ""groundbreaking"", saying: ""It's the first time an international governing body has sought to ensure that everyone can participate in sport irrespective of their gender identity or sex variations over the history of eligibility rules for gender diverse athletes. 
""We have never had guidance that focuses on principles of inclusion - no presumption of advantage, dignity and respect for athletes.
""The focus on human rights is necessary to ensure a balance; it shouldn't be one or the other. The science should not be the turning factor on this. It has to be also a matter of law, regulation, sociology, athletes and human rights ultimately, because these athletes are individuals.""
Addressing the Equality Act exemption clause, Patel called it ""highly problematic"" to base an argument on it for transgender exclusion, and suggested the government ""would need to look at amendments to future legislation"".
However, Tucker said: ""People hear discrimination and they automatically think of it as bad and unnecessary and unwanted, but in actual fact, it can be important and it's justifiable in certain instances. 
""The UK Equality Act makes quite clear that you can exclude on the basis of sex where sex is important for safety."""	/sport/61346517
sports	Bowling arena renamed in honour of world champion Julie Forrest	"An indoor bowling arena in the Scottish Borders has been renamed in honour of multiple world champion Julie Forrest.
Players gathered at Teviotdale Indoor Bowling Arena in Hawick to pay tribute to the four-times world champion.
Ms Forrest, 54, became a member of the club shortly after it opened in 1986, going on to win the club championship 14 times. She has also won four British singles titles.
She said: ""This is surreal - this place has been my second home for so long.""
Julie Forrest Stadium was officially unveiled on Saturday before the eight-times Scottish champion took to the green for friendly matches.
Although she is still at the top of her game - having lifted the World Bowls Indoor Championship trophy again in April - she believes that her best days are numbered.
She explained: ""I want to finish at the top and that will likely be in the next couple of years.
""I don't want to be one of those players that slowly slides down the rankings. One thing is for sure, I will keep playing bowls here at the Julie Forrest Stadium for as long as I can.""
Indoor Bowling Arena's committee hatched the plan to name the centre in honour of its most successful member more than three years ago.
A combination of legislation and the pandemic stalled the renaming until this month.
Councillor Stuart Marshall, who has been on the committee for the past 15 years, said: ""Julie has represented Hawick and Teviotdale bowling on the world stage.
""She has excelled on the world stage and we are ever so proud of her.
""Everyone in Hawick is fully supportive of the arena being named after our greatest player."""	/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-63756569
sports	French Open: Carlos Alcaraz aiming to seize Rafael Nadal's crown at Roland Garros	"It felt apt that Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open - which seemed like a seminal moment in the passing of power - was watched by Spain's King Felipe VI.
While Nadal is not prepared to abdicate from his 'King of Clay' throne, Alcaraz's first victory over one of his childhood idols - and subsequent lifting of the Madrid title - was the strongest sign yet the 19-year-old Spaniard is ready to rule the men's game.
Alcaraz, long touted as a future Grand Slam champion after being identified as a potential superstar aged 11, has dominated the ATP Tour in recent weeks.
xt step is transferring this form into a Grand Slam and the best-of-five sets format, with the first opportunity coming at the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
If Alcaraz was to win at Roland Garros - where 35-year-old Nadal has been almost unbeatable over the past two decades - then the leap from tennis sensation to mainstream recognition would be complete.
Fellow players and pundits have tipped him to do just that, while bookmakers have made him one of the favourites alongside 13-time winner Nadal - who is trying to manage a foot injury - and defending champion Novak Djokovic.
So just who is this youngster once branded 'a piece of spaghetti' who has got the tennis world salivating? And will he deliver?
Winning this month's Madrid Open - the most prestigious tournament in his homeland - was Alcaraz's fourth title of 2022. No other man has won as many. 
A tally of 28 match wins this year was also unparalleled going into the Italian Open, which Alcaraz skipped to preserve himself for Roland Garros.
In May 2021, he was ranked 120th in the world. A year later, he is sixth.
""People are going to think that I'm one of the favourites to win Roland Garros,"" Alcaraz said after he thrashed defending champion Alexander Zverev to win the Madrid title.
""I don't have it as tension, I have it as a motivation.""
Djokovic thinks there is ""no doubt"" Alcaraz can lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 5 June, while Zverev labelled the teenager the ""best player in the world right now"".
After losing to Alcaraz in Madrid, Nadal conceded it was the start of the ""handover"". 
""If it's today or not, we will see it in the next months,"" the 21-time Grand Slam champion added.
Alcaraz's best performance at a Grand Slam so far has been reaching the US Open quarter-finals last year and many expect the sixth seed to match that run, if not better it, at Roland Garros.
Clay is the surface on which he grew up playing in Spain and four of his five ATP titles have come on the red dirt.
Winning a major title this year is Alcaraz's next goal and, to help him achieve it, he can count on guidance from a man who has been there and done it - coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
""The fact that I have lived all these situations makes me realise better about how he feels and how to manage those situations,"" the Spanish former world number one and 2003 French Open champion told BBC Sport.
""Winning a Grand Slam is really hard. It is competing against the best in their peaks in pretty long matches. 
""We need to keep working, keep focus on our work and let all the noise happening around not affect him.
""As I used to say to him: he hasn't matched the achievements of anyone yet.""
Alcaraz's sharp rise in a stunning year has been down to his discipline and commitment on and off court. 
Particular focus has been put on improving shot selection and building a body that can cope with the physical demands placed upon the world's best players. 
""We worked a lot on his fitness because before, as I joke sometimes, he was like a piece of spaghetti,"" said Ferrero.
""We also work on all strokes and make special emphasis on his shot selection. He has a lot of talent and needs to order all the options he has while hitting. 
""Being orderly off the court has been important to work on too. To be one of the best, you need also to make this effort.""
In Madrid, Alcaraz beat three of the players ranked inside the world's top four. No player had achieved that at a Masters 1000 event since Argentina's David Nalbandian in 2007.
Nadal was the first to fall in the quarter-finals before 20-time major winner Djokovic and Olympic champion Zverev were also despatched.
Alcaraz's performance in a one-sided win against Germany's Zverev was described by 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova as ""a downright beating"".  
""He has got no weaknesses. I don't know what I'd do if I was playing him,"" said Navratilova, who was a courtside analyst in Madrid for Amazon Prime.
Zverev looked stunned by the manner of his destruction, while Greek world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas said he has been ""inspired a lot"" by Alcaraz's success.
As leading members of the 'Next Gen' group - the wave of early 20-somethings aiming to fill the void soon to be left by Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer - Zverev and Tsitsipas fully realise the younger Alcaraz is now another major obstacle in their quest for Grand Slam titles.
""I really do think he has leapfrogged them [the Next Gen players], he is ahead of them now,"" said Annabel Croft, the former British number one who is also an analyst for Amazon Prime.
""They are going to be chasing him and trying to figure out ways to bring their level up. He is sending shockwaves through the locker room.""
While he has high aspirations, there is nothing cocky about Alcaraz. 
Born and raised in El Palmar, a town outside Murcia in southern Spain, he typifies the characteristics of the people from a traditionally agricultural region heavily reliant on the export of fruit and vegetables.
Hardworking and determined, but enjoying the moments that life throws up.
Recently he was invited on to El Hormiguero - a popular chat show on Spanish television - and celebrated with Real Madrid's footballers on the Bernabeu pitch after they clinched another La Liga title.
ract him from the day job. Since Alcaraz was 15, the hard work has been put in with Ferrero at his academy about an hour's drive from Alcaraz's home.
Ferrero was persuaded by Alcaraz's agent Albert Molina, who spotted the youngster aged 11 and convinced international sports agency IMG to manage him a year later, to commit to what he saw as a long-term project that can reap rich rewards for everyone.
""He came to play some tournaments that we used to arrange at the academy,"" Ferrero said.
""At that moment he already had a great level and something different. He was surprisingly weak physically and hadn't any order while playing. 
""But his forehand was already something special, I truly could see a great difference with others. He already showed pretty special talents.""
mparisons between Alcaraz and Nadal are already wearing thin for some people, with both players pleading for the younger Spaniard to be given his own recognition.
""I know that there will never be another like Rafa in history. I am Carlos,"" Alcaraz said last year.
While their physical endurance is similar, Alcaraz plays closer to the baseline than Nadal, likes to come forward more and regularly uses the drop shot as a potent weapon.
But Alcaraz does possess the same important attribute as Nadal in his quest for greatness: an insatiable appetite for self-improvement.
""I think that I have to improve everything still. I have always said that you can improve everything. You never reach a limit,"" he said.
""Look at Rafa, Djokovic, [Roger] Federer, all of them improve and they have things to improve. That's why they are so good, and that's why they are so much [of the] time up there, because they don't stop. They keep on working and improving.
""That's what I want to do. I want to keep on progressing. I have really good shots. I don't say that I don't have them, but I know that I can improve them and they can be even better."""	/sport/tennis/61254070
sports	Joel Makin takes Manchester Open title	"Joel Makin won his biggest title to date and his first since 2018 by beating world number three Mohamed ElShorbagy at the Manchester Open.
Welsh number one had lost 3-0 to ElShorbagy when they last met at the Squash On Fire Open.
But this time Makin turned the tables, winning 11-7, 5-11, 13-11, 11-4.
""That was a massive push for me. I've been close to getting a win like this for a while,"" said Makin after the PSA World Tour Silver event.
""You feel like you're putting in the work and you get close and then you lose. You put together matches but you don't quite get it together all through the week. 
""I've managed to get off 3-0 in earlier rounds here, which has been great for me and I was able to have a big push in the final then.... I enjoyed all of it and it's great to be back here. 
""We had the Manchester Open last year but we didn't get to have a big crowd and this is what we want, people here enjoying the sport and tight, hard matches.""
England's Sarah-Jane Perry lost out to New Zealand's Joelle King in the women's final in straight sets, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8."	/sport/squash/61142507
sports	Wheelchair fencing at Tokyo Paralympics: All you need to know	"Dates: 25-29 August 
Venue: Makuhari Messe Hall B
Gold medals on offer: 16
re are three disciplines in wheelchair fencing based on the type of sword used - the foil, the epee and the sabre.
weapon at 770g and is more rigid than the other swords, the foil is lighter and highly flexible while the sabre has a short, flexible blade.
In the foil event, fencers are only permitted to strike the trunk area of the opponent, while in the sabre and epee, anywhere above the waist is a valid target area.
Fencers record hits by striking their opponent cleanly in the valid area, with successful hits recorded by the electronic equipment.
During a contest, the fencers' wheelchairs are fastened into metal frames on the floor at an angle of 110 degrees. This allows freedom of the upper body only and allows the fencers' sword arms to oppose each other. The distance between the fencers is dependent on the fighter with the shorter arm reach.
Bouts last a maximum of three minutes in the preliminary pool stages of the competition, with victory going to the first fencer to score five valid hits or the one with the most hits at the end of the three minutes. 
reliminary round results form the seedings for the knockout stages. Here, bouts consist of three rounds of three minutes. The winner is the first to score 15 hits, or the highest scorer at the completion of the contest. In the event of a tie, an extra one-minute sudden death bout is held, with the first person to score a valid hit taking the contest.
In team events, teams are made up of three fencers. Each fencer faces each opponent in the other team in a single bout of three minutes. The winning team is the team with the most points when the time is up, or the first to reach a cumulative score of 45 points.
Classification divisions are based on impairment. Category A fencers have good trunk control, whereas Category B athletes have an impairment that impacts their trunk or their fencing arm.
Piers Gilliver became the first British wheelchair fencer to win a Paralympic medal for 24 years when he took silver in the epee A event in Rio and he is also a strong contender in the sabre A event. Dimitri Coutya lost out in the last eight of his competition five years ago but has improved since then and is the current epee B world champion and foil B silver medallist.
China have been the dominant nation in recent times, topping the medal table at the 2016 Paralympics and also at the 2019 World Championships. Among their stars is Shumei Tan who won two golds at the last Worlds and who will be looking to win gold in the women's sabre B event as it makes its Games debut.
Italy's Beatrice Vio, who won foil B gold in Rio, is one of the stars of the sport and featured in the Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix. She contracted meningitis aged 11 and needed to have both her legs amputated below the knee and both her arms amputated from the forearms but she fences with the aid of a special prosthesis.
One silver (Piers Gilliver)"	/sport/disability-sport/57642057
sports	Ben Tudhope: 'I would rather have tight races than easy wins'	"Ben Tudhope heads to the Winter Paralympics in Beijing full of confidence after winning a silver and a bronze at the recent World Para Snow Sports Championships.
22-year-old will become a three-time Winter Paralympian, having competed in Sochi as a 14-year old - finishing 10th in the Para-snowboard cross and carrying his nation's flag at the closing ceremony.
And Tudhope knows competition from the next generation in his sport is fierce.
He says: ""We have a 14-year-old from Norway on tour with us - Niklas Lohne-Hansen. It shows how far the sport has come. Soon these kids are going to be able to beat me!"""	/sport/av/disability-sport/60486263
sports	Finn Russell: 'Scotland fly-half's Bath switch must deliver silverware'	"When Finn Russell joined Racing 92 in 2018, he immediately sky-rocketed up rugby's rich list. A reported salary of £850,000 gave him a place among the monied elite of the game.
Now that the worst kept secret in rugby is out and his move to Bath next season has been officially announced, Russell moves further up that pecking order. 
He now goes from probably the joint fourth-best paid rugby player in the world - along with Toulon's Cheslin Kolbe - to the third-best (if we accept the £950,000 a year figure as gospel), or possibly even joint-first along with Bristol's Charles Piutau (if, as reported elsewhere, the figure is actually a million a year).
Money, or lack of it, has been a big issue in the Premiership this season following the debacles at Worcester and Wasps, but among those wealthier outfits there's still the capacity to break the bank for a marquee player. With his incredible skill-set, Russell is box office from top to toe.
It's been quite a time for Russell. Left out of the Scotland squad for the autumn in the latest round of difficulties with his international coach, Gregor Townsend, only to return and put in the kind of stellar performances that made Townsend look utterly daft for effectively calling him the fourth-best fly-half in Scotland. 
me a father for the first time. Then he signed one of the biggest playing contracts ever written in the history of the sport. 
Russell has money, but what he doesn't have is lots of winners' medals. In his entire career - and he's 30 now - he has won one major trophy, the 2015 PRO12. The move to Racing was supposed to address that, but it hasn't. It's provided some fantastic moments, individual and collective, but Racing have failed in Russell's time there. 
For such a talented squad, put together at vast expense, a losing final in the Champions Cup in 2020 is the closest they've come to winning a big title in Russell's time. They're well in the hunt in the Top14 this season but their European prospects are in mortal peril having already lost two out of two.
Russell will feel financially fulfilled, but if elite sport is about more than money then one trophy, more than seven years ago, is a dismal return on his talent. 
You could put together a mesmeric highlights reel of the wondrous things he does on a rugby field, we can wax lyrical about him being a gloriously imaginative outlier in a game now dominated by muscle, but the bottom line is that he has only one piece of silver to show for it.  
What are the chances of him improving on that when he moves to Bath? Financially, it's a no-brainer for him. Rugby-wise, the jury is out. 
Bath are one of England's greatest clubs with a European Cup win in their cabinet, a big support, plans to redevelop their home ground and an incredible legacy of attacking rugby. The Bath we see nowadays is not at the races. 
Last season they finished 13th and last. They've failed to make the top four in six of the last seven seasons and haven't won a Premiership title since 1996. Currently they're eighth of 11 in the Premiership with three wins from nine as well as two defeats from two in Europe. They rank 10th of 11 for points scored and 11th of 11 for tries. 
No wonder they want Russell's ingenuity. The club has stagnated for the longest time. But what can the Scot do about it? That's the intriguing question. 
Bath's coach is the South African Johann van Graan, who moved to The Rec at the beginning of this season after five years as head coach at Munster. Van Graan is a good man, unfailingly polite and a fine technical coach. He's also risk-averse. He's been schooled in the culture of Bokball, 10-man rugby, bludgeon over rapier.
He had some good results with Munster but the rugby was largely dull - or ""turgid nonsense"" as former Munster player Keith Wood called it in Van Graan's last season in Ireland. ""There's no point talking about Munster's attack, it doesn't exist,"" said Wood.
ruckloads of former Munster players criticised Van Graan in his years with the province. One of them said his style belonged to the ""dark ages… it's like 25 years ago."" That's an exaggeration but it spoke to the general air of frustration, the lack of excitement. 
Even the most measured observers of his reign would say that he was okay and nothing more, that they didn't really go anywhere under his coaching. 
rly signs at Bath aren't wholly encouraging either, which makes the Russell signing so fascinating. Part of the reason why the fly-half has had such a testy relationship with Townsend is because of what he sees as a prescriptive gameplan, a lack of freedom to play it as Russell sees it.
's why he's played so well at Racing. He was given licence to play. It might not have resulted in trophies, but he's thrilled the locals for years. 
Unless Van Graan's changes the way he views the game - from conservatism to a style more in keeping with one of the most creative players on the planet - you have to wonder how this is going to end up. 
If he doesn't allow Russell to be Russell, then what's the point in bringing him in? Do you get a cat and ask it to bark? Do you get a brilliantly instinctive player and ask him to play a game of percentages? 
For the sake of Russell's rugby - if not his bank balance - you hope that he's talked all of this through with Van Graan. It's about money for sure, but it also has to be about ambition and getting in the hunt for the biggest trophies. 
You'd like to see Russell operating at the top end of the English game rather than scuffling around near the bottom, where Bath currently reside. Whatever happens, it'll be compelling. "	/sport/rugby-union/64043070
sports	Greatest Fights: Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier brought heat, hate and hard soul searching	"""When I saw the punches being thrown, I said to myself they should abolish boxing because that was a killer fight.""
As Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier started throwing punches before 11am on a sweaty morning in the Philippines, Gene Kilroy had a closer look at the 'Thrilla in Manila' than most.
He stood in Ali's corner, shouted messages from ringside and later watched his friend and employer - who should have been celebrating - sit battered and bruised in his hotel room.
Ali simply said the 14 rounds felt ""like death"". Frazier, swollen and unable to see from his left eye, felt he hit his rival with ""punches that'd bring down the walls of a city"" and yet he was left contemplating defeat.
Kilroy, one of the only surviving figures from Ali's team on that morning in 1975, tells the Greatest Fights podcast the ferocity of what played out made him ""think"" about the nature of the sport.
Ali made some $9m (£4.4m in 1975), Frazier around $5m (£2.45m). The conditions ensured they earned every dime as estimated temperatures of 43C under the glass roof of the Araneta Coliseum served to all but cook both men.
""I made sure we had enough ice in the corner to keep Ali going,"" Kilroy recalls. ""The pillars in the venue were sweating it was so hot.""
Ali faced a different kind of heat in the build-up. His choice to introduce Veronica Porche as his wife to Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos prompted Khalilah Ali - his actual wife - to fly in and ""raise hell"" according to Kilroy. ""All hell broke loose,"" he recalls.
Kilroy had grown used to the ""challenge"" of chaperoning the most recognisable sportsman of his era.
""I had to chase them away - the hustlers,"" he says. ""Everyone wanted to haul Muhammad here or there and everyone had a gameplan. If Ali went to the bathroom he was the type of guy to come out with two new friends.""
While Ali had faced some turmoil, Frazier trained meticulously for a fight against a man he had grown to detest. Too much had been said - some of it deeply personal - across their two fights to date.
Each with a win to their name, the blows in fight three looked heavier than ever before. Frazier looked to sap Ali by working the body hard. A member of his team had simply instructed: ""Hit him on the hips, hit him on the legs. You hit him anywhere.""
Legend has it that seven rounds in, Ali whispered to his rival ""Joe, they told me you was all washed up"" to which Frazier snapped: ""They lied.""
""For me it is the greatest, most compelling rivalry in all of sport,"" says BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing's Mike Costello as he watches round eight, where the pair trade punches as if failure is simply not an option.
""Nothing matched what was involved with Ali and Frazier.""
A morning contest ensured some 68 countries would be able to tune in for the trilogy fight. Closed-circuit venues across America meant the fighters earned the money befitting of such occasion.
watching saw Ali begin to land with worrying regularity late in the fight. Frazier, spitting blood from his stool between rounds, took punches he simply could not see as his left eye closed more and more. 
And yet Ali is close to quitting. His reserves are depleted. In the 14th, he digs deep to produce one of the key attacks of his 21 years in the professional ring. It is enough to prompt decision in one corner.
""It's all over,"" trainer Eddie Futch told a protesting Frazier on his stool before the final round could begin. ""No-one will forget what you did here today.""
""Then everyone went in the ring and started jumping on Muhammad,"" says Kilroy. ""Some people said he fainted but he never did.
""We went back to the hotel room and watched TV. His hands were sore and his body was sore. Can you imagine taking a beating like that? Think how Frazier must have felt.""
""Two men who made and broke one another,"" BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing's Steve Bunce says as he reflects on the Manila night. ""I think it is the most gruelling fight I ever watch back.""
Ali died in 2016, aged 74. Arguably the most charismatic sportsman to ever live spent more than three decades battling Parkinson's disease.
When Kilroy met with Ali on his 69th birthday he recalls witnessing his friend shaking.
Kilroy adds: ""Then he whispered and said 'Gene, didn't we have a lot of fun?' 
""He said 'would you do anything differently?' I said no I wouldn't and he said 'me neither'. I have been blessed to be around him.
""You can't blame the disease on boxing. People said to him 'look what boxing did to you'. He said 'boxing made a lot of poor people a lot of money. When I fought everybody made money, I put a lot of people to work'. That's how he looked at it.""
Ali fought four times in a year after his third war with Frazier, a sign of the times in an era where heavyweight greats went to work in order to cement legacies.
Almost 45 years later, shoppers frequent the aptly named 'Ali Mall' next to the arena where he gritted out one of the sport's most captivating wins.
""It is the greatest heavyweight fight in my mind that we have ever seen,"" Costello adds.
Bunce replies: ""Sometimes we get accused of living in the past. When the past has fights like that, you have to live with them."""	/sport/boxing/53396927
sports	Great Britain face high-altitude tie against Colombia to make Davis Cup Finals	"Great Britain will need to beat Colombia in a tie played 2,500 metres above sea level to reach next year's Davis Cup Finals.
Pueblo Viejo Country Club's clay court on the outskirts of capital city Bogota for February's qualification encounter.
Great Britain, who last won the title in 2015, were eliminated in the group stages of this year's Finals.
Colombia lost 4-0 to the United States in their final qualification play-off.
gins on 3 February - five days after the conclusion of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Daniel Elahi Galan is Colombia's only direct entrant into the men's singles draw at the opening Grand Slam of the year, while Britain are represented by Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Kyle Edmund and Andy Murray."	/sport/tennis/64108008
sports	Brendan Loughnane: PFL belt symbolises everything I've been through	"Brendan Loughnane speaks to BBC Sport's Paul Battison about winning the Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight belt and $1m prize, becoming the first British champion in the promotion's history.
READ MORE: Loughnane: I risked it all to chase a dream
Pictures courtesy of Professional Fighters League"	/sport/av/mixed-martial-arts/64065618
sports	Winter Olympics: Team GB will 'lick their wounds' after Beijing 'disappointment', says UK Sport chief	"Great Britain will ""lick their wounds"" after a disappointing Winter Olympics, and come back ""roaring and fighting"" for Milan-Cortina in 2026, UK Sport CEO Sally Munday said.
m GB won just two medals at Beijing 2022, falling short of their target of three to seven.
women's curlers beat Japan to win gold on the final day of the Games after the men won silver on Saturday.
Munday said she was ""thrilled"" for the curlers after a ""disappointing"" Games.
medal haul was short of the five won at the previous two Games but there were a number of near misses as well, with three top-six finishes.
Asked why Britain's two medals came from one sport and they were not more competitive across more disciplines, Munday told BBC Sport it was ""probably too soon to jump to conclusions"".
""What is really important is that we review properly,"" she said.
""We ask all of the sports to do their reviews and we will look at all the contributing factors that go into making medal-winning performances. We really get under the skin of why it is that some that we thought might achieve success here didn't. 
""Was it simply an error on the day, which can happen in the sports that we have here? 
""Or are there things that are deeper than that? 
""I think you probably liken us to a wounded lion. We'll lick our wounds, we'll work out what needs to be different and we will come back fighting and roaring for Milan-Cortina.""
More than £22m was spent on funding the sports at Beijing 2022external-link, with some receiving larger contributions than others.
£9.53m was spent on ski and snowboarding, and £6.42m was awarded to skeleton, with neither producing medals.
Meanwhile, Brad Hall's four-man bobsleigh team felt their sixth-place finish was ""like a medal"" after having to self fund their Olympic dream.
""Clearly a lot of money has gone into some of the sports that have come back with nothing and people, I suppose, will want answers as to why they haven't delivered the medals that you thought they would,"" added Munday.
""The sports will do their own reviews and I think that's important to get to the heart of the questions that will need to be answered. 
""We will then sit down with each sport as part of our annual review process and get under the skin of what it is that they have learnt.""
Speaking about the sixth-place finish in the men's bobsleigh, Munday added: ""A massive congratulations to Brad and the team to achieve what they have, and the way they went about their determination to self fund. 
""It is really impressive and so huge congratulations to them for what they have achieved here. I can't look back and say what I could and couldn't change in the past. 
""What we can do is make sure that we review all of the sports.""
However, Munday said success has to be measured in ""greater terms"" than just the return of medals.
She added: ""We're disappointed with where we are and there's no shying away from that, but I've heard brilliant stories over the last couple of weeks of ice rinks and snow domes being packed to the rafters and people desperate to get in the door. 
""The medal moments make us feel fantastic, but the definition of success for us is wider than simply the medals.""
Munday's comments of disappointment were echoed by British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson, who acknowledged some difficult decisions lay ahead.
Anson also said more support should be offered to events with bigger teams rather than excellent individuals.
""We don't want to hide away from the fact that there will be sports and athletes going home who will be disappointed with the way things have gone out here,"" Anson told BBC Sport.
""It would have been nice to have achieved some medals on the snow and in the skeleton and bobsleigh, but that did not happen for whatever reason.""
Speaking about the disappointment around some sports, Anson added: ""We have not gone into it in detail, but there's different reasons in different sports. 
""I think we have to take each sport differently. So skeleton not winning a medal is different to not winning a medal in skiing or snowboarding. 
""In skiing and snowboarding there is so much jeopardy, and when we only have one athlete in each event, it is really difficult to win medals consistently.
""With UK Sport, we will work with the national governing bodies to make sure the strategy about really getting behind those teams where there is strength in depth, versus into individual athletes who just need supporting because they are individuals who are good. 
""They're on the circuit doing very, very well and they need supporting, but maybe that is different, and supporting a whole team and a whole sport is what we have all got to get our heads around.""
Games were overshadowed by Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater who failed a drugs test.
Valieva helped her team win Winter Olympic gold in Beijing, after producing a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine in December.
result was only reported the day after the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won team gold, and Anson said the whole story was a ""tragedy"".
""It's awful that a 15-year-old girl is testing positive for banned substances,"" he said. ""There is no upside to that for anyone at all and it's a horrific story. 
""We spoke to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) straight away and we pushed them to say that the whole entourage is properly investigated because we need to know if it is indicative of a more systematic issue that's going on still in Russia. 
""If it is then the sanctions haven't worked and we need to revisit that.
""But for me, as the father of a daughter, seeing a 15-year-old girl having illegal substances in her is horrendous. So we have to do something about it. The whole sporting world needs to do something about it because it's not acceptable."""	/sport/winter-olympics/60451757
sports	Natalie Powell: British judoka takes silver at Abu Dhabi Grand Slam	"Natalie Powell equalled her best Grand Slam performance for three years as she claimed -78kg silver in Abu Dhabi.
Welsh judoka was beaten in the final by China's Zhenzhao Ma in the United Arab Emirates.
was defeated after two minutes and 48 seconds of the final as Ma countered an attack and threw her for an ippon.
For Powell, it represents an improvement on the bronze she won in the same event in 2021.
32-year-old had earlier beaten Belgium's Sophie Berger and Anna-Monta Olek of Germany before defeating French judoka Audrey Tcheumeo in the semi-final.
Find out how to get into judo with our special guide."	/sport/judo/63364583
sports	PDC World Darts Championship: Alan Soutar focuses on form over showmanship	"Alan Soutar will stick with his trademark Scottish attire at the PDC World Darts Championship, despite admitting it can make him 'a target' for the crowds in England.
Arbroath-based Soutar, 44, has become known for his tartan trousers and saltire shirt, which drew plenty of attention from the raucous crowd at London's Alexandra Palace last year.
""It has become an identity for me, but it is also a target, isn't it, especially in England and Ally Pally, but I think I have learned,"" he said.
""The Grand Slam [in Wolverhampton last month] wasn't bad; the crowd weren't bad against me because I wasn't geeing them up or doing anything.
""I'll be more serious, more focused, more clinical, because if you are carrying on with the crowd, you are not focused on the match. I have taken that on board from quite a lot of people.""
Soutar, who is also a fireman in Dundee, burst on to the scene at last year's event, knocking out big-name players Mensur Suljovic and Jose de Sousa on his way to the last 16.
Since turning professional less than two years ago, he has risen from 128th to his current position of 36th in the world rankings.
He said: ""I am still the same, I'm still a fire fighter, but it changed in that you had to start respecting your position in darts and thinking, 'I am actually one of the top players in the world'.
""I do feel that pressure. When you think about Peter [Wright] and Gary [Anderson] being the top Scottish players, and Hendo [John Henderson] in the past, I feel like I am stepping in to their world now, so it has changed the way I treat darts.
""I treat it a lot more professionally now and I do treat it as something that I see as a job.""
man known as 'Soots' is taking some impressive form to London.
He reached the quarter-finals on his debut at the recent Grand Slam of Darts where he recorded notable victories over Fallon Sherrock, world number 10 Nathan Aspinall and world number seven Jonny Clayton. 
""If I can get anywhere the top 32 in the world in two years, I'd be delighted with that because there are guys that got their tour card with me that have just lost them. To be 36th is a big step, but it is not the end of the story; it is just a halfway point.
""Once you get into the top 32, that is where the big stuff starts happening, that is definitely the goal.""
Soutar was an unknown quantity at Alexandra Palace last year. That is not the case now, as he prepares for Friday's opener against Australia's Mal Cuming, making his debut at the event.
""At home everyone has been saying, 'you're going to win your first round easily' and things,"" said Soutar.
""That just adds pressure because they are expecting you to win. I like to feel that buzz that everyone back home is right behind me and thinking, 'Soots is going to do well again'. I am going down there full of expectation myself to perform so I like putting pressure on myself.""
Find out how to get into darts with our special guide."	/sport/darts/63975597
sports	Commonwealth Games: What has changed for indigenous people since Cathy Freeman's triumph?	"As the curtain came down on the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, eyes began to turn to Victoria - the host of the 2026 event.
Indigenous elders from Australia performed a smoking ceremony as the Birmingham Games came to a close - handing over message sticks to organisers.
It was a moment of inclusion that underlined how things have changed since Australian sprinting legend Cathy Freeman won gold at the 1994 Games.
She was 21 then and having a breakthrough year in athletics. At the Commonwealth Games in British Columbia she won both the  200m and the 400m, but during those Games, she experienced something that would become part of sporting history. 
Freeman celebrated her 400m win by running a victory lap while carrying the Aborginal flag. Australia's chef de mission for the Games, Arthur Turnstall, responded with a public statement reprimanding her and warned if she did it again, she would be sent home. 
""She should have carried the Australian flag first up, and [we should have] not seen the Aboriginal flag at all,"" he told media.
Defiantly, after winning the 200m days later, Freeman once again carried the Aboriginal flag, this time tied with the Australian flag, to represent her identity and heritage. 
Freeman's success on the track and passion to represent her people off it made her an Aboriginal icon, as well as a symbol of reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. 
was nearly 30 years ago. 
So how much have things changed for Indigenous athletes competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and what does the event mean to them? 
Ash Gardner was part of the gold medal-winning Australian cricket team at Birmingham. She told BBC Sport her heritage and culture plays a huge part in her identity as a cricketer. 
""I'm a proud Marwari woman,"" she said. ""I love being able to represent not only myself, but my culture and my people as well."" 
Gardner says while she didn't have many Aboriginal role models growing up, Freeman was certainly one of them. 
""She was an absolute superstar in her field, and you just have to look up to those types of people and know that things are achievable,"" added the 25-year-old.
""Wearing that flag was something that was pretty incredible, and something that she should be really proud of. Knowing the backlash that she copped, and still sticking to her guns, was a really significant thing. 
""It's who the First Nations people of Australia are and that's who was there before anyone else.""
So, before coming to an event like the Commonwealth Games, which has such strong links to colonialism, did Gardner think about its history? 
""It certainly crossed my mind,"" she admitted. ""You just have to look at the history of Australia and what happened there and knowing that, obviously a lot of that has come from colonisation. I think a lot of people probably don't understand that.
""But we can look at it and celebrate who the First Nations people are from all different countries around the world, especially Commonwealth countries."" 
But for Indigenous people all over the world, what exactly are the barriers to playing sport?  
Janice Forsyth, professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, specialises in sport's relationship to Indigenous and Canadian culture.  
""Sport is very expensive, it costs a lot of money, and many Indigenous families don't have that kind of money,"" she told BBC Sport. 
""In addition, there's racism and other forms of discrimination that make it an unwelcoming place for indigenous athletes.
""And the discrimination can be overt, with name calling, or it can be much more subtle. A lot of times, people just don't know how to address it, because it is so systemic.""
Another reason there are so few Indigenous elite athletes, she says, is because their communities were trying to address the colonialism and the generational trauma of it in their everyday lives. 
""Many athletes in the mainstream system, especially those who are privileged, didn't have to experience that."" 
Ash Gardner says that can be ""taxing"".  
""We feel like we have to educate everyone on who we are and what our issues are,"" she added.
""Obviously it's up to people to go and do their own research. But I guess the thing that's changing in Australia at the moment is people are actually going out there and educating and it's coming from the top.""
Another Indigenous athlete who competed and won a medal at the Commonwealth Games is hammer thrower Jillian Weir from Canada. 
Weir's dad Robert was born in Birmingham and competed for Birchfield Harriers. He was a 12-time British champion in the discus and won four Commonwealth Games medals over a 20-year period, including two golds. 
While Robert has Jamaican roots, Weir's mum has Indigenous Canadian heritage. 
""There's a fighter spirit in me from my ancestors,"" she told BBC Sport. 
29-year-old says looking at the Games from a historical point of view is difficult.
""I come into this as another competition,"" she added. ""And I want to do my best to represent my background as best as I can.
""But I remember in 2018 there were people protestingexternal-link the colonisation of the Commonwealth Games, and it definitely made me think about that when I made my first Commonwealth team.
""To have an Indigenous background and to be here, to medal at the Commonwealth Games, it means the world.
""I'm just trying to represent the best that I can and if I can bring attention to some of the wrongdoings of indigenous people, that's what I want to do. To highlight indigenous backgrounds and indigenous stories."" 
Like Gardner, Weir also sees the barriers that Indigenous athletes face in her country, including lack of representation and opportunities. 
""And typically indigenous people - especially the ones that still live on reservations in Canada - maybe don't have the highest socio-economic status,"" she added. ""To be able to go join a sport and to pay money to be able to participate can be quite difficult."" 
Forsyth says the issues of indigenous people in sport can be traced all the way back to when European settlers first arrived in North America with their own sports and games.
""They thought those were the sports and games that Indigenous people should be playing in Canada, the United States and Australia,"" she said. ""And so they tried to encourage indigenous people to pick up those sports.
""They did this in a number of ways. In Canada, they did it through the Indian Act, outlawing indigenous physical practices. They did it through the boarding schools and the residential schools. They continue to do it by funding certain sports which aren't necessarily indigenous derived."" 
Forsyth says laws which divorced indigenous people from their own culture are another reason there are still so few indigenous athletes in mainstream sports. 
Now, new conversations are being had and on global sporting stages - but could Freeman ever have imagined this would happen in her lifetime? 
On the day of her 400m final, a crowd of 112,524 - the then-largest Olympics attendance - packed the stadium to watch Freeman storm to victory in one of the most iconic races - and bodysuits - in Games history.
She was not only the first Aboriginal Australian woman to compete in the Olympics, she also became the first Aboriginal athlete to win an individual gold medal too. 
She celebrated with her double-sided Australian-Aboriginal flag and, after her win, she said ""My ancestors were the first people to walk on this land. 
""It's a really powerful force and those girls were always going to come up against my ancestors."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/62475537
sports	Commonwealth Games: Dan Goodfellow wins 3m springboard gold in all-England top three	"Dan Goodfellow won his first individual Commonwealth Games gold to lead an all-England top three in the men's 3m springboard final.
Jordan Houlden won silver while Jack Laugher - the defending champion in the event - overcame his earlier nerves to take bronze.
re were further medals for England in the women's synchronised 10m platform final, with Eden Cheng and Andrea Spendolini- Sirieix winning silver, and Robyn Birch and Emily Martin bronze.
Victory brought 25-year-old Goodfellow his first major title, having won Olympic, world and European medals in synchro events. He finished with 484.45 points.
""It's a great feeling,"" he told BBC Sport. ""I've had a bit of a rough year so to get a result here means everything. 
""I'm just over the moon.""
Houlden, 24, finished 19.30 points behind Goodfellow, with Laugher - already a two-time gold medallist at the Birmingham Commonwealths - a further 2.85 back. Scotland's James Heatly was fourth.
Goodfellow opted to go solo at the start of 2022 after years of synchro success, winning 10m platform gold at the 2018 Games with Tom Daley, and bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics. 
On competing individually, he said: ""It's feels great. I'm really enjoying my diving at the minute and it feels nice to do it on my own.
""I'm really enjoying training by myself and doing the events by myself. All us boys are based up in Yorkshire so we couldn't ask anything better of a one-two-three of Yorkshire lads.""
Cheng and Spendolini-Sirieix left it late to launch themselves into the medals, having looked out of contention until their penultimate dive, which lifted them from sixth to fourth.
But after a calamitous final dive by their Canadian opponents, a window of opportunity opened - and they took their chance.
red 76.80 on their final attempt, the highest score awarded in the final, to grasp the silver, finishing 7.14 points behind Australian winners Charli Petrov and Melissa Wu.
Petrov, just 14 years old, was not born when her 30-year-old partner made her Commonwealth debut in 2006.
It is 17-year-old Spendolini-Sirieix's second medal of the Games, after she won gold in the individual event.
""I feel really proud of us as a team. I'm so overwhelmed by how incredibly loud and supportive the crowd are. We did a really good job,"" she said.
""To have a celebration with Eden, then see Robyn and Emily come over and celebrate with us, it's a really special moment.
""Sport is so beautiful. You compete against each other but ultimately you're one big family. I'm really proud of everyone.""
Birch and Martin, meanwhile, had hovered around third for much of the competition, and looked stunned as they secured a medal on their final dive.
""I don't normally look at the scores, but looking at the scoreboard and realising that we got a medal was just amazing. It's like a dream, really,"" said 28-year-old Birch.
Laugher, 27, had come into this event as the favourite, but blamed his nerves for an off-par performance in the preliminary round on Saturday morning.
re, he scored zero points across the board having performed the wrong dive for his opener, blaming it on his nerves and the pressure he felt.
After the preliminary, Laugher said he planned to sleep and ""reset"" before the evening's final. He returned to the Sandwell Aquatics Centre a different diver.
His opening two dives in the final saw him go second in the standings, before an 86.70 point third dive moved him to the top.
But an off-the-mark fifth dive, awarded just 53.20 points, saw him slip down into fourth. He made amends on his final attempt, scoring his highest mark of 87.75 points with the hardest dive on his programme.
""I just reset my day, came back with a more positive attitude and one trying to show off my skills and I think I did that,"" he told BBC Sport.
""One mistake that cost me my position but overall, in comparison to this morning, a great performance all round.
""I think if you're going to lose out on a gold medal or a silver medal then who better to lose it out on than two of your really good friends, close companions, training partner and also Team England as well.""
Laugher won a hat-trick of Commonwealth golds in Australia four years ago, and victory on Saturday would have seen him repeat the feat.
""I can't be disappointed. It's two golds and a bronze,"" he said. 
""I would have liked to have back-to-back wins but it's diving. It happens so quickly and there have been so many times, like this morning and this afternoon, where great divers have made mistakes and it takes a split second to go wrong and that costs you a medal. 
""But I'm really lucky I managed to get on the podium - a good performance overall and I think I can move on and get better.""
Houlden's silver marked his second medal of the Games, having won 1m springboard bronze behind Laugher earlier in the week.
For someone who was afraid of water as a child, spending two days of a introductory camp building up to even getting into the pool, he now wants to use his Commonwealth medals as a catalyst for bigger things.
""I'm really lost for words now,"" he told BBC Sport. ""Two Commonwealth medals, it's a real big achievement for me. 
""Coming out here, being my first Commonwealth Games, I feel like I've stepped up to the pressure and really given my all.
""Standing between two Olympic medallists - it's quite the team. It's sensational. Big dreams and hopefully I can get to the Olympics and be with these two guys."" "	/sport/commonwealth-games/62448416
sports	Tour of Britain 2023 to start in Manchester	"Cycling's Tour of Britain race will start in Manchester next year.
Grand Depart of the eight-day event, the UK's biggest professional cycle race, will take place in the city centre on Sunday, 3 September, organisers said.
Race director Mick Bennett said Manchester, which hosted the final stage of the race in 2019, was ""synonymous with British Cycling"".
Manchester City Council's John Hacking said it was an ""honour"" for the city.
""Manchester is the home of British Cycling and our velodrome is internationally renowned as a gold medal factory,"" Mr Hacking said.
""Hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour of Britain 2023 is a real honour for us and celebrates Manchester as a premier cycling city.""
Manchester is home to the recently refurbished National Cycling Centre, which first opened in 1994.
Great Britain Cycling Team opened a training wind tunnel in the city in October and this year the council also completed work on the £1.55m Wythenshawe Cycle Hub.
Mr Bennett said: ""It's great to return to Manchester following the huge successes of the race's last visit there in 2019 and, of course, this year's Tour Series Grand Final in the heart of the city.
""Manchester is both synonymous with British Cycling and the way it is leading the charge towards active transportation so we can't wait to get the 2023 Tour of Britain under way in the city."" 
final stage of the 2023 Tour will take place in Wales and details of the full route will be announced in spring.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-manchester-63901076
sports	Pele and 1970: How the greatest player of all time cemented his legend	"As Brazil's team bus weaves its way through the streets of Mexico City en route to the Azteca Stadium for the final of the 1970 World Cup, the players on board joyously hammer out a samba beat. Every available surface, be it rain-flecked window, roof or unused seat, is an instrument.
In the third of our World Cup icons series, BBC Sport tells the story of Pele and his role in helping Brazil bring us the beautiful game in 1970.
Leading the way with his drum is singing winger Jairzinho, 'The Hurricane', scorer of a goal in every one of his team's five games so far in the tournament, all of them victories.
Joining in is Roberto Rivellino, the graceful attacking midfielder and scorer of the first of the 15 goals that has taken them to the final; Carlos Alberto Torres, the strong-willed, brilliant captain who helped keep holders England at bay in the group stages; Gerson, Tostao, Clodoaldo and the rest, superstars of this unparalleled side, on their way to immortality.
ud for everyone to hear a single rattle fall to the floor, the players too engaged in their singing and thoughts of glory to pay much notice to the man who intentionally dropped it. 
Pele - the greatest player in the world, the talisman of the team - is crouched, hiding, tears streaming down his face.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to the world as Pele, knew only success during the first eight years of his international career.
He was just 16 years old when he made a scoring debut for Brazil in 1957, against Argentina no less. In less than a year, he netted twice in the final against hosts Sweden as his country won their first ever World Cup.
Four years later, in Chile, injury would curtail his game time but not his legend as Brazil made it back-to-back triumphs in the world's biggest tournament.
He was then undoubtedly the planet's finest footballer - fast, strong, skilful, intelligent, improvisational and unselfish. He was a global star, who crowds would flock to see. He adored the game and it adored him back.
Such status comes at a cost, though. His was to become a marked man and over the summer of 1966 he would find that others in the sport were unwilling to tolerate his genius. It was at Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club, that he would have much of his love for the game kicked out of him. Literally.
Portugal defender Joao Morais would be the last in a line of hatchet men tasked with nullifying Pele by any means at that World Cup, his most brutal act a trip followed by a two-footed lunge that left the Brazilian forward powerless to influence what would be a 3-1 loss.
result confirmed Brazil's exit at the group stage and with it ended their proud, eight-year ownership of the Jules Rimet trophy in dire and hubristic fashion.
""A total, shameful failure"" was how Pele later described it in his autobiography, adding: ""Everyone thought we'd win with ease. But our preparations were not planned with the same humility as in 1958 or 1962. We were already starting to lose the title before we even set foot in England.""
Beaten, bruised and thoroughly disillusioned, he turned his back on the international game.
It was a hammer blow to Brazil. Pele's power went beyond what he was capable of on a football field. He was a unifying force for a vast and multi-cultural country with large impoverished areas, from which he himself had emerged. He was a symbol of hope.
was a man once declared a ""non-exportable national treasure"" following an emergency session of Congress when clubs from Italy came hunting his signature in his late teens.
His importance as a figurehead had only increased during a time of instability and uncertainty, with the country under military rule following the coup d'etat of 1964.
Relinquishing the World Cup was a blow. Losing Pele was unthinkable.
me can be a great healer, as can perspective. Pele found comfort in both during the next few years and when attentions again began to turn to a World Cup he was a changed man to the one left reeling by his experience in England. 
Fatherhood had helped to ease his dissatisfaction with football, while a tour to Africa with Santos and witnessing the huge, adoring crowds that gathered to see him - a black man - and his side gave him a new outlook on his importance as a role model.
He was also brimming with renewed confidence after a number of strong club seasons, during which he had taken his career goal tally to 1,000 - a moment of epic proportions in Brazil, where news of the great man reaching the landmark shared front pages with the Apollo 12 moon landing.
Pele was also not immune to that most gnawing of fears for all elite sports stars of wanting ""not to end my career as a loser"".
Finally convinced to return to the national side by promises of greatly improved preparation by the Brazilian Commission of Sports and a clampdown on foul play through the introduction of yellow and red cards for the tournament in Mexico, Pele's decision was initially vindicated by a stellar qualification campaign.
He contributed six of the 23 goals scored as a settled, scintillating side won six out of six under coach Joao Saldanha.
However, calm confidence soon gave way to chaos, with the erratic Saldanha at the centre of it, seemingly determined to undo all the good work by clashing with the media, employing dubious match strategies - most damningly in a defeat by Argentina - and sacrilegiously questioning Pele's place in the side. 
His most ill-advised fight was the one he picked with General Emilio Garrastazu Medici, the president of Brazil's military regime, who did not take favourably to being told to stay out of national team affairs.
Saldanha was sacked soon after, but refused to go quietly, aiming much of his vitriol in the direction of his former number 10, firstly stating he was short-sighted (which was technically true but clearly not detrimental to his game), before escalating his attack with unfounded claims that he was unfit and suffering from a ""severe illness"", prompting a worried Pele to obtain reassurances from team doctors.
While Pele had no serious concerns on the pitch, off it was a different matter.
He was popular in Mexico. One previous visit to Guadalajara with Brazil had prompted nearly the whole town to close, with posters placed on street corners stating: ""No work today, we're off to see Pele!"" But the country was politically volatile in the summer of 1970. The arrest of a group of Cuban-trained guerrillas by police led to a tip-off of a potential plot to kidnap Brazil's star before the World Cup.
As a result, in the weeks leading up to the tournament, Brazil trained in a fortified camp, patrolled day and night by police and armed guards, with Pele himself hidden behind a circle of protection wherever he went.
rimental impact was in part testament to the planning, which stretched back to friendlies played in Mexico as far back as 1968 and three and half months of dedicated preparation ahead of the tournament, including 21 days spent training at altitude. 
When it came, their first game against Czechoslovakia at the Estadio Jalisco was a release, not just for the determined Pele but a focused, honed squad and 96 million expectant people back home.
Mexico 1970 was an explosion of colour, and no side possessed a richer palette than Brazil.
In a tournament televised live and in full technicolour for the first time to a global audience who only a year earlier had witnessed Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the balletic movement and sublime skill of those clad in vibrant canary yellow and cobalt blue was an apt giant leap into a bold and brilliant new footballing world.
Empowered to use their independence and intelligence as well as their ability by Saldanha's successor Mario Zagallo, a former team-mate of Pele's in '58 and '62, theirs was a football beholden to attack.
Blessed with a plethora of number 10s, Zagallo found a way to accommodate them all - Jairzinho and Rivellino operating in versatile wide roles, Tostao as a false nine and Gerson playing deeper in midfield.
At the centre of it all was Pele, a magnet for the ball on the field and for eyeballs off it, his every touch meaningful, his every forward run simmering with intent and possibility.
His game had always centred around control, pace, power and vision, but here they combined in perfect synchronisation with his evolution as a player.
In '58 he was raw, in '62 he was injured, in '66 he was hampered but in 1970 he was experienced, fit, free and focused. This was uncut, flawless Pele and he dazzled like never before.
g game was a ferocious rebuttal to all those who had written him off, including Czech coach Jozef Marko who's side took an early lead but was then left to rue describing the forward as a ""spent force"".
An impudent nutmeg of Ivan Hrdlicka was a taster, followed soon after by him winning the free-kick from which Rivellino hammered Brazil level. Better was to follow. On the hour mark, the number 10 rose in the box to perfectly cushion Gerson's pinpoint 50-yard pass in mid-air, steering it towards his landing before steadying himself to fire home. Jairzinho's late double completed a 4-1 rout.
What many remember most from that game, though, was not the goal Pele scored, but the one he did not - an outrageous lob from inside his own half that beat Czech goalkeeper Ivo Viktor but sailed inches wide.
Surging with a confidence that comes from total control over one's game, he would admit afterwards that it was pre-planned - devised after spotting that European goalkeepers had a tendency to wander from their line. His only regret was that he had not saved it for a more illustrious opponent, one of which was just around the corner.
England were the benchmark at Mexico 1970, the current holders that many felt had only grown stronger in the four years since their maiden World Cup triumph. For Brazil this was a 'final before the final'. For Pele, it was also an emotional hurdle to clear.
It had been England celebrating in the summer of 1966 as Pele sat at home, nursing his bruised body and pride. Symbolically, this was the game in which he could finally lay all the frustration of four years ago to rest.
He did not disappoint in an extremely high-quality but also fiercely-contested encounter often boiled down simplistically to Brazil's attacking flair versus England's defensive ferocity. The English could also play, Brazil and their talisman equally able to mix it.
Alan Mullery, the man tasked with marking Pele, has since admitted to hitting the forward hard in the game to try and throw him off, but that he was physically and mentally equal to it.
In his autobiography Nobby Stiles, who watched on from the bench that day, wrote: ""It was nothing less than daunting to see the ease with which Pele held off his marker. Repeatedly Mullers tried to hustle him off the ball. Repeatedly, he failed.""
Only twice, though, did Pele fully escape from the efficient Mullery's dogged attention - the first resulted in arguably the finest save of all time, the second settled the game.
Gordon Banks' save is part of English football folklore - a physics-defying leap to tip the ball over his bar from pretty much the whitewash of the goal-line. At the other end of the field, Brazil keeper Felix could only clap in appreciation. Pele himself described it as ""the save of that tournament and of most other tournaments you could care to mention"". That the ball was propelled towards goal by the forehead of the world's greatest player cements its legend.
Jairzinho scored Brazil's winner but it was made by the skill of Tostao, who beat three England defenders before crossing, and the vision of Pele, who in one fluid movement in the tightest space shaped to shoot before flicking the ball to his right, perfectly into the path of the goalscorer.
""When Brazil scored their winning goal, we saw another vital aspect of Pele's game - humility,"" continued Styles. ""It was best expressed in his understanding of the needs of the team. Pele cut out two England defenders with the simple pass that played in Jairzinho. That was pure Pele.
""His performances in Mexico surely represented his prime - you saw a talent that he had honed down to all the essentials of winning football. If a simple pass would work best for the team, he would play it. It was only if he was under pressure and lacking other options that he would launch some outrageous initiative. He was both the engine and the heart of Brazil, as well as being the ultimate example of that nation's superb feeling for the game.""
England's captain Bobby Moore, the man that had lifted the Jules Rimet trophy four years earlier, paid Pele the ultimate compliment at full-time, swapping shirts with him, prompting their now iconic topless embrace.
Brazil had their symbolic scalp but refused to rest on their laurels or compromise their principles.
A 3-2 win over Romania - with Pele scoring twice via a fierce free-kick and neat, low finish - saw them top the group and set up a knock-out tie with Peru.
It would be a quarter-final for the ages, a meeting of like-minded South American rivals, fighting fire with fire. The Peruvians had the advantage of an insider at the helm in Didi, a former team-mate of Pele's in the '58 and '62 World Cups. Ultimately, the Brazilians had the greater firepower, winning 4-2 in a display that further underlined their togetherness.
was a unified Brazil, a family. Off the pitch a nightly ritual had begun, led by the devoutly Catholic Pele. The players would gather together to pray - for the sick, the poor, victims of the ongoing war in Vietnam, but never for victory. That they had to earn. To do so, they would next have to slay a demon from the past.
Pele was nine years old when Brazil lost to Uruguay - one of their great rivals - in the final of the 1950 World Cup on home soil.
What had begun as a day of hope and joy - the country alive with the sound of firecrackers and radios turned up to full volume - ended in despair and silence.
Coming in from his own game in the street, played with a ball made from a paper-filled sock tied up with string, Pele found his father in tears.
Dondinho, a talented semi-pro footballer himself, had nurtured his son's love for the game, imparting technique and wisdom. Now the son saw an opportunity to offer something in return.
In his father's room, he looked to a picture of Jesus on the wall. ""If I'd been there I wouldn't have let Brazil lose,"" he declared. ""If I'd been there Brazil would have won."" Twenty years later, he made good on the promise.
It didn't start well. Uruguay led the semi-final in Guadalajara after 20 minutes. Midway through the first-half, though, Brazil began to play and, with a minute to go until the break, Clodoaldo equalised with his first international goal.
Pele had been relatively quiet but his influence on the game grew and grew. A brilliant, gliding run was ended by a crude tackle, a first-time shot denied by a scrambling Uruguayan keeper, another soon after flew just wide.
An injury-hit and tiring Uruguay, who had been taken to extra time by the USSR in the last eight, were broken when Jairzinho gave Brazil the lead with 15 minutes to go. The relentless Pele set up Rivellino for a third in the closing stages. There was still time for one final flourish from the number 10.
In stoppage time, Tostao's through ball for Pele drew out Uruguay keeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, but instead of taking it around him the forward dummied, allowing the ball to run past both him and his opponent. Having been forced wide and to shoot first time because of a backtracking defender, Pele's shot rolled agonisingly wide.
result fulfilled Pele's pledge to his father and left Brazil one game from glory. 
With tears on his face and the repetitive beat of his team-mates' batucada [percussive samba] filling his ears, Pele calms himself. This is not a time for doubt. He is the most established of his country's players, a two-time world champion, a leader. Having undertaken such a journey to get here, he must not stumble now.
He picks up his rattle, rises once more to his feet and rejoins the mobile orchestra winding its way through the streets of Mexico City.
A few hours later, a photographer captures an image of the Brazil and Italy teams lined up in the Azteca Stadium before kick-off, 100,000 fans screaming at them from all sides of the sweltering cauldron in Mexico's capital.
In it, the face of almost every player is forward and focused, every sinew seemingly stretched to control the simmering pan of nerves within. The exception is Pele, who stares to his left, straight down the camera's lens with a look of unerring calm and confidence.
For the opening stages, Italy keep the door bolted, their solid catenaccio style doing its job. But in the 18th minute a chance arrives. Rivellino's cross is hooked and hopeful, but it's trajectory to the back post perfect. Pele has the run on Tarcisio Burgnich, his spring ensuring he rises highest to power home a precise header.
Pele leaps again, this time into the arms of Jairzinho, his fist pumping the air in delight.
Before half-time, a set-back. Brazil's defence errs, Roberto Boninsegna emerging from amid the chaos to roll the ball into an unguarded net.
re is no panic at the break. Brazil are the fresher side after Italy's marathon semi-final against West Germany four days earlier. They have the talent and tactical plan to take advantage.
Pele is inches away from a Carlos Alberto cross, Rivellino strikes the crossbar from a free-kick. There are 66 minutes on the clock when Gerson collects the ball on the edge of the box and fires a strike beyond the left hand of Enrico Albertosi and into the net.
Soon after, Gerson's driven pass forward is met by the head of Pele - rising once more behind the bamboozled Burgnich, springs in his heels - to head down for Jairzinho to complete a full sweep of scoring in every game of the tournament. Italy's challenge undone in six second-half minutes.
xt 15 minutes go by in a giddy blur, the carousel of yellow shirts dancing their way around a dejected foe.
Italians are praying for the final whistle when Tostao tracks back to win the ball and lay off to Wilson Piazza, who then helps work it into midfield for Clodoaldo. The midfielder slaloms around four Italian challenges to find Rivellino, who's forward pass releases Jairzinho down the left. He cuts inside to find Pele, who lays the ball off with perfect weight for Carlos Alberto to lash the ball first time into the far corner of the net.
It is a work of art. Perfection. A goal showcasing all that this Brazil stands for - teamwork, skill, improvisation, precision and planning. Zagallo had identified the Italian left as an area to exploit, but even he could not have imagined they would do so with such beautiful ruthlessness.
Once again at a crucial point there was Pele, his assist so simple yet exact in its execution, his selflessness never better exemplified.
Photographers encroach on the pitch in search of a perfect shot. At full-time, delirious fans flood on to embrace the Brazilian players, tearing shirts and shorts from them. Pele is one of many chaired around the ground shirtless, having removed his top himself to avoid having it clawed from his back and his head taken with it.
Back in the changing room, he once again seeks solitude from the carnival taking place around him, moving into the shower to pray. He had ended his international career in glory and for that he wished to give thanks. The peace did not last long. A journalist bundles his way in and kneels in front of him to beg forgiveness for the doubts about the forward he had put to print prior to the tournament.
Pele ushers him to his feet. ""Only God can forgive,"" he tells him. ""And I am not God.""
Some time later, when the dust had settled on Mexico 1970 and Pele's exploits had already begun to seep into legend, Burgnich - the man tasked with attempting to man mark him in the final - was asked about the experience. 
""I told myself before the game, 'He's made of flesh and blood, just like me.'"" he reflected. ""I was wrong.""
Bibliography
BBC World Cup icons series"	/sport/football/62712350
sports	Tunisia beat Cameroon to retain men's African Nations Volleyball title	"Tunisia retained their men's African Nations Volleyball Championship title with a 3-1 win over Cameroon in the final in Rwanda on Tuesday. 
Both teams had already clinched places at next year's World Championships when reaching the final.
unisia were Africa's only representatives from the recent Tokyo Olympics, where they lost all five of their group games.
In the third place play-off, Egypt beat Morocco 3-1.
ween Tunisia and Cameroon was a repeat of the 2019 final in Tunis, which Tunisia won 3-2.
result brings Tunisia their third straight title and 11th overall, having dropped just one set on the way to the final. 
2022 World Championships will be played in Russia from late August to mid-September. "	/sport/africa/58556844
sports	English Open: Defending champion Neil Robertson through to last 32	"Defending champion Neil Robertson reached the last 32 of the English Open with a 4-3 victory over Lei Peifan.
Peifan overturned a three-frame deficit with three century breaks to force a decider in a thrilling comeback.
But world champion Robertson, 40, sealed the win in the seventh frame with a crucial 67 break.
Elsewhere, world number two Judd Trump booked his place in the last 32 with a 4-1 win over Craig Steadman.
Kyren Wilson beat Ben Woollaston 4-0 and Mark Selby beat Joe O'Connor 4-2.
UK Championship winner Mark Allen beat Dylan Emery 4-1, Ali Carter beat Chen Zifan 4-0, Ding Junhui won 4-1 against Xu Si and John Higgins cruised past Mark King 4-1.
Marco Fu continued his return to action in his first-round match after not playing between February 2020 and April 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic and eye surgery.
2008 UK Championship runner-up, who reached the last 64 by beating Jimmy Robertson 4-1, told wst.tv: ""It's nice to be back competing and playing to a decent standard. I have missed so many tournaments over the last few years.
""I enjoy being around the other players, they are like a snooker family. But when the trips are too long, it is difficult mentally, I don't feel healthy.
""The last time I came to the UK I needed to stay for three months because of the quarantine policy in Hong Kong."""	/sport/snooker/63965616
sports	Commonwealth Games: Zoe Newson wins powerlifting gold, Olivia Broome silver, while Mark Swan wins silver in men's final	"England's Zoe Newson took women's lightweight powerlifting gold at the Commonwealth Games as compatriot Olivia Broome won silver.
30-year-old - who thought she would have to give up powerlifting when she became pregnant with son Duncan in 2018 - scored 102.2, while Broome finished with a total of points tally of 100. 
Englishman Mark Swan, 21, secured a silver medal in the men's event. 
In the men's heavyweight final, Scotland's Micky Yule claimed bronze.
Newson's gold betters the bronze she won at Gold Coast 2018, while Kenyan Hellen Kariuki's 98.5 was enough for bronze.
Newson became pregnant shortly after those Games and returned to training about four months after Duncan's birth.
Nigeria's Onyinyechi Mark and Latifat Tijani - who might have challenged for gold - were disqualified from the event because they arrived 25 minutes late for the scheduled pre-competition kit check.
Isle of Man's Kimberley Dean finished eighth with a score of 73.7.
Swan lifted a British record 199kg in the men's lightweight contest on his second attempt and then added to his points tally with a third lift of 202kg. 
Matthew Harding of England finished sixth on 123.7. 
Paralympic and two-time world champion Bonnie Bunyau Gustin of Malaysia won the gold medal, while Nigeria's Innocent Nnamdi was awarded bronze over team-mate Thomas Kure after the pair both finished level on 132.5 points. 
medal was decided by who successfully lifted the greater weight, which was Nnamdi with 190kg compared to Kure's 180kg. 
Yule claimed his first Commonwealth Games medal in the city where he underwent life-saving surgery after being injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan in 2010.
43-year-old former British Army staff sergeant also won bronze at the Paralympics in Tokyo last year. 
India's Sudhir Sudhir was victorious in a tight men's heavyweight final, scoring 134.5 points to beat Nigeria's silver medallist Ikechukwu Obichukwu on 133.6. "	/sport/commonwealth-games/62426621
sports	Derby Trailblazers aim to bring top-flight basketball back to city	"Derby Trailblazers hope to bring top-flight basketball back to the city, says head coach Matt Shaw.
Derby played in the British Basketball League (BBL) for 15 years until 2002, with the club previously coached by Nick Nurse - the American who took the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title.
railblazers play in the second tier, but there is no promotion and relegation between competitions.
""We have seen Derby is a city that can support a BBL team,"" Shaw said.
""It's definitely a desire. We always want betterment, always want to improve as a club and getting to that top league would be phenomenal.""
Derby are among the top teams again in the National Basketball League and last season claimed silverware by winning the L Lynch Trophy.
reached the quarter-finals of the BBL Trophy, going out against top-flight side Bristol Flyers at home.
game at the Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre - a school venue - was packed with hundred of people and convinced bosses at the Trailblazers to try and establish a permanent home of their own to get Derby back to the BBL.
Derby's lack of a TV-friendly facility when they played as the Storm in the BBL is what led them to pulling out of that competition two decades ago.
With 350 players - across all divisions and ages groups - on their books and 200 people on a waiting list to join, the need for a home is more than just about trying to re-establish professional basketball in the city. 
Getting players on court at the moment means the Trailblazers have different teams, across different age groups and divisions, training at a number of different venues throughout the week.
""Too many people wanting to play basketball is a great problem,"" Shaw told BBC East Midlands Today.
""But it's quite frustrating that so many people want to play basketball but we just can't accommodate everyone.
""We need more court space, our own facility that we can call home and where we can play on a weekly basis and slot everyone in.""
railblazers chairman David Woodyatt says the club has been in talks with the local council, as well as other un-named bodies about building a venue.
He also said there is interest locally in financially supporting a future bid to join the BBL.
""I really believe Derby people want to put things back into Derby,"" Woodyatt said.
""We have reached out to business people in Derby and it's really gathering momentum now."""	/sport/basketball/63962764
sports	Africa Super League: Can new competition improve club game on continent?	"Morocco may well have broken barriers for African football with the country's historic run to the World Cup semi-finals, but the club game on the continent is still lagging well behind the standards in Europe.
As such, Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe is hoping the launch of the Africa Super League next year will change that.
South African described the new competition as ""one of the most exciting developments in the history of African football"" when he unveiled the latest plans in Tanzania in August.
Flanked by the the boss of world football's governing body, Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Motsepe stressed it was all about pumping more money into club football in Africa, with $100m available as prize money and the winners getting $11.5m.
urnament had been mooted to kick off in August 2023, with plans to involve 24 clubs from 16 countries, although recent reports suggest that there may only be eight teams now. 
However many there are in a format that may well follow the European Champions League, the plan is to culminate in a 'Super Bowl-like' final in May 2024.
Africa Super League will run alongside the existing African Champions League, which features 16 teams in its group stage but has been dominated by North African sides over the past decade.
Caf is promising a huge investment of $200m in total - not only for the participating clubs, but also for the development of the women's game and youth academies in its 54 member countries.
good to be true? Some people think so.
""We've not been consulted once,"" bridles John Comitis, the chairman and owner of Cape Town City FC, which competes in South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL).
former striker has been involved in African football for almost 40 years and is not happy about what he calls ""the opaque selection process"" of the clubs for the new Super League.
Comitis says he received a couple of lists of the clubs which would be included, and believes that the chosen ones are ""politically positioned clubs, owned by certain rich individuals or by the state"".
State ownership of football clubs is still quite common across Africa, although that is not the case in South Africa itself.
Comitis' biggest concern is the effect the new continental competition might have on the PSL, which he describes as ""very efficient and professional"" in terms of funding and broadcasting rights.
""The infrastructure nightmare of Africa is unprecedented,"" he says, highlighting how his team travelled to DR Congo for a game and could not get there and back in less than five days and describing the costs of the journey as ""outrageous.""
In this context, Comitis believes it will be almost impossible to fit Super League games into the existing schedule and that national leagues will undoubtedly suffer, potentially losing broadcast money if the top clubs are fielding B-teams in domestic games.
""At the end of the day, we are protecting our businesses and South African football,"" he concludes.
Some may call that sour grapes, as Comitis has clearly indicated that his team was not one of the chosen 24 once earmarked for the Super League.
It is still unclear where the planned $200m prize and development fund will come from, especially after Caf reported a loss of over $40m in its most recent audited accounts., even if Motsepe continually talks of significant interest from the commercial sector. 
A Caf spokesperson said Motsepe, elected as Caf boss in March 2021, ""has the best interests of African football at heart"".
re is, meanwhile, no doubt that mining billionaire Motsepe has invested a lot of his personal fortune into the game as owner of the reigning South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Should they actually happen, the sums involved would make the African Super League more valuable than the Africa Cup of Nations, which has always garnered international attention and culminated in a final which pitted then-Liverpool team-mates and global icons Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah against each other when Senegal beat Egypt in February.
Osasu Obayiuwana, a Nigerian football journalist, believes the concept for the new club competition was not designed in Africa, but was, in fact, the brainchild of Infantino.
""There is a belief outside of Africa that Africans need to be led like babies. I find this highly insulting,"" Obayiuwana said.
Just like Comitis, Obayiuwana is concerned the football calendar will become far too congested.
Should 24 teams take part, the Africa Super League would feature 24 match days over a season - a lot to fit in alongside domestic campaigns spread across around 38 weeks and African Champions League commitments.
Add to that the logistics of extra travel across the continent, which presents a challenge in itself, and the scale of the task is clear. 
""You can imagine the amount of pressure that will be on the players,"" Obayiuwana added.
Caf says details of the Africa Super League are still being ironed out but, amid a lot of criticism and unanswered questions, the new competition does have its big-name supporters. 
South Africa's record goalscorer Benni McCarthy played in Africa and Europe, winning the European Champions League with Jose Mourinho's Porto in 2004, and is now first-team coach at Manchester United after spells managing in his homeland at Cape Town City and AmaZulu.
He thinks the new Super League will provide more earning potential for clubs and a better platform for players which could be transformative.
""I would love to see an African player compete against the best players in the world because it's been too long since we had an African win the Ballon d'Or,"" the 45-year-old said, referencing Liberian George Weah's victory in 1995.
""African football is brilliant but it is not on the same level as European football. The speed and the technical side are different to what players are used to in Africa.
""I think the Super League will remove that barrier by making African football more competitive.""
, but, in reality, if the new Africa Super League is to have a fighting chance of succeeding it will need to attract TV money, which is the lifeblood of football in Europe and helped make England's Premier League the most financially successful league in the world.
But, as Obayiuwana points out, African broadcasters spend more money on the European game than African football - with their argument being that the product is not deserving of their investment. 
So, how do you resolve this chicken and the egg situation? Without TV money and sponsorship, it will be a struggle to develop the quality of the football on show.
Obayiuwana believes Caf should build local leagues first, promote them on the continent and make them into brands.
, just as with the Champions League in Europe, fans will ""get to know the players and clubs and will be invested in them, which is not the case in Africa"".
It starts with people actually being able to watch matches across the continent, which in many countries is a real issue.
""It is easier for me to watch the Europa League in Lagos than to watch a match between Esperance and Raja Casablanca in the African Champions League,"" the Nigerian said. 
Despite the progress by African sides at the World Cup, improving the club game could prove a tougher challenge for Motsepe."	/sport/africa/63637986
sports	Marty Moore: Prop fully focused on Ulster rather than notion of Ireland recall	"Marty Moore says his main rugby mission is proving his worth to Ulster rather being pre-occupied with notions about a recall to the Ireland squad.
x-Leinster prop earned the last of his 10 Ireland caps in 2015 before the international door was closed during his Wasps stint between 2016 and 2018.
Moore moved to Ulster in 2018 and while he played for Ireland A in November, has not earned a further full cap.
He has battled mainly with Tom O'Toole for Ulster's tighthead spot.
O'Toole has been part of Ireland squads over the past two seasons while Moore, 31, apart from his call-up for the A game against an All Blacks selection last month, has not been in Andy Farrell's plans.
But asked whether he felt he had a point to prove to the Ireland coach, Moore insisted that all his focus is on impressing Dan McFarland and his backroom team.
""I feel like I have a point to prove but not necessarily in terms of Irish selection or Irish coaches, more to my own team-mates here and the coaches here that I deserve to play for this club and start games,"" Moore told Ulster's weekly news conference.
""I don't think there's much motivation or added motivation needed to what I do here week to week.""
And with Moore selected for the New Year's Day interpro against Munster at Kingspan Stadium, he added: ""I don't really need any added incentive to tear into that challenge.""
After being out of favour with Ireland for so long, Moore's inclusion in the A squad was a talking point for a game which saw the arguably third-string selection suffer a 47-19 hammering.
""It was still good to get a run out at that level and train in that system again,"" added the Dubliner, who came on as a replacement in the RDS game.
""Just getting a good week's work in whereas otherwise I would have probably been off and just back in in the gym here just keeping myself fit, so it was a bonus from that perspective. 
""It probably shows that games don't go unnoticed. That you're in the back of the mind when it comes to selection to an extent. 
""It does drive you a bit but it's been so many years now that it's not the driving factor [in terms of motivation] when it comes to how I play or whether I play good or back week in, week out because if it was, I'd be playing pretty bad after these years [of being out of Ireland favour]."" 
As for this weekend's game, Moore, like forwards coach Roddy Grant, is anticipating an improved Munster from the side which Ulster defeated in Limerick in late October, even though Peter O'Mahony and Tadhg Beirne are among big names who won't feature.
Moore's selection will see him battling with Munster loosehead Dave Kilcoyne, who was also part of the Ireland A squad last month.
""Everyone is hoping it will be what it should be, which is a proper interpro clash. Apart from the big European games, those are the ones that everyone savours the most when all the Irish players are there and you kind of go head-to-head with the best that there is to offer.""
After holding on to win 22-20 against Connacht in Galway despite the home team's late rally, another victory would further bolster belief in a side that suffered three successive defeats prior to last weekend's Sportsground contest.
""With Munster it's always a battle of breakdown and set-piece but especially breakdown and securing clean ball,"" added Moore.
""We did that in parts against Connacht. We could have been a little bit cleaner during periods of the game but it's just about controlling that territory and holding on to that ball against Munster."""	/sport/rugby-union/64110625
sports	Luvo Manyonga: World champion & Olympic silver medallist's drug fight	"Luvo Manyonga is a hard man to reach. 
He doesn't have an agent. He doesn't do social media or email. His address is not his own. He doesn't even own a phone. 
It's the way he likes it now. The way it has to be.
find Manyonga takes a speculative call to a distant contact. He passes on another number, who, in turn, forwards on a text message. 
, a day or two later, an unknown number hums in reply. As the connection is made, Manyonga's familiar grin spreads across the screen.
Sitting in a plain bedroom, Manyonga runs a hand across his head. It used to be shaved to a shine. 
""I've grown some hair now!"" he laughs as he examines his new close crop in the corner of the borrowed phone.
More than just his hair style has changed for Manyonga though.
Back in 2017, he was doing another BBC Sport interview.
High among the London Stadium's girders and rafters, sat between Denise Lewis and Michael Johnson, Manyonga told a prime-time audience of his redemption.
He had been an addict, hooked on 'tik'. 
It is a form of crystal meth, that has seeped through South Africa's townships. Cut with other substances, it is sold in 'straws', before being heated, often in a stolen car headlight bulb, and smoked.
Manyonga had escaped the street-corner deals and hazy squats though. His life was long jump now, he said. 
revious evening, his long limbs had levered him through the night sky and landed world gold. He celebrated by falling back into the pit and flapping his limbs, leaving the imprint of an angel and an impression on the globe.
""I was a kid, I went through that and I overcame it,"" he told presenter Gabby Logan back then of his substance abuse.
It was a happy ending that was spread around the world. 
But, addiction isn't so neat. Its mess will not be contained by a storyline, however satisfying.
Manyonga's great strength had kept addiction at bay. But the converse was also true. Tik only needed a glimmer of weakness to regain its hold.
""After I lost my mother things went south for me, you understand?"" said Manyonga as he recalled his past two years.
""I didn't mourn my mother, I took it so lightly, and, in hindsight, I was using drugs to supress it, to not feel the pain. 
""I was using on a daily basis. I just wanted to numb myself to the point of not knowing what date it was.""
Joyce, Manyonga's mother, died in 2020. She had raised Manyonga as well as his brother and sister on her own in a small, four-room house on Machule Street, a sparse, dusty road in the midst of Mbekweni township, north of Paarl. 
Working as a cleaner, she carefully sliced up and shared out the 120 rand (£6) she earned each week. Most times, she still managed to find the five rand (25p) for Manyonga's ticket to Stellenbosch, where he trained.
Joyce's death hit Luvo hard. So hard, in fact, that his own nearly followed.
""I could easily have lost my life,"" he said of his relapse. ""I was doing all kinds of crazy things.
""I don't like to mention them all… some of those things junkies do like stealing, car jacking, house breaking.
""I was like a thug in a way because of how I lost myself into drugs.
""I am glad God was with me and I am glad I am still alive.""
In his altered state, Manyonga always believed he would return to the top of the world. The Tik-induced euphoria told him he would. More dangerously, his past experience said the same. 
He had kicked the drug before, then taken gold. One report even claimsexternal-link Manyonga, lured into an untimely binge, went to rehabilitation just a month before London 2017.
""There was a mentality that came to me when I was high on my substances that said 'you're great, you've done it before and come back with a bang',"" he said.
""I thought I could take drugs again and go and perform, but I was lying to myself. That's the truth, it was the drugs talking to my brain.
""Kids would come up when I was walking on the street with my head out - high on drugs - and ask me 'Luvo when are we going to see you on TV?'
""Comments like that made me realise I was missing the point. These kids seeing me, a world champion in the state of a junkie... a nobody.""
While his demons whispered to Manyonga that his comeback could coincide with sport's return from lockdown, the drugs testers were circling.
After Manyonga missed a doping test in November 2019, his chaotic existence meant he failed to give his whereabouts for testers' visits in April and October 2020.
ree missed tests triggered a ban. A previous 18-month suspension back in 2012 for methamphetamine use counted against him. In total, Manyonga was banned for four years. He will only be able to compete again in December 2024.
Manyonga could, perhaps should, be bitter.
He harmed himself, rather than his rivals. His drug use is an illness, exacerbated by poverty, rather than a cynical get-faster-quick plot. 
At London 2017, on the same night Manyonga won his gold, Justin Gatlin took the 100m title. 
Gatlin has been banned for less time than Manyonga, despite the American twice testing positive for pharmaceutical performance-enhancers.
""I understand my ban. It was fair as a wake-up call to all those who depend on others,"" Manyonga said. 
""Athletics is a personal sport, an individual sport. You have to look after your things.""
In the meantime, until his ban expires, Manyonga will sit, wait and take responsibility.
His mind slips back occasionally to London. He watched Manchester City play at West Ham United on television back in August. While most eyes were on Erling Haaland, his were drawn to the London Stadium's sidelines.
""I pointed to where the long jump pit, the runway is. It stills feels like yesterday that I was there,"" he said.
""Back then people were having so much fun, now long jump is so quiet
""There is still a chance for Luvo to come back and bring up the game.""
wo years away. By then, Manyonga will be 33.
At the moment, his time-frames are shorter. Living in the north-west of South Africa, away from his pushers and his past, he is a few weeks clean, taking one day at a time.
""Things have been tough, I won't lie,"" he said.
""But I am a strong guy. This is my reality and I cannot escape it, you understand?
""The only thing I have to do now is find Luvo. Not the world champion, not the junkie, Luvo.
""If I can find that person, things will be in place.""
Manyonga is a hard man to find. Even for himself."	/sport/athletics/63170714
sports	Retirees help Mighty Mo to world powerlifting gold	"Residents of a retirement village have raised funds to send their gym instructor to Florida to compete in a powerlifting competition.
Maureen Proctor, 56, broke four world records and won gold in the 100kg (15.7st) class of the masters division.
Residents and staff at Lark Hill Retirement Village in Nottingham raised enough money to fund the entire trip.
Proctor said: ""It overwhelms me so much that they put their hands in their pocket, at a time like this, and championed me so much.
""People don't think at 56 you can lift weights like that. But powerlifting is for everyone, it's all-inclusive.""
Video journalists: Angela Rafferty and Chris Waring
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63835239
sports	Commonwealth Games: England's Georgina Nelthorpe wins wrestling bronze in 23 seconds	"England's Georgina Nelthorpe won wresting bronze for the second Games in a row by beating Sierra Leone's Madusu Koroma in just 23 seconds.
25-year-old was a bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 too.
She achieved victory by fall, pinning down both of Madusa's shoulders for an automatic win in the women's 76kg freestyle event.
England's Charlie Bowling, also a bronze medal winner in 2018, lost out on bronze to Nigeria's Ogbonna John.
John won by technical superiority in the 74kg category, achieving a 10-point lead over Bowling.
Earlier, Scotland's Christelle Letchidjio also suffered defeat by technical superiority against India's Pooja Gehlot."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62452262
sports	Birmingham Commonwealth Games sand rake dancers: 'Viral reaction is crazy'	"Dancers who have been entertaining the crowds at the Commonwealth Games beach volleyball said the popularity of their moves was ""mind-blowing"".
Chris Clark and James Lambert join a team raking the sand in between games, but instead break out into an improv freestyle to music from Queen.
rakemen, as they have become known, said they have found the television commentary about them ""hilarious"".
""They had no idea it was going to happen,"" Mr Clark said. ""It's funny.""
Commonwealth Games 2022: Rake-dancing! - Rakers entertain crowd during beach volleyball
""We knew about it all along,"" Mr Clark, who is with AMCK Dance, said. 
""We just feel our full Freddie Mercury, they're [the audience] just jumping around smiling. It's so nice to see.""
""We're not volunteers, we're dancers,"" Mr Lambert added.
""We just love to get involved and make the audience happy, give them a little laugh and cheer them up in the middle of the Games.""
He said the reaction to their performances had been ""crazy"".
""We've been looking at the views on TikTok and Facebook and it's mind-blowing,"" he said.
""We were doing the ordinary routines that we have and then we just come on and improv, just freestyling.
""It's all about the volleyballers we're just here to make the audience happy and give them a little laugh.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-birmingham-62427100
sports	Modern pentathlon: GB's Joe Choong threatens to quit if obstacle racing replaces show jumping	"Britain's Olympic champion Joe Choong says he will quit modern pentathlon if show jumping is replaced with obstacle course racing as one of the events.
Modern pentathlon is currently made up of fencing, swimming, show jumping and a combined running and shooting event.
Show jumping was removed by the sport's international governing body, the UIPM, after a German coach was seen striking a horse at the Tokyo Olympics.
UIPM then proposed to replace the discipline with obstacle racing.
National federations will vote on whether to replace show jumping on Saturday, with support from at least two-thirds of them needed to make the switch.
""If the fifth discipline of obstacles goes through and the leadership stays the same, I will walk away from the sport,"" Choong told the BBC.
""I don't believe the leadership is capable and it's not an acceptable way to manage a sport.""
Choong, 27, won gold for Team GB in Tokyo last year, while compatriot Kate French won the women's title.
Show jumping will remain one of the five events for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but modern pentathlon is not currently listed to be included in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Obstacle course racing was selected from 61 suggestions to replace show jumping during a consultation in October 2021. Climbing, javelin, long jump, orienteering and cyclo-cross were also considered.
Obstacle course racing has been tested in four countries throughout this year, with organisers saying there was an 88% satisfaction rating from participants.
It is the only sport that has been tested as an alternative to show jumping, which the UIPM said is because of time constraints.
UIPM president Dr Klaus Schormann said last month that modern pentathlon needs to become more accessible.
""We are looking for the future, we are proud about the past, but never forget: change or you will be changed,"" he said.
""That is our vision, Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032 and ongoing Olympic Games, I'm very much convinced that we have to change.""
Alex Watson, a modern pentathlete who competed at three Olympic Games for Australia, has put himself forward to replace Schormann as president.
""The sport is in chaos and it can't continue, the responsibility lies clearly with the UIPM leadership,"" he said.
Athletes from USA Pentathlon have also opposed the proposed changes."	/sport/modern-pentathlon/63586206
sports	MLB: Aaron Judge makes brilliant catch for New York Yankees against the Houston Astros	Aaron Judge makes a brilliant sliding catch for the New York Yankees during their 4-2 defeat by the Houston Astros in the MLB play-offs.	/sport/av/baseball/63335879
sports	Commonwealth Games: Jack Hunter-Spivey wins Para-table tennis gold	"England's Jack Hunter-Spivey beat Nigeria's Nasiru Sule 3-1 to claim Para-table tennis gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Hunter-Spivey, who took Paralympic bronze at Tokyo 2020, won 11-4 9-11 11-6 11-7 in the Para class 3-5 final.
""When I was a kid I wanted to be the next Steven Gerrard and to be at Anfield, but this is my Anfield and the crowd were the 12th man,"" he said.
""It is so surreal and I want to do it all again.""
Sule, 56, beat 27-year-old Hunter-Spivey in the group stage, but the home favourite triumphed in front of a raucous crowd at the National Exhibition Centre which included several team-mates.
He earned England's second medal of the Games after the men won team bronze on Tuesday.
Felicity Pickard missed out on bronze in the women's singles class as she lost to Nigeria's Faith Obazuaye, while two-time Commonwealth champion Sue Bailey suffered the same fate against India's Sonalben Patel in the 3-5 class."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62449589
sports	Smithfield ready for basketball for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games	"With just over two weeks to go to the 2022 Commonwealth Games another venue is undergoing a transformation.
Smithfield was the home of Birmingham's wholesale market before it closed in 2018.
, behind the city's Bullring, is being readied for the basketball, wheelchair basketball and beach volleyball events among others.
games begin in 15 days, on 28 July and run for two weeks.
Myles Hesson, who was born in Birmingham and now plays basketball professionally in Japan, said he was relishing the chance to play at a local games.
""I've probably played at every sports hall or every school around the city,"" he said.
""Now to have the games here and have all my friends and family here to watch me and see me play is going to be something great.""
Wheelchair basketball competitions will also be played at the site as part of the biggest Paralympic sports programme in Commonwealth Games history.
Justine Lucas, talent manager British Wheelchair Basketball, said: ""We've had a really nice opportunity to bring the men's and women's teams together and again, that's the first time it's been so coherent so they've been making the most of it, making the most of it being a homes games... it's going to be amazing for them.""
usion of three-on-three basketball for the first time is crucial to the sport, with an ambitious target of encouraging one million people to get involved with the game after its appearance.
Stewart Kellett, chief executive of Basketball England, described the sport as ""basketball on fast forward"".
""These guys are going to go to hell and back to win a medal and make the county proud,"" he said.
""It's also not just about athletic performance, it's a show.""
After the Games end on 8 August the site will be regenerated.
Other venues in and around Birmingham include the National Exhibition Centre, the new Aquatics Centre in Sandwell and the Alexander Stadium."	/news/uk-england-birmingham-62153661
sports	Queen's Birthday Honours: Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Bale, Eve Muirhead and Moeen Ali honoured	"Olympic gold medallist Eve Muirhead has been named on the Queen's Birthday Honours list, alongside cricketer Moeen Ali and ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand.
Muirhead won curling gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics and has been made an OBE, while the rest of her team become MBEs.
Moeen and Ferdinand are both made an OBE, while Wales footballer Gareth Bale becomes an MBE.
Broadcaster Clare Balding and Tracey Crouch MP are both made CBEs.
round of honours are to mark the Queen's Jubilee Birthday celebrations to mark 70 years of service. 
Former sports minister Crouch chaired a fan-led review of football following a number of high-profile crises in the sport, such as the failed European Super League and the collapse of Bury FC. Its primary recommendation to create a new independent regulator for English football has been endorsed by the government.
Balding is recognised for her ability in front of the camera and her charity work. She holds ambassadorial positions with many organisations, including StreetVet and the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity.
Simpson brothers Neil and Andrew are also included on the list of MBEs after both winning gold at the Paralympic Games. 
Younger brother Neil, 19, was guided by brother Andrew, 21, to become GB's third-ever Winter Games gold medallist and the first male to achieve the feat after successes for Kelly Gallagher in 2014 and Menna Fitzpatrick in 2018.
Muirhead's rink defeated Japan to win Team GB's only gold medal in Beijing. Team-mates Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, Hailey Duff and Mili Smith become MBEs, along with coach David Murdoch.
Scot Muirhead, 32, who has appeared at four Olympics, added to the bronze she won in Sochi in 2014.
England and Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen, 34, announced his retirement from Test cricket in September 2021 but has continued to play for the limited-overs side and was part of the Twenty20 team to reach the semi-finals of last year's World Cup.
He scored 2,914 runs and took 195 wickets in 64 Test matches, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2014.
undit and former Manchester United, Leeds, West Ham and England defender Ferdinand is honoured for services to football and charity. He set up the Rio Ferdinand Foundation this year, which works with young people and aids community development.
Snooker players Judd Trump and Mark Selby win recognition too. Former world champion Selby has become an advocate for mental health awareness after admitting his mental health struggles in January. Trump reached the final of this year's World Championship, losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan. 
Wigan Warriors and England rugby league legend Sean O'Loughlin is also included.
Others made an OBE include former England footballers Mike Summerbee and Luther Blissett, who starred for Manchester City and Watford respectively.
Wales and outgoing Real Madrid forward Bale won a joint-record fifth Champions League title on Saturday, albeit having barely featured this season. He spent last season on loan at former club Tottenham.
However, he won three La Liga titles, four Club World Cups, three Uefa Super Cups, one Copa del Rey and three Spanish Super Cups with Madrid, as well as helping Wales to two successive European Championships.
He is joined as an MBE by veteran Liverpool and former England midfielder James Milner.
In the past season Milner helped Liverpool win the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as reach the Champions League final.
Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers' Association, has also been made an OBE while former Scotland and Hibernian goalkeeper Alan Rough is an MBE.
Husband and wife Neil and Lora Fachie are MBEs after both winning Paralympic cycling gold within the space of 16 minutes.
Neil and pilot Matt Rotherham smashed their own world record to win gold in the B 1,000m time trial, before Lora and Corrine Hall successfully retained their B 3,000m pursuit crown.
Gaz Choudhry, who won Paralympic wheelchair basketball bronze and coached the team in Tokyo and Para-athlete Sammi Kinghorn, a Paralympic silver and bronze medallist, are both made MBEs.
Georgina Harland is also an MBE for her work as the first female chef de mission of the British Olympic Association for the Winter Olympics.
Swimmer Hannah Miley, who represented Britain in swimming at three Olympic Games and won the Commonwealth Games 400m individual medley titles in 2010 and 2014, has also been recognised with an MBE.
Muirhead brought watching British team-mates in the Ice Cube to their feet as she scored a superb four in the seventh end to effectively clinch the Olympic title.
Her performance was the more remarkable for her having returned from hip surgery.
She described the winning moment as a ""dream"" after emulating the gold won by Rhona Howie's team at Salt Lake City in 2002.
Muirhead said: ""There were times during this season that I would never have thought what I managed to go on and achieve was possible.
""I am absolutely delighted to be sharing this honour with my team-mates, because without them there's no way I could have been in this position.""
gold medal capped an incredible 12 months for Muirhead, who led Scotland to eighth at the World Championships last year.
After that disappointment nine players were put into a squad selection process and Muirhead, Wright, Dodds, and Duff emerged. They went on to win the European Championships in December before sealing their spot in Beijing in a tense qualifier just weeks before the Games.
Muirhead added: ""It just goes to show that the team around me never gives up and that you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.""
Moeen says he ended his Test career because he found the format ""really difficult to get into"" and ""really long"" - despite having an impressive career and being promoted to vice-captain.
ft-handed batter and off-spinner hit five centuries and took five five-wicket hauls in Tests, finishing with a batting average of 28.29 and a bowling average of 36.66.
Only 15 bowlers have taken more Test wickets for England and Moeen is ranked third among English spinners, behind Derek Underwood (297) and Graeme Swann (255).
""It's an honour to be recognised, it's amazing and my family are really proud and happy,"" he said. ""More than anything, I know it makes my parents happy.""
But he acknowledged his Pakistani heritage and Muslim faith had made him an ambassador for inclusivity in the sport too.
""It's not about runs and wickets. I think it's more about the journey I've been through. It's my background, my upbringing and all those kinds of things I've been through throughout my life.""
In 2017, Moeen became the fifth-fastest player in terms of matches played to reach 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, also taking a hat-trick against South Africa that year to seal a series win at The Oval.
He was part of the 2015 Ashes winning side but struggled during the 2017-18 series in Australia and took a break from cricket after being dropped during the 2019 Ashes at home.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Clare Victoria Balding (broadcaster), for services to sport and charity
racey Crouch MP (former sports minister), for parliamentary and public service
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Moeen Ali (cricketer), for services to cricket
Richard Harrison Bevan (chief executive of League Managers Association), for services to football
Luther Loide Blissett (ex-footballer and patron, Sporting Memories), for services to football and to charity
Lora Marie Fachie (cyclist), for services to cycling
Neil Michael Fachie (cyclist), for services to cycling
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (pundit and ex-footballer), for services to football and to charity
David Peter Hadfield (president, Boccia International Sports Federation), for services to sport
Corinne Claire Hall (cyclist), for services to cycling
Hugh Morris (chief executive, Glamorgan County Cricket Club), for services to cricket and to charity
Eve Muirhead (skip, British Olympic Curling Team), for services to curling
Sean O'Loughlin (rugby league player), for services to rugby league
Professor Nicholas Sheridan Peirce, (chief medical officer, England and Wales Cricket Board), for services to sport during Covid-19
Michael Summerbee (ex-footballer), for services to football and to charity
Karen Margaret Tonge (chair, Para Table Tennis), for services to table tennis
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Gareth Frank Bale (footballer), for services to football and to charity
Ghazain Choudhury (wheelchair basketballer), for services to wheelchair basketball
Jennifer Carmichael Dodds (curler), for services to curling
Hailey Caitlin Rose Duff (curler), for services to curling
William Robert Leckie Duncan (curler), for services to curling and to charity
mas Scott Dyson (chief coach, Paralympic Pathway, British Rowing), for services to Paralympic rowing
Gary Kenneth Hall (Performance Director, British Taekwondo), for services to taekwondo
Benjamin Robert Hawes (chair, Athletes Commission, British Olympic Association), for services to sport
Elizabeth Ellen Hughes (director of special projects, Sport England), for services to sport during Covid-19
Samantha May Kinghorn (para-athlete), for services to disability sport
Shirley McCay (hockey player), for services to hockey and to the community in Northern Ireland
Hannah Lousie Miley (swimmer), for services to swimming and to women in sport
Dr Ian Stuart Miller (lately chief medical officer, British Paralympic Association), for services to Paralympic Sport
James Philip Milner (footballer), for services to football and charity
David Matthew Murdoch (head coach, British Curling Team), for services to curling
Verity Leigh Naylor (director of operations, British Paralympic Association), for services to Paralympic sport
Alan Rough (ex-footballer), for services to football and to charity in Scotland
Eilish Rutherford (para-hockey player), for services to sport and to charity in Northern Ireland
Andrew Peter Ryan (executive director, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), for services to sport
Douglas Gordon Samuel, (lately chief executive officer, Spartans Community Football Academy). For services to Association Football and to the community in North Edinburgh
Georgina Claire Seccombe (Harland) (chef de mission, Team GB, Olympic Games 2021), for services to Olympic sport
Mark Selby (snooker player), for services to snooker and to charity
Neil Douglas Hamilton Simpson (para-alpine skier), for services to skiing
Andrew William Ramsay Simpson (para-alpine skier), for services to skiing
Mili Smith (curler), for services to curling
Stephen Connell Stewart (director of sport and exercise, University of St Andrews), for services to sport
Judd Trump (snooker), for services to snooker and to charity
Anwar Uddin, (Fans For Diversity campaign manager, The Football Supporters' Association), for services to association football
Georgina Astrid Usher, (British Fencing chief executive), for services to fencing (London)
racy Whittaker-Smith (head national coach, Trampoline, British Gymnastics), for services to trampolining
David Brynmor Williams (ex-rugby union player), for services to sport and to charity in Wales
Victoria Wright (curler), for services to curling"	/sport/61644594
sports	Commonwealth Games 2022: Duncan Scott on Tom Dean rivalry, Covid & 'Sir Adam' Peaty	"In a competition which often struggles for relevance next to the Olympics and World Championships, the pool rivalry between Duncan Scott and Tom Dean could be something to savour at the Commonwealth Games.
At the Olympics last summer, they became the first British pair to finish on an Olympic swimming podium in more than 100 years in the 200m freestyle, with Dean claiming gold by 0.04 seconds from his team-mate.
will potentially go head-to-head six times, with Scott competing for Scotland and Dean racing for England in Birmingham. Rivals. But friends too.
""We're just good mates - there's nothing else to it,"" Scott says. ""It's a question we get asked a lot and we're both just like: 'Yeah we're just mates - should we be more than that? Are you guys wanting it to be something else?'""
Scott's wit is as sharp as his performances have been in the last 12 months.
A 200m freestyle silver was one of four Olympic medals secured in Tokyo, a British record for one Games. He swam a personal best in every final, but came away without an individual gold.
His determination to change that in 2024 is clear - not that he cares much about the adulation or profile that comes with glory.
""I've got my own goals and expectations and whether people rate me or don't rate me, I couldn't care less,"" Scott says.
""There's a little bit of publicity around the Olympics and it's great the Commonwealth Games is keeping the media attention in the sport but it's so different compared with if I was a footballer. 
""The day in, day out. If they perform badly it's all over the papers and so on. But for me I quite like just shutting it all out to be honest. I couldn't care less what everyone's writing about me - or not.""
While happy to just get on with the job, it is possible to detect Scott's frustration at the lack of recognition in the UK for elite swimmers.
He believes meet organisers need to cut ticket prices to attract more fans and, though he and other swimmers were recognised in the Queen's New Year Honours List with an MBE, he was left astonished at one omission.
""I just don't understand why [Adam] Peaty's not been knighted,"" he says, bemused. ""I don't know who decides it. But for me as a sports fan and a swimmer and comparing him to other people who have been knighted... that's shocking.
""Back-to-back Olympian, unbeaten in Olympic cycles, he's won everything he could win, world-record holder. Sixteen European golds. Look at the other people who have been knighted. I don't know, unbelievable.""
Disappointingly Scott, who starts his Games on Saturday, had to withdraw from June's World Championships - his primary focus of the year - after a slow recovery from a bout of Covid-19.
As a result he has barely raced since April, and so it's hard for him to gauge his form.
""I really struggled initially,"" he says, ""I was like: 'Why am I not getting any better?' But weeks go by and it just clicks. It was just getting used to the fact I can't speed this up. It's going to happen of its own accord.
""I'm all good now. I'm looking forward to it and I don't think it's going to be too much of a hindrance.""
Now, Birmingham is the focus. It was the Commonwealth Games four years ago when he announced himself by becoming the first Scot to win six medals in one Games - including a sensational gold in the 100m freestyle.
Scott feels it will be difficult to match that given the competitiveness of the relays in particular, and he has not raced in the 100m free much recently, the event in which he stunned home favourite and then Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers on the Gold Coast.
""I'm really good friends with Kyle and I've been giving him a little bit of stick about how I'm the defending champion,"" Scott laughs. ""But his PB is almost a second quicker than mine now so I'm sure I'll be kept quiet there...
""The last time, most medals ever at a single Games... I didn't know it was a thing. Same with the Olympics; I didn't know that [most medals by a British athlete] was a thing until after the relay. 
""I wouldn't say that's a lack of knowledge because it's probably just not something I'd ever searched at. It's just in my sport that's not something you particularly aim for or try to achieve. 
""I don't know what the overall number is for most in Team Scotland. But that's not something I'll be thinking about. I've got individual goals that I want to try to achieve."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/61758529
sports	Commonwealth Games: Folashade Oluwafemiayo on passion for para powerlifting	"Nigeria's Folashade Oluwafemiayo says her passion for para powerlifting helped her set a new world record and win the women's heavyweight category at the Commonwealth Games.
37-year-old lifted 155kgs with her final attempt to end with 123.4 points as compatriot Bose Omolayo took silver.
""My constant training led me to go higher,"" Oluwafemiayo told BBC Sport Africa.
""I feel so good to be the person to set another record, though I owned the record. I was determined that I would add to the record.
""I thank my lovely husband for being there for me. Whenever I say I'm not going for training, he says 'Let's go'.
""This is my first Commonwealth Games and it is special. I feel good for Nigeria - winning gold and silver is great.""
However, there was disappointment for the West Africans in the women's lightweight category, as Latifat Tijani and Onyinyechi Gift Mark were disqualified after arriving 25 minutes late for the scheduled kit check.
Kenya's Hellen Kariuki picked up bronze in that event as England's Zoe Newson won gold.
Elsewhere on day seven in Birmingham, Nigeria's Goodness Nwachukwu set a new world record of 36.56 meters as she won the women's F42-44/61-64 discus throw.
re was also success on the track for South Africa as Ndodomzi Ntutu won the men's T11/12 100m in 10.83 seconds, 
""This has been a tough year for me,"" the 36-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.
""I have two kids and a wife I have to look out for and, at the same time, the training regimen has been quite tough. I had to believe and trust in the coach and God that things would get better.
""Standing here, having run 10.8 twice it is a real proud moment for me. I have run my second and third-fastest times at this Games.""
Anasias Shikongo of Namibia took bronze in 10.95s."	/sport/africa/62435115
sports	Dutch Grand Prix: Formula 1 extends contract until 2025	"Formula 1 will continue to race in the Netherlands until at least 2025 after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort signed an extended contract.
races in 2024 and 2025 to the initial three years agreed with F1.
roved a hit with fans supporting Red Bull's Max Verstappen since it returned to the calendar in 2021.
Dutch driver has won both races at the historic track at a beach resort on the North Sea close to Amsterdam.
In 2023, a second Dutch driver will be added to the grid with former Formula E champion Nyck de Vries joining Williams.
Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said: ""The Dutch Grand Prix has quickly established itself on the calendar as a fan favourite, bringing incredible energy and a great fan experience every year. 
""The sold-out events in the last two years have raised the bar in terms of organisation, entertainment, and sustainability, and we are delighted to extend our relationship with them.""
Dutch Grand Prix will be on 25-27 August next year, the first race after F1's summer break.
raditionally been held by the Belgian Grand Prix, but the event at Spa-Francorchamps has moved to 28-30 July in 2023.
Although one of the oldest events and held on a circuit revered by drivers, Belgium's place on the calendar is under threat as a result of its facilities becoming outdated, and it has no contract in place after next year.
Zandvoort held 32 races from 1950 until 1985 until it lost its place on the calendar as the schedule expanded and race fees slowly increased.
Verstappen's rise reignited interest in F1 in his home country and Dutch organisers revived the race to capitalise on his success.
race was due to return in 2020 but had to be cancelled that year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the events in the past two years have convinced F1 and the local authorities to extend its original three-year deal."	/sport/formula1/63899618
sports	England and Wales bid to host men's Hockey World Cup unsuccessful	"England and Wales have been unsuccessful in their bid to host the men's Hockey World Cup in 2026.
Belgium and the Netherlands were chosen by the executive board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday.
wo countries will host the women's and men's World Cups simultaneously.
urnament venues will be in Amsterdam, Amstelveen and Wavre with men's and women's teams competing in both countries.
England and Wales launched their bid to host in June.
""On behalf of FIH, I would like to thank wholeheartedly all National Associations that submitted a bid,"" FIH chief executive Thierry Weil said. ""We received excellent proposals and it was therefore a particularly challenging task to decide."""	/sport/hockey/63504964
sports	PDC World Championship: Defending champion Peter Wright loses to Kim Huybrechts	"Reigning champion Peter Wright was knocked out of the PDC World Championship in the third round, losing 4-1 to Belgium's Kim Huybrechts.
Scot took the first set before his form slumped dramatically.
Huybrechts, who took the next three sets, had the advantage of throwing first in the deciding leg of the fifth set and kept his nerve to shock Wright.
""I beat the name Peter Wright but the person Peter Wright wasn't there,"" said Huybrechts, the number 31 seed.
""I have to be honest about that. Normally, he is about 20 times better than that. But I took my chances and got the win.""
Speaking to Sky Sports, he added: ""I'm a happy man, I'm through to the next round."" 
Welshman Gerwyn Price was in impressive form as he beat five-time champion Raymond van Barneveld 4-0 to book his fourth round spot.
k a 2-0 lead and won the third set after Van Barneveld missed double eight and the chance to pull a set back.
Price, who won in 2021, hit 128 to take the fourth set and complete an emphatic win over the Dutchman.
""I blew him away. I scored way better than him, I played way better than him,"" said Price. ""I was a deserved 4-0 winner.
""You can't say I've never beaten him on TV any more - I'm happy with that one. 
""I'm here to win, I'm not here to make up the numbers.""
Northern Ireland's Josh Rock won a deciding set to beat England's Nathan Aspinall 4-3 in the third round at Alexandra Palace.
He produced a 141 finish on the way to taking the opening set, before Aspinall reeled off the next two.
World youth champion Rock went 3-2 up, but his rival bounced back to set up a decider.
Rock took the seventh set 3-1 in legs and said: ""There is a lot more to come.""
21-year-old hit two consecutive double 20s to go 2-0 up in the deciding set - and then completed the win in a tense finale as Aspinall missed a great chance to level at 2-2.
Needing 16, he missed a dart at double eight and two at double four.
Rock checked out with 70 for victory said: ""I was under a lot of pressure. I dealt with it well and I'm happy."" 
He will now play Jonny Clayton after the Welshman was a convincing 4-1 victor over Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan.
Fellow Welshman Jim Williams, who beat eighth seed James wade in the last round, failed to progress after a dramatic match against Germany's Gabriel Clemens.
Williams had a match dart at double six when on a 126 checkout but missed it and Clemens took the leg to take the match to a decider, which he won 3-1.
Belgium's Dimitri van den Bergh also made it through to the fourth round after beating Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski 4-1."	/sport/darts/64099406
sports	Ismael Borrero: Cuba's Olympic wrestling champion defects	"Wrestling star Ismael Borrero has become the latest Cuban athlete to defect. 
Borrero, who won gold in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, abandoned the Cuban delegation while they were in Mexico for the Pan-American Wrestling Championships, a Cuban official said. 
Cuban athletes have a long history of defecting while competing abroad.
Cuban Institute of Sport said his defection was ""a serious indiscipline within the Cuban sports system"".
His current whereabouts are not known.
30-year-old athlete is one of Cuba's top Greco-Roman wrestlers, winning the world championship in 2015 and then again in 2019 - the same year Cubans elected him sports personality of the year.
Cuban delegation had hoped that Borrero would shine at the championships in Acapulco, Mexico, after a disappointing performance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he lost his second bout after twice contracting Covid.
While defections of Cuban athletes are nothing new, recent months have seen a string of them - coinciding with an economic crisis on the Communist-run island.
In March, sailors Iris Laura Manso and Carlos Miguel Expósito fled to the United States, while long jumper Lester Lescay abandoned his delegation during a competition in Spain. 
In July of last year, thousands of Cubans demonstrated across the island to voice anger over food and medicine shortages, price increases and the government's handling of the Covid pandemic.
government cracked down hard in response, arresting hundreds of people and charging them with crimes including sedition, vandalism, theft and public disorder."	/news/world-latin-america-61319922
sports	Fury v Usyk, Joshua v Wilder: Heavyweight fights that could happen in 2023	"Tyson Fury's destruction of Derek Chisora in front of 59,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday brought to a close a thrilling year of heavyweight action.
Exciting knockouts, two world title contests in the UK and the retirement and subsequent return of one of the sport's greats has made 2022 an unforgettable year.
But 2023 could be even better with a host of contenders emerging and potentially the first undisputed heavyweight contest in 23 years on the horizon.
After the 24th stoppage victory of his 34-fight career, Fury firmly staked his claim as the world's best heavyweight.
re are, however, two active heavyweights the 34-year-old has not yet faced - Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
re are positive signs a fight with fellow undefeated world champion and IBF, WBO and WBA belt holder Usyk can be made early next year. Both sides have repeatedly said an agreement is ""close"".
But there is also the prospect of resurrecting talks with Joshua. Negotiations in September led to nothing. After several failed attempts to reach a deal, Fury-AJ may never happen.
But perhaps the timing was off and the fight could still be made, if both sides are willing. Patience as a virtue is often the bane of any boxing fan's life, but the opposing sides had never been so close to an agreement and may be able to take the required step forward in 2023.
re is also the prospect Fury could fight undefeated domestic rival Joe Joyce. Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren certainly expects Fury and Joyce to face off one day, 2023 could be the year - especially if talks with Usyk drag on.
Fury's options: Usyk, Joshua, Joyce 
Joshua, 33, is still licking his wounds from successive defeats by Usyk but his comeback fight has been pencilled in for February or March.
Dillian Whyte is an obvious contender. Joshua shares a long history with Whyte. Their dislike for one other is well documented. Whyte has now waited seven years for a rematch of a fight that was as bad-tempered as it was thrilling.
Joshua and his team may feel Whyte is too much of a risk to fight immediately after the soul-destroying loss to Usyk in August. Whyte, however, was far from impressive in his own comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin, labouring to a majority points win. 
Joshua was sitting ringside but there was no face-off in the ring or any real efforts from either man to hype up a rematch, which hints at the fact an agreement is some way off.
Should Usyk v Fury hit a few stumbling blocks, fans would be hoping to see the 35-year-old Ukrainian step in the ring with American knockout artist Deontay Wilder.
fight seems a possibility in 2023 and would be a fascinating affair. Usyk's team are notoriously easy to deal with, while Wilder has proven in his three wild encounters with Fury he has no issue backing himself against the best. 
It is somewhat still a fantasy fight, a lot has to happen to ensure it takes place. Usyk would have to fight Fury, potentially twice, for Wilder to come into the picture.
re is also the issue of Usyk's mandatories, which could throw up one particularly eye-catching encounter. Usyk's team say WBA regular champion Daniel Dubois is next in line and that would be a huge test for the 25-year-old Londoner. 
Usyk's options: Fury, Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Wilder 
Fury is not the only fighter Joshua has struggled to reach a deal with in the past. In 2018 talks with Wilder began over an undisputed fight. A fight never materialised and four years later both men are in very different positions.
Beltless and suffering career-defining defeats in the last two years, Wilder-Joshua is a very different prospect in 2023 but it is a still a fight that excites fans considering the punching power both men possess. The fight is possible, with both men searching for a route back into the world title picture.
It all depends on whether either heavyweight would be willing to accept such a risky fight with no world title on the line. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has said he has cleared the air with Wilder's team over previous failed talks. Wilder turns 38 in October, Joshua's career hangs in the balance.
A loss might spell the end of either man's fighting days.
Away from the world title picture, Joyce could have a rematch with Dubois. The first fight garnered huge attention despite being held behind closed doors.
Dubois has since bounced back with three wins on the trot, while Joyce announced himself as a serious contender in September by stopping former world champion Joseph Parker.
George Warren of Queensberry Promotions thinks the rematch deserves to have a world title on the line and both Britons are on the verge of world title fights.
But a rematch between the pair would be fascinating and a real ace up the sleeve of their promoter, Frank Warren, who might have to manage their expectations of a world title shot for perhaps another 12 months."	/sport/boxing/63839643
sports	Scotland beat Switzerland to retain European curling title	"Bruce Mouat engineered two fantastic closing shots as Scotland's men defended their European title in a tense final with Switzerland.
railing 4-3 after a lapse of judgement in the ninth end, Scotland came through to win 5-4 in Ostersund, Sweden.
It is a third European crown for Mouat, who becomes the first Scottish skip to retain the title since 2008.
""To play two shots like that in the 10th end is pretty special,"" Mouat told Eurosport. ""This one means a lot.""
Mouat and team-mates Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan, who picked silver medals at the Olympic Games in February, lost just once in the round-robin, going down 7-2 to Yannick Schwaller's Swiss rink.
But they kept cool heads at the death to earn revenge when it really counted.
""It was a calm panic, if there's such a thing,"" the skip added. ""You play a lot games with situations like this and you get used to it.
""It's been a rollercoaster, probably not our best European performance, but to win after playing a couple of slack games, it feels amazing.""
final was a cagey affair, tied at 2-2 after five ends and 3-3 after eight, before exploding into life in the final two."	/sport/winter-sports/63768330
sports	Sunny Edwards v Felix Alvarado: IBF flyweight champion on legacy, fearing fame and Daniel Kinahan	"Sunny Edwards is the IBF flyweight world champion. He is undefeated in 18 fights and regarded as one of, if not the most, talented fighters in the UK.
But he does not share the profile of some of his domestic peers like Tyson Fury. 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce this week described him as the ""forgotten man of boxing"".
""Some people think I'm a star in the making and other people say nobody cares about me,"" Edwards says.
26-year-old defends his title for the third time on Friday evening at the 13,000-seater Sheffield Utilita Arena against Nicaraguan Felix Alvarado, a former world champion at light-flyweight. 
His last two fights have been in Dubai away from the direct gaze of a British boxing audience.
re is a long-held belief in boxing that flyweights simply do not attract the same attention as the heavier weights. There may be some truth to it, since it is no coincidence Anthony Joshua and Fury are both heavyweights and command most of the boxing fanfare in the UK.
Edwards admits he is hardly a knockout artist, with his last seven fights having gone the distance. 
He does believe, however, that he has never been in a close fight as a professional and is eager to face the best in the division and unify the belts. 
He signed to fight Mexico's WBC champion Julio Cesar Martinez earlier this year, but it fell through.
""I don't really care to be famous,"" he says.
""I'm not an AJ or a Chris Eubank that have profiles outside of boxing. I can only imagine what that does to them, not even wanting to leave the house. 
""What used to be pleasant when you're the champ is taken away when you lose - you're a bum now. I can't imagine what it does in the long run to people.""
Edwards' decisions outside the ring can often distract from his talents inside it. He has a constant presence on social media and has even posted his GSCE and A-Level results on Twitter to prove a point to a fan who questioned his intelligence.
Croydon fighter thinks he has ""at least a mild case of ADHD"" but is wary of seeking an official diagnosis. The rise of TikTok and the movement of mental health has helped him understand his ""scatter brain"" more in recent months. 
But he admits he has made mistakes. He says he will probably continue to make mistakes. 
""I'm a humble, 26 year-old boxer who doesn't know as much about the world as I think I do on Twitter,"" he says.
One of those mistakes might be his association with Daniel Kinahan. The Irishman was sanctioned by US authorities in April, accused of being a key figure of a global organised crime group.
Kinahan was allowed to operate freely in boxing as an advisor, setting up a promotional and management company MTK Global in Spain, which underwent a rebranding in 2017 in an attempt to publicly distance themselves from its co-founder. 
Edwards was signed to MTK and one of several fighters to publicly back Kinahan ""as a legitimate business"" last year before cutting all ties.
""Loyalty"" he says is part of what drove him to defend a then under-fire Kinahan. Edwards says building a core team you can rely on is the most difficult thing in a sport with little oversight from a global authority.
He asks why boxers have been lambasted for their relationships with Kinahan when broadcasters and promoters were happy to do deals with him.
""I did have a relationship with Daniel, but at the time he was working in boxing. Every promoter was working with him, making fights. That's facts,"" he says.
""I met a lot of promoters in and around having him involved. He's no longer in boxing and now it's about focusing on the future. 
""It is one of those sensitive topics and a hard spot to really answer from because you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.""
MTK went under in the wake of the sanctions against Kinahan. Edwards was not the only fighter signed to the company. Fury, Savannah Marshall, Josh Taylor and Billy Joe Saunders were all associated with MTK at times in their careers. 
Boxing's credibility has been under siege. The reality of Kinahan's involvement in the sport was quickly followed by Conor Benn's drug scandal. 
Edwards believes more ""transparency and accountability"" is needed, but believes unless it is applied ""top to bottom"" the problems will never go away.
He also suggested boxers perhaps need more impartial support, even a union, to help them navigate a landscape that is ""stacked against"" them.
""The boxers are the smallest cog. It's a thankless job we're doing,"" he insists. ""There are fighters who have lost their lives earning £800, £600 on the night. 
""You have every conversation. When every single promoter in world boxing was willing to make phone calls, meetings with [Kinahan] then why is it up to the boxers to do more? I don't get it. 
""There is right and wrong, but why are the smallest cogs the baddest people when promoters were the ones making the conversation?""
""It's a terrible lonely sport and you're playing against the house,"" he adds.
For Edwards, he wants to move forward. His current promotional company has spent much of the year defending itself against accusations it was tied to Kinahan in some capacity.
Promoter Richard Schaefer has denied any links, is also looking forward and granted Edwards' wish to have a ""homecoming"" in Sheffield. 
Edwards lives and trains in Sheffield and has three fighters he manages on the undercard, something he is very proud of. 
He hopes to keep ""surprising"" people, in a good way, and prove himself a fighter willing to step in the ring with anyone. He is unsure if the fanfare will follow.
Fame does not appeal to him. He is now making enough money to support his two kids after being paid £1000 for his pro debut in 2016.
He is acutely aware a loss on Friday could see his ""whole world come crashing down"". But he embraces the challenge. 
""I don't care if anyone outside of boxing fans know who I am because I know what I do in the ring will leave a legacy to the right people. I know it will,"" he says.
""I'm here to be competitive and I want to be in competitive fights. 
""To challenge all the biggest names in the division, win, lose or draw, so at the end of my career people will say Sunny fought anyone."""	/sport/boxing/63557459
sports	Emily Campbell: Commonwealth gold medal winner secures two silvers	"Commonwealth gold medal winner Emily Campbell won two silver medals at the World Weightlifting Championships.
Nottingham weightlifter lifted 122kg in the snatch before lifting 165kg in the clean and jerk in the +87kg category in Bogota, Colombia.
Campbell, 28, was the first Team GB woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal in 2021, with silver in the +87kg category.
In August, she added Commonwealth gold at Birmingham's NEC."	/sport/weightlifting/64006491
sports	World Mixed Curling Championships: Scots eye glory at home event	"Scotland skip Cameron Bryce says there is ""no reason"" why his rink cannot win the World Mixed Curling Championships.
Scots are one of 35 teams - each consisting of two female and two male athletes - at the week-long event, which begins in Aberdeen on Saturday.
Bryce won bronze when the tournament - cancelled the last two years because of Covid-19 and scheduling issues - was held in Russia in 2016.
""I am more experienced and playing a lot better than I was then,"" he said.
""I have come a long way since then and feel there is no reason why we can't go and win this week.
""Our main goal is to top the group and get into the quarter-finals. Having a bronze before, to go at least one better would be brilliant.""
ms are divided into four groups - three consisting of nine teams, the other made up of eight - which are contested on a round-robin basis. Only the winners of each section are assured progress to the quarter-finals.
Scotland open their Group C account against Hungary on Saturday morning and Bryce says having home advantage does not bring extra pressure.
""Representing Scotland there is always the expectation and the pressure because we are seen as one of the top nations in the world,"" he added.
""Whenever I have been put under pressure I tend to perform as well as I can.
""It is completely different to playing in your usual fours. It doesn't change the standard or level of competitiveness throughout the whole competition and it is a good chance to play with people you normally wouldn't."""	/sport/winter-sports/63245354
sports	FEI World Championships: Britain's Charlotte Fry wins world championship dressage gold	"Britain's Charlotte Fry is the new dressage world champion after triumphing at the FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark.
Her success in the individual grand prix special event came a day after helping GB win team silver.
It is Britain's second grand prix special title after double Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin's victory in 2014.
""It is incredible, I can't believe this is happening right now,"" Fry said.
Fry, on 11-year-old stallion Glamourdale, scored 82.508% to beat Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who was part of Denmark's gold-medal winning team on Sunday. The Netherlands' Dinja van Liere was third.
""This is what dreams are made of. This is unreal,"" Fry added.
""The horse was incredible, the atmosphere was incredible, and he just went in there and did everything that I could ask. He really rose to the occasion.""
Dujardin was sixth aboard Imhotep, with Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca seventh.
Fry's mother Laura was part of the British team that won Britain's first ever dressage medal, at the 1993 European Championships.
Meanwhile, British Equestrian says Hughes has tested positive for Covid-19 after reporting ""mild symptoms"" - but will continue to ride.
""Regular testing plus full hygiene and distancing measures are in place within the British team and will continue to be observed for the remainder of our time in Denmark,"" the body said.
""We had a very proactive meeting with the FEI this morning and jointly agreed special protocols for Gareth for the remainder of the competition,"" chef de mission Richard Waygood added.
He also apologised for correct procedures not being followed ""in the heat of the moment"" at a medal ceremony."	/sport/equestrian/62471899
sports	Tour de France to start in Italy for first time in 2024	"The Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time ever in 2024.
It will begin in Florence in a year marking the centenary of Ottavio Bottecchia's Tour de France win, which was the first by an Italian, in 1924. 
first three stages will take place in Italy, while the race will finish in Nice in another first.
usion will be outside of the Paris region for the first time in the race's history because the Olympics start days later in the French capital.
""The Tour has started from all the countries bordering France,"" said Tour director Christian Prudhomme.
""It has even started six times from the Netherlands, which has no common border with France. But it has never started from Italy.
""It's an incongruity that will disappear.""
2023 Tour de France will start in Bilbao, Spain, on 1 July and finish in Paris on 23 July."	/sport/cycling/64058157
sports	Commonwealth Games: Table Tennis - Women's Singles results	Results from preliminary rounds can be found on the official Birmingham Commonwealth Games website.external-link	/sport/commonwealth-games/62406464
sports	Archive: Watch Armagh overcome Derry in a classic Ulster final in 2000	"Watch BBC Sport NI archive of Armagh's narrow 1-12 to 1-11 win over Derry in the Ulster Senior Football Championship final of 2000.
unties will meet at the quarter-final stage of this year's Ulster Championship on Sunday at 16:00 GMT, live on BBC Two NI and BBC Radio Ulster."	/sport/av/gaelic-games/54746963
sports	Formula 1: Chinese GP cancelled because of country's 'ongoing difficulties' with Covid	"Next year's Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled by Formula 1 because of ""ongoing difficulties"" with Covid.
Shanghai race was due to return in April for the first time since 2019.
Protests have been held in China in recent days over its 'zero Covid' policies, which include regular lockdowns and isolation imposed on infected people and contacts.
F1 says it would not be able to operate normally in China and cannot justify risks to staff involved in travelling.
rt's bosses have been in discussions with Chinese officials in recent weeks but were unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
ws, revealed by BBC Sport on 22 November, was officially announced by F1 on Friday.
A statement said the race would not take place because of ""the ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 situation"". 
China had been scheduled to host the fourth race of the 2023 season on 16 April.
ment said: ""Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.""
rt will only fill the date if it can reach a satisfactory financial deal.
Portimao circuit in Portugal, which hosted grands prix in 2020 and 2021 when F1 shuffled its schedule as a result of the pandemic, is one of the tracks under consideration. 
Istanbul Park in Turkey, another track that returned in the pandemic, is also likely to be in contention.
Next year's F1 calendar features a record 24 races - the season would be the longest ever even if China is not replaced."	/sport/formula1/63831931
sports	Stephen Gallacher: Scot to captain 2023 Junior Ryder Cup team	"Stephen Gallacher will captain Team Europe at the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup.
rocess for the European junior team has also been announced, with six boys and six girls taking on the USA in Italy from 26-28 September.
Half of the boys and half of the girls will qualify through a season-long ranking system, with Gallacher selecting the remaining team members.
Scot, 48, has won four events on the DP World Tour and was part of Europe's winning 2014 Ryder Cup team.
first two days of the Junior Ryder Cup, for participants aged 18 or under, will be played at Rome's Golf Nazionale before the decisive singles matches are held at the Italian capital's Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
Marco Simone club will also host the senior Ryder Cup from 29 September to 1 October.
""It's a privilege to be able to lead a team of the best juniors in Europe against America in Rome,"" said Gallacher. 
""Playing the final day at Marco Simone will be a fantastic experience for our players who get the opportunity to compete in front of Ryder Cup crowds on the Ryder Cup course for the first time.
""I'm really looking forward to getting to some events during the year and working with the most exciting future talent in Europe."""	/sport/golf/63947369
sports	Commonwealth Games: Jersey's Ross Davis knocked out in quarter-finals	"Jersey bowler Ross Davis suffered a disappointing 21-12 loss to Malaysia's Fairul Izwan Abd Muin in the quarter-finals of the men's singles at the Commonwealth Games. 
28-year-old had led 4-2 after five ends, but the Malaysian scored eight shots in the next two ends to earn himself a lead he never relinquished. 
Davis managed to pull it back to 14-12 in the 14th end.
But seven shots in the next two ends saw Abd Muin reach the semi-finals. 
Davis' defeat ends Jersey's realistic chances of getting a first Commonwealth Games medal since 1990, with the island only having riders in the men's and women's cycling road races left to compete on Sunday."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62433054
sports	Sport climbing makes its Olympic debut - here's all you need to know	"Climbing is the last of the new Olympic sports to make its appearance at Tokyo 2020, with competition getting under way on Tuesday.
Karate, skateboarding and surfing have already made their debuts, so now the focus switches to the walls in the Aomi Urban Sports Park.
Here we take you through everything you need to know, from how the sport works to which stars you should keep an eye on.
It's an event that neatly embodies the revised Olympic motto 'faster, higher, stronger, together' - with competitors climbing walls using fixed hand and foot holds in three disciplines.
men's competition will start on 3 August, with finals on 5 August. The women's event begins on 4 August, with finals on 6 August.
re are two gold medals up for grabs in Tokyo, with combined events for both men and women.
Forty climbers will be in action - 20 per competition, with each nation allowed a maximum of two people in each.
Climbing events usually include three separate disciplines - speed, bouldering and lead - but for the sport's Olympic debut they have been pulled together into bumper combined events.
At the 2024 Paris Games, speed will be a separate event, alongside a joint bouldering/lead competition.
Speed: Two competitors race against each other to the top of a 15m high wall with a five degree overhang and have to hit a buzzer to stop the clock. The route is the same in every competition.
Bouldering: Climbers take turns to complete routes, known as problems, on a 4.5m structure in as few attempts as possible. They can have as many attempts as they like within a set time. Scores are determined by the number of problems either fully or partially solved. The problems are reset between qualification and finals and the climbers are allowed two minutes to observe the problem before the finals.
Lead: Competitors must climb as high as they can up a 15m wall within six minutes in one attempt. The route is changed between qualification and the finals and athletes are allowed to look prior to the finals.
Qualification
Finals
Shauna Coxsey is the only British athlete to have qualified - and this will be her last competition as she is retiring after the Games.
2019 combined and boulder world bronze medallist has had to cope with back pain since having an epidural for knee surgery in 2019.
Adam Ondra is the one to watch in the men's event. 
Czech is a five-time world champion but has recently recovered from a shoulder injury and is weaker in the speed discipline."	/sport/olympics/57998157
sports	Modern Pentathlon: GB's Joe Choong wins World Cup gold	"Great Britain's Joe Choong put in an impressive performance as he won Modern Pentathlon World Cup gold in Sofia. 
Choong set the fastest time in the swim and secured second spot in the fencing in Bulgaria.
He was second going into the final discipline - a combined run and shoot - and got the better of Belarusian Ilya Palazkov to take victory.
""These are definitely the worst conditions I have ever run in,"" said 25-year-old Choong.
""It's like being back at home doing cross country when I used to run at school. I've never fallen over so many times in the combined event.""
A day earlier, fellow Briton Francesca Summers won her first-ever Modern Pentathlon World Cup medal by claiming silver."	/sport/modern-pentathlon/56796478
sports	Mohamed ElShorbagy: Former squash world number one changes allegiance to England	"Former squash world number one Mohamed ElShorbagy has switched allegiance from Egypt to England.
ElShorbagy is one of the most decorated squash players of all time, spending 50 months at the top of the world rankings between 2014-2021.
31-year-old, who has lived in England since he was 15, was crowned world champion in 2017 and is a three-time British Open winner.
""I'm really excited to be representing England now,"" said ElShorbagy. 
""I've lived in England more than half my life and have been trained by British coaches.
""I came to study in England in 2006 and Bristol has become my home. As a British citizen now, I will give everything I can to a country that has supported me for so many years.""
ElShorbagy has won 44 professional titles, putting him joint sixth on the all-time men's winners list.
England Squash chief executive Mark Williams said: ""We're committed to extending England's legacy as one of the most successful nations in squash and feel confident that adding a player of Mohamed's calibre will help to inspire and encourage current and future generations of English talent.""
ElShorbagy's first tournament playing for England will be the Necker Mauritius Open, a PSA World Tour event, which takes place from 7-11 June. 
He is then set to make his debut at the British National Squash Championships in Manchester between 14-18 June.
However, he will not compete at the Commonwealth Games, which take place in Birmingham from 28 July-8 August."	/sport/squash/61705350
sports	Commonwealth Games: Ashley McKenzie beats England team-mate Sam Hall to win judo gold	"England's Ashley McKenzie beat team-mate Sam Hall to win gold in the men's -60kg category, as the home nations won eight medals in judo at Coventry Arena.
33-year-old McKenzie, also crowned Commonwealth Games champion in 2014, was awarded victory by ippon over top seed Hall, 26.
Amy Platten, 21, only needed 15 seconds to take a remarkable women's -48kg bronze for England.
Finlay Allan claimed Scotland a silver medal in the men's -66kg final. 
20-year-old Allan could not hold back tears after losing the gold-medal bout to Cypriot Georgios Balarjishvili. 
Allan's team-mate Malin Wilson came through an exhausting 10-minute bout deep into Golden Score to seal a women's -57kg bronze by ippon over rival Lele Nairne of England. 
Acelya Toprak added another silver to the host nation's tally in the same event after missing out on the top honour to Canada's Christa Deguchi. 
Northern Ireland picked up bronze medals in both the men's and women's categories. 
Nathon Burns, who suffered a disqualification in an earlier bout, recovered strongly to defeat Scotland's Alexander Short in the -66kg category, while Coventry-born Yasmin Javadian celebrated a Golden Score victory over Jacira Ferreira of Mozambique in the -52kg contest."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62386681
sports	Davide Rebellin: Italian cyclist dies after collision with truck while training	"Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin has died aged 51 after a collision with a truck while training near Vicenza on Wednesday.
He became the first rider to win the Ardennes Classics treble in a highlight 2004 season, with victory in the Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
His career spanned three decades before he retired earlier this year.
He also won an individual stage in the 1996 Giro d'Italia.
""This is an infinitely sad day for all those who follow cycling,"" Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme said.
Lotto-Soudal general manager John Lelangue added: ""I just can't believe it. He was with us Sunday night at the Monte Carlo Criterium dinner.""
Seven-time Tour de France individual stage winner Richard Virenque said: ""He was a lovely, loyal person and we shared some wonderful moments together.""
Rebellin won silver in the men's road race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before being ordered to return it after testing positive for a banned substance.
He produced a positive test for the blood-booster EPO Cera during a re-testing campaign after the Games and was subsequently banned for two years.
Rebellin raced in the lower divisions until last year and is remembered by his family as someone ""who lived to ride his bike""."	/sport/cycling/63813147
sports	Olivia Mehaffey: Northern Ireland golfer 'hit breaking point' in mental health journey	"""It's weird. My golf was bad. I was shooting high scores but I still loved it. My biggest battles felt like getting through the day and my worries were never golf.
""If I came off and I shot an 80 I wasn't concerned about my score. I was concerned about my wellbeing and I knew I was in a bad place."" 
Just three days after she lost her father to cancer in December, Olivia Mehaffey was packing her bags to head to Q-School for the Ladies European Tour.
""I knew it was coming and I knew he was so unwell,"" said the Northern Irish player, who enjoyed a highly-decorated amateur career.
""He made me promise I was going to go and I said I would go for him. It was probably the toughest period of my life.
""Being in America, trying to do Q-School and launching the dream I had since I was a little girl, I had this pressure on myself where I wanted everything to be perfect before I knew I was going to lose him.""
24-year-old admitted she ""buried my head in the sand"" over her father's death as she qualified for the European Tour. 
""To get on a plane and not really publicise it, nobody really knew and to be there by yourself for those two weeks was gruelling,"" she said.
""Q-School is not enjoyable at the best of times and to have that going on as well is very, very tough.
""Looking back I think it will be the most difficult golf event of my career.""
After gaining her European Tour card, Mehaffey had a successful start to the year with five top-20 finishes in six starts, however her form soon dipped and she added that ""putting that much pressure on yourself is not healthy"".
Mehaffey says she realised she needed help when she hit ""breaking point"" in the summer.
""It probably should have happened a few months before it did. It caught up with me,"" she said.
""You know you are struggling and you push on, but when other people see it - my family were begging me to take time off and friends were saying that I really needed to get some help.
""I didn't really see it until I hit breaking point. I was at a tournament, I came off after the first round and I was in floods of tears. 
""I withdrew from that tournament, came back home and started a journey of improving my mental health.""
Mehaffey played the World Invitational in August and said discussions with family and friends following the event led her to take the ""tough"" decision to step away from the sport. 
""After Galgorm I had all my family and friends over before I was going back to America. I remember vividly that three people came up to me and said, 'please take some time off, please don't get on that plane to America tomorrow'.
""I had alarm bells in my head. Golf is my escape. It doesn't matter what I shoot, I'm getting away from the big problem.
""It just absolutely hit me where I was thinking, 'you're running away from your problems here. Your problem is not golf, it is so much deeper'.
""I stand here now and it was probably the best decision I have made in a long time.""
After returning home, Mehaffey stayed away from the course for a month and began to see a psychologist.
She has also started to journal her mental health journey.
""A lot of time was spent focusing on myself, looking back and reflecting. I definitely needed that time,"" she added.
""I'm someone who loves to do everything myself and the thought of having to lean heavily on others is not easy for me.
""It definitely helps being close to home and feeling that love and support. That has helped me improve my mental health a lot over the past few months.""
Mehaffey is set to launch a blog to encourage others to talk about their mental health and said the response to a message she posted on social media made her realise it ""could really make a difference"".
""It was overwhelming how many people messaged to say they were struggling and they had been going through the same thing,"" she said.
""I never spoke to anyone. As soon as I lost my dad, if someone came up to me and said 'I'm sorry for your loss', I almost shut down and was like, 'how are you?'.
""You have to talk to people, hold your hands up and say it has been tough instead of saying everything is fine, which is normally my answer to most things.
""It would have been very easy for me to go off for two months and not tell anyone else what I was doing.
""Being a role model in sport is so much more than holding a trophy. Being a role model is very important for me.""
After taking a break from the sport, Mehaffey is ready to return to the course next year and says the majority of her season will be on the Ladies European Tour.
""I never wanted to quit. I knew when I took this time off that it was time to get better and come back when I felt I was going to be ready for it,"" she added.
""I feel like I am starting to get myself back, slowly. It has been tough.
""I'm very excited to get back next year and I feel like I am starting to get back into that competitive mindset.
""I think I'm going to look back in a few years and see this time really helped me and made me a much, much stronger person.
""If you can kind of get through what I have been through then you can get through anything, really."""	/sport/golf/63575853
sports	Champion jockey bet on William Buick wins £5,000 after 21 years	"William Buick will land a 100-1 bet from 21 years ago when he becomes champion jockey on Saturday - and raise £5,000 for charity.
Ex-trainer Ian Balding had a verbal wager with then Tote chairman Peter Jones that Buick would lift the title.
will be honoured by the Tote with the proceeds going to the Injured Jockeys' Fund.
""I am absolutely thrilled he has fulfilled the potential I always knew he had,"" said Balding.
""I have finally had a successful bet.""
Balding, who trained the great Mill Reef and is the father of trainer Andrew and broadcaster Clare, had the £50 wager in 2001 after he spotted Buick's talent when he was 13.
Now 34, Buick, who narrowly missed out to Oisin Murphy in the previous two seasons, will lift the Flat racing title on British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.
Buick will be presented with the trophy by five-time champion jockey Willie Carson."	/sport/horse-racing/63230370
sports	Australian Open: Novak Djokovic says he will 'never forget' deportation	"Novak Djokovic says his deportation from Australia will stay with him for the rest of his life.
Djokovic, 35, was detained and sent home in January due to his Covid-19 vaccine status after trying to enter the country to compete at the Australian Open.
But he overturned a three-year ban on applying for a visa in November and will compete in the 2023 tournament.
""You can't forget those events,"" Djokovic said.
""It's one of these things that sticks with you, it stays with you for I guess the rest of your life. 
""It was something that I've never experienced before, and hopefully never again.""
Serb admitted: ""It is a valuable life experience for me. I have to move on. Coming back to Australia speaks how I feel about this country, how I feel about playing here.
""I was really hoping that I'm going to have my permission back to get back into Australia and play here because it's a country where I've had tremendous success in my career.""
21-time grand slam champion has won nine Australian Open titles.
Australian Open qualifying starts on 9 January, with the first round getting underway on 16 January."	/sport/tennis/64116957
sports	'No decision to be made' - Warnock plays hours after grandfather passes away	"An emotional Michael Warnock explains how he played for Glen in their Ulster Club SFC victory over Errigal Ciaran just hours after his grandfather passed away.
""I was always going to play, he would have wanted that. Hopefully he is happy with the result. It is tough, I was thinking about him in the warm-up,"" Warnock said after the match.  
Read the match report here."	/sport/av/northern-ireland/63617877
sports	European Championship: Megan Pascoe's Paralympics plea after winning 2.4mR gold	"Great Britain's Megan Pascoe has won World Sailing 2.4mR European Championship gold.
36-year-old came out on top in a field of 44 athletes, featuring 28 able-bodied Olympic, world and national champions and four Paralympians.
Pascoe, a European champion in 2014 and 2016, is classified as a World Para-sailing athlete with cerebral palsy. 
""I am very happy to get my title back,"" she said after the success in Brittany, France. 
European Championship is open to able-bodied and Para-athletes.
Pascoe has now called on sailing to return to the Paralympics. It was part of every Paralympics between 2000 and 2016, but dropped for Tokyo 2020 and then failed in a bid to return for the 2024 Games in Paris.
""We need sailing back in the Paralympics - it's an amazing pinnacle of our sport,"" added Pascoe.
David Graham, chief executive of World Sailing, said the federation would be applying to the International Paralympic Committee to ""reinstate sailing into the Paralympic Games"".
""Sailing has the power to bring together highly competitive athletes with wide-ranging physical and sensory abilities and clearly is a prominent platform in global sport,"" he added."	/sport/sailing/61529041
sports	Surfing exhibition dives into Ireland's love of big waves	"Northern Ireland has become an increasingly popular destination for those who love to surf.
rth coast's exposure to swells from the North Atlantic Ocean in particular creates perfect conditions for those wishing to catch waves.
f Ireland's connection with the sport began in the 1960s and has grown steadily since.
Now surfing's story in Ireland is being explored in a new exhibition at the Ulster Transport Museum in County Down.
Celtic Wave, the first new exhibition at the Holywood museum in over a year, includes a collection of specially curated items and interviews from some of the most talented surfers, sharing their passion for the sport.
One surfer is Al Mennie, 41, who began surfing with his brother at the age of seven in the seaside village of Castlerock on the County Londonderry coast.
At that time surfing was still such an unusual sight in the area that the pair were known locally as ""the surfers"".
But things have changed since then.
""Surfing is a household name now,"" he said.
""You can go to the popular supermarkets and buy a paddleboard, for example, some of them sell surfboards, you can get wetsuits too.
""Everyone now can access surfing fairly easily and fairly inexpensively.""
Al began competing in events across Ireland and in the UK but his pursuit of some of the biggest waves in the world is how he really made a name for himself.
Known as big-wave surfing, it sees experienced surfers towed into huge swells as high as 60ft (18m) or, as Al describes them, ""as big as houses"".
raditionally surfers travelled to places like California for big-wave surfing but Al was one of the first to tackle the huge waves found off the coast of Ireland.
He said: ""I borrowed money, bought a boat and went off the coast here to find those locations, to surf them, as I still do today.
""Some of the biggest waves in the world exist here. On the west coast of Ireland I've surfed 60ft waves.""
One of the items on display in the exhibition is a helmet worn by Al which shows just how dangerous big wave surfing can be, even for experienced surfers.
While surfing a 40ft (12m) wave at Mullaghmore Head, County Sligo, Al came off his board - known in surfing as a ""wipeout"".
""I decided to step off the board because I felt that if I didn't step off the board the wave was going to land on me and probably put me through my board,"" he said.
As he was thrown around beneath the wave, he felt something hit his helmet with such force it caused the helmet to crack.
He came away with concussion but had he not been wearing the helmet his injuries could have been much worse.
Despite that, Al said accidents have been a rare occurrence for him while surfing big waves.
""You're constantly prepared for the worst-case scenario and you've got multiple guys ready to do rescues,"" he said.
""I'm very highly trained and experienced so I'm always ready for the eventuality that something goes wrong and often it doesn't because we're so overprepared most of the time.
""Probably one of the things that keeps me hooked on it, I suppose, is the risk involved in it.""
Some of the pioneers of surfing across the island of Ireland are also the focus of the exhibition.
It features an interview with Kevin Cavey, known affectionately as the grand-daddy of Irish surfing.
He worked to popularise surfing in the 1960s after reading an article about the popularity of the sport in California.
He went on to set up the Surf Club of Ireland and put on a display at the Dublin Boat Show in 1966.
At the same time along the north coast, surfers like Bo Vance, Davy Govan and Martin Lloyd were introducing the sport to Northern Ireland.
Clare Ablett, history curator at National Museums NI, said: ""We did interviews with surfers across Ireland because we wanted to capture the story in their own words because there's really not been very much written about it. 
""A lot of people aren't aware that we have a big surf scene here in Ireland so it was important we have these interviews to give insights which we wouldn't have been able to gain in any other way but also they could tell it in their own words.""
Visitors to the exhibition can see surfboards designed by locals, including a replica of one used by Al which is 11ft 3in (3.42m) long.
Also proudly on display is a 1970 Morris Traveller car taken from the museum's own collection.
It is a vehicle that has become symbolic of surfing in its heyday.
Al said: ""The exhibition captures surfing in its many eras to date and acknowledges some of the most influential characters in surfing from across the island.
""The surfing community has a really rich history and Celtic Wave is all about the people who have shaped this and their passion for the sport."""	/news/uk-northern-ireland-62574877
sports	Adventurer attempts Antarctic row after heart surgery	"A man is to attempt one of the world's most dangerous rows in the Antarctic in honour of the ""forgotten hero"" of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance voyage - just months after open heart surgery.
Jamie Douglas-Hamilton will row from Elephant Island to South Georgia.
grandson of the 14th Duke of Hamilton will brave the Scotia Sea - the roughest and coldest on Earth.
He is also calling for the Polar Medal to be awarded posthumously to Harry McNish, the carpenter on Endurance.
McNish was on Shackleton's ill-fated voyage, which ended with the expedition vessel being sunk by pack ice in October 1915.
group managed to reach Elephant Island and McNish, from Port Glasgow, adapted the James Caird lifeboat to make it seaworthy for the voyage. Some of the crew made it to South Georgia to seek help.
Mr Douglas-Hamilton, 41, from Edinburgh, will be the only Britain in a team of six hoping to row the 950-mile route sailed by the James Caird, which has never been attempted before in a rowing boat.
urer, who is a seven times Guinness World record holder, told BBC Scotland he had read the unpublished diaries of Harry McNish after befriending his great nephew, John McNish.
He said: ""I've read all of his personal diary and it is a myth that Shackleton was the greatest leader of all time. The truth is quite different.
""None of the crew would have made it back if it was not for Harry McNish.
""Not only did he build the boat that saved the whole crew with the most limited of tools, but he created the sledges and the crampons using nails from the boat for Shackleton to cross the mountains of South Georgia to the whaling station on the other side.
""Without McNish speaking up to Shackleton on the pack ice, the lifeboat hulls would have been irreparably damaged. He was portrayed as a mutineer but was the real hero.""
McNish was denied the Polar Medal.
Mr Douglas-Hamilton said he died destitute in New Zealand, unable to use his hands due to frostbite from the trip.
John McNish, said, ""Our family are incredibly touched that Jamie is rowing the treacherous seas of the Antarctic which my great uncle sailed in the early 1900s and that the journey will be made in honour of him.
""Our family is incredibly proud of my great uncle, and we have always believed it to be very unjust that Chippy wasn't given the Polar Medal.
""It is very exciting that this expedition, The Harry McNish Row, will highlight just how brave and courageous my great uncle was.""
rip was originally planned for December 2021 but had to be postponed as Mr Douglas-Hamilton discovered he had a heart condition that he believes would have killed him on the journey.
""I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve where you've only got two valves going to the aorta not three,"" he said.
He went to the hospital for scans after drifting in and out of consciousness during a cycling race in May and was told he needed immediate open heart surgery.
""I couldn't believe it, I went in there trying to get antibiotics and then had to go through this process, my heart was double the size,"" he said.
""It had been leaking for 20 years.""
Surgeons replaced the aorta and valve using metal, fabric and a bovine cusp.
It is only in the last week that he has been able to train at full capacity since having the operation in August, which left him unable to even pick up a kettle for the first six weeks.
By the time he leaves for the challenge on 10 January he will only have had five months to recover.
But Mr Douglas-Hamilton told BBC Scotland he was not scared to take on the row, which he is undergoing to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
He said: ""The best thing to do with these things is to throw yourself into the situation and then there is no way of getting out so you have to carry on.
""While you are on the boat you don't have very much time to daydream as you are fighting for every second.
""It's afterwards you look back and think that was pretty scary.""
Mr Douglas-Hamilton is the only British member of a team of six who will row three at a time in 90-minute shifts around the clock over the course of the journey, which is expected to take two and a half to three weeks.
will be captained by Icelandic explorer, Fiann Paul, who has more than 40 world records.
Mr Douglas-Hamilton knows what is in store for him after completing three other dangerous rowing challenges.
former East Lothian's Belhaven Hill School pupil - who was previously part of a team which rowed from Chile to Antarctica in 2019, said: ""On my last trip a string in my boot rubbed so much it went through to the bone.
""The pain was so bad I couldn't sleep for two days and nights.
""My toes froze and my hands went numb. The carbon fibre boat is in very cold water which you're sitting on and the constant spray and waves mean your are constantly cold and wet with no heaters to dry you.
""The pain you go through is tremendous and I remember feeling in agony.""
Mr Douglas-Hamilton was inspired by his grandfather, Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, to be an adventurer. His grandfather was the first man to fly over Mount Everest in 1933 in an open cockpit plane.
Mr Douglas-Hamilton said: ""I wish I had been born in that time of exploration.
""Most things have been done now although the oceans are the last frontier so that's why I've chosen rowing.""
He added: ""It does get pretty concerning out there when you're being tossed around like you are in a washing machine. The secret is to trick your sub-conscious mind.""
He said his father, James Douglas-Hamilton, a member of the House of Lords as a life peer, and mother were fully supporting him.
He will be leaving the UK on 2 January 2023 from Edinburgh Airport and will meet his crew in Ushuaia, Argentina. "	/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-63944082
sports	Steve Borthwick: New England coach signals new era	"Sitting beside a new head coach as they faced the media at Twickenham on Monday, Bill Sweeney declared this was the ""launch of a new age of England rugby"".
Steve Borthwick's appointment, as Rugby Football Union chief executive Sweeney suggests, is about more than just a change of personnel.
With a new head coach, there is a new attitude and approach too. 
After years of Eddie Jones framing everything in the context of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the tournament in France barely got a mention all day. 
Instead, there were other messages. Pride. Performance. Winning. Reconnecting a weary rugby public with its national team. Focus on the next game; nothing else matters. Turn the boos to roars. 
""I am privileged to be England head coach,"" Borthwick told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, shunning his usual tracksuit to make a rare outing in a suit.
""I was the little kid who fell in love with the game watching the England rugby team play on the TV.
""This England team has incredible power, the power to inspire kids and the power to move people.""
Borthwick wouldn't look too far ahead; he refused to let the narrative drift even as far as England's second Six Nations match against Italy in mid-February, let alone the World Cup in September. 
""I want to maximise every minute that we have. The World Cup is just on the horizon, it is not far away at all,"" he added. 
""But I want to be really clear. That first game of the Six Nations, I want to us to be working for that game.
""Our responsibility is to make sure we play and fight and work, so our supporters can see how much our players care, and how much they are hurting about what has happened previously.""
RFU, which hitherto supported Jones and his 'World Cup or bust' policy, seems to have performed something of a 180 itself.
""The World Cup is not the entire focus,"" stressed Sweeney.
""We have fans who want to see us competitive in the Six Nations as well. A balance is needed.""
While Sweeney admitted this was never the masterplan, instead hoping Jones would hand over the reins to his successor along with the Webb Ellis trophy, he was adamant the decision to change head coach was made for the right reasons, at the right time, after five wins in 13 matches in 2022 and a poor autumn campaign. 
""The results were not what we expected,"" he added.
""Eddie is a tournament animal. But you make decisions based on your information. You sit down and analyse it and you make a decision whether it was the right thing to do. 
""We believe it was the right thing to do.""
But after previously supporting Jones' vision to build a World Cup-winning outfit over a number of years, the RFU's timing means Borthwick will have little time to make his mark. 
""The time is what the time is, it is neither short nor long,"" Borthwick said.
""We think there is plenty of time now for us to continue on our goal for the World Cup,"" Sweeney added.
wo weeks have been tough for Borthwick, as the RFU and Leicester negotiated both his contractual exit, and that of his right-hand man Kevin Sinfield. 
Straight and honest, Borthwick had been uncomfortable with constantly having to evade questions about his future while on Leicester duty. 
""It's been tough leaving that group of players,"" he added. 
""For the last two and a half years, they have come together and grown.
""I have asked them to work hard, and they have worked hard to try and achieve something special.""
Borthwick will have to hit the ground running, finalising his coaching team and his Six Nations squad by mid-January, and he warned against any England fans expecting overnight fixes. 
""We have got a lot of work to do. A lot of people have said we are behind other nations, and we are,"" he said.
""In 47 days' time when we play Scotland, we won't be perfect, but what everyone needs to see is just how much these players are going to fight for this team, and inspire this crowd so they are so proud of this team.""
Never one to bask in the limelight or make wild public pronouncements, Borthwick nonetheless struck an authentic tone throughout his first day in the job, while showing his lighter side as he recalled how one of his sons made it a condition he selected Wales' Tommy Reffell.
But after seven years of the highs and lows, ups and downs, fun and games, and smoke and mirrors of the Eddie Jones reign, it's clear the Borthwick era will be very different - ""calm and focused"", according to Sweeney. 
""Steve is his own man, he is extremely authentic and full of integrity,"" he said. 
""We just want to encourage him to be himself and I am sure that will be fine.
""We are absolutely confident Steve knows how to get his own message across.""
worked with Borthwick and Sinfield, have no doubt the pair have the attributes to revive the England side. 
""Steve will lay a plan out for you, with the right players involved, and it's a case of 'go do this, and we will win the game,'"" Leicester's Chris Ashton told Rugby Union Weekly. 
""As a player you think: 'Right, I can follow that.'
""Throw in there Kev Sinfield leading the defence and it is a recipe for success.""
As Borthwick repeated throughout his first day, the hard work starts now. "	/sport/rugby-union/64039136
sports	Leon Edwards: UFC fighter's rise to world champion & escaping his 'darkest years'	"It happened about four years after Leon Edwards moved to England. 
He, his mum and little brother had said their goodbyes in Jamaica and come to Birmingham to start a new life. 
'd left their old home behind - a one-room wooden shack with a zinc roof in a poor part of Kingston where ""hearing gunshots was normal"".
Edwards had his own room now. That's where he was when the phone rang one night at 2am in October 2004, aged 13.   
' father had been the first to come over to England from Kingston. He'd sent for them to follow, but they didn't live together. 
Edwards' mum picked up the phone. He could soon hear her crying. 
""I knew what he was involved in, so I knew eventually something would happen to my dad,"" Edwards says. 
""When it's a late phone call you know it's something bad. It was a traumatic situation. It wasn't like he died in his sleep - he got murdered.
""It was like a spiral effect; it definitely made me more angry and more willing to partake in that life. It pushed me into a life of crime."" 
Edwards, now aged 30, still does not know the full story behind his father's death, just that he was shot and killed at a nightclub, over ""something to do with money"". He'd been involved in gang crime back in Kingston and, growing up, Edwards often found himself exposed to its dangers.
Over the next few years - the ""darkest"" of his life - Edwards too was increasingly drawn into the world of gang violence in Birmingham. 
But he would get out, forging a path in MMA against the odds which has culminated in him winning the sport's biggest prize - a UFC world title.
Edwards was born and grew up in a small neighbourhood in Kingston, Jamaica with his mum, dad and younger brother, Fabian.
He would play football with his friends, build and fly kites in the Caribbean breeze and climb trees to pick mangoes.
But there was also a dangerous side to life - one Edwards says he could not imagine his own children having to experience.
Edwards' father was the leader of a local gang. He was known as The General. Edwards was so often exposed to gun violence in his neighbourhood that he became desensitised to it.
""There were shootouts around me,"" he says.
""You had to run and hide. It's weird because you kind of get used to it, living in this mad warzone, you know? I've got a son now who's nine and I couldn't imagine him in that environment. 
""But at the time you hear gunshots. You're like 'OK, no-one got hit and no-one died', so you're back out playing again. It just becomes normal.""
By this point, when Edwards was nine, his parents had separated and his father was already living in London while still helping to take financial care of the family from abroad.
His father's decision to move the rest of the family over to the UK - to Aston in Birmingham - was supposed to represent a new beginning. Edwards found it difficult from the start.
""You don't want to move because all your friends are in Jamaica. You don't want to leave them, and at the time I was upset,"" he says. 
""You're also an immigrant coming to a new country, but it's still better than worrying about getting shot by a stray bullet or whatever.""
Edwards recalls getting into fights with the other kids at school, who would pick on him because of his Jamaican accent.
His willingness to fight is where his nickname 'Rocky' comes from - a reference to the boxer from the movie that still endures.
Soon things would take an even more troubling turn.
""There was a big gang thing at the time in Birmingham, the Johnsons and the Burger Bars,"" Edwards says.
""They were rivals and violence constantly broke out between both sides.
""I got involved from school. Obviously you're in the same neighbourhood and you go to the same school [as the gang members]. 
""The older guys, the younger brothers, all at the same school, and you get used to hanging around with them and it just trickles into that."" 
Edwards was 13 when he learned of the death of his father. He says it was a tipping point that pushed him further into that life. 
""I had a shorter temper, I was more angry and I ended up in more fights,"" he says.
""There were a few things I did during this time that I truly regret. It's hard to believe it was me who did it. I don't like talking about it.
""I've been in situations where, I wouldn't say I feared for my life, but life-threatening situations. We did what all gangs do. Sell drugs, there were robberies, shootings and stabbings.
""I was arrested a few times, for fights and having a knife. My mum had to come to the police station many times to get me out. 
""I knew what I was doing was breaking her heart, but I just kept doing it because your friends are doing it and as a teenager you're just involved.
""At the time your brain is so diluted and so focused you think this is life, and this is your world. You can't see outside of it.""
One day, at the age of 17, when Edwards was walking to the bus stop with his mother, she spotted a gym above a DVD rental store offering training in mixed martial arts. 
Edwards joined. He hadn't even heard of MMA before. His perception of fighting was so skewed by gang culture that the idea of a fair fight, played out in a competitive, sporting context, felt alien to him.
""It was odd because at the time I used to think that fighting was, not weird, but I'd never straight nose [have a fair fight with] somebody, you know?"" he says.
""[Gangs] are more likely to stab you. That was the mentality.""
After attending a few classes, Edwards' coaches told him he had a natural talent. 
He soon started winning awards, and the positive reaction he got from his mother pushed him to achieve even more.
""I could see my mum was proud of me, when I was bringing home trophies and that, and that's what kept me at it,"" Edwards says.
""If you did something negative [in gangs], everyone supports you, then if you do something good I realised you get the same praise, so I was thinking 'well I might as well do good then'. 
""I was thinking I should enjoy my life and not have to look behind my back at people trying to stab me, see the world - and that's what I did. I put all my energy into training at 17 and just never looked back.""
At the age of 18 Edwards made his amateur debut, which he won by submission, with a victorious professional bow coming just over a year later.
By the age of 23 he'd signed with the UFC, where he has 12 wins from 15 fights.
He hasn't suffered defeat since losing against current pound-for-pound number one Kamaru Usman seven years ago - the same opponent he beat for the welterweight title at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday.
In doing so he became Britain's first champion since Michael Bisping in 2016, and only the second in UFC history.
Edwards has always been reserved when talking about his story. Unlike a selection of other fighters, he has never embraced the 'gangster' narrative.
Instead he recognises the power behind his remarkable transition - and wants to help others who are looking for change. He credits sport with potentially saving his life. 
""I didn't want to glorify it, I didn't want to come across as this gangster,"" he says.
""I wanted to be a better person than my story was. The more my profile grows, the more I succeed, the more I want to help other people. I want to show people now it's not where you start, it's where you finish.
""In the UK, knife crime is such a big thing, I've lost friends to it, been involved with it, so if I can go back and help someone and show them a different path, I'm willing to do that. 
""One of my friends, he went to prison, got stabbed and died. Some of them have made good and work and stuff, but most of them are still doing what they're doing. 
""So yeah, I take it from that - [without MMA] I'd either be in prison, dead or working a 9-5.
""I'm 100% relieved. Not just me but my family too, you know. It would be sad for my mum to have a husband that got killed and then a son that got killed.
""I always had a feeling I could be better and there was more to life, but I didn't know how to get it. There was nobody around me with a blueprint to success so I didn't know how to achieve it.
""That's what I'm saying: if I do it - if I become champion - it shows everyone else what's possible, too.""
A version of this article was first published on 18 August, 2022."	/sport/mixed-martial-arts/62564038
sports	Dr Pat O'Neill, 91, reflects on lifting the Anglo-Celt Cup for Armagh in 1950	"g captain to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup - Dr Pat O'Neill - reflects on ending Armagh's 47-year wait to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship in July, 1950.
Now 91, Dr O'Neill was a 21-year-old medical student at Queen's University when Armagh defeated Cavan to lift the provincial prize in front of a capacity Clones.
Seven decades later, the Keady native and his wife are preparing to celebrate 62 years of marriage.
feature also includes cine film colour footage of the game taken by a local Monaghan priest - the only known existing footage of an Ulster final pre-1970. "	/sport/av/gaelic-games/55032003
sports	Olympic medals: An alternative table - with US 15th	"Olympics medals table was again dominated by the biggest countries like the US, which finished top.  But how would the table look if population and wealth were taken into account? 
When it comes to counting the medal spoils, there is a strong sense of deja vu. Every four years, the same few countries rack up medal after medal - the US, China, Russia - and Tokyo 2020 was no different.
US won 113 medals total, including 39 golds, the most of any country. 
So what makes countries like the US dominate, while others lag behind? Economists and data nerds have a few theories.
""It's still loud and clear from the patterns that what matters is population, level of income, and political system,"" says David Forrest, an economist at the University of Liverpool who researches Olympic predictions.
Population matters, Mr Forrest says, because the bigger the pool of athletes, the more likely it is for a country to produce true competitors.
""It's clear that very few people who are born have got the potential to be a world-class athlete,"" he says.
ke a country like Luxembourg, which has a population of 633,622. It sent 12 athletes to compete in seven sports, and won no medals. Meanwhile the US, which has the third-largest population in the world, sent 613 athletes to compete in 35 sports and took home more medals than any other country.
Some countries over-perform, given their population size. The BBC came up with an alternative ranking, which looked at the number of medals won per million people. In this scenario, the tiny European nation of San Marino, with a population of just over 33,000, comes out on top, even though it earned only three medals. The US didn't even crack the top 20, coming in at 60th place.
But population, by itself, is not enough to guarantee a country sweeps the podium.
""If a country is very poor, it won't have the resources to convert that potential into actual ability to compete on a world stage,"" says Mr Forrest.
""They've got to have the ability to participate in sport in the first place. For example, they might have a great natural ability in swimming that is waiting to be developed - but actually there won't be any swimming pools.""
When poorer countries do win, they tend to win at sports that are lower-cost, like wrestling, he says, while wealthy countries outperform in expensive sports like equestrian and sailing.
When taking into account the average national wealth per person, China and Russia (numbers two and three in total medals) actually did better than the US. Under these alternative rankings, China comes in first, and Russia second, with Kenya coming in third place.
US, normally top dog, lagged behind at number 15. 
re are cultural and political factors too. Mr Forrest says that countries that used to belong to the Soviet Union tend to have an advantage, because of the strong sports infrastructure that was established by communist regimes.
Commonwealth countries also tend to do better than expected compared to their size and wealth. Mr Forrest believes that's because Britain was a pioneer in developing sport as we know it today, and brought that enthusiasm for athletic competition with them around the world.
Australia, which often cracks the top-10 for total medal count, is a prime example.
rts a country chooses to compete in matter too.
In India, cricket is the de facto national sport but is not played at the Olympics. India also does tend to excel at hockey, which is played at the Olympics, but that only yields a maximum of two medals, one for men and one for women. Whereas sports competed by an individual, such as gymnastics, swimming and athletics, can yield several per athlete.
""In general, it doesn't do you a lot of good to be keen on team sports,"" Mr Forrest says.
But using variables like population and GDP are not true indicators of performance either, says Simon Gleave, head of sport analysis at data company Nielsen Gracenote, because they don't show which countries are doing better or worse than before.
""What you won't pick up is countries that are improving fast or declining fast, and I think that's the interesting part in all of this,"" he tells the BBC.
Past performance, he says, is a much better predictor of who will do well - and it allows you to set expectations against achievement. 
r gauge the Olympic winners, Gracenote takes into account how each country has done at other international sporting competitions since the last Olympic games.
king that into account, they predicted that India would actually have its best year yet, which it did, finishing 33rd in terms of most medals won. That smashed its previous record of 51st, from 2008."	/news/world-us-canada-58143550
sports	Sailor Jamie Mears died in Italy mountain bike fall	"An international champion sailor died after a mountain biking accident in Italy, an inquest has heard.
Jamie Mears was taking part in a package cycling tour in the province of Imperia on 6 May when he came off his bike and fell roughly 10 metres (33ft) into a ravine.
46-year-old, from Essex, died from multiple injuries.
Senior coroner Lincoln Brookes, sitting at Chelmsford Coroners' Court, concluded his death was an accident.
""This was a man very much loved and I'm sure there would be many more who would say the same,"" he said.
""I can only describe this as a very tragic accident.""
quest heard that on the group's second day, cycling out of Molini di Triora, they took a different route than planned because of a lorry blocking their path.
No-one saw the moment he came off, but he was believed to have skidded off a wet stone and fallen through shrubbery, which separated the track and the ravine.
His brother, Stewart Mears, was in the group, and he told the court that Mr Mears wore a full-face crash helmet as well as elbow and knee pads.
""It was a pretty innocuous pass and the gradient was pretty shallow. The sort of riding we do isn't extreme,"" said the brother.
""But we weren't aware of the steep drop on this trail.""
Mr Mears was conscious after falling into the ravine and the ambulance service arrived in about 20 minutes, the court heard.
He suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated, but could not be revived after a second cardiac arrest while being transported to hospital by air ambulance. 
-mortem examination concluded he died from multiple injuries, due to a fall from height.
Mr Mears grew up in Stansted Mountfitchet before moving to Saffron Walden, and later, to the village of Widdington, where he lived with his wife, Gemma, and their three sons.
He worked for his parents' business Pica Floorings from the age of 18, before becoming co-director with his brother Stewart.
roner heard he was a keen skier and won ""numerous"" sailing titles along with his brother.
An obituary from Sail World reported that he won four UK grand prix titles with Team Pica in the 18 footers class and also European titles, including the coveted Mark Foy Trophy regatta.
Another obituary from The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Burnham-on-Crouch, where he trained, said: ""To put it simply, they were extremely successful.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-essex-63207994
sports	Tour de France: 2024 race to finish in Nice instead of Paris	"The Tour de France will finish outside of the Paris region for the first time in its 121-year history when the 2024 edition concludes in Nice.
final stage of the Grand Tour has traditionally finished on the Champs-Elysees in the French capital.
But because of the Olympics starting days later in Paris, the 110th edition of the race will end with a time trial.
It will return to Paris in 2025, 50 years after the first finish on the Champs-Elysees.
""Nice is a city that shines, it's known around the world,"" Tour director Christian Prudhomme said.
""There is the beauty of the setting and the mountains nearby. The city offers an exceptional setting and a great course.""
Nice hosted the Grand Depart in 1981 and 2020 and is familiar territory for cycling's elite as it has hosted the finish of the Paris-Nice - one of the most iconic races in the sport - since 1933.
ur has not concluded with a time trial since 1989.
final stage has usually been ceremonial, with the leader not challenged, but that will change in 2024 when the time trial means the race could be undecided until the last moment.
2023 edition of the Tour, taking place from 1 to 23 July, will finish in Paris as usual.
first edition of the Tour, in 1903, finished in Ville d'Avray, a suburb of western Paris. The next two Tours also finished in the surrounding Paris area but the winners were celebrated at the Parc des Princes."	/sport/cycling/63823129
sports	The student studying the healing power of surfing	"Jamie Marshall says his PhD from Edinburgh's Napier University is the first in the world focused on ""surf therapy''.
He has spent the past four years studying what he says are the healing powers of surfing.
""When you are trying to stand up on that board there is nothing else in the world,"" Jamie says. 
""I had a US marine tell me that when he was out on the water surfing it was the only time in his life he could guarantee he wasn't going to experience a flashback associated with PTSD.""
According to Jamie the same effect can be seen across the world in different populations - the focus demanded by an activity such as surfing seems to help people deal with symptoms related to mental health issues. 
At Belhaven beach in East Lothian, there were several surf groups out on the water on an October afternoon. 
run by charity Wave Project seeks to help young people with a range of mental and emotional challenges.
Sixteen-year-old Kacee was referred by his social worker to try to build his confidence.
He says: ""Before, I thought I could not do it and I thought it'd be very difficult but now I've realised it is quite easy.
""If you put your mind to something you can really achieve a lot.''
Kacee is an active young person but can experience high levels of anxiety due to autism.
He says lockdown had been hard for him, especially not being able to see friends.
""It's been quite difficult just not talking to people and this made a big difference in my social wellbeing and my anxiety,"" Kacee says.
Wave Project is expanding to try to meet demand, doubling the number of courses offered. 
Former nurse Alison Young, the charity's coordinator in Scotland, says they can't keep up with demand as more and more services refer young people to them from across the central belt. 
Alison says: ""They learn it's ok. It's hard. They fall off, they get back on and they learn that if you keep trying you'll get there in the end."" 
She says it is a ""safe space"" and there is one-to-one mentorship so even in areas where there is not great surf it can still have a positive impact on wellbeing by showing they can cope.
PhD student Jamie Marshall says: ""I think people see surfers as guys who just smoke pot or sit in a car park and don't want to do any real work but actually there are a lot of organisations around the world really harnessing surfing as a vehicle for good in mental health, physical health and societal change.""  
He says one of the key things he found while doing the PhD was that surf therapy was providing safe spaces for vulnerable people.
just physical safe spaces, he says, but also emotional safe spaces where people are free to be themselves and to talk about how they are feeling.
Nine-year-old Archie was referred to Wave Project by a nurse after losing his dad to cancer last year. 
It was hoped surf therapy would provide an outlet for his grief and encourage some social interaction with his peers.
He says he feels ""brave"" to go inside the rough water and enjoys being outside a lot more.
He says the most important advice he has received is ""just keep practising and you're going to be a natural""."	/news/uk-scotland-58994935
sports	Challenge Cup: Cardiff Devils 3-5 Sheffield Steelers (Agg 4-10)	"Sheffield Steelers are in the Challenge Cup semi-finals after a 5-3 second leg victory over Cardiff Devils, completing a 10-4 aggregate win.
railing 5-1 from the first leg, Trevor Cox scored for Devils inside the first minute.
Niklas Nevalainen, Martin Lalal and Robert Dowd extended Steelers aggregate lead.
Brodie Reid got Devils' second but Brett Neumann and Brandon Whistle completed Steelers' win before Ryan Penny replied."	/sport/ice-hockey/63977371
sports	Chris Type takes Welsh Athletics performance role	"Former Great Britain pole vaulter and Winter Olympics skeleton competitor Chris Type has been appointed head of performance at Welsh Athletics.
joins from Welsh Boxing, where he oversaw efforts at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
He has also coached the British skeleton team.
""It was clear that Chris' enthusiasm, passion and experience would be of huge benefit,"" said Welsh Athletics chief executive James Williams.
He added: ""We are committed to building a performance system that is sustainable and is focused on building the talent pool across the event groups.""
: ""Athletics has played such a huge part in my life and I'm relishing the challenge of delivering the new performance strategy."""	/sport/athletics/64006740
sports	Llanelli 9-3 New Zealand 1972: The day the pubs ran dry	"It was the day the pubs ran dry in Llanelli. That is how the Scarlets' famous victory over New Zealand was chronicled by entertainer Max Boyce in a poem titled simply '9-3'.
was the scoreline at Stradey Park on 31 October, 1972 in one of rugby's most famous upsets.
Fifty years on, Llanelli, then nicknamed the Scarlets, remain the last Welsh senior side to defeat New Zealand. The Wales men's national team has not managed the feat in 32 attempts since 1953.
Llanelli are also the last club side to beat the All Blacks, with defeats for New Zealand on that tour of 1972 and 1973 coming against invitational and combined sides North-Western Counties, Midland Counties (West) and the Barbarians.
Supporters of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea will tell Llanelli fans they were late to this particular party, as those three clubs had already beaten the All Blacks. But this is the story of Llanelli's day of destiny.
As Boyce wrote: ""It was on a dark and dismal day in a week that had seen rain when all roads led to Stradey Park with the All Blacks here again.""
was the fourth game of a mammoth 32-match New Zealand tour, which lasted almost four months.
It involved a series of club, representative and international matches which yielded victories over Wales, Scotland and England, a draw with Ireland and defeat against France.
New Zealand were playing against a Llanelli side who all worked for a living in the town.
""Fifty per cent of the players worked in the steel process and others were miners, we were a working-class town,"" said flanker Gareth Jenkins, who would go on to become Scarlets and Wales head coach.
rs were guided by a brilliant coach, Carwyn James, who had led the British and Irish Lions to a famous series win over New Zealand the previous year, so there was an air of expectation before the match.
Captain Delme Thomas and Derek Quinnell had been on that successful Lions tour of 1971, but Wales had still not recognised the coaching genius.
""I was pleased for Carwyn because he had been turned down by Wales and he had proved a point in New Zealand,"" said Thomas.
""But it was something else to try and beat the All Blacks with Llanelli. People were saying after the 1971 tour that any coach could have done well with that side.
""But you try and win a series in New Zealand. If you have done that you have achieved something.
""Everybody wanted to do well for Carwyn when we went out on the field that day.""
was the theme of what is recognised as Thomas' greatest speech to Llanelli's players before they entered Stradey Park.
His words proved inspirational.
""I just told them I was lucky enough to be on two Lions tours and had played for Wales and the Barbarians,"" said Thomas.
""I was willing to give it all away to win that game for Llanelli and for Carwyn that day.
""A lot of young boys, Ray Gravell and Phil Bennett, what a performance they put in on the field. So I think what I said went home to them and worked.""
""I was there"" - Max Boyce's famous catchphrase, and those words applied to more than 20,000 supporters packed into the ground as factories closed early to allow workers to watch the game.
me team had met up at the Ashburnham Hotel before travelling to the ground by bus.
""I was sat on the bus next to my pal Ray Gravell and we just could not believe how many people were about,"" said Jenkins.
""There were people everywhere and by the time we turned into Stradey Park itself it was overwhelmed with people. We had to have police to open the road to let us through.
""There were people everywhere in the ground. There were even people up on the pylon of the lights and the oak tree on the top end of the ground.""
New Zealand were taken aback.
""The feeling was the 23,000 were right there on top of us, we didn't then normally play on rugby grounds where spectators were so close,"" said New Zealand fly-half Bob Burgess. 
One of those in the ground was eight-year-old Mark Drakeford, who would go onto become Wales' First Minister.
""It was absolutely bursting at the seams,"" Drakeford told the Scrum V podcast.
""I expect I ought to have been in school that day, but a few of us decided to go together.
""At Stradey Park everyone was so close to the pitch. Everyone was standing up and right on top of the game.
""I would say the things that stick in my mind about that day are the intensity of the experience, the closeness of the crowd, the number of people crammed in together, the fantastic singing, the sheer volume of the noise and that late afternoon kick-off. It was a Tuesday afternoon and towards the end it got darker and darker.
""The sky was low, the crowd was huge and the memory remains vivid in my mind.""
When the match got under way it took less than two minutes for Llanelli to stun their visitors.
Bennett had an early chance to claim the lead only to see his penalty kick bounce off the crossbar.
As All Black scrum-half Lindsey Colling gathered the rebound, it seemed that the scoring chance had gone.
But as Colling shaped to clear to touch, centre Roy Bergiers raced in from the Llanelli midfield to charge down the kick and dived on the loose ball for a try.
""I put my hands up and hit it,"" said Bergiers.
""I think I tripped over the line through the gap and then there was the ball and I just pounced on it.
""You don't realise you are part of history until years later.""
Bennett converted to hand Llanelli a shock 6-0 lead, but when Joe Karam struck a penalty to give New Zealand their first points, it seemed only a matter of time before more followed.
However, the Scarlets dug in - with the scars to prove it - and held out heroically before Hill struck a huge penalty to keep New Zealand at arm's length and send the town wild.
""Rugby is very good for telling children about relatively, as the last five minutes always last longer than the first five minutes in a game where you are hanging on, trying to win,"" added Drakeford.
""This game was very much that sort of game. Ending with Llanelli hanging on and hanging on, every minute seemed to last forever.""
final whistle brought remarkable scenes.
""Everybody who was around the ground arrived on the field at the same time,"" said Jenkins.
""It was chaos. The excitement and shared emotion of everybody was overwhelming and it took me about 10 minutes to get to the changing room.
""You pretty quickly realised it was history-making but had not perhaps realised yet the enormity of what we had achieved. It has to be the greatest moment of my career.""
Delme Thomas had been part of the successful Lions side in New Zealand, won a Grand Slam in 1971 and played 25 internationals for Wales. This day eclipsed everything for the Scarlets skipper.
""It was the proudest day of my life to have led Llanelli to victory over the All Blacks,"" said Thomas.
""I was so pleased for myself, for the team, and especially for Carwyn. I felt for him that he was turned down by his country and he proved on that day what a wonderful coach he was.
""That day has brought me more joy than anything else I have achieved in rugby. I am biased because I am a Llanelli boy, but to me it meant everything and it meant everything to the town.
""Even now, in a little caravan down in Amroth where I spend my weekends, people come up and tap me on my back.
""That is all they will say, I was there, and you know exactly what they mean. 
""I have had a wonderful career and the success of beating the All Blacks was everything.""
Drakeford added: ""I've been lucky to be at lots of sporting events where the atmosphere was special, but that day was right up there.""
re will be a dinner this week to mark the occasion, though some heroes of the day will be missing.
Legends like Phil Bennett, JJ Williams, Ray Gravell and Hefin Jenkins are sadly not here to celebrate the victory after passing away in recent years.
'Grav' died on the 35th anniversary of the game in 2007, JJ Williams passed away almost exactly two years ago while the loss of former Wales fly-half Bennett, affectionately know as Benny, is especially raw following his death in June this year.
Current Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel's grandfather Bert was Llanelli's physio that day.
""Growing up we had the photo in the house and I still have the programme from the game,"" said Peel.
""It still resonates. Growing up in this part of the world, it is never not spoken about and it's constantly there.
""It is a big part of our culture and history, not just rugby history, but the history of Llanelli and Carmarthenshire. 
""The picture of the 1972 side is up in our changing rooms and team rooms. 
""We have a big picture of Benny up in the gym and that generation can't be forgotten because of their achievements.
""I hope the young guys see that as well, because it was relevant when I played so it's important they understand that.""
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac was Scarlets coach for five seasons before taking over the national side from fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland in 2019.
""I was 10 and we often listened to All Blacks games on the radio. That game I distinctly remember,"" said Pivac.
""The name Llanelli stuck in my mind and luckily enough I got to coach the Scarlets and was reminded of it pretty much on a daily basis when I first arrived.
""It was the sort of game in those days the All Blacks just didn't lose, so for me as a 10-year-old, it was quite upsetting.""
Five days after the 50th anniversary, Pivac will have the chance of leading Wales to victory over his native New Zealand and ending 69 years of hurt for the national side.
Potential history awaits in Cardiff for the Wales class of 2022, just as it did for those Llanelli heroes half a century ago.
Llanelli: Roger Davies; JJ Williams, Roy Bergiers, Ray Gravell, Andy Hill; Phil Bennett, Chico Hopkins; Tony Crocker, Roy Thomas, Barry Llewellyn, Delme Thomas (capt), Derek Quinnell, Tommy David, Hefin Jenkins, Gareth Jenkins.
Replacements: Selwyn Williams, Alan James, Chris Charles, Brian Llewellyn, Gwyn Ashby, Meirion Davies.
New Zealand: Joe Karam; Bryan Williams, Bruce Robertson, Mark Sayers, Duncan Hales; Bob Burgess, Lindsey Colling; Keith Murdoch, Ron Urlich, Graham Whiting, Andy Haden, Pole Whiting, Alistair Scown, Alan Sutherland, Ian Kirkpatrick (capt).
Replacement: Grant Batty."	/sport/rugby-union/63392610
sports	Ora Washington: The 'queen of two courts' whose brilliance was ignored	"At a glitzy downtown New York hotel, the recently founded Black Athletes Hall of Fame was holding its annual ceremony. 
It was March 1976 and the host was giving a speech about the latest inductee. You probably won't know her name. 
Ora Washington was a champion, a star of two sports, but prejudice stopped her competing for the biggest prizes of the day. Her sporting career spanned three decades of change in her native United States, but change didn't come quickly enough. 
Washington retired from tennis and basketball in the 1940s. In the mid-1970s a new generation started to dig deeper into her story. Hence the gathering in New York. 
As the host finished introducing Washington to those gathered for that glamorous occasion, they started on something new: an apology. 
Washington wasn't there. There was a chair placed out on the stage for her, empty. The host said they were sorry but they hadn't been able to track her down.
New York Times wrote in its report the next day: ""The silver bowl, gold ring and medallion she was to receive have been returned to the Hall of Fame offices in New York. And Miss Washington's whereabouts remain a mystery.""
What nobody seemed to know was that Washington had already been dead for five years.  
BBC Sounds and the BBC World Service have made a podcast series about Washington's life. You can listen to episodes here.
Part of the motivation behind doing so was to get her story out there where it belongs, so it's not forgotten. 
Washington's is a powerful and important story. She was one of the most extraordinary Black female athletes of the 20th century. Tennis great Arthur Ashe described her as ""the first Black female to dominate a sport"". 
re are still lots of things we can't know about Washington, but we do know she received homophobic abuse, and that racism and white supremacy denied her both the opportunity and recognition she deserved. 
Washington's life threw up obstacles all along the way. And she took on the same types of injustice that many are still fighting today. 
Washington was born in January 1898 or 1899 - the records aren't clear. Her early life was spent in a small farming community called File in Caroline County, Virginia. 
Hers was a large, tight-knit family, and they owned a farm. They'd built up some economic independence by the standards of the day. Historian Pamela Grundy, who contributes to the podcast series, went there some years ago and found out Washington was the fifth of nine children. 
Grundy tracked down JB Childs, Washington's nephew, who shared his memories of the farm.
""They grew tobacco, corn wheat, rye and all sorts of vegetables,"" he told her. ""Tobacco was the biggest money strike. They raised tobacco and sold it in the winter - always have some for Christmas, whoever needed it. That's the way they made a living.""
My own family has its roots not too far away. My mom's grandma was born just a couple of years after Washington, in the neighbouring state of West Virginia. She was also raised in a farming area, and also under the Jim Crow laws. 
As residents of Virginia, the Washingtons lived under a web of legislation ensuring they would remain second-class citizens at every stage of their lives - formal segregation by race. 
Some examples: in 1900, when Washington first appeared in the United States census, Virginia passed a law forcing railroad companies to provide separate cars for Black and white riders. Another law did the same for steamboat passengers. Schools were segregated too - but not equal.   
Stories get passed down through families about those times in the South. It goes deeper than the law. We're talking about a whole culture of fear, touching every part of normal life. Fear of violence, fear of persecution. 
In 1910 the census man paid another visit to the farm, 10 years on from the last. This time, Washington is listed as 12 years old. Her mother is not listed. Her father is now a widower. 
When I picture that little girl growing up, living with dad and grandma and her brothers and sisters, with money short, I know they had to be hard times.
And that's why I think what happens next makes a lot of sense. 
At this time in the US there is a mass movement taking place. A movement that changed a nation.
Across the first quarter of the 20th century, Black American people were leaving the South and heading for the cities and jobs of the North: New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and many others. What historians call 'The Great Migration'.
We can't be sure when, but sometime in the 1910s a teenage Washington packed her bags and left the old family farm, and the South, for good. 
She took the train north to Philadelphia to join her Aunt Mattie, stepping into the big city for the first time, into a new life. The world she was entering was rich with newly emerging opportunities that previous generations of women - particularly Black women - never had, including organised sport.
When Washington next appears on the US census in 1920, she is listed as the younger of two servants working in a wealthy white home in the Philadelphia suburbs. 
Her introduction to tennis may have come around the same time, in the north Philadelphia district of Germantown, a place where new arrivals to the city - Italian, Irish, Black American - made their homes. She took lessons in the game at a branch of the Germantown Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) set up to ""make possible"" for girls and women of colour the ""advantages of so long enjoyed by the white girls and women of our community"".
Further detail of this time is thin on the ground. We don't have any surviving letters, and the few who interviewed her during her sporting career didn't publish anything about her personal life. 
However, there are surviving reports from Black newspapers like the Philadelphia Tribune - the oldest in the US (it was founded in 1884) and still publishing now. 
One article implies Washington first began competing in national Black women's competitions in 1923, possibly just a few years at most after first picking up a racquet. Another account describes her unique way of holding the racquet - almost halfway up the handle - and another the power of her volleys. 
Whenever she started, it's clear she was a natural. She would very soon take the sport by storm.
In 1925, Washington scored a huge victory by beating Isadora Channels, twice a winner of national championships organised by the American Tennis Association (ATA), a Black national tennis organisation founded in 1916.
It marked the start of her evolution as a player. She would move from being seen as a successful athlete to a once-in-a-generation talent. 
Also in 1925, the same year as her victory over Channels, Washington won her first tennis ATA doubles title. She went on to win that title every year up to 1936. In the singles game she would win the women's ATA trophy from 1929 to 1935. Seven years as champion at the top. 
Washington was a headliner who dominated Black sports media coverage, but this was still pre-war America. In contrast to another serial champion of this time - the white player Helen Wills, who won her seventh national title in 1931 - Washington's success was allowed to exist only in isolation. Not until 1950 would an African-American participate in the US Championships Wills was dominating - we know that tournament today as the US Open. 
re would be no mainstream superstardom, no merchandising or endorsement deals from international sportswear brands. The competitions she won didn't lead to global fame or untold riches. 
xt US census shows it. In 1930, Washington was working in Chicago as a hotel maid. 
Around the time of Washington's big tennis breakthrough in 1925, her name was also beginning to appear on lists of Black women's basketball teams as well.
By the end of the 1920s she was competing almost as much in basketball as in tennis, right at a time when she was picking up multiple tennis trophies across the country and building a reputation as the best Black female player in the US. 
One of the first basketball teams Washington played for was the Germantown YWCA Hornets - a so-called 'Black Fives team' or 'Black Quint' - 'Black' because these teams were only for Black players.  
She became a star as the team steadily rose. Reports of the day speak of outrageous long shots, of record scores that carried her side to victory. On 9 April 1931, the Hornets claimed the National Girls Basketball Title, beating Rankin Femmes, a team from near Pittsburgh, in the final. 
Mirroring her achievements in tennis, Washington had become the kind of basketball player people look forward to watching on the court. 
Philadelphia Tribune saw an opportunity and decided to sponsor a team. The Philadelphia Tribunes were coached by a prominent local activist called Joe Rainey - whose grandfather, also Joseph Rainey, was the first Black person to serve in the United States House of Representatives.
ribunes stood for more than sporting excellence, more than just advertising a local newspaper - or even about collecting trophies.
""Sport was seen as a really important place to argue for civil rights, in particular because sports was a performance of meritocracy, at least, in theory,"" says Dr Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of history and African American studies at Penn State University.
""It was a place that many Black civic and political leaders saw as an opportunity to expand and demonstrate how Black folks were fit for citizenship.""
In 1932, Washington was recruited as captain of the Tribunes. The Tribune newspaper celebrated her exploits, holding her up as the star of a team that won 11 consecutive championships.
But despite this, at a time when sporting celebrities had already begun to emerge, there was never any coverage of her private life. Such focus did fall on other female athletes of the day - but only in a particular way. Washington did not fit that template.
""There was this policing of their sexuality, of their femininity,"" says Dr Rose Davis.
""Think of Black baseball player Toni Stone. They did a spread in a Black magazine about her and featured her in a dress because they wanted to show that she still was domestic. 
""They had a picture of her without her shirt on, laying down, getting rubbed down by her husband so they could demonstrate she was still heterosexual."" 
Whether Washington privately saw herself as more masculine or feminine, or as heterosexual or homosexual or anything else, is impossible to know from this distance. But some former members of the Bennett College team - against whom Washington played - shared memories of her when interviewed in the early 2000s by Rita Liberti, another contributor to the podcast. 
From what they said,external-link Washington was seen as different - as less feminine than the other players. 
While playing for the Tribunes, for the first time in her life Washington started to receive a small salary from sport. But she never was paid enough to give up the day job. 
She would continue working in domestic service as her dual sporting careers wound down, into the 1940s. When the time did come to retire, she didn't bow out quietly. 
In 1936, Washington lost the ATA singles title she'd held since 1929. The next year she won it back. She was 38, it was a fine time to step away. She announced her retirement from tennis singles, and sounded ready. 
""It does not pay to be national champion too long,"" she told the Baltimore African-American in a rare surviving interview. 
""It's the struggle to be one that counts. Once you've arrived, everybody wants to take it away from you.""
However, in 1938 a new force emerged, a young player named Flora Lomax, who seemed to talk up a feud with Washington in the press. 
gs became so heated that in 1939 Washington came out of retirement just to beat Lomax at a tournament in Buffalo, before shortly after retiring again, a remarkable final effort.  
Washington would continue playing doubles tennis though, right up until 1948, when she was 49 or 50. 
Her final title came in the mixed doubles at the ATA championships of 1947. On the opposite side of the net was Althea Gibson, then aged 19. 
In a photo of the pairs posing together, Washington wears long trousers and glasses, almost 30 years senior to the young star standing a few metres away and on the verge of landmark success. Gibson would in 1950 become the first Black player at the US nationals. Six years after that she would win the French Open, the first of her five Grand Slam singles titles.
Washington's final basketball game was played in 1942. But this part of her story speaks of a different kind of decline. 
When she began her basketball career in the '20s, the women's game was played according to the same rules as the men's. It was fast, competitive and physical. 
But by the mid-1930s things were beginning to change, with many of the college teams that formed the women's basketball landscape both in Black and in white sports moving towards what's known as 'participation play', focusing on group exercise rather than competitive action. 
In Washington's earlier career, women's basketball often took up around a third of the sports pages in the Philadelphia Tribune. By 1942, when Washington stepped away from the game at the age of 43 or 44, it had reduced to a trickle. That same year, the Tribunes women's team folded.
In 1950, the US census reports that Washington was sharing an apartment in Philadelphia with her brother Larry. She was still working in domestic service. 
We know Washington was always close with her family. But family seems to become even more central to her in later life. She co-owns this apartment with her sister, there is a cousin close by, and her young nephew JB Childs also spent time living in the same building. 
Years later he hinted to historian Pamela Grundy that his aunt was in a relationship with a woman. As far as we know, Washington never came out publicly, but we believe her sexuality is an important part of her story - and we'll hear from another of her relatives shortly.
Childs also told Grundy about trips back to the farm in Virginia, times of great celebration and joy that are remembered by two other family members in their contribution to our podcast series, Washington's great nephew Gregory Price and her great niece Patricia. 
But in terms of her place - her rightful place - in sporting history and the public consciousness, that began to slip away. So much so that when in 1976 the Black Athletes Hall of Fame sought to honour her, they didn't even know she had died. 
In 1969, two years before Washington's death at the age of 72 or 73, she was interviewed by Len Lear for a story with the Philadelphia Tribune. They met back where it all began for her: at the Germantown YWCA. Lear, now a veteran reporter for that newspaper, had never heard of her. 
""Once I met her and asked a lot of questions, I was absolutely floored,"" he says.
""It's just hard to imagine this today when you see people like Serena Williams, for example, making countless millions and having their name on perfume and all kinds of other products. And she had nothing. Nothing.
""She was getting old and she was not in great health, but to learn that she was possibly the best female athlete in the country in the first half of the 20th century [and] she was doing housekeeping… 
""She did not express anger or rage specifically. She was more or less, I would say, sad. Over what could have been and should have been. 
""She wanted to be recognised for her skills by everyone, and she wasn't.""
Washington's great nephew Gregory Price has another view. He doesn't remember her as sad.
""My sister and I are essentially the last living members of our families who knew her personally, who had actual personal contact with her. We're the last of that,"" he says. 
""You know, she seemed looming large, larger than life. She was tall and slim, she had a baritone voice and beautiful eyes. And when she looked at you, you saw sincerity in her eyes when she spoke.
""My aunt Ora was homosexual, we had no problem with her sexuality… [but] she was reclusive because of that, so I would imagine those who knew of her sexuality suppressed her accomplishments when she was at her best. They refused [to], even the Black community, let alone the white community because of racism back then. 
""They adored her as a player but off the court they refused to acknowledge her because of her sexuality. If she was alive today to see the changes that have taken place - racially, ethnically, sexually, she would be proud to say stand up and say: 'Yes, I'm gay.'
""This is nothing short of a hidden figure story. Someone who played two sports at the highest level, was a champion in both of those sports. [Larry] Bird, [Michael] Jordan, Magic [Johnson]… none of those guys can speak to that. Nobody in sports history.
""Anyone after us, they'll only know her through stories we now tell. I feel like that's my call to action. 
""Tell the story, and the facts will speak for themselves."""	/sport/63066765
sports	Pick your men's world white-ball team of 2022	"It has been a busy year of white-ball cricket that concluded in November with England lifting the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Suryakumar Yadav has broken numerous batting records, while Ireland's Josh Little topped the wicket-taking charts in Twenty20 internationals. 
It's time to put yourself in the selector's chair and choose your white-ball team of the year. 
We have selected the game's top performers in one-day and T20 cricket for you to narrow down to 11.
Don't forget to share your team on social media using #bbccricket."	/sport/cricket/63908435
sports	Tokyo Olympics: Joanna Muir on modern pentathlon Olympic hopes	"""You're watching people sword fight, people riding an unknown horse. You're seeing swimming, a great sport in itself..."" 
Without yet touching on the 'laser run' - a combination of 800m efforts and pistol shooting - to finish, Joanna Muir has already presented a compelling case for watching the modern pentathlon at the Olympics on Friday. Five sports. One day. Plenty of drama.
Part of the Olympics since 1912, 'modern' pentathlon is based on the pentathlon of the ancient Greek Olympiad and was set up precisely to test an athlete in all aspects - both physical and mental.
One of the key skills, it turns out, is horse whispering. For the riding, athletes are paired with an unknown horse 20 minutes before they complete nine to 12 jumps.
""Those 20 minutes are so important,"" Muir explains. ""It's finding the balance because it's really nerve-wracking - you've no idea what kind of horse you're going to get. 
""But you have to try to stay as calm as possible because the horse will be able to sense if you're uptight or nervous and you have to really get it to listen to you in those first 20 minutes.
""Some people try and take in some Polos and things. I try and get to the horse 10 minutes before, give it a bit of a pat and say hello to it.""
Muir, 26, is fortunately a natural when it comes to horses, having started out at Pony Club, which she did alongside a myriad of other sports, from lacrosse to athletics, in Dumfriesshire, where shew grew up.
Fencing was not one of them. At least initially. The ""sword fighting"" came after. Though rather than a swashbuckling duel, Muir explains it is more a battle of wits.
""There's so many tactics and it's very technical,"" she says. ""It's all about taking your time, being really composed and try and get your opponent to mess up and go for it. If you rush you're more likely to make a mistake.
""It's really cool and the discipline I started the latest so I've found it the hardest to grasp. But I feel like it's coming together now.""
riety in the event also begs the question: how do you train for five very different disciplines?
""We run five times a week - two of those are normal laser run sessions with the shooting - we swim four times, gym three times, ride once, fence two to three times,"" she replies. ""So it's very, very full on but I love that every day is different.""
Muir is ranked sixth in the world, which means she has a decent shot at a medal in her debut games. Having loved watching Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Chris Hoy over the years, now it's her turn to pull on the Team GB kit.
Whatever happens in Japan, the moment she found out she was going to her first Olympics will stick with her.
""I was in the middle of a sports massage,"" Muir laughs. ""I knew we were going to get a call.
""I had my phone on loud but I hadn't told our soft tissue girl Jenny that I was expecting a phone call and and when my phone rang and I just jumped off the bed so quickly and was like, 'I need to take this, I'm so sorry'.
""So, it wasn't very glamorous but that's how I found out and I was obviously really emotional and excited.""
Just as thrilled is mum Susan, who racked up the miles taking Muir across the country as she made her way in the sport. It'll be family, friends and those back in her village, Haugh of Urr, who Muir hopes to do proud.
""I've received quite a few cards from people back home,"" she adds.
""I've had messages from people I've grown up with and others who've played a part in my journey. It's just so special and hopefully everyone will be watching."""	/sport/olympics/57841169
sports	Lionesses: 'The world around me has changed', says England boss Sarina Wiegman on Euros triumph	"England manager Sarina Wiegman tells BBC Sport's Jo Currie about the impact of their Euro 2022 victory.
Dutchwoman, who won Euro 2017 with the Netherlands, guided the Lionesses to their first women's major tournament title when they won the Euros in July.
READ MORE: Wiegman said she 'learned about English culture'"	/sport/av/football/64027896
sports	Bournemouth: Petition to stop year-long closure of bowls rinks	"Members of an indoor bowls club have started a petition to stop their rinks being closed for a year.
BCP Council-owned rinks in Kings Park, Bournemouth, are due to be closed from 1 April next year.
uncil said the pause, due to a fall in memberships and rising costs, would allow it consider the longer term use of the site.
But Bournemouth Indoor Bowls Club said its players should be able to use the rinks while their future was decided.
Club chair, Pam McKenna, said: ""For many of our members this may well be their only social interaction. Without this facility, I fear for their wellbeing.
""I understand that BCP Council face huge financial decisions, but I feel that denying us this outlet may well put further strain on the health service.
""Loneliness is a huge problem for older people, especially in the long winter days.""
ub said it had used the Kings Park site since 1995.
Jane Kelly, portfolio holder for communities at BCP Council, said: ""Club membership at Bournemouth Indoor Bowling Club is lower than we anticipated it to be.
""With the rising costs associated in maintaining this offer, we have taken the decision to pause the bowls service at the centre while we consider the longer term use of the bowls area.
""Like many local councils we're working through what the effect of the cost of living crisis is on us, so we can take steps now and be prepared.""
uthority said the Skills and Learning Service, along with room hire, would not be affected by the closure. 
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-dorset-63930033
sports	Pele: Premier League and EFL players wear black armbands to honour footballing great	"Premier League and English Football League clubs wore black armbands and held a minute's applause before kick-off in this weekend's games in honour of Brazil legend Pele.
Scottish Professional Football League has also suggested all clubs pay their respects with a minute's applause or ""other appropriate gesture"".
ree-time World Cup winner Pele passed away on Thursday at the age of 82.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning as tributes pour in.
Premier League tributes began at West Ham v Brentford, with the iconic image of Pele embracing Bobby Moore shown on the big screen at London Stadium. 
In the later kick-off, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and midfielder Jordan Henderson placed flowers on the centre circle at Anfield before the side's match against Leicester.
All 10 Premier League games over the weekend will hold similar tributes.
Before Saturday's match between Newcastle and Leeds at St James' Park, the hosts' Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes wore a signed Pele Brazil shirt.
Speaking after Liverpool's 2-1 win over Leicester, Alisson told BBC Sport: ""I believe everyone from the world of football is feeling something about his loss. We Brazilians are grieving. He is a huge loss but at this moment we have to look to the things that he did because he changed the world of football, not just for Brazilians but for everybody.
""There is a lot of talk about who was the best and who is the best, but for us he is the best of all time. What he did on the pitch reflected the nation, he put the Brazilian flag at the highest standard, not just him but his team-mates as well.""
A minute's applause and black armbands were also seen at EFL fixtures on Friday and other clubs will follow suit on 1 and 2 January.
Football's world governing body Fifa has lowered flags at its headquarters in Switzerland to half-mast for Pele ""as a symbol of mourning and respect"".
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) says it has ""arranged a minute's silence to remember Pele,"" in forthcoming games, while Pele's contribution to the sport will similarly be recognised at matches in Spain and France this weekend.
Managers have also paid respect, with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola saying Pele made football ""a better place"" for his ability to give people an emotional connection to the sport.
""There's not another show or event that can produce this type of emotion. It's part of what these exceptional players do,"" Guardiola explained. 
""Football is football thanks to these types of people, players, human beings. Before, the number 10 was just a number and after him it became something special. Every top player wanted to wear number 10 in their team.
""What he has done for football is there and always will remain.
""These type of players will be forever, they will be eternal.""
m manager Antonio Conte said Pele was ""one of the most important players in the world. We are talking about the story of football"".
He added: ""I was lucky to know him and honestly I am really sad for his death. Also because Pele was a person who was an important person for football. One of the most popular. Maybe the most popular player in football.
""His behaviour, it was always a person who lived without arrogance and showed always to be a humble person despite, in my opinion with [Diego] Maradona being the best players in the world.""
Arsenal's Mikel Arteta said: ""He was probably the most complete player that the game has ever seen, and it is a big loss.""
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe hailed the Brazil great as an ""absolute giant"" of football.
""In my era, you grew up knowing of Pele, thinking of him as the best player the world had ever seen at that moment,"" Howe added.
""It's very, very sad. Whenever an icon passes away, it's a very sad moment for football. Seeing the reaction of everybody, media, everyone connected with football, he's certainly well remembered around the world.""
Everton manager Frank Lampard said: ""The reach of his game was huge and has stayed. That name will continue for ever more. It's a sad day for football.""
Scottish Professional Football League's chief executive Neil Doncaster said: ""Scottish football fans appreciate skill, class and achievement, and no player in the game better typified those qualities than Pele.""
Fulham will pay tribute to Pele before their celebrations of the life of club stalwart and 1966 World Cup winner George Cohen.
Cohen died on 23 December and Fulham's home match against Southampton on Saturday will be their first game at Craven Cottage since his passing."	/sport/football/64125638
sports	PDC World Championship: Josh Rock beats Callan Rydz to reach third round	"Northern Ireland's Josh Rock reached the third round at the PDC World Championship with a 3-0 dismissal of England's Callan Rydz.
World youth champion Rock, 21, did not need to produce his best form to overcome last year's quarter-finalist, who struggled badly with his doubles.
Rydz missed a shot at double 16 which would have taken a nervy first set with Rock's double four moving him 1-0 up.
As Rydz's woeful finishing continued, Rock lost only two further legs.
Despite playing in his debut championship at Alexandra Palace, the Antrim native has been touted as a title contender and while his own scoring and finishing flagged at times on Wednesday, victory sets up a third-round meeting with two-time world semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall.
""I'm glad I got the win but Callan didn't play his game and I still haven't played my game yet,"" Rock told Sky Sports after his win.
""I know there's more to come from Josh Rock. When you stand up on this stage, obviously there's different pressure on you. You have to learn to deal with it.""
Rock missed double 14 as Rydz moved 1-0 in the opening set but the Englishman's double troubles then really surfaced as he missed three chances which allowed the Northern Irishman to level.
Further Rydz failures on double top saw Rock edge 2-1 up and after the Antrim man missed the same double in leg four, the Newcastle player's errant shot at double 16 in leg five was punished as his opponent took the set with a double-four finish.
Rydz's nightmare day with his finishing continued in set two as Rock clinched it 3-1 after losing the first leg and it was the same margin in set three.
Rock managed to hit only 36% of his doubles and his scoring average was just over 92 but those statistics still proved enough against the Englishman who notched just four of his 27 doubles.
In the first match of Wednesday's afternoon session, Cork man John O'Shea lost a 2-0 lead as he was edged out 3-2 by Darius Labanauskas as the Lithuanian secured a tense victory despite several stunning scoring bursts by his opponent."	/sport/darts/64056449
sports	Young Sports Personality of the Year 2022: Gymnast Jessica Gadirova wins award	"British world champion gymnast Jessica Gadirova is named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2022.
READ MORE: Gymnast Gadirova wins Young Personality award"	/sport/av/sports-personality/64059161
sports	Elnaz Rekabi: Crowd greet Iranian climber who broke hijab rule on return	"Watch: Iran rock climber competes without hijab
A large crowd at Tehran airport greeted an Iranian sport climber who competed without a headscarf at a competition in South Korea, calling her a ""heroine"".
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, broke Iran's strict dress code - but later said her hijab had fallen off ""inadvertently"".
Many are sceptical about the reason she gave in an Instagram post and repeated in a state TV interview at the airport, believing it was made under duress.
Iran is gripped by protests against the hijab laws and its clerical leaders.
Iranian women are required to cover their hair with a headscarf and their arms and legs with loose clothing. Female athletes must also abide by the rules when they are officially representing Iran in competitions abroad.
Ms Rekabi flew in before dawn on Wednesday from South Korea, where she had been competing at the IFSC Asian Championships.
Her family met her at the airport, where she was hugged and handed several bunches of flowers. She covered her hair with a black baseball cap and hoodie.
Videos on social media show hundreds of supporters outside the terminal clapping and chanting ""Elnaz is a heroine"" as she arrived.
State media later broadcast an interview with Ms Rekabi, in which she repeated the explanation she had given in an Instagram post for climbing with her hair uncovered.
""I was suddenly and unexpectedly called on to compete while I was at the women's locker room,"" she said. 
""I was busy wearing my shoes and fixing my equipment and forgot to wear my hijab, which I should have worn.""
Ms Rekabi said there had been ""some extreme reactions"" to the video of her appearance sporting a ponytail and that she was ""feeling stressed and tense"".
""Thank goodness, I've returned to Iran in good health and safe. And I apologise to the Iranian people for the confusion and concerns.""
She also denied reports that she had been out of contact with her family and friends and that she had left South Korea earlier than scheduled.
""That didn't happen. We've returned to Iran exactly as planned,"" she stated.
After similar comments were posted on Ms Rekabi's Instagram account on Tuesday afternoon, BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour said that to many people, the language used looked as though it had been written under duress.
Other Iranian sportswomen who have competed abroad without wearing a headscarf in the past have said they came under pressure from Iranian authorities to issue similar apologies, she added. Some of them decided not to go back to Iran.
British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi told BBC World News: ""When I saw the interview on state TV with Elnaz Rekabi, all I could think of was the hundreds and hundreds of false confessions that we are accustomed to seeing out of Iran. The authorities use forced confessions under duress to disprove any dissident voices.""
Hadi Ghaemi of the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said Ms Rekabi ""risked her freedom and safety and has since been under extreme pressure by the government to cover up her courageous act of civil disobedience"". 
""It is now the responsibility of all people who support women's and human rights to stand with her and not let the government in Iran cover up the true story,"" he added.
International Olympic Committee said it had been in close contact with the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and Iran's National Olympic Committee (NOC) since it was informed of the situation with Ms Rekabi.
""A joint meeting took place today between the IOC, the IFSC and the Iranian NOC, during which the IOC and the IFSC received clear assurances that Ms Rekabi will not suffer any consequences and will continue to train and compete,"" a statement said.
""The IOC will continue to monitor the situation closely in the days and weeks to come, in co-ordination with the IFSC and the Iranian NOC.""
Ms Rekabi was hailed as a new symbol of the anti-government protests led by women in Iran after video of her sporting a ponytail at the Asian Championships on Sunday went viral. 
rotests were sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by morality police in Tehran on 13 September for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely. The police denied reports that she was beaten on the head with a baton and said she suffered a heart attack. 
On Monday, a source told BBC Persian that Ms Rekabi's family and friends had lost contact with her after she said she was with an Iranian official. There were also reports that her passport and mobile phone had been confiscated and that she had left her hotel in Seoul two days early.
Iranian embassy strongly denied what it called ""all fake news, lies and false information"" about her and said Ms Rekabi had left Seoul after the Asian Championships ended."	/news/world-middle-east-63309101
sports	Tokyo Olympics: Sky Brown eyes surfing at Paris 2024 after skateboarding bronze	"After making history by becoming Great Britain's youngest Olympic medal winner of all time, skateboarder Sky Brown is already plotting her next move - in surfing.
13-year-old claimed bronze in the inaugural women's park final in Tokyo, and immediately raised the prospect of competing in two sports at Paris 2024.
Brown told BBC Sport: That's the goal, that's my dream, competing for skating and surfing in Paris. That would be really cool. I surf more than I skate!""
Her father, Stu, revealed he dissuaded his daughter from trying to compete in surfing as well as skateboarding in Tokyo, but admits he may be powerless to stop her again.
""It'll be up to her by then. She'll be 16, and it's hard enough now,"" he joked.
Sky goes surfing most days before school and has competed at junior levels, finishing second in an aerial surfing invitational in Texas.
re could be one issue making it challenging for Sky to realise her ambition - the surfing is due to be held in Tahiti, nearly 10,000 miles from the French capital where the skateboarding will take place.
Having never had a skateboarding coach, Sky learns most of her tricks from watching YouTube videos, and her natural sporting talent appears to transfer to the water.
Sky, who splits her time between the United States and Japan, often takes advantage of the Californian climate and surfs with her dad, and brother Ocean.
When asked whether it was possible to compete in both events in 2024, she said: ""Maybe. I really hope so - I'm definitely going to try [to compete in] surfing.
""I'm going to go surf a lot after here. I'm excited to see my brother again.""
But that's for 2024. For now, Sky says she is living a ""dream"" after skateboarding success at Tokyo 2020. It's been quite the journey.
Warning: external video from Sky's Instagram account contains footage some viewers may find distressing.
If the Games were held in 2020, it's highly unlikely Sky would have been fit to compete in Tokyo.
Stu said his daughter was ""lucky to be alive"" after crashing last May between two ramps while attempting a jump in training, fracturing her skull, breaking her left arm and wrist, and suffering lacerations to her heart and lungs.
Her parents wanted her to stop skating but she said: ""This will not stop me. I am going for gold in Tokyo 2021.""
In June a video was posted on her Instagram showing the moment she lost control at the top of a ramp. It cut away before the fall to a shot of an air ambulance, followed by a message to her followers from her hospital bed, black eye, arm in a cast.
Nothing is normal for this incredibly talented 13-year-old but perhaps this video, which has more than two million views, underlines just how different her life is.
Sky also tumbled before her Olympic qualifier, breaking her arm, but still came first while wearing a protective cast.
She breezed into Wednesday's final in Tokyo, making light work of her heat with the second-highest score.
It was a nervy start as she fell in her first two runs, putting her fourth going into her last effort - which she admitted she wasn't expecting.
""I thought I was gonna get it. I was a little shocked after the first run. Then after the second fall, I was like, 'Am I gonna make it?'
""Sakura [Yosozumi, Japan's gold medal winner] told me: 'You got it, Sky. We know you're gonna make it'. That really made me feel better.""
Words of encouragement from her dad also helped.
""He was like: 'You know, it's just a contest. It doesn't define you.' That made me feel better - it is just a contest and if you fall, that's what it is,"" added Sky.
ger, who celebrated her 13th birthday just 16 days before the opening ceremony in Tokyo, showed incredible composure to get a clean final run and complete the kickflip indy - the trick that wiped her out in her first two attempts - to seal the bronze with a score of 56.47.
Sky, who was born a month before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, speaks incredibly maturely for a teenager. After finishing on the podium said she hoped more young girls would follow in her footsteps.
""I really hope I inspire young girls. I feel like people aren't too young that they can't do it, but if you believe in yourself you can do anything. I believed in myself,"" she said.
""Anyone can do skateboarding. You don't have to be of a certain height or have to be a certain age - you can do it whenever you want. You've just got to skate and go for it."""	/sport/olympics/58084934
sports	Netball Scotland: Claire Nelson outlines vision for future	"""I'm on a mission and I believe in what I'm doing.""
Netball Scotland chief executive Claire Nelson is juggling family life and helping to steer the sport through the coronavirus pandemic.
Netball was one of four Scottish sports to share a £1m Scottish government grant to mitigate the absence of crowds this week, with some funding going to Strathclyde Sirens, the country's only professional team.
Sirens are playing competitively again in the Superleague - with matches played behind closed doors - but grassroots netball has yet to resume nationwide. 
""It will be a slow, safe and gradual return,"" Nelson told BBC Scotland's Women In Sport podcast. 
""It's about getting people out of their isolation, their lockdown and get them back into that thing that makes them feel connected and happy.""
40-year-old mother of four believes that women's sport has a pivotal role to play in life post-lockdown.
""I believe that it can be very powerful in impacting and changing the way women see their bodies; the way we talk and the opportunities that we have. I see it as a platform for change and that's why it's so important,"" she said.
""This isn't just about a winning team and lifting medals, it's about what sport can do and the power that sport has on females. That's what keeps me going every day.
""I can't do things by half. I was never just going to clock in and clock out. 
""It's been a challenge: having a big family and my two youngest daughters - who are 16 months apart. My youngest was born with a heart tumour and I found that out when I was pregnant. 
""All of these forced huge changes in our lives in how we work, how we operate and what's important to us. Having four children - three daughters - and the youngest of which we really had to grapple with her health and whether she's going to survive, puts everything into perspective."" 
Nelson describes the £100,000 funding [for Strathclyde Sirens] to offset the absence of crowd income as ""an absolute lifeline"" that has got them through a difficult season.
""Netball Scotland is in a difficult position at the moment,"" she said. ""Because we're an indoor team contact sport, when we suspended all netball almost exactly one year ago to the day, we haven't been able to restart.
""We have created a modified version of the game, which has yet to be approved by the Scottish government, but the biggest challenge we face is access to facilities.
""The majority of our clubs train in school halls, but the school estate is non-existent at the moment and we can't go into schools and start training with our clubs. And the local trusts, sports halls and leisure centres are all on their knees themselves. 
""Our restart and recovery is reliant on us being able to access those facilities.""  
In terms of her own career, Nelson says: ""I'm very passionate about what I do, but I understand where it sits in my life and it allows me to have a huge resilience. I know why I'm doing this, I'm doing it for my daughters and for my children to have a better life and for them to see a strong role model and a mum who uses her voice.
""So many people see the chief executive of something as like the end of the road; I feel like I'm at the beginning of something magnificent. My kids are at the age where they're coming on this journey with me."""	/sport/netball/56347439
sports	Weightlifter Dave Walsh with MS using sport to cope with depression	"A weightlifter with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) says he turned to sport to cope with his depression.
Dave Walsh started competing in able-bodied Strongman events after leaving the Army in 2010, and was diagnosed with the condition in 2014.
father-of-three now takes part in disabled events and won World's Strongest Disabled Man in June.
""Family aside, Strongman is all I feel I've got. I put so much into it and get so much from it,"" said Mr Walsh.
Before turning to the sport, Mr Walsh, from Chippenham, said he struggled with his mental health. 
""Strongman brought me out of that depression and it kind of gave me back a bit of confidence.
""It made me focus more on what I can do, rather than what I can't do,"" he said. 
In addition to being unable to walk or stand, he has issues with his hands and sometimes struggles with speech.
""With MS, you never know what's around the corner. For as long as I can I'm going continue to do Strongman. 
""Even if I start to lose the competitions, I still need to be involved with it somehow,"" he added.
Mr Walsh won the World's Strongest Disabled Man event held in Ottawa, Canada, which was held between 17-19 June and intends to defend his title next year.
In order to win the event he had to pull trucks, complete deadlifts, log-lifts and shift sandbags weighing up to 115kg.
""Strongman for me is everything. Obviously family aside, I feel it's all I've got,"" he said.
In September, Mr Walsh will be competing in an event in Birmingham called The Arnolds, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone due to be in attendance.
""The fact there will be a crowd of over 60,000 makes it that much more special,"" he said.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-wiltshire-62391136
sports	Joe Choong: Olympic modern pentathlon champion fears changes could end sport	"Olympic modern pentathlon champion Joe Choong fears for the future of the sport after the governing body announced it is to drop showjumping from the multi-discipline event. 
modern pentathlon first featured in the 1912 Olympics, but changes approved last week would see the removal of the equestrian section following the 2024 Paris Games.
Choong, who won gold in Tokyo, is worried that without its history, the sport might soon cease to exist.
""It is such a historic sport and without the riding we lose all of that history, and then what do we become?"" he told BBC Points West.
modern pentathlon features cross-country running, freestyle swimming, fencing, pistol shooting and showjumping.
26-year-old Choong added: ""We've already had a foot out the door for the last few cycles and I'm really worried that this could be a trap we fall into - and this could be the end of the sport itself."" 
A German coach was thrown out of the Tokyo Olympics after punching a horse that refused to jump, ruining the chances of its rider.
Choong agreed changes need to be made to the sport, but accused the International Modern Pentathlon Union [UIPM] of making the decision ""behind closed doors"", without consulting the athletes.
He said: ""Horse riding 100% has a place in modern pentathlon. As athletes we know that there were problems and we want to change them, we just want to be given the chance to go to the UIPM and speak to them and present these ideas. 
""The UIPM just turned a blind eye and now, having done nothing for 20 years, they realise we have a big problem and they think the easiest way to solve it is to remove it completely.""
Choong, who trains in Bath, is one of more than 650 athletes to have signed a letter of no confidenceexternal-link in the governing body, calling for a change in leadership. Elsewhere, almost 6,000 people have signed a petitionexternal-link to ""save"" the sport.
""I haven't spoken to a single athlete, retired or current, that actually supports this decision from around the world,"" he said. 
governing body is due to consult with athletes about the changes in a call on 12 November. 
""The fact that they're now saying 'oh, we'll listen' is just insulting. It's a bit too late and I'm not sure whether it's sincere in their proposal."""	/sport/olympics/59232363
sports	Team Mouat 'very disappointed' to miss out on World Championship	"Bruce Mouat's rink are ""very disappointed"" to be missing out on next month's World Men's Curling Championship in Las Vegas.
Olympic silver medallists did not take part in the Scottish Championships as it coincided with their return from the Winter Games in Beijing.
m Paterson won the men's event in Dumfries and will represent Scotland in the United States.
m Mouat have called for ""robust and transparent change"".
In a statement on Twitter, Team Mouat said: ""We take great pride in being full-time athletes and always look forward to representing Scotland when given the opportunity. We wish Team Paterson all the best at the championship.
""It is regretted that there was an avoidable clash of dates with the Scottish Championship and our return from the Winter Olympic Games. We would have relished the opportunity to participate in both.""
m Paterson consists of Ross Paterson, Duncan Menzies, Craig Waddell and Kyle Waddell. Joining Scotland and hosts the United States will be Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland.
""I was at the World Champs in Basel with Tom Brewster back in 2016 and played second for him, and to be heading back to another Worlds playing skip stones is a great feeling,"" said Paterson.
""This is my fourth World Championships, two of those having been fifth man, the second of those for Team Mouat in 2018 in Vegas. It's nice to be going back there.
""The first goal's always to make the play-offs and, from there, we'll be looking to be on the podium."""	/sport/winter-sports/60759712
sports	Sail training for disabled boosted by £20k Manx lottery grant	"xpansion of a Ramsey yacht club's training fleet will open up the sport to people with a variety of disabilities, the club has said.
Manx Sailing and Cruising Club has been awarded a £20,000 grant by the Manx Lottery Trust to cover the cost of two RS Quest dinghies.
ub offers tuition to those aged 10 and over.
Vice commodore Jerry Coleman said the new vessels would allow students to ""thrive"" in a safe environment.
ub, which offers lessons in dinghy sailing and powerboat handling to people with varying levels of abilities, operates under the supervision of Royal Yachting Association (RYA)-qualified volunteers.
As well as teaching the technical aspects of sailing, the courses help students to develop leadership and risk management skills and learn team working.
w additions to the fleet will allow the club, which trained 45 people in 2021, to expand the number of students it takes on.
rger vessels will also accommodate children and adults with varying levels of disability.
Mr Coleman said there were a number of reasons people want to learn how to sail, including work and leisure.
""Students come to us with varying levels of ability, many looking to advance their careers, others looking to take up a new hobby or improve their life skills,"" he said.
xpanded fleet would ""provide our students, who come from a diversity of backgrounds, to thrive in a safe and enjoyable environment that will allow them to rise above their worries and benefit from the pure enjoyment that sailing brings"", Mr Coleman added.
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk"	/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-62609821
sports	Triathlon venue to close after large rent rise	"A sports venue which has hosted national championships and trained Olympians is to close in a dispute about rent.
Race Rapid, based at Mallory Park in Leicestershire, says it is the UK's only private open water triathlon hub.
But director Robert Osborn said it would close in two weeks' time after rent and charges ""nearly tripled"".
rack owners said they had supported the venue with below market rents and were ""surprised"" at the move.
Mr Osborn, from Stoke Golding, set up the business four years ago at Mallory Park, which is well known for motor racing.
""I'm gutted. I wanted to give everyone the chance to take part in a triathlon and we started with just a gazebo.
""It went from strength to strength and we opened the lakeside huts a year ago.
""That will all have to go now,"" he said.
Race Rapid said it had worked closely with British Triathlon, hosting national championships and being used to train Olympians.
At a meeting in the summer with owners Real Motorsport Limited, Mr Osborn said he was told the rent for the venue would be increased, with additional fees for events.
""It meant costs would nearly triple,"" he said. ""It felt like the rug had been pulled from under our feet; it was so unfair"".
Mr Osborn announced the final public training session will be held on 15 September on social media.
rector of Real Motorsport Limited Natalie Hansard said: ""We are proud to have supported cycling, running and triathlon at Mallory Park with venue rental prices well below market rates, for many years. 
""We were very surprised by the sudden social media outburst from the cycling co-ordinator, and it comes as a complete shock to us to learn that evening activity will cease in just a couple of weeks.""
She added they were still open to discussions but were confident triathlon could continue at Mallory Park with another operator.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-leicestershire-62770735
sports	Watch: Rhys McClenaghan named BBC NI Sports Personality of the Year 2022	"World champion gymnast Rhys McClenaghan is named BBC Northern Ireland's Sports Personality of the Year 2022. 
McClenaghan collects the annual honour after becoming Ireland's first gymnastics world champion by taking the pommel horse title in November.
Read more: NI SPOTY winner McClenaghan has taken 'big steps' in Olympic pursuit"	/sport/av/northern-ireland/64079080
sports	Jade Jones: 'Broken' at Tokyo Olympics, but SAS show helped her through	"Double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones says she had a chance to find herself on television programme SAS: Who Dares Wins.
She had been left ""broken"" by defeat at the Tokyo Games after winning gold at London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro four years later.
Jones and Welsh compatriots Lauren Williams and Beth Munro are now in final preparations for the World Grand Prix in Manchester from 20-23 October."	/sport/av/taekwondo/63312946
sports	Frankie Dettori: Jockey says he will ride for one final season before retiring	"Jockey Frankie Dettori has announced that 2023 will be his final season.
52-year-old, one of the sport's best-known figures, has ridden more than 3,300 British winners since his first back in 1987.
His wins also include 21 British Classic successes and three champion jockey titles.
""Next year, 2023, will be my final professional year as a jockey. It's something I've been thinking about for a while,"" he told ITV Racing.
""My heart wants to carry on riding but I have to use my brain. I want to stop at the top. It has been difficult, but I think it's the right time.""
Italian-born jockey plans to start his final season at Santa Anita on 26 December, and his final rides could be at the same Californian track during the 2023 Breeders' Cup next November.
He is still widely remembered for his Magnificent Seven achievement at Ascot in September 1996, where he went through the card, taking all seven races at odds of 25,051-1.
In June 2000, he and fellow jockey Ray Cochrane survived a plane crash at Newmarket which killed the pilot Patrick Mackey. Cochrane pulled Dettori from the burning wreckage.
Another challenging period was a six-month ban in late 2012 for failing a drug test, which he later admitted was a positive test for cocaine.
Since 2015 he has worked as first jockey to John Gosden, who now trains alongside his son Thady. But last June there was a well-publicised split between jockey and trainer described as a ""sabbatical"", although Dettori was soon back riding for the Gosdens.
Dettori's decision to call it a day is not one he has taken lightly.
""It is a very difficult decision because my heart wants to carry on riding, but I have had to use my brain and I've just turned 52 and next year I'll be 53,"" he said.
""I want to be competitive enough to do my owners and my horses justice next year, and I think I'm still in that bracket of being good. It was difficult, but it is the right time.
""I spoke to my dad at length. My dad stopped at 51, he is very supporting and I also had to speak to my wife and children who are delighted because they have barely seen me for 35 years.
""I've been thinking about it for a few weeks and I've decided with the firepower I have next year and the horses I have to ride I can finish my career on a big note. Fingers crossed I stay in one piece and we'll give it a good go next year.
""Look at Ronaldo, one day he was playing and he's on the bench the next. I don't want to end up like that and end up where I'm struggling to get rides in the big races. At the moment I still have good horses to ride and I want to finish like that.""
AP McCoy, the 20-time champion jump jockey who retired in 2015, was among those who paid tribute to Dettori.
""The hardest thing is knowing when to stop,"" said McCoy. ""It's about beating the clock - and Frankie is going out at the top.
""He's racing's Lionel Messi - you can't teach a kid to ride like Frankie Dettori.""
Frank Keogh, BBC Sport
Frankie Dettori will leave a huge void in horse racing as one of the sport's most recognised, talented and charismatic individuals.
He created headlines around the world with his Magnificent Seven at Ascot, one highlight in a career for which the word 'rollercoaster' is a perfect fit.
uccess led to television appearances as a presenter on Top of the Pops and captain on A Question of Sport. He even launched his own pizza range.
In 2000, he was lucky to escape with his life in a plane crash at Newmarket.
Dettori enjoyed widespread success as number one jockey for Sheikh Mohammed's powerful Godolphin stable before a split and six-month ban after testing positive for cocaine left his career at a crossroads in 2013.
His reunion with old mentor John Gosden brought renewed success, including a second Derby win at Epsom for the jockey with Golden Horn and numerous big-race successes with the likes of Enable and Stradivarius.
Dettori, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Thursday, will now effectively go on a year-long farewell tour taking in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the UK.
And then there will be one final flying dismount for racing's greatest showman."	/sport/horse-racing/64011657
sports	Tokyo Olympics: Matthew Coward-Holley takes shooting bronze for Great Britain	"Matthew Coward-Holley claimed Great Britain's 17th medal of the Tokyo Olympics with bronze in the men's trap shooting final. 
world and European champion, 26, was among Team GB's gold medal hopes but paid the price for a slow start, missing three of his first 10 targets.
Briton recovered with 14 successive hits to climb into medal contention.
But he had to settle for bronze, Czech pair Jiri Liptak and David Kostelecky taking gold and silver respectively.
Coward-Holley scored 33 out of 40 in the final, missing out on a gold medal play-off by one shot to Liptak, who went on to defeat compatriot Kostelecky in a sudden-death shoot-off.
""Being my first Olympic final, the first little bit is always that little bit of tension, that little bit of nerves,"" Coward-Holley said.
""But you've just got to relax and trust yourself that you can do it.
""It's a little bit of a mix of emotions. I'm a bit lost for words. It's my first Olympics so to come away with a medal, it's phenomenal.""
Chelmsford shooter, who twice broke his back as a teenager playing rugby, appeared well set to make the last two in the six-man elimination final format after putting his shaky start behind him but missed three of his final 12 targets to finish third.
Coward-Holley has provided Britain's first shooting medal of the Games after fellow hopeful Amber Hill was forced to pull out on the eve of the event due to a positive Covid test.
He will get another shot at gold on Saturday alongside Northern Ireland's Kirsty Hegarty in the mixed team trap event, as the duo bid to follow up their World Cup win in Italy in May."	/sport/olympics/58008798
sports	Thomas Bjorn wins in Mauritius, James Kingston tops Legends Tour merit list	"Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn won the Legends Tour's season finale in Mauritius as James Kingston claimed the senior circuit's order of merit.
Dane shot a closing 67 in the MCB Championship at Belle Mare Plage to win by seven strokes from South African Kingston and England's Simon Brown.
He led by four going into the last day after a course-record 61 on Saturday.
Kingston recovered from an opening 74 to seal the merit title from Brazil's Adilson de Silva, who was tied fourth.
Kingston's first round had given Da Silva hope of an unlikely victory in the merit race but the leader in the overall standings responded with a 64 and a 65.
rounds, combined with his closest challenger bogeying the last, meant Kingston  finished a shot ahead of Da Silva in Mauritius and more than 500 points in front on the order of merit.
""""I am quite relieved I must say. To think a whole year's play came down to the last tournament, the last round, the last few holes, unbelievable!"" said Kingston.
Wales' Philip Price - who could have claimed the merit title had he won in Mauritius - carded a poor final-round 75 to slip down to a share of 25th, although the 2010 Ryder Cup hero remained third in the overall standings.
Paul Lawrie - who did not play in Mauritius - was fourth in the order of merit, with his fellow Scot Euan McIntosh in sixth.
McIntosh's decision to turn professional again three years ago continues to look a good one.
He originally joined the paid ranks in 1990 but, after regaining his amateur status, he become the oldest player in 35 years to win the Scottish Amateur when he did so aged 49 in 2018.
ry encouraged him to turn pro again and he earned his Legends Tour card the following year.
Bjorn, whose previous tournament performance was in Madrid in October, began shakily on the Legend course at Belle Mare Plage, making three bogeys in his first seven holes.
But his bogey on the 7th was the last shot he dropped all week, playing the subsequent 47 holes in 19 under par.
""I had no form as such coming into this event but as soon as I saw the course at Belle Mare Plage I loved it. It just suited my eye,"" said Bjorn, whose son Oliver caddied for him.
""I took advantage of the par fives and once I got in front I was able to play sensibly and not give the others a feeling they could catch me.
""That was Oliver's first time on the bag for me so he is one-for-one; I've told him he needs to do another week when I don't do so well so he sees what I am really like.""
Miguel Angel Martin played with Bjorn in the final group but while the former Ryder Cup player made no bogeys in his five-under final round, the Spaniard dropped four shots in nine holes in the middle of his to fall away.
Martin's 72 left him in a share of sixth on 11 under with Englishmen Paul Eales and Phil Archer as well as New Zealander Michael Long.
Swedish pair Joakim Haeggman - last week's winner at Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles - and his fellow former Ryder Cup player Jarmo Sandelin were in the group behind but failed to mount a challenge as they shot 72 and 77 respectively.
rismatic Sandelin accidentally snapped his driver on the 18th tee on Saturday and used a new one only twice in his final round, making double bogey on both occasions.
He finished in a tie for 16th with former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley while two former major champions, Tom Lehman and Michael Campbell, were in a share for 37th."	/sport/golf/63933780
sports	Commonwealth Games: England secure record haul of 176 medals at Birmingham 2022	"England are celebrating a record haul of 176 medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It passed the mark of 174 from Glasgow 2014, with 57 golds in Birmingham one behind the tally from eight years ago.
m England chef de mission Mark England said Birmingham people had ""come out in bucket-loads and supported the team"".
""They've pushed us to the greatest ever medal return and we couldn't be more proud of the athletes.""
Scotland finished with a haul of 51 medals - just two short of the record tally achieved at Glasgow 2014, when they finished fourth.
Northern Ireland secured a record medal tally of 18 - including a best-ever seven golds - having won a total of 12 at both the 2018 and 2014 Games.
Meanwhile, Wales finished on 28 this time, having earned 36 medals at each of the previous two Commonwealth Games. 
Chef de mission England added the people of Birmingham and volunteers ""created a carnival atmosphere that the athletes have absolutely loved"".
All events were staged in the West Midlands, apart from the track cycling which took place in the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.
""I think what Birmingham has done has presented something different and unique in a way that perhaps other cities may not have thought possible,"" continued England.
""You don't actually need to build a new velodrome and track cycling venue. It's provided an opportunity to present the Games in a slightly different way.""
In July, Birmingham 2022 announced more than 1.3 million tickets had been sold, making it the most attended Games hosted in Britain.
More than 500,000 tickets had been bought by people living in the West Midlands.
""We've almost built a new aquatics centre in the middle of a residential area,"" said England. ""[For the people of Birmingham] there is an opportunity to swim in the same pool as Adam Peaty, the opportunity to dive in the same pool as Jack Laugher and all the other top divers have done. 
""Birmingham has done very well to showcase the city globally, I absolutely believe this is just the start."""	/sport/commonwealth-games/62468272
sports	English Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan survives scare to reach second round	"Ronnie O'Sullivan survived a scare to reach the second round of the English Open with a 4-3 victory over Belgian teenager Ben Mertens in Brentwood.
18-year-old overturned a three-frame deficit to force the holder and seven-time world champion into a first-round decider.
O'Sullivan made a break of 63 to claim victory and will now face Thailand's Dechawat Poomjaeng.
""He [Mertens] is a great cueist,"" O'Sullivan told Eurosport.
""He hits the ball well, I like his game. The sky's the limit for him really.
""I think he has a very good snooker brain, sees the shot, plays the shot. Great lad, and just plays the game nice.""
Elsewhere, world number two Judd Trump was also forced into a deciding frame before beating 21-year-old Jackson Page 4-3.
Page could have claimed victory but missed his chance in the final frame.
Four-time world champion Mark Selby earned a 4-3 victory against Noppon Saengkham, while current world champion Neil Robertson made breaks of 110, 122, 67 and 88 as he cruised past Andrew Pagett 4-0.
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen, who was delayed in arriving at the tournament after his flight was cancelled because of the winter weather conditions, defeated Mitchell Mann 4-1.
Earlier on Monday, 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao was suspended from the World Snooker Tour as part of an ongoing investigation into match-fixing.
China's Yan, the world number 16, was due to play in Brentwood but his suspension has been imposed after allegations of manipulating the outcome of matches for betting purposes."	/sport/snooker/63952241
sports	EuroHockey Championship qualifiers: England beat Wales to close in on 2023 finals	"England made it two consecutive wins at the EuroHockey Championship qualifiers with a 3-0 victory over Wales in Durham.
After thrashing Croatia 15-0 in their opener, Wales proved tougher opponents for the Commonwealth champions.
England are now almost certain to qualify as they sit top of Pool A, three points ahead of Wales.
group winners will qualify for the 2023 EuroHockey Championship in Germany.
Wales stood firm defensively in the first quarter, but Grace Balsdon gave David Ralph's side the lead after 23 minutes with a penalty stroke.
Howard doubled England's lead with a reverse shot, before goalkeeper Maddie Hinch was called into action at the other end with a low shot from Wales' Xenna Hughes before the break.
Hannah Martin grabbed England's final goal - her fourth of the tournament - to seal a comfortable victory.
England will play Slovakia in their final game on Sunday, while Wales face Croatia."	/sport/hockey/62701423
sports	Paris 2024: UK Sport will invest £352m in British sports for 2024 Olympics and Paralympics	"UK Sport says it will invest £352m in British sports for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. 
funding will be split across 43 Olympic and Paralympic sports and represents an increase on the £345m allocated for the Tokyo Games.
New additions climbing, skateboarding and surfing have all been funded.
However, some traditional sports like athletics, gymnastics, rowing and swimming have all had budgets cut by around 10%.
Sailing, canoeing, equestrian and modern pentathlon have also seen reductions while badminton has seen a significant increase and GB wheelchair rugby has had its funding restored. The sport received £3m in total in the run up to Rio 2016 but had all funding removed after failing to win a medal at the Games. 
med two European titles and climbed to number four in the world.
Britain won 67 medals at Rio 2016 and claimed 64 gold medals in the Paralympics.
British Rowing chief executive Andy Parkinson said he was not surprised to see a cut of around £2.4m for the sport in ""difficult economic times"". 
However, his counterpart at Pentathlon GB, Sara Heath, said she was ""disappointed & perplexed"" by a reduction of just over 20%. 
In a statement, Pentathlon GB said it intended to lodge an appeal, with Heath stressing a ""lack of parity... across the sports receiving this crucial funding"".
On the decision to cut funding for a number of sports, UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday said: ""These are pretty tough times in terms of the financial envelope that is available to us and we have looked across the piece. 
""We wanted to reach more sports than we've ever been able to before and as a result we have had to make some pretty tough decisions.
""I believe that the sports that have been consistently successful will continue to be successful with the funding that they have received.""
An additional new fund worth £3m will also be open to applications from other sports such as breaking, which is set to feature at the Olympics in Paris for the first time.
UK Sport is expected to expected to assess breaking's potential over the next 12 months as they did when climbing, skateboarding, surfing and karate were all added to the Olympic programme for the first time.
While the number of sports receiving funding has widened from 32 to 43, some of Britain's most successful have lost out.
In rowing, funding fell by almost 10%, while swimming (11.4%) and equestrian (11.6%) also saw sizable drops.
However, archery saw its funding more than double, badminton's rose by around £2.5m (up by over 300%) and cycling got an increase of 12%"	/sport/olympics/55367946
sports	Battle of the Brits: Jamie & Andy Murray answer Christmas questions	"Jamie and Andy Murray reveal the worst Christmas gift they have bought for each other in BBC Sport's festive quiz. 
Murray brothers will compete at Battle of the Brits this week as Scotland take on England at the P&J Arena in Aberdeen.
Watch Battle of the Brits live on BBC iPlayer & the BBC Sport app - Wednesday 21 December from 18:05 GMT and Thursday 22 December from 12:35 & 18:05 GMT."	/sport/av/tennis/59690064
sports	Shauna Coxsey: British Olympian defends climbing while pregnant	"Britain's most decorated elite climber Shauna Coxsey has defended her decision to continue the sport while pregnant.
29-year-old, who retired from competitive climbing after the sport's Olympic debut in Tokyo, is 38 weeks pregnant with her first child.
But her choice has led to some criticism on social media.
""Everyone assesses risk differently and I think people perceive me climbing as risky when I am actually climbing so well within my comfort zone,"" she said.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live, she added: ""It feels way more risky for me to walk down the street. I feel much more likely to trip over on a bumpy road than I do to go up an easy climbing wall.""
Coxsey created history in Tokyo as Britain's first competitor in the sport and finished 10th overall after being hampered by a back injury.
uble World Championship bronze medallist has been involved in the sport since she was three years old.
""If I don't climb for a week or so, my body feels quite clunky and everything gets a bit achy,"" she added.
""As soon as I get back on that wall and start stretching and moving again, my body feels more connected and good and strong and also my mental health as well. 
""I can't imagine stopping if I didn't need to and I haven't needed to and it feels great. I've been really fortunate.
""I wouldn't put my baby in danger. People think I might be able to fall and land on my stomach - which is something I have never ever done or seen happen before. 
""For me to share a bit and communicate how I have gone about this pregnancy and say it is possible to keep climbing in a safe way has been really important.
""It's frustrating that other women are getting this judgement and choosing to give up something that they love and are comfortable with because of the fear of judgement.
""It is such a sad position to be in - it is bullying."""	/sport/sport-climbing/61296364
sports	Jost Capito: Williams chief executive to leave after two years in charge	"Chief executive officer and team principal Jost Capito is to leave Williams after two years in charge.
64-year-old former car industry executive joined the team in December 2020, months after it was bought by investment group Dorilton Capital.
Frenchman Francois-Xavier Demaison, who was brought in as Williams' technical director by Capito in early 2021, is also leaving his job.
No reason for Capito's sudden departure was given by Williams.
Dorilton Capital chairman Matthew Savage said in a statement: ""We would like to thank Jost for his hard work and dedication as we embarked on a major transformation process to begin the journey of reviving Williams Racing. 
""We're grateful that Jost postponed his planned retirement to take on this challenge and now he will pass the reins on for the next part of this staged process.""
Capito said in the same statement: ""It has been a huge privilege to lead Williams Racing for the last two seasons and to lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team.""
Dorilton bought Williams from the family of the team's late founder Sir Frank Williams in the summer of 2020, with the aim of returning them to competitiveness after a slump in form.
It recruited Capito from the Volkswagen Group at the end of a 2020 season in which the team finished last in the championship for the third consecutive year.
m improved in 2021, to finish eighth, their best result since 2017.
was thanks in large part to George Russell's stunning performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, when he qualified the Williams second in wet weather. He was classified in the same place in the race, which was called off without any racing laps taking place because of poor weather.
Russell and Nicholas Latifi also took four other points finishes in 2021, finishing the season with 23 points and ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas.
Williams were unable to keep up that momentum into 2022, which saw F1 introduce a major set of rule changes aimed at making the racing closer and bringing the field closer together.
r car was the slowest in the field and although British-born Thai Alex Albon impressed as Russell's replacement, Williams slumped to last place again, with only eight points.
On raw qualifying pace, the Williams was more than 0.3 seconds a lap on average slower than the next slowest car over the 2022 season.
Dorilton is said by a source close to the team to have decided in the summer not to renew Capito's contract and to look elsewhere for a team principal.
utfit now also need to source a new technical director to lead their design group.
Albon signed a new two-year contract for 2023 and 2024 and he has been joined at the team for 2023 by American Logan Sargent.
Capito revived Albon's career by choosing to give him a seat at Williams after he had been demoted to reserve driver by Red Bull after two seasons with their teams.
Albon paid tribute to Capito following news of his former boss's departure, writing on Twitter: ""We only had one year working together but in that time you were not just a team principal but also a great friend. Thank you Jost for your faith in me this year and all the support that that came with."""	/sport/formula1/63950370
sports	F1 'spygate': Fifteen years on from the sporting scandal that had everything	"It was the sporting scandal that had everything. Vengeance, vindictiveness and ambition. Blackmail, secrecy, and the offence that gave it its name - spying.
It convulsed Formula 1, nearly broke one of its most famous teams and, seven years after its conclusion, the man at the heart of it died in unexplained circumstances.
was 2007's 'spygate' scandal. It happened 15 years ago, and its effects are arguably still being felt today.
It is the subject of a new podcast series produced by BBC Sounds. Part of the Sport's Strangest Crimes brand, 'Spygate' is narrated by DJ Pete Tong and is full of interviews providing insight and anecdotes from those at the heart of the story, and those who had a front-row seat as the drama unfolded. 
Among the highlights of the series are:
utline of 'spygate' is well known but, sketching it out a decade and a half later, remains remarkable.
A disgruntled employee at the sport's most famous team, Ferrari, felt passed over and let down. His response was to steal nearly 800 pages of confidential technical information and give it to a friend who worked for their biggest rivals, McLaren.
friend wanted a copy. So - and this fact still beggars belief - his wife took it to a local photocopy shop. The employee at the desk smelt a rat, emailed Ferrari, and that was the beginning of a series of explosive events that led to McLaren being fined an unprecedented $100m and thrown out of that year's constructors' championship.
Why was the fine so big? That's where the vengeance and vindictiveness come in, for at the heart of this story are big rivalries involving big personalities.
most high-profile were Max Mosley and Ron Dennis.
Mosley was the president of the sport's governing body, the FIA, whose job it was to mete out punishments for the offences in question; Dennis the boss of McLaren. 
mutual distaste, and had done for 30 years. Mosley saw this as an opportunity to inflict harm on Dennis so big that it might drive him out of the sport.
And all this was the backdrop to an intense sporting rivalry, in which Dennis was also deeply involved.
Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were team-mates at McLaren - one brand new to the sport, the other brand new to the team, whom he had joined right after winning two consecutive world championships with Renault, and ending the dominance of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
mpetitive intensity of their rivalry as they went head-to-head for the championship against Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, with the off-track drama increasing the pressure alongside it, almost tore McLaren apart.
man at the centre of 'spygate' was Nigel Stepney - an Englishman who had been chief mechanic at Ferrari during the years in which they ruled F1 with Schumacher.
As the 'dream team' of Schumacher, team principal Jean Todt, technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne broke up at the end of 2006, Stepney felt not only that he was owed a promotion - in recognition of what he perceived to be his central role in turning the team into such a powerful force - but that he had been promised one.
When he did not get a role that matched his ambitions, he took action - by secreting out of the factory 780 pages of confidential information; essentially, the blueprints for the 2007 Ferrari F1 car.
He gave them to his friend Mike Coughlan - then chief designer of McLaren - and together they hatched a plan to try to get jobs at another team.
r plan unravelled after Coughlan's wife Trudy went into a photocopy shop in Woking and asked for copies of the documents. The owner - a Ferrari fan, believe it or not - was immediately suspicious. He emailed Ferrari, and the saga began.
When Ferrari found out, it only confirmed the suspicions they already had about Stepney.
rly June. Stepney had already been suspended by Ferrari the previous month, with the team saying they had evidence he had tried to sabotage one of the F1 cars at the factory before the Monaco Grand Prix - something Stepney always denied.
Soon, the situation went legal - in the Italian and UK courts, and with the F1 authorities.
McLaren were cleared of wrongdoing at a first hearing held by governing body the FIA, on the grounds Coughlan had acted alone, without the knowledge of the team.
But Mosley still had suspicions, and at a second hearing it was held that the information had reached others in the team. McLaren were fined $100m and thrown out of the constructors' championship for illicitly holding information to confer a dishonest and fraudulent sporting advantage, although there was no finding they had actually used the information in the design or development of their cars.
How the second hearing happened is where the drivers come in.
Alonso had gone to McLaren expecting to be their number one driver and title contender - indeed, he believed he had been promised that status by Dennis, something the team boss always denied.
Hamilton, who was in his debut season, was known to be promising, but he caused a sensation with a stunning start to his F1 career, and his pace and competitiveness upset the balance in the team.
Alonso's competitive nature was triggered. He believed a British driver in a British team with a British boss was a situation in which he would be sidelined. 
And when Dennis mishandled his two drivers after they finished one-two at Monaco - Alonso ahead, having led the race throughout from pole, Hamilton believing he had been denied a fair crack air trying to beat him, and not troubling to hide it - Alonso's relationship with Dennis fractured.
re was worse to come. At the Hungarian Grand Prix later that summer, Hamilton double-crossed Alonso in qualifying - refusing to follow an arrangement to let him by, and compromising the Spaniard's chances of pole.
Alonso immediately took matters into his own hands. When both drivers pitted for their final set of tyres, Alonso held station in the pit lane just long enough to prevent Hamilton, waiting behind, getting out in time for a final lap.
Dennis was furious, the matter went to the stewards, and Alonso was given a five-place grid penalty. Now Alonso, too, was furious. He had a row with Dennis on the Sunday morning before the race.
It wasn't fair he had been punished when Hamilton had started it, he felt. McLaren were going to lose the championship to a Ferrari driver if they kept fighting among themselves, he said. He had been promised he would be team leader. 
And then came the nuclear moment - he demanded McLaren run Hamilton out of fuel in the race. If they didn't, he said, he would hand over emails pertinent to the spy case to the FIA.
Dennis wanted to sack Alonso on the spot. His right-hand man Martin Whitmarsh agreed. Dennis phoned Mosley to tell him of Alonso's threat, insisting the emails would reveal nothing damaging. Mosley talked him out of dismissing Alonso.
It has been widely believed that Dennis' call directly led to the second FIA hearing. But Mosley, who died last year, said this was not the case. He already knew about the emails, he told this writer - Briatore, Alonso's manager, had told Bernie Ecclestone, who had told Mosley - and the hearing was already inevitable, even if Dennis did not know it.
Alonso, meanwhile, apologised and withdrew his remarks. Dennis - believing the email story was therefore untrue - rang Mosley for a second time. But it was too late.
Stepney was found guilty by an Italian court of ""sabotage, industrial espionage, sporting fraud and attempted serious injury"", and given a prison sentence of a year and eight months, although he served no time behind bars.
He was also declared persona non grata by the FIA, which issued a statement advising teams not to hire him without conducting appropriate due diligence. 
He continued to work in motorsport, but his time in F1 was over. In May 2014, he was killed in a road-traffic accident on the M20 motorway in Kent, having strayed on foot into the carriageway from his stopped vehicle and been hit by a lorry. A coroner recorded an open verdict on his death.
As for McLaren, Dennis railed that the punishment was out of all proportion to the alleged 'crime', which he insisted the team were not guilty of anyway. 
F1 folklore has it that in a staged photo-opportunity at the race after the verdict was handed down, Mosley leant across to Dennis and said $5m of the fine was for ""what you did"" and the other $95m for being a four-letter word we won't repeat.
Mosley denied he had said it at the time, insisting that the remarks were something Ecclestone had said to him about Dennis. Regardless, Mosley would delight in regularly telling the story, clearly finding the idea amusing, whether he was its author or not.
fine initially appeared to have left McLaren undamaged - Hamilton and Alonso did lose the championship that year, both missing out to Raikkonen by a single point, but Hamilton went on to win his maiden title the following season in 2008.
In fact, though, the fallout was significant and long-lasting. 
Mercedes was then McLaren's partner and engine supplier, and as a 40% shareholder had to pay its share of the fine - $40m.
rust between the two was damaged, and it was knocked further when Dennis embarked on building the second McLaren road car - the MP4-12C - against the wishes of Mercedes, who felt it would be a rival to their high-end products.
, in 2009, McLaren produced their worst F1 car for years, and had a terrible season. The title was won by Brawn - set up by Stepney's former boss - from the ashes of Honda's team, after the Japanese manufacturer quit F1 at the end of 2008.
Brawn were using a Mercedes engine - a deal Whitmarsh was instrumental in putting together. 
As head of the F1 Teams' Association - effectively a union to counter what the teams saw as Mosley's increasingly authoritarian methods - he saw it as his responsibility to help save the team following Honda's withdrawal.
up a relationship between Mercedes and Brawn, who were running hand-to-mouth, struggling for income and heading towards collapse as the season went on.
As Mercedes' feelings towards McLaren cooled - as a result of spy-gate, of the road-car programme, of their lack of competitiveness - they began to think about going it alone. 
for more or less the same investment, they could have their own team, with more exposure and total control. Brawn was the obvious vessel but McLaren, as exclusive partner, still had to sign off on the arrangement.
And so began the Mercedes team, which from 2014 was to dominate F1 for three-quarters of a decade as the sport entered its new era of turbo-hybrid engines.
From 2010, McLaren were no longer Mercedes' sole focus, and after 2012 they lost 'works' status and had to start paying for their engines. They were title contenders in 2010 and 2012, but by 2013 they had fallen from competitiveness, and their resources began slowly to fall behind those of the top teams. 
In 2014, McLaren were two seconds off the pace, and from 2015 they lost Mercedes engines altogether, beginning a disastrous relationship with Honda, which ended after only three years.
And in 2017, Dennis was ousted from the team he had made great, having fallen out with his long-time partner and former friend Mansour Ojjeh.
A recovery process was begun under new management - part of which has been a return to being a Mercedes engine customer since 2021. They finally won a race again last year - nine years after their previous victory - but are still a long way from the competitive force they were.
And all that has its roots in spygate, and the events triggered by one man, who is no longer around to explain why he started one of the greatest scandals sport has ever known."	/sport/formula1/63575321
sports	Mallory Franklin crowned C1 European champion at Slalom Championships	"Britain's Mallory Franklin took C1 gold at the Slalom European Championships in Slovakia.
-time European champion and five-time world champion finished in one minute 53.35 seconds, with French silver medallist Marjorie Delassus 1.72 seconds behind.
Czech paddler Tereza Fiserova took bronze, finishing in 1:55.77.
An Olympic silver medallist in C1, 27-year-old Franklin then took silver in the extreme slalom women's event.
Extreme slalom is a new Olympic event making its debut at Paris 2024.
Franklin had already won K1 European bronze on Saturday.
""It's a great start to the 2022 season,"" she said. 
""It's been a really good championships for me, a dramatic one and a very long one, and to come away with four medals, one of each individually and a team medal is really cool. 
""I am excited to see what is going to happen for the rest of the year."""	/sport/canoeing/61624186
sports	Clay pigeon shooting: Suffolk's Henry Lungley 'best in country'	"A 16-year-old clay pigeon shooter has his sights set on Olympic gold after helping the England under-21 team to victory.
Henry Lungley, from Sudbury in Suffolk, was the youngest member of the team and the top scorer as they won a recent home international in Scotland.
He hit 148 out of 150 clays.
His coach Stuart Smith says he is ""arguably the top junior in the country for English skeet""."	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63401089
sports	Get Inspired: How to get into ice skating	"If you're a beginner you can check out Skate UK,external-link - a 10-stage programme to help get you started. 
re's figure skating and speed skating - sports you may have seen at the Winter Olympics. But skating doesn't have to be competitive. You can put on a pair of skates (which you can hire at rinks) and start gliding across the ice.  It's best to make sure you can skate in a straight line before you attempt jumps and turns.
Ice skating is for anybody and easy to learn, whether you just want a bit of fun with friends or are serious about joining a team. 
Useful links
All clubs need a chair, secretary and treasurer to help things run smoothly as well as officials, coaches and judges. Whatever role you're interested in, Join Inexternal-link has opportunities to volunteer in your area. 
Are you inspired to try ice skating? Or maybe you are a keen enthusiast already? Get in touch and tell us your experience of the activity by tweeting us on @bbcgetinspired,external-link visiting us on Facebookexternal-link or email us on getinspired@bbc.co.uk."	/sport/get-inspired/23254799
sports	Beach handball: 'It's shocking to have to pay to not play in our pants'	"From getting in trouble for refusing to wear a bikini, to getting support from a Grammy-winning artist, it's been quite a week for Norway's women's beach handball team.
m decided to wear shorts instead of bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships in a move which led them to being fined £1,295.
""It's so shocking that we have to pay for not playing in our panties,"" Tonje Lerstad tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
But there was more shock round the corner for the 24-year-old goalkeeper and her fellow players.
She says they were all ""star-struck"" when Pink tweeted her support for their decision - the singer even offered to pay the fine herself.
""It's really crazy. We were shocked but it's such an important message and we appreciate it,"" Tonje says.
je says ""things got very crazy"" after the players made their stand over the uniform rules.
She wasn't surprised they were fined - they'd been warned that would happen - but she calls the punishment ""incredible"".
""It's really stupid, but we've just got to fight on."" 
Pink said in response to Tonje's team's fine that the European Handball Federation (EHF) should be ""fined for sexism"".
""I'm very proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team for protesting sexist rules about their uniform,"" she added in her tweet.
EHF said the fine was imposed because of ""improper clothing"".
rue to Pink's track Get The Party Started, the team began to celebrate after her tweet to her 30 million followers.
""We sent it in our group chat and everybody was like: 'Wow, this is sick.' It was so weird,"" says Tonje.
Pink won't actually need to pay the fine as the Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF) says it's prepared to do so.
""She doesn't have to pay but she can give us some tickets and we can meet up in a concert in our shorts,"" Tonje jokes.
""There have been so many people asking to pay the money so maybe we should just make a big bank account...""
m plans to make the most of the attention their rebellion has had.
NHF says: ""Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing, so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with.""
je adds: ""We've had so much response from the other teams, so I can't believe anything else other than they have to change [the rules] next year.""
Her next game will be at the World Championships.
When asked if she plans to continue wearing shorts, she says: ""Yes, absolutely.""
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. "	/news/uk-57940896
sports	UCI Track Champions League 2022: GB's Katie Archibald and Mark Stewart claim wins in Mallorca	"Great Britain's Katie Archibald and Mark Stewart claimed wins in the scratch races at the UCI Track Champions League in Mallorca.
Archibald took the lead on the last lap of the women's race and held off Spain's Tania Calvo Barbero, with the USA's Jennifer Valente third.
Stewart finished ahead of Spain's Sebastian Mora Vedri and third-placed Michele Scartezzini of Italy.
Scot, 27, also finished third in the men's elimination race.
Stewart's results meant he leads the men's endurance standings on 35 points after the first of five rounds in the series, ahead of second-placed Mathias Guillemette.
Fellow Scot Archibald, 28, won the women's endurance title in the inaugural Champions League series last year after she finished 45 points clear at the top of the standings.
However, in a mixed showing in Mallorca, the double Olympic gold medallist was the first rider to exit in the elimination race and is sixth on 20 points after the first round, with Valente in top spot on 32 points.
British pair Sophie Lewis and Laura Kenny were seventh and eighth in the elimination race.
Lewis is seventh in the women's endurance rankings on 17 points, with Kenny in 15th on eight points.
xt round will take place on 19 November in Berlin."	/sport/cycling/63612234
sports	Commonwealth Games: Event remains special for African competitors	"The 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games ended on Monday with Nigeria the top-performing African country in Birmingham following a record haul of 35 medals.
Africa's most populous nation topped the continent's medal table for the first time since 1994, with South Africa second and Kenya third.
However, the multi-sport event has its critics - not least for the £778m ($952.6m) cost of staging it this year and its battle to remain relevant in a packed calendar.
Kenyan middle-distance runner Conseslus Kipruto believes the event still produces competitive contests.
""The Commonwealth Games is a big event. It's almost like an Olympic event because many countries come to compete,"" the 27-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.
""We ran a good steeplechase event for example, very competitive.
""We always come to compete as we were colonised by the British. We come to battle for these medals - it's always good to have a Commonwealth gold medal in your cabinet.""
2016 Olympic and two-time world steeplechase champion may have finished fourth in Birmingham, but deeply adores his gold from the Gold Coast Games four years ago.
""It doesn't come with any money because it is not included in the contracts we have, but it's good to represent your country and gauge yourself,"" he added.
""I won it in 2018 and I am happy I have a gold from the Commonwealth Games.""
Games, which were first held in Canada in 1930, feature athletes from 72 nations and territories - mostly former British colonies.
However, the last four countries to join the Commonwealth of Nations - Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon, and Togo - have no historical ties to the British Empire.
Some argue that the Games lack the Olympic spirit and appeal, but participants from Africa enjoy the national pride, glory and exposure on offer.
Birmingham 2022 became the first major multi-sport event to hand out more medals to women than men and one of those champions, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, says the quadrennial event has a place in the hearts of Nigerians.
""I was hoping to be at my first Commonwealth Games because it's special to Nigeria,"" the world record-setting powerlifter told BBC Sport Africa.
""To win gold here makes it more special. I've also discovered there are lots of sports at the Games which African countries don't have, so I'm imploring the African countries to develop more sports.""
Lawn bowls player Lephai Marea Modutlwa, meanwhile, was delighted to participate in an event that is yet to get Olympicq approval.
""The Commonwealth Games are very relevant to lawn bowls because it is the pinnacle of our sport,"" the Botswanan said.
""Competing here is a great honour. We have lots of good bowlers who have never had opportunity to compete at the Games but finally did in Birmingham.""
ure of a large audience and national pride was enough to convince world 100m hurdles champion and record holder Tobi Amusan to compete in Birmingham.
As the athletics reached its climax and the likes of Jamaican sprint stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson were racing at a more lucrative Diamond League event in Poland, Amusan was claiming two golds for Nigeria.
Meanwhile, compatriot Ese Brume set a new Games record with a leap of exactly seven metres to regain her long jump title, adding a second Commonwealth gold to the one she claimed in Glasgow in 2014.
""The Commonwealth Games is very massive and whenever it's time to represent my country, and I get the chance to attend I never hesitate to do that,"" the three-time African champion said.
""This gold means a lot and I hope it will inspire other young athletes to aim high, work hard and grow up to become champions one day.""
Along with sports not included in the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games also offers a chance to those not able to qualify for World Championships and younger athletes at the beginning of their careers.
zanian powerlifter Yohana Assa Mwila finally participated in the first major competition of his career at the age of 38.
""This is a big event that is attracting countries that was never colonised by Britain; countries like Rwanda, Mozambique, Togo are also here, next we will see Ethiopia,"" he said.
""It teaches us more about friendship. We meet different people from different countries. It gives us some good lessons.
""The dream of every athlete is to see their national anthem being played at such events. I am inspired by just participating and attending.""
Mozambican boxer Tiago Osorio Muxanga and South African triathlete Jamie Riddle, 22, were also debutants and the latter said representing his country had been ""a lifelong goal"".
""I didn't really get the true message of the Commonwealth Games until I watched the opening ceremony,"" Riddle added.
""I think the whole point is to bring us all together and, through sports, unite people.""
Muxanga, a 21-year-old who won a silver medal in the men's light-middleweight division, said: ""This means a lot for me, because I represent something like 10 million people in Mozambique who are suffering, who are fighting for a good life.
""This Games can inspire more youth people to follow boxing or other sport. I think this will inspire more young people in Mozambique to follow their dreams.""
For Maxwell Jele of Eswatini's Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, Birmingham offered the tiny Southern African nation a great opportunity to showcase its athletes.
""We brought a relatively small team compared to other countries, however we ensured a good mix of sporting codes and gender,"" Jele told BBC Sport Africa.
""We set out objectives based on our long-term strategy and focused on athletes that are building towards a bright future.""
Games is yet to be staged in Africa, but the world's second-most populous continent remains committed to the Commonwealth Games."	/sport/africa/62482910
sports	Canoe Slalom World Cup: GB's Joe Clarke & Mallory Franklin win medals in Prague	"Great Britain's Joe Clarke won silver in the men's extreme kayak at the Canoe Slalom World Cup in the Czech Republic.
Germany's Stefan Hengst took gold after a decision he missed a gate was overturned.
Brazilian Pedro Goncalves won bronze in Prague, with Australia's Timothy Anderson missing out in the four-boat final.
Britain's Mallory Franklin claimed bronze in the women's extreme kayak final.
Franklin, 27, bounced back from disappointment at the World Cup after finishing fourth in the kayak final and 10th in the canoe final.
Czech Tereza Fiserova won gold and Poland's Klaudia Zwolinska came third. Fiserova, who won another gold earlier on Sunday in the canoe final, said she would be going to hospital after being hit in the face by a boat in her semi-final, suffering a cut near her eye.
""I'm OK, I am going to hospital though,"" she told Planet Canoe. ""After I will celebrate today as I have two gold medals."""	/sport/canoeing/61775320
sports	British Synchro is 'up and coming' says manager Thorpe	"British synchronised swimming is gaining respect at international level, says GB & England manager Karen Thorpe. 
rpe, in Tokyo for the fourth leg of the Artistic Swimming Series, told BBC Sport that the top nations are aware of GB's presence in the sport.
""I've definitely seen a shift in the last few years, people starting to take us a lot more seriously,"" she said.  
GB squad, including duet Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe, recently won a silver medal in Paris in the series.
r, who are competing in Tokyo, are the only elite squad absentees from this weekend's National Championships in Nottingham.
""Paris was a very good result and we need to keep that momentum going,"" said Thorpe. ""We've still got a lot of work to do because others might think 'blimey - look how well GB did, we need to step our game up'.""
""We've done some work behind the scenes with an Italian coach. We've also worked with a French coach and a Spanish coach,"" said Thorpe. ""So we're starting to build good relationships so people can see a] that we're working hard, b) that we've got a structure and a pathway and c) that we've good athletes coming through.""
GB have prioritised the duets category for Olympic qualification for Tokyo and have three main opportunities to take one of the 22 berths on offer.
""The next one in St Petersburg a couple of weeks after this event,"" said Thorpe. ""Then the next opportunity will be at the World Championships [in China] where they only take the top three outside the continental places before the last events in April 2020.""
Find out how to get into swimming with our special guide.
Although her priority will be the events in Tokyo, Thorpe will also keep an eye on the Nationals, which are being shown on the BBC Sport website on Sunday.
Membership of British Synchronised Swimming has almost doubled in the last two years as the sporting landscape has changed.
""Many young participants are looking for an activity that is different from mainstream sports,"" said National Development Officer Sarah Darragh. ""With synchro being a multifaceted sport, relying on swimming, gymnastics and dance elements, the training is often varied and challenging.""
rpe will review the event on video with a view to inviting swimmers to GB trials. 
""What we want is really good team athletes - that means someone who is really good at working with other people,"" she stresses.
""The individual event isn't featured in the Olympic games. We don't want somebody who is just out for themselves. We haven't got time or room for that."""	/sport/swimming/48066721
sports	Bellator v Rizin: New Year's Eve event like 'MMA's Olympics', says Scott Coker	"A cross-promotional event with Japanese company Rizin on New Year's Eve will be ""like the Olympics"", says Bellator president Scott Coker.
A five-fight main card will see the best of Bellator take on Rizin's MMA stars at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Bellator lightweight AJ McKee faces Rizin's Roberto de Souza in the main event.
""This is like a mini-Olympics in my mind,"" said Coker.
""What I mean by that is you bring five of your best athletes in different weight classes and they bring five of their best athletes, it's like the Olympics.""
It is uncommon for MMA promotions to pitch their fighters against each other because of limitations produced by fighter contracts and television rights deals, among other reasons.
Brand reputation is also on the line, but Coker says it is a risk worth taking.
""You are putting your fighters in harm's way, you're putting your brand in harm's way and that's OK because that should be the martial arts way,"" he said.
""Historically because of the way the MMA companies have been so separated or maybe working with their own verticals, it just hasn't happened. The UFC doesn't do it. In the past, we haven't done it.
""We've done one-offs, but to do something like this where it's five-on-five, the best fighting the best, it's a historical event which is why I think the people are so excited.""
-main event features Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull against Kleber Koike, while Kyoji Horiguchi, Juan Archuleta and Gadzhi Rabadanov all feature on the undercard.
fights will take place in a ring rather than Bellator's cage, and will be shown on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer at 21:00 GMT on 31 December. "	/sport/mixed-martial-arts/64056044
sports	World Series 2022: Game three rained off as Philadelphia Phillies & Houston Astros washed out	"Persistent rain in Philadelphia forced the postponement of game three of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros.
As fans waited in the rain at Citizens Bank Park, it was eventually called off just over an hour before the scheduled first pitch on Monday evening.
-of-seven series is level at 1-1 after the first two games in Houston.
ries schedule will be pushed back by a day, with game three now on Tuesday and game four on Wednesday.
Game five, also in Philadelphia, now moves to Thursday - originally scheduled as a travel day - while if a sixth and seventh game are required, they will take place in Houston on Saturday and Sunday.
""It affects both teams,"" said Astros manager Dusty Baker. ""You can't control the weather, you just deal with it.""
ment does allow Baker and opposite number Rob Thomson to rethink their starting pitching strategy.
Phillies had lined up Noah Syndergaard to start on Monday but will instead go with Ranger Suarez in the rescheduled game three on Tuesday - with their ace Aaron Nola, who started on Friday, now able to start game four on full rest."	/sport/baseball/63466088
sports	Commonwealth Games: Jessica Li praises 'amazing Manx support'	"Isle of Man badminton competitor Jessica Li has praised the ""amazing"" support she has been shown at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
24-year-old's winning streak at the Games came to an end on Friday evening, when she was beaten in two straight games in the last 16 round.
She was beaten 8-21, 12-21 by Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour.
Despite the loss, Li said it was ""great to have such amazing Manx support out there"".
Speaking to Manx Radio after the match, she said she was ""a little bit disappointed with how I played, a few more errors than I'd like"".
""But that's what's difficult about badminton, when you're playing against someone like Kirsty who puts you under so much pressure with your shot quality you have to do the best that you can at the time,"" she added.
""You're under a lot more pressure when your opponent is of that quality, and she's a great athlete.""
Reflecting on the support she received from the crowd at the NEC, she said: ""It's great to have such amazing Manx support out there.
""Huge thanks to everyone that came down and supported... sorry that I couldn't get the win.""
Having had to withdraw from the last Games in 2018 through injury, Li said it had ""definitely spurred me on, made me work even harder to put myself in the best shape I could coming into these games"".
""To win two rounds was amazing, and then last 16s of the Commonwealth Games, I couldn't ask for more,"" she added."	/sport/commonwealth-games/62440225
sports	Rule 42 - the day Croke Park opened its doors to other sports	"ke a trip back to 16 April 2005 when the GAA Congress took the seismic decision to relax Rule 42 by allowing other sports to be played at Croke Park.
was on a temporary move to allow soccer and rugby internationals to be staged at GAA headquarters while Lansdowne Road was being redeveloped.
However, in 2010 the GAA voted to keep Croke Park open to other sports after work on Lansdowne Road was completed."	/sport/av/football/52312227
technology	Ukraine-Russia: Hidden tech war as Slovyansk battle looms	"""Right now, we have two big battles,"" says Dmytro Podvorchanskyi, a soldier with Ukraine's Dnipro 1 Battalion. ""The first is an artillery battle,"" he says, ""the second is a battle of technologies"". 
Dmytro is fighting that second, largely unseen war. He leads a unit of just 10 soldiers who form Dnipro 1's drone intelligence unit. Dmytro says he prefers to call it ""IT guys who fight"". All of them are volunteers. Most of them have a background in information technology, and knew each other before the war started.  
On a mobile phone one of the team shows us drone footage of the Russian targets they've already destroyed -  their ""greatest hits"". 
Dmytro lists them: ""One tank, three or four artillery guns, two mortar positions and five or six ammunition dumps.""
""Good results for just 10 people,"" he says, before breaking into a smile. They've already been fighting in Rubizhne and Severodonetsk - cities captured by the Russians. Now they're getting ready to defend Slovyansk.
""I think Slovyansk will be the next big target for Russia,"" says one of his team. I ask whether he thinks they'll be able to halt the Russian advance. ""Sure,"" he says.  
Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used widely in other wars, but not on this scale. They're key weapons for both Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have larger military drones - like Russia's Orlan-10 or Ukraine's famous Bayraktar, a Turkish-made drone. They're often more expensive and complex and can be easier to target and shoot down.  
most ubiquitous drones in this battle are commercial drones, the kind you or I can buy off the shelf. They're also cheap and easy to replace. 
Both sides are using them to spot the enemy's positions and then help direct and correct their own artillery fire on a target. But these small drones are also being fitted with explosives.   
Behind the frontlines, near Slovyansk, a team of soldiers from the drone intelligence unit show us how they deploy them. 
unpack the small, hand-held, DJI mavik, from a box and carefully fit a small explosive to it. Small commercial drones can carry munitions of between 200g and 500g (7-17oz). A larger one can carry a charge of up to 800g. They build the bombs at a workshop back at their base using a 3D printer to make the fins, to help the bomb glide to its target. 
Dmytro says it's a job for his ""smartest guys"". They also study open source intelligence and track communications.  
But as we watch the team prepare to launch the drone near Slovyansk, there's a reminder this can also be a very dangerous game of hide-and-seek. The troops hear the sound of an aircraft in the distance. They tell us to take cover under some trees. Both sides are looking out for each other's drones and their operators. Luckily, this time, it turns out to be a Ukrainian helicopter.  
In the early days of the war, they tell me Russia was able to use ""Aeroscope"" - a drone-detection platform that can identify UAV communication links in real time. It meant Russian forces could quickly find the location of the drone and its pilot. 
Ukrainian soldier operating the drone says they've now learnt how to block it, but he adds the Russians still ""have a lot of stuff for blocking the drones and blocking our signal"". So far they've lost about five of these small commercial drones.  
Russia not only outguns and outnumbers Ukraine's forces but it has plenty of experience in electronic warfare too. Russia has been blocking and jamming Ukraine's military communication systems.
A recent report by UK think tank Rusi highlighted it as a challenge Ukraine would need to address: ""Russian electronic warfare is denying Ukraine a sufficiently fast kill-chain to destroy Russia's artillery"". The Rusi report says the average lifespan of a Ukrainian UAV has been just seven days. 
But Ukrainian forces are trying to overcome that. The supply of thousands of Space X's Starlink satellite communication systems delivered by Elon Musk has helped. It provides them with a secure internet link to their command posts, giving live drone feeds and target information. 
Dnipro 1's overall commander Col Yurii Bereza gives a thumbs-up and smiles: ""Elon Musk, the best."" He's as popular with Ukrainian troops as outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was. 
Despite the UK's political turmoil the colonel says he still hopes it will continue strongly supporting Ukraine in its war. ""We are defending Western values here. Upgrading our army and providing sufficient weapons will bring peace to Great Britain too,"" he says. 
Despite Russia's advantage in electronic warfare, Dmytro Podvorchanskyi believes his own troops' commercial experience and background in IT will help give them an edge.
While he sees Ukrainians as highly creative, in contrast he believes the Russian military adheres to more rigid military doctrines. One of his men says in a few years they will be better than the Russians, but the key question is whether they have long enough turn the tide.
Watch: The drone Lithuania is donating to Ukraine"	/news/world-europe-62090791
technology	Dogs given their own treat-dispensing game console	"A video-game console that dispenses snacks when a pet dog correctly follows a series of increasingly difficult on-screen instructions has been developed.
BBC Click's Chris Fox reports.
See more at Click's website and @BBCClick."	/news/technology-61893697
technology	Canada's internet outage caused by 'maintenance'	"One of Canada's largest mobile and internet providers, Rogers, has apologised for the country-wide outage of its services which began on Friday.
mpany's CEO Tony Staffieri said the failure followed ""a maintenance update in our core network"". 
ransport, banking and emergency services were all hit by Friday's blackout, with 911 hotlines and bank ATMs left unavailable.
Canadians flocked to coffee shops and libraries to find a connection. 
rvice outage began at 04:30 local time (08:30 GMT) on Friday and lasted for more than 15 hours, but most services have now been restored. 
Mr Staffieri said the maintenance work ""caused some of our routers to malfunction early Friday morning"". 
utage had a huge effect on a wide range of services across Canada, serving as a reminder of how reliant society has become on modern communications. 
Many 911 services reported difficulties with incoming calls and hospitals asked on-call staff to come into work until the issue was resolved. 
One mother, Lara Morgan, described how she struggled to contact emergency services after her son was injured in a rugby game with a suspected spinal injury. 
Speaking to the Globe and Mail newspaper, she said she eventually found someone with a non-Rogers mobile phone to call 911, only to discover that ambulance services also relied on the Rogers network and were having difficulties dispatching paramedics. Her son eventually made it to hospital and was not badly injured. 
In a statement, Mr Staffieri said the company was ""particularly troubled that some customers could not reach emergency services"". 
utage also caused some events to be cancelled, including the Toronto tour date of Canadian singer The Weeknd. The gig was due to take place at the home of the Toronto Blue Jays, which is owned by Rogers Communications. 
In the province of Quebec, a Montreal court had to delay a trial hearing for disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard after jail officials were unable to connect him to a videoconference system. 
Critics say the outage demonstrated a need for more competition in the Canadian telecoms sector. 
ree companies - Rogers, Bell Canada and Telus Corp - control 90% of the market share in Canada. 
Rogers alone is the mobile carrier of nearly 11 million Canadians, with a stake in everything from hockey to cable television."	/news/world-us-canada-62110358
technology	Twitter charity partners condemn Musk's 'dangerous' changes	"One of Twitter's most important charity partners says it is considering ending its relationship with the platform because of recent policy changes.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says Elon Musk's surprise move to reinstate former President Donald Trump's account is ""dangerous and inconsistent"".
It also says allowing Kayne West back on Twitter has ""raised concerns"".
mes as one of Twitter's major advertising partners expresses doubts about its future with Twitter.
witter did not respond to requests for comment but on its advertising website, the company says it has ""long-standing fruitful relationships with key civil rights groups and organizations, including NAACP, ADColor, and the Anti-Defamation League"".
According to ADL Mr Musk met the civil rights group on 1 November to assure them that no one previously banned would be reinstated until he had installed a transparent, clear process that took into consideration the views of civil society.
But ""Mr Musk's decisions over the last month have raised serious concerns"", said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL.
On Saturday Mr Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44bn last month, ran a poll on his Twitter asking users whether or not Donald Trump should be allowed back on Twitter.
Mr Trump's account was suspended in 2021 because of the risk of incitement to violence.
, which registered more than 15m votes, narrowly supported the move 52% to 48%. 
Mr Musk tweeted ""the people have spoken"" and reinstated the account which has yet to make any posts.
""This decision is dangerous and inconsistent with what Musk previously had indicated to our group. It forces us to wonder whether he is serious about safeguarding the platform from hate, harassment and disinformation,"" Mr Greenblatt said.
Rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) was banned for an antisemitic post in October 2022 but began tweeting again on Sunday to his 32m followers. 
NAACP, another civil rights organisation cited as a major Twitter partner, is calling for advertisers to boycott the site.  
On Sunday Derrick Johnson, president of NAACP, tweeted that ""any advertiser still funding Twitter should immediately pause all advertising now"".
It is estimated that Twitter makes 90% of its money through advertising.
Previous reports suggest that some companies and brands have already been pulling ad campaigns in response to the uncertainty since the Musk takeover. 
On Twitter's ""Partnerships that drive industry-wide change"" webpage three advertising organisations are listed as major partners.
One of them, Brand Safety Institute (BSI), told the BBC that Twitter's reputation for being a ""commendable and reliable partner in the fight for brand safety in the last several years"" was under threat.
A spokesman for the BSI said ""we are disheartened by the change in approach that Musk has chosen and we will continue to educate advertisers, and work with platforms, about the choices they have in supporting healthy online experiences for both brands and people"".
wo other advertising partners for Twitter are 4As and Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
ANA says it does not comment on individual business matters. 4As says it is monitoring developments and advising its members accordingly.
In its statement to the BBC, ADL also says that the sudden drop in staffing levels at Twitter has led to a fall in moderation standards on Twitter. The charity says ""hate and disinformation have proliferated"".
-profit says its research shows Twitter went from taking action on 60% of antisemitic tweets to taking action on only 30%.
However Yoel Roth, the former head of Trust and Safety at Twitter, told the New York Times that moderation at the platform had largely remained the same or increased since the takeover. 
""Mr. Musk empowered my team to move more aggressively to remove hate speech across the platform — censoring more content, not less"" he said of his final few days at the company."	/news/technology-63710997
technology	YouTube chemistry professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff honoured	"A chemistry professor and star of a hit YouTube science series has been made a freeman of his borough.
Sir Martyn Poliakoff, who has worked at the University of Nottingham for 43 years, has garnered millions of views on social media with his videos on elements and the periodic table.
Broxtowe Borough Council said he had been recognised for his involvement in several community projects.
Sir Martyn said he felt delighted to receive the honour.
Periodic Table of Videos, in which Sir Martyn documents each of the 118 chemical elements, first appeared on YouTube in 2008.
His videos now have more than 1.5 million subscribers.
was knighted for services to chemistry in 2014 and has now been admitted as a new Freeman of the Borough of Broxtowe.
uncil said Sir Martyn has also been an ""involved and passionate"" member of his community.
He has been a member of Beeston District Civic Society for more than 40 years and has led community conversations about the future of the town, in particular its sustainability.
He is also an active member in Greening Beeston, a group of residents working to fight climate change.
He said: ""As a long-time resident of Broxtowe, I feel honoured and delighted to be recognized by my local community. 
""I hope this honour will help me to contribute towards making Beeston an even better place for everyone to live, even in these challenging times.""
f Honorary Alderman, Freeman and Freedom of Entry are the highest honours the council can give.
Mayor of Broxtowe David Grindell said: ""Broxtowe is very lucky to have such an individual as Sir Martyn living in our borough and being so actively involved in securing its future.
""This honour is truly deserved.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63676895
technology	World's largest Pokémon collection could sell for £300k	"world's largest collection of Pokémon memorabilia amassed by a superfan over 25 years is to go under the hammer.
A woman from Hertfordshire - who wishes to remain anonymous - has accumulated a world record number of items, with more than 20,000 set to be auctioned.
ul will be sold as a single lot on 18 October.
An auction firm, based in Etwall, Derbyshire, believes the collection could make up to £300,000.
f trading cards, video games, manga, films, posters, toys, action figures, books and even toilet paper, with items from the UK, US, France and Japan.
But after more than two decades of catching 'em all, the seller said she had decided to sell her haul ""for financial reasons"", although she will be keeping a few sentimental items.
Guinness World Record certificate, which has been displayed at Hertford Museum as part of an exhibition on popular culture, will be kept as ""an important keepsake"", Derbyshire-based auction house Hansons said.
David Wilson-Turner, head of the toy department at Hansons, said: ""This is a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the single largest collection of Pokémon memorabilia that has ever come to the market. It is currently being stored in a secure lock-up.
""Pokémon has been soaring in value in the collectors' market for six years.
""Wealthy young people in their 20s and 30s who got into Pokémon when they were children are buying and prices have spiked.
""This is a fantastic investment opportunity for a wealthy Pokémon collector or any wise investor.""
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-derbyshire-63132278
technology	Ukraine war: Iran plans to supply Russia with combat drones, US warns	"Iran plans to supply Russia with potentially hundreds of drones for its war in Ukraine, some with combat capabilities, a US official has said.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the information the US had suggested Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use the drones.
He added that it was unclear whether Iran had delivered them yet.
Iran said technological co-operation with Russia preceded the war, without confirming or denying the US claim.
""There has been no special development in this relationship recently,"" Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani Chafi was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency.
Drones have played an integral part in the war for both Ukraine and Russia.
Just last week, Ukraine appealed for donations of thousands of drones to aid its war efforts. 
Both sides are using them to spot the enemy's positions and then help direct and correct their own artillery fire on a target. 
Kremlin has said Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Iran's capital, Tehran, on 19 July. He is expected to meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan for peace talks on Syria.
Watch: The volunteers using drones to monitor Russian troops (March 2022 report)
Mr Sullivan added that intelligence received by the US supported the view that Russia's assault on eastern Ukraine was ""coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons"".
He also observed that Iranian drones had previously been used by Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.
His comments came ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week. Neither country has so far joined sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Israel sees Iran, which calls for its elimination, as its biggest regional threat.
US and other allies have supplied billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Ukraine since the invasion in February. 
Mr Sullivan said the US would continue to ""sustain the effective defence of Ukraine"".
In other developments:"	/news/world-us-canada-62130725
technology	Ukrainian refugee pupils receive donated laptops	"Ukrainian refugee children have been given laptops to help them with their schoolwork.
Hotwells Primary School in Bristol and Pittville School in Cheltenham have several students who had to flee the conflict in Ukraine.
will benefit those who did not previously have access to one, or had to share with siblings.
Headteacher of Pittville School Richard Gilpin said the laptops would make a big difference.
""That sort of technology is vital for any student and particularly the refugee students that we've welcomed into the school,"" he said.
""We know from the last two or three years through the pandemic how crucial digital technology is to students if they're going to continue to learn at home.
""That's a crucial part of our work here, not only teaching them in the classroom but enabling students to learn at home as well,"" Mr Gilpin added.
Sofia, 15, is one of 10 Ukrainian refugees to arrive at Pittville School and was among the students to receive a laptop.
""I think it will really help with my school work and studying. 
""We can check the news about what is happening in my country,"" she said.
Kee Jones, co-headteacher at Hotwells Primary School said the donation, from Business to Schools, had been ""really valuable"".
""We have children who have English as an additional language, but when children arrive with no language at all that is quite difficult,"" she said.
""Getting them to work together has been really important and the laptops have been really valuable in that because it means we now have the tools to deliver that quite rapidly,"" she added.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-bristol-62226951
technology	Bitcoin: Missing hard drive could fund Newport crypto hub	"James Howells has been trying to retrieve the hard drive for nine years
Almost 10 years ago James Howells threw away a hard drive during a clear out  - forgetting about the Bitcoin on it.
Now, with the Bitcoin worth an estimated £150m ($184m), he is planning to spend millions digging up a Newport landfill in a bid to find the lost hard drive.
If recovered Mr Howells said he would give 10% of the proceeds to turn the city into a crypto-currency hub.
But the council said excavating the site would pose an ecological risk.
Mr Howells, an IT engineer, accidentally threw away the hard drive in 2013 after mining 8,000 Bitcoins in the early stages of the currency's development.
Bitcoin fluctuates wildly in value - in January 2021, Mr Howells' was worth around £210m, but with a big crash coming earlier this year, it is now  worth significantly less.
Newport council, which owns the landfill site where Mr Howells believes the drive to be, has repeatedly denied him access to dig there, on the grounds of environmental and access concerns. 
Mr Howells has now pledged about 10% of the proceeds of the  hard drive, should it be recovered, to fund a range of crypto-based projects in the city. 
Any plan to search for the drive would require a huge manual task of digging through thousands of tonnes of compacted landfill that has been accumulated at the site for decades. 
But Mr Howells believes he now has the funding and expertise set up to do it in an effective and environmentally beneficial way for the site. 
""Digging up a landfill is a huge operation in itself,"" he said.
""The funding has been secured. We've brought on an AI specialist. Their technology can easily be retrained to search for a hard drive.
""We've also got an environmental team on board. We've basically got a well-rounded team of various experts, with various expertise, which, when we all come together, are capable of completing this task to a very high standard.""
Finding the hard drive, though, is just part of the monumental task. There is no guarantee that, if it is there, it is even in a recoverable state.
But if it is, then its owner is set for a major windfall, although the actual amount will depend on which direction the volatile cryptocurrency goes in. 
But it is likely to be many millions of pounds.
37-year-old, who has signed away some of the ownership of the coins as part of the funding process, said his donation to the city would be used to promote the use and understanding of cryptocurrency.
What is cryptocurrency and how does it work?
""We've got a whole list of incentives, of good cases we'd like to do for the community,"" he said.
""One of the things we'd like to do on the actual landfill site, once we've cleaned it up and recovered that land, is put up a power generation facility, maybe a couple of wind turbines.
""We'd like to set up a community-owned (Bitcoin) mining facility which is using that clean electricity to create Bitcoin for the people of Newport.""
Among his other plans are proposals to give £50 worth of Bitcoin to every person in the city and install crypto-based terminals in all shops. 
Newport council said it had repeatedly responded to Mr Howells requests for access to the site:
""We have statutory duties which we must carry out in managing the landfill site,"" a spokesman said.
""Part of this is managing the ecological risk to the site and the wider area. Mr. Howells' proposals pose significant ecological risk which we cannot accept, and indeed are prevented from considering, by the terms of our permit."""	/news/uk-wales-62381682
technology	Undeclared pools in France uncovered by AI technology	"ry of thousands of undeclared private swimming pools in France has provided an unexpected windfall for French tax authorities.
Following an experiment using artificial intelligence (AI), more than 20,000 hidden pools were discovered.
massed some €10m (£8.5m) in revenue, French media is reporting.
Pools can lead to higher property taxes because they boost property value, and must be declared under French law.
ftware, developed by Google and French consulting firm Capgemini, spotted the pools on aerial images of nine French regions during a trial in October 2021. 
regions of Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Ardèche, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and Morbihan were part of the trial - but tax officials say it may now be rolled out nationwide.
re were more than 3.2 million private swimming pools in France in 2020, according to data website Statista, with sales already booming before the Covid pandemic. 
But as more employees worked from home, there was a further surge in pool installations.
According to Le Parisien newspaper, an average pool of 30 sq m (322 sq ft) is taxed at €200 (£170) a year.
x authorities say the software could eventually be used to find undeclared home extensions, patios or gazebos, which also play a part in property taxes.
Antoine Magnant, the deputy director general of public finances, told Le Parisien: ""We are particularly targeting house extensions like verandas. 
""But we have to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large footprint and not the dog kennel or the children's playhouse,"" he added. 
rackdown comes after Julien Bayou, of France's Europe-Ecology Greens party, did not rule out a ban on new private pools. 
Speaking to BFMTV, he said that France needs a ""different relationship to water"" and that the ban would be a ""last resort"". 
""The challenge is not to ban swimming pools, it is to guarantee our vital water needs,"" he said. 
His comments come as France tackles its worst recorded drought that has left more than 100 municipalities short of drinking water.
In July, France had just 9.7mm (0.38in) of rain, making it the driest month since March 1961, the national weather service Meteo-France said.
Irrigation has been banned in much of the north-west and south-east of France to conserve water.
Watch: Drought leaves boats stranded on dried-up river bed along French-Swiss border"	/news/world-europe-62717599
technology	Cyber-attack targets IT firm used by Northern Ireland's health service	"NI health officials have shut down the health system's access to an IT company's services after the firm was affected by a cyber-attack.
Department of Health said ""contingency measures"" are in place after the ransomware attack on Advanced.
firm provides digital services like patient check-in.
At this stage, there is no direct affect on services, including patient records or pay roll. 
However, as a precaution and to avoid risk to other critical systems, access to the company's services was disabled by the Northern Ireland health service.  
mpany works with a range of NHS bodies, providing a number of different services including patient records, emergency prescriptions and support for NHS 111.
It provides the IT system that supports finance, procurement and logistics across Northern Ireland's health and social services.    
Northern Ireland's Department of Health said that contingency measures have been instigated, including for all health trusts.
A spokesperson said: ""The priority is on keeping any disruption to a minimum.""  
BBC understands that the incident could take weeks or months to be resolved.
Ransomware hackers take control of IT systems, steal data and demand a payment from victims to recover.
related to a cyber-attack first reported last week.   
Department of Health statement said that it was ""grateful for the co-operation of suppliers, given the temporary absence of normal processes for ordering and payments"".
""Alternative processes have been implemented to ensure minimal impact to suppliers, including manual processing in a number of areas."" 
UK data watchdog has confirmed it was aware of the incident."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-62509303
technology	Meta claims US military link to online propaganda campaign	"""Individuals associated with the US military"" are linked to an online propaganda campaign, Meta's latest adversarial-threat report says.
mpaign was the first major covert pro-US propaganda operation taken down by a big-tech company, independent researchers said in August.
It supported the US and its allies, while opposing countries such as Russia, China and Iran.
But experts said it was largely ineffective.
On Facebook, 39 accounts, 16 pages, and two groups were removed, as well as 26 accounts on Instagram, for violating the platforms' policy against ""coordinated inauthentic behaviour"".
""This network originated in the United States,"" Meta wrote. 
It focused on countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Yemen - and mirrored tactics commonly used in propaganda campaigns against the West, including:
unts targeting Iran had criticised Iranian authorities and their policies and posted about issues such as women's rights, researchers said.
Some of those supporting the US had posed as independent media outlets and some had tried to pass off content from legitimate outlets, such as BBC News Russian, as their own.
ration ran across many internet services, including Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, according to Meta.
""Although the people behind this operation attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the US military,"" its report says.
But most of the posts had ""little to no engagement"" from real users.
US think tank the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab managing editor Andy Carvin told the BBC when the campaign was first revealed, it would be ""ineffective and counterproductive"" for democracies to undertake such campaigns, because it meant using ""the very tactics used by your adversaries"" and ""further eroding public trust"".
Meta's announcement confirms previous reporting by the Washington Post. Sources told the newspaper concern over the operation had made the Pentagon complete ""a sweeping audit"" of how the US military conducted clandestine information warfare.
US Department of Defense told BBC News it was ""aware of the report published by Meta"".
""At this time, we do not have any further comments on the report or potential actions that may be taken by the department as a result of the report,"" it added."	/news/technology-63731751
technology	Data watchdog reprimands government over pandemic WhatsApp use	"Department of Health has been reprimanded over ministers' and officials' use of messaging apps and private email during the pandemic.
Using WhatsApp and other apps had meant information on the handling of the pandemic could have been lost, the Information Commissioner's Office said.
It has asked government to carry out a review of the use of private messaging, 
government told BBC News the ICO had found the channels it used had been ""lawful"".
But its use of encrypted apps and private email has been criticised, as messages might not be provided to people making Freedom of Information requests.
Last year, campaigners brought a case to the High Court, saying these services made it easier to delete information and cover up possible wrongdoing.
But in April judges decided the law on keeping public records said ""nothing"" about using personal devices for government business.
ruled using autodelete software was lawful.
Also last year, the then information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, launched an investigation into the use of these private channels by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) during the pandemic.
At the time, Ms Denham said: ""My worry is that information in private email accounts or messaging services is forgotten, overlooked, autodeleted or otherwise not available when a Freedom of Information request is later made.""
results of this inquiry have now been published in a report, Behind the screens.
re was, it says, ""extensive"" use of private correspondence channels by ministers and staff. 
Staff used:
And the DHSC's policies and procedures were inconsistent with existing policy on the use of private email.
Using private channels of communication did not in itself constitute a breach of either Freedom of Information or data-protection rules, the report says, if there were ""sufficient controls in place"" to allow information to be given when requested.
""The investigation found, however, that such controls were lacking,"" the ICO said.
report also questions the security of private messaging channels, while noting instant messaging brought ""some real operational benefits"" during the pandemic.
As a result of its investigation, the ICO issued a reprimand requiring the DHSC to improve its ""handling of personal information through private correspondence channels and ensure information is kept secure"".
Current information commissioner John Edwards said he understood the value of instant communication but ""public officials should be able to show their workings, for both record-keeping purposes and to maintain public confidence"". 
""That is how trust in those decisions is secured and lessons are learned for the future,"" he said.
""The broader point is making sure the Freedom of Information Act keeps working to ensure public authorities remain accountable to the people they serve.""
UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett, will also consider how information was recorded by the government during the pandemic.
government told BBC News it would carefully consider the ICO report but was glad it had made clear the correspondence channels used were lawful.
""Ministers and officials had to work at extraordinary pace during the pandemic and the use of modern technology was necessary to deliver important public services that saved lives,"" an official said.
And it had already started reviewing the policy for using non-corporate communication channels.
But Iain Overton, of public-service journalist body The Citizens, which brought the earlier unsuccessful High Court action, told BBC News government had been ruling ""more and more in the shadows, refusing to acknowledge they are increasingly running the country on personal, encrypted messaging systems"".
""This poses not just a problem for journalists - Freedom of Information Act requests for such messages are consistently refused,"" he said.
""But it also means that future historians will look back at this era with despair.
""Correspondence between ministers, special advisors and party donors will be long deleted and data on personal phones lost to the rivers of time."""	/news/technology-62124094
technology	What parents need to know to keep their kids safe online	"""Parents think a child is safe because when they're online they're quiet, but they don't know what they're watching,"" says Nic Wetton, the head teacher of JH Godwin Primary School in Chester.
She warns their silence is often misleading. ""Children can be traumatised by horrific videos they see online,"" says the head teacher who has 180 pupils aged from four-and-a-half to eleven in her care.
Ms Wetton says she sees children as young as six playing 12-rated computer games online. ""We've had cases of children needing medication to sleep. This is immensely worrying"".
Some children coming in to school are inattentive in class because they've been up all night, playing on devices like tablets or phones. One recent craze was to see who in a WhatsApp group could stay up the longest - the winner sent a message at 04:00.
As well as watching inappropriate content online, or staying up too late, children who are online unsupervised can be vulnerable to paedophiles. 
ues are familiar to Rachel O'Connell. She has investigated online child abuse, working on statistical techniques to identify  abusers.
In the course of her research she went online posing as an eight-year-old child who hadn't made friends at school. Her understanding of the mindset of predators is extensive and chilling, for example, she says that friendless children are often a target: ""They look for that,"" she explains.
Ms O'Connell visits schools and finds many parents have no idea which apps their children can access. ""Putting naked selfies online seems to be a rite of passage now,"" she says. ""Parents feel they don't know how to 'digitally' parent, they can feel helpless. We need oversight."" 
One significant problem is that children can be targeted while browsing sites that are theoretically off limits for young people.
So, preventing children from getting access to any of these sites would help tackle the problem.
usiness founded by Ms O'Connell, TrustElevate, is based on the principle of Zero Data - establishing whether a child should be allowed to log onto a service but without giving away any personal details about that child. 
Ms O'Connell has been trialling Zero Data techniques with mobile phone operator, EE. She wants to create a family access app that will screen users for their age and seek parental approval. 
rustElevate software generates a token containing just the child's age range and no personal information, this information allows a service provider to check out a potential new user. 
While the service provider can block access, if the details don't tally with the permissions held on the system, the token cannot be exploited to push other services, or products, to the child. 
f technical tools are a help, but schools are fighting back as well.
At JH Godwin School, Ms Wetton runs online safety workshops, where parents are invited to bring a laptop along so they can download safety apps and parental controls.
r frustration, engagement from parents is not a given. She has arranged workshops where just one parent turned up out of 150 who have children at the school. 
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Ms Wetton has even tried a tactical approach, putting online safety talks ahead of popular events, such as the Christmas, or Easter bingo sessions. However, she has had heckles from people who felt they shouldn't be lectured on their evening out. 
So, the school is left to come up with practical measures to shield its children from malicious online contact.
For example, she suggests not wearing a school branded jumper while on TikTok. ""If children do that, then anyone watching knows where they are going to be at 0800 and 1600.""
She believes online safety apps should be frontloaded on to any device a child might use. 
""Surely, that's better than waiting for a mental health pandemic in the very young? Plus, computer games can be addictive. If we don't protect them, we get exhausted children coming here, and it's like trying to teach an empty vessel that just won't fill."" 
She wants to see tech companies made to feel responsible for safeguarding, through measures like age verification software. 
And TrustElevate's Ms O'Connell, says the government should be doing a lot more to regulate children's access to games and websites.
""There's no oversight into that at the moment, no oversight into the impact of it.""
A UK government Online Harms White Paper published in 2019, reported that 12-15 year olds spend over 20 hours a week online. And regulator, Ofcom, states that 79% of that group had experienced at least one potentially harmful experience online in the previous year. 
Online Safety Bill, currently before Parliament, will introduce a duty to protect children from harmful, or inappropriate material. 
Bill does not stipulate which technology tools should be used to do this, but Ofcom may respond to failures to protect children by recommending the use of age verification systems.
Speaking to BBC News, Chris Philp, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, lays out what he believes will be a much stricter operating environment for online platforms in the future. 
""If platforms want children to use their services, they will need to protect them from accessing content that is harmful or inappropriate. If their services are meant for adults, they will need to prevent underage access.""
He insists that schools and parents wrestling with online dangers will be assisted by rigorous government measures. ""Those who fail to comply, will face massive fines and risk their services being blocked from access in the UK."" 
At JH Godwin School tougher protection measures would be warmly welcomed. Ms Wetton describes the gulf between how big tech presents its role in society as positive and the unintended consequences in the real world.
""Live streaming services are supposed to bring 'like-minded people' together, but in reality it means predators using search terms such as 'girls dancing'.""
She knows the techniques paedophiles use, such as matching their ""pace"" to their intended victims. ""These people are patient and work on a child, so we must open their eyes [to potential dangers]."" "	/news/business-61577187
technology	Canada to ban China's Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks	"Canada says it will ban two of China's biggest telecoms equipment makers from working on its 5G phone networks.
restrictions against Huawei and ZTE were announced by the country's industry minister on Thursday.
Francois-Philippe Champagne says the move will improve Canada's mobile internet services and ""protect the safety and security of Canadians"".
But Huawei Canada said it was ""disappointed"" by the decision, which it said was ""political"".
""This is an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cyber security or any of the technologies in question,"" a statement said.
Several nations - including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand - have already put restrictions on the firms.
four countries, along with Canada, make up an intelligence-sharing arrangement named ""Five Eyes"". It evolved during the Cold War as a mechanism for monitoring the Soviet Union and sharing classified information.
Canada's announcement was widely expected, as its allies had already barred Huawei and ZTE from their own high-speed networks. 
Speaking to reporters in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Mr Champagne said the decision came after ""a full review by our security agencies and consultation with our closest allies"".
""Let me be very clear: We will always protect the safety and security of Canadians and will take any actions necessary to safeguard our telecommunication infrastructure,"" he added.
""In a 5G world, at a time where we rely more and more in our daily lives [on] our network, this is the right decision.""
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Ottawa told the Reuters news agency that Beijing sees the security concerns raised by Canada as a ""pretext for political manipulation"".
kesperson for China also accused Canada of working with the US to suppress Chinese companies.
Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.
Huawei Canada said its equipment had been ""closely scrutinised"" by the government and security agencies, and added there had been ""zero security incidents caused by Huawei equipment"".
""Banning Huawei's equipment and services will lead to significant economic loss in Canada and drive up the cost of communications for Canadian consumers,"" a statement said.
""Unfortunately, this decision is beyond our control as a business. However, we will do everything in our capacity to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our customers, partners, and ourselves.""
Meanwhile, ZTE said it rejected the ""premise"" of the Canadian government's announcement, saying it was ""highly speculative"".
""We have always abided by international standards and best practices, opening up our cyber security labs to enable regulators and stakeholders to verify the security of ZTE products,"" the firm said.
5G, or fifth generation, is the next upgrade to mobile internet networks, offering much faster data download and upload speeds.
It also allows more devices to simultaneously access the internet.
It comes as data usage is soaring, as the popularity of video and music streaming grows. This is pushing governments and mobile phone network operators to improve their telecommunications infrastructures.
Canadian government's decision means that telecoms firms in country will no longer be allowed to use equipment made by Huawei and ZTE. 
Companies that have already installed the equipment made by the Chinese manufacturers must now remove it, Mr Champagne said. 
Canada first announced a review of Huawei equipment in September 2018.
Some of China's biggest technology and telecoms firms have been targeted in recent years by governments in the US and other Western nations over national security concerns.
In November, US President Joe Biden signed legislation that stops companies judged to be security threats from receiving new telecoms equipment licences in the country.
It means equipment from Huawei, ZTE and three other Chinese companies are banned for use in US telecoms networks.
You may also be interested in:
Chip wars: The US v China"	/news/business-61517729
technology	South Norfolk Council spends £17,000 on bin-day reminder app	"An app which tells users to put out their bins has been launched by a council, at a cost of about £17,000.
South Norfolk Council hopes the weekly reminder will boost revenue by increasing recycling rates.
It said it had more than 2,000 downloads in the first week.
Graham Minshull, cabinet member for clean and safe environment, said it would keep residents ""in the loop"" and ""push"" environmental targets.
Bin collection information is available on the council website, but the Conservative-led council insisted the app ""improves the service for our customers"".
""The app tells residents when to put their bins out, which bin it should be and what they can put in which bin,"" a council spokesman said.
""It will help us improve recycling figures which is both good for the environment and is a revenue stream for the council.
""[The cost] will be more than covered by the savings from less contamination, fewer return trips to pick up missed bins and savings in printing costs.""
, called Bin Collection South Norfolk, will be followed by a similar service at Broadland District Council, which shares an officer team with South Norfolk. 
Broadland is yet to be agreed, but both cabinets signed off the app as part of the ""in-year savings"" paper, a council spokesman said.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the app ""raised eyebrows"" with some councillors.
Sue Holland, leader of the Liberal Democrats at Broadland, said she was not aware the app was being considered.
""There are lots of sources for this information, it's on social media and our websites,"" she said.
""It's an interesting idea, but my life is full of apps, I don't know if I want one for bins as well. 
""I would need more information and reassurance before I could say whether it is a good use of money.""
Both local authorities have a balanced budget and are aiming to achieve a 60% recycling rate, the council added.
Bin collection apps are already available in other areas, including Aylesbury Vale District Council in Buckinghamshire and Leeds City Council.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-norfolk-63516361
technology	A third of children have adult social media accounts - Ofcom	"One in three children lie about their age to access adult content on social media, according to research commissioned by the regulator, Ofcom.
Many social media sites, such as Instagram, do not permit under-13s to sign up, while accounts for under-18s have limited functionality.
But researchers found children were faking their ages to skirt the rules.
Ofcom says this increases the risk of children seeing content which may be inappropriate or harmful.
Anna-Sophie Harling, from Ofcom, told BBC News the way social media platforms categorised users by age had a ""huge impact"" on the content they were shown.
She cited the recent Molly Russell inquest: ""That was a very specific case of harmful content that had very detrimental impacts and tragic outcomes on a family in the UK. 
""When we talk about potentially harmful content to under-18s, it's content that might have more significant negative consequences for under-18s because they're still developing. 
""When children are repeatedly exposed to images and videos that contain certain images, they're then essentially led to act in different ways or to think differently about themselves or their friends.""
Ofcom-commissioned research found 32% of children have an account intended for adults, while 47% of children aged eight to 15 have a user age of 16 and over.
And 60% of children under the age of 13 who use social media accounts have their own profiles, despite not being old enough.
Ms Harling said the age categorizations were meant to be ""one of the main ways"" in which platforms protected the safety of their users.
""If we want to get serious about protecting children online, we need to make sure that platforms have a way to find out exactly how old those users are,"" she said. 
""We need to work both with parents and young people, but also platforms, to make sure that the ages at which those accounts are set are done in an accurate way.""
YouTube says it has made investments to protect children, such as launching a dedicated children's app and introducing new data practices for children's content.
BBC also approached Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, for comment. A spokesperson referred to the latest work from Meta on verifying the ages of younger users, such as allowing people to ""ask others to vouch for their age"" or using technology which analyses videos people take of themselves.
witter and TikTok have also been approached for comment."	/news/technology-63204605
technology	Coding: Female engineers deleting myth that tech is for men	"Growing up, Zoe Thomas never thought she could work in computing
""I foolishly thought coding was for men good at maths."" 
Zoe Thomas, 29, from Caerphilly, felt she needed a new challenge but never thought she could work with computers.
But after taking evening classes in coding she switched careers from customer service to software engineering for an insurance firm.
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that women make up 31% of staff in the wider technology industry.
But for software developers, web design professionals and data analysts, the proportion is far lower at just 18%.
""I never thought I could do it, but it's honestly the best decision I've ever made,"" said Zoe.
""Because I studied media, psychology and English at A-level I just didn't think I'd end up here,"" explained Zoe, who works for Veygo Insurance in Cardiff.
""I now help make the website function, adding features and sorting any problems that arise, and I really love it.""
Companies across the UK want more women like Zoe to work in the technology sector. 
More than 7,500 people work for insurance firm Admiral, which is based in Cardiff, but most of its technology staff are men. 
Admiral's director of IT, Christine Theodore, said the sector was so fast growing it was vital more women enter the industry.
""These continue to be the skills of the future,"" she said. ""People shouldn't shy away from it, these skills can be taught. 
""I've been in IT for most of my professional life and I feel really passionate that women can definitely be in leadership positions.""
Admiral has been working with several companies to appeal to more women, including the social enterprise Code First Girls.
It works with more than 100 businesses across the UK to teach women to code, including Zoe. 
Code First Girls CEO Anna Brailsford said there was a danger ""labelling"" girls in school could have a detrimental effect on their confidence. 
Coding is a set of instructions used to tell devices such as computers, mobile phones and even traffic lights and aeroplanes what to do.
People who work in coding say it's like learning a language that tells the computer what you want it to do. 
Coders, or programmers, are people who write the programs behind everything we see and do on a computer.
Girls outperform boys in IT at both A-level and GCSE, a Welsh government-commissioned report found, but far fewer girls choose to study the subject. 
Aisha Arshad, 32, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, has always worked in IT and studied it at A-level at school. 
She now works in coding for Admiral, collating information so performance can be analysed. 
""When I tell people about my job I often hear 'oh, it's a very male-dominated career',"" she said. 
""But I love it. It's not the same boring thing day in day out,"" she explained. ""I'm doing one thing one day, and then completely different problem-solving the next day."""	/news/uk-wales-63839738
technology	Tech trends 2023: Flying taxis and satellite phones	"At 1:03am on Monday 5 December, the most powerful laser on the planet flashed into life at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, in an experiment that sent shockwaves through the world of physics and beyond.
r targeted a fuel capsule, the size of a peppercorn, creating temperatures and pressures which sparked a fusion reaction - the reaction which powers the sun.
National Ignition Facility (NIF) had done such experiments before, but this time the energy that came out of the reaction, was more than the laser power used to trigger it.
It was a landmark moment for fusion researchers and, while fusion reactors are still a long way from making electricity that we can use, it shows that the physics works. 
""We have taken the first tentative steps towards a clean energy source that could revolutionise the world,"" said LLNL Director Kim Budil.
romise of a working fusion reactor is dazzling. It would need relatively small amounts of fuel, would not produce any greenhouse gases and would leave very little of the radioactive waste that makes current nuclear reactors so unpopular.
uccess at NIF will spur on the dozens of private companies which one day hope to build a commercial fusion reactor.
One private project in the UK is hoping for a big year in 2023. First Light Fusion, based just outside Oxford, has a novel way of creating fusion conditions.
It fires a small aluminium disc, at speeds of up to 20km per second, at a specially designed target containing the fuel needed for fusion.
On impact that target collapses creating huge pressure waves that can spark a fusion reaction.
Earlier this year, in a huge moment for the company, First Light confirmed that it had achieved fusion using this method.
In 2023 the team will start work on Machine 4, a much bigger reactor, which it hopes will also break the magic barrier in fusion - getting more energy out than was put in.
First Light is in a race with dozens of other firms trying to make fusion happen, but its founder is confident his firm is on the right track.
""I believe 2023 will be the year we make a significant strategic shift, from what has been essentially a very complex, important experiment, to making very real advances towards commercial fusion energy,"" says Nick Hawker, founder of First Light Fusion.
Meanwhile, back in the US, another significant announcement in the fusion world should come in early 2023.
US government will announce which private company will receive $50m (£40m) of funding to build a pilot fusion plant. The goal will be to have a working reactor by the early 2030s.
Imagine an aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, but without the noise, expense and emissions.
's the vision of firms developing so-called eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) aircraft.
Designed for relatively short journeys and a handful of passengers, dozens of firms around the world are betting there is a market for them.
rgue that the eVTOL aircraft can reduce the cost of flying, as their electric motors are cheaper to run and maintain than helicopter engines.
Added to that, they ague their aircraft are quiet and emissions-free.
Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace is one firm hoping to be a player in this new industry.
Its VX4 took off for the first time earlier this year. For the first flight it was tethered to the ground and only spent ten minutes hovering.
But real progress will come in 2023 with a series of test flights. The aircraft will transition from vertical take-off to forward flight and fly at higher altitudes and faster speeds.
m is to get the VX4 certified to carry passengers in 2025.
Vertical Aerospace is racing numerous other eVTOL developers who are also testing aircraft.
Volocopter, based in Germany, plans public flight tests of its VoloCity model next year. It hopes to get the aircraft certified in 2024 and then launch services in Singapore, Paris and Rome.
Also next year, Lilium plans to build the first production version of its eVTOL. Based in Germany, Lilium has tested five prototype aircraft since 2017. 
Rather than using rotors like Vertical Aerospace and Volocopter, Lilium uses 30 electric jets that can be tilted in unison to swing between vertical lift and forward flight.
g hurdle for all these projects is to get certification from aviation regulators - an exacting and expensive process that can take years.
Even in wealthy countries, there are some areas where people find it impossible to get a signal of a decent strength for their mobile phones.
Add to them the billions of people in the poorest and most remote parts of the planet who have no signal at all, and you have a huge, untapped market.
xas-based AST SpaceMobile has plans to address that gap in the mobile phone market.
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Backed by some of the biggest names in the mobile phone industry, including AT&T and Vodafone, it has been developing technology that would enable a mobile phone to connect directly to a satellite to place calls or use data at 5G speeds.
It currently has a test satellite in low-earth orbit, but in 2023 it plans to launch five more satellites. They will be capable of intermittent coverage with a continuous global service available when 100 satellites are in position - possibly in 2024.
AST will not sell services directly to customers, instead it is working with phone service providers, to offer its satellite coverage as an extra option. 
It will be a challenge to Starlink, the satellite broadband service developed by Elon Musk. That service requires a small satellite dish to hook up to the broadband. 
AST hopes that the convenience of being able to connect using just a phone, at a reasonable price, will be a big draw.
""Coverage gaps are very real, and problematic. So this is a very attractive solution and a very big market. And that's why we've got so much support from mobile network operators,"" says Scott Wisniewski, from AST SpaceMobile."	/news/business-63130593
technology	Could nuclear desalination plants beat water scarcity?	"re are communities on every continent running short of water, according to the United Nations. 
Unfortunately, although our planet is swathed by oceans and seas, only a tiny fraction of Earth's water - about 2.5% - is fresh, and demand for drinking water is projected to exceed supply by trillions of cubic metres by 2030.
Desalination plants, which remove the salt from seawater, could help supply the fresh water needed.
However, these plants are considered among the most expensive ways of creating drinking water- as they pump large volumes across membranes at high pressure, which is an extremely energy intensive process.
One radical solution could be using floating vessels equipped with desalination systems. 
Powered by nuclear reactors, these vessels could travel to islands, or coastlines, struck by drought, bringing with them both clean drinking water and power.
""You could have them moving around on an intermittent basis, filling up tanks,"" says Mikal Bøe, chief executive of Core Power, which has come up with design for this type of desalination plant. 
It may sound far-fetched but the US Navy has provided desalination services during disasters in the past, with the help of its nuclear-powered ships, while Russia already has a floating nuclear power station designed to potentially power desalination facilities.
re are already around 20,000 desalination plants worldwide, almost all of which are onshore. The majority are located in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, with others in countries including the UK, China, the US, Brazil, South Africa and Australia, to name a few. 
But some engineers say it could be cheaper to position this desalination technology offshore, where the seawater can be more easily pumped aboard.
For decades, engineers have dreamed of building floating, nuclear powered desalination systems.
Core Power want to use a vessel very much like a small container ship, but stack containers on board filled with desalination technology. The nuclear reactor would then lie at the heart of this vessel providing the huge amount of power needed. 
firm's floating nuclear desalination vessels could have varying levels of power output, from five megawatts, up to around 70, Mr Bøe adds. At five megawatts of nuclear power, it could pump out 35,000 cubic metres - or 14 Olympic swimming pools' worth - of freshwater every day. 
ke the salt out of saltwater, desalination technology pushes treated seawater across a semi-permeable membrane at pressure. Osmosis, the movement of molecules in liquid across such membranes, removes the minerals, leaving freshwater and a separate, particularly salty water called brine.
re are different versions of this technology and it has become increasingly more efficient over the years. But floating desalination systems remain relatively rare.
Saudi Arabia, however, has just taken delivery of the first of three desalination barges, the largest ever built. So, can floating desalination plants take-off?
Oisann Engineering, which has developed a system called Waterfountain, hopes so.
mpany has various designs, from large ships to small buoys, but they all work on the same principle, explains chief administrative officer, Kyle Hopkins.
However, the big difference is that instead of using nuclear power, they would all use what's called subsea desalination, a decades-old technology. 
""[The technology] was never commercialised because you still need subsea pumps to facilitate taking the water to the surface,"" says Mr Hopkins. ""We removed the pump.""
He declines to elaborate as to how this works, beyond saying that the Waterfountain system as a whole takes advantage of the higher pressure on the seafloor to move water around, without incurring high energy costs.
He also mentions that the pipeline from the vessel to shore, where the freshwater must ultimately go, could be raised so that gravity can further assist the water's flow, too, cutting the need for extra power.
Mr Hopkins estimates that the technology could be, roughly, 30% more energy efficient than a traditional onshore desalination facility. The firm is currently building a miniature version of one of its designs and hopes to establish its first commercial installation in the Philippines in 2023.
Ideas such as this, and Core Power's design are ""promising"", says Raya Al-Dadah, head of the Sustainable Energy Technology Laboratory at the University of Birmingham. However, floating desalination has both advantages and disadvantages, she says. There are still challenges in terms of pumping the desalinated water ashore and in finding a workforce with both offshore experience and desalination expertise.
Ultimately, humanity needs more water resources, says Dr Al-Dadah, not least because of the expected effects of climate change, should the world experience more than 1.5C of warming. ""This will have a catastrophic impact on water,"" she says.
Referring to onshore systems, Amy Childress, at the University of Southern California, says that smaller desalination systems could help reduce the environmental impact of the technology. 
ghly salty water left after desalination is toxic to marine life and today's desalination facilities produce huge quantities of it - more brine, in fact, than freshwater. 
Mr Hopkins says that the byproduct expected from the Waterfountain system will not be salty enough to be classed as brine.
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most significant application of floating desalination systems could be in disaster relief, says Greg Pierce, co-director of the University of California Los Angeles Luskin Center for Innovation. 
Currently ""we're flying and trucking-in bottled water… it's the most inefficient thing possible,"" he explains, referring to the standard approach to relief efforts. ""If floating desalination can address that, I'm all for that.""
However, Dr Pierce questions whether it can be made cost-effective enough in other contexts - and notes that there are many other ways of securing clean water supplies. In California, for example, Dr Pierce estimates better water conservation measures could conserve about 30-40% of the water currently consumed in the state. 
Communities will probably also turn to measures such as water recycling or treatment of rainwater. But should this still not suffice, desalination, no matter the expense, begins to look inevitable in some parts of the world, he adds. 
For now, Core Power's design is merely that, a design. But Mr Bøe hopes that, within a decade, the firm could have a commercial system in operation. The need, he stresses, will be there."	/news/business-61483491
technology	Millions of people should pay less for broadband, says watchdog	"Millions of people on benefits are missing out on cheaper broadband tariffs because firms are failing to promote them properly, the media watchdog Ofcom has said.
Only around 3.5% of those eligible for the deals are currently on one.
Social tariffs are low-cost broadband deals offered to customers on benefits and cost about £15 a month.
rage customer could save £140 a year by switching to one of these deals, consumer group Which? says. 
Broadband providers are not obliged to offer social tariffs, but have been encouraged to by the government and Ofcom.
Around four million UK households could be getting cheaper broadband, but only around 150,000 people are currently on one, according to Ofcom.
All of those in receipt of Universal Credit are eligible, although some providers extend eligibility to those in receipt of other benefits, such as Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support. 
Anne switched to a social tariff as soon as she realised they were available, she told the BBC's consumer programme Rip Off Britain: Live.
82-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, runs her own charity from home. She saved £120 a year by switching away from her original TalkTalk deal.
""I think social tariffs are not spoken about enough because providers don't want too many people on them - because they won't be making as much money,"" she told the BBC.
Currently, social tariffs are offered by companies including BT, Virgin, KCOM, Hyperoptic, G Network, NOW, Sky and Community Fibre, with prices ranging between £10 and £25 a month.
However, Rip Off Britain: Live found that of the four major companies who offer social tariffs, only one showed the information on its home page.
A BT Consumer spokesperson said: ""We're dedicated to keeping our customers connected and committed to supporting all our customers across the UK who are on low-incomes or facing financial hardship... and urge anyone who qualifies for our at-cost, social tariff to get in touch.""
BT collaborates with debt charities such as StepChange, which offer customers free help and advice to manage bills and debt. It has also signed up to the government's Breathing Space scheme, which allows customers three months of respite from paying debts when financially vulnerable.
kTalk said in a statement that while it did not offer social tariffs, it had a partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions offering six months of free internet for job seekers.
For those who are aware, switching to the social tariff can save considerable amounts of money, although sometimes the speed is slower.
Switching to a social tariff can also occasionally incur an exit fee from the current supplier, although many firms waive the fee.
You can watch Rip Off Britain: Live on BBC One at 9.15am"	/news/business-63287452
technology	Starlink: Why is Elon Musk launching thousands of satellites?	"Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been launching thousands of satellites into orbit. Many people say they've seen them in the skies.  
're part of the Starlink project, which aims to provide high speed internet services from space, to remote areas on Earth. 
Starlink provides internet services via a huge network of satellites. 
It is aimed at people who live in remote areas who cannot get high-speed internet.
""There are people in the UK in that category, but more across the world, in places like Africa,"" says Dr Lucinda King, Space Projects Manager at the University of Portsmouth.
Starlink's satellites have been put in low-level orbit around the Earth to make connection speeds between the satellites and the ground as fast as possible.
However, a great many low-level satellites are needed to provide full coverage of the globe. 
It's thought Starlink has put some 3,000 of them into space since 2018. It may eventually use 10,000 or 12,000, says Chris Hall, editorial director of the technology website Pocket Lint.
""Using satellites solves the problem of getting internet connections to remote locations in deserts and mountains,"" he says.
""It bypasses the need to build massive amounts of infrastructure, like cables and masts, to reach those areas.""   
Compared to standard internet providers, Starlink isn't cheap. 
It charges customers $99 per month (£89 per month in the UK). The dish and router needed to connect to the satellites costs $549 (£529 in the UK). 
However, 96% of households in the UK already have access to high-speed internet, as do 90% of households in the EU and the US. 
""Most of the developed world is already well connected,"" says Professor Sa'id Mosteshar of London University's Institute of Space Policy and Law. ""They're relying on a small share of the market for revenues."" 
mpany says it has 400,000 subscribers in the 36 countries it currently covers - mostly in North America, Europe and Australasia. This is made up of both households and businesses.
Next year, Starlink plans to extend its coverage further across Africa and South America, and into Asia - regions of the world where internet coverage is more patchy.
""Starlink's prices may be too high for many households in Africa, say,"" says Chris Hall. ""But it could play an important role in connecting schools and hospitals in remote areas there."" 
As Russian forces have advanced in Ukraine they have closed down Ukrainian internet services and tried to block social media. 
Elon Musk made Starlink available in Ukraine immediately after the invasion started. About 15,000 of Starlink's sets of dishes and routers have been shipped to the country.
""Starlink has kept things going, like public services and government,"" says Chris Hall. ""The Russians haven't found a way of disabling it.""
It has also been used on the battlefield.
""Ukrainian forces are using it to communicate - for example, between headquarters and troops in the field,"" says Dr Marina Miron, defence studies researcher at Kings College London.
""Its signals cannot be jammed like ordinary radio signals can be, and it takes only 15 minutes to set up the kit.""
Starlink is not the only internet provider with satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO).
Amazon is planning to put thousands of its Kuiper satellites into LEO, and Oneweb is also putting satellites there. 
Putting satellites into low-Earth orbit could lead to problems, says Sa'id Mosteshar.
""Satellites could hit other vessels and create fragments of wreckage and these, in turn, could cause a lot more damage when flying at high speeds.""
re have recently been a number of near misses involving Starlink satellites, including near misses with China's space station. 
""If there are too many fragments, it could make low-Earth orbit unusable in the future,"" says Dr King of Portsmouth University. 
""And we may not be able to get out of low-Earth orbit into higher orbits, where our navigational satellites and telecoms satellites are situated.""
Starlink's satellites are also creating problems for astronomers. 
At sunrise and sunset, they are visible to the naked eye because the sun glints off their wings.
use streaks on telescope images, obscuring the view of stars and planets. 
Starlink says it is trying to reduce the brightness of its satellites in the sky. "	/news/technology-62339835
technology	Lost dogs: Award for founder of Facebook drone group	"founder of a Facebook group which has helped to return thousands of lost dogs to their owners using drones has been given a top accolade.
Former newspaper photographer Graham Burton will receive the International Fund for Animal Welfare Award.
66-year-old from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, set up Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK, which uses volunteers and drones to locate missing animals.
He described reuniting owners with their pets as ""the best feeling ever"".
Mr Burton told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: ""It's amazing when you've reunited an owner with its dog.
""Even though it's not my dog, or any of the admins' dog, they get a feeling of joy and it's over and over again because we're so successful in what we do.""
group uses a network of volunteer and drones to find animals.
When an owner becomes aware that their pet is missing, they will post to the group and one of the administrators will contact them to get as much information about the dog as possible.
will then start arranging for drone operators and ground volunteers to join the search.
Mr Burton said: ""You can cover areas where people can't walk - cliff faces, or large areas of fields that would normally take hours to search by foot can be done in 20 minutes or half an hour by using a drone.""
group, which now has more than 64,000 members, has been responsible for reuniting more than 2,750 dogs with their distressed owners.
It comprises a volunteer network of more than 3,000 drone pilots and more than 2,500 ground searchers across the UK and Ireland.
Reacting to the recognition, Mr Burton - who will be presented with the award at the House of Lords on Wednesday - added: ""I thought it was a wind-up, to be honest. It's a privilege and an honour.
""I am absolutely over the moon."""	/news/uk-wales-63228126
technology	Elon Musk subpoenas Twitter founder Jack Dorsey ahead of court battle	"Elon Musk has launched legal action to summon Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to appear in court as part of his legal battle with the tech company. 
Mr Musk is seeking to end his $44bn deal for Twitter after alleging the firm failed to provide enough information on fake account numbers.
But the social media site is suing Mr Musk to try to force him to buy it.
will be heard in Delaware, US, in October unless both parties decide to settle outside of court beforehand.
witter hopes that a judge will order Mr Musk - who is the world's richest man - to complete the takeover at the agreed price of $54.20 per share.
But as part of the trial preparations, lawyers for Mr Musk have called on his friend, the former boss of Twitter Mr Dorsey, in the hope that he will help support the Tesla boss's argument that the social media company hasn't been honest about the volume of fake accounts on its platform.
A subpoena legal writ or document summons a person to attend court or orders the submission of evidence, as records or documents, before a court.
In July, the billionaire said he planned to walk away from his deal to buy Twitter, which prompted the company to sue him.
Mr Musk accused the company of withholding information about fake accounts, but Twitter argued that these were excuses to cover buyer's remorse. 
ued its own subpoenas to people who had planned to invest in the deal with Mr Musk.
Mr Dorsey stepped down as chief executive of Twitter in November last year and tweeted in support of Mr Musk when he announced his bid to buy the company in April, saying: ""Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.""
Last month, a US judge ruled that Twitter's lawsuit against Mr Musk should go to trial in October.
Earlier in August, Mr Musk sold another 7.92 million shares in Tesla, worth around $6.88bn (£5.7bn), stating that he needed the money in case he is forced to buy Twitter.
Mr Musk has countersued Twitter, claiming a third of visible Twitter accounts, assessed by his team, were fake. Using that figure the team estimated that a minimum of 10% of daily active users are bots.
But filings made by his legal team in his battle with Twitter have been questioned by leading bot researchers. 
witter says it estimates that fewer than 5% of its daily active users are bot accounts. "	/news/business-62641029
technology	Twitter to lose magic with blue tick fee, says ex exec	"Charging $8 (£7) a month for a Twitter blue tick and other bonus features will make the social-media platform lose its ""magic"", a former executive has said.
Currently, all users around the world had equal voices on the platform, former global communications head Brandon Borrman told BBC News.
But selling verification and higher visibility would ""stratify"" Twitter.
And he felt ""curious and worried"" about what the platform's new owner, Elon Musk, might do to drive revenue.
""If charging for the blue tick was the fairest way to do it, I think Twitter probably would have done it a while ago,"" Mr Borrman told BBC News.
And he questioned how Twitter could justify asking people to pay to stay on an ""equal playing field"" with other users.
In addition to the blue Verified badge, those who pay could have their tweets promoted more widely and see fewer adverts, Mr Musk has suggested. 
""It's great for people who have money and want to spend money on having their voice amplified,"" Brandon Borrman said. ""$8 might seem like nothing to a lot of people - but it's quite substantial for most people around the world.""
Mr Musk has tweeted of his plan: ""We need to pay the bills somehow.""
Regarded as influential, Twitter is where celebrities, politicians and world leaders share their views - and ordinary individuals can respond directly to them.
But the company has not made a profit in several years, while its core user base of about 300 million per month has remained fairly static.
And Mr Borrman acknowledged it needed to change in order to grow. 
Its core problem was many of those who tried it did not stay, he said.
""You have to convince them that they'll get something out of it that they don't already by seeing tweets embedded in newspapers and television coverage all over the world.""
Some Twitter users have been threatening to delete their accounts in protest at the new leadership. 
But Mr Borrman said there remained no credible alternative, despite smaller rival Mastadon claiming to have registered thousands of new accounts since Mr Musk's purchase was completed.
""They're just not consumer or user friendly,"" he said.
witter founder Jack Dorsey is working on a social-network concept called Bluesky - but little is known about when that might launch or what it might look like.
Mr Dorsey has also retained his stake in Twitter - worth about $1bn - and has been supportive of Mr Musk, describing him as ""the singular solution I trust"" to run the company.
Mr Borrman, who left Twitter in June 2021, after three and a half years, and now works at the not-for-profit web organisation Mozilla, said he was pleased to have gone before Mr Musk arrived on the scene.
Still in touch with friends and colleagues from the company, he said the atmosphere within its headquarters was now ""tense"". 
""Elon obviously has a particular way he likes to manage and approach things that's quite different from the way Twitter has been managed in the past,"" he said.
""There's a lot of people who are in 'wait-and-see' mode."" 
Unconfirmed reports suggest Mr Musk is considering firing thousands of staff.
witter was one of many companies ""probably bigger than they need to be right now"" thanks to a Silicon Valley mentality of attracting and retaining technology talent, Mr Borrman said.
""Tech moves in cycles that are radically different than oil and gas, automotive, other forms of manufacturing, so having that staff on hand can actually be very beneficial to you and accelerating your growth,"" he said.
""Twitter was in a pretty good position going into 2022.
""I was really excited to see what that team was going to do going forward. 
""It's disappointing that they weren't able to actually execute on what I think for was a pretty solid strategy."""	/news/technology-63495124
technology	Brazil bans sales of iPhones without USB power adapters	"Brazil says it is banning the sale of iPhones which do not include a power adapter. 
In a statement on Tuesday, Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security said it has fined Apple 12.275 million reais (£2.04m).
Brazilian consumer agency Senacon said Apple's decision not to include power adapters with new iPhones discriminates against consumers by selling an ""incomplete product"".
Apple will appeal against the ban.
mpany told Reuters in a statement it would work with Brazilian authorities to ""resolve their concerns,"" but added it has previously won several court rulings in Brazil on the issue.
""We are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices,"" Apple said.
fine and ban on sales of iPhones without USB power adapters was announced a day before Apple showcased its new iPhone 14, 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra.
São Paulo's consumer protection agency fined Apple £2m last year, saying the sale of iPhone 12 and every model since then, violates consumer law because they don't come with chargers.
Apple stopped including power adapters and headphones in iPhone boxes with the launch of iPhone 12 in 2020.
It said the move, which came after first ditching power adapters from new Apple Watch boxes, would help reduce Apple's carbon footprint, by making packaging smaller.
""Sometimes it's not what we make, but what we don't make that counts,"" said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice-president of environment, policy and social initiatives, at Apple's 2020 September keynote.
She added there were already more than two billion official Apple power adapters out in the world. 
Senacon, which launched its case against the move last year, said Apple's arguments for removing USB power adapters from iPhone boxes on sustainability grounds were ""not enough"". 
It said there was no evidence that removing chargers had environmental benefits.
According to Brazil's Justice Ministry, Senacon said the company could have considered alternatives to reducing its environmental impact that would not place the burden on consumers - such as adopting USB-C cables and chargers to reduce e-waste.
European Union provisionally agreed on plans to enforce a common USB-C charging cable for portable electronic devices earlier this year.
Senacon also said the sale of new iPhones without power adapters was an example of Apple effectively forcing consumers to buy a second product after purchasing a new iPhone.
It said a power adapter should form part of the product because it is required to operate the phone and is an ""incomplete product"" without it.
rganisation added the move has transferred responsibility to third-party providers, as well as consumers, because iPhones without power adapters have not fallen in price.
Apple has been approached for comment."	/news/technology-62833037
technology	Strava app flaw revealed runs of Israeli officials at secret bases	"A security vulnerability in the fitness app Strava allowed suspicious figures to identify and track security personnel working at secretive bases in Israel, a disinformation watchdog says.
FakeReporter found that by uploading fake running ""segments"" a user could learn the identities and past routes of others active in the area, even if they had the strongest privacy settings.
Information about 100 individuals who exercised at six bases was viewable.
Strava said it had addressed the issue.
Israeli military said it was ""aware of the evolving threats in cyberspace"".
""In order to handle these threats, and in light of previous events such as the one mentioned, the rules and regulations are regularly reiterated and reinforced among those serving in sensitive positions,"" it added.
first time that Strava's tracking features have sparked such security concerns.
In 2018, the company published a global ""heatmap"" that revealed the exercise routes of people at military bases around the world, including US facilities in Syria and Afghanistan.
San Francisco-based Strava is used by more than 95 million people in 195 countries.
Its app takes data, including GPS co-ordinates, from a person's mobile phone or wearable fitness device to track their exercise activity. 
People are able to upload their running and cycling times and compare their performances with others who followed the same routes.
FakeReporter, an Israeli group that combats malicious online activity, reported that a suspicious user named ""Ez Shehl"" had exploited these functions to upload fake GPS data to create route segments inside secret facilities associated with Israel's military, the Mossad intelligence agency and the Shin Bet internal security service.
gments featured straight GPS lines, no times, and unrealistic pacing, such as covering 500m in 0 seconds. 
mings and personal details - including photos, home addresses and the identities of family members - of other users who ran the same segments were subsequently revealed on the Strava scoreboard, even if they had their accounts set to ""private"".
A senior defence official identified as ""N"" was one of at least 100 Israeli individuals affected by the vulnerability, according to FakeReporter. It posted screenshots showing runs from their home and inside various air force bases in Israel, as well as runs in Ukraine. 
FakeReporter said it had told Israeli authorities about the security breach as soon as it became aware and that it had contacted Strava after receiving their approval.
""Despite past revelations, it does not appear that Israeli security agencies have caught up,"" Achiya Schatz, the watchdog's director, said in a statement. ""Although Strava made significant updates to its privacy settings, confused users might still be exposed publicly, even if their profiles were set to 'private'."" 
""By exploiting the capability to upload engineered files, revealing the details of users anywhere in the world, hostile elements have taken one alarming step closer to exploiting a popular app in order to harm the security of citizens and countries alike.""
Strava told Israel's Haaretz newspaper: ""We take matters of privacy very seriously and have addressed the reported issues."" "	/news/world-middle-east-61879383
technology	Ben Bradley: Twitter abuse ‘putting off future MPs'	"An MP found to have received the highest proportion of abusive tweets in a BBC survey, said fear of insults and violence put people off public service.
BBC analysed almost three million tweets where MPs were mentioned over a 12-week period earlier this year.
About 5%, were classed as toxic - being rude or unreasonable - with Mansfield MP Ben Bradley seeing the highest proportion of 13.5%.
Mr Bradley said threats and personal abuse marred an important job.
BBC Shared Data Unit found that overall former Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the most abusive tweets - almost 19,000, or 3.5%, of the total received. 
But when adjusted for proportionality, Mr Bradley received the most negative tweets, with 2.1% classed as ""severe"". 
He was mentioned in hundreds of toxic-rated tweets after arguing for the privatisation of Channel 4.
MP, who is also the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, admitted there were a number of worrying aspects.
""It is frustrating because I can usually overlook people who are just sweary and angry because it doesn't mean a lot,"" he said.
""The ones I find the most upsetting are where people have made a real strong judgement about your character and what you are like having never met you, based on some Twitter things they have read that are often wrong.""
He added: ""The worst bit is I often have people say to me 'I wouldn't want to do your job because of all that stuff'.
""But being a Member of Parliament is a huge privilege and should be something that people want to do and aspire to.""
And he emphasised the abuse had real world impacts, which once included threats to kidnap his family.
""I don't think we are going to get out of this social environment where people are mean to each other from the privacy of their keyboard,"" he said.
""But where it does cross the line and what's really, really important is where we have colleagues - David Amess, Jo Cox - who have been killed off the back of that sort of hateful conversation.
""It can grow and grow and we need to make sure people are kept safe.""
BBC's Shared Data Unit used Perspective, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to spot toxic comments online.
Developed by Jigsaw, a research unit within Google, it defines a toxic comment as one which is ""rude, disrespectful or unreasonable"" and ""likely to make someone leave a conversation"".
Analysis also showed all 20 of the MPs receiving the highest proportion of toxic comments were not members of the cabinet or shadow cabinet.
witter was unavailable for comment but has previously said it was committed to combatting abuse as outlined in its Hateful Conduct Policy.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63567179
technology	Protests lead to social media misinformation warning	"West Midlands Police have asked people to be mindful of misinformation and rumour on social media after two protests took place.
About 50 people gathered near a Hindu temple in Coventry on Thursday. Earlier, 150 people met in Smethwick which resulted in minor disorder.
reasons surrounding the protests are complex, police said, but added it was working with community leaders.
Unsubstantiated claims on social media can have a serious impact, it warned.
A spokesman said there had been several instances of fake news and unsubstantiated claims being spread on social media and messaging services.
ude: 
""We have local officers on the streets, and are engaging with faith leaders and other key stakeholders in our communities, to keep us informed and better understand how people are feeling,"" a police spokesman said.
""We have appropriate policing plans in place to deal with any further incidents should they occur, and will continue to closely monitor what is happening.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-birmingham-63012155
technology	The crash dummy aimed at protecting women drivers	"Dr Astrid Linder is leading the development of the first dummy modelled on the average woman
Since the 1970s, crash test dummies - mechanical surrogates of the human body - have been used to determine car safety.
gy is used to estimate the effectiveness of seatbelts and safety features in new vehicle designs.
Until now the most commonly used dummy has been based on the average male build and weight.
However, women represent about half of all drivers and are more prone to injury in like-for-like accidents.
ummy that is sometimes used as a proxy for women is a scaled-down version of the male one, roughly the size of a 12-year-old girl. 
At 149cm tall (4ft 8ins) and weighing 48kg (7st 5lb), it represents the smallest 5% of women by the standards of the mid-1970s. 
However, a team of Swedish engineers has finally developed the first dummy, or to use the more technical term - seat evaluation tool - designed on the body of the average woman. 
r dummy is 162cm (5ft 3ins) tall and weighs 62kg (9st 7lbs), more representative of the female population.
So why have safety regulators not asked for it before now? 
""You can see that this is a bias,"" said Tjark Kreuzinger, who specialises in the field for Toyota in Europe. ""When all the men in the meetings decide, they tend to look to their feet and say 'this is it'. 
""I would never say that anybody does it intentionally but it's just the mere fact that it's typically a male decision - and that's why we do not have [average] female dummies.""
Several times a day in a lab in the Swedish city of Linköping, road accidents are simulated and the consequences are analysed. The sensors and transducers within the dummy provide potentially lifesaving data, measuring the precise physical forces exerted on each body part in a crash event.
m record data including velocity of impact, crushing force, bending, torque of the body and braking rates.
re focused on seeing what happens to the biomechanics of the dummy during low-impact rear collisions.
When a woman is in a car crash she is up to three times more likely to suffer whiplash injuries in rear impacts in comparison with a man, according to US government data. Although whiplash is not usually fatal, it can lead to physical disabilities - some of which can be permanent. 
It is these statistics that drive Astrid Linder, the director of traffic safety at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, who is leading the research in Linköping. 
""We know from injury statistics that if we look at low severity impacts females are at higher risk.
""So, in order to ensure that you identify the seats that have the best protection for both parts of the population, we definitely need to have the part of the population at highest risk represented,"" she told the BBC.
Dr Linder believes her research can help shape the way cars are specified in the future and she stresses the key differences between men and women. Females are shorter and lighter than males, on average, and they have different muscle strengths.
Because of this they physically respond differently in a car crash. 
""We have differences in the shape of the torso and the centre of gravity and the outline of our hips and pelvis,"" she explained. 
But Dr Linder will still need regulators to enforce the use of the average female she has developed. 
Currently there is no legal requirement for car safety tests for rear impact collisions to be carried out on anything other than the average man.
Although some car companies are already using them in their own safety tests they are not yet used in EU or US regulatory tests.  
Engineers are starting to create more diverse dummies, including dummies that represent babies, elderly and overweight people.
rage female dummy in Linköping has a fully flexible spine, which means the team can look at what happens to the whole spine, from the head to the lower back, when a woman is injured.  
US company Humanetics is the largest manufacturer of crash test dummies worldwide and is seen as the leading voice when it comes to the precision of the technology. 
CEO Christopher O'Connor told the BBC he believes that safety has ""advanced significantly over the last 20, 30, 40 years"" but it ""really hasn't taken into account the differences between a male and a female"".
""You can't have the same device to test a man and a woman. We're not going to crack the injuries we are seeing today unless we put sensors there to measure those injuries. 
""By measuring those injuries we can then have safer cars with safer airbags, with safer seatbelts, with safer occupant compartments that allow for different sizes.""
UN is examining its regulations on crash testing and will determine whether they need to be changed to better protect all drivers.  
If changes are made to involve a crash test dummy representing the average female, there is an expectation that women will one day be safer behind the wheel.
""My hope for the future is that the safety of vehicles will be assessed for both parts of the population,"" Dr Linder said. "	/news/technology-62877930
technology	World Cup 2022: TikTok brings football fever to millions of fans	"From Bukayo Saka's spelling school to team analysis and score predictions, our social feeds are showing us loads of content from the Qatar World Cup.
Videos under the #FifaWorldCup hashtag have been viewed over 12 billion times since the tournament started, according to new figures from TikTok.
Quarter-final opponents England and France have both picked up more than one million followers.
And it's not just team accounts growing online.
Ben Black has been going to every game in Qatar after winning a competition organised by the hosts, and been documenting his experience on TikTok.
24-year-old account has felt the World Cup effect with more than 170 million views over the course of the tournament so far.
""A bit of a ridiculous number when you think about it. It's showing a big portion of football fans what the World Cup is like and I think it's extremely powerful,"" he tells BBC Newsbeat.
Away from the beaches and sand dunes, Alice Abrahams is following all the action with her analysis videos from the comfort of her home in Essex.
""It's such a good, positive atmosphere. I'm almost enjoying this World Cup more than the Russia one,"" the 22-year-old says.
Junior Pereira, 19, has gained over two million followers with his dance-style videos - but says he tries not to let the numbers get to him too much. 
""There is that little competition of 'who does it slightly better? Who pulls in more views and fans?' But at the end of the day we're also just trying to do the same thing and we respect each other,"" he says. 
""We talk about content ideas and congratulate each other too."" 
But, just like the football, not everything goes to plan on TikTok either.
""There was a point [in the group stage] where Japan and Costa Rica were going to knock Spain and Germany out. I was getting ready to film a TikTok and was so excited - and then Spain went through,"" Alice says. 
Junior adds: ""I think all content creators felt the same in those 60 seconds - like yes, content!"" 
And there have been plenty of those spontaneous moments for Ben in Qatar too. 
He went to the Brazil v Cameroon game in a Brazil shirt.
""All I see is Cameroon fans when I get to my seat. I'm the only person in my Brazil top but the fans started embracing me anyway.
""We ended up having a full-on party for 90 minutes.""
kToks he made ended up being ""nothing about the game"" but the ""random moments"" of the wider experience.
Showcasing positive elements of the World Cup on TikTok are a contrast to some of the human rights controversies surrounding the tournament.
Alice admits that she went into the World Cup with a viewpoint that was ""quite negative"". 
Qatar has been criticised for its ban on same-sex relationships and its treatment of migrant workers.
""But then I see people like Ben out in Qatar capturing footage of the stadiums and the vibes,"" she adds.
By Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
World Cup certainly hasn't been short of speculation and debate online. From the get-go, allegations that ""fake"" fans had been paid by Qatar to support England and other popular teams went viral. 
I identified and tracked down several of the people in those videos. Those ""fake"" England fans I was able to speak to were people from India and Sri Lanka who live and work in Qatar. They told me they were committed fans and were delighted to be able to watch their favourite teams play. Their social media profiles, which have posted about these football teams for years, support this.
re's no evidence otherwise to support the allegation they were paid to pretend to support specific teams - and it's a claim World Cup organisers reject. Nonetheless, confusion still remains.  
's because it's a fertile time for online disinformation to go viral. This World Cup has been surrounded with controversies and it's just such a hot topic on social media, especially on TikTok. 
mbination of hype and controversy means we all have to be careful we don't fall for evidence-free rumours. Interrogate who has shared videos and why. Look for clues about whether footage is old and, when it sparks a strong reaction, just pause before you share. 
It's about separating fact from fiction, understanding what's happening and why - and piecing together the truth of this complex World Cup.
Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-63917104
technology	Elon Musk: Only blue tick users to vote in Twitter polls on policy	"Elon Musk has said Twitter will only allow accounts with a blue tick to vote on changes to policy after a majority of users voted for him to quit.
Mr Musk launched a Twitter poll asking if he should step down as chief executive - 57.5% of users voted ""yes"".
Since then, he has not commented directly on the result of the poll.
But he has said that Twitter will alter its rules so that only people who pay for a subscription can vote on company policy.
One user claimed that so-called bots appeared to have voted heavily in the poll about Mr Musk's role at the firm. Mr Musk said he found the claim ""interesting"".
re had said when he ran the poll that he would abide by the result. If he does quit as chief executive, he will remain as Twitter's owner.
Bruce Daisley, former vice president of Twitter, compared any potential change to that of a football manager. ""The chairman still remains and Elon Musk is going to be that ever-present voice in the back of the room,"" he told the BBC's Today programme.
However, Mr Musk's intentions remain unclear. Although US broadcaster CNBC tweeted on Tuesday that Mr Musk is actively searching for a new chief executive for Twitter, Mr Musk responded with two laughing emojis.
In response to a tweet saying Twitter Blue subscribers ""should be the only ones that can vote in policy related polls. We actually have skin in the game"", Mr Musk said: ""Good point, Twitter will make that change"".
witter's paid-for verification feature was rolled out for a second time last week after its launch was paused. The service costs $8 per month, or $11 for people using the Twitter app on Apple devices, and gives subscribers a ""blue tick"". 
Previously a blue tick was used as verification tool for high-profile accounts as a badge of authenticity and was free.
On Monday, Mr Musk held a poll on his future as chief executive. More than 17.5 million users voted and the majority backed him stepping down.
While the poll was running he replied to one user suggesting there was no replacement chief executive lined up, saying: ""No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor.""
gy tycoon, who also runs electric car maker Tesla and space rocket firm Space X, has faced much criticism since taking over the site.
He has obeyed the results of his Twitter polls in the past and quoted the phrase ""vox populi, vox dei"", a Latin phrase which roughly means ""the voice of the people is the voice of God"".
Mr Musk bought Twitter for $44bn (£36bn) in October after attempting to back out of the deal.
Since taking control, he has been criticised for his approach to content moderation, with some civil liberties groups accusing him of taking steps that will increase hate speech and misinformation.
On Friday, he was condemned by the United Nations and European Union over Twitter's decision to suspend some journalists who cover the social media firm. He has also fired about half of Twitter's staff. 
Mr Daisley said through Mr Musk's activity, you could ""get a hint"" over what he was thinking through his replies to users.
""He does seem to be quibbling with the vote,"" he added.
Mr Musk has also been accused of neglecting his electric car company Tesla, which is where most of his wealth is. Tesla shares have lost more than 60% in value this year, with some saying his obsession with Twitter is destroying the brand.
Last week, Leo KoGuan, the third largest individual shareholder in Tesla, called for Mr Musk to step down as the boss of the electric car maker.
""Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO. Tesla needs and deserves to have [a] working full time CEO,"" he tweeted."	/news/business-64034892
technology	Musk feuds with Apple over Twitter advertising	"Elon Musk has said Apple has halted most of its advertising on Twitter and accused the company of threatening to remove the platform from its app store.
feud comes as many companies have halted spending on Twitter amid concerns about Mr Musk's content moderation plans for the site.
Apple has not responded to requests for comment from the BBC.
Mr Musk has said Twitter has seen a ""massive"" drop in revenue, blaming activists for pressuring advertisers.
In a series of Tweets on Monday, he accused Apple of  ""censorship"" and criticised its policies, including the charge it levies on purchases made on its app store.
""Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?"" he said.
He appealed directly to Apple's CEO - asking: ""What's going on here @tim_cook?""
wner of the social media platform also claimed Apple had threatened to withhold Twitter from its app store, but did not say why.
Mr Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44bn last month, is under pressure as some companies halt spending.
He has said he hopes to make money by turning Twitter verification into a paid subscription service, but currently the vast majority of the site's revenue comes from advertising. 
Washington Post reported Apple was the top advertiser on Twitter, spending $48m on ads on the social network in the first quarter of 2022.
Companies including Cheerios maker General Mills and Volkswagen are among the firms that have halted their spending in recent weeks. 
Media Matters, a watchdog site, reported last week that half of Twitter's top advertisers had pulled their advertising on Twitter after concerns about the direction of Twitter.
Apple's media agency Omnicom recommended the Silicon Valley giant pause advertising on the platform out of concern for Apple's ""brand safety"", according to US tech site The Verge.
Elon Musk has worked out who really holds the power over social media companies. 
re famously doesn't like being told what to do. And yet Apple holds all the cards when it comes to Twitter. 
Firstly, as others have found out, only Apple decides who's allowed on the App Store. If Apple wanted to, it could stop Twitter from being downloaded on iPhones around the world - which would be a devastating blow for Twitter. 
Not only that but Apple can also charge what it likes for the privilege of being on the App Store. For companies like Twitter, it can charge anywhere from 15-30% for in-app purchases. 
rge has been challenged in the US courts by Fortnite producer Epic Games. In 2021, the company sued over Apple's commission for access to their ""walled garden"", as the App Store is referred to in the case. 
Lastly, Apple has the power to stop advertising on Twitter - an important source of revenue for the company. 
Mr Musk isn't the first to flag this power imbalance. Meta has for years complained about the dominance Apple holds over its Instagram and Facebook apps.
But in Mr Musk, Apple now has another powerful and very rich adversary. 
In picking a fight with Apple, Mr Musk is wading into a wider debate over the clout that Apple wields over online activity via its app store, which is the way that iPhone owners download games and other apps.
As it stands, Apple could take up to 30% of the money from the monthly fee Twitter plans to charge some users.
On Twitter, Mr Musk posted a meme saying ""pay 30%. Go To War"" with an arrow pointing to the latter. 
All companies listed in the app store have to abide by Apple's rules and pay its fees, or face removal or suspension. 
Last year Apple suspended social media platform Parler from the store, saying it didn't do enough to remove hate speech. 
Apple later restored Parler after the company updated its policies. "	/news/technology-63788437
technology	UK robot boat maps Pacific underwater volcano	A 12m robot boat called Maxlimer is currently mapping the underwater volcano in the Pacific that erupted in spectacular fashion in January. The uncrewed surface vessel (USV) moves back and forth over the Hunga-Tonga seamount, all the while controlled and monitored via satellite from the company HQ of Sea-Kit International in the UK.	/news/science-environment-62607675
technology	Jeremy Vine: My jailed stalker Alex Belfield says he'll be back	"Jeremey Vine: Stalker's YouTube was ""a fountain of hate""
Broadcaster Jeremy Vine has hit out at social media firms as he said his stalker had put out a video promising to be back.
Alex Belfield was sentenced to five and a half years last week, after being found guilty of stalking four people.
He posted videos and messages online about his victims and encouraged his followers to target them.
Vine told BBC Two's Newsnight social media firms ""don't care"" about hosting such material, leaving him ""broken"".
BBC Radio 2 presenter, 57, said Belfield - a 42-year-old former BBC local radio presenter - had taken him to a ""really unhealthy place"" and described his YouTube channel as a ""fountain of hate"".
He said: ""I was afraid of what he could do to my family. I was afraid because you have to think around corners with this stuff. 
""And, you know, we've seen knife attacks on MPs, MPs being killed, people who are prominent being attacked. So I'm not trying to give myself undue status here, but I had to think this through.""
Asked about the behaviour of social media giants YouTube and Twitter during the ordeal, Vine said he had been ""amazed"" how difficult it was to get YouTube to take action.
""They take down individual videos and then when he's convicted, they demonetised him. But half the videos about me are still out there,"" he said.
Because Belfield told his viewers to copy and share the videos, they will ""always be out there"", Vine said, adding ""I've got to live with that"".
""But the fact that YouTube hosts this stuff, they have no responsibility. They don't care,"" the journalist said. 
He said he was ""disgusted by their lack of values"" and also criticised Twitter as he said Belfield still possessed an account despite being in prison.
Vine said Belfield had put out a video saying he was going to be back up and running.
He added while there were now restraining orders in eight people's cases he thought the one thing you could do was ""deprive people of their platform"".
g judge, Mr Justice Saini, told Belfield one of his victims had been ""seconds away from taking his own life as a result of your conduct"".
Vine told Newsnight he thought if the courts had not stopped Belfield ""somebody would have died"".
He said he feared that at some point one of the 400,000 people watching Belfield's videos was ""going to take a knife or acid to my home"".
""The danger came from the online traffic, not from the individual,"" he said, adding Belfield wanted to ""create so much hatred against me that someone acted by proxy"". 
Vine said he had to take it seriously as Belfield had put his home address out.
""I've got two teenage daughters, you know, I can't be casual about it. So at that point I was scared for them,"" he said.
While Belfield never physically approached him, Vine said his actions had been worse than when he had had a physical stalker. 
""That was a picnic compared to this, because what happened in this case is that you were fired on from all directions. Every time you open your phone he's there,"" he said.
According to YouTube, following a review several videos have been removed from Belfield's ""Voice of Reason"" channel for violating its policies.
A YouTube spokesperson said: ""Monetisation on the Voice of Reason channel remains suspended for violating our creator responsibility policy. 
""Our community guidelines prohibit content that threatens individuals and we have removed several videos for violating these policies."" 
witter declined to comment."	/news/uk-62977842
technology	Elon Musk to quit as Twitter CEO when replacement found	"Elon Musk has said he will resign as Twitter's chief executive officer when he finds someone ""foolish enough to take the job"".
re had promised to abide by the result of a Twitter poll which saw 57.5% of users vote ""yes"" to him quitting the role.
He says he will still run the software and servers teams after his replacement is found. 
Changes on the platform since his takeover have been much criticised.
Since Mr Musk bought the social media site in October, he has fired about half of its staff and attempted a rollout of Twitter's paid-for verification feature before putting it on pause. The feature was relaunched last week.  
Civil liberties groups have also criticised his approach to content moderation, accusing him of taking steps that will increase hate speech and misinformation.
On Friday, Mr Musk was condemned by the United Nations and European Union over Twitter's decision to suspend some journalists who cover the social media firm.
UN tweeted that media freedom was ""not a toy"", while the EU threatened Twitter with sanctions.
first time the multibillionaire has responded to the poll launched on Sunday asking if he should resign. More than 17.5 million users voted, with 42.5% voting no to Mr Musk stepping down.
Finding someone to take over the social media platform may be a challenge, according to Mr Musk. After laying off Twitter staff last month, the billionaire reportedly told remaining workers that the company he just bought could see ""net negative cash flow of several billion dollars"" in 2023 and ""bankruptcy is not out of the question"".
""No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,"" he tweeted following this week's poll.
Some people speculate Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey could also come back to run the company. He resigned as chief executive in November 2021. 
Other names mentioned as possible replacements include Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's former chief operating officer, Sriram Krishnan, engineer and close confidante to Mr Musk, and Jared Kushner, US former presidential adviser and son-in-law of Donald Trump. 
In the past Mr Musk has obeyed Twitter polls. He is fond of quoting the Latin phrase vox populi, vox dei which roughly means ""the voice of the people is the voice of God"".
But on Tuesday, he confirmed Twitter would only allow paid subscribers with a blue tick to vote on changes to policy in future. 
It came after one user claimed that so-called bots appeared to have voted heavily in the poll about Mr Musk's role at the firm. Mr Musk said he found the claim ""interesting"".
Elon Musk's tenure as Twitter chief executive may turn out to be short, but it certainly wasn't sweet.
At times it felt like we were watching a train come off its tracks. 
He seemed to enjoy the circus he created. Did he get bored, did his investors pull him back, or did he finally listen to those telling him that Tesla, the electric car firm to which much of his wealth is linked, needs urgent attention from its CEO - also him - as its value continues to nosedive?
Given how open Mr Musk appears to be on Twitter, perhaps one day he will tell us.
But this is not the end of the Musk/Twitter show. He will still own the firm (nobody is likely to buy it off him any time soon, especially not at the price he paid), and he will undoubtedly still be a prolific and influential tweeter in his own right. 
Plus, he's got to find someone willing to take his place (and work with him) - and that position might prove a difficult one to fill. 
witter's paid-for verification feature was rolled out for a second time last week after its launch was paused. The service costs $8 per month, or $11 for people using the Twitter app on Apple devices, and gives subscribers a ""blue tick"". 
Previously a blue tick was used as a badge of authenticity and was free.
For weeks, investors have called on Mr Musk to step down from running the social media platform, saying he has been distracted from properly running Tesla.
Shares in the the electric car company have plummeted more than 65% over the past year. 
Mr Musk sold billions of dollars worth of Tesla shares to help fund his purchase, which helped to push the shares down.
""Finally a good step in the right direction to end this painful nightmare situation for Tesla investors,"" said Dan Ives from investment firm Wedbush Securities after Mr Musk's tweet on Tuesday."	/news/business-64037261
technology	Anti-drone laser weapon hub to be created in Scotland	"A European hub for high-energy laser weaponry is to be based in Livingston, Scotland, a big defence firm has said.
Raytheon UK said the ""advanced laser integration centre"" would open next year and would help meet growing demand for laser weapons designed to destroy small attack drones.
firm said the war in Ukraine had highlighted the threat they posed.
re will focus on the testing, fielding and maintenance of defensive high-energy laser (HEL) weapons.
Raytheon's anti-drone lasers are small enough to be fitted to military vehicles.
Last year, Raytheon was awarded a demonstrator contract to provide a high-energy laser weapon system to the UK Ministry of Defence, to be installed on the UK Wolfhound land vehicle, the company said.
It claims that ""demand is spiking for cost-effective lasers"" able to defeat ""asymmetric"" threats from drones, rockets and mortars.
Small commercial drones, which the weapons are designed to defend against, have demonstrated their military effectiveness in Ukraine, directing and correcting artillery fire and, in some cases, being modified to carry explosives.
Speaking from the Farnborough Airshow, Annabel Flores, Raytheon's president of electronic warfare systems, told the BBC some of the additional interest and demand for the technology was as a result of how drones had been used in the conflict.
""The thought is coming into how do you defend against them effectively, making our ongoing conversations with customers much deeper and much more pronounced,""  she said.
HEL weapons had advantages she added, particularly the cost per shot.
While military ordnance can be very expensive, drones and quadcopters are in the £84 range, she said.
Once connected to a power supply, she said, the system could keep running.
However, the weapons do not resemble the lasers of popular sci-fi, as their drone-destroying beams are invisible. 
""Hollywood makes it look very, very interesting and very dramatic. And this is a little different. It can look a little anti-climactic,"" Ms Flores said.
Raytheon says the laser system has 20,000 hours of operational use, but Ms Flores would not be drawn on whether the system had been ""used in anger"" yet.
Initially the number of jobs created by the new centre is likely to be small, but could increase to potentially ""hundreds of jobs"".
will depend on many factors of course, but the company believes that high-energy lasers could make up as much as 30% of of future air defence infrastructure.
While the firm would not be drawn on how much it would ultimately invest - citing pending financial results - it has already spent about £20m developing the Livingston site, the BBC understands.
It said the announcement was a ""statement of faith""  in both the UK's engineering sector and the important nature of the technology."	/news/technology-62202119
technology	AI reunites Holocaust survivor with childhood photos	"Blanche Fixler remembers hiding inside a bed while Nazis searched for her. 
""I felt them tapping on the bed,"" she recalls. ""I said, you better not breathe or sneeze or anything - or you'll be dead.""
Blanche was a survivor - she was lucky. Six million Jews like her were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust during World War Two. The names of more than one million of those people are unknown. 
Now a tool using artificial intelligence (AI) - built by Daniel Patt, a software engineer for Google - could hold the key to putting names to some of the many faces, both victims and survivors, in hundreds of thousands of historic photographs. It found Blanche in a wartime photo which she had never seen before.
Daniel's website, Numbers to Names, uses facial recognition technology to analyse a person's face. It then searches through archive photos to find potential matches.
ftware has been cross-referencing millions of faces, to try to find matches for people who have already been identified in one photo - but not in others.
work - joining the dots - could then help identify some people in photos whose identities are currently unknown. 
Blanche, who is now 86 and lives in New York, knew about the family snapshot below on the right - but she had never previously seen the group photo on the left, which was taken in France during the war.
It was Daniel's AI software which made the connection.
Blanche was known by the name Bronia as a child. She lived in Poland when the Nazis came looking for her and her family.
Her mother and her siblings were murdered - but she was saved, thanks to her Aunt Rose, who hid her.
Daniel travelled to meet Blanche to reunite her with the lost image from the past. 
It triggered a long forgotten memory in her - a French song she learned as a child.
Blanche immediately recognised herself standing at the front of the large group of people, but that's not all.
She also identified her Aunt Rose and one of the boys in the photo - giving Daniel and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum new information to work with.
""It's so important to identify these photos,"" says Scott Miller, director of curatorial affairs at the museum. 
""You're restoring some semblance of dignity to them, some comfort to their family, and it's a form of memorial for the entire Jewish community.""
""That's part of the problem. I can't stress enough how important these photos are of individuals. 
""We all know the figure - six million Jews were killed - but it's really one person six million times. Every person has a name, every person has a face.""
Before Blanche set eyes on the photo, only three people in it had been identified.
ks to Blanche, and Daniel's software, that number has doubled."	/news/technology-63483694
technology	Punjabi Lehar: Pakistan YouTuber reunites families split by partition	"A YouTube channel that connects Indians and Pakistanis who were separated by the 1947 partition has gained hundreds of thousands of followers from both countries.
Nasir Dhillon, 38, started Punjabi Lehar in 2016 with a friend - since then, he says the channel has helped hundreds of people reunite with their loved ones, often virtually, across the border.
When the British left India in 1947, they divided the territory into two independent countries - India and Pakistan. The partition was a deeply traumatic event that set off a wave of religious violence. About 12 million people became refugees and between 500,000 and a million people were killed.
ghbouring countries share a tense relationship, which makes it difficult for Indians and Pakistanis to travel across the border.
Mr Dhillon, who is a Muslim, says he was inspired to start Punjabi Lehar because of his own family's partition experience - his grandfather and father had moved to Pakistan from Amritsar in India's Punjab state. 
""They had a good life in Pakistan, but always yearned to go back to their village in Amritsar,"" he says. 
But they died before that wish could be fulfilled, something Mr Dhillon still feels guilty about. 
Punjabi Lehar hit headlines in India in January 2022 when a video of an emotional reunion between two brothers after 74 years went viral. One of the brothers, Sikka Khan, had remained in India with their mother while the other brother, Sadiq Khan, ended up in Pakistan with their father after partition. 
found each other after a man from Sikka Khan's village spotted an appeal made by Sadiq through a video posted on Punjabi Lehar. 
""There is no bigger virtue than reuniting loved ones,"" Mr Dhillon says. 
Before starting the channel, Mr Dhillon would often visit Nankana Sahib - the birth place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Here, he became friends with Bhupinder Singh Lovely, a Pakistani Sikh, who later co-founded Punjabi Lehar with him.
At Nankana Sahib, Mr Dhillon and Mr Lovely met several people whose family members had gone missing during the partition.
""In the beginning, we didn't really have a strategy. We would note down the details of people looking for family members and post them on our social media accounts,"" he says.
few successful reunions, with the videos getting praise and attention on social media.
's how they decided to create a YouTube channel specifically for connecting people separated by the partition.
w has more than 600,000 subscribers. Mr Dhillon says they are flooded with requests from people in India and Pakistan to find lost family members.
""People also approach us to find their ancestral houses or gurdwaras (the Sikh place of worship),"" he says.
Punjabi Lehar doesn't have a team but Mr Dhillon and Mr Lovely have now built up a network of contacts and activists in both countries, which helps them track people. 
While virtual reunions are still easier, they have been able to organise more physical meetings after the Kartarpur Sahib corridor was inaugurated on both sides of the border in 2019. The corridor is a visa-free crossing that allows Indian pilgrims to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara - the final resting place of Guru Nanak - in Pakistan. 
Mr Dhillon believes that the corridor's inauguration is the best thing to have happened to those who got separated from their loved ones during the partition. 
""Many people looking for separated family members are in their seventies now. They had given up hope of meeting them, but the Kartarpur corridor is making reunions possible,"" he says. The Khan brothers also met there in January.
Mr Dhillon says reuniting people is a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
""I have heard from my elders that people are remembered by the legacies they leave behind. I do it for the sake of my elders, for my redemption as well as theirs,"" he says.
But Mr Dhillon himself has one wish he is waiting to be fulfilled - to visit the village in Amritsar that his grandfather loved so much. He had applied for a visa once, but his request was rejected. 
""I have not given up. I still hope that I will be able to go there one day.""
India, the world's largest democracy, is celebrating 75 years of independence from British rule. This is the sixth story in the BBC's special series on this milestone.
Read more from the series here:"	/news/world-asia-india-62559815
technology	Twyford fury at 'blot on the landscape' 5G phone mast	"A phone mast that could be built on protected green space would be a ""blot on the landscape"" residents have said. 
Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL) wants to site a 5G mast in Twyford, Berkshire, but its application has attracted more than 30 objections. 
Residents claim the 20m mast would be a ""monstrosity"". 
MBNL argues without it the local community's network coverage would be transported ""back to 2005"".
mmunications company wants to install the 5G pole next to King George V Recreation Ground to provide network coverage for operators EE and 3. 
It said it considered alternative locations but ""due to the very specific target area, the recreation ground is considered the most suitable in terms of providing continued, permanent network coverage for the area"".
One resident, who lives directly opposite the proposed site, said they would not ""in a million years"" have bought their property earlier this year if ""this […] monstrosity"" had been in place. 
Another suggested the green space should be left alone as the mast's ""excessive height and ugliness"" would ""dominate the view"" of the park, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
Julie Crisp started an online petition opposing the mast, which she said would ""tower above the existing tree line and local properties"" creating a ""visually intrusive industrial look"" to the area. 
wyford Parish Council, while acknowledging the advantages of better network coverage, also said it was not in favour of the application.
""It is therefore requested that a new site be found that would have minimal impact on the surrounding area,"" it said. 
Since the start of 2021 it is the 19th application to install 5G equipment in the Wokingham borough, the overwhelming majority of which have been refused, according to the LDRS.
MBNL application will be determined by Wokingham Borough Council.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-berkshire-63504800
technology	Four Tet wins royalty battle over streaming music	"Pioneering electronic artist Four Tet has reached a settlement in the legal battle against his former record label. 
musician, whose real name is Kieran Hebden, sued Domino Records last year over the royalties he gets paid when his music is downloaded or streamed.
He argued that the 13.5% royalty rate he was being offered was unfair, and demanded a 50% split with the label.
In a settlement, Domino agreed to the honour the 50% rate and reimbursed the musician for historic underpayments.
It was quite a reversal for the indie label, which originally responded to the case by removing several Four Tet albums from streaming services (they were later reinstated).
""It has been a difficult and stressful experience to work my way through this court case and I'm so glad we got this positive result,"" wrote Hebden in a statement announcing the settlement. 
""Hopefully I've opened up a constructive dialogue and maybe prompted others to push for a fairer deal on historical contracts, written at a time when the music industry operated entirely differently.""
result could set a legal precedent for contract disputes in the music business; where royalty rates have been subject to heavy scrutiny since last year's inquiry into the streaming market by MPs on the Culture Select Committee.
However, Four Tet's legal challenge was ultimately decided out of court, so any future disputes would not be able to cite a legal judgement.
""Neither the courts, nor the settlement terms, have made any determination as to how streaming should be categorised or streaming income split,"" said Domino Records in a statement, adding it was ""pleased"" that Hebden had chosen to settle the case on ""financial terms first offered to him in November 2021"".
ute concerned the recording contract Hebden signed with Domino in 2001, which resulted in four albums: Pause (2001), Rounds (2003), Everything Ecstatic (2005) and There Is Love In You (2010).
was signed before the advent of downloads of streams - and his dispute hinged on whether those methods of accessing his music could be defined as a ""sale"" or a ""licence"" under the terms of his contract.
fference is far from academic because most artists receive 50% of the royalties for a licence but a much lower figure, typically between 12% and 22%, for a sale. 
Historically, the difference was due to the way music was distributed: selling music in the era of CDs, vinyl and cassettes incurred huge costs in manufacturing and distribution, which meant labels needed to cover their overheads. But when music is licensed to movies, television or advertisements, artists generally get a bigger payday, on the understanding that a third party is bearing the relevant costs. 
After the advent of iTunes and Spotify, labels often argued that downloads and streams should  be counted as sales.
rompted a flurry of lawsuits, especially in the US. Most famously, the producers who discovered Eminem won a case against Universal Records that forced the label to pay the higher ""licensing"" rate when his songs were downloaded.
Four Tet's case in the UK essentially made the same argument.
Domino had argued that digital downloads, including streams, were considered a new technology format and Hebden was only entitled to the 13.5% royalty rate (although they have paid him as much as 18% on a discretionary basis).
quickly became complicated, with Hebden adding a claim for breach of contract after Domino withdrew his music from streaming services; and Domino saying they may to take the case to the High Court, which Hebden could not afford.
However, in a statement posted on social media today, Hebden said he had been offered the 50% rate he had sought in a settlement, the details of which were made public.
""Domino have now agreed to treat streaming and download income as licensing income and will apply the 50% rate to streaming and download income going forward, and have reimbursed Kieran for the underpayment over recent years,"" said his lawyer, Aneesh Patel, in a statement.
""I really hope that my own course of action encourages anyone who might feel intimidated by challenging a record label with substantial means,"" added Hebden.
""Unlike Domino, I didn't work with a big law firm and luckily the case took place in the IPEC [Intellectual Property and Enterprise court] where legal costs are capped, so I was able to stand my ground.""
Hebden shared images of the settlement, which showed that he would receive £56,921.08 in respect of all historical streaming and download income, dated back to July 2017, in addition to interest calculated at a rate of 5% per year.
In a statement to the BBC, Domino added: ""Kieran's claim arose from differing interpretations of specific clauses in a contract entered into by Kieran and Domino in 2001 in the pre-streaming era, and the application of those clauses to streaming income. 
""Since 2021 Kieran has added to and pursued his claim despite numerous attempts by Domino to settle the matter.
""The case now having been settled, we are glad to be able to dedicate our full attention to resourcing and supporting our artists and we wish Kieran continued success in his career.""
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk."	/news/entertainment-arts-61871547
technology	Pupils' data spread online in Hereford school cyber attack	"A cyber attack at a secondary school led to pupils' information being published online.
West Mercia Police has launched an investigation into the breach on 9 October at Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, in Hampton Dene Road.
was taking the attack ""extremely seriously"" and was assisting the force with its inquiries.
""We have been open with our school community,"" it told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
Supt Ed Williams said: ""We're working with the school to establish the information that has been published to ensure any necessary safeguarding measures are put in place and any future risk is managed.""
In a statement, the school said: ""We are unable to make any further comment whilst the police investigate the organisation responsible for the cyberattack and breaching data from the school. 
""The cyber police are in the process of investigating and taking the cyber-attack extremely seriously.
""We have been open with our school community and are continuing to assist the police in the ongoing investigation.""
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-63590264
technology	Hackers may have exploited security flaws - Apple	"Apple has released an update to fix security flaws on its iPhone, iPad and Mac devices, which it says hackers may have ""actively exploited"".
mpany said the new software ""provides important security updates and is recommended for all users"".
flaw could allow hackers to take complete control of affected devices, industry experts have suggested.
update has been made available to iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and later and iPad 5th gen and later.
It is also available to the iPad mini 4 and later versions and the iPod touch (7th generation). Mac users running macOS Monterey are also being encouraged to update.
Apple said hackers used the flaw to infiltrate WebKit, the engine that powers Apple web browser Safari. The technology company said the exploit could be used by hackers if the user accessed ""maliciously-crafted web content"". 
re have so far been no confirmed reports of specific cases where the security flaw has been used against people or devices.
Software updates are an everyday (and sometimes irritating) part of our modern tech lives, but this is one update not to ignore.
r-security world is rightly concerned about the potential power hackers could wield if they target a device that is vulnerable to this attack.
So it's sensible to check the settings on your Apple gear and install the patch.  
Even better - turn on automatic updates.
For the vast majority of users there is nothing to panic about as there is no suggestion that hackers have exploited the security loophole to launch mass attacks against the general public.
It also has to be said that the outcry on social media about the security update is possibly overblown.
Apple has released similar emergency security updates throughout the year - most recently in March - without much fanfare or panic.
According to its security update page: ""Apple doesn't disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are available""."	/news/technology-62602909
technology	Trump's Truth Social barred from Google Play	"Former US President Donald Trump's social media platform has been barred from Google Play.
Google says the platform violates its policies on prohibiting content like physical threats and incitement to violence.
move makes it difficult for users with Android phones to download the app.
Devin Nunes, the CEO of Truth Social, has previously called Google a ""monopoly"".
ruth Social launched on Apple's App Store in February, though the roll-out was beset by problems.
However, the app isn't available on Google Play, where the vast majority of apps are downloaded on Android phones. 
Last week Truth Social's CEO said the decision on whether the app would be available was ""up to the Google Play Store"".
But Google says it's down to Truth Social to comply with its rules. 
A Google spokesperson told the BBC: ""On August 19 we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies. 
""Having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play,"" they added.
Google says it has offered Truth Social advice on how to fix the problems. Truth Social did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
ruth Social is often described as a ""free speech"" platform. 
However, for the app to be downloadable on the vast majority of the world's phones it needs to be approved by Apple and Google. 
Far from Truth Social being a place of unfettered free speech, the platform in fact has many rules on what you can and cannot say. 
In fact, Truth Social has a long list, in its Terms of Service, of things that can and cannot be posted.
form was founded by Mr Trump, and is where the former president chooses to post on social media. Mr Trump was banned from Twitter and Facebook after last year's US Capitol riot. 
Critics argue that Truth Social has a problem with disinformation and hate speech.
A report released on Monday found 47 verified accounts that promoted QAnon conspiracy theories on the platform."	/news/technology-62733451
technology	Scale of abuse of politicians on Twitter revealed	"More than 3,000 offensive tweets are sent to UK Members of Parliament every day, a BBC investigation into the extent of online abuse has found.
Analysis of three million tweets aimed at MPs over a six-week period found more than 130,000, around one in 20, could be classed as toxic.
MP Jess Phillips says the level of abuse has created an unsustainable culture where politicians are afraid to speak their mind on important issues.
witter was unavailable for comment.
Our investigation found more than 130,000 tweets mentioning MPs were considered likely to be toxic and 20,000 severely toxic.
All 20 of the MPs to receive the highest proportion of toxic comments were not members of the cabinet or shadow cabinet
Ms Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said politicians accepted robust criticism was part of their job, but she said a line was crossed when the language used was sexist, racist, or over-sexualised.
""Sadly, women politicians suffer huge amounts of thinly-veiled or completely direct rape and sexual violence threats,"" she said. 
""When it becomes not about a subject but about the way you look and about your children and family that's when it crosses the line.""
Ms Phillips said she knew of colleagues who had even voted against their principles on a range of matters including Brexit and military intervention in Syria in order to avoid a backlash on social media.
BBC's Shared Data Unit used Perspective, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to spot toxic comments online. 
Developed by Jigsaw, a research unit within Google, it defines a toxic comment as one which is ""rude, disrespectful or unreasonable"" and ""likely to make someone leave a conversation"".  
udes a broad range of results, which can range from defining someone as an ""idiot"" to, in the most extreme cases, things like misogyny and racism.
m analysed all tweets mentioning MPs from March to Mid-April.
Machine learning algorithms allow researchers and journalists to measure a phenomenon at a scale which would otherwise not be feasible with other methods.
Like most statistical methods, an algorithm will produce an estimate — with a certain margin of error, but a margin narrow enough that it is still useful as a guide to the broad scale of a phenomenon.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the largest number of tweets considered toxic at 19,000, around 4% of the total he received.
Other MPs to receive the highest number of offensive tweets included former culture secretary Nadine Dorries (9,000), Rishi Sunak (9,000), who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (8,000).
However, the MPs who received the highest proportion of toxic tweets were backbenchers at the time.
Among them was Mansfield's Conservative MP Ben Bradley.  He was mentioned in hundreds of toxic-rated tweets after arguing for the privatisation of Channel 4.
Shadow financial secretary James Murray received more than 300 toxic tweets in a single day when he spoke about transgender rights in a radio interview.
And Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison received offensive tweets when she wrote a critical open letter to actor Will Smith following his assault of Chris Rock during the Academy Awards.
Ms Davison is a campaigner for greater awareness around the dangers of one-punch assaults.
She told BBC Radio Tees some of the abuse she received had been sinister.
""I've had people talking about how my dead dad must be looking down on me in shame,"" she said. ""There's been a lot of sexually explicit stuff.""
gation found female MPs were more likely to be called ""thick"" and ""ignorant"" and be subject to sexualised language than their male counterparts.
Virginia Crosbie was elected to the Ynys Môn seat in North-West Wales in 2019 and said she had received several violent threats on social media including threats of being hanged and poisoned.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she said: ""It is absolutely horrendous.  In my experience, we are in an epidemic and it's not just on Twitter, it's on all forms of social media.
""Society really needs to call it out. What we are seeing on social media is the opposition… use it to dehumanise me - I really get the Holy Trinity of abuse, I am a woman, I am a Conservative and I sound English.""
Conservative MP for Meon Valley Flick Drummond quit Twitter in 2021 citing ""out-of-hand"" abuse.
She said she came off the platform because trolls could hide behind anonymous Twitter handles.
She said: ""You don't know who they are.  It's just vile, and I have to say my mental health is much improved since I've come off it."" 
Ellen Judson is the head of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank Demos.
She said social media was becoming increasingly ""democratically dangerous"" in the way it was shaping debate and normalising misogyny.
""The public should be able to criticise their MPs and MPs should be accountable, that's critical to a democracy,"" she said.
""But if what we are seeing is this abuse occurring and then that affecting how MPs are voting and thinking about the decisions they are making - that's not based on listening to the public and engaging with the public's experience - it's just responding to a fear of abuse from a minority of very loud trolls.""
Ms Phillips said some topics had become difficult to talk about online.
She said: ""The kind of abuse you will suffer online - and certainly on Twitter - means Twitter is not the place to have a debate. 
""The trans debate is exactly the sort of issue where you can see this writ large. People don't want to touch it regardless of your viewpoint and the majority of MPs will have a nuanced viewpoint.
""There is no way of winning in that space - it's so horrendous.
""Specifically the issue over women's rights butting up against the trans debate.  I've no doubt the toxic environment has stopped concerted efforts for progress on this issue.""
Last month, the world's richest man, Elon Musk, completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, announcing days later there would be no change to its moderation policies for now.
Both Demos and Mrs Phillips believe tighter regulation of social media companies is necessary.
Mrs Judson said part of the challenge in reducing toxicity was the fact those companies were seen as a place of free speech, while also operating in a commercial environment.
, she added, meant the material likely to get ""clicks or likes or shares"" was also ""the most polarising, divisive and toxic"".
Ms Phillips said the delayed Online Safety Bill going through parliament needed to include ""genuine criminal and financial sanctions"" for companies that fail to moderate online abuse.
BBC had contacted Twitter for a response, but the firm was unable to reply.
witter has previously said it is committed to combatting abuse as outlined in its Hateful Conduct Policy.
On its website, it says: ""We are committed to combating abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance, particularly abuse that seeks to silence the voices of those who have been historically marginalized. 
""For this reason, we prohibit behaviour that targets individuals or groups with abuse based on their perceived membership in a protected category.""
mpany has also previously pointed out it has a much more open platform than other social media companies, which allows researchers to ""enhance and research the public conversation"".
Lucy Wasserman, a software engineering manager at Jigsaw, said: ""We do really aim for Perspective to capture toxicity as being distinct from just negative sentiment.
""You should be able to criticise in a healthy way and that would not be picked up by the algorithm. Healthy criticism should not be considered toxic."""	/news/uk-63330885
technology	Newport Wafer Fab: Job fears as Chinese told to sell microchip plant	"Job losses are ""inevitable"" if Nexperia is forced to sell its controlling stake in the UK's largest microchip factory, the company has said.
Newport Wafer Fab, which employs more than 500 people, was bought out by the subsidiary of Shanghai's Wingtech in July 2021. 
UK government has ordered the sale be reversed because of national security concerns.
It is worried about the potential influence of the Chinese government.
usiness's UK operations chief, Tony Versluijs, insisted there was ""no risk whatsoever"".
""We are genuinely shocked by this decision,"" he said.
""We believe it's the wrong decision and we'll look to get it overturned.""
It was, he said, wrong for the UK's semiconductor industry and for the taxpayer.
""Any other owner would have a hell of a job keeping the same level of jobs over here,"" Mr Versluijs said. 
""That would mean that redundancies would be inevitable.""
microchips made at Newport Wafer Fab, called semiconductors, let electricity flow through devices, and are key to smartphones, laptops and other tech.
UK and US politicians had concerns about Nexperia's acquisition of the site before the sale.
Cybersecurity expert Dominique Lazanski said that stemmed from how China could exploit control of the company.
""Most Chinese companies, 99.9% of them, have some sort of influence into them from the Chinese Communist Party,"" she said.
Industries had to seek approval for activities and investments through the Communist Party, she said. 
""When a Chinese company or a subsidiary goes and tries to buy a company that makes specific technology and holds specific intellectual property, that's a concern,"" she said.
""They have access effectively to the UK, to investment, to potentially what the government is doing and more importantly to research"".
UK government said its concerns centred around the threat of ""undermining UK capabilities"" in making semiconductors.
It claimed the site's location in the semiconductor cluster on the Duffryn industrial estate in Newport could ""facilitate access to technological expertise and know-how"".
Mr Versluijs dismissed those concerns about national security as hypothetical.
He said: ""The decision is not about what is actually happening at this site. It's all about what could happen. What might happen.
""It's all hypothetical - and the jobs are real"".
Employee Dennis Knight said they were stunned by the decision.
He said: ""There's complete disbelief at what the government have done"".
Linda Wainfur, who has worked there for 38 years, said: ""Although I'm coming to the end of my working life, it would be good to see other people being able to do the same.
""I truly believe that with this decision, that won't happen.""
UK government said the country had a strong semiconductor sector and the technology would ""continue to support the UK and global economy""."	/news/uk-wales-63668621
technology	Cost of living: Inside the 'foodbank' for data	"With inflation rising to record levels, many people are facing a hard choice: either pay for online access or use the money for essentials like food or heating. BBC Technology reporter Chris Vallance hears from users of one service designed to combat data poverty.
As prices have risen, Lewa and her family have needed to make savings -  she cut back on food but also data: ""Sometimes I would share my internet with my neighbour using her internet,""  she says.
Money was scarce even before the cost of living crisis: ""I lost my husband three years ago. And financially everything became really hard. I've been struggling with three kids, all at different stages. One of them is eight, one is 12 and one of them's 19.
""I remember my son used to go to do his homework at the library. And he he was spending so much time there just because of the internet.""
Lewa - who did not wish the BBC to use her last name - says many people she knows face similar choices, but she has now found help.
National Databank, an organisation founded by Virgin Media O2 and digital inclusion charity the Good Things Foundation, describes itself as like a foodbank  - but for free mobile data, texts and calls.
A donation from Virgin Media O2 - timed to coincide with the databank's first anniversary - means people can now get 20GB of data per month.
About 400 community organisations and groups that work with the Good Things Foundation, can request donations of mobile data - in the form of SIM cards or O2 vouchers - from the databank for the people they support.
Lewa told me that without this help she doesn't know how she would have been able to afford data.
Hafsha Dadabhai Shaikh, who works to help people access free data from the databank, says Lewa's story is typical: ""People out there are making those choices between 'do I have enough money to feed myself and my family this month?...and do I have enough money left over to put in the kitty to buy some data'?"" 
She says data is essential: ""Families are having to go online to see their GPs, order prescriptions, make financial choices as well. Some of the big supermarkets, they all have online loyalty cards, and you need to go online to find the better deals.""
Lewa agrees data is essential, as managing Universal Credit, doctor appointments and prescriptions are all most easily accessed via the internet. Her eldest son recently found a job, and that was through the internet.
general pinch on people's finances as food and energy costs increase, has also fed into big rises in inflation-linked bills from many of the big telecommunications firms.
Some mobile and broadband packages linked to inflation have seen mid-contract increases of as much as 11%, according to price comparison site Uswitch - although these increases only affect some customers. For others, experts say, bills have remained fairly stable.
Ofcom has previously estimated that 1.1 million households are ""struggling to afford their home broadband service"". And a recent survey of 4,000 adults on low incomes, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, suggested that 7% are in arrears on their internet bills, owing an average of £171. 
At a meeting last month at Number 10, attended by the culture secretary Nadine Dorries and the heads of the big broadband and mobile firms, the government says it secured ""strong commitments from broadband and mobile companies to help families worried about bills to stay connected"".
Mark Jackson of ISPReview- a news site which covers internet connectivity - said of the pledges: ""None of this seems particularly new, with most of those same providers already saying they were doing much or all of this"".
government maintains its negotiations have resulted in a range of social tariffs available ""across 99 per cent of the country"".
Social tariffs - low-cost deals which most firms offer to low-income households - can significantly reduce bills. 
But in a letter to broadband suppliers in April, Ms Dorries noted that only 1-2% of Universal Credit claimants take up social tariffs. She called on firms to do more to promote them.
Back at the Databank, Lewa hadn't heard of social tariffs. Ms Dadabhai Shaikh agreed they are not well known. She speculates that ""people don't know about them because most of this information is probably online"".
In fact, communications regulator Ofcom does maintain an online list of firms offering social tariffs - some of the big firms would prefer to be told if a customer is claiming benefits, so these tariffs can be offered automatically. "	/news/technology-61974877
technology	Primark boss tells BBC why it is finally going online	Primark's chief executive Paul Marchant discusses the chain's new click-and-collect service with the BBC's Emma Simpson.	/news/business-63587132
technology	Australia phones cyber-attack exposes personal data	"Australia's second-largest telecommunications company, Optus, has reported a cyber-attack.
reach exposed customers' names, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses. 
mpany - which has more than ten million subscribers - says it has shut down the attack but not before other details such as driver's licences and passport numbers were hacked. 
Optus says payment data and account passwords were not compromised. 
mpany said it would notify those at ""heightened risk"" but all customers should check their accounts.
Chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin apologised to its customers, on ABC TV.
She said names, dates of birth and contact details had been accessed, ""in some cases"" the driving licence number, and in ""a rare number of cases the passport and the mailing address"" had also been exposed.
mpany had notified the Australian Federal Police after noticing ""unusual activity"".
And investigators were trying ""to understand who has been accessing the data and for what purpose"".
Optus says the type of information that may have been hacked includes customers'
""Optus is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre to mitigate any risks to customers,"" a statement on its website said.
""Optus has also notified key financial institutions about this matter. 
""While we are not aware of customers having suffered any harm, we encourage customers to have heightened awareness across their accounts, including looking out for unusual or fraudulent activity and any notifications which seem odd or suspicious."" 
Ms Rosmarin said the company had put all customers on high alert as a precaution - but many have been left frustrated and concerned. 
Kaspersky cyber-security researcher David Emm told BBC News: ""It's good to see that Optus has said that it will contact those it believes are affected and that they will not be sending messages in emails or via SMS [text] messages - this makes it clear to customers that any such messages they receive will be fake.  
""It's also reassuring that no passwords or payment information has been stolen.  
""Nevertheless, customers should be on the alert for any fraudulent activity they see and should protect their online accounts with unique, complex passwords and using two-factor authentication."""	/news/technology-62996101
technology	Inside the secret world of trading nudes	"Women are facing threats and blackmail from a mob of anonymous strangers after their personal details, intimate photos and videos were shared on the social media platform Reddit. The BBC has unmasked the man behind one of the groups, thanks to a second-hand cigarette lighter.
""£5 for her nudes, DM me.""
""I've got some of her vids looking to trade."" 
""What are we gonna do to her?""
I felt sick as I scrolled through the images and comments online.
re were thousands of photographs. A seemingly endless stream of naked or partially dressed women. Underneath, men were posting vicious commentary about the women, including rape threats. Much of what I saw was too explicit to share here.
A tip-off from a friend had brought me to these images. One of her pictures had been lifted from Instagram and posted on Reddit. It was not a nude but was still accompanied by sexual and degrading language. She was concerned for herself and other women.
What I found was a marketplace. Hundreds of anonymous profiles were dedicated to sharing, trading and selling explicit images - and it all appeared to be without the permission of the women pictured.
It seemed like a new evolution of so-called revenge porn, where private sexual material is published online without consent, often by embittered ex-partners. 
Not only were these intimate images being shared for an audience of thousands, but men - lurking behind the mask of anonymity - were teaming up to expose the real-life identities of these women, a practice known as doxing. 
Addresses, phone numbers and social media handles were being swapped online - the women then being targeted with lurid sexual comments, threats and blackmail. 
It felt like I had stumbled into a very dark corner of the internet, but this was all happening on a major social media platform.
Reddit brands itself as ""the front page of the internet"". It has built an audience of about 50 million daily users - roughly four million in the UK - by letting people set up and run forums, known as ""subreddits"", dedicated to all kinds of interests. Most subreddits are harmless, but Reddit has a history of hosting controversial sexual content.
In 2014, a huge cache of private images of celebrities was shared on the site, and four years later Reddit shut down a group which was using ""deepfake"" technology - a kind of artificial intelligence - to superimpose celebrities into porn videos.
Responding to these controversies, the US-based company introduced stricter rules and strengthened its ban on posting or threatening to post intimate or sexually explicit media of people without their consent.
I wanted to understand how women's intimate photographs were still being shared on Reddit and what it was like for those affected. 
I wanted to find out who was behind it.
I could see that Reddit's ban wasn't working.
We found dozens of subreddits dedicated to sharing intimate images of women from all over the UK.
first one I looked at was focused on South Asian women and had more than 20,000 users, most of whom seemed to be men from the same community, with comments in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. Some of the women I recognised because they had large social media followings. A few I even knew personally.
re were more than 15,000 images. We looked at a thousand of them and found sexually explicit pictures of 150 different women. All were being dehumanised as sexual objects in the comments. I was sure none of the women would have consented to appearing on this forum.
Some, like the one my friend discovered of herself, were images lifted from the women's social media and weren't explicit. But they were accompanied by degrading comments and sometimes requests to hack victims' phones and computers for nudes.
One woman we contacted says she now gets intrusive, sexual messages on social media ""every day"" after the group posted an image of her in a crop top from Instagram, alongside comments about raping her.
men on the subreddit were also sharing and selling naked photos of the women. These images looked like selfies which had been sent between partners and were not meant for public consumption.
re were also videos - even more graphic - where it appeared as though the women had been secretly filmed during sex.
One thread of messages featured images of a naked woman giving oral sex. 
""Anyone got any vids of this [expletive]?"" an anonymous user asked, using a derogatory name for her.
""I have her whole folder for £5, snap me,"" another said.
""What's her socials,"" asked a third.
Ayesha - not her real name - discovered videos of her were being shared on the subreddit last year. She believes she had been secretly filmed by an ex-partner.
She didn't just have to deal with the violation of her trust, she also faced a wave of harassment and threats on social media when her personal details were posted on the forum.
""If you don't have sex with me, I'll send it to your parents. I will come and find you… If you don't agree to having sex with me, I will rape you."" Her harassers tried to blackmail her for more images as well.
""Being a Pakistani girl, it's not right in our community for us to even get sexual before marriage or anything like that - that's not acceptable,"" she says.
Ayesha stopped socialising or even leaving the house, and eventually tried to take her own life. After her suicide attempt, she had to tell her parents what had happened. Her mother and father both fell into depression, she says.
""I felt so ashamed of everything that was going on and that I'd put them in this situation,"" she says.
Ayesha contacted Reddit several times. On one occasion, a video was deleted almost immediately but it took four months to remove another. And it didn't end there. The deleted content had already been shared on other social media sites and eventually appeared back on the original subreddit a month later.
ubreddit that shamed and harassed Ayesha was set up and moderated by a user called Zippomad - a name that would eventually provide the clue to tracking him down.
As moderator, Zippomad was supposed to make sure his subreddit discussion group followed Reddit's rules. But he did the opposite. 
Since first tracking his subreddit, I've seen him create new versions of it three times - after each previous version was shut down by Reddit due to complaints. Each new incarnation used a variation of the same name, which includes a racial slur too offensive to repeat. Each one was filled with the same material - and each had thousands of active users.
rade in nudes has become widespread enough for experts in online abuse to give it a name: collector culture.
Clare McGlynn, a law professor at the University of Durham who's an expert on this kind of online abuse, says: ""This is not a phenomenon of perverts or weirdos or other oddballs who are doing this. There are too many of them, and it's tens of thousands of men.""
rading images takes place in small, private chat groups in messaging apps as well as websites where tens of thousands of men gather, Prof McGlynn says.
She says many of the men involved gain status in these communities by building up large collections of non-consensual images. This obsessive hoarding can make it hard to stamp out, as Ayesha found out when deleted videos were simply reposted from other collections.
Secret World of Trading Nudes
Monika Plaha investigates the disturbing online trade in sexually explicit images and video of women, often taken and posted on social media without their consent.
Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK Only)
Seven women who've tried to get their images removed from Reddit told me they didn't feel the company was doing enough to help. Four said the material was never removed by Reddit and some had to wait eight months before content was deleted.
Reddit has told us it removed just over 88,000 non-consensual sexual images last year and says it takes the issue ""extremely seriously"".
It says it uses automated tools and has a team of staff to find and remove intimate images published without permission. It adds that it regularly takes action, including closing down forums.
""We know we have more work to do to prevent, detect, and action this content even more quickly and accurately, and we are investing now in our teams, tools, and processes to achieve this goal,"" a company spokesperson said.
Like tech companies, UK law is struggling to protect women from having their private images shared online. 
When Georgie was contacted by a stranger and told explicit images of her were being shared on the internet, she went to the police. She knew that only one person should have had access to them.
""I can't even compute how many people might have already seen them? And there is no way of stopping more people seeing them. In this moment, right now, people might be looking at them,"" she says.
Her ex-partner texted her to admit sharing the images, but she says he told her ""he didn't mean to hurt or embarrass me"".
rt of his confession turned out to be a legal loophole. Existing legislation against revenge porn across the UK requires proof that the person sharing photos without permission is doing it to cause distress to the victim. The Law Commission, an independent advisory body to the government, has recommended removing the requirement to prove intent to cause harm. But the Online Safety Bill currently progressing through Parliament does not include that change.
I wanted to track down Zippomad, the Reddit user who created the forum targeting South Asian women - including Ayesha. As I looked through his history of comments on the site, there was no real name, email address or pictures to be found. Only his username provided a clue as to who he was - he collected Zippo lighters and had one for sale. So I got in touch using a fake account and offered to buy it.
He agreed to set up a meeting and our undercover reporter finally came face-to-face with the man who had created the forum where the privacy of so many women had been violated.
His name is Himesh Shingadia. He's university-educated and works as a manager at a large company. It wasn't who I expected to find at all.
After Panorama contacted him, Mr Shingadia deleted his subreddit. In a statement, he says the group had been intended to ""appreciate South Asian women"". Due to the high number of users, he says he found it impossible to moderate the forum.
He says he never shared anyone's private details or traded images himself and says he helped to remove some sexually explicit material when asked to by women.
""Zippomad is deeply embarrassed and ashamed of his actions, this does not reflect his real personality,"" the statement says.
Reddit has also removed the other, similar groups that we highlighted to the company.
It means almost a thousand women have, at last, had their images taken down - but that's little comfort after the pain of unwanted exposure. 
mpanies and legislators will need to make changes to prevent more women from being exploited by this trade.
As Georgie says about the ex-partner who shared her images: ""I don't want to punish him. I want him to never do it again.""
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised,  help and advice can be found here"	/news/uk-62564028
technology	Roblox removes 'meat grinder' Ukraine v Russia game	"world's biggest gaming platform for children, Roblox, has removed two games that allowed players to fight and kill each other as Russians or Ukrainians.  
One of them, called War on Larkiv: Ukraine, was showcased to users in the Roblox discovery section.
It clocked up 90,000 plays in less than two weeks.
Roblox said that both games violated its community standards and removed them within four hours of being contacted by the BBC. 
War on Larkiv was based in a fictional city that resembled the real city of Kharkiv, where hundreds of people have died in indiscriminate shelling after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February this year.
r game, called Battle for Ukraine, had been on the Roblox website for months.
It allowed players to watch the bombing of cities such as Mariupol, which was besieged and largely destroyed by Russian forces earlier this year.
Fifty million players, mainly children, log in to Roblox every day to explore, play mini-games and create their own ""experiences"".
re are millions of these player-generated experiences.
most popular are showcased to Roblox players through a curated home screen, but others can be found using the search function.
War on Larkiv: Ukraine grew in popularity because it was showcased and had a review score of 71% from users.
It had also gained an audience on TikTok, with 4.7 million views of videos related to the title.
game encouraged players to upgrade their weapons in exchange for Roblox's in-game currency, Robux.
game page read: ""Grab your guns and choose your side to fight in the War on Larkiv: Ukraine. Heavy combat is taking place right now in the fictional city of Larkiv, soldiers strive with hope and destiny.""
Players could choose to fight for Ukraine or Russia, with a kill count on each side updating throughout the live game that anyone on the platform could take part in.
BBC monitored the game on and off for two days and found it had a continuous player base of about 10 to 40 people, with many sharing game chat in English, Ukrainian and Russian.  
A Roblox spokesman said: ""We have strict Community Standards which govern the portrayal of real-world events. Both of the experiences in question have been removed for violating our standards following an assessment by our moderation team.""
Ukrainian game developer Grisha Bolshakov, who fled his home in Kharkiv and is now living in the UK, said he would never try to make an entertainment game about the war.
""Obviously a game with this sensational topic will resonate and generate interest on social platforms, but I would never touch this topic for an entertainment product,
""It's not helping to educate players morally or take a real look at rather sad things. It's just making fun from the meat grinder happening in the real world.""
Controversies are not new to Roblox, a huge sprawling world of games valued at about $24bn (£18bn).
Recent headlines have referred to sex rooms and inappropriate sexual content about Kim Kardashian.
re are also other war simulation games seemingly based on active Middle Eastern conflicts that have been available for over a year.
""The model is broken,"" technology and ethics researcher Stephanie Hare says of Roblox's moderation system.
""There is an argument that the company has the right to profit from content that some people find offensive, but clearly these games broke their own decency rules, so why wasn't it spotted before a reporter found it? 
""It comes down to incentive - there's no penalty or enforcement, so the company can just rely on inadequate tools and staffing and this will keep happening.""
Unlike many games companies, Roblox has not stopped or suspended trading in Russia since the invasion.
At a recent Roblox developer conference, Chief Executive Dave Baszucki said Russia sees more than two million active Roblox users a day, according to Bloomberg reporting. "	/news/technology-63078950
technology	Ukraine war: Iranian drone experts 'on the ground' in Crimea - US	"Iran has deployed military experts in Russian-occupied Crimea to help launch drone attacks on Ukraine, the White House says.
Iranians are trainers and tech support workers, a US spokesman said.
Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was struck by ""kamikaze"" drones on Monday, deployed by Russia but believed to be Iranian-made.
UK has announced sanctions on Iranian businesses and individuals responsible for supplying the drones.
""We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,"" White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
A ""relatively small"" number of Iranians are providing technical support and Russians are piloting the drones in Ukraine, he said. 
""Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground, and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,"" Mr Kirby said.
US will ""pursue all means"" to ""expose, deter and confront Iran's provision of these munitions against the Ukrainian people"", he added.
Ukraine identified the drones - or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - used on Monday as Iranian Shahed-136 weapons. 
re known as ""kamikaze"" drones because they are destroyed in the attack - named after the Japanese fighter pilots who flew suicide missions in World War Two.
Russia has used the drones and missiles to hit critical infrastructure around Ukraine in recent days, destroying almost a third of the country's power stations since Monday last week. 
As a result, restrictions on electricity use were introduced in Ukraine for the first time on Thursday. 
UK has announced sanctions on three Iranian generals and an arms firm over Russia's use of Iranian drones to attack Ukraine.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly accused those listed of ""warmongering"" and profiting off Moscow's ""abhorrent"" attacks.
Among those targeted is the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, as well as Shahed Aviation Industries, a drone manufacturer.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of placing explosives on a key dam in southern Ukraine.
If the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is critically damaged, 80 towns and cities could be flooded and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could be left without water for cooling, Mr Zelensky said. 
It could also deprive the whole of southern Ukraine, including Crimea, of its water supply. 
On Wednesday, the respected Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Moscow may be planning an attack on the dam which it would blame on Ukraine, believing that the resulting flooding may give Russian forces cover as they retreat from parts of the Kherson region. The dam is 70km (45 miles) north-east of the city of Kherson.
Russia is evacuating civilians from the parts of Kherson region under its control, in expectation of a Ukrainian offensive to take the city. "	/news/world-europe-63329266
technology	Man reunited with phone lost in River Wye for 10 months	"A man who lost his mobile phone in the River Wye 10 months ago says he ""can't believe"" it has been returned to him in working order.
Owain Davies dropped his iPhone while canoeing on a stag do in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, in August 2021.
Miguel Pacheco found it earlier this month while canoeing with his family, dried it out at home and posted photos online to try to track down the owner.
""I didn't think it was any good. It was full of water,"" he said.
He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire he went to a lot of effort to dry out the phone because there may have been ""sentimental"" things on it.
""I know if I lost my phone, I've got a lot of pictures of my children, I know I'd want that back, "" he said.
After Mr Pacheco, from Drybrook, Gloucestershire, found the phone, he dried it out with an airline and compressor, before placing it in the airing cupboard overnight.
""In the morning when I put it on charge, I just couldn't believe it,"" he said.
reensaver showed a photo of a man and woman with the date 13 August; the day it had fallen into the water.
After posting the photos in his local Cinder Noticeboard Facebook group, they were shared more than 4,000 times.
Despite its owner being off social media for the past six months, the photo was eventually recognised by friends of Owain Davis and his fiancée Fiona Gardner, who live in Edinburgh.
Mr Davies said: ""I was in a two-man canoe and my partner probably shouldn't have stood up, and needless to say we fell in.
""The phone was in my back pocket and as soon as it was in the water I realised the phone was gone.""
He was impressed Mr Pacheco had made such an effort to recover his phone.
""My natural reaction would be to hand it into the nearest pub. It wouldn't be to use my air compressor to dry it out and dismantle it.""
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-61867618
technology	Facebook: Meta fined €265m by Irish Data Protection Commission	"Meta, the company which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been fined €265m (£228m) by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). 
fine is over a data breach that saw the personal details of hundreds of millions of Facebook users published online.
Phone numbers and email addresses of up to 533m users appeared on an online hacking forum.
DPC launched an investigation in April 2021.
Facebook said at the time that the information, some of which had already appeared online a number of years ago, was ""scraped"", but not hacked, by malicious actors through a vulnerability in its tools prior to September 2019.
""Scraping"" uses automated software to lift public information from the internet that can then end up being distributed in online forums.
However, the DPC found that Meta was in breach of Article 25 of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules.
""Because this data set was so large, because there had been previous instances of scraping on the platform, where the issues could have been identified in a more timely way, we ultimately imposed a significant sanction,"" Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon said.
""The risks are considerable for individuals in terms of scamming, spamming, smishing, phishing and loss of control over their personal data so we imposed a fine of €265m in total."" 
As well as the fine, Meta has been issued with a reprimand and an order requiring it to bring its processing into compliance by taking a range of specified remedial actions within a particular timeframe.
A spokesman for the company said: ""Protecting the privacy and security of people's data is fundamental to how our business works. That's why we have cooperated fully with the Irish Data Protection Commission on this important issue. 
""We made changes to our systems during the time in question, including removing the ability to scrape our features in this way using phone numbers. 
""Unauthorised data scraping is unacceptable and against our rules and we will continue working with our peers on this industry challenge. We are reviewing this decision carefully."" 
In September, Meta lodged an appeal in the High Court against a record fine of €405m imposed on Instagram by the DPC.
It was the largest fine ever handed down by the Irish data watchdog and was issued for breaches relating to the processing of children's data."	/news/world-europe-63786893
technology	Bank invests £10m in light technology firm pureLiFi	"A Scottish firm is set to roll out its wireless communications technology on a global scale after securing £10m from the Scottish National Investment Bank.
Edinburgh-based pureLiFi's tech uses light to transmit data rather than conventional radio frequency systems such as wi-fi and 5G.
Last year, it signed a major deal with the US military to supply an optical wireless communication system.
firm said the bank's investment would help it develop new technology. 
It also wants to open up other markets in areas such as mobile phones, tablets, wearables and other connected devices. 
Li-fi - short for light fidelity - is an emerging technology. 
rm was coined by a University of Edinburgh professor, who In 2011 demonstrated how an LED bulb equipped with signal-processing technology could stream a high-definition video to a computer.
PureLiFi chief executive Alistair Banham said: ""The bank's investment will help us achieve our vision to connect everyone and everything with li-fi.
""We introduced our technology to the world from Scotland and it is important for us to grow our company and ecosystem from here.""
Scottish National Investment Bank was launched in 2020 to make long-term investments in Scottish firms.
Its primary goal is to help Scotland transition to net-zero carbon emissions, while supporting small and medium-size enterprises.
Scottish government has committed to putting £2bn of funding into the bank over the next decade."	/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-62168244
technology	Amazon Prime subscription price raised by £1 a month	"Amazon is to raise the price of its Prime service for UK customers due to higher operating costs.
From September, monthly subscriptions will go up £1 to £8.99 and annual membership will rise from £79 to £95.
Amazon said the price rise, its first in the UK since 2014, was partly due to inflation, which is at a 40-year high.
Other services such as Netflix have also increased subscription prices, despite signs people are beginning to cut back on streaming services.
However, Amazon Prime offers more than just its streaming service. Prime also offer unlimited deliveries of products. 
Amazon said the new pricing would begin from September, or at the customer's next membership renewal date, adding that switching to an annual plan or cancellation of membership was also an option.
move comes at a time when many households are looking to cut back on spending, with prices of goods rising at the fastest pace for 40 years.
Retail analyst Natalie Berg, who has written a book about how Amazon will shape the future of shopping, said the Prime price hike was ""not really a surprise"" after Amazon put up its prices for Prime in the US in February.
""It is an incredibly bold move to increase fees smack in the middle of the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, but Amazon is indispensable to many shoppers and they [the company] know that,"" she told the BBC.
""Amazon has become so deeply embedded in our daily lives that so many people will accept the hike.""
Earlier this year, a BBC-commissioned survey found people struggling with soaring energy bills and fuel prices were cutting back on food and car journeys to save money. More than half (56%) the 4,011 people asked had bought fewer groceries, and the same proportion had skipped meals.
Recent research has suggested that more people are cancelling video streaming subscriptions, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, due to the rising cost of living.
A total of 1.66 million services were dropped in the second quarter of 2022, market research firm Kantar said, with the under-24s age group most likely to cancel.
More than a third of cancellations were attributed to cutting costs, with the primary reason as ""wanting to save money"".
It might only be an extra pound a month, but with everyone looking to tighten their budgets at the moment every pound counts, so here's a few ideas on how to beat the rise.
Most people pay monthly for Amazon Prime, which means the price rise will kick in from mid-September. But if you've got the cash handy then you can save by paying for a full year's subscription upfront before that point. That will lock you in at the lower price until 2023, and save you about £30.
It's worth checking if you're signed up to Prime even if you think you're not, because it's easy to click 'join' by mistake when making a purchase and get rolled into membership without realising. 
ke a long hard look at your subscriptions. There's no charge to cancel your monthly Prime membership and, after a lot of pressure, Amazon have made it easier to find and click through to that cancellation process. They should even refund you if you've only just paid for that month. If you decide to sign up again later you might even be able to get one month free when re-joining, which would save you that £8.99.
If you've a few different TV subscriptions, it's worth thinking about rotating. Maybe your Christmas fix is on one provider but your summer love is with another - switch them so you're only paying for one at a time. Binge-watch, then cancel your membership, and switch to another service rather than paying for each of them all year-round. 
High competition in the streaming industry has led to competitive pricing and offers for customers.
But Netflix increased the price of its plans in 2021 and 2022. It recently announced it had lost almost a million subscribers between April and July, and it has now lost members for two quarters in a row.
However, Ms Berg added Amazon Prime could not be directly compared to Netflix and other streaming platforms due to brand's main service being free shipping for products.
""Amazon has got a lot more stickiness because of the shopping element,"" she said.
Amazon said it had invested billions of pounds in streaming content in recent years, with original series such as The Terminal List, as well as Clarkson's Farm.
It has also moved into sports broadcasting, after successfully bidding for the rights to screen Tuesday night Champions League football matches from 2024.
Amazon already has the exclusive rights to 20 Premier League matches a season, including the entire round of matches on and around Boxing Day each year. And it has a five-year deal to exclusively broadcast the US Open tennis tournament in the UK."	/news/business-62297014
technology	Social media is pretty dangerous, teenagers say	"School pupils have been discussing their experiences of online bullying. 
gers, from Pontypridd High School, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, said they had come across it in comments left on social media sites and companies were not always quick to respond. 
""I personally think social media's pretty dangerous,"" said 17-year-old Caitlin.
""There's barely a day that goes by that I don't experience something negative.""
Platforms said they listen to feedback from users and encourage them to make use of safety features. "	/news/uk-wales-62116189
technology	Musk says SpaceX will keep funding Ukraine Starlink internet	"Elon Musk says his rocket firm SpaceX will continue funding its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, a day after he said it could no longer do so.
""The hell with it... Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free,"" he tweeted.
Starlink has been vital for Ukraine's military and people to stay online. 
Ukraine says it helped to reboot key infrastructure after Russian attacks.
Energy installations were among facilities targeted by more than 100 Russian missiles this week. Starlink consists of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit and ground terminals.
Last month Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and world's richest man, asked the Pentagon to fund the Starlink programme instead of him, according to US media. 
And on Friday he tweeted: ""SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely"". That move drew strong criticism.
Mr Musk earlier provoked Kyiv's ire by suggesting Ukraine could cede territory to Russia. 
Starlink programme costs $20m (£18m) per month to maintain, according to Mr Musk. He recently said SpaceX had spent $80m so far to keep Ukraine online.
""In addition to terminals, we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations,"" he wrote on Twitter. 
""We've also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder.""
Ukraine's vice-Prime Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, downplayed tensions with Mr Musk, writing on Twitter that the billionaire ""is among the world's top private donors supporting Ukraine"".
""Starlink is an essential element of our critical infrastructure,"" he wrote. 
Earlier this month, Mr Musk tweeted out a proposal that Ukraine accept Russia's annexation of Crimea and allow referendums in Ukrainian regions invaded by Moscow. 
Kremlin responded positively to the overture. 
But Ukraine's outgoing ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, posted a tweet telling Mr Musk to go away, using a swear word.
Responding on Friday to a post referring to the ambassador's remark, Mr Musk said: ""We're just following his recommendation.""
Moscow recently declared four more Ukrainian regions to be part of Russia, following so-called referendums denounced as fraudulent by Kyiv and its Western allies. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.
Mr Musk has also suggested the world should ""formally"" recognise Crimea - illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 - as part of Russia.
week, Mr Musk denied that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin before releasing his Twitter poll. 
""I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,"" he tweeted.
ment came after a think tank researcher claimed Mr Musk had personally told him about the alleged conversation. "	/news/world-us-canada-63266142
technology	Broadband: Family living half way up Snowdon connected	"""It's a bit of miracle really that it's finally got here.""
Eira Morris said access to the internet has changed daily life in her isolated home where she raised four children without even a landline.
""We can watch normal television, Netflix, everything that everyone else can get down in the village,"" she explained. 
Hafodty farmhouse on Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, is Wales' highest home.
It now has some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK as part of a project to get fibre broadband to the summit of the mountain.
""This is life changing for us - monumental,"" said her son Elis."	/news/uk-wales-63901555
technology	London Underground: Parts of Tube's Central line gets 4G phone signal	"Some London Underground passengers travelling between parts of the Central line are now able to receive 4G phone coverage.
EE and Vodafone customers between Holland Park and Queensway stations can get coverage in ticket halls, platforms and in the tunnels.
Northern line between Kentish Town and Archway will follow next week.
ransport for London (TfL) says it will be ""fully connecting"" the whole Tube network by 2024.
Phone networks Three UK and Virgin Media O2 are also taking part in the 4G and 5G-ready rollout, with customers gaining access in the new year.
Central and Northern line stations Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Camden Town will also follow in the new year. 
Previously, the only underground tunnels to get phone coverage were on the eastern half of the Jubilee line between Westminster and Canning Town.
Once fully delivered, more than 2,000km of cabling and thousands of radios are expected to be installed within tunnels and stations.
About 500 people are working overnight across the Tube network to install the equipment, TfL says.
fL awarded a 20-year deal to 4G and 5G infrastructure company BAI Communications who are overseeing the project.
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-london-64050687
technology	Musk says Twitter feud with Apple boss 'resolved'	"Elon Musk has said he and Apple boss Tim Cook have ""resolved the misunderstanding"" over Twitter possibly being removed from the app store.
On Monday, Mr Musk accused Apple of threatening to cut the platform from its app store and said it had halted most of its advertising on the site.
But the Twitter boss tweeted on Wednesday that: ""Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.""
He did not say if Apple's advertising was discussed at the meeting.
meeting between the two tech leaders comes as many companies have halted spending on Twitter amid concerns about Mr Musk's content moderation plans for the site - a major blow to the company, which relies on such spending for most of its revenue. 
Entering a feud on Monday, Mr Musk accused Apple of ""censorship"" and criticised its policies, including the charge it levies on purchases made on its app store.
""Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?"" he said.
But he later told his followers he was meeting with Mr Cook at Apple's headquarters, adding: ""Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.""
News of the meeting with Apple came after Mr Musk was told he faced ""huge work ahead"" to bring Twitter into compliance with new European Union rules on disinformation or face a possible ban.
EU commissioner Thierry Breton made the comments in a meeting with Mr Musk on Wednesday, saying the social media site would have to address issues such as content moderation, disinformation and targeted adverts.
Approved by the EU earlier this year, the Digital Services Act is seen as the biggest overhaul of rules governing online activity in decades, imposing new obligations on companies to prevent abuse of their platforms. 
Major companies are expected to be in compliance with the law some time next year.
If firms are found to be violation, they face fines of up to 6% of global turnover - or a ban in the case of repeated serious breaches.
In a statement after the meeting, Mr Breton said he welcomed Mr Musk's assurances that he would get Twitter ready to comply. 
""Let's also be clear that there is still huge work ahead, as Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and protect freedom of speech, tackle disinformation with resolve, and limit targeted advertising,"" he said. 
""All of this requires sufficient AI [Artificial Intelligence] and human resources, both in volumes and skills. I look forward to progress in all these areas and we will come to assess Twitter's readiness on site.""
EU plans to conduct a ""stress test"" in 2023 ahead of a wider audit, his office said. 
Since his $44bn takeover of Twitter last month, Mr Musk has fired thousands of staff, reinstated formerly banned users such as Donald Trump and stopped enforcing other policies, such as rules aimed at stopping misleading information on coronavirus.
moves have alarmed some civil rights groups, who have accused the billionaire of taking steps that will increase hate speech, misinformation and abuse.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Twitter said none of its policies had changed, but that it was experimenting in an effort to improve the platform more quickly and would rely more on steps to limit the spread of material that violate its rules - offering ""freedom of speech but not freedom of reach"".
""Our trust & safety team continues its diligent work to keep the platform safe from hateful conduct, abusive behavior, and any violation of Twitter's rules,"" the company added.
""The team remains strong and well-resourced, and automated detection plays an increasingly important role in eliminating abuse,"" it said. "	/news/business-63816110
technology	New EU law could open up messaging and app buying	"New rules designed to rein in the dominance of big tech companies are coming into force in the EU.
Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), technology giants such as Google and Apple could be made to open up their services and platforms to other firms and developers.
Messaging apps, for example, could be required to work with smaller rival applications.
gislation will not apply in the UK because of Brexit.
In the European Union, the act will change the rules for companies of large size and influence - the so-called gatekeeper firms.
But some of the larger firms have expressed concern about the DMA's potential impact on security and innovation.
Under the DMA, smaller messaging apps will be able to ask the tech gatekeepers to allow their users to send and receive messages via the bigger firm's platform.
However, large firms will not be required to make more advanced features interoperable immediately.  Under the plans, audio and video calls between two individual users or groups of end users on different platforms will not happen for four years.
rger firms may also be required to allow their users to chose different app stores.
Speaking to tech news website Wired, Gerard de Graaf, an EU official cited the example of an iPhone user, who should ""now be able to download apps not just from the App Store but from other app stores or from the internet"".
European Commission has also released a video explaining the purpose of the act.
BEUC - which represents many European consumer organisations - called the act ""a landmark law for the EU's digital transformation.
""This legislation will rebalance digital markets, increase consumer choice and put an end to many of the worst practices that big tech has engaged in over the years,"" it said.
It gave two examples of changes under the DMA:
But it said it was crucial member states gave the commission the resources it would need to enforce the new act.
DMA now moves into a six month implementation phase and will start to apply on 2 May 2023.
Margrethe Vestager, the commissioner for competition, who originally proposed the legislation said: ""We invite all potential gatekeepers, their competitors or consumer organisations, to come and talk to us about how to best implement the DMA.""
me specific gatekeepers, with the the commission aiming to decide which companies will fall under its remit at the latest by 6 September 2023.
But it says gatekeepers will be companies that meet criteria in terms of financial size and numbers of users and have an ""entrenched and durable"" position in the market.
Companies that do not comply with the DMA could face fines of up to 10% of their annual worldwide turnover for the first infringement and up to 20% for repeated rule breaking.
DMA imposes a number of obligations on firms identified as gatekeepers including:
Apple has previously said it was ""concerned that some provisions of the DMA will create unnecessary privacy and security vulnerabilities for our users"".
Google has said: ""While we support many of the DMA's ambitions around consumer choice and interoperability, we're worried that some of these rules could reduce innovation and the choice available to Europeans.""
While the rules will only apply in the EU, a committee of UK MPs recently urged the government to publish the draft Competition, Consumer and Digital Markets Bill which aims to provide regulators with new tools to tackle anti-competitive behaviour by big tech firms."	/news/technology-63458377
technology	WhatsApp groups help get food to those who need it	"""Hey everyone, there's a food delivery today at 3pm."" ""Thanks for the curry, it was amazing!"" ""I made pickles this week."" ""Should we all have an outing somewhere soon?""
re the kind of messages that fly back and forth, pretty much constantly, on Rachel Diamond's phone.
Ms Diamond is the founder of My Yard, a charity. For each of the communities she is plugged into, she runs a WhatsApp group, such as the one she set up in 2018 for dozens of people who live on the Grange Farm Estate in Harrow, north-west London. 
""It not only feeds people, it brings the community together,"" explains Ms Diamond.
Many residents on the estate are among the millions of people in the UK who are currently experiencing food insecurity.
f living crisis has sent demand for food aid soaring. You'll have heard of food banks but food aid takes many different forms. Some are less visible than others and, around the country, many people are now quietly organising the sharing and redistribution of food themselves. 
Often, it starts with a WhatsApp group for friends and neighbours.
When she first started working with the Grange Farm Estate community, Ms Diamond found that using a messaging app allowed her to organise deliveries of food donated by supermarkets and local businesses at the residents' convenience.
""It was a stigma-free way of people accessing food and getting to know each other,"" she says. ""For me, it's really, really special.""
Now she has about 20 groups that are swapping messages about food.
It has helped her keep in touch with those who have dietary requirements or particular preferences. Some of the elderly people find that the price of Spam has gone up a lot lately, so she gets dented tins unwanted by shops.
Everyone is different, she stresses, asking me to imagine freezing a supermarket in time and having a look inside every shopper's basket: ""I bet you'd never find two baskets with the same things in. That is people's lives.""
She aims to supply a diverse variety of food that suits everyone. But due to inflation, the overall need is growing. ""It's devastating,"" says Ms Diamond, referring to the cost of living crisis.
On one recent delivery, a van arrived packed with pallets of food including fresh fruit and vegetables, breads and yoghurt, among other items. Everything went in about ten minutes, she says. It used to take noticeably longer.
While Ms Diamond has been running WhatsApp groups for communities for years, new ones are springing up all the time elsewhere.
Last November, Camille Desprez, founder of Food Next Door, launched a group for the residents of her block of flats in Brixton so that they could share surplus food with one another and cut down on waste.
""[It's] working super well. We are able to save food almost every week,"" she says.
Ms Desprez has since developed the idea into the Food Next Door project, which has more than 100 members and which is establishing WhatsApp groups across more than a dozen neighbourhoods in London and Paris.
One benefit, she adds, is that people can save money on food, noting that among those currently taking part are some refugees.
More technology of business:
Zero Waste initiatives that help people in poverty are a ""positive side-effect"" of the movement, says Zero Waste consultant Rachelle Strauss.
""People are genuinely very frightened and very scared about their future,"" she adds, noting the seriousness of the current situation.
While WhatsApp, being so widely used, has its benefits, it also has downsides, says Prof Reem Talhouk at Northumbria University. The messaging app sometimes goes down for hours at a time. This could be significant for anyone depending on the app for aid or their livelihood.
Alternative apps include Telegram and Signal. Volunteers for the Foodshare Allotment at Nottingham Trent University stay in touch via Microsoft Teams chat. Some food from their allotment goes to food banks, community kitchens and local families.
And plenty of people share food without much need for the latest technology - such as Ursula Juta, senior project officer at the Norfolk Rivers Trust, who puts a basket full of surplus veg from her allotment on her garden wall. People in her village can enjoy the produce for free.
Another issue with WhatsApp and other social media platforms raised by Prof Talhouk is that they can sometimes be used for misinformation, scamming and harassment.
""That's always something that we need to consider,"" she says.
And yet the potential power of messaging apps is hard to overstate. Another food aid provider who uses WhatsApp is Emily Connally, managing director of Cherwell Collective, a non-profit in Oxford.
""We can mobilise 200 people with one text,"" she says, noting how she doesn't get as immediate a response on Facebook as she does via her WhatsApp group. This matters because she sometimes receives a donation of food that is near to its use by date, meaning it must be distributed very quickly.
Pret a Manger recently donated a surplus of 165 sandwiches. A message went out to the WhatsApp group and people had collected all the sandwiches within an hour, says Dr Connally. 
Hundreds of locals rely on the food aid that she and her colleagues provide. ""We've seen a pretty dramatic increase and I think it will get much, much worse,"" she says, referring to rising food prices.
Cherwell Collective was founded during the pandemic. Prof Talhouk suggests that local community groups that respond to crises might need support, for example from local authorities, to continue their work long-term.
Back at My Yard, Rachel Diamond stresses that the impact of the groups she runs is not restricted to food aid. People help each other out with other problems, too. They confront loneliness and strengthen social bonds.
""I find it absolutely fascinating,"" she says, ""watching people grow in their friendships - and their hope""."	/news/business-63461678
technology	Twitter chaos after wave of blue tick impersonations	"A wave of new paid blue tick accounts impersonating influential individuals and brands has led to chaos and confusion on Twitter.
Fake ""verified"" accounts in the names of politicians, celebrities, major organisations and businesses started appearing on the platform on Thursday. 
witter suspended many of them, but the company's rapidly changing attempts to address the issue added to the confusion. 
Experts had previously warned that the new Twitter Blue subscription service announced by new chief Elon Musk, which allows users to pay £6.99 ($7.99) per month for a blue tick, would be immediately exploited by bad actors and scammers, and erode trust in the platform.  
xtent of the problem with new fake blue tick accounts was laid bare after the feature launched on Wednesday. 
Blue tick versions of major brand accounts such as Apple, Nintendo, BP and Chiquita were suspended. Fake accounts posing as high-profile individuals like Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, current and former US Presidents Joe Biden, Donald Trump and George W Bush, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair were also removed.
In one case, an account in the name of Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake tweeted to announce she was conceding to her Democratic opponent, despite the fact votes are still being counted in the tight race. It took hours for Twitter to remove the tweet and the fake account.
A fake Tesla account, another company owned by Mr Musk, joked about 9/11, while Mr Musk himself was impersonated.
One of the most disruptive accounts impersonated US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, and declared ""insulin is free now"".
mpany had to distance itself from the fake announcement.
ue tick system is also being exploited by conspiracy theorists and far-right activists.
BBC has seen at least three well-known QAnon influencer accounts which have purchased blue ticks on Twitter.
Far-right activists Jason Kessler and Richard Spencer, who organised the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, have both purchased blue ticks.
witter had previously removed verification badges from the accounts of Mr Kessler and Mr Spencer after the violent rally five years ago.
Researchers also spotted a variety of accounts with purchased blue ticks using AI generated images of fake personalities. This is a specific area of concern as such inauthentic accounts are routinely used in influence operations, at times by foreign states with the aim of influencing political events in other countries.
witter suspended many of the imposter blue tick accounts, but at times struggled to keep up with the pace of new ones appearing.
New grey ""official"" badges were added under the handles of some high-profile accounts, before being scrapped by Mr Musk almost immediately.
However, on Friday new grey official badges began reappearing on some Twitter profiles.
And some users based in the US reported the Twitter Blue subscription system was no longer available to them.
Mr Musk himself initially said blue tick parody accounts of high-profile users would have to clarify that they are not genuine in their profile bios.
Later he declared the word parody would also need to be included in account names, adding that ""tricking people is not ok"".
As of now, it is still unclear how Mr Musk and his newly acquired platform plan to address the issue of blue tick impersonations in the long run.
While the issue of verified accounts temporarily changing their names in ways which might mislead had previously surfaced on the platform, such attempts were extremely rare.
Experts worry that the harm caused by a lack of trust in Twitter's verification system could come to the fore during events such as mass shootings, terrorist attacks or natural disasters, where Twitter is often used by local authorities, police, emergency services and journalists for accurate information and advice.
BBC reached to Twitter for comment, but received no response.
By Marianna Spring, Disinformation and social media correspondent
A lot of the parody accounts springing up on Twitter right now might seem quite funny. But it's important to remember that when people don't know who and what to believe, it can pose serious risks. 
roughout the pandemic, recent conflicts and elections - we're reminded time and time again of the real-world harm that online mistruths can have. 
Now, bad actors can use blue ticks to give the disinformation they promote an air of legitimacy - or to confuse users.
Blue ticks had become a handy tool to identify official accounts, so its unsurprising that - at least at first - this is causing chaos. Not least because it's happening at the same time as other chaotic changes. 
Now that blue ticks may be rendered meaningless, users will instead have to rely on other tools to see if an account is really who they say they are. 
Check out their other tweets, look at their followers - and search off Twitter or via official websites to follow links to genuine social media profiles.
Before, it felt like social media sites had woken up to the impact disinformation can have offline - and were at least starting to get to grips with it. This, though, feels like a step backwards - and there are fears there could be more. "	/news/technology-63599553
technology	A social media murder: Olly’s story	"It was only after Olly Stephens was murdered, in a field outside his home in Reading, that his mum and dad realised the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to through his phone. For BBC Panorama, reporter Marianna Spring investigates the role social media played in his death and exposes how a 13-year-old's social media accounts can be recommended violent videos and knives for sale. 
Last January, Amanda and Stuart Stephens watched their son from separate windows as he left home, not realising it would be the last time. Olly wandered over to a field, Bugs Bottom, opposite their house - sliders on his feet, his phone in hand. 
Fifteen minutes later, he had been murdered. 
was holding would provide the answers to what had happened.
Olly was stabbed to death by two teenage boys in a field behind his house, after they recruited a girl online to lure him there. The entire attack had been planned on social media and triggered by a dispute in a social media chat group. 
His parents were shocked to discover the murky world of violence and hate that their son and his friends had inhabited through their phones. 
I decided to investigate the role social media played in what happened to Olly - and what 13-year-olds like him are being exposed to.
""They hunted him, tracked him and executed him through social media,"" Stuart tells me as we sit together on their sofa in their home in Reading.
""Social media is not guilty of the murder, but it did nothing to protect him, and without it he'd still be here."" 
mes Valley Police say Olly's story stands out because of the huge role social media played in the case. And they fear that the evidence of bullying, and violent videos featuring knives found on the killers' phones, is just ""the tip of a very large iceberg"". 
I set out to uncover what young teenagers are seeing on social media by creating a fake account as a 13-year-old on five social media sites popular with that age group.
Using an AI-generated photograph, we set up accounts for a 13-year-old boy, consulting one of Olly's friends and public accounts belonging to young teenagers in Reading. We wanted to see what a 13-year-old engaging with popular topics for his age - from sport and gaming to drill music and anti-knife crime content - would be exposed to and recommended. 
We also wanted to test whether social media sites moderate videos and images of knives similar to those shared by the children convicted of murdering Olly.
After running our dummy account experiment for two weeks, with it liking and following content suggested across the social media sites, as well as his original interests - the results were striking:
When Olly left the house that day he reassured Amanda he had his phone location switched on, so she'd know where he was. It was the Sunday after Christmas, and the family were preparing to go back to work and school the next day. Amanda expected Olly back before dark.
But shortly after he left home there was a knock on the door. It was a boy Olly knew. Amanda couldn't quite take in what he was saying. 
""I thought, 'Did he just say Olly's been stabbed?'"" 
Stuart and Olly's older sister dashed out to the field opposite their home, where Olly was lying in a pool of blood. Amanda followed after them. 
""I just held his hand and asked him not to leave me,"" Stuart says. 
Friends, neighbours, dog walkers all tried to help, but it was too late. He died in that field. 
""I still look for his feet in the morning at the end of the bed because they would hang over the end,"" Stuart says. Not seeing them there hits him every time.
Olly's bed is still made up with his favourite duvet cover. Amanda still buys him sweets, and when she vacuums Olly's room - something he used to hate - she still mutters, ""I'll only be a minute."" 
Just before he was murdered, Olly had been diagnosed with autism and, at that time, he most enjoyed gaming and listening to music in his bedroom.
ght after his murder, looking through social media posts about Olly and screengrabs his friends shared with their daughter, Stuart and Amanda began to realise the role social media had played in what happened.
""It's this secret world where you can do and say exactly what you want,"" Amanda says. ""It was a world that we had no idea existed [and] that he was being attacked by it."" 
Amanda, who would normally use the tracker on Olly's phone to make sure he made it home safely, now found herself using it to check his phone made it into the hands of the police. She followed the signal as it travelled with Olly's body to hospital and then again when it was taken to Thames Valley police station.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard was tasked with investigating the world inside that phone. It's a case he describes as unprecedented because 90% of the evidence at Olly's murder trial came from mobile phones - and no child witnesses had to take the stand. 
""We were really taken aback by the amount of digital evidence,"" he explains. 
re was enough to convict two boys - aged 13 and 14 at the time - of murder last November. The 13-year-old girl who led him to the park was convicted of manslaughter. 
Watch Panorama - A Social Media Murder: Olly's Story at 8pm on BBC One
What struck the police initially about the mountain of videos, photos and screengrabs they began to sift through was the persona that 13- and 14-year-olds linked to the case were presenting online, so at odds with the suburban reality they were living. 
re were images shared on Instagram of people holding knives, with balaclavas on and hoods up. 
found videos of knives being flicked and shown off, and of boys linked to Olly's murder attacking one another, which DCI Howard told Panorama he believes were being shared ""openly and very regularly"" on Instagram and Snapchat. 
""There is certainly a very unhealthy attraction to filming, recording, acts of really quite serious violence,"" DCI Andy Howard says. 
It was a video posted on Snapchat showing an attack called ""patterning"" that was the catalyst in a chain of events that led to Olly losing his life.  
mes Valley Police explained that patterning is the humiliation of a young person which is filmed or photographed and then shared on social media. It's forwarded on and on, shared across different social media sites, multiplying the embarrassment for the victim. 
In the weeks before he was killed, Olly had seen an image of a younger boy being humiliated and tried to alert the boy's older brother by forwarding it on to him. 
When two boys who were in a Snapchat group with Olly became aware he had passed it on, they were furious. 
DCI Howard says those boys thought Olly had been ""snitching, grassing on them"", and that led to the fallout. 
Police also found hundreds of Snapchat voice notes from the two boys who fell out with Olly. In them, they discuss attacking Olly and try to recruit a girl to set him up.
13-year-old girl who agreed to do this knew Olly in real life, and had met the two boys involved online. Although they all lived locally, they met for the first time on the day of the murder. 
guage those convicted used in the voice notes is shocking, with comments like, ""You're going to die tomorrow Olly,"" and ""I'll just give him bangs [hit him] or stab him."" What's also chilling is their casual and cold tone. 
In one voice note, the girl says, ""[Male 2] wants me to set him up so then [Male 2] is gonna bang him and pattern him and shit. I'm so excited you don't understand."" 
None of these voice notes appear to have been picked up by Snapchat - and under the social media app's own policy, it's not possible to report a private message or voice note like this to the site, only the account sending it. 
gathered by the police is just the information required to prosecute - but DCI Andy Howard fears they have only scratched the surface in this case. In his view, it's likely those involved were regularly exposed to violent content - and desensitised to it.  
A recent study by the Huddersfield University's Applied Criminology and Policing Centre backs up that idea, finding that social media was a key factor in almost a quarter of crimes committed by under-18s. Most of these were acts of violence that started with confrontation online. 
In our own investigation, within two weeks of following the kind of content 13-year-olds in Reading follow on their accounts, our imaginary teenager was recommended posts of people showing off knives, knives for sale and videos glorifying violence. 
Instagram, Facebook and YouTube - while on TikTok and Snapchat, the accounts were not recommended this kind of content.
All of these social media sites say that they protect teenage users. 
Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, says it restricts what under-18s can see of ""content that attempts to buy or sell bladed weapons"". 
YouTube says it ""may add an age restriction"" to content that includes ""harmful or dangerous acts that minors could imitate"". Our account only encountered one video with an age restriction.
Some of the images and videos of knives were similar to those found on the phones of Olly's killers. We wanted to test what happens when a 13-year-old shares a post like that on social media. 
Our fake accounts were private, so as not to expose anyone else to this image and video of a knife. 
No action was taken against the post showing off a knife that was shared on the 13-year-old's account on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat. 
k Tok, however, did remove the post for violating its guidelines on dangerous acts - and the account was warned that it was close to being suspended. That suggests it is possible to detect and remove this type of content shared by a profile under 18. We have now deactivated the accounts. 
Our experiment revealed something else striking. Some adverts being promoted to the account on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram were based on his interests and, at times, age-appropriate. That seems to suggest that data from young teenage users can be used to target them - but then isn't being used to protect them from harmful content showing knives and violence. 
I wanted to know if the posts pushed to the 13-year-old's account were typical of what teenagers would see so I met up with Olly's friends Poppy, Patrick, Izzy, Jacob and Ben at Olly's memorial bench, metres from where he was stabbed. 
Ben had helped me set up the fake account. He and Olly's other friends told me they started using social media long before they turned 13, the age you have to be to sign up to most of the platforms. They all say there were no attempts to verify their ages. Olly's parents say he, too, joined them before he was 13. 
I showed them several screen grabs from the accounts, without exposing them to too much of the content we've been recommended. But the children weren't shocked by the results at all - and admitted they all see knives and violence regularly on their social media feeds. 
""I've seen bigger knives to be honest,"" Jacob says of his own social media accounts.  
""We get exposed more to people kind of showing [them] off,"" Poppy explains, talking about the image people her age try to portray mainly on Instagram, as well as Snapchat. 
Ben has seen Rambo knives, and Izzy butterfly blades, which she thinks people share because they are colourful and more appealing. 
ribe being exposed to cyberbullying on a regular basis - including ""patterning"" - humiliation videos like the one that triggered the dispute between Olly and the boys who killed him.
All of the social media sites expressed their sympathies to Olly's family. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, says that they ""don't allow content that threatens, encourages or coordinates violence"" and that they have ""a well-established process to support police investigations"" as they did in Olly's case. They ""will urgently investigate the examples raised in this investigation"". 
YouTube says it has ""strict existing policies in place to ensure that our platform is not used to incite violence"". 
kTok says ""There is no such thing as 'job done' when it comes to protecting our users, particularly young people"" and it will ""continue to build policies and tools"" to help teens and their parents stay safe online. 
Snapchat says they ""strictly prohibit bullying, harassment and any illegal activity"" and ""provide confidential in-app reporting tools"" on the site. 
Amanda and Stuart want answers - and solutions - to protect other 13-year-olds on social media, and they want legislators to listen.
fety bill is currently passing through Parliament. ""This bill is about keeping children and young people safe,"" Secretary of State Nadine Dorries tells me. 
She wasn't shocked to see the results of our experiment. ""These platforms know that knife content is being sent to young people's social media feeds,"" she says. ""They can actually put what is wrong right now.""
Stuart and Amanda fear that the bill in its current form wouldn't have saved Olly. They want to see more done to verify the age of young users and to limit their exposure to harmful posts - even if the content might be legal, like the violent videos and images of knives our dummy account was recommended. 
Dorries says exactly what is considered harmful but legal will be specified soon. 
But how exactly could the bill force social media sites to address this?
""I think it's probably easier to keep to the core principle of the bill,"" Dorries says. ""The UK has to be the safest country in the world for children and young people to be online."" 
Government is promising harsh penalties if companies don't comply. 
""We will have the power to issue multi-billion pound fines and make sure that people within those organisations are criminally liable,"" says Dorries.
Meanwhile, Amanda says she feels social media companies are not facing up to the reality of what's happening. 
""Forget your profits, kids are killing each other,"" Stuart says."	/news/uk-61813959
technology	Space debris: How do we solve the problem of dead satellites?	"With an increasing number of governments and private companies capable of launching satellites, the space around the planet is beginning to get congested.
Some estimates say that fewer than half of the satellites currently in orbit are working.
So what can be done to stop these broken machines becoming a threat to those that we still rely on?
BBC Click's LJ Rich reports.
See more at Click's website and @BBCClick."	/news/technology-62338911
technology	Nato investigates hacker sale of missile firm data	"Nato is assessing the impact of a data breach of classified military documents being sold by a hacker group online.
udes blueprints of weapons being used by Nato allies in the Ukraine war.
Criminal hackers are selling the dossiers after stealing data linked to a major European weapons maker.
MBDA Missile Systems admitted its data was among the stash but claimed none of the classified files belong to the firm.
-European company, which is headquartered in France, said its information was hacked from a compromised external hard drive, adding that it was cooperating with authorities in Italy, where the data breach took place. 
It is understood investigations are centred around one of MBDA's suppliers.
In a statement, a Nato spokesperson said: ""We are assessing claims relating to data allegedly stolen from MBDA. We have no indication that any Nato network has been compromised.""
Cyber criminals, operating on Russian and English forums, are selling 80GB of the stolen data for 15 Bitcoins (approximately £273,000) and claimed to have sold the stash to at least one unknown buyer so far.
In their advert for the stolen data, the hackers claimed to have ""classified information about employees of companies that took part in the development of closed military projects"" as well as ""design documentation, drawings, presentations, video and photo materials, contract agreements and correspondence with other companies"".
A free 50MB sample of the data, seen by the BBC, includes documents labelled ""NATO CONFIDENTIAL"", ""NATO RESTRICTED"" and ""Unclassified Controlled Information"".
In addition to the sample, the criminals supplied additional documents by email, including two marked ""NATO SECRET"".
Nato's classification levels are:
kers would not confirm whether or not the material had come from more than one hacked source.
files, which the BBC has not been been able to independently verify, detail a ""communications intelligence"" mission by a US air squadron carried out at the end of 2020 in Estonia over the Baltics.
It includes the call logs, full name, phone number and GPS coordinates of a person allegedly at the centre of the operation.
A former Nato official said: ""There's a lot of over-classification in Nato but these labels matter. They are applied by the originator of the information and NATO SECRET is not applied lightly. 
""This really is the kind of information Nato doesn't want out there in the public.""
He added that the chances of the documents having been declassified were slim bearing in mind most of the files appeared to have been created between 2017 and 2020.
mple files also included a presentation that appeared to detail the inner workings of the Land Ceptor CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile), including the precise location of the electronic storage unit within it. 
One of these was recently sent to Poland for use in the Ukraine conflict as part of the Sky Sabre system and is operational.
MBDA Missile Systems has not disputed that its information had been breached but said: ""The company's internal verification processes indicate that the data made available online are neither classified data nor sensitive.""
However, some of the documents known to have been stolen from MBDA are labelled as ""proprietary information not to be disclosed or reproduced"".
MBDA Missile Systems was created in December 2001 after the merger of missile systems companies in France, Italy and the UK.
It has has 13,000 employees and is a joint venture of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
Last year it posted revenue of £3.5bn and counts the UK Ministry of Defence, US military, the European Union and Nato as customers of its weapons systems."	/news/technology-62672184
technology	Raspberry Pi: The tiny cheap computer that revolutionised teaching coding	"A cheap credit card-sized computer that has made coding accessible to thousands has had its 10th anniversary. 
Raspberry Pi, produced at a Sony factory in Pencoed, Bridgend, can cost as little as £30 and has been used by thousands of children to learn computing skills. 
""It's about having that ability of not having to worry about breaking a laptop that cost hundreds of pounds,"" said Ellora Jones, an ethical hacking student.
She added: ""Breaking things is how you learn to fix them."""	/news/uk-wales-64052463
technology	How streaming videos gives a Danish city hot water	"Datacentres are one of the backbones of the internet, housing the servers used to upload selfies, stream videos or chat online.
uge amounts of heat generated by the servers is often wasted, but one facility in Denmark is providing hot water and warmth to people’s homes.
Adrienne Murray reports for BBC Click.
See more at Click's website and @BBCClick."	/news/technology-62076634
technology	How do visually impaired people play video games?	"Ben Breen was born without sight but videogames have been part of his life for as long as he can remember. 
He started off playing games on his PC without any of the technology that may have helped him understand them. 
Since then he has seen more developers add features to games which improve the experience of visually impaired people. 
But now he wants to see all big gaming studios consider people with sight loss when developing games. 
""I started out with games like Fighter Pilot on PC not really understanding how anything worked because I didn't know about screen readers at the time, or any of the tech,"" he said. 
""So I was just pressing buttons, seeing what happens, and literally nosediving a plane.""
He began playing audio games with basic graphics designed for people with low or no vision.
Once developers started adding some features specifically for blind people, Ben was able to play more mainstream games for people of all abilities.
Studios have recently been creating games with more embedded features for those with sight loss, such as The Last Of Us Part 1 for PS5 which was released in September.
""I still do play audio-only games occasionally,"" Ben said. ""But I prefer stuff when it's enjoyable for more people.""
Helpful features include creating short-cuts on the handset, and lock-on aim in fighting games.
Screen narration tells the user what is happening visually on the screen, while navigation assistance tools allow the player to determine their distance from objects and enemies.
Now an accessible games and immersive technologies research officer with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Ben is sharing his experiences with the billion-dollar gaming industry.
He was among those at a recent symposium in Dunde who spoke to representatives of Google, EA Games and Microsoft about how videogames could be improved. 
was hosted by Abertay University - the first in the world to launch a computer games degree - with the RNIB. 
By working with the university, Ben hopes future developers will create all of their games with accessibility in mind from the start.
He said: ""As much as we've had games released on a couple of platforms that are fully playable, we need to see all the companies stepping up.
""Even just at a basic level, increased accessibility equals increased sales.""
Ben added: ""Sight loss is a spectrum and gaming can still happen, but more needs to be done in terms of making games accessible.
""Whatever games I can play, I will play.""
He said studios need to accept that accessibility is important and he wants to see people with sight loss consulted during the development of games.
""I've had people say to me that they wouldn't want to game if they woke up without sight, but they would,"" he said. 
""You'd want to continue, and the way you're going to be able to continue is if games actually start adding the features in.""
Abertay's Dr Robin Sloan, who has been teaching and researching game design for 15 years, said designing the interactive aspects of games with inclusivity in mind and testing them on people with low or no vision was essential.
""That can be things like using high contrast, larger fonts and less complexity in the scene,"" he said.
""Beyond that, you get much more challenging things like making decisions around something that's happening that's really visual.""
He said standardising design models and codes with accessible features could help smaller games companies improve their inclusivity.
use smaller companies often buy in the foundational code for their designs.
""If the model is already accessible, this can allow the developers to just focus on the game,"" he added.
A spokesperson from the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment, the trade body for the UK games industry, said accessibility was a key priority. 
She added: ""The UK games industry has a strong track record of working with charities like SpecialEffect to adapt games and devices such as the Microsoft adaptive controller. 
""Meanwhile organisations like Many Cats work with studios on a recruitment and culture level to encourage thinking about accessibility at every stage of the development process.
""The games industry equality, diversity and inclusion initiative #RaiseTheGame has worked with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to help provide a perspective on the sector as well as to promote fundraiser and awareness events such as Gaming for RNIB. 
""RNIB has consulted with our education initiative Digital Schoolhouse, reviewing materials and providing training on making content accessible for visually impaired learners.""
Dundee is a major hub in the industry, launching some of the world's biggest titles including Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto."	/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-63157128
technology	Spanish beach body campaign used my image without asking - model	"A British model says her image was used in a Spanish campaign promoting body positivity without her permission.
quality ministry's advert was praised for featuring diverse women of different shapes and sizes relaxing on a beach. 
But Nyome Nicholas-Williams, from London, says a photo from her Instagram feed was used without her knowledge.
rtist behind the image has apologised to Nyome, but she's not yet heard from the Spanish government.
Nyome, 30, tells BBC Newsbeat an image from her social media feed was adapted for the poster released by the Institute for Women earlier this week.
It features an illustration of five women - including one who has had a mastectomy - on a beach underneath the slogan ""summer is ours too"".
Nyome wears a gold bikini in the image, and can be seen sitting on the sand, with her head turned towards the viewer.
She says one of her 78,000 followers alerted her after the campaign was widely reported by the world's media.
""I was really taken aback because I had never seen it before,"" Nyome says.
""It isn't a stock photo, it's a picture that I've taken on my Instagram.
""It's rude and it's disrespectful.""
After posting a complaint about it on her account, she was contacted by the illustrator who created the final poster in messages seen by the BBC.
""They said they used my image because they were running low on time,"" she says, adding that they apologised and ""said they'd compensate me"".
""I feel it's very reactive rather than proactive,"" she says. ""I'm annoyed because if they'd asked me in the beginning, I could have made a decision, I probably would have said yes"". 
Nyome finds it ""very ironic and wild"" that the Women's Institute failed to get consent from her to use her image.
""They should know better,"" she says. 
Nyome says she doesn't know the other women in the poster or whether they were asked to give their consent, but she hopes that the woman shown with a mastectomy was asked and ""would be happy to have that image our there like that"".
She says her pictures have been copied before, and in 2020 she had a battle with a different illustrator who used her image on phone cases, bags and mugs. 
""And I had no idea about it,"" she says.
Nyome thinks ""people feel like they can get away with it"" as she's a model and posts images publicly.
""I understand I'm a model, and yes I do post [pictures] in my underwear, but that's still my body,"" she says.
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here."	/news/newsbeat-62345734
technology	Uber Files: Massive leak reveals how top politicians secretly helped Uber	"usands of leaked files have exposed how Uber courted top politicians, and how far it went to avoid justice.
xtensive help Uber got from leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and ex-EU commissioner Neelie Kroes.
w how the taxi firm's former boss personally ordered the use of a ""kill switch"" to prevent raiding police from accessing computers.
Uber says its ""past behaviour wasn't in line with present values"" and it is a ""different company"" today.
Uber Files are a trove of more than 124,000 records, including 83,000 emails and 1,000 other files involving conversations, spanning 2013 to 2017. 
were leaked to the Guardian, and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and a number of media organisations including BBC Panorama. They reveal, for the first time, how a $90m-a-year lobbying and public relations effort recruited friendly politicians to help in its campaign to disrupt Europe's taxi industry. 
While French taxi drivers staged sometimes violent protests in the streets against Uber, Mr Macron - now president - was on first name terms with Uber's controversial boss Travis Kalanick, and told him he would reform laws in the firm's favour.
Uber's ruthless business methods were widely known, but for the first time the files give a unique inside view of the lengths it went to in achieving its goals. 
w how ex-EU digital commissioner Neelie Kroes, one of Brussels' top officials, was in talks to join Uber before her term ended - and then secretly lobbied for the firm, in potential breach of EU ethics rules.
At the time, Uber was not just one of the world's fastest-growing companies - it was one of the most controversial, dogged by court cases, allegations of sexual harassment, and data breach scandals.
Eventually shareholders had enough, and Travis Kalanick was forced out in 2017.
Uber says his replacement, Dara Khosrowshahi, was ""tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates"" and has ""installed the rigorous controls and compliance necessary to operate as a public company"".
Paris was the scene of Uber's first European launch, and it met stiff resistance from the taxi industry, culminating in violent protests in the streets.
In August 2014, an ambitious former banker named Emmanuel Macron had just been appointed minister for the economy. He saw Uber as a source of growth and badly needed new jobs, and was keen to help.
October, he held a meeting with Mr Kalanick and other executives and lobbyists, which marked the start of a long - but little-publicised - stint as a champion of the controversial firm's interests within government.
Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann described the meeting as ""spectacular. Like I've never seen,"" the files show. ""We will dance soon,"" he added.
""Emmanuel"" and ""Travis"" were soon on first name terms, and met at least four times, the files show - in Paris, and at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland. Only the Davos meeting has been previously reported.
At one point Uber wrote to Mr Macron saying it was ""extremely grateful"". ""The openness and welcome we receive is unusual in government-industry relations.""
French taxi drivers were particularly enraged by the 2014 launch of UberPop - a service that allowed unlicensed drivers to offer rides, at much lower prices. 
Courts and parliament banned it, but Uber kept the service running as it challenged the law.
Mr Macron didn't think there was a future for UberPop, but he agreed to work with the company to rewrite France's laws governing its other services.
""Uber will provide an outline for a regulatory framework for ridesharing. We will connect our respective teams to start working on a feasible proposal that could become the formal framework in France,"" an email from Travis Kalanick to Mr Macron reads.
On 25 June 2015, the protests became violent, and a week later Mr Macron texted Mr Kalanick with an apparent offer of help. 
""[I] will gather everybody next week to prepare the reform and correct the law.""
me day, Uber announced the suspension of UberPop in France.
xtent of the now-president of France's relationship with the controversial global firm that was operating in violation of French law has not been revealed until now.
A spokesperson for Mr Macron said in an email: ""His functions naturally led him to meet and interact with many companies engaged in the sharp shift which came out during those years in the service sector, which had to be facilitated by unlocking administrative and regulatory hurdles.""
Uber said the ""suspension of UberPop was in no way followed by more favourable regulations,"" and a new law that came into force in 2018 resulted in France adopting ""stricter regulations"" that were ""in no way beneficial to Uber"".
files also reveal how Uber's relationship with one of Europe's top officials, European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes, began significantly earlier and ran deeper than previously was known, putting her in an apparent breach of rules governing commissioners' conduct.
reveal she was in talks to join Uber's advisory board before she even left her last European post in November 2014. 
EU rules say commissioners have to respect a ""cooling-off"" period, then 18 months, during which new jobs require the approval of the commission. 
As a commissioner, Ms Kroes oversaw digital and competition policy, and was a high-profile scourge of big tech, playing a leading role in hitting Microsoft and Intel with massive fines.
But of all the companies she could have worked for after leaving, Uber was a particularly controversial choice. 
In her home country, the Netherlands, the UberPop ridesharing service had also brought legal and political trouble.
Uber drivers were arrested in October 2014, and that December a judge in the Hague banned UberPop, threatening fines up to 100,000 euros. In March 2015, Uber's Amsterdam office was raided by Dutch police.
Emails say that Ms Kroes called ministers and other members of the government to persuade them to back down during the raid.During another raid a week later, Ms Kroes again contacted a Dutch minister the Uber Files show, and, in the words of an email, ""harassed"" the head of the Dutch civil service.
An internal email advised staff not to discuss her informal relationship externally: ""Her reputation and our ability to negotiate solutions in the Netherlands and elsewhere would suffer from any casual banter inside or outside the office.""
files show that the company wanted Ms Kroes to pass messages on to the office of the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte.
In October 2015, an email reads: ""We'll get backchannel going with Neelie and the PM's Chief of Staff, to extract maximum advantage through 'giving' them the notion of a 'victory'.""
She wrote to the commission's Ad Hoc Ethical Committee requesting permission to join Uber's advisory board before the 18 months were up, and appealed to commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. 
rmission was denied, but documents show Ms Kroes continued to help the company informally until her appointment was announced, shortly after the cooling-off period had ended.
underlines that Ms Kroes was in a ""clear breach"" of the rules, says Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet professor of European Union law at HEC Paris. 
""You're proving the fact that you're doing something you are not allowed to do,"" he told BBC Panorama. ""Because if she didn't necessarily ask for permission, you might still argue there was a grey area, there was a grey zone. But now it's no longer there.""
Looking at all the disclosures about Ms Kroes' relationship with Uber, he said: ""It makes me feel that our system is probably not fit for purpose because this situation should have been prevented.""
Ms Kroes denies that she had any ""formal or informal role at Uber"" before May 2016, when the cooling-off period expired.
She said as an EU commissioner she interacted with numerous technology companies, ""always driven by what I believe would benefit the public interest"".
During the cooling off period, the Dutch government appointed her special envoy for start-ups, which involved interactions with a ""wide array of business, government and non-governmental entities"" with the aim of promoting a ""business-friendly and welcoming ecosystem in the Netherlands"", she said.
A spokesperson for the Dutch ministry of economic affairs says that ""Uber was not considered a start-up in 2015"".
Uber says Ms Kroes left the advisory board in 2018, and says it has since introduced new guidelines ""strengthening oversight"" of ""lobbying and external engagements with policymakers"" in Europe.
If the police came knocking, Uber had a second line of defence - the ""kill switch"", which made it impossible for visiting law enforcement to access the company's computers.
would restrict officers' access to sensitive company data, such as lists of drivers, which the company believed would harm its growth.
files confirm earlier news reports about the kill switch, and reveal that Mr Kalanick himself activated the system at least once.
""Please hit the kill switch ASAP. Access must be shut down in AMS [Amsterdam],"" an email from his account says.
kill switch was also used in Canada, Belgium, India, Romania and Hungary, and at least three times in France.
Uber says it has had no ""'kill switch' designed to thwart regulatory inquiries anywhere in the world"" since the new chief executive took over in 2017.
A spokesperson for Mr Kalanick said he never authorised any actions or programmes that would obstruct justice in any country, and any accusation he did is completely false. He said Uber ""used tools that protect intellectual property and the privacy of their customers"" and that ""these fail-safe protocols do not delete any data or information, and were approved by Uber's legal and regulatory departments"".
Uber Files is a leak of 124,000 records including emails and texts exposing conversations and meetings between Uber executives and public officials as the technology-driven taxi firm sought to expand its business. The files were leaked to the Guardian which shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington DC and media partners in 29 countries, including the BBC's Panorama.
You can watch Panorama: Taking us for a Ride: The Uber Files on BBC Two at 20:00 BST on Monday 11 July or on BBC iPlayer (UK only)
Uber Files reporting team: James Oliver, Rory Tinman, Nassos Stylianou, Becky Dale, Will Dahlgreen. Writer: Ben King
Correction 11 July 2022: A previous version of this article stated that Mr Macron agreed a decree relaxing requirements for licensing Uber drivers. While the decree did relax some requirements, it also introduced new conditions."	/news/business-62057321
technology	Cyber attack: Gloucester City Council planning site mostly restored	"Newly-submitted planning applications can be tracked online again after a key part of a council's system was restored following a cyber attack.
Gloucester City Council's services were hit on 20 December after malware was sent to a council member by email.
, most of the council's systems that had been affected were functioning as normal, the council said.
However, users would still be unable to view documents associated with applications submitted before January.
uncil website's benefits payments, house sale and planning application sections were affected in the attack.
A spokesperson for the council said it was ""working hard"" to address ongoing issues with tracking applications made before January.
""Further adjustments have yet to be made to the system and residents should continue to submit any comments by email,"" the spokesperson added.
Although the planning portal itself was not taken offline during the cyber attack and people could still submit applications, the system that allowed the public to view documents, submit comments and track progress was affected.
Users can now find out progress updates for any newly-submitted applications and view historical planning application details online.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk "	/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63087153
technology	Coding: 'I used to think tech jobs were for nerdy men'	"Growing up Zoe Thomas never thought she could work in computing. 
29-year-old from Caerphilly had thought coding was a job for men who were good at maths.
Even now women make up just 31% of staff in tech.
But she decided to try something new while working in customer service for a not-for-profit in London, and now codes for a living.
She said: “I’m building things and fixing things which I love doing.” "	/news/uk-wales-63841900
technology	The shops that connect people with their home countries	"At family-owned food shop Popat Mithai & Farsan, owner Vijaya Popat and her all-female team are often so busy dealing with customers in multiple languages that there's barely time to sit down, let alone chat with a nosy journalist.
Mrs Popat set up the business in Leicester back in 2011 to sell Indian sweets and savouries, and it has grown from two members of staff to 15 today. And an online operation was launched in 2018.
Serving the South Asian diaspora in the East Midlands city and further afield, sales soared during the coronavirus pandemic, as customers sought more comfort food - the tastes that they or their forebears brought to the UK from countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Mrs Popat's son Shyam was put forward to speak to the BBC. ""My mum is widely known in the community as being the person that runs the business,"" he says.
""And they all want to speak to her specifically to see if she can source particular things.""
He adds that it's not just first generation immigrants, or those who have just moved to the UK recently, that make up the core customer base. Instead it is also the second generation, who might be buying food for their families, and increasingly online.
""During the lockdowns the website was a total lifesaver, and now we're out of lockdown it has become a thriving arm of the business in itself,"" says Shyam Popat. ""Online sales now account for approximately one-quarter to one-third of the entire turnover of the business.""
In addition to importing products from South Asia, the shop also buys from Kenya.
world's diasporas give to trade between countries is difficult to quantify, but governments are increasingly aware of the economic importance of migrant populations and their descendants.
Kenya announced in September that it would be creating a new ministry for Kenyans living abroad, and US President Joe Biden has announced that he will tell next month's US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington that he wishes to ""amplify diaspora ties"".
But just how big are the world's diasporas? There are currently 281 million people who live in a country other than the one in which they were born, according to the 2022 World Migration Report from the United Nation's International Organization for Migration (IOM).
umber equates to 3.6% of the global population, or one in 30 people. And it doesn't include any children those people have that are born in their new country, nor does it include the descendants of former migrants.
For this reason, the IOM defines the terms ""migrants"" and ""diasporas"" (which comes from the Greek to scatter) separately. The later also including descendants of former migrants ""whose identity and sense of belonging, either real or symbolic, have been shaped by their migration experience and background"". 
quates to billions of people, but an exact number is very difficult to quantify given that it is determined by a person's cultural identity. Even the IOM said back in 2020 that ""currently there are no attempts to measure global diaspora populations per se"".
More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade.
What is certain, is that the entrepreneurial drive within migrant populations has long been recognised. A 2010 report by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that immigrant entrepreneurs were better educated than their native counterparts, and more likely to create a new business.
And often those firms are involved in the importation of food, clothing or other goods from a migrant's former country, such as Indian-born Vijaya Popat and her thriving shop in Leicester. The store, and others like it, played their part in India's exports to the UK totalling $10.4bn last year.
Based in Paris, Olivier Habiyambere is helping to boost Kenyan exports to Europe. He is the founder of website Kenyan Diaspora Market, which imports food and clothing in bulk from the African country, and then sells it to customer across the European continent.
Mr Habiyambere, who was raised in Kenya, came up with the idea for the business when he moved to Paris to study and met others from Kenya and East Africa.
""Everybody wanted Kenyan products, but the issue was bringing the products from Kenya to here,"" he says. ""People could pick up the products when they went to Kenya, but it's not like they could do that every year.""
So he launched the business in April 2022 to offer Kenyans in Europe an easier way of buying products from home. Mr Habiyambere adds that business has grown steadily, helped by Kenyan communities spreading the word via WhatsApp groups.
While Kenyan Diaspora Market is focused on Kenyan migrants, Glasgow-based website Agora Greek Delicacies now has more non-Greek customers than those from within the UK's Greek communities. 
It was set up a decade ago by husband and wife Christina Lyropoulou and Michael Sofianos, who had gone to university in the UK. They now employ 14 people and supply imported Greek food and drink to restaurants, cafes, individuals, and other businesses.
""We started expanding to the British audience - so those travelling to Greece or had Greek friends,"" says Ms Lyropoulou. ""And our online shop saw an increase in sales of about 1000% in the first months of the lockdown.""
Prof Pragya Agarwal, a behavioural and data scientist at the University of Loughborough, regularly buys products originating from her native India for herself and her family in the UK.
""For me personally, it's about maintaining the connection with the motherland, the fatherland - whatever you call it,"" she says.
She laughs as she describes her love of Indian mangos, and admits she regularly would regularly order from a particular store online in a bid to get her mango fix, especially during the pandemic.
""It's what I used to eat growing up in India every summer - every day after every meal.""
Maria Elo, is an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark who has a number of books and articles on diaspora and trade.
She says it's important to be aware of the framing that occurs whenever diaspora is discussed, with migrants often described in one of two ways. 
One narrative is that migration and diaspora are problematic. Prof Elo describes that as a ""deficit view"" with negative connotations. But she adds there is also a positive narrative, which involves ""a big promise for business and economy"".
She adds that research shows that diaspora entrepreneurs are agile, and encourage cross-over products. ""We all eat pizza today, although we're not all Italians and that is something that crossed over a long time ago."""	/news/business-63542786
technology	Gaming time has no link with levels of wellbeing, study finds	"A study of 39,000 video gamers has found ""little to no evidence"" time spent playing affects their wellbeing.
rage player would have to play for 10 hours more than usual per day to notice any difference, it found. And the reasons for playing were far more likely to have an impact.
Well-being was measured by asking about life satisfaction and levels of emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger and frustration.
results contradict a 2020 study.
Conducted by the same department at the Oxford Internet Institute - but with a much smaller group of players - the 2020 study had suggested that those who played for longer were happier.
""Common sense says if you have more free time to play video games, you're probably a happier person,"" said Prof Andrew Przybylski, who worked on both studies.
""But contrary to what we might think about games being good or bad for us, we found [in this latest study] pretty conclusive evidence that how much you play doesn't really have any bearing whatsoever on changes in well-being.
""If players were playing because they wanted to, rather than because they felt compelled to, they had to, they tended to feel better."" 
me, technology companies, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, provided six weeks' data - with the players' consent - from:
During that time, only one player dropped out of the study - published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.
In China, children are allowed to play for only one hour per day, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But many gamers around the world say that their playing helps their mental health.
Mike Dailly, who created Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, said the benefits were varied.
""I'm not sure it's something that's measurable with a single 'well-being' state,"" he said.
""As is everything in life, it's a balance.
""Spend 24 hours a day playing, that's not good - but spend 24 hours a day eating or working out, that is also not good."""	/news/technology-62293235
technology	'Merry Christmas': 30 years of the text message	"xt message is celebrating its 30th birthday - the first was sent to a mobile phone by a Vodafone engineer in Berkshire in the UK on 3 December 1992.
It was sent in order to test out the tech, and read ""Merry Christmas"".
Neil Papworth sent it to one of the firm's bosses, Richard Jarvis, who was at a Christmas party. He did not get a reply.
Mr Jarvis's phone, a new-to-the-market Orbitel 901, weighed 2.1kg - roughly the same as 12 standard iPhone 14s.
At its peak, phone users exchanged billions of SMS - or Short Message Service - messages every year, and in 2010 the word ""texting"" entered the dictionary.
rvice is still used, although internet-based, encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp and iMessage are far more popular.
According to Statista, there were 40 billion SMS messages sent in 2021 in the UK, down from 150bn in 2012. By contrast, there are 100 billion WhatsApp messages sent worldwide every day.
rvice is still used by the NHS to send out appointment reminders, and by some firms as a form of log-in authentication, where a number sequence is sent which has to be entered into its website. 
However, SMS messages are not end-to-end encrypted, and therefore not considered to be secure. 
Originally, an SMS could only be text, up to 160 characters long. The concept was born in the early 1980s but it was almost 10 years before one would be sent to a mobile device.
Most early phones had numeric keyboards, with two or three letters attached to each number - so for example to type the letter C, the number one key had to be pressed three times.
""Handset manufacturers didn't include proper QWERTY keyboards because mobiles were only for making telephone calls and receiving messages, but not sending them,"" said Nigel Linge, professor of telecommunications at the University of Salford.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, recalled giving training sessions on how to send and receive text messages.
""It took off like wildfire and before long people were getting so fast at texting on phones, they could pretty much touch-type on a numeric keyboard,"" he said.
""These days people spend more time looking at their phones than talking into them. SMS was arguably the catalyst for that transition.""
You can follow Zoe Kleinman on Twitter (@zsk)."	/news/technology-63825894
technology	Molly Russell and Olly Stephens: Families unite to slam online law delays	"wo families united by anger over the role social media played in their children's deaths have warned that more youngsters face the same fate unless the government takes swift action. 
rents of teenagers Molly Russell and Olly Stephens said they were frustrated by repeated delays to the passing of the new Online Safety Bill. 
It is hoped the legislation will make it harder to share harmful content. 
government said it wanted to introduce the law as soon as possible.
Molly Russell, from Harrow in north-west London, was 14 when she took her own life in 2017 after watching images of self-harm and suicide on Instagram and Pinterest.  
Just over three years later, 13-year-old Olly Stephens from Reading was stabbed to death by teenagers who plotted his killing across numerous social media platforms and posed in pictures with knives and shared content glamorising gang violence. 
Molly and Olly's parents spoke to the BBC together about their increasing exasperation with the government for repeated delays to a law that would end self-regulation for social media firms and force them to remove harmful content. 
Ian Russell, Molly's father, compared the way social media companies currently operate to ""putting cars on the road without testing them on crash dummies first"". 
""The Online Safety Bill is something I care deeply about because without a change that regulates the companies to operate their platforms more safely, these tragedies will continue to happen,"" he said.  
""It's too late for me so in a way it's not a huge personal investment - I'm just frustrated that an opportunity for change and an opportunity for greater safety for children has been delayed for so long."" 
Amanda Stephens, Olly's mum, said the government has to start taking the issues ""seriously"" and mirrored Mr Russell's call for the delays to stop. 
""The clock's ticking,"" she said. ""The time ran out years ago. Our children are dying.""
Olly's father, Stuart Stephens, added: ""Any child's life that is lost is utterly tragic because it's a life unfulfilled. 
""There's so much potential in that life and in that moment, and it's gone now for us and it's because of social media - so we have no choice but to fight."" 
A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said: ""Social media companies aren't doing enough to protect children and take down illegal content on their platforms.
""That's why we're stepping in with our world-leading Online Safety Bill to hold tech firms to account, with huge fines for those who fail to take action.
""The Secretary of State has committed to strengthen protections for free speech and children in the Online Safety Bill and bring the bill back to the Commons as soon as possible. 
""It remains the government's intention to pass the bill this session.""
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-63731600
technology	Drone operators warned about flying near airports	"Police and airport authorities are warning of the ""potentially catastrophic"" consequences of drones being flown near airports.
It follows recent reported sightings of drones in the vicinity of the Glasgow Airport flightpath.
Drone operators are being reminded that it is a criminal offence to fly them near airports without permission.
warnings have been issued by Police Scotland, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and airport operators.
Every airport and airfield is protected by a flight restriction zone and drone operators cannot fly there without permission of the airfield operator and air traffic control.
Insp David Ferguson, of Police Scotland's aviation security and safety unit, said: ""There has been a significant growth in the use of drones and Police Scotland works in partnership with the CAA and airport operators to ensure compliant use.
""What may seem like a harmless pastime or hobby could have potentially catastrophic consequences if the drone is flown in a location which poses a threat to aircraft.
""We also actively engage with drone pilots to encourage responsible use of the aircraft and ensure they do not interfere with the operations at airports as well as more rural airfields.""
Jonathan Nicholson from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: ""Drones can be great fun but people must fly them safely and follow the rules. Breaking the CAA's Dronecode and failing to fly responsibly could result in criminal prosecution, including imprisonment.
""Anyone operating a drone must do so responsibly and observe all relevant rules and regulations. The rules for flying drones are designed to keep everybody safe.""
A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport added: ""Operating a drone or unmanned aircraft within the airport's flight restriction zone is a criminal offence and those convicted of doing so could face up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.
""The flight restriction zone extends to a 2.5 nautical mile circle radius from the runway with extensions out with protecting the flightpath for arrival and departures.
""Endangering the crew and passengers of an aircraft is extremely dangerous and could lead to a catastrophic loss of life.
""Members of the public who witness or are aware of anyone operating a drone near our airfield should contact Police Scotland immediately."""	/news/uk-scotland-63471599
technology	South Korea 'cryptocrash' boss faces arrest warrant	"A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for Do Kwon - who co-founded the company behind the Terra Luna and TerraUSD cryptocurrencies.
r spectacular collapse earlier this year spooked investors and saw the values of major tokens plummet.
Prosecutors believe that Terraform Labs, which is registered in Singapore, had violated capital market rules.
rra Luna lost 99% of its value in May and this was aggravated by a fall of its sister token, TerraUSD.
Mr Kwon did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the South Korea prosecutor's office told the BBC that arrest warrants had been issued for Kwon and five other individuals connected to the case. However, she declined to comment on how close authorities were to making the arrests.
According to media reports Mr Kwon is believed to be in Singapore, which does not have an extradition agreement with South Korea.
Mr Kwon said it was ""kind of hard"" to decide whether to return to South Korea in a recent interview with crypto show Coinage.
He also claimed to have ""never been in touch with the investigators"".
Prosecutors are planning to arrest and extradite Mr Kwon from Singapore by nullifying his passport and working with international policing organisation Interpol, the Financial Times reported.
Neither Interpol nor Singapore Police responded to a BBC request for comment.
Are crypto-currencies the future of money?
rra Luna token fell from a high of over $100 (£87) to $0.09 in mid-May.
Its collapse was linked to and made worse by a fall in the value of TerraUSD, a so-called ""stablecoin"".
Companies behind stablecoins try to ensure that they remain in parity with assets including the US dollar. However, the value of TerraUSD fell to $0.40.
rra trigged a sell-off in major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether.
As a result the term ""cryptocrash"" trended online."	/news/business-62910462
technology	Court IT system 'putting justice at risk', staff claim	"An IT system is causing key information about court cases in England and Wales to change or disappear and is putting justice at risk, the BBC has been told.
One legal adviser revealed how he entered a driving ban in the system, called Common Platform, only to later discover the result had changed. 
Staff say warnings about alleged faults, describing it as ""fundamentally flawed"", have been ignored.
government said there was no evidence justice is being compromised. 
Common Platform was built to replace outdated software in the criminal courts with one system which allows judges, lawyers, the CPS and courts to access case information in one place.
w system, which started going live in 2020 and has a £300m budget, is being used in 136 courts in England and Wales - equivalent to 60% of the total - with the rest due to adopt it by early next year. 
James (not his real name) is a magistrates' court legal adviser - a lawyer whose job it is to provide legal advice to lay magistrates and manage proceedings in the court.  
Under the new Common Platform regime, he is also responsible for entering the results of cases into the system.
He told the BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme he correctly entered the results of a case in which a man was to be banned from driving only to discover later the result had changed.
""The results that appeared on Common Platform were not the results we imposed,"" he said. 
""It's a good job we remembered the case otherwise it would have been missed. 
""That's scary because this person wouldn't have been disqualified, they'd have been on the road - a threat to others.""
Numerous other court staff also told the BBC of instances in which key information disappeared, including pleas entered and the case result.
File on 4 has also been given details of a case in which an individual was held in prison for days longer than they should have been, after a Common Platform-related fault.
PCS union, which represents court staff, claims repeated warnings about faults have been ignored by the courts service - which prompted legal advisors and court associates in the magistrates' court to vote to take strike action over the system starting on 10 September.
James is among those who said he has warned the court service about faults with Common Platform. 
He likens the way it has handled the roll-out of Common Platform to the Post Office IT scandal - which saw more than 700 branch managers given criminal convictions due to faults in the Horizon software. 
He said: ""I remember watching the programme on the Horizon system for the Post Office, thinking 'that's what we've got - there's a system that's changing things and not reflecting the truth.' It makes me feel quite sick thinking about it. 
""You feel so helpless because you report it and nobody wants to know.""
Professor Alan Woodward, an IT expert and visiting professor at the University of Surrey, urged the court service to pause its roll-out and engage with the concerns being raised. 
""Everybody was telling sub-postmasters it was their fault and only many years later did the Post Office admit actually the software was in error"", he said. 
""People know software is not infallible. You've got to bring them [staff] along with you - demonstrate and prove to them it is actually working."" 
A HM Courts and Tribunal Service spokesperson said: ""Common Platform is fundamental to modernising the court system - replacing out of date systems not fit for purpose and freeing up court staff for the work they can add most value to.
""It has already successfully managed over 158,000 criminal cases and there is no evidence that Common Platform is compromising justice or putting parties at risk. 
""We will continue to work closely with staff to support them through this transition and want to thank all the judges, court staff and others who have contributed to its design and implementation.""
In response to parallels being drawn with the Post Office Horizon scandal a HMCTS spokesperson added: ""We have never ignored concerns that are raised and in July 2021 we took action to pause the rollout of Common Platform as we addressed issues that users were facing."""	/news/uk-62722855
technology	Elon Musk Twitter deal back on in surprise U-turn	"Billionaire Elon Musk has apparently changed his mind about buying Twitter, again, and is now willing to proceed with his takeover of the social media platform.
In a letter to the firm, Mr Musk agreed to pay the price he offered months ago before trying to quit the deal. 
urprise reversal comes just weeks before the two sides were due in court.
witter, which had sued Mr Musk to force the takeover to move forward, was seen as having the stronger case.
In the letter, attorneys for Mr Musk said he intended to move ahead to complete the transaction, pending receipt of the financing and an end of the legal fight. 
A spokesperson for Twitter acknowledged the firm had received the proposal, adding ""the intention of the company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share"" - the price that Mr Musk promised in April.
rent win for Twitter sent its shares soaring more than 20% to more than $52 apiece. But the value remained lower than the takeover price, in a sign of lingering investor doubts the deal will go through. 
Later on Tuesday, Mr Musk wrote in a tweet: ""Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app"".
When Mr Musk first revealed plans to buy Twitter in a $44bn deal, he said he wanted to clean up spam accounts on the platform and preserve it as a venue for free speech.
But the billionaire, a prolific Twitter user known for his impulsive style, balked at the purchase just a few weeks later, citing concerns that the number of fake accounts on the platform was higher than Twitter claimed.
witter executives denied the accusations, arguing that Mr Musk - the world's richest person with a net worth of more than $220bn - wanted out because he was worried about the price.
k-and-forth followed a sharp downturn in the value of technology stocks, including Tesla, the electric car company that Mr Musk leads and is the base of much of his fortune.
fight, which was scheduled to go to trial 17 October, saw the two sides face off in lengthy court filings, private messages and bitter public spats on Twitter, where Mr Musk has more than 100 million followers.
In one such exchange, Mr Musk responded to Twitter boss Parag Agrawal with an emoji for faecal matter.
Preparation for the trial had ensnarled many of the biggest names in tech, as lawyers for the two companies demanded communications about the deal.
Mr Musk, who could have paid a $1bn break-up fee to walk away, was set to be interviewed ahead of the trial this week. 
Some industry watchers, who were taken by surprise by the development, questioned whether the latest twist was a concrete offer or a delay tactic.
It's hard to keep track with this deal. On, off, now - it appears - on again. 
However there's a lot to read into Twitter's brief statement.
""intention"" to go through with the deal suggests a nervousness that this is a delaying tactic from Musk's team. 
ment effectively can be read as - 'We are going to pursue this sale, whatever Elon Musk says or does'.
way Twitter also, so pointedly, says it will sell the company at $54.20 suggests they are still worried about Musk lowballing. 
So far Musk has been a highly erratic negotiating partner - hot and cold. Keen one minute, looking for the exit the other.
You can see why Twitter is playing it cautiously.  
At Twitter, which has been thrown into turmoil since Mr Musk first turned his attention to the firm, staff told the BBC that their bosses were initially silent on the matter, even as the report spread widely.
Investors have long been sceptical that the takeover would go forward, especially since Mr Musk was seen as offering a heady price for a firm struggling to attract users and grow. 
witter shares had been trading below $43 apiece at the start of the day. 
News that Mr Musk had proposed to honour the original agreement sent shares in the company soaring almost 13% before trading was halted. 
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said Mr Musk's chance of winning in court was ""highly unlikely"".
""Being forced to do the deal after a long and ugly court battle in Delaware was not an ideal scenario and instead accepting this path and moving forward with the deal will save a massive legal headache,"" he wrote in a report after the news.
But he added, that Mr Musk's ownership of the platform, a top venue for politicians and journalists to spread news and opinion, would still likely cause a ""firestorm of worries and questions"" in Washington and beyond."	/news/business-63137114
technology	Twitter whistleblower raises security concerns	"A former security chief for Twitter has turned whistleblower and testified that the company misled users and US regulators about gaps in its security.
Peiter Zatko also claimed that Twitter underestimated how many fake and spam accounts are on its platform.
usations could affect a legal battle between Twitter and billionaire Elon Musk, who is trying to cancel his $44bn (£37bn) deal to buy the company.
witter says Mr Zatko's allegations are inaccurate and inconsistent. 
It says he was sacked in January for ineffective leadership and poor performance.
In Mr Zatko's damning revelations, first revealed by CNN and The Washington Post, he accused Twitter of failing to maintain stringent security practices and ""lying about bots to Elon Musk"".
He filed his complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission in July. The BBC has seen a redacted copy of the complaint shared via CBS news.
In it, Mr Zatko also criticised the way in which Twitter handled sensitive information and claimed that it has failed to accurately report some of these matters to US regulators.
witter has faced a number of high profile hacks with Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kanye West all targeted. 
Among his concerns Mr Zatko alleges that Twitter suffered from an usually high rate of security incidents - ""approximately one security incident each week serious enough that Twitter was required to report it to regulators"".
He said that so-called insider threats - security risks posed by people with malicious intent from within the company - went ""virtually unmonitored"".
former security chief revealed his concern about how Twitter handled data, alleging that too many employees had access to sensitive systems and user data.
He worried that the company had no workable disaster recovery plan, and claimed that in the past, Twitter had failed to properly delete the data of people who cancelled their accounts.
On fake and spam accounts, he said that ""deliberate ignorance was the norm"" at the tech company, and accused Twitter executives of having little incentive to accurately identify how many there really are on its platform.
However in the view of The Washington Post, he ""provides little hard evidence"" to back up these assertions.
Nevertheless, Elon Musk's lawyers have jumped on the comments. His legal team are currently trying to get the Tesla boss out of the deal, by arguing that Twitter has no way of verifying how many of its 229 million daily active users were actually human.
Following the publication of Mr Zatko's revelations, Mr Musk tweeted screenshots of The Washington Post's story, and tweeted an image carrying the phrase ""give a little whistle"".
Mr Zatko's lawyer told CNN that his client started the whistleblowing process before the takeover bid became public, and had not made contact with Elon Musk.
However one of Elon Musk's lawyers, Alex Spiro, told CNN that Mr Zatko had been subpoenaed to be a potential witness. 
A former hacker, Peiter Zatko is a well-known figure in computer security circles.
Nicknamed Mudge, he was a member of computer security think-tank L0pht (pronounced ""loft""), and took part in congressional hearings on cyber-security in 1998.
He has also held senior positions with Google and the US government's research and development agency, DARPA. 
A Twitter spokesperson said: ""What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data-security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context. 
""Mr Zatko's allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders. 
""Security and privacy have long been company-wide priorities at Twitter and will continue to be.""
John Tye, of Whistleblower Aid, which is assisting Pieter Zatko, described him as a ""hero"" and called on agencies to investigate the allegations quickly. "	/news/technology-62633191
technology	Ukraine round-up: UK helps Ukraine in cyber war and Russian banker defies Putin	"Water and electricity supplies in Kyiv have been restored, a day after they were disrupted by Russian missile strikes on key infrastructure sites across Ukraine. 
Scheduled blackouts will continue to manage power demand, the city's mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, said. 
He also announced that 1,000 heating points would be set up for people to seek shelter from the cold during winter, in expectation of more power outages over the next few months. 
rikes followed an attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea which Russia blames on Ukraine, although Kyiv has not commented. 
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Monday's strikes were partly in response to the Crimea attack. However, Moscow has been targeting Ukrainian infrastructure since before the Crimea attack took place. 
We've got the latest from Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine here. 
Details have emerged about a secret UK programme to defend Ukraine against Russian cyber-attacks.
£6m ($6.9m) package had been kept under wraps until now to protect operational security, officials say.
Ukraine has been subjected to unprecedented attacks from a range of Russian intelligence services, according to those involved in the programme.
""We've seen on a daily basis now the terrible images of the way that the electrical grid in Ukraine has been battered by ballistic strikes and drone strikes from the Russians - they face the same threat and same challenge in the cyber domain,"" UK Europe Minister Leo Docherty told the BBC.
Russia repeatedly denies claims it has carried out cyber attacks.
Read more here from our security correspondent Gordon Corera
Billionaire Russian banker Oleg Tinkov has renounced his Russian citizenship, saying he refuses to be associated with a ""fascist"" country that invaded a peaceful neighbour.
founder of the online Tinkoff bank is one of very few current Russian oligarchs to take a stand against the war but said he hoped he could set an example.
""I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin's regime and his economy, and put him [sic] eventually to defeat,"" he said in an Instagram post.
Mr Tinkov is believed to live in London but is subject to UK sanctions, as are many other Russian oligarchs.
Read more about his campaign against the Russian war here
War can seem distant to many of us, especially after so many months of fighting.
But the BBC's Jeremy Bowen's recent journey across the east and south of Ukraine, hearing moving accounts from soldiers and civilians, serves to bring it up close - most notably with the harrowing story of 75-year-old grandmother Liudmyla.
retired teacher described how she was viciously beaten and raped by a Russian soldier in her own home in an apparently unprovoked attack.
""I said goodbye to my children, my grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I never thought I would stay alive,"" she said.
""Putin and the Russians will never be forgiven until the end of their world… for what they did to the Ukrainians. There will be no forgiveness.""
In September we reported that five British nationals captured by Russian forces in Ukraine had been released.
Now one of them, Shaun Pinner, has been talking about his ordeal.
former British Army soldier, who fought with Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, says he nearly starved to death in captivity and was given only bread and water for about 50 days.
""We were treated badly - electrocuted, tasered, stabbed in the leg, pistol-whipped and taken to a black site,"" he said.
He and another former soldier, Aiden Aslin, were put on trial in the separatist Donetsk People's Republic and told they faced the death penalty, but were set free as part of an exchange deal.
Read more about Shaun here"	/news/world-europe-63477744
technology	Instagram U-turns on TikTok-style revamp	"Instagram says it is pausing a rollout of new features on its app following backlash online from users, influencers and celebrities.
Among the new features was an increase in recommended video content, in a similar style to rival app TikTok.
feeds were criticised as people felt they were not seeing photos from friends and family as much.
Meta, Instagram's parent company, said it wanted to ""take the time"" to get the changes right.
revamp of Instagram towards more video content is believed to have been ignited by the soaring popularity of competitor TikTok - where users post and watch more video as opposed to static photographs. 
According to data from digital analytics company Sensor Tower, the TikTok app has now been downloaded more than three billion times around the world - the first app not owned by Meta to reach this landmark.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri told The Verge that the test version of the revamped app would be phased out within weeks. 
""I'm glad we took a risk - if we're not failing every once in a while, we're not thinking big enough or bold enough,"" he said.
""But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. [When] we've learned a lot, then we come back with some sort of new idea or iteration. So we're going to work through that.""
Mr Mosseri had previously posted a video explaining the move towards video, saying that full-screen videos would be promoted over photographs.
But after some backlash, he followed it up with a series of tweets saying he wanted to ""continue supporting photos"".
In response to Mr Mosseri's Twitter video, US model Chrissy Teigen said that users ""don't wanna make videos"" and are seeing lower engagement for photos.
Reality TV stars Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner also shared an online ""petition"" to ""Make Instagram Instagram again"" on their stories. 
, author and content creator, posted how frustrated she was with the changes and how Instagram was so much better when she received content from the people she chose to follow.
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC: ""Based on our findings and community feedback, we're pausing the full-screen test on Instagram so we can explore other options, and we're temporarily decreasing the number of recommendations you see in your feed so we can improve the quality of your experience. 
""We recognise that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe that Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right."" 
Follow Shiona McCallum on Twitter @shionamc."	/news/technology-62345306
technology	Undercover with Russia’s fake arms dealers	"Russian state TV claims Ukrainians are selling US-donated weapons on the dark web. The BBC investigated one such marketplace, spoke undercover to those apparently selling weapons, and gathered evidence that suggests the adverts for weapons are fake. 
""Ukrops [a derogatory Russian slang term used to refer to Ukrainians] are selling Javelins on the darknet. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine resells equipment and weapons supplied by Nato."" This message about anti-tank weapons was posted on 2 June by pro-Kremlin English-language account ASB Military News. 
unt has been recently suspended by Twitter but still exists on Telegram, where it has more than 100,000 subscribers.  
On the same day, another pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, with 700,000 followers, posted in Russian: ""Thanks to Biden and European friends of Ukraine, Javelins, machine guns and even tanks will pop up all over the world in the hands of terrorists and criminals."" 
Pictures attached to the post showed an advert allegedly selling the FGM-148 Javelin, a US-made anti-tank missile system, for $30,000 (£26,000) and promising to deliver the weapons to the Ukraine-Poland border or abroad.  
were quickly picked up by mainstream Russian state TV, which routinely runs stories claiming Ukraine is selling weapons supplied by the West. 
We decided to investigate these accusations ourselves using laptops that could not be linked back to the BBC. With a specialised web browser, we accessed the dark web where the level of anonymity attracts criminal activity. 
We found several sellers on the same marketplace mentioned by Russian state media outlets. They said they were selling Nato weapons, and their geolocation was Kyiv. However, the name of Ukraine's capital was misspelled in Ukrainian.   
was not the only inconsistency.  
One of the main sellers often mentioned in Russian media reports is known as ""Weapons Ukraine"".
r claims to have made 32 successful deals selling US-made carbines [a type of automatic rifle], pistols and other rifles all allegedly delivered within Ukraine.
However, the BBC found that many of the photos of the weapons were not as they appeared. 
red warning sign indicates the image is old or has been manipulated
We found the image of the M4 carbine posted on a Russian website in 2014. The image of another rifle advertised by the seller had also been taken in 2014 and posted on a gun enthusiast's site. 
Another seller called ""Big Discounts On Weapons"", claiming to sell US-made Javelins and drones recently provided to Ukraine by its Nato allies, was more inventive. 
r photoshopped several old pictures - including ones of damaged drones - to make them look as if they were taken directly by him, and added the name of the marketplace. 
We spoke to StopFake, a Ukrainian fact-checking organisation. It found that the drones attached to the advert matched those of two Switchblade 300 drones with the same serial numbers shot down in Syria in 2015 and 2016.  
Russian state media repeatedly claim that the people behind these advertisements are Ukrainian. So we decided to get in touch with so-called ""sellers"" and check for ourselves. 
r selling Javelins and Switchblade 300 drones asked us to contact them on a messaging app where they were registered under the username ""javelinusa"". 
We spoke to them undercover, asking how we could buy weapons.  
""Put money into your account, then we'll invite an administrator to this chat. We'll announce our terms and conditions. We'll place goods into a stash. When you receive them, you'll text us that you're happy with everything, and then the administrator will transfer your money to me,"" javelinusa texted us in Ukrainian. 
However, in the course of our online conversation we noticed that their Ukrainian was full of grammatical errors. When asked about it, the ""seller"" replied that they were from Poland. 
We asked a linguist to analyse our chat with the trader.    
""The person behind these messages is Russian-speaking,"" said Daria Lewicka, expert in Polish language and a Ukrainian-Russian-Polish interpreter. 
She says there is substantial evidence that the messages written in Ukrainian were translated from Russian with the help of an online translator. 
""I see a lot of 'Russianisms' in his Ukrainian language, but I don't see any 'Polonisms' at all. For example, he uses a phrase ""зуби не заговорюй"" [which can be translated as ""don't beat around the bush""]. This is a common Russian phrase and it has no equivalent in Polish.""
r also made several typos, which meant the online translator could not understand them, and left the original words. They were both Russian words written with Russian letters.  
Later, we managed to contact another seller from ""Weapons Ukraine"".  
In the online chat, the trader also made grammatical mistakes in tenses and word endings, suggesting he was not a native Ukrainian speaker and that he was translating his messages.   
guist also found inconsistencies in many reviews mostly posted in Polish on the site, suggesting they were posted with the aid of a translation service. 
""Real people don't talk like this,"" Ms Lewicka said.
Despite the inconsistencies, Russian state media site RT depicts the sellers' ads and reviews as evidence that ""potentially suggests that the Ukrainian arms smugglers may have already established contacts with [Polish] border guards and are able to cross in and out of Poland without complications"". 
""Javelins can shoot down planes. And Stingers [US-made air-defence systems] can fall into the hands of terrorists and become a safety risk to European airports,"" claimed a separate report by Russia's Channel One.  
Serhiy Kharchenko is a fact-checker from StopFake specialising in tackling Russian propaganda. He says this is how the Kremlin uses fake news to reduce trust in Ukraine and disrupt arms supplies to Kyiv. 
""Their goal is to sow panic in Europe, saying that these weapons can be used against European citizens.""
He says these stories were produced by Russia primarily to influence an international audience. 
BBC found stories about the weapons sales published in English, Japanese, Vietnamese and several other languages across a range of sites including a mainstream Turkish news outlet and fringe American blogs and conspiracy sites.
Cybercrime Threat Intelligence Company KELA investigated the marketplace. It believes the listings were publicised by pro-Russian propaganda sources, or possibly created by them.
KELA says it is suspicious that the marketplace has relatively minimal activity - a low number of trades taking place - and that it is reasonably unknown, even among those who visit dark web marketplaces.  
""Usually, you would find people who know a marketplace. But we didn't find any reviews or recommendations of this platform. We had a lot of trouble finding anything about this marketplace, any kind of feedback,"" says Irina Nesterovsky, KELA chief research officer.
She questions how Russian journalists found it so easily. 
Ms Nesterovsky says it is not clear if the adverts were created specifically by pro-Russian actors or if scammers active on the dark web created them independently, and then pro-Kremlin sources picked them up. 
But the timing and the similarity of claims made by Russian state media outlets suggest that it could be an organised disinformation campaign. 
Mr Kharchenko agrees and is concerned that the same marketplace could be used by Russian propagandists to produce other false stories.  
""Now Russians have been creating stories accusing Ukraine of selling weapons. But who knows - later they might use the same marketplace to spread fakes about so called 'sales' of other 'goods' and 'services'. If they have created this marketplace, why not to use it? All they want is to sow the seeds of doubt and denigrate Ukrainians."""	/news/world-62983444
technology	Esports: 'It's lovely to be accepted,' says trans student	"A transgender student has described how she found acceptance in the world of esports.
Rose Joy, who studies Esports Production at Confetti, a creative technologies institute that forms part of Nottingham Trent University, said the head of her course had signed her deed poll when she changed her name.
A survey in 2020 found LGBTQ+ people make up 21% of the industry, while transgender gamer Emma Rose won gold for Northern Ireland in the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships this year.
""It's been really lovely to work in an environment where I'm just accepted for who I am within esports,"" Rose said.
Video journalist: Alex Thorp
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63722208
technology	Kochava faces legal action over sale of location data	"A US consumer watchdog has begun legal action against a firm that allegedly sold location data that some fear could help identify people having abortions.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claims Kochava Inc sold data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices.
It says the data could reveal visits to reproductive-health clinics, as well as places of worship, domestic-violence shelters and addiction services.
Kochava says it abides by privacy rules and criticised ""frivolous litigation"".
FTC alleges that the firm's data feeds allowed purchasers to identify and track specific mobile-device users.
Having analysed a publicly available sample of data from Kochava, the commission says it would be possible to identify people who have visited a reproductive-health clinic and could also help identify medical professionals who perform, or assist in the performance, of reproductive health services.
It says the release of data could expose individuals to ""stigma, discrimination, physical violence, emotional distress, and other harms"".
mpany, founded in 2011, says on its website that it ""complies with all user data privacy and consent regulations"".
And earlier this month it unveiled Privacy Block, technology that it says will remove health-services location data from its data marketplace.
In a statement given to the BBC, Kochava's Brian Cox said the lawsuit revealed a ""fundamental misunderstanding"" by the FTC of how the firm's data business worked.
Mr Cox said all its location data was supplied by other companies - ""third-party data brokers, all of whom represent that the data comes from consenting consumers"".
According to the statement, Kochava was constantly monitoring and adjusting its technology to block location data from other sensitive places.
""Real progress to improve data privacy for consumers will not be reached through flamboyant press releases and frivolous litigation,"" Mr Cox added.
Concern about the tracking of individuals to reproductive-health clinics has risen following a US Supreme Court ruling that effectively opened the door for a number of states to ban abortions.
Campaigners have said they fear data could be used to help track and assist in the prosecution of women who have abortions.
In July, Google said it would delete location data that could be used to reveal when someone visited an abortion clinic.
Vice magazine has previously reported on data available from other brokers, which it says could be used to track visits to clinics.
Announcing the legal action, the director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, Samuel Levine, said: ""Where consumers seek out health care, receive counselling, or celebrate their faith is private information that shouldn't be sold to the highest bidder.
""The FTC is taking Kochava to court to protect people's privacy and halt the sale of their sensitive geo-location information."""	/news/technology-62654155
technology	Gorleston derelict football ground fire tackled by crews	"A fire at a derelict former football ground in Norfolk is believed to have been an arson attack.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blaze at the former Emerald Park Football Club, Woodfarm Lane, Gorleston at about 18:40 GMT on Sunday. 
More than 30 firefighters tackled the blaze that took more than three hours to bring the fire under control."	/news/uk-england-norfolk-63621658
technology	The social media lifeline amid soaring food costs	"Every morning, Tina Harrison logs on to the Facebook page for Trinity Foodbank in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, to check for new messages. As the cost of living crisis deepens, more and more people, she says, have been getting in touch to say they've run out of food and need help.
Mrs Harrison, a former nurse - or one of her fellow volunteers - will reply. They try to offer some form of assistance to everybody. 
Many people ask permission: is it OK to come and receive a food parcel? ""It's always, 'Yes, it's OK,'"" says Mrs Harrison. Before the pandemic, the food bank handed out around 20 parcels per week. That figure has nearly quadrupled in more recent times. 
""It's just going to get worse, I think,"" says Mrs Harrison, describing how some parents have told her that they sit in bed with their children to watch TV on some evenings, just to keep warm.
rising cost of food and energy is affecting people from all walks of life, she adds, from single people to families. But households with children could find the summer months particularly difficult. 
While many local authorities are launching holiday meal voucher or cash payment schemes, some children won't have as easy access to food during the day as they would when in school. During the pandemic, the government U-turned on its previous policy of not providing free school meals to children in England over the holidays.
But teaching unions have argued recently that the offer of these meals ought to be extended due to the cost of living crisis.
financial hardship facing many families is prompting more of them to approach their local food bank or community support network, perhaps for the first time. Many are making that initial contact via Facebook or other social media sites.
rinity Foodbank doesn't just offer food, Mrs Harrison stresses. There's friendly help and advice about how to budget and how to claim grants or benefits. 
Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan), which connects hundreds of food aid providers, has produced leaflets with financial advice for people in need. There are interactive versions online, as well.
""When you've got a problem as widespread as this, you just come up with as many ways as possible of reaching people,"" says Sabine Goodwin, Ifan co-ordinator.
Food banks are also using social media to advertise for donations because they have noticed a drop in such support lately. ""They're running out of food a lot of the time,"" says Ms Goodwin. This is because people who would usually support their local food bank have also been hit by spiralling costs.
""Nearly everyone is on social media now,"" says Mark Wells, founder of the Food Facts Friends food bank in Midlothian. He describes how he has used Facebook lately to post pictures of relatively bare shelves in the food bank store, in an effort to inspire donations.
""I've just set up an account with TikTok,"" he says, referring to the video-sharing site. Mr Wells hopes that young people will find videos of the food bank's fare and show their parents so that people know what's available, should they need it.
rt of content can help connect people to food aid providers in their area, says Brooke Bennett at the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health. 
In a recent study, she and colleagues asked summer meal providers how they signposted their services to families in Connecticut. They reported higher online engagement, and more in-person visitors, when they posted photos of whatever food would be available on a particular day.  
Some providers pay a small fee to promote these posts as well. ""You can really target an audience that you know is in your zip code, your area,"" says Dr Bennett.
In 2020, the Food Foundation, a UK charity, and marketing agency PLMR launched a map to signpost the locations of businesses offering free meals to children during the October half-term holiday, when free school meals weren't available. 
Around 50,000 users visited the map during that time. Given the government U-turn on holiday meals, there are no plans to relaunch this map, the Foundation says. 
However, there are other, localised tools that make it easy for people to find out what help is available near to them, such as the interactive Google Map maintained by Feeding Liverpool. It shows the locations of food clubs and community shops around the city. 
""It's one of the best things we've done,"" says Naomi Maynard, good food programme director. ""It's so simple but just giving people the knowledge of what's in their local area is so empowering.""
Users are able to search for providers that cater for dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher or halal, she notes.
Digital platforms are not panaceas for food insecurity, notes Georgiana Nica-Avram at Nottingham University Business School. However, such services can help people to access support in a dignified way.
""Not many people may want to publicly acknowledge that they are going through this themselves or they may not have an extensive network of support,"" she explains.
In partnership with the food-sharing app Olio, Dr Nica-Avram and colleagues have studied how some people use Olio to support themselves during times of severe hardship.
Sadly, there is no doubt that the coming months will prove very difficult for lots of families. Many parents who stop by Trinity Foodbank in Radcliffe also mention their concerns about the coming winter, and the high heating costs they expect then, notes Mrs Harrison. 
More technology of business:
A Department for Education spokeswoman says the government recognises that millions of households are struggling with rising prices. 
""The Holiday Activities and Food programme runs during major school holidays,"" she adds.
""Wider welfare support is available for families through the Household Support Fund, which helps vulnerable families in need with essentials, such as food and utility bills."" A total of £37bn of public money is currently available to support households during the cost of living crisis.
Mrs Harrison and her fellow volunteers are determined to keep providing whatever help they can, despite the pressure also facing those who normally donate to the food bank.
""I think at the moment we're just riding with the times, a bit like we did with Covid, really,"" she says."	/news/business-62034982
technology	FTX: Cryptocurrency market rocked by near-collapse of exchange	"gital assets market has been rocked by the near-collapse of one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, FTX.
On Tuesday, FTX struck a bailout deal with larger rival Binance after a surge in withdrawals caused a ""significant liquidity crunch"".
Concerns about FTX's financial health reportedly triggered $6bn (£5.2bn) of withdrawals in just three days.
Binance says it agreed to buy FTX's non-US unit, pending due diligence.
FTX's founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Binance's chief executive Changpeng ""CZ"" Zhao are two of the most powerful people in the cryptocurrency market and high-profile rivals.
ressure on FTX came in part from Mr Zhao, who tweeted on Sunday that Binance would sell its holdings of FTX's digital token, known as FTT.
""Due to recent revelations that have come to light, we have decided to liquidate any remaining FTT on our books,"" he said. FTT has lost almost 80% of its value this week.
On Tuesday Mr Zhao tweeted, ""This afternoon, FTX asked for our help. There is a significant liquidity crunch.""
Binance said it had signed a letter of intent to buy the firm but had ""the discretion to pull out from the deal at any time"".
Also on Twitter Mr Bankman-Fried said: ""Our teams are working on clearing out the withdraw backlog as is. This will clear out liquidity; all assets will be covered 1:1.""
""The important thing is that customers are protected... We are in the best of hands,"" he added.
Mr Bankman-Fried also noted that FTX's US business was a separate company and ""not currently impacted by this"".
ryptocurrency world is full of big personalities and Sam Bankman-Fried is one of the biggest.
Since the ""cryptocrash"" in the spring, the young, outspoken, owner of FTX has been a beacon of hope to investors large and small.
While other companies have faltered, Bankman-Fried seemed to be thriving.
In the last six months, the 30-year-old had given out generous rescue packages for struggling firms, secured lucrative acquisitions and taken part in high-profile media interviews.
As revelations about his company's fragile finances came to light in reporting by CoinDesk, those outspoken interviews are now coming back to bite him. 
""More crypto exchanges will fail,"" he said in one interview adding that some firms are ""secretly insolvent"".
Now it seems his company joins the growing list of cryptocurrency businesses that have failed thanks to a recurring problem - a lack of cash reserves.
FTX is not the first firm to succumb to the so-called ""crypto winter"" we are in but it is by far the largest.
""This is a black swan event that adds more fears in the crypto space. This cold winter for crypto now takes on more fear,"" Dan Ives, senior equity analyst at Wedbush Securities told the BBC.
ws sent shockwaves through the digital assets market, with cryptocurrencies falling sharply.
Bitcoin fell by more than 10% to hit the lowest level since November 2020.
Meanwhile, online trading platform Robinhood lost more than 19% of its stock market value, while cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase fell by 10%.
Russian Canadian programmer Vitalik Buterin created Ethereum in 2014"	/news/business-63564364
technology	Estonian duo accused of $575m cryptocurrency scam	"Police in Estonia have arrested two men suspected of running a $575m (£485m) cryptocurrency scam involving hundreds of thousands of victims.
Estonian police investigated the case with the FBI, and US authorities want to extradite the pair - Estonians Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin.
wo 37-year-olds allegedly got people to invest in a cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare and a fake virtual bank called Polybius.
A US indictment has been issued. 
A statement from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) says the pair are accused of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering - crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
fendants have appeared in court in the Estonian capital Tallinn and are being held pending extradition to the US, the statement says.
re was no immediate comment from their representatives.
Giving details of the alleged scheme, the DoJ says the two defrauded victims by offering them the chance to buy into HashFlare's cryptocurrency mining operations.
Crypto mining uses computers to generate virtual coins for profit - a process that consumes significant amounts of computing power.
Customers around the world are said to have purchased more than half a billion dollars' worth of HashFlare contracts from 2015 to 2019. But the operation allegedly overstated its capabilities.   
DoJ alleges that victims were also promised dividends if they invested in Polybius, a virtual bank Mr Potapenko and Mr Turogin said they had set up. 
fendants are said to have raised $25m this way - but no bank was ever formed. 
used shell companies to launder criminal proceeds, buying at least 75 properties and luxury cars, DoJ says.
Oskar Gross of Estonia's police cybercrime bureau described the joint investigation - which involved 100 personnel including 15 from the American side - as ""long and vast"". 
It was ""one of the largest fraud cases we've ever had in Estonia"", he said on Monday, quoted by Estonia's ERR public broadcaster.
untry's authorities also warned that technology had ""broadened the risk of fraud"".
mes at a time of heightened nervousness in the cryptocurrency market, following the collapse of the world's second-largest crypto exchange, FTX.
firm filed for bankruptcy in the US last week, and owes its 50 largest creditors almost $3.1bn (£2.6bn), according to a court filing."	/news/world-europe-63711843
technology	Elon Musk X: What life is like on a super-app in Asia	"I'm stuck at home taking care of a sick child, when a familiar feeling suddenly hits - a craving for durian.
But there's no need to head out to a durian stall or supermarket to buy the tropical fruit, lug it home, and wrestle open its spiky husk.
I just whip out my phone, open an app called Grab, and make a few taps.
Forty-five minutes later, there's a knock on my door. A deliveryman hands over a bag: it's my durian, freshly shucked and sealed in plastic tubs, ready to eat.
From ordering cabs and food, to paying our bills and booking holidays, super-apps like Grab offer a mindboggling array of services. They don't exist yet in the West - Elon Musk is thinking of creating one called X - but in many parts of Asia they've already been a vital part of our everyday lives for the past few years. 
I mostly use Grab to get a ride home after a night out, or order Thai takeaway when I haven't got the energy to cook dinner for the family.
But many in Singapore also use it to send parcels and documents, or shop online - one colleague just purchased a home karaoke set.     
Other extensions allow you to book bus and ferry tickets, make hotel reservations, and even arrange for someone to come to your home and do a professional Covid swab test.
for through the app's finance system. There's an e-wallet linked to your bank account or credit card, or you can set up instalment plans, or pay with points which you earn with every activity done through the app. 
It can also be used for cashless payments - you pay for items at a shop by scanning a QR code with the app, or you can get a physical card linked to your account.
But Grab is not the only player in town.
re are super-apps aplenty from Indonesia's GoJek to India's PayTM and they allow you to do even more, such as book a manicure, order fuel for your motorbike, pay your traffic fine and purchase gold. 
ught on in a region of digital natives - in South East Asia alone, about three-quarters of our population use the internet, and of that group, 88% own a smartphone.
, there's China's WeChat - the original Asian super-app said to be the inspiration for Mr Musk's X.
It's a messaging and social media platform that's evolved into one of the region's biggest apps in terms of its range of services and number of users. At last count it's estimated to have 1.29 billion users in China alone. 
WeChat is also one of China's biggest payment networks, with consumers using it to pay for goods and services and to send money to each other. 
Some research suggests that a Chinese user spends as much as a third of their waking life on WeChat alone.
Much has been written about how its ubiquity in Chinese everyday life, operating in a society tightly controlled by the government has seen WeChat become a tool of surveillance and censorship.
Messages, posts and even accounts are routinely blocked for content deemed politically sensitive, and there are concerns of how it could contribute to the various controversial ""social credit"" schemes in China, where citizens' lives can be restricted based on their bank credit scores or social behaviour. 
In 2020, WeChat introduced its own scoring system where users get extra privileges if they have good in-app credit records.
xample of WeChat highlights the main concern about super-apps - with everyone doing practically everything on just a few platforms, these apps end up collecting a vast trove of data on people, and could wield some power over our daily lives.
How such data is treated and to what extent governments should have access to it will be part of the debate in societies where privacy is particularly prized. Mr Musk's X super-app - if it does come to fruition - may be seen by some with suspicion as a double-edged Swiss Army knife.
For others though, the convenience and simplicity of living life on one app is an easy trade-off to make. There's always the option of scaling back their use, for those with deep concerns about privacy.
And in open markets, specialty apps will continue to vie for users' attention, reducing the likelihood of most of the data ending up in the hands of just one or two companies - one reason for WeChat's dominance in China is because some apps like Twitter and WhatsApp are blocked there.
Here in Singapore, I don't do everything on Grab. It's not because I distrust it, but I prefer using specialty apps to do other things like grocery shopping and buying clothes as they're just better at it.
So I'm fine with Grab humming away in the recesses of my phone because it doesn't know everything about me, just some things - like the fact that I love delivery durian."	/news/world-asia-63113517
technology	I don’t know why I’m banned from Twitter - journalist Matt Binder	"Mashable journalist Matt Binder is one of a number of journalists who have been locked out of their Twitter accounts.
He told BBC World News he's baffled by the decision to suspend him from Elon Musk's platform."	/news/world-us-canada-64004015
technology	Competition regulator needs teeth to curb big tech, MPs say	"Big tech firms should face tougher penalties for abusing their market power, a committee of MPs has said.
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee has urged the government to publish legislation that could allow firms to be fined up to 10% of global annual income for abuses.
MPs say the draft Digital Markets Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech in May, should be published ""without delay"".
Until this legislation is passed, consumers are at risk, they say.
mmittee argues that existing fines have been viewed as just ""a small business cost"" by the big technology businesses.
government has previously said that existing tools to regulate competition are not suitable to deal with the ""entrenched market power held by a small number of digital firms"".
It proposed the creation of a digital markets unit (DMU) within the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
w bill would give that unit powers to tackle anti-competitive behaviour by tech giants and protect consumer rights.
CMA welcomed the report and told the BBC it would ""carefully consider and respond to the committee's recommendations in due course"".
uthority recently required Facebook owner Meta to sell animated-image platform Giphy, shortly after it acquired it. 
ruling was the first time the UK regulator had blocked an acquisition by a tech giant, and was seen as signalling a new determination to scrutinise big digital deals.
Darren Jones, who chairs the BEIS committee, said ""The Competition, Consumer and Digital Markets Bill has wide support and should be prioritised, especially given the difficulty the government currently has at passing other laws which are more controversial. 
""There are many areas in the economy where stronger competition is required in the interests of consumers, small business and economic growth, and this bill is an essential stepping stone to driving this issue forward.""
But in its evidence to the committee, the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) - which aims to provide a voice for tech startups - told MPs the proposed new regime could threaten the UK's status as the tech capital of Europe.  
MPs it focused too much on taking action against the biggest firms and not enough on encouraging start-ups to challenge them.
But the government told the BBC that it recognised the importance of the reforms to address competition issues in digital markets. 
""That is why we committed to publishing draft legislation in the Queen's Speech and will be taking forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows,"" it said."	/news/technology-63375260
technology	Molly Russell's inquest to put focus on big tech	"Almost five years after she took her own life, the inquest into the death of teenager Molly Russell is due to begin.
Molly, 14, killed herself in 2017 after viewing material about self-harm, suicide and depression, on social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest.
Her father Ian, a campaigner for online safety, hopes it is a turning point.
""I hope that we will learn lessons and that it will help produce the change that's needed to keep people safe, to keep people alive,"" he told BBC News.
Mr Russell,  from Harrow, north-west London, believes long-term exposure to harmful material contributed to Molly's death.
Molly's story provided fresh impetus for new legislation to regulate so-called big tech companies. The Online Safety Bill is still making its way through Parliament and is due a third reading in the Commons. 
Meta, which owns Instagram, and Pinterest are officially taking part in the inquest, which is due to last two weeks. It will hear evidence from executives from both companies, after they were ordered by the coroner to appear in person.
Meta is likely to be questioned about a number of internal documents revealed by the former employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen. These include research carried out by the company into the impact of the platform on the mental health of young people.
In the last six months of her life, Molly used her Instagram account up to 120 times a day, liking more than 11,000 pieces of content. She is thought to have used the image-sharing site Pinterest more than 15,000 times over the same period.
roner, Andrew Walker, has already been warned that some of the content is ""pretty dreadful"" and difficult even for adults to look at for extended periods of time.
Ged Flynn, chief executive of Papyrus, which works to prevent suicide in young people, said Mr Russell's campaign to prevent future deaths was ""a hugely significant contribution to the agenda of suicide prevention in this country"".
""We have to change the way we accept the power of the tech giants,"" he said.
Others believe that the inquest may prove to be a ""watershed moment"". Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, said: ""Molly's death is a tragedy that is all too relatable to all parents who worry about the risks their children face online.
""For the first time we will see big tech representatives questioned under oath about how their products may have contributed to the death of a child.""
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC: ""Our deepest sympathies remain with Molly's family and we will continue to assist the coroner in this inquest. We have never allowed content that promotes or glorifies suicide and self-harm.""
In a statement, Pinterest told BBC News: ""Combating self-harm is a priority for us as we strive to ensure that Pinterest plays a positive role in people's lives.""
However, Matthew Bergman, a lawyer from the Social Media Victims Law Centre, in Seattle, in the US, says the proceedings will be closely watched in North America.
""Regardless of the outcome, the fact that Meta senior personnel have been forced to testify in a proceeding like this one is a significant step toward accountability."""	/news/uk-62958851
technology	Twitter-Musk takeover dispute heading for October trial	"A US judge has ordered that Twitter's lawsuit against Elon Musk go to trial in October, a blow to the world's richest man who had asked for a delay.
Mr Musk walked away from his $44bn (£36bn) bid to buy Twitter earlier in July, prompting the company to sue him.
witter hopes that the court will order Mr Musk to complete the takeover at the agreed price of $54.20 per share.
re has accused Twitter of withholding information about fake accounts. 
His legal team has called for the trial to be held early next year due to its complexities, but Twitter asked for a September date.
On Tuesday, a judge in the state of Delaware agreed with the company and said a delay to the trial would cast a ""cloud of uncertainty"".
""Delay threatens irreparable harm,"" Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick said. ""The longer the delay, the greater the risk.""
wsuit accused Mr Musk of a ""long list"" of violations ahead of the potential merger and argued that he had ""cast a pall"" over the company. 
At the hearing on Tuesday, Twitter's lead counsel William Savitt said the ongoing uncertainty about whether the takeover would go forward or not ""inflicts harm on Twitter everyday"". 
re is a theory that Musk still wants to buy Twitter, he's just trying to knock down the price. 
If that's the case, his lawyers are spectacularly good poker players. 
Mr Musk's legal team wanted this trial to happen next year. 
med they needed more time to dig through data on spam accounts. Clearly though this is also a stalling strategy. 
repeated Mr Musk's assertion that Twitter may have more fake accounts than it claims. 
ugely damaging accusation - and a strange thing to say if Mr Musk were still interested in purchasing the company at a lower price. 
witter's reputation has already taken a huge hit. Twitter's revenues are almost entirely based on ads. The fewer real people on the platform, the less money it can make. Bots don't have wallets. 
's why Twitter wants this process sorted quickly. By far the best case scenario for the company is that Mr Musk buys it for $54.20 a share - and that it happens as soon as possible.
's why this judgement is good news for Twitter. The judge sided with Twitter's lawyers - that a ruling needed to be reached quickly. 
It heaps more pressure on Mr Musk, who is faced with the bizarre prospect of having to buy a company he no longer wishes to acquire. 
However, in practice this will likely put more pressure on Mr Musk to settle, pay Twitter some money, and move on. 
""Musk has been and remains contractually obligated to use his best efforts to close the deal,"" Mr Savitt said. ""What he's doing is exactly the opposite. It's sabotage.""
A lawyer for Mr Musk, Andrew Rossman, argued that he remains one of Twitter's most significant shareholders. He said the case should go to trial next year on a ""sensible"" schedule that would give both sides time to prepare. 
Since Mr Musk began questioning the number of fake and spam accounts on Twitter's platform in May, the company has seen its share prices fall from highs of $50 per share. 
mpany's shares currently stand at about $39.45 - well below the $54.20 per share at which it hopes to close the merger. 
A self-described ""free speech absolutist"", Mr Musk has vowed to ease restrictions on content if the company were under his ownership. 
He has also called for the company to be more open about how it presents tweets to users and how tweets are promoted to larger audiences. "	/news/world-us-canada-62058387
technology	Ukraine war: Russia dive-bombs Kyiv with 'kamikaze' drones	"Watch: People flee Kyiv building after explosion
Russia has hit Ukraine with a wave of attacks, dive-bombing the capital, Kyiv, with what appear to be Iranian-made ""kamikaze"" drones. 
Critical infrastructure was hit in the Kyiv, Dnipro and Sumy regions, with electricity cut in hundreds of towns and villages, the government says.
At least eight people were killed, four in Kyiv and four in Sumy.
Calls have mounted for sanctions on Iran, which continues to deny supplying drones to the Russian military. 
A week ago, the Ukrainian capital was hit by Russian missiles at rush hour, part of nationwide attacks which left 19 dead.
In the latest attack, starting at around 06:30 (03:30 GMT), 28 drones targeted the capital but only five hit targets, according to the Mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko.
reverberated to the rattle of gunfire as anti-aircraft batteries frantically tried to shoot them down. Video on social media appeared to show one interception. 
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, rescuers searched for survivors in the ruins of a block of flats that partially collapsed after one attack. The street was cordoned off as dozens of firefighters and emergency staff worked at the scene. Among the four people killed in the district was a pregnant woman.
Across the street from the ruined building, the offices of Ukraine's energy company were also hit. The facility was probably the intended target of the strike.
Mayor Klitschko described the attacks as a ""genocide of the Ukrainian people"", saying, ""The Russians need a Ukraine without Ukrainians."" 
uthorities, he added, were expecting air defence systems to be delivered soon to protect the capital from further drone attacks.  
""The enemy can attack our cities, but it won't be able to break us,"" said President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing the attacks as ""terrorising the civilian population"".
Despite an appeal from the mayor for people to seek shelter, the city's streets were far from deserted. Between two sets of strikes, plenty of people could be seen going about their business. 
A Reuters news agency journalist reported seeing fragments of a drone used in the attack that bore the words ""For Belgorod"".
Russian border city of Belgorod has been hit several times since Russia invaded Ukraine. Moscow blames Kyiv for the attacks.
In the other attacks: 
w buzzing of the slow-moving drones is becoming familiar across Ukraine.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak accused Iran of being ""responsible for the murders of Ukrainians"".
Some EU foreign ministers, including those from France and Germany, are calling for new sanctions against Iran for supplying drones to Russia. 
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc would investigate Tehran's participation in the conflict. 
Despite the mounting evidence of Iranian drones being used, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani insisted his country was not a ""party in the war"", adding: ""We have not supplied any weapons to the sides of the Ukraine war.""
Russia said it had hit Ukrainian military command facilities and energy systems ""in the course of 24 hours"" with long-range air- and sea-based weapons on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week's strikes were in retaliation for the bombing of a key bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea, which he blamed on Ukraine. 
It was the first time during the war that the centre of Kyiv had been directly targeted.
Earlier this week, Mr Putin said there was no need for more large-scale strikes on Ukraine. Most designated targets had been hit, he said, adding that it was not his aim to destroy the country. 
Russia has increased the use of combat drones in Ukraine as it seeks to avoid using long-range precision missions.
Additional reporting by Hugo Bachega in Kyiv, and Elsa Maishman and Patrick Jackson in London."	/news/uk-63280523
technology	Cal the Dragon: 'Millions see me play football with garden tools'	"A 21-year-old football fan has been describing how he has built up a huge social media profile - by playing football against garden tools. 
Callum Whitworth's videos have racked up more than 64 million likes on TikTok and have even seen him invited on to Sky Sports' Soccer AM show.
""You've got your wheelbarrows, you've got your rake, a hoe, whatever it is. I just play against them,"" said Callum, from Nottingham, who is better known as Cal the Dragon.
Callum, who has autism, said his videos' success has helped build his confidence.
Video journalist: Alex Thorp
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk."	/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62406915
technology	Young children exploited on OnlyFans, says US agent	"A senior US investigator says it is still easy to find child abuse images that have originated on OnlyFans.
form told the BBC it had acted to tackle illegal content and it was impossible for them to verify claims without evidence.
But an investigator said images of young children apparently being exploited could be traced to the site.
A BBC News investigation last year revealed children had sold and appeared in videos on the British website.
Leaked documents also showed moderators were allowed to give multiple warnings to accounts posting illegal content before deciding to close them.
Now, the company's bosses told BBC Newsnight they had taken firm action following the investigation.
Amrapali Gan was made chief executive of OnlyFans last year. She says the company is the safest social media site in the world.
""We actively work with law enforcement. If anyone makes the mistake thinking they can upload illegal content, we will report them,"" she says. ""We're truly the safest and most inclusive social media platform.""
However, Newsnight has found further evidence that the site is failing to prevent illegal content from appearing on its site.
A US investigator says that in just an hour they were able to find ten child abuse images on other platforms that had originated on OnlyFans. They believe the photos have been created within the last six months and include watermarks from the website. 
Some images show pre-pubescent children being directed to produce abusive images, according to the agent, who specialises in investigating paedophile rings online.
""The youngest was around five years old,"" the investigator told the BBC, adding that others were about 12 years of age. ""Whatever their [OnlyFans'] current methodology, there's still cracks that it's still slipping through"", they added.
In a statement, OnlyFans said: ""When the BBC raised this anonymous claim, we asked them for evidence to enable us to investigate."" 
It added: ""The BBC refused to provide any details or evidence preventing OnlyFans from investigating this claim.""
BBC has agreed not to identify the agent who redacted account usernames to protect their investigation.
NSPCC said a small number of reports made within the last year to its counselling service, Childline, also suggested OnlyFans continued to host images of child abuse. It said one mother claimed that images of her 10-year-old daughter had been uploaded to the site.
""Children are not only consuming content on OnlyFans, but also are able to produce content"", says Hannah Ruschen from the NSPCC.
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A US charity also recently discovered that language banned by the site was still widely in use, including a term referencing young girls.
OnlyFans said a ""glitch"" enabled some text to be ported from other websites and it had now removed the term highlighted by the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative.
mpany does not believe there is a significant amount of illegal content on its site and said it reviews every piece of content posted on its platform, including video, photos and text.
""We've invested significantly in improving our age and identity verification tools"", said Keily Blair, chief strategy officer for OnlyFans.
""One of the issues that was raised was being able to pass off the account that you've opened to somebody else, that's not now possible.""
Ms Blair said OnlyFans does more to address underage use than anyone other social media site. ""The [rest of] the industry needs to do better around online safety"", she added.
Founded by Essex businessman and former chief executive, Tim Stokely, in 2016, OnlyFans has since grown significantly. Its users spent more than £4bn on purchasing photos and videos shared on the site, last year.
Ms Gan said 80% of the company's staff work on content moderation and it would continue to invest in this area. She also said the website's decision, last year, to ban pornography - which was quickly reversed - was a ""learning experience"".
OnlyFans is not alone in taking steps to address online safety. The government's long-delayed online safety bill proposes heavy fines for websites failing to protect children. 
Last year, it also provided Ofcom with limited powers to penalise companies which are allowing harmful content on video-sharing platforms. But Ofcom's role does not involve assessing individual videos and no companies have been sanctioned to date.
NSPCC said neither the current regulation nor the planned legislation go far enough. ""We want to see senior manager liability when Ofcom identifies failure to comply with the children's safety duties, rather than just failure to comply with information requests"", added Ms Ruschen.
Do you have more information about this story?
You can reach Noel directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7809 334720 or by email at noel.titheradge@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-63249018
technology	Why record heat doesn't mean record solar power	"UK's heatwave is helping to generate large amounts of solar power - but experts say it's actually too hot for the highest levels of electricity generation.
rade body Solar Energy UK says the last few days have seen about 10% of Britain's electricity come from solar. 
But its chief executive Chris Hewett says: ""The heat itself brings down the efficiency of solar panels slightly.
""So don't expect to see records set.""
week has seen the UK record its highest ever day and night temperatures, with heat warnings being put in place for much of the country.
But for solar power generation, the amount of sunshine - also referred to as irradiance - is more important than the amount of heat,
""It's because of this balance between irradiance and temperature that the record for peak half-hourly generation is always in April or May, because that's when we get sunny but relatively cool weather,"" says Jamie Taylor, a senior data scientist at Sheffield University.
""The amount of generation coming from solar has been very high over the last week. But I think it's unlikely a new record will be set in terms of power generation."" 
Mr Taylor says the record for total daily energy generation from solar in the UK was 80.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) on 29 May 2020. 
It's thought around 64 GWh was generated by solar systems on Monday of this week.
A portion of that came from panels installed on homes - and, for the people who own them, the heatwave has provided an opportunity to make a small profit. 
rence Eden has solar panels and battery storage at his house in south London, and has been generating more power than he uses, selling the remainder back to the grid.
""For us, the energy meter has been spinning backwards, effectively"", he says.
""On a day like yesterday we generated 20 kilowatt hours of power, used eight, stored two, and sold ten back to the grid.""
Mr Eden estimates that earned him around £1.70.
He says his experience is that his solar panels work best around the summer solstice, when there is maximum daylight, but says that even over winter they have been useful.
He says the only time they don't work is when they're ""covered in snow""."	/news/technology-62220512
technology	The abortion privacy dangers in period trackers and apps	"After the Supreme Court's Roe v Wade ruling overturned citizens' constitutional right to abortion in the US, there has been concern about data protection, particularly in the 13 states which have already moved to make ending a pregnancy illegal.
But what sort of data might incriminate someone, how could the authorities get hold of it, and what are the tech firms doing?
Gina Neff, professor of technology and society at University of Oxford, tweeted the day after the ruling: ""Right now, and I mean this instant, delete every digital trace of any menstrual tracking.""
Her message has so far received more than 200,000 likes and been retweeted 54,000 times.
Period trackers, such as Flo, Clue, Stardust and Apple Health, are used to help women predict when their next period is likely to be, and are often used to either try to prevent pregnancy or to try to conceive.
re are fears that the apps could be used to punish those seeking a termination, if law enforcement got hold of the data.
Like a number of other high-profile apps, Natural Cycles, which is billed as a digital form of contraception, insisted last month that all the data it stored was ""safe and will be protected"".
However, on Monday it told the BBC it is working on ""creating a completely anonymous experience for users"".
""The goal is to make it so that no-one - not even Natural Cycles - can identify the user,"" it said.
unds like it is considering encryption. Speaking of which, how about messaging services - that confidential exchange between two close friends that feels so private at the time?
use of end-to-end encryption messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal (Telegram is not by default encrypted, although it can be) to discuss sensitive issues is generally preferred by security experts and privacy campaigners.
firms which run them cannot see the content of the messages themselves, and do not receive or store them - only the sender's and recipient's devices are able to decode them.
However, this is only useful if those devices are themselves not taken away or unlocked by anybody else.
Generally in the US, the police need a warrant to search an electronic device such as a phone or laptop, just as they would to search a house. Broadly speaking, the protection here comes under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. 
However, there are some exceptions. Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation says US police have a right to search without a warrant if they ""have probable cause to believe there is incriminating evidence in the house, or on an electronic device that is under immediate threat of destruction"". 
Under the Fifth Amendment, which is the individual's right not to incriminate themselves, a person can refuse to unlock a device even if it is taken, but the reality is blurry, according to various lawyers.
""Courts have reached conflicting conclusions as to whether and when the compelled decryption of a password - or biometric identifier-protected device runs afoul of the Fifth Amendment,"" wrote the Congressional Research Service in a report in 2020.
And if the device itself is not seized - a subpoena from the authorities to the tech firms, asking for an individual's data, is a powerful tool. 
Giants like Google and Apple not only run back-up and cloud services for their customers using their own storage, but also collect their own separate user data, including internet activity and location.
Google says that even after something has been deleted by a user and is therefore not visible to them - such as a browser history - some of it may still be retained ""to comply with legal or regulatory requirements"".
If these firms receive an official demand, they can challenge it, but the pressure is on them to comply.
In 2021, the New York Times reported that in the first six months of 2020, Apple challenged only 4% of requests for customer account data. and generally complied with 80-85%.
According to Google's transparency report, it supplied ""some data"" in 82% of cases requesting information in the first six months of 2021. Of almost 51,000 cases, 20,701 were subpoenas and 25,077 search warrants.
Is this the time for tech firms to reconsider their data practices?
Last month, a number of senior members of the US Congress, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, signed an open letter to Google asking it to collect and store less data about its users, including location information, out of concern that it could be used to bring about abortion prosecutions.
""No law requires Google to collect and keep records of its customers' every movement,"" they wrote.
So far, the tech firms have not commented on whether they plan to make any changes to the way in which they collect and manage customer data in light of the ruling. 
BBC has asked for this information.
What many large US firms - including Facebook owner, Meta, as well as Disney and Amazon - have said is that they will fund expenses for employees who have to travel to another state for medical care which is not available where they are, including abortion.
re is some concern that people who live in a state where abortion is banned but travel out of state to have one, may face prosecution when they return. It is unclear whether this could be the case, but it is not routinely applied to other laws which vary from state to state, such as gambling.
Dr Stephanie Hare, author of the book Technology is not Neutral, says that while the companies' commitment is ""a welcomed first step"", it's not enough.
""That's only going to help a very small amount of people, assuming some of them want to share this information with their employer in the first place,"" she said. 
""What we need to know is what these firms are going to do to limit data collection on all users, and how they can prevent user data from being used against them in their healthcare choices.""
EFF has published a privacy guide which includes this advice:
As for researching abortion online, Prof Alan Woodward, from University of Surrey, believes it's unlikely that law enforcement will speculatively begin to seek this sort of personal data. 
""They're not likely to be going after people who are thinking about having an abortion,"" he said.
""But if they are gathering evidence after the event, if they have arrested someone - that evidence could then include browser history, emails and messages."""	/news/technology-61952794
technology	Elon Musk set to become number-one influencer on Twitter	"uesday, 17 January 2023 is the day analysts predict Elon Musk will become the number-one influencer on Twitter.
With 120 million followers, his account, @ElonMusk, is already the second most followed, after @BarackObama, the former US president's, which has 130 million.
And following a meteoric rise in the month since he bought Twitter, Mr Musk's will inevitably overtake, statisticians at Social Blade say. 
will be an unprecedented moment.
-media industry has never before seen a platform with a chief executive who is also its biggest personality.
So if Mr Musk is to become both Twitter's chief executive and its ""chief influencer"", what are the implications - for the billionaire and for the website? 
BBC News has asked experts for their thoughts on three key statistics.
In spite of recent controversies, Mr Musk's popularity on Twitter is undeniable and growing. 
Over the past 12 months, he has gained 268,303 followers a day, on average, according to Social Blade, and lost followers on only five days, which can all be linked to news events.
He lost nearly 200,000 on 12 November, when major job cuts were announced at Twitter - and as he is likely to have gained new followers that day too, the actual number who unfollowed him must have been much higher.
""Elon Musk is now the main character on Twitter,"" social-media commentator Matt Navarra says.
""In some ways, having a CEO who is a major influencer on the platform has some advantages because it makes him very accessible to people.""
Very few social-media chief executives are major influencers on their own websites.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is also a celebrity - but not an active poster on Facebook, Mr Navarra says, and his posts are more corporate in tone.
witter being inextricably linked to Mr Musk - a divisive character - could be a problem for Twitter.
""He is very antagonistic and inflammatory and, some might even say, quite toxic,"" Mr Navarra says. ""And for brands, he might be seen as potentially very dangerous.""
Emerging-technology consultant Kate Baucherel says: ""Wrapping the personality of the CEO into the personality of the platform compromises any neutrality or diversity. A white male US-resident does not represent the world."" 
Already a prolific tweeter, Mr Musk has been posting 84% more often since buying the platform, according to Social Blade. 
On Tuesday, 22 November, he fired off 75 separate tweets, either as posts, replies or retweets. This is a record for him. 
""It's great to have a CEO who uses the product,"" a former senior product manager at Twitter, who wishes to remain anonymous, says.
And it should not impede Mr Musk's direction of the company.
But he says: ""I think people who tweet a lot are addicted - and possibly narcissistic. No single person has enough interesting things to say to the entire world to tweet more than five times a day.""
On average Mr Musk is now tweeting once every 15 minutes during normal waking hours. 
xperts we spoke to all agreed that having a CEO immersed in his or her platform can be a good thing but all agreed that the type of content Mr Musk is posting could be problematic.
Recent tweets have included sexual imagery and swearing. And, responding to critics saying he was killing Twitter, he posted an adaptation of a meme of a man smiling and swearing at a graveside during a funeral.
Mr Navarra says Mr Musk is a huge engagement driver for Twitter and his recent tweets have brought in a significant number of new users or reactivated old ones.
""We only have to look back to another character that shares an alarming amount of similarities... with Elon Musk, which is Donald Trump,"" he says. 
""Trump was also a huge driver of activity and engagement from his tweets and I'm sure that was a benefit to Twitter.
""But I would also say he's probably a net negative in terms of the problems it brought with it for content moderation and toxic content. 
""Elon Musk is having a similar effect on the platform.""
witter permanently suspended President Trump after the storming of the US Capitol building, in Washington, in January 2021, citing ""the risk of further incitement of violence"". 
Mr Musk reinstated his account on 19 November, following a poll of Twitter users, though Mr Trump has not subsequently tweeted.
While gaining 8.6 million followers since buying Twitter, Mr Musk himself has followed only six new people in that time - bringing the total he follows to 129.
witter founder Jack Dorsey followed about 3,500 people when he was chief executive. Former president Barack Obama follows 570,000. 
And commentators say following so few limits Mr Musk's view of what people are talking about on the social network
""He has no idea what the experience of normal users is,"" the former Twitter manager says.
""For example, he never sees ads - because we limit advertising served to the top 1,000 or so users. So he wouldn't have understood that part of the product before he bought it.""
Mr Musk reportedly told Twitter's marketing team adverts should ""look like tweets"", when the company's ads already were tweets.
former Twitter manager also says Mr Musk's skewed experience on the site as a top influencer may prevent him understanding how to improve it and grow it. 
witter is smaller than other social networks and ""average time spent was a severe constraint to our growth and ads business"". 
""People who are committed users spend a lot of time on the site - but they need to find a way to increase the time that the masses spend,"" the former Twitter insider says.
Every time Mr Musk logs into his account, he is greeted with notifications making him feel good and want to stay on the site. 
But for most users, this is not the case.
Growing the number of Twitter users to a billion is one of Mr Musk's key goals.
Now, there are about 300 million - which, at the current rate, is the number of followers Mr Musk himself will have in two years' time, according to Social Blade projections."	/news/technology-63751515
technology	UK tech talent shortage threatens to stifle growth in the industry	"UK technology sector has a talent shortage which could ""stifle growth"", an industry body has warned.
Liz Scott, from TechNation, said it was ""a real issue"" which must be rectified. 
re were more than two million UK job vacancies in tech last year, more than any other labour area, but an industry coalition says nearly 12 million workers lack essential digital skills. 
government told the BBC it was working very closely with industry on digital skills training. 
However, schemes like boot camps, apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships do not seem to be enough to address the gap. 
Michelle Donelan, former education minister, said: ""Employers both large and small are crying out for more people to be trained in digital skills. 
""An apprenticeship is a fantastic way to achieve that. Not just for young people, but also those looking to upskill.""
But, according to government figures, nearly half of all apprentices across all sectors, not only in tech, dropped out last year. 
Data cited in the latest UK jobs report from professional services network KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation showed candidate numbers for job vacancies has been falling.
report said this is because of:
One place which is teaching young people important tech subjects is ADA, the National College for Digital Skills, in London. 
It encourages students towards core Stem subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - that form the backbone of the industry.
Principal Tina Gotschi said: ""A lot of the jobs that these students will do in the future don't even exist at this point - a lot of those will be digital jobs. 
""The college was initially founded to address the skills gap, but unfortunately over time, it is just getting greater. 
""The pipeline of students coming through is shrinking and there is a lack of computer science teachers too.""
re is a financial incentive to getting digital skills. According to TechNation, tech salaries are nearly 80% higher, on average, than salaries for non-tech jobs in the UK. 
rage tech salary is £62,000, which is more than double the average household income in the UK. 
Ronan Harris, managing director of Google (UK and Ireland) told the BBC that big tech companies are trying to play a part in providing people with qualifications.
""We've trained over 800,000 people in the UK in a range of digital skills,"" he said.
""We want people to be excited about technology. But increasingly, what we're seeing is all jobs that are being advertised have some form of digital requirement to them."" 
It's a sentiment with which Ben Francis, founder of online clothing apparel company Gymshark, agrees.
""The historical view of someone that works in tech, he's probably, you know, a bit more of like a geeky sort of person. 
""But I think the more unconventional view of techies is that tech is a creative outlet."" 
Gymshark is a UK tech start-up success story. The company achieved unicorn status in 2020, meaning it is valued at $1bn (£848m) or higher.
""If you're a great graphic designer, if you're a great web designer, if you want to create great apps or NFTs - all of that is done through tech and understanding of tech,"" said the entrepreneur.
James Hallahan, director at recruitment company Hays, said: ""Due to the increase in digital transformation over the past few years - the demand for tech talent shows no signs of slowing down.""
He added that roles with skill shortages included software developers, data scientists, data analysts, enterprise architects and programme and project managers.
However, a sizeable chunk of the British workforce is nowhere near skilled enough to apply for positions like those, according to industry coalition FutureDotNow. It says that some 11.8 million workers lack basic digital skills - let alone more complex ones.
However, Ms Scott says: ""There are good jobs available here. We just need people to understand that they're available and then know how to access them and know where to get the right signpost in for retraining or reskilling courses.""
Where people live may also be becoming less of a barrier.
Over the last decade, UK companies like Deliveroo, Darktrace and Depop have been started, funded and scaled by driven entrepreneurs and investors. 
Fintech companies are also growing, with the likes of Monzo, Starling, Marshmallow and Cazoo all achieving unicorn status. 
majority of them have had major ties to London, but that is slowly changing.
Demand for tech talent is increasing across the UK with the number of professionals with the right skills expanding at a faster pace in the north of England than in London, according to information technology company Accenture. 
Shaheen Sayed, its technology lead in the UK, said: ""Businesses have been bullish in investing in technology and hiring - particularly in skills such as AI, cloud and robotics.
""The pool of technology professionals is also expanding, with growth in the north [of England] outpacing growth in the south [of England], and emerging technology hubs in Edinburgh and Manchester starting to compete with the capital.""  
Follow Shiona McCallum on Twitter @shionamc"	/news/technology-62098767
technology	Activision Blizzard: US seeks to block Microsoft's $69bn acquisition	"US is entering a legal battle with Xbox-maker Microsoft to block its plan to purchase the gaming firm behind hit titles such as Call of Duty.
Regulators cited competition concerns, saying they feared that if the deal went through, Activision Blizzard's games would stop being offered on non-Microsoft gaming consoles.
Activision purchase was set to be the biggest in Microsoft history.
mpany said it would fight to complete the $69bn (£56bn) deal.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said the company had ""complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court"".
mplaint against Microsoft is among the most-high profile legal fights to emerge from US President Joe Biden's pledge to take a harder line against monopolies.
ready raised concerns in other countries, including the UK.
Activision Blizzard owns some of the most popular games in the world, including the Call of Duty series, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Candy Crush.
Federal Trade Commission, the US consumer watchdog that filed the complaint, said that Activision was one of a small number of top video game developers that made high-quality games for multiple devices.
would give Microsoft ""both the means and motive to harm competition"" by manipulating pricing, making games worse on its competitors' video game consoles, ""or withholding content from competitors entirely, resulting in harm to consumers,"" the agency said in a press release.
FTC pointed to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax, which owns video game studio Bethesda Softworks. Microsoft has said several of the studio's future games will be exclusive to Microsoft consoles.
Microsoft earlier this week said it had agreed to make Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years if the purchase went through and made a similar offer to rival Sony.
""This sounds alarming, so I want to reinforce my confidence that this deal will close,"" Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick wrote in a letter to staff that was shared on the company's website. ""The allegation that this deal is anti-competitive doesn't align with the facts, and we believe we'll win this challenge.""
Content is king, or so the saying goes.
Historically, you would choose which games to buy depending on which bit of hardware you owned - whether that was a Nintendo, Sony, Sega (remember them?) or Microsoft. Back then you could argue consoles were king. 
But in recent years more and more big titles like Fifa, Call of Duty and Fortnite offer the same experience on multiple platforms, making the device you own less of a fundamental issue to accessing the games you love.
r content - with big companies like Tencent, Microsoft and Sony buying up games developers to try and make sure they are offering something unique in such a competitive marketplace.
What's different here is the sheer scale of the purchase and the massive mainstream appeal of the games under discussion. 
Given everything that has been said publicly by Microsoft and Activision it is unlikely that should this deal go through it would mean that one day in the near future PlayStation users would be unable to play the latest Call of Duty. 
However, it could mean that people who pay for Microsoft's GamePass get the game first, as part of the subscription price or have some bespoke content unique to them. 
PlayStation and now the FTC claim that this in and of itself is enough to distort the market. Microsoft argues it boosts player choice.
Now it is up to a judge to decide. 
When it announced the deal, Microsoft said it was aiming to expand the games available on GamePass, its Netflix-style subscription gaming service and for the increasing number of people using phones to play games.
keover was set to make the company the third largest gaming firm in the world by revenue, behind China's Tencent and Japan's Sony, which owns PlayStation and has criticised the deal. 
It could be forced to pay a breakup fee of as much as $3bn if the deal fails.
FTC chair Lina Khan, who made her name critiquing the US government's historic failures to rein in Big Tech, and two Democratic commissioners voted in favour of filing the lawsuit. The Republican commissioner opposed the move."	/news/business-63911557
technology	Elon Musk: Twitter asks NI secretary what 'tosh' looks like	"witter's billionaire owner Elon Musk has responded to the Northern Ireland secretary of state after he called for fake news to be eliminated from the platform.
xchange came after Chris Heaton-Harris rubbished rumours of his resignation after a fake email was circulated.
Mr Heaton-Harris described the fake resignation email as ""utter tosh"". 
world's richest man replied, asking: ""What does a tosh look like?""
He then replied to Mr Musk on Twitter, joking that he had been referring to ""and/or the content of my speeches"".
An email, purporting to be from the Northern Ireland Office, was sent to print titles on the Northern Ireland Office's media circulation list from an anonymous account - ""pressreleasing16@gmail.com"".
Coming hours after Mr Heaton-Harris extended the deadline for calling a fresh Stormont election, it contained a fake quote saying the NI Secretary had resigned for ""personal reasons"".
A short time later, the NIO alerted media outlets to rebut the fake email and confirmed Mr Heaton-Harris remained in post.
On Thursday morning Mr Heaton-Harris said he thought an email system had been hacked, joking: ""I thought it was my mum.""
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the email has not been reported to them and they were not looking into it.
BBC News NI has contacted the NIO for comment.
Mr Musk has vowed to clamp down on Twitter accounts impersonating other people.
""Any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying 'parody' will be permanently suspended,"" he tweeted.
Wider concerns have been raised about the spread of misinformation on the platform after Mr Musk's $44bn (£38.3bn) deal to take over Twitter in October. 
Mr Musk has previously described himself as a ""free speech absolutist"" and has signalled he is willing to reverse the bans of controversial users, including Donald Trump.
He has announced half of Twitter's staff were being let go, a week after he bought the company in a $44bn (£38.7bn) deal.
Mr Musk said he had ""no choice"" over the cuts as the company was losing $4m (£3.51m) a day. He has blamed ""activist groups pressuring advertisers"" for a ""massive drop in revenue"".
uts - as well as Mr Musk's fierce advocacy of free speech - have led to speculation that Twitter could water down its efforts on content moderation.
While the tech magnate has ambitions to allow Twitter to become a virtual ""town square"" where users can exchange robust views, he has stressed, to advertisers in particular, that the platform's moderation policy has not changed yet."	/news/uk-northern-ireland-63582327
technology	Ukraine war: Russia deploys dozens of drones in two days - Zelensky	"President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched more than 30 drone attacks on Ukraine in just two days.
He added that in total, Moscow had also carried out some 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids.
Speaking from Kyiv and standing beside what appeared to be a downed Iranian Shahed drone, Mr Zelensky pledged to ""clip the wings"" of Moscow's air power. 
Western officials believe Iran has supplied a large number of drones to Russia, but Moscow and Tehran deny it.
It comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russia's aggressive use of drones ""appalling"". 
US diplomat accused Russian commanders of using the devices to ""kill Ukrainian civilians and destroy the infrastructure they rely on for electricity, for water, for heat"" during a visit to the Canadian capital Ottawa. 
""Canada and the United States will keep working with our allies and partners to expose, to deter, and to counter Iran's provision of these weapons,"" Mr Blinken said.
In recent weeks, Russian attacks have targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, damaging the country's electricity and water supply just as temperatures begin to drop.
Western countries say Iran is supplying its domestically developed drones to Moscow and that Iranian military experts are on the ground in Russian-occupied Crimea to provide technical support to pilots. 
Kyiv has identified the drones used in some attacks on its infrastructure as Iranian Shahed-136 drones. They are known as ""kamikaze"" drones because they are destroyed in the attack - named after the Japanese fighter pilots who flew suicide missions in World War Two. 
Ukraine says around 400 drones have already been used by Russia, from a total order of roughly 2,000 weapons. 
But Tehran has repeatedly denied that it has struck any arms deal with the Kremlin, and Moscow also denies using Iranian drones.
On Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called the accusations ""baseless"" and urged Ukraine to ""present any evidence supporting the accusations"". 
""If... it becomes clear to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will definitely not be indifferent about this issue,"" he added. 
ran's regional adversary, Israel, has also attacked Iran over the alleged exports. During a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, President Isaac Herzog slammed the regime's activities. 
""The fact that Iran, following its activities in killing its own citizens, in working towards nuclear weapons endlessly, endangering the entire world and the region — and now killing innocent civilians in Ukraine, clearly that gives you a picture of what Iran is all about,"" Mr Herzog said. 
Prior to the visit, he had pledged to share ""proof"" with Mr Biden that Iran was supplying the weapons. 
Meanwhile, US officials have said they will supply Ukraine with an additional $275m (£237m) of military aid, according to the Associated Press. 
xpected to be used to restock ammunition for Ukrainian artillery systems, including the HIMARS launchers that Kyiv's forces have used to great effect. 
On the ground, fighting has slowed in recent days, with a much anticipated Ukrainian advance on the southern city of Kherson stalled due to poor weather. 
Watch: One Russian's exhausting ordeal to escape conscription"	/news/world-europe-63421603
technology	TikTok-addicted students delete app during exams	"Some students decided to delete TikTok during their exam period after becoming addicted and spending too much time on the popular social video app.
A psychologist said the personalised algorithm on TikTok may be leading young people to get addicted.
Dr Nia Williams, of Bangor University, said TikTok becomes addictive because it releases dopamine into the brain, making you feel good.
kTok has been asked to comment.
Eleanor Crabbe, 22, deleted TikTok in May after realising she was spending too much time on the app instead of revising for her exams at Cardiff University.
She said: ""I delete and reinstall TikTok periodically because I noticed I spend too much time on it and get very addicted.
""When I redownload it, I try and get the algorithm to just show me funny stuff, but I always end up getting fitness and fashion content, which I enjoy but I'm aware when I'm watching it that I want to be more like those people.""
She added: ""I love TikTok, it has some of the funniest things on there, but there's also a lot of content which makes me feel pressure to look a certain way or buy certain things.
""I'm not someone who struggles with diet and fitness usually, but when that's all I see it can be a bit like 'I need to eat better and exercise more'.""
Ed Barnes, 24, also said he deleted TikTok to focus on his exams and dissertation, but that he had not yet felt the urge to return.
""I've always found, out of any social media app, TikTok is the one I've found the most difficult to get away from,"" the Cardiff University student explained.
""You lose a general sense of time because it's video and every video is so different it's very easy to keep watching. 
""You look at your clock and realise half an hour has passed instead of two minutes.""
He added: ""To be honest, since deleting the app, I haven't had the inclination to go back.""
Dr Williams, a lecturer and researcher who specialises in the mental health of children and adolescents, explained why TikTok was so popular.
""Because TikTok videos are short and sweet, they keep your attention going from one to another,"" she said.
""The way it becomes addictive - when things make us feel good - is the release of dopamine in the brain and you want more and more. 
""TikTok has videos you might find funny, and you want to see them because they make you feel good. That's the main nucleus of all sorts of different addictions.""
In addition to this, Dr Williams said the personalised algorithm on TikTok shows the user videos they are likely to want to watch, or should find interesting. 
""Whatever you search for on TikTok, that algorithm will be kept. The more you search for things that you like, they will be aware of what you like and that's what you will be fed. 
""It's a multimillion pound industry and they will be making money from adverts that will feed into different algorithms.""
Dr Williams said adverts worked in a similar way on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, which can track your searches online and show you targeted adverts.
""It will instantly start picking up on your search data, and the more you use it the more sophisticated it becomes,"" she said. 
""It's very clever and it can be useful, however it can also be very destructive as it can lead to addiction to social media.""
Dr Williams also spoke of the impact of social media on mental health. 
""Lots of studies have been done on Instagram and how it has a negative impact on young girls' self esteem because they want to look like a particular person or live in this filtered online world,"" she explained.
""Filtered obviously isn't what we see in the mirror, so that can obviously have a negative impact on people.""
Yehya records himself revising so his TikTok followers can study with him
How do I know if I'm addicted to TikTok?
""If it stops you from doing your daily tasks. If there's a need or urge to go back, that's when you need to ask yourself, 'how long am I spending on this app?'
""Is it stopping you from studying, or doing your work?""
What should I do?
""Try to put your phone away, start with an hour a day and try and build on that. 
""Delete the app, even if it's just for a week or two, or even a month. Have a break and be mindful of the time that you're spending.
""Be in control of your phone, don't let your phone control you""
Catherine Keenan, from Newport, has 2.3 million followers on TikTok and does not think students need to delete the app altogether, but should allow an hour of screen time a day. 
She said: ""TikTok can be beneficial in many ways and there's even useful tips on there on how to handle exams and stress. 
""As much as exams are important, I think mental health is too and I know a lot of my followers have thanked me for my content when they've been having a bad day or feeling stressed.""
She added: ""TikTok can make you successful too, so if you think social media is for you it's a great stepping stone to show off your talent."""	/news/uk-wales-62720657
technology	Molly Russell: Instagram posts seen by teen were safe, Meta says	"Instagram posts about suicide and depression viewed by a 14-year-old girl before she took her own life ""were safe"", an inquest has heard.
Molly Russell, from Harrow, engaged with thousands of such posts in the months before her death in 2017.
Her family claim the content encouraged suicide and self-harm.
Elizabeth Lagone, an executive at Meta which owns Instagram, said she believed it was ""safe for people to be able to express themselves"" online.
She added the posts were ""complex"" and often a ""cry for help"".
quest at North London Coroner's Court was told out of the 16,300 posts Molly saved, shared or liked on Instagram in the six-months before her death, 2,100 were depression, self-harm or suicide-related.
Ms Lagone, the social media giant's head of health and wellbeing, was shown a number of them.
Russell family's lawyer, Oliver Sanders KC, asked of each post shown to her whether she believed they promoted or encouraged suicide or self-harm.
She said she thought it ""safe for people to be able to express themselves"", but conceded two posts would have violated Instagram's policies.
Instagram's guidelines at the time said users were allowed to post content about suicide and self-harm to ""facilitate the coming together to support"" other users but not if it ""encouraged or promoted"" this.
Ms Lagone told the court she thought the content Molly saw was ""nuanced and complicated"", adding it was important to give people a voice if they were experiencing suicidal thoughts.
In a heated exchange which saw Mr Sanders shout, he asked why Instagram allowed children on the platform when it was ""allowing people to put potentially harmful content on it"" and suggested Meta ""could just restrict it to adults"".
Ms Lagone replied the topic of harm was an ""evolving field"" and that Instagram policies were designed with consideration to users aged 13 and over. 
When pressed by coroner Andrew Walker to clarify whether she thought the posts were safe, she replied ""Yes, it is safe"".
She said Meta's understanding was there was no clear research into the effect posts have on children but their research reported a ""mixed experience"".
Questioning why Instagram felt it could choose which material was safe for children to view, the coroner then asked: ""So why are you given the entitlement to assist children in this way?
""Who has given you the permission to do this? You run a business.
""There are a great many people who are ... trained medical professionals. What gives you the right to make the decisions about the material to put before children?""
Ms Lagone responded: ""That's why we work closely with experts.""
She added decisions were not ""made in a vacuum"".
During the day's proceedings, videos the teenager accessed on Instagram were played to the court with the coroner once again warning the material had the ""potential to cause great harm"".
He said the content ""seeks to romanticise and in some way validate the act of harm to young people"", before urging anyone who wanted to leave the room to do so, with one person leaving.
When shown a note on Molly's phone which used the words ""I just want to be pretty"", Mr Sanders said the language was identical to a post the teenager had viewed on Instagram two days before.
""It's identical language... this is Instagram literally giving Molly ideas that she need to be concerned about her weight, correct?"" Mr Sanders asked.
Ms Lagone replied: ""I can't speak about what Molly may have been thinking.""
Referring to all the material viewed by the teenager the family considered to be ""encouraging"" suicide or self-harm, Mr Sanders continued: ""Do you agree with us that this type of material is not safe for children?""
Ms Lagone said policies were in place for all users and described the posts viewed by the court as a ""cry for help"".
Soon after the inquest began, Molly's father Ian Russell said he had been shocked by the ""dark, graphic, harmful material"" available for children to view online.
Mr Russell told the inquest much of the content seemed to ""normalise"" self-harm and suicide.
On Thursday, Pinterest's head of community operations, Judson Hoffman, apologised after  admitting the platform was ""not safe"" when the 14-year-old used it.
quest continues.
If you've been affected by self-harm or emotional distress, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-london-63034300
technology	New biometrics laws urgently needed, review finds	"New laws governing biometric technologies are urgently needed, an independent legal review led by Matthew Ryder QC has found.
Biometric data includes faces, fingerprints, voices, DNA profiles, and other measurements related to the body.
gies using this data, such as live facial recognition, are increasingly common.
But the review found rules in England and Wales were fragmented, unclear and had not kept up with technology.
Biometric technologies, it noted, previously used almost exclusively in policing, are now used by a growing number of private and public organisations, including employers, schools and shops.
More novel tools such as gait analysis, which looks at distinctive features of how people walk, or key-stroke analysis, based on how people type, are also being deployed.
In a separate paper the Ada Lovelace Institute, which commissioned the review, cited a number of examples of how biometric technologies were being used:
Better laws and regulation would subject such uses to much greater scrutiny before deployment, it says.
Currently, an Institute spokesperson told the BBC, regulators were only taking action after the fact. ""We can think of this a regulatory 'whack-a-mole', which we are arguing is inadequate"", the spokesperson said.
And none of those giving evidence to the review thought the current legal framework fit for purpose.
A range of laws influence how biometric data can be collected and used, including the:
Matthew Ryder QC, who wrote the review said: ""The current legal regime is fragmented, confused and failing to keep pace with technological advances.
'We urgently need an ambitious new legislative framework specific to biometrics. 
""We must not allow the use of biometric data to proliferate under inadequate laws and insufficient regulation.""
ute is now calling for changes including:
review also made several recommendations concerning live facial recognition (LFR) - where a camera system matches faces to a watch-list. 
A number of police forces have deployed LFR including the Metropolitan police, and South Wales police - the latter successfully challenged in court.
review said a legally binding police code of practice governing LFR use was needed.
And all other use in public should be suspended until there was one covering the private sector.
Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Prof Fraser Sampson echoed the report's call for improvement, saying it needed to be comprehensive, consistent and coherent.  
Lady Hamwee, who chairs the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee, said: ""The current uncoordinated and confusing arrangements are inadequate. 
""Biometric technologies have huge potential. 
""They need an essential component - public trust and confidence, which in turn needs sound regulation.""
In response to the Ryder Review a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson told the BBC the government was ""committed to maintaining a high standard for data protection and our laws already have very strict requirements on the use and retention of biometric data. 
""We welcome the work of Ada Lovelace Institute and Matthew Ryder QC and we'll consider the recommendations carefully in due course."" "	/news/technology-61896187
technology	Cambridge University study says robots may help children open up	"Robots could help identify mental wellbeing issues in children, a study has suggested.
Cambridge University researchers used a child-sized humanoid robot to complete a series of mental health questionnaires with 28 children aged between eight and 13.
found some children were more willing to confide in the robot than in person or in an online questionnaire.
researchers said they hoped to expand their study further.
re presenting the results at a conference in Italy.
Micol Spitale, one of the authors of the study, said they did not have any intention of replacing psychologists or other mental health professionals with robots ""since their expertise far surpasses anything a robot can do"".
But, their research suggested robots ""could be a useful tool in helping children to open up and share things they might not be comfortable sharing at first"", she said.
During the study, each child took part in a one-to-one, 45-minute session with a Nao robot - a humanoid robot about 60cm (24in) tall.
A parent or guardian, as well as members of the research team, observed from an adjacent room.
Before each session, the children and their parent or guardian completed standard online questionnaires to assess the child's mental wellbeing.
Participants then interacted with the robot by speaking with it, or by touching sensors on the robot's hands and feet.
Additional sensors tracked participants' heartbeat, head and eye movements during the session.
research team said all of the participants had told them they enjoyed talking to the robots, and some shared information which they had not shared either in person or in the online questionnaire.
""Since the robot we use is child-sized, and completely non-threatening, children might see the robot as a confidante - they feel like they won't get into trouble if they share secrets with it,"" said PhD student Nida Itrat Abbasi.
results are being presented at the 31st Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication in Naples.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-62688927
technology	Twitter's paid blue tick re-launches after pause	"witter's paid-for verification feature is rolling out once again on Monday. It was paused last month after being swamped by impersonators.
It is still $8 per month - but there is now an increased fee of $11 for those using the Twitter app on Apple devices.
witter's owner Elon Musk has previously said in tweets that he resents the commission fee Apple charges on in-app purchases.
witter Blue's additional features include an edit button.
g been a feature requested by many Twitter users, although there are others who argue that it increases the potential for the spread of disinformation, if a tweet is altered after being widely shared.
Blue-tick subscribers will also see fewer ads, have their tweets amplified above others, and be able to post and view longer, better quality videos, the platform says.
Previously a blue tick was used as verification tool for high-profile accounts as a badge of authenticity. It was given out by Twitter for free - but only the firm itself decided who got one. 
Mr Musk argues that this was unfair.
who had a blue tick under the previous regime currently still have them, but now some of these users also have a message which appears if the tick is pressed saying the account is a ""legacy verified account"" and ""may or may not be notable"". 
However, those check marks will now eventually be replaced with either gold (for businesses) or grey (for others such as authorities) badges, according to Twitter's own account.
Under the new system, subscribers who change their names or display photos will lose their blue tick until the account has been reviewed by Twitter.
rvice had a chaotic initial launch in November, when people started impersonating big brands and celebrities and paying for the blue-tick badge in order to make them look authentic.
Many pretended to be Elon Musk himself.
In one instance, a user claiming to be the US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly tweeted ""insulin is free"", causing the real firm's share price to tumble - however, Eli Lilly has since agreed that insulin prices could indeed be lower.
Having said that, anecdotally, quite a few accounts appeared to take the opportunity to subscribe for legitimate reasons.
Elon Musk has made a number of sweeping changes since he took over Twitter at the end of October after buying it for $44bn (£38bn). 
He said the firm was operating at a loss of $4m per day, and that it needed to become profitable.
He has laid-off around half its workforce, introduced bedrooms at Twitter HQ in San Francisco for the remaining staff working long hours, and begun re-instating controversial banned accounts, including the rapper Ye (Kanye West), former US president Donald Trump and influencer Andrew Tate.
Mr Musk also says Twitter accounts which have been inactive for a certain period of time will be deleted. This has caused dismay among those who say they cherish the accounts of loved ones who have died.
Film director Rod Lurie tweeted that his ""heart was broken"" at the thought of the account of his late son, Hunter, disappearing.
Unlike Facebook, Twitter users cannot nominate someone to take control of their account after their death although state executors can contact the firm with requests.
You can follow Zoe Kleinman on Twitter @zsk."	/news/technology-63938566
technology	Twitter will ban unlabelled parody accounts, says Elon Musk	"Elon Musk says Twitter accounts engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying they are a parody will be permanently suspended.
witter previously issued a warning before suspending accounts, but there would now be no warning, he announced.
A number of accounts that changed their name to Elon Musk and mocked the billionaire have already been suspended or placed behind a warning sign.
witter's billionaire new owner took over the company late last month.
At the end of last week he laid off around half of the company's workforce.
He has also confirmed plans to allow users to buy blue-tick, verified status.
Detailing the new policy on parody accounts, Mr Musk tweeted: ""Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning."" 
He added that ""any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark"".
Several accounts that had changed their name to the new Twitter owner have been suspended or placed behind a warning sign, including those of US comedian Kathy Griffin and former NFL player Chris Kluwe.
Other accounts, including one parodying former US President Donald Trump by comedian Tim Heidecker, are yet to be suspended. 
Mr Musk has previously said he opposed permanent bans on Twitter, including that of Mr Trump's official account. Mr Musk said last week that banned accounts would not be reinstated until there was ""a clear process for doing so"". He pointed out that he was not banning an account that followed his private plane.
New York Times reported on Sunday that Twitter was delaying the rollout of verification check marks to subscribers of its new service until after Tuesday's US midterm elections. At the weekend, the social media site's website app began offering an update that will charge $8 (£7) a month for its blue, verified checkmark.
On Friday, the billionaire said Twitter was losing more than $4m per day, insisting that this gave him ""no choice"" over culling around half the company's 7,500-strong workforce.
uts - as well as Mr Musk's fierce advocacy of free speech - have caused speculation that Twitter could water down its efforts on content moderation. 
However, Mr Musk has insisted that the firm's stance towards harmful material remains ""absolutely unchanged"". UN human rights chief Volker Turk wrote him an open letter, warning that Twitter had a responsibility to avoid amplifying harmful content."	/news/technology-63539617
technology	Uber investigating hack on its computer systems	"Uber's computer network has been hacked. 
ride-hailing company said it was investigating after several internal communications and engineering systems had been compromised. 
New York Times first reported the breach after the hacker sent images of email, cloud storage and code repositories to the newspaper.
Uber staff were told not use the workplace messaging app Slack, the report said, quoting two employees. 
Shortly before the Slack system was taken offline, Uber employees received a message that read: ""I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.""
It appeared that the hacker was later able to gain access to other internal systems, posting an explicit photo on an internal information page for employees.
Uber said it was in touch with authorities about the breach.
re has been no indication that Uber's fleet of vehicles, its customers or payment data have been affected by the hack. 
Uber pays a subscription fee to HackerOne, a bug bounty platform based in California. Bug bounty programs are used by a lot of big businesses - essentially they pay ethical hackers to identify bugs.
Sam Curry, one of the bug bounty hunters, communicated with the Uber hacker. ""It seems like they've compromised a lot of stuff,"" he said. 
Mr Curry said he spoke to several Uber employees, who said they were ""working to lock down everything internally"" to restrict the hacker's access. 
He said there was no indication that the hacker had done any damage or was interested in anything more than publicity.
Chris Evans, chief hacking officer for HackerOne, told the BBC: ""We're in close contact with Uber's security team, have locked their data down, and will continue to assist with their investigation."" 
BBC has seen messages from someone who claims that various Uber admin accounts are under their control. 
New York Times reports the hacker is 18 years old, has been working on his cyber-security skills for several years and hacked the Uber systems because ""they had weak security"".
In the Slack message that announced the breach, the person also said Uber drivers should receive higher pay.
g goes in cyber-security that ""humans are the weakest link"", and once again this hack shows that it was an employee being fooled that let the criminals in.
Although the saying is true, it's also extremely unkind.
fuller picture emerging here shows that this hacker was highly skilled and highly motivated.
As we saw with recent breaches of Okta, Microsoft and Twitter, young hackers with plenty of time on their hands and a devil-may-care attitude can persuade even the most careful employees into making cyber-security mistakes. 
form of hacking through social engineering is even older than computers themselves - just ask infamous former hacker Kevin Mitnick, who was sweet-talking his way around telephone networks back in the 70s.
fference today is that hackers are able to combine the gift of the gab with very sophisticated and easy-to-use software to make their job even easier."	/news/technology-62925047
technology	Big Tech must deal with disinformation or face fines, says EU	"Large tech companies, such as Google and Meta, will have to take action on deepfakes and fake accounts - or risk facing huge fines.
Deepfakes are videos using a person's likeness to portray them doing something they never did. 
New EU regulation, supported by the Digital Services Act (DSA), will demand tech firms deal with these forms of disinformation on their platforms.
Firms may be fined up to 6% of their global turnover if they do not comply.
rengthened code aims to prevent profiting from disinformation and fake news on their platforms, as well as increasing transparency around political advertising and curbing the spread of 'new malicious behaviours' such as bots, fake accounts and deepfakes. 
Clubhouse, Google, Meta, TikTok, Twitter and Twitch are among the 33 signatories to the enhanced code and worked together to agree the new rules . 
Firms who have signed up to the code will be compelled to share more information with the EU - with all signatories required to provide initial reports on their implementation of the code by the start of 2023.
Platforms with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU will have to report to the Commission every six months. 
Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, wrote on Twitter: ""Combating the spread of misinfo is a complex and evolving societal issue"". 
""We continue to invest heavily in teams and technology, and we look forward to more collaboration to address it together.""
A Twitter spokesperson said the company welcomed the updated code. 
""Through and beyond the Code, Twitter remains committed to tackling misinformation and disinformation as we continue to evaluate and evolve our approach in this ever-changing environment,"" a statement said.
Google did not respond to a request for comment. 
WATCH: The face-swapping software explained
Deepfakes have been identified as an emerging form of disinformation when used maliciously to target politicians, celebrities and everyday citizens. 
In recent years they have become increasingly associated with pornography, with faces of individuals mapped onto explicit sexual material.
Deepfakes expert Nina Schick says non-consensual pornographic deepfakes are the primary form of malicious deepfakery today - notably affecting well-known figures including Michelle Obama, Natalie Portman and Emma Watson. 
Concerns have also been raised about the use of deepfakes in political sphere, with fake videos of world leaders being shared online during the Russia-Ukraine war. 
""This new anti-disinformation Code comes at a time when Russia is weaponising disinformation as part of its military aggression against Ukraine,"" said Věra Jourová, European Commission vice-president for values and transparency, ""but also when we see attacks on democracy more broadly.""
""We now have very significant commitments to reduce the impact of disinformation online, and much more robust tools to measure how these are implemented across the EU in all countries and in all its languages.""
fficulty of telling deepfakes and real footage apart is likely to grow in coming years, says Ms Schick, citing the increased availability of tools and apps needed to develop malicious deepfakes. 
While deepfakes allow troublemakers to directly spread disinformation, their appearance more widely on online platforms is causing a climate of information uncertainty - which is open to further manipulation. 
For example, genuine footage could be dismissed as deepfakes by those seeking to avoid accountability. 
makes the challenge for citizens to recognise genuine content, and for regulators and platforms to take action on them, ever more difficult. 
""You have this kind of double-edged sword - anything can be faked and everything can be denied,"" Ms Schick says. 
In recent years, Big Tech companies have made efforts to detect and counter deepfakes on their platforms - with Meta and Microsoft among stakeholders launching the Deepfake Detection Challenge for AI researchers in 2019. 
But platforms ""too often use deepfakes as a fig leaf to cover for the fact that they are not doing enough on existing forms of disinformation"", Ms Schick says. 
""They aren't the most prevalent or malicious forms of disinformation; we have so many existing forms of disinformation that are already doing more harm.""
Under the revised EU code, accounts taking part in co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour, generating fake engagement, impersonation and bot-driven amplification will also need to be periodically reviewed by relevant tech firms. 
But Ms Schick adds deepfakes still have the potential to become ""the most potent form of disinformation"" online. 
""This technology will become more and more prevalent relatively quickly, so we need to be on the front foot,"" she says. 
DSA - agreed by the European Parliament and EU member states in April - is the EU's planned regulation for illegal content, goods and services online, based on the principle that things which are illegal offline should also be illegal online. 
Expected to come into force in 2024, the DSA will apply to all online services that operate in the EU, but with particular focus on what it calls Vlops (very large online platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube) and Vloses (very large online search engines, such as Google) - defined as services that have more than 45m users in the EU.
It will be the legal tool used to support the new code of practice on disinformation, in a bid to tackle fake news and falsified imagery online."	/news/technology-61817647
technology	Byjus, Meta, Twitter: India tech workers fight back amid mass layoffs	"usands of young Indians are suddenly staring at an uncertain future as technology companies and start-ups announce mass layoffs due to global headwinds and funding crunches. But many are refusing to stay quiet about it.
In October, when Ravi (name changed on request) realised that he and several colleagues were likely to lose their jobs with a major Indian edtech firm, he immediately set up a  private messaging group with them.
group soon became a ""safe space"" for Ravi and his teammates to air their fears, share tips on dealing with the management and discuss labour laws and workers' rights. 
""It helped many in the team negotiate better exit policies with the company,"" Ravi says.
few months have been difficult for Indian workers in private companies - especially in the tech sector. Edtech firms Byju's and Unacademy have cut hundreds of jobs; social media giant Twitter has laid off more than half of its staff in India and Indians are among those affected after Meta - Facebook's parent company - shaved off about 13% of its 87,000-strong workforce.
f layoffs has sparked outrage on social media and many of those affected are turning to the internet -  like their counterparts in other countries - to air their dissatisfaction and form support networks. 
're tweeting about unceremonious firings, asking for jobs on LinkedIn, and using messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Slack to rally colleagues, assert their rights and share information with journalists.
rtly because the culture of shame and silence that once existed around redundancies in India is gradually wearing thin as mass layoffs become more common. 
Pritha Dutt, a management and development sector professional, says that even a couple of decades ago, terminations were most likely chalked up to ""a performance issue"".
""Today, layoffs and downsizing have become accepted business practices, so terminations are no longer a taboo topic,"" she says.
And while the jury is still out on how effective social media is as a tool for redressal, experts say that it is helping unite and amplify voices, especially as trade unions are no longer as powerful as they used to be. 
While millions of Indian workers still belong to trade unions, the movement as a whole has been weakening for years. A number of factors - including burgeoning private sector jobs, new labour reforms and a rise in contractual work - have played a role in denting their membership and might.
""Along with employers making themselves more accessible, social media too is giving employees a platform to air their grievances, thereby reducing the need for a mediator - a role traditionally played by unions,"" says Professor Chandrasekhar Sripada at the Indian School of Business.
After Byju's announced in October that it would ""rationalise"" about 2,500 employees to ""achieve profitability"", many of its employees have been speaking to the media - often anonymously - about the company culture and the pressures they face. 
Sacked Twitter employees have taken to social media to vent their frustrations. ""Always a Tweep never a Twit,"" tweeted one former employee in a veiled reference to new owner Elon Musk's Twitter bio at the time. ""Got fired without even a confirmation email. There's always a new low,"" said another.
With the job market expanding, Ms Dutt says employees have become more confident about the marketability of their skills and don't mind standing up for their rights, even if that means burning bridges by calling out a person or organisation on social media.
And this public outrage can sometimes help, like pushing employers to apologise for firing staff in an insensitive manner or for promoting a toxic work culture. 
But Ms Dutt cautions that this success could be limited and short-lived. The option may also not be available to everyone - many still fear speaking out as they worry it might jeopardise future job prospects, or invoke legal action from their employer.
's why many employees are also looking for other ways to air their grievances and fight for their rights. 
In the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram, 140 Byju's employees who alleged they were being forced to resign went on a protest and also met a Kerala state minister, who announced an investigation into the matter - the state is governed by a coalition of Left parties, which advocates for workers' rights.
Days later, Byju's said it had reversed its decision to shut down operations at Thiruvananthapuram.
ree former employees at an edtech firm told the BBC on condition of anonymity that they were working with a trade union to negotiate severance and notice periods with the company. 
Suman Dasmahapatra, president of the Bangalore chapter of the All India IT & ITeS Employees' Union - a registered trade union that has been assisting hundreds of tech employees with labour disputes since 2018 - said that the organisation's membership has been steadily growing. 
He concedes that this is still tiny compared with the total number of employees - a majority of IT sector professionals, he says, are still uncomfortable being part of trade unions, either because they fear reprisal from the management, or because ""they don't see themselves as 'workers'"".
But Mr Dasmahapatra says he is confident that India will see a resurgence in unionisation as the push and pull of global economic forces make the job market more volatile.
Over the past couple of years, US giants such as Amazon, Starbucks and Apple have seen their workers form unions and observers say calls for unionisation are likely to grow louder, and spread across industries. 
Prof Sripada, however, disagrees. He says that the proliferation and strengthening of trade unions need not become the norm, as workplaces have already become more conscious about adopting progressive, people-centric policies. 
""Unions are a product of bad people management. When employers fail, unions rise. Employers today have the benefit of hindsight so the responsibility lies with them to make people management the centre of business,"" he says.
""But if organisations continue laying off people in an insensitive and callous manner - as we're seeing happen frequently - the story might be different."""	/news/world-asia-india-63619920
technology	Meta board hears over a million appeals over removed posts	"Meta's independent system of appeals against its decisions to remove content on Facebook and Instagram had about 1.1 million cases in its first year.
uted posts, most of which originated in the US, Canada or Europe, had largely been removed for either violence, hate speech or bullying. 
Of the 20 cases about which The Oversight Board published decisions, it ruled against Meta 14 times.
One case was about removed images of female breasts in a breast cancer post.
Others featured an image of a dead child alongside text about whether retaliation was justified against China for its treatment of Uighur Muslims, and the decision to ban Donald Trump following the Capitol Hill riots.
rd overturned Meta's decision to remove the first two examples, but supported its decision to ban Mr Trump - although it criticised the ""indefinite"" time frame.
It had initially shortlisted 130 cases to investigate, but Meta agreed up front that it had been wrong on 51 of those occasions.
Board director Thomas Hughes said it looked for ""emblematic"" cases with ""problematic elements"" to take on.
He added that the categories of hate speech, violence and bullying were ""difficult-to-judge issues"" - especially for automated systems.
""Also in many of those cases, context is extremely important,"" he said.
rd has just released its first annual report, covering the period October 2020 to December 2021.
Anybody - including Meta itself - can appeal to it if they disagree with a decision to remove content. Of the 1.1 million cases received during the 14-month period, only 47 came from the firm.
About 2,600 cases per day were reported on average. 
However, Facebook alone has more than two billion users around the world, making this a relatively tiny percentage of its vast content. It was also noticeable that relatively few complainants were from outside Western countries.
Of all the cases submitted to the board:
Oversight Board is known as a kind of ""supreme court"" and was formed by Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg. It operates as an independent entity, although its wages and other costs are covered by Meta. It consists of journalists, human rights activists, lawyers and academics.
Mr Hughes described the relationship between the board and Meta as ""constructive but critical"".
It has made 86 additional recommendations to the tech giant, including translating its policies into more languages and being more specific when explaining why content has been removed on the grounds of hate speech."	/news/technology-61893903
technology	Ukraine sent dozens of 'dronations' to build army of drones	"Dozens of people have given their hobby and commercial drones to Ukraine after it appealed for ""dronations"" to help build its ""army of drones"".
untry is also asking for money to buy 200 military reconnaissance drones.
Ukrainian and Russian forces have used small consumer drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), in the war.
But Justin Bronk, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), says while small drones are useful, tactics are adapting to counter them.
Small and commercial drones can provide a live view of the enemy's positions, he says.
""Both sides in Ukraine have been able to very rapidly exploit that real-time video picture, to call down artillery fire and quickly correct it so that it's very, very accurate, even when using old school unguided artillery, on to enemy forces,"" he said.
But he warned electronic counter-measures were becoming increasingly effective.
roposed army of drones is a complex programme involving procurement, maintenance and replacement, as well as pilot training, Ukraine says.
Col Oleksii Noskov, assistant commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said: ""The army of drones will allow us to constantly monitor the 2,470km-long (1,535 miles) front line and to field an effective response to enemy attacks, using modern technology.""
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, told the BBC via email that the first goal of the campaign was to purchase tactical drones which have a 100-mile range and are equipped with a sophisticated camera, GPS and mapping tools.
However, after studying the issue, he said ""our team understood that Ukraine's army still needed quadcopters"", and so he said the country was asking people to ""donate their own drones"".
Ukraine hopes to collect thousands of multi-use and commercial UAVs.
Drones which meet the minimum standards are being donated to Ukraine via two warehouses, one in Poland and the other in the US.
Mr Fedorov also wants companies to get involved, adding: ""This project is a great opportunity for drone manufacturers to test their equipment in harsh conditions.""
mpaign, which was launched on Friday, has already raised £5.7m, enabling the purchase of two military UAVs. Dozens of small drones had also been received, Mr Fedorov tweeted.
military ""warmate"" drones, according to Mr Bronk, are a type of loitering munition manufactured in Poland. According to the company's website, the drone ""constitutes a good alternative for anti-tank guided missiles"".
According to Mr Fedorov, hobby and commercial drones have already shown their effectiveness on the battlefield. 
Russia has also made use of them. 
Earlier this year, Mr Fedorov called on market leader DJI to stop selling drones in Russia and, in a significant intervention for a Chinese firm, it halted sales in both Russia and Ukraine.
""Russia is using hobby/commercial drones to strike and conduct reconnaissance in their unprovoked and unfair war,"" Mr Fedorov wrote.
""It is crucial that the world's largest commercial drone-maker, DJI, stopped sales in Russia.""
Valerii Iakovenko, co-founder of Ukrainian company DroneUA, told BBC News that DJI's action had pushed up costs to Ukraine, while Russia was still able to continue to obtain drones via Belarus.
His company had been supplying drones and robotics to the government since before the war.
Drones, along with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system and professional radio equipment, were now among the most sought-after technology, he said.
And even small ones were useful mostly providing field data, locating enemy troops and correcting artillery fire.
""A huge number of volunteer operators that joined the Ukrainian forces are also making a difference,"" Mr Iakovenko said.
""Drone pilots of small consumer drones are providing aerial intelligence along the whole front line.
""It is all about the speed of information exchange between the field and in the general staff, to make decisions almost immediately.""
Watch: The volunteers using drones to monitor Russian troops
Mr Bronk says Ukrainians in particular have been very inventive in finding ways to source and then use commercial, as well as military-grade drones.
udes ""using them as improvised loitering munitions to strike targets at significant distance, including, recently, an oil refinery in Rostov with a commercial grade UAV with an improvised warhead"".
But tactics, he warns, are changing.
""What's happened in the last couple of months in Donbas is that the Russians have managed to concentrate their electronic warfare assets and integrate them well with their ongoing operations. 
As a result, Mr Bronk says, whenever Ukraine sends up a small UAV using radio remote control ""the Russian electronic warfare kit picks it up and immediately either takes it over or just cuts the command link electronically and forces it to return"".
, instead of being flown by remote control, small drones have to be programmed to fly a set route and have targets identified when footage is analysed on their return. This slow process is of limited value against moving targets, he said.
Mr Bronk felt that what Ukraine needed were loitering munitions capable of targeting and attacking Russian electronic warfare systems. 
While hobbyist drones were useful, at the moment ""grassroots support in terms of generating military equipment is probably of as much value in terms of morale for the people who are contributing, as well as the people on the front lines"". "	/news/technology-62048403
technology	"""Art is dead Dude"" - the rise of the AI artists stirs debate"	"Revolutions in art are nothing new, but this one, some think, may be terminal.
""Art is dead Dude"", Jason M Allen told the New York Times.
Mr Allen is the winner of the Colorado State Art Fair's competition in the category of ""emerging digital artists"".
His winning entry ""Théâtre D'opéra Spatial"" was made using Midjourney, an artificial intelligence system that enables images to be created simply by inputting a few text prompts - for example ""an astronaut riding a horse"".
Many artists were furious, but Mr Allen was unmoved: ""It's over. A.I. won. Humans lost"", he told the paper.
Mr Allen earned just $300 (£262) from the contest, but the news struck a tender nerve. 
Some artists were already fearful that a new breed of AI image generator could take their jobs, and take a free ride on the years spent learning their craft.
""This thing wants our jobs, it's actively anti-artist"", wrote California-based movie and game concept artist RJ Palmer in a Tweet liked more than 25,000 times.
In Twitter posts he highlighted how well the output of AI systems could imitate living artists. In one case he examined, the AI even attempted to reproduce artists' signatures. 
utput of these AI systems is impressive, but they are built upon the output of flesh-and-blood creators - their AIs are trained on millions of human-made images.
Stable Diffusion, a recently launched open-source AI image generator, learns from a compressed file of ""100,000 gigabytes of images"" scraped from the internet, its founder Emad Mostaque tells me.
Mr Mostaque, a computer scientist with a background in tech and finance, sees the Stable Diffusion as a ""generative search engine"".
Whereas Google image searches show you pictures that already exist, Stable Diffusion shows you anything you can imagine.
""This is a  Star Trek Holodeck moment"" he says.
Artists have always learned from and been influenced by others - ""great artists steal"" as the saying goes - but Mr Palmer says of AI is not just like finding inspiration in the work of other artists: ""This is directly stealing their essence in a way"".
And AI can reproduce a style in seconds: ""Right now, if an artist wants to copy my style, they might spend a week trying to replicate it,"" Mr Palmer tells me.
""That's one person spending a week to create one thing. With this machine, you can produce hundreds of them a week"".
But Mr Mostaque says he's not worried about putting artists out of work - the project is a tool like Microsoft's spreadsheet software Excel, which - he notes - ""didn't put the accountants out of work, I still pay my accountants"".
So what is his message to young artists worried about their future career, perhaps in illustration or design? ""My message to them would be, 'illustration design jobs are very tedious'. It's not about being artistic, you are a tool"".
He suggests they find opportunities using the new technology: ""This is a sector that's going to grow massively. Make money from this sector if you want to make money, it'll be far more fun"".
And there are already artists using AI art for inspiration and to make money.
OpenAI say their DALL-E AI system is used by more than 3,000 artists from more than 118 countries.
re have even been graphic novels made using AI. The author of one called the tech ""a collaborator that can excite and surprise you in the creative process"".
But although there is a lot of anger about the way AIs use artists' work, experts say legal challenges may be difficult. 
Professor Lionel Bently, director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law at Cambridge University, says that in the UK ""it's not an infringement of copyright, in general, to use the style of somebody else"".
Professor Bently tells me an artist would need to show that output of an AI had reproduced a significant part of their original creative expression in a particular piece of their art used to train the AI.
Even where that's possible - not many artists will have the means to fight such legal battles.
Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), which collects payments on behalf of artists for the use of their images, is worried.
I asked DACS' head of policy Reema Selhi if artists' livelihoods are at stake. ""Absolutely yes,"" she says.
DACS is not against the use of AI in art, but Ms Selhi wants artists, whose work is used by AI image systems to make money, to be rewarded fairly and have control over how their works are used.
""There are no safeguards for artists [..] to be able to identify works in databases that are being used and opt out"" she adds.
Artists might be able to claim copyright infringement when an image is scraped from the internet in order to be used to train an AI - although legal experts I spoke to suggested a number of reasons why such a claim might fail.
And Ms Selhi said proposed changes to UK law would instead make it easier for AI companies to legally scrape artists' work from the internet -  something which DACS opposes.
Mr Mostaque says he understood artists' fears and frustrations, noting that ""you saw this with photography as well"".
He said the project was working with ""technology industry leaders to create mechanisms by which artists can upload their portfolios and request for their styles not to be used in online services using this and similar technology"".
Google previously created an AI that could create images from text prompts. Called Imagen, it was never opened up for the public to experiment with because of the ""potential risks of misuse"".
Google warned that the datasets of scraped images used to train AI's often included pornography, reflected social stereotypes, and contained ""derogatory, or otherwise harmful, associations to marginalized identity groups"".
Recently Techcrunch reported on concerns that Stable Diffusion could be used to create non-consensual pornography, so-called deepfakes and other problematic images.
Mr Mostaque says that kind of unethical use ""breaks the license terms"". And he says the software already filters out attempts to create not-safe-for-work imagery, although that can be worked around by the technically savvy.
But  the onus, he says, is ""upon the person doing something illegal"", and other existing tools can also be abused, for example someone could use ""Photoshop's merge tool to stick someone's head on a nude"".
Sci-fi artist Simon Stålenhag tweeted that AI art revealed, the ""kind of derivative, generated goo .. our new tech lords are hoping to feed us"".
And there are some big names connected to the development of the tech. The ""techno-king"" himself Elon Musk is a backer of OpenAI.
Far from being ""derivative goo"", they say DALL-E assists human creativity and produces ""unique, original images that have never existed before"".
For a final opinion, I rang up contemporary artist and broadcaster Bob-and-Roberta-Smith (the name belongs to just one artist). 
He's had work in the big galleries, and will be staging an artistic takeover of the shop in London's Tate Modern gallery in October.
He works in old-school physical media mainly but he thinks AI could be an interesting area of artistic activity, in the tradition of the mash-up. 
But policy makers, he says, need to get the rules right, ""so nobody feels ripped off"", and money isn't just siphoned off from artists and into the pockets of big corporations. 
You can hear more about AI image generation, and other stories, on the BBC's Tech Tent podcast."	/news/technology-62788725
technology	Sussex Police: Alert over sextortion criminals targeting children	"An alert has been issued by Sussex Police after reports of online sextortion, a form of blackmail.
force said suspects are using popular social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat to target children and young people.
Victims are often tricked into sending intimate images or videos of themselves on online chats to people they believe are genuine.
Criminals then threaten to share the content as part of the blackmail.
Victims are being urged by officers ""not to pay, to save evidence such as screenshots, messages, images, and relevant URL links, and to block all communication"" with the suspect.
Police said many of the suspects operate from outside the UK, using fake identities.
uld know support is available, and most social media sites have policies against sharing intimate or indecent content which makes getting it removed easier.
Any blackmail attempts should be reported to police online, or by calling 101.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. "	/news/uk-england-sussex-63399909
technology	Elon Musk at Twitter: Who could replace him as chief executive?	"Elon Musk is considering his next steps after a Twitter poll asking if he should step down as chief executive.
More than 17 million people had their say - with 57.5% voting yes - leaving the next obvious question being, if not Mr Musk, who?
re, who has been at the helm of the social platform since October, said he would abide by the results of the poll.
But he has not made any announcements regarding plans to leave his position.
""No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,"" he tweeted following the poll.
Bob O'Donnell, from TECHnalysis Research, warned that trying to predict who might take over the social platform was a ""pointless exercise because of how unpredictable and short-lived every decision"" regarding Twitter has been in the Musk era. 
Even so, we take a look at who might be in the running.
Mr Musk's poll was posted just hours after he was seen at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, where he watched Argentina beat France on penalties to win the men's football World Cup.
He was at the game alongside Jared Kushner, a former US presidential adviser and Donald Trump's son-in-law. 
ures of the men flooded Twitter, with viewers questioning their relationship. Could he be Mr Musk's latest recruit?
A close confidante of Mr Musk is Sriram Krishnan, an Indian technocrat who was tasked by the billionaire to monetise the platform.
He is one of the few to be included in Mr Musk's core team at Twitter. 
Mr Krishnan, who is a former Twitter, Meta and Microsoft employee, is also an investor, technologist and engineer who hosts a podcast and YouTube channel with his wife. 
""I invest and am interested in the intersection of consumer tech and crypto,"" he says on his website. 
He lists pro wrestling as one of his interests and believes in ""the importance of making a big entrance"" - something that perhaps chimes with Mr Musk. 
gy investor and podcaster David Sacks is another one of the experienced names in Mr Musk's inner circle. 
Mr Sacks was involved at the beginning of PayPal with Mr Musk and is a member of the so-called ""PayPal Mafia"" - a group of former executives of the firm who have become billionaires by founding some of Silicon Valley's most successful tech businesses.
Co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey has stepped in to run it twice, so could it be third time lucky?
Arguably, there is nobody who knows the platform better than Mr Dorsey, who resigned as chief executive in November 2021.
He had been serving as chief executive of both Twitter and payment firm Square and had been under pressure from investors, who felt Twitter was not getting the focus it needed while he was also running Square.
Mr Dorsey not only extricated himself from Twitter but he also gave up his board seat - so has had no known involvement under Mr Musk apart from initially being supportive of his takeover.
Ms Friar was previously finance boss at Square, the payments company set up by Mr Dorsey. She is now the chief executive of Nextdoor, a social network that centres around local neighbourhoods. 
She has been described as one of the ""most highly regarded"" executives in Silicon Valley with an ""exceptionally rare mix of proven business skills, and authentic heart and soul"".
Another member of the ""PayPal Mafia"", Mr Marcus is the former president of PayPal and is close to Mr Musk. He was one of the first tech leaders to embrace cryptocurrencies. 
He was previously a top-ranking executive at Facebook's parent company Meta, heading up the firm's cryptocurrency project Diem and Messenger. He was also on the board of Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform.
He now runs crypto-focused company Lightspark which is working on ""extending the capabilities"" of bitcoin.
If Mr Musk's future plans for making profits from Twitter include integrating cryptocurrency into existing  products and services, then Mr Marcus might be a leading candidate. 
Formerly the chief operating officer of Meta and Mark Zuckerberg's righthand woman, Sheryl Sandberg resigned from the role in June to focus on her philanthropic work.
She was seen as largely transforming Facebook's revenue strategy, positioning the platform to make profits from small business advertising and being at the helm during its meteoric rise. 
Could the top job at Twitter tempt her back into one of the biggest roles in Silicon Valley?
When Mr Musk completed his takeover of Twitter, he immediately sacked the former boss Parag Agrawal, co-founder Mr Dorsey's handpicked successor.
His sacking marked the beginning of the chaotic Musk era - so might Mr Musk want some stability and bring him back? 
One of the only people to throw their hat into the ring, albeit jokingly, is Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower.
Mr Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since he leaked details of extensive internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence agencies.
But given his espionage charges in the US, it would seem running Twitter would be rather difficult from Moscow.
Follow Shiona McCallum on Twitter @shionamc"	/news/technology-64026268
technology	Will Donald Trump go back on to Twitter?	"Donald Trump was fiercely critical of Twitter when he was banned, supposedly for life.
After the Capitol Hill riots Twitter said the permanent suspension was ""due to the risk of further incitement of violence"".
Mr Trump even sued Twitter, about what he described as ""censorship"".
However that ""permanent"" suspension now looks a lot less certain.
Elon Musk tweeted that he would introduce a ""council' that would take a decision on whether Donald Trump would be allowed back.
But if Mr Trump is invited back on to the platform, you might think it would be a no-brainer for him to make a return. 
After all, just like Elon Musk, Donald Trump loves Twitter. For Mr Trump it was his way of connecting directly with voters, bypassing the traditional media. 
Ironically, it was also a way of getting attention from the media he claimed to shun. ""He's tweeted"" was a regular refrain across the world's newsrooms. 
But times have changed. There are now several reasons why Mr Trump may not come running back to Twitter. 
Firstly he now owns and runs his own social media company, known as ""Truth Social"". 
It looks almost exactly like Twitter - and allows people to post ""Truths"". It's owned by Mr Trump - so he has a direct financial interest in the success of the company. 
And by far the biggest asset that Truth Social has is Donald Trump. 
Donald Trump won't get paid a cent for tweeting on Twitter. He could benefit hugely if Truth Social becomes a major social media platform though. 
At the moment - Truth Social is not that. 
According to the app analysis company Sensor Tower, Truth Social had just 92,000 installs last month. 
ut that into context, Sensor Tower estimates that Twitter was installed more than 14 million times over that period. 
It's anaemic, miniscule growth for a social media company. 
But if Truth Social does have a shot at being relevant, Mr Trump needs to be on there - and exclusively so. 
It helps to explain why, in a statement from Mr Trump, he didn't say he was thinking about coming back on to Twitter. 
Money isn't the only consideration for Mr Trump and his advisers though. 
re is also a school of thought that Trump off Twitter is better for his polling. 
ry goes that Twitter served Mr Trump well when he was establishing himself. 
But now, does he really need Twitter? 
And some Republicans believe the public can have ""too much Trump"", that wild statements and claims that catch people's attention can distract from Republican talking points. 
And even if Mr Trump wanted to come back, it seems it's now possible that the door won't be opened for him. 
In a tweet on Friday, Elon Musk said a council would decide whether banned people could return. 
unds a lot like the Facebook Oversight Board, that made a decision that Mr Trump should be banned from Facebook for two years (they will need to make a decision on whether he can return in January). 
It's possible they will conclude Mr Trump's ban should remain. 
Mr Trump and Mr Musk are both brilliant users of Twitter. But they are also hard to predict. For all we know, Donald Trump will be happily tweeting away in no time. 
But there are plenty of reasons to believe that he won't be back using his favourite megaphone any time soon. "	/news/technology-63436425
technology	Suffolk dad demands PowerPoints ahead of pocket money rise	"A father who makes his sons give a PowerPoint presentation when they want more pocket money says it helps them to grow in confidence.
Phil Quickenden, who lives near Woodbridge, Suffolk, came up with the idea after learning his son Joshua, 15, was not participating in class.
He believed two years of lockdown had had an impact on his eldest child's speaking skills.
He said being able to articulate and influence others was essential.
Mr Quickenden's youngest son, Sam, 10, also started giving a presentation to his parents, to explain why he should have a new video game or money for items outside of his monthly allowance/pocket money.
""It was a great way for them to test their skills, build up their confidence and fill some of that gap from lockdown when they missed some of those [socialisation] opportunities,"" said Mr Quickenden. 
As a result, he said his eldest son Joshua had grown in confidence, both in the classroom and with friends.
Sam had ""always been confident in terms of his peers, but has developed that"", said Mr Quickenden. 
""He's much more articulate and happy to engage, so it's had a positive impact,"" he added. 
rvant, who makes ""a lot"" of presentations for work, said schools should do more to develop skills in public speaking. 
A lot of his younger staff, who were technically capable of using Powerpoint, lacked the skill to be engaging, according to Mr Quickenden. 
""They can technically put together some slides, but it's something different to stand up in front of people and get your point across clearly and articulately,"" he said.
""But crucially it's about confidence - being able to stand up in front of a groups and say your piece. I think it's really important.""
Mr Quickenden said the needs of the workplace had changed significantly over the last 15 years, and particularly during Covid.
""I think as technology builds and takes over, those human interactions become more and more important,"" he said.
""Being able to... engage with somebody is something a computer will never be able to do.""
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk"	/news/uk-england-suffolk-63402633