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Bowe, 30, scored the second of Ireland's tries in Saturday's 29-15 win over South Africa at the Aviva Stadium.
He has won 55 caps for Ireland, scoring 27 tries, and has made 124 appearances for Ulster, scoring 48 tries.
Earlier this week, the IRFU confirmed that Rob Kearney had also signed a new three-year deal to stay with Leinster.
Bowe made his competitive debut for Ulster against Connacht in April 2004 and enjoyed a spell with the Ospreys, before returning to his home province for the 2012-13 season.
He made his Ireland debut against the USA in November 2004 and has twice toured with the British and Irish Lions.
The Monaghan man played in all three Lions Tests against South Africa in 2009, and in two Tests in Australia in 2013.
He was a member of Ireland's 2009 Grand Slam-winning team and was named Six Nations Player of the Championship in 2010.
"I'm delighted to have signed a new contract with the IRFU and Ulster," Bowe said.
"It is an exciting time for both the province and the national team and I hope to play a part in achieving success on both fronts in the years to come." | Ireland winger Tommy Bowe will remain with Ulster until at least June 2018 after signing a new three-year contract with the IRFU. | 30037060 |
Any player who dives or feigns injury in an effort to influence match officials will be liable for sanction.
At the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, officials were instructed to sin-bin players who committed those offences.
Players who need to be substituted because of an injury following foul play will no longer count as one of their team's six allotted replacements.
And a change has also been made in the application of a maul law, punishable by a penalty.
It means a player in possession cannot slip to the back of a maul, with the ball having to be moved backwards hand to hand instead.
The changes have been in effect in the southern hemisphere since January.
England are scheduled to play a three-match Test series in Australia in June, while Wales play New Zealand in three Tests and Ireland are touring South Africa.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | World Rugby has introduced a number of law changes to the northern hemisphere game in an effort to stop simulation. | 36428827 |
The 30-year-old made 243 appearances for the Canaries, and was promoted to the Premier League twice.
"It's disappointing obviously, but I think the direction that the club needs to go, it's a rebuild in structure," Ruddy told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"For reasons other than football, it was a decision that was made."
Ruddy, whose final match for the club was their 4-0 win over QPR, continued: "The club did have the option on me, but mitigating circumstances within that contract meant that it was probably impossible for the club to uphold that.
"It was nice that we were told when we were and nice that I was able to go out in this manner on Sunday."
Ruddy joined Norwich from Everton in 2010, and as well as helping them reach the top flight twice, he was capped once by England in 2012.
But he is one of seven out-of-contract players to leave a club that failed to achieve an instant return to the Premier League and are currently without a permanent manager.
"Going back to when I was first here, Paul Lambert took what was a calculated risk, I'd say, of £250,000.
"You look back on that now, it's not an awful lot of money. I'm not sure you get too much goalkeeper for £250,000 these days," said Ruddy.
"I was grateful to him, to (majority shareholder) Delia Smith and (former chief executive) David McNally for allowing me to join the club, for the years after that, apart from this season and last season, have been superb.
"Four of the seven years here have been in the Premier League. It's been a special time in my life. I'm only 30 years old, I'm not retiring tomorrow.
"We move onto a new day, a new challenge and hopefully I've got 10 years left in me." | Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy was "not massively" surprised about being released by the Championship club this summer after seven years. | 39843745 |
In 2009, world leaders met in Copenhagen but got nowhere.
I was among the last to leave that summit and delegates were in tears. The glass roof of the conference centre was dark with snow.
But since then, a remarkable set of changes has allowed the Paris Agreement to take shape.
Paris climate deal enters force as focus shifts to action
UN review says carbon plans fall well short of climate goals
For a start, the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and US, jointly decided to make a serious push.
For President Obama, this has always been a priority. And for China the new middle class is demanding an end to the toxic pollution smothering the biggest cities.
And that's spurred another shift: renewable energy is falling in price.
Out in the deserts of western China, along the ancient Silk Road, I've seen for myself new forests of wind turbines. Recently, China has planted two of them every hour.
The Chinese push for renewable energy is the largest the world has ever seen. And look at the global figure for solar panels installed last year - it was half a million every day.
A third big change is the involvement of leading companies.
A decade ago, it was rare for me to get a corporate press release making a green boast. Now my inbox is bursting with them.
On Friday, 10 oil companies announced a one-billion-dollar fund for low-carbon technology - something inconceivable not long ago but, let's be clear, the sum is dwarfed by the money spent developing new sources of oil.
So will the Paris Agreement get anywhere? On the one hand, it doesn't oblige any government to cut their greenhouse gases.
But, on the other, each country's efforts will be scrutinised every five years.
And although the agreement has no teeth, it does represent something unique: the first time that every nation on the planet has signed up to try to head off the worst effects of global warming. | Only seven years ago, the very idea that an international climate agreement would come into force today looked hopeless. | 37874108 |
Women's rugby sevens appears at the Olympics for the first time and Joyce, 20, is the only Welsh player to make the otherwise all-English GB squad.
"We're coming out here to achieve a medal and hopefully gold," she said.
"Sevens is a game anything can happen, anyone can win. You might be up top and five seconds later you're losing."
On the prospect of facing Brazil in their opening Pool C game, Joyce said: "We're just going to take it like it's any other team, go out there fighting. It's going to be one of our hardest games."
Team GB also face Japan on Saturday, before a match against Canada on Sunday with the quarter-finals to follow.
The only non-English member of the squad, Joyce says she has settled in well and is enjoying the experience.
"The facilities here are amazing, we are loving every second of it," she said.
"We get free time and chances to play monopoly, cards and we're all loving Mario Kart [a video game].
"It's honestly amazing and one of the best experiences I can ever imagine."
The Team GB squad have now arrived in the athletes' village in Rio after a training camp in Belo Horizonte.
"I think it's going to be completely different level of excitement in the athletes' village. It will be amazing to get to be with everyone else," said Joyce.
"Imagine just walking past Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Andy Murray. It would be a dream come true."
Joyce, from St David's in west Wales, is the first Welsh women's rugby player to compete in the Olympics, something which she says is "pretty insane".
"I'm getting so much support," Joyce added.
"When I went home a couple of weeks ago to my parents' house they had the GB flags and the Welsh flags all around the house.
"I live in a little city and they're all cheering for me and wishing me good luck, giving me cards. I've had amazing support."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Team GB rugby sevens wing Jasmine Joyce says her side are aiming for an historic gold in Rio as they prepare to take on hosts Brazil on Saturday. | 36965676 |
The veteran US businessman was the largest shareholder in MGM Resorts International, which owns the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels in Las Vegas.
He was well known for buying and then selling the MGM film studio three times, making a profit each time.
Kerkorian was reported to have died on Monday night in Los Angeles but no cause of death has been given.
"Mr Kerkorian was a quiet but powerful force behind the transformation of the Las Vegas Strip into one of the world's most popular tourist destinations," MGM Resorts said in a statement.
A school dropout at 16, Kerkorian became a boxer and later flew dangerous missions delivering warplanes from Canada to Britain during World War Two.
He carried on flying after the war and opened a charter flight business ferrying gamblers who wanted to get from Los Angeles to Las Vegas more quickly than by driving.
He began buying property in Las Vegas in 1962 after selling his charter airline, which he later re-purchased.
"When you're a self-made man you start very early in life," he once told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "You get a drive that's a little different, maybe a little stronger, than somebody who inherited."
He was also a player in the automobile industry, losing a battle for control of Chrysler in the 1990s before taking stakes in General Motors and Ford in the 2000s.
In May this year, Forbes magazine estimated Kerkorian's wealth at $4.2bn (£2.7bn) after taking a hit on his investments during the financial crisis in 2008, when the magazine said he was worth $16bn.
"MGM Resorts and our family of 62,000 employees are honouring the memory of a great man, a great business leader, a great community leader, an innovator, and one of our country's greatest generation," MGM chief executive Jim Murren said in a statement. | Kirk Kerkorian, the son of Armenian immigrants who became a billionaire Las Vegas mogul, has died at the age of 98. | 33154082 |
Tony Smith's side followed up a 28-16 win at Wigan on 1 April with a convincing home victory, although they fell behind to Josh Charnley's try.
Daryl Clark, Ben Westwood and Kevin Penny all crossed for the hosts before half-time to forge an 18-4 lead.
Ryan Atkins' brace, Benjamin Jullien and Westwood's second sealed Wire's biggest Super League win over Wigan.
The Warriors, for whom captain John Bateman scored a late consolation, would have gone top themselves with a win but defeat left them third.
Catalans Dragons will join Warrington at the summit on 20 points if they win at Hull on Friday.
The two tightest defences in the division at the start of play held firm until Charnley slid in at the corner after 17 minutes, but Shaun Wane's 150th game as Wigan head coach quickly turned sour as Clark and Westwood, who barged over with his first touch of the game, overturned the deficit.
Warrington, who lost winger Tom Lineham to a head injury early in the first half, saw off a burst of Wigan pressure before Atkins' close-range try stretched the lead to 20 points and his second effectively killed the contest.
The Wolves' half-back pairing of Stefan Ratchford and Kurt Gidley, who extended his contract on Wednesday, played influential roles throughout, with Gidley also landing five of his six attempts at goal.
Former Great Britain international Iestyn Harris, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"In the first 20 minutes, Warrington didn't get into their stride. As soon as Ben Westwood came onto the field and gave them some momentum, they didn't look back.
"For 60 minutes they totally dominated Wigan - physically, in ability and for me that little bit of hunger. They really wanted this.
"They've put a statement of intent there - they've put 40 points on Wigan Warriors.
"Wigan are going to get some players back and they are going to come back strong."
Warrington head coach Tony Smith: "The players were terrific tonight, particularly defensively.
"We were outstanding without the ball and really played a physical game, which you have to do when you play Wigan. If you don't, they dominate you.
"I love watching Ben Westwood - he's tough, hard, effective and keeps going. He's doing a great job for us."
Wigan head coach Shaun Wane: "It's not tough to take - they were the better team. Warrington were outstanding.
"For 25 minutes we handled them physically, but we made changes and lost a bit of momentum.
"Their line speed killed us, we found ourselves under pressure and we couldn't get ourselves back into the game."
Warrington: Russell; Penny, R. Evans, Atkins, Lineham; Gidley, Ratchford; Hill, Clark, Sims, Hughes, Currie, Westerman.
Replacements: G. King, Cox, Jullien, Westwood.
Wigan: Sarginson; Charnley, Gelling, Gildart, Tierney; Gregson, Smith; Clubb, Powell, Mossop, Bateman, Isa, Sutton.
Replacements: Williams, Tautai, Burke, Wells.
Referee: Phil Bentham | Warrington Wolves completed a Super League double over Wigan to move two points clear at the top of the table. | 36141898 |
South and West Yorkshire would both control some tax and spending if local councils devolve powers to new combined authorities run by a mayor.
Under the proposals, strategic planning, transport and economic regeneration powers would be handed over.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, could announce the plan on Wednesday.
The five West Yorkshire councils - Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield - joined the neighbouring City of York in North Yorkshire to form a combined authority six months ago.
Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils have created a similar South Yorkshire body.
The existing councils would continue to run services such as education and waste management individually.
Under the current agreement one of the council leaders is chosen by the others to chair the combined authority.
The chancellor's idea takes this on much further with extra powers for the combined authority to control social welfare policy, raise tax and control public spending. In return leadership would be given to a new generation of "metro mayors" wielding considerable executive powers.
Councillor Peter Box, Labour leader of Wakefield City Council and current chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said he would welcome any extra power and budgets but totally reject a regional executive mayor.
Wakefield, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield all rejected individual city mayors in referendums just two years ago.
"Just a couple of weeks ago the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was in Leeds and told us that we could have the devolved powers without having to accept an executive mayor," said Mr Box.
"Go on any street and it becomes clear the public will simply not accept another elected politician."
Andrew Carter, leader of the opposition Conservative Group on Leeds City Council, voted against creating a local executive mayor in the 2012 referendums.
"But, a metro mayor is a completely different proposition," he said.
Support for the idea has come from two of Bradford's MPs.
Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP for Bradford South, who was leader of the city council before being elected to parliament, says West Yorkshire has to follow the Manchester lead or it will see potential investment and economic growth being sucked over to the other side of the Pennines.
George Galloway, Respect MP for Bradford West, said he believed that West Yorkshire could reap the same benefits that have resulted from the strong leadership of London's mayors.
"We have had two now, both of them bigger-than-life figures, who have clearly made a difference to London," he said.
The individual councils would not enter into a formal merger. A similar arrangement has been announced for Greater Manchester's 10 councils.
"I am a great believer in the power of our cities to be big forces in the world," Mr Osborne said as he signed the deal with the Greater Manchester councils in November.
"Great cities like Manchester don't quite have a strong enough voice. And I want to improve that. I think you do that by having a directly elected mayor. I think that has worked in London". | Parts of Yorkshire could be run by a London-style directly-elected mayor if new plans are proposed in the government's Autumn Statement. | 30277998 |
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said Mr Peres "was the greatest living example of an unshakable belief in the pursuit of peace against all odds".
Former British PM Tony Blair also paid tribute describing the Nobel Peace prize winner as "a political giant".
Mr Peres died aged 93 on Tuesday, two weeks after suffering a stroke.
He was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the new nation's birth in 1948, serving twice as the country's prime minister and once as president.
He also won the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 for his role negotiating peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier.
Rabbi Mirvis said Mr Peres "gave hope to millions of people" that a peace deal would be achievable.
He added: "Tragically, thus far, we have not succeeded. But from Shimon Peres we learned that we must never let go of that audacious commitment to peace, even when all around us are ready to do so."
He went on: "For those of us whom he inspired during his remarkable lifetime, we say: No matter what the future holds, your legacy lives on in the Jewish people who will never rest until we achieve our eternal dream of peace among the peoples of the world."
Mr Blair paid tribute to Mr Peres on twitter, writing: "Shimon Peres was a political giant, a statesman who will rank as one of the foremost of this era or any era, and someone I loved deeply". | The chief rabbi of the UK and Commonwealth has paid tribute to former Israeli PM Shimon Peres, describing him as a "true giant amongst men". | 37492482 |
Israeli president Reuven Rivlin has sent a pink dress embroidered with the words, "From Israel with love".
Princess Charlotte was born on Saturday in London's St Mary's Hospital, weighing 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg).
The Queen met her new great-granddaughter at Kensington Palace for the first time on Tuesday.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a cot blanket made from Tasmanian merino wool was being sent on behalf of the Australian people to mark the royal birth.
It was made at the country's oldest weaving mill, Waverly Woollen Mills, Tasmania, and has been embroidered with the Australian floral emblem, the wattle.
Mr Abbott said his government would also be making a A$10,000 (£5,200) donation to the Healesville Sanctuary, in Victoria, in honour of the princess.
"I hope one day the princess can visit Australia and hold a Mountain Pygmy-possum herself," he said.
The Mountain Pygmy-possum is Australia's only hibernating marsupial, and there are fewer than 2,000 left in the wild.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his wife Nechama Rivlin wished the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge "joy, health and happiness" at the birth.
They have sent a beaded brooch which features a heart-shaped charm and the "hamsa" symbol - a Middle Eastern sign of protection - as well as a dress, according to a statement from Rivlin's office.
Sharona Barzilai, who designed the dress, said: "For me this closes a circle as I learned to be a dressmaker in London, and I am delighted that my design has been sent as a present to the new princess."
Meanwhile, a Lego figure of Princess Charlotte has been added to the Buckingham Palace model at Legoland Windsor.
More than 7,000 souvenir mugs are being produced at the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke-on-Trent to mark the birth of the princess, whose name - Charlotte Elizabeth Diana - was announced on Monday.
About 200 staff worked throughout the night, with the first mugs finished at 06:00 BST on Tuesday.
The fourth in line to the throne will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
The Queen is due to return to London, three days after the birth of her fifth great-grandchild.
It is believed she could meet Princess Charlotte for the first time, but a Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment on "speculation".
Other members of the family have already met the new addition.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall spent more than an hour with their new granddaughter on Sunday. The duchess's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and sister Pippa also met the princess.
Last year, the princess's brother Prince George was given 774 gifts - including 603 presents from Australia alone.
They included a leather flying jacket, a polo mallet and a teddy bear from US president Barack Obama. | A blanket and a donation to a rare possum sanctuary from the Australian government are among gifts sent from around the world to Princess Charlotte. | 32591049 |
Junction One and The Outlet are for sale with a combined guide price of between £58m and £62m, according to property consultants CBRE.
The Outlet opened on the outskirts of Banbridge in County Down in 2007, but was effectively taken over by Ulster Bank in 2011.
Junction One opened near Antrim in 2004.
Ulster Bank also lent the money for that development.
The Outlet is currently held by an Ulster Bank company called West Register (Northern Ireland) Property.
It is a Northern Ireland branch of a group of companies set up by the bank's parent company RBS to hold "distressed properties".
Earlier this year another West Register firm sold the Richmond Centre in Londonderry.
The Outlet was opened in 2007 at a cost of £70m but struggled to fill all its units.
There are plans to switch part of its use from retail to leisure with a cinema and restaurants.
The last set of accounts for the company that holds Junction One valued the development at £7.85m, compared to a valuation of almost £80m in 2009.
Junction One Ltd had Ulster Bank borrowings of about £48m and its liabilities outweigh its assets by £53m.
Leona Barr, centre manager for Junction One, said: "We welcome that the Junction One complex is on the market as it brings great potential for future development and continued investment.
"We believe that the time is right for new owners to build on the success already achieved and to input additional investment to enable the complex to reach its full potential." | Two major out-of-town retail centres that struggled in the economic downturn have been placed on the market. | 34120481 |
The island, which has only been an international nation in the sport since January 2015, will host the division three tournament from 4-7 April 2017.
Jersey finished third this year, having come fifth on their debut in 2015
"This is fantastic for Jersey and fantastic for our squash community," Jersey director of squash, Nick Taylor, told BBC Radio Jersey.
Portugal, Sweden and Israel will be among the nations competing in Jersey.
"We had a delegate over who looked at the facilities and was very impressed with the club," Taylor added.
"It's great that we've been accepted, we just need to deliver a world-class event now.
"Last year there were players within the top 100 in the world." | Jersey is to host part of squash's European Team Championships for the first time. | 37999935 |
Iselle made landfall early on Friday morning on the chain's Big Island, shortly after it was downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm.
But Hurricane Julio, a Category 3 storm with winds of more than 120mph, is about 1,000 miles (1,609km) away.
Hawaiian officials have urged residents to stock up on emergency supplies.
The last cyclone to hit Hawaii, Hurricane Iniki in 1992, killed six and caused $2.4bn (£1.4bn) in damage.
Five to eight inches of rain are forecast, along with heavy winds and potential flash flooding in some parts of the state.
The storm was weakening as it hit the terrain of the eastern-most island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, according to Chris Brenchley, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu.
"As wind blows into the terrain, the terrain kind of redirects the wind," he said.
The state's department of emergency management has asked residents to prepare a seven-day emergency kit, including non-perishable food and water.
Hawaii's remoteness from the mainland makes it hard to get emergency supplies to the state. Stores have had to quickly restock bottled water and other supplies.
The storm has already knocked out power for more than 18,000 people on the Big Island, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Another 2,700 were without power on the island of Maui.
At least 50 flights from major airlines were canceled on Thursday and an inter-island airline cancelled all of its flights on Friday.
Rudy Cruz and Ashley Dochnahl from California told the Associated Press they had attempted to fly back early but failed to secure a flight.
"We were trying to beat it, but we now will have to ride it out," Mr Cruz said.
Big Island resident Andrew Fujimura said the waves were topping 20ft (6m) along the coast.
"I can't say I'm too worried," he said. "Worst-case scenario, the power may go out a day or two. But we're prepared for that kind of stuff out here." | A rare tropical storm battering Hawaii has already caused power blackouts and blocked roads on one island, but no deaths have been reported. | 28693242 |
It was suggested to him, on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, that the current action by junior doctors would be more effective if the ban was ended.
"Sympathy action is legal in most other countries, it should also be legal here," Mr Corbyn said.
The Tories said the remarks show Labour is a "threat" to economic security.
Asked if he would end the ban on secondary strike action - also known as solidarity action - brought in by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government in 1990, Mr Corbyn said: "Yes, of course".
He added: "Nobody willingly goes on strike. They go on strike as an ultimate weapon... So let's look at the causes of people being upset rather than the symptoms."
Reaction to Sunday's political interviews
Mr Corbyn also did not rule out allowing the return of flying pickets - where workers travels to support others' action - which were first used in the coal disputes of the 1970s.
He said: "It was merely people moving around showing support during a very difficult industrial dispute."
Referring to the walkout by junior doctors in their dispute with the government about a new contract, Mr Corbyn said they "would be better served if we had a health secretary who was prepared to get involved, meet them and look for a solution".
There were calls for the laws on secondary strikes to be repealed in 2005 while Labour was in power, amid action by baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport in support of sacked staff at the catering firm Gate Gourmet. However, the government then ruled out the prospect of lifting the ban.
The issue re-emerged three years later but then Prime Minister Gordon Brown said there would be "no return" to past laws. | A ban on sympathy strikes by unions not directly involved in a dispute would be repealed under a Labour government, the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn has said. | 35337979 |
But who will win it on goal difference? Data company Gracenote has the answer, but you'll have to scroll down for their prediction.
In the meantime, it's looking bleak for the Black Cats of Sunderland at the other end of the table.
After 10 games, they have just two points in the bag, are bottom of the pile and have just a 19% chance of avoiding the drop into the Championship.
Gracenote say they will finish on 28 points, well adrift of safety, although they will not be the worst side in Premier League history.
They will not even be the worst Sunderland side in the top flight.
The Black Cats managed 15 points in 2005-06 and 19 in 2002-03, relegated to the Championship on both occasions.
There is a sliver of hope for Sunderland boss David Moyes, though.
Crystal Palace and Everton managed just three points from their opening 10 matches in the 2013-14 and 1994-95 seasons respectively but stayed up.
For the record, the worst Premier league performers are Derby County, who collected just 11 points - one win and eight draws - in 2007-08.
It will perhaps come as no surprise to learn that Leicester City's hopes of retaining their crown are already over.
According to Gracenote, the Foxes have a 0.1% chance of emulating their success of last season. Currently 11th, they are predicted to finish eighth.
It is looking bleak, too, for Manchester United.
Their title chances are rated at just 1.3% by Gracenote, who think Jose Mourinho's side will finish in sixth on 64 points, well adrift of the top four.
That is one place lower and two points fewer than last season, which ended with an FA Cup victory but with manager Louis van Gaal losing his job.
Worse news for United fans is that neighbours Manchester City will finish top, pipping Arsenal on goal difference.
Gracenote predicted City and the Gunners would battle it out for the title before the season started and the duo are currently locked on 23 points at the top.
Liverpool have also collected 23 points thanks to seven wins and two draws from their opening 10 games, but Gracenote predicts Jurgen Klopp's side will ultimately finish three points back in third.
"Liverpool are still improving and we may be underestimating them still," says Simon Gleave, Gracenote Sports' head of analysis.
The fourth and final Champions League spot will go to Chelsea in Antonio Conte's first season in charge, with Tottenham four points back in fifth.
Look away if you are a fan of Sunderland, Hull City or Swansea. Manchester City supporters may want to post it all over social media.
Gracenote runs season simulations 10,000 times to come up with its predictions, using results from the past four years.
Points are awarded per match based on the probability of a win/draw/defeat and added to points already won to calculate the predicted points. | Just one point separates the top four sides in the Premier League - and the title race is destined to remain extremely tight to the very end. | 37821317 |
Smith, 93, was one of the most influential guitar-players in country and early rock 'n' roll.
He found fame with his 1948 single Guitar Boogie and enjoyed other hits including Feudin' Banjos in 1955.
When the Warner Bros film studio used a cover version and renamed it Dueling Banjos for Deliverance, he sued them and won substantial royalties.
As well as being a musician, Smith also ran a recording studio and record labels and had a successful career as a radio and TV presenter.
The Arthur Smith Show, on WBTV, was syndicated across the US and ran for 32 years.
He was nicknamed Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith after the title of his breakthrough tune, which became a hit around the world.
In Liverpool in 1957, a young Paul McCartney played it during his first concert with The Quarrymen, who went on to become The Beatles.
But nerves got the better of McCartney, who made a mess of it. "I was just too frightened," he later said.
"It was too big a moment with everyone looking at the guitar player. I couldn't do it. That's why George was brought in." | Country music guitarist Arthur Smith, best known for the theme tune from the 1972 film Deliverance, has died. | 26885910 |
The 25-year-old England international has played just twice since he picked up the injury in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on 22 March.
"Just want to let the world know I've had a successful operation on my hip and I want to thank God for allowing that to be possible," Sturridge said.
"Onwards and upwards from here. Thanks for the support."
Sturridge scored 24 goals from 33 appearances last season but has been blighted by injuries this term, appearing in only 18 matches.
It is the second time this season he has travelled to the States in an attempt to rectify his fitness problems.
Towards the end of a five-month absence with a thigh problem sustained on international duty in early September - which was then followed by a calf strain - he spent 10 days in Los Angeles as part of his rehabilitation.
The striker has not featured since playing 85 minutes of the FA Cup quarter-final replay at Blackburn on 8 April.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers last week said the club's medical team believed they had made a breakthrough in the diagnosis of Sturridge's injuries, which the player has previously suggested may be hereditary.
"I think we have found some underlying issues that maybe relate to Daniel's problems this season and the ongoing ones he's had," Rodgers said. | Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has had "successful" surgery on a hip injury in the United States. | 32602154 |
The singer appeared on stage clutching the sparkly stationery for a production of Dick Whittington a day after returning from television commitments in Australia.
The star told ITV's Loose Women the clipboard was for "safety reasons" to make sure she hit technical cues.
She said producers at the the Milton Keynes theatre were "adamant about it".
"They made me feel really comfortable about it. They were just - 'Go on, let the audience know that it's your first time even standing on the stage and just have fun with it'," she said.
"The audience were lovely and the cast were amazing and everyone was really supportive, but I did know my lines."
Ms Solomon said the show's producers knew she would not be available for rehearsals because of presenting commitments in Australia for ITV show I'm a Celebrity.
"I landed, I woke up the next day, took the boys to school, went into panto," she said.
"I'd had no rehearsals. The company were well aware and ... really supportive of the fact that I was going to be working up until the day that it started and they still wanted me to do it."
She was grateful to co-presenter and boyfriend Joe Swash, who waded in to defend her on Twitter after criticism from EastEnders actor Aaron Sidwell.
She said: "I'm so glad I've got such an amazing boyfriend." | Former X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon has defended the use of a clipboard on the opening night of a pantomime. | 38292943 |
The scheme will see the town hall converted to house "nationally significant" collections.
Kirkcudbright Common Good Fund agreed to support the project with a total of £130,000.
The money will allow the creation of a second floor gallery to host a hoard of Viking treasure found in the region. | An additional slice of funding has been agreed in order to allow £3.1m plans for a major art gallery in Kirkcudbright to proceed. | 37083871 |
Rob Davies, 32 from Brecon, and his fellow Welshmen won their first three matches in the round-robin stage.
In the final Italy won the doubles 3-2, but Matthews levelled the tie with a 3-1 win against Federico Falco.
Rob Davies then secured gold with 3-0 win against Andrea Borgato.
Elsewhere in the British Para Table Tennis Team, Aaron McKibbin and Ross Wilson took silver in the men's class 8.
Megan Shackleton, 18, and her Russian team partner Aleksandra Vasileva took silver in the women's class 4-5, and there were bronze medals for Paul Karabardak and Martin Perry in the men's class 6.
Further bronzes followed for Will Bayley and Billy Shilton in the men's class 8, and Ashley Facey Thompson and his German partner Yannick Ruddenklau in the men's class 9.
Find out how to get into table tennis with our special guide. | Paralympic table tennis gold medallist Rob Davies, Tom Matthews and Paul Davies beat world champions Italy to win gold in the men's class 1 team event at the German Open on Saturday. | 40319230 |
The House of Representatives passed the measure unanimously two days after the Senate approved it.
Hamid Aboutalebi was a part of the Muslim student group that seized the US embassy in Tehran in 1979.
The White House has told Iran Mr Aboutalebi was "not viable" but has not taken a position on the bill.
Fifty-two Americans were held for 444 days at the height of Iran's Islamic revolution, which saw pro-American Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi sent into exile and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini take power.
Mr Aboutalebi, who previously served as Iran's ambassador to Belgium, the European Union, Italy and Australia, told Iranian media his participation in the hostage crisis began only after the initial seizure of the embassy, and primarily involved translation.
On Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "We've made clear and have communicated to the Iranians that the selection they've put forward is not viable."
But he declined to say whether President Barack Obama would sign the bill into law.
The Iranian government, meanwhile, has called the US rejection of Mr Aboutalebi "not acceptable".
The bill passed on Thursday in the House denies entry into the US to individuals engaged in espionage or terrorism or who pose a threat to national security.
Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who introduced the legislation in the US Senate, urged Mr Obama to sign the bill.
"We, as a country, can send an unequivocal message to rogue nations like Iran that the United States will not tolerate this kind of provocative and hostile behaviour," Mr Cruz said.
The bill's sponsor in the House, Republican Doug Lamborn, said, "Terrorists, from Iran or elsewhere, should not be allowed to walk the streets of Manhattan with diplomatic immunity."
As the host country of the United Nations, the US has previously but rarely denied entry to an envoy or head of state. Those included a previous Iranian diplomat and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
In those cases the applications were withdrawn after the US signalled opposition, or the state department simply declined to process the visas.
Those options are available in Mr Aboutalebi's case.
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told state-run media he had previously received a US visa as part of a visit to the UN in the 1990s.
In an interview with an Iranian news site, Mr Aboutalebi said he was not part of the group that took over the US embassy and was only later asked to translate for the students.
Others involved in the hostage-taking have corroborated that account. | The US Congress has sent a bill to the president that would bar Iran's pick for ambassador to the UN from entering the country. | 26981576 |
ScottishPower Renewables' Kilgallioch development will straddle the border of South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
The company has signed an agreement with Spanish firm Gamesa to supply turbines to the site near New Luce.
Delivery of the 96 turbines is expected to begin in February 2016.
The site is expected to be completed in early 2017.
Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "Kilgallioch wind farm will become our second largest wind farm in the UK and this year marks a real milestone as we approach 2 GW of installed onshore wind capacity - enough to power more than one million homes.
"We are delighted to reach this agreement with Gamesa, and we look forward to work commencing on the site next month."
The firm has previously claimed the development could meet the energy needs of more than 130,000 homes and its construction will create about 200 jobs.
Meanwhile, SSE has confirmed that it has completed the sale of three Scottish wind farms to Blue Energy for an undisclosed sum.
Blue Energy will now have responsibility for constructing the Whiteside Hill and Blackcraig developments in Dumfries and Galloway, and Cour wind farm in Argyll. All three have planning consent. | The renewables firm behind plans for a major wind farm in the south of Scotland has confirmed that work will start on the site next month. | 32934055 |
English Heritage has organised the trek on horseback and foot from York to East Sussex to mark the 950th anniversary of the famous clash.
The volunteers will arrive on the battlefield 950 years to the day since Harold fought William of Normandy.
Nigel Amos, leader of the march for English Heritage, said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".
King Harold defeated a Viking army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in East Yorkshire, on 25 September, 1066, before travelling south to face the Normans.
On 14 October, he fought and was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
William then seized the English throne.
Emily Sewell, head of events for English Heritage, said 1066 and the Battle of Hastings was "one of the most famous battles and most transformative years in English history".
Nigel Amos, who is leading the march on behalf of English Heritage, added: "There's nothing like a personal experience to understand what it was like and offer an even more authentic window on that world to inspire and inform others." | A group of "warriors" are staging a 300-mile march to echo King Harold's journey to the Battle of Hastings. | 37472193 |
"No matter what I did, I always felt I was fighting a losing battle," he said.
But Burgess said he had not been badly treated by England and refused to blame coach Stuart Lancaster.
The 26-year-old, who joined Bath last October, re-signed for the South Sydney Rabbitohs last week.
He was part of England's squad for the Rugby World Cup, in which they were eliminated at the group stage, and played in the hosts' crucial 28-25 defeat by Wales.
Burgess said criticism directed at him following his performance in that match had contributed to his feeling of unease in rugby union.
"A lot of people outside the England camp had an agenda against both England and, in some circumstances, me," he wrote in the Daily Mail.
"This was an upsetting factor to me, that people who are supposed to love the game are actually tearing it to shreds.
"Some ex-players just kept letting rip. It's almost like they don't want anyone else to do well in the jersey. I didn't want to stay in a sport like that."
Burgess also said he had not found the 15-man code as enjoyable as rugby league.
"I want to spend the rest of my career playing the game that's in my heart," said Burgess, who played 21 games for Bath as a blind-side flanker after switching codes last year.
"What makes me love [rugby league] is the physical battle of it; I never found myself reaching that point [in union].
"My heart just isn't in [rugby union], and if my heart's not in it then [Bath and England] won't get the best performances from me."
He said he was satisfied with his displays at the World Cup and believed coach Lancaster had been unfairly criticised after the team's early exit.
Burgess, whose selection for the World Cup squad ahead of the established Luther Burrell reportedly caused disquiet in the England camp, said his decision to quit union had dismayed his international and club team-mates.
"I wanted to go in and see [the Bath squad], but Stuart Hooper, our captain, said he didn't think I'd be well received there, which was fair enough," he said. | Former England centre Sam Burgess returned to rugby league because his "heart wasn't in" rugby union and because he was also stung by criticism from ex-players. | 34772560 |
King's has been collaborating with Technische Universität Dresden on a research initiative, known as Transcampus, since 2015.
But, according to Times Higher Education, an "offshore King's College Europe" is now on the cards.
King's College confirmed that it was discussing potential further collaborations with TU Dresden.
The two institutions already offer 10 joint professorships and several joint PhD programmes through Transcampus.
However, its dean, Prof Stefan Bornstein, has told Times Higher Education that plans for the new King's campus are already "in the process".
Prof Bornstein, who is director and chairman of TU Dresden's department of medicine and an honorary consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at King's, said the plan would allow King's to have a presence in Europe and maintain access to European research funding post-Brexit.
Likewise, he said, TU Dresden would benefit from increased ties to London, one of the "leading academic centres in the world".
Prof Bornstein said the new campus would hopefully run new undergraduate courses "linked to innovation and the needs of industry and society".
The aim would be to recruit leading scholars from around the world, he added.
Prof Bornstein said the Transcampus project had been envisaged before the EU referendum but admitted that it had become "a lot more interesting" since the vote.
"We cannot allow things that have developed for so many years in a positive way [to be] hampered by political decisions that actually nobody wanted," he said.
"It's a nice way to have a solution to get around this very stupid Brexit idea."
A number of UK universities are believed to be considering opening branch campuses in Europe after Brexit - though earlier this year Oxford University rejected reports that it was in talks to open a Paris campus.
Prof Bornstein said he would expect the Transcampus model to be replicated by other universities in the UK and Europe, but stressed that the key was a long history of collaboration between researchers at the two institutions.
In a statement, King's said the university valued the Transcampus initiative "which demonstrates the success of cross-national and institutional links".
"We will continue to work together in various fields on research and exchange and discuss potential further collaborations." | King's College London could become the first British university to open a European campus since the referendum. | 40532060 |
Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here have both been nominated for Best Entertainment Programme.
If they win, it will be the presenters 13th consecutive National TV Award.
The Voice will go up against Strictly and The X Factor in the Best Talent Show category.
The winners will be revealed on the 22nd of January. | Ant and Dec are in competition with themselves at this year's National Television Awards. | 25635069 |
The 19-year-old centre, a graduate of the Exiles' academy, has scored four tries in his first three appearances.
Two of those came on his Premiership debut against Wasps in front of a crowd of more than 42,000 at Twickenham.
"Scoring at Twickenham, it's something I've dreamed about since I started playing at the age of six," he said.
But, the Reading-born inside centre is keeping his feet firmly on the ground as he targets both a continued run in Tom Coventry's side and a first Premiership win of the season for Irish.
"We've been unlucky with injuries in the centre and I've been given a shot," he told BBC Sport.
"I know those players are coming back and they're fantastic, but I'd love to keep the number 12 shirt and I hope I do.
"For me, it's about getting this experience and trying to be the best player that I can."
Williams, who has already represented England at under-17 and under-18 level, is now hoping to break through into the under-20 squad.
His brace against Wasps caught the national for the first time, but he still found fault in his own performance.
"I don't think I carried the ball as much as I have in previous games," Williams said.
"I made a lot of tackles as we spent a lot of time without the ball. It was a fantastic occasion with lots of friends of family, but it was a shame about the result." | Johnny Williams knows he has a fight on his hands to keep hold of the number 12 jersey at London Irish, despite a whirlwind start to his senior career. | 34973548 |
Ex-policeman Antony Lowry-Huws, 68, of Kinmel Bay, and Sheila Whalley, 70, of Abergele, were jailed in 2013 after duping lenders across north Wales.
Lowry-Huws' wife Susan, 63, who got a suspended sentence, must pay back the largest amount of £75,790.
The three were convicted of conspiracy to defraud along with two others.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Mold Crown Court, it was agreed Antony Lowry-Huws and Whalley made £4m each from their crimes.
Lowry-Huws was ordered to repay £27,905, while developer Whalley will give back £18,350.
His wife, who was said to be on the periphery of the scam and under the influence of her husband, benefited £896,351 and must pay back £75,790.
During the trial, the court heard mortgage lenders were conned into lending thousands of pounds in mortgages on properties across north Wales, Cheshire and the north west of England.
The prosecution said the deceit was achieved by inflating the value of the property used as security, hiding that in some cases no deposit was put down, or inflating the rental income potential to make the mortgage rate more acceptable.
In some cases the homes on which mortgages were advanced did not exist. | Three people involved in one of the UK's biggest mortgage frauds, worth up to £24m, must repay some of the money they made. | 37544646 |
Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness met David Cameron on Friday.
There is no confirmation on the content of the talks, but it is understood they are likely to have covered financial matters related to the talks process.
NI Secretary Theresa Villiers says she believes a deal is possible next week.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has predicted that the talks at Stormont will conclude soon.
The round-table talks between Northern Ireland's political parties are aimed at finding a resolution to the crisis at Stormont.
The political row was triggered by a police assessment that IRA members were involved in the murder of former IRA man Kevin McGuigan Sr last month.
Police said the IRA still existed, but added that it was not engaged in terrorism.
Sinn Féin said the IRA has "left the stage".
The talks are also focussing on the issue of welfare reform.
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed on a welfare reform deal in December but Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March. | The first and deputy first ministers have held a private meeting with the prime minister in London, Downing Street sources have confirmed. | 34748202 |
Andy Symonds and Cooper Vuna both went over for the hosts, either side of Neil de Kock's try for the league leaders.
Two tries from Ashton and Samuela Vunisa gave the visitors a 29-14 lead at the break.
Ashton and Ben Ransom touched down after half-time before Vuna claimed his second of the match.
As well as playing in the final of European rugby's elite competition against French Top 14 side Racing 92 in Lyon on 14 May, Saracens must now also prepare for a Premiership semi-final against Leicester Tigers.
Worcester, who have finished 10th in the table, are to follow in Sarries' footsteps by moving from playing on grass to an artificial pitch from the start of next season.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall:
"We've led the Premiership for three out of the last four seasons. To get 80 points, without our internationals (who were) away for such a long period is a tremendous achievement, but the best is yet to come as we have a young squad.
"Last week we played poorly in the first half against Newcastle but we were impressive today."
Worcester Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan:
"They are an outstanding side - we struggled with their power and we need to increase depth in our squad if we are going to improve.
"For the 15 minutes before half-time we were nowhere near, we struggled with our kicking game and kept feeding Alex Goode and we never laid a hand on him.
"It's a stark reminder of the top and where we are. We have to bring more power into our squad."
Warriors: Pennell; Heem, Symons, Mills, Vuna; Heathcote, Baldwin; Leleimalefaga, Annett, Schonert, O'Callaghan, Sanderson, Betty, Kirwan, Dowson (capt).
Replacements: Bregvadze, Bower, Johnston, Hewitt, Cox, Mulchrone, Lamb, Grove.
Saracens: Goode; Ashton, Bosch, Tompkins, Wyles; Hodgson (capt), de Kock; Barrington, George, Du Plessis, Kruis, Hamilton, Wray, Brown, Vunisa.
Replacements: Saunders, Lamositele, Figallo, Smith, Fraser, Spencer, Streather, Ransom. | Chris Ashton scored a hat-trick as Saracens prepared for next weekend's European Champions Cup final by comfortably beating Worcester. | 36196896 |
Catherine Smith narrowly defeated Conservative Eric Ollerenshaw in Lancaster & Fleetwood with a majority of 1,265.
In Burnley, Julie Cooper secured 14,951 votes, unseating Liberal Democrat Gordon Birtwistle in a 6.3% swing.
Across the rest of the county, Labour held on to six seats while the Tories retained eight.
MP elect for Lancaster & Fleetwood Catherine Smith said she would represent and champion the area "to the best of my ability".
She also paid tribute to her predecessor Eric Ollerenshaw's work in the constituency.
Mr Ollerenshaw said he hoped he "hadn't let anyone down" after a "long and hard battle".
Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire after her win in Burnley, Julie Cooper said: "It's a fantastic end to the day.
"I have worked for this for a very long time. I promise to give 100% for the people of Burnley."
The married English teacher and Burnley FC season ticket holder added: "People have been told times are getting better but that is not what it seems if you have lost your job or are suffering welfare cuts."
Mr Birtwistle said: "Labour threw the kitchen sink at this seat and we had far less resources."
He added that he now plans to "go back to being retired, like I was before I was elected".
In Blackburn, Kate Hollern retained the seat for Labour, increasing the majority that Jack Straw held by 2,904 votes for a total of 12,760.
Mr Straw had been the town's MP since 1979 before he recently retired.
However, the news wasn't so good for Mr Straw's son. Will Straw, Labour's candidate for the Rossendale & Darwen constituency failed in his bid to unseat Conservative Jake Berry.
To find out your election result, go to BBC Election 2015. | Labour has made two gains in Lancashire taking one seat from the Conservatives and another from the Liberal Democrats. | 32638415 |
Clive Lewis said it would be "foolish to say never" to the possibility, but that he backed Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Lewis said he was "75% hopeful" Mr Corbyn could lead Labour to victory at the next general election.
And he said he was "greatly" annoyed by "mischievous" speculation about his leadership ambitions.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics, the Norwich South MP - who quit the shadow cabinet last month rather than vote in favour of the government's Brexit bill - said it was "flattering" to be "touted as a future leader".
It was "possible" that some figures close to Mr Corbyn could be behind the speculation, he said.
Pressed on whether he wanted to ever lead Labour, he said: "Never say never, I will say that. But at this moment in time we have a twice democratically elected leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
"I'm still supportive of Jeremy Corbyn. I will be doing all I can along with the rest of my colleagues in the Labour Party to varying degrees to make sure that he becomes the next prime minister of this country.
"There is no ifs, no buts. That's where I am."
Asked how confident he was on a scale of one to 100 that Mr Corbyn could lead Labour to a general election victory in 2020, he replied: "I would say I'm 75% hopeful it can happen.
"Given ... the situation we find ourselves with Brexit - the chaotic situation - it's constantly moving. It would be a challenge for any leader I think."
The Labour leadership came in for renewed criticism after the party lost the seat of Copeland to the Conservatives in last month's by-election.
It was the first by-election gain by a governing party since 1982.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Mr Corbyn would lead Labour into the 2020 general election.
"Of course we are building up a succession for the long term future and we have got some really great young talent coming through but they need more experience before eventually they will succeed," he added.
Mr McDonnell also categorically ruled himself out of a future run for the leadership.
Asked about his claim of a "soft coup" against Mr Corbyn, he said a "number of people" within the party had been "stirring" ahead of the by-elections in Copeland and Stoke Central.
But he said he planned to "have a cup of tea" with arch critic Lord Mandelson.
"There will be lots of things we agree upon. There will be some disagreements. But I think the most important thing that we have got is a responsibility to our party but more importantly to the country," he said. | A Labour MP who quit the frontbench to rebel over Brexit says he will "keep the option open" of one day running for leader. | 39173766 |
20 January 2016 Last updated at 12:03 GMT
It had been stuck on the side of the mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, for days and couldn't move from its dangerous position on the ledge.
A rescue team from the RSPCA had to lower themselves down the mountain using ropes to reach the sheep, who was then lowered down with them, to the bottom of the cliff.
They said that the sheep wasn't injured but was very hungry after its cliff-side adventure.
Pictures and video courtesy of RSPCA Cymru. | A sheep trapped on a ledge on the side of a cliff has been rescued. | 35362427 |
The forces were taking part in a counter-terrorism operation when they came under fire, US officials said.
A medical helicopter sent to rescue casualties was forced to land and has yet to be recovered.
Some 12,000 international soldiers are still deployed in Afghanistan to help local forces tackle the Taliban.
Some of the foreign troops were sent to counter the recent militant insurgency in Helmand.
Details of what happened in the incident, which took place near the town of Marjah on Tuesday, remain sketchy.
US military spokesman Brig Gen Wilson Shoffner said one service member had died as a result of wounds, adding: "We are deeply saddened by this loss... our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those involved."
The identity of the casualties has not yet been revealed and no official details given on their service branch.
A number of Afghan forces were also reported to have been wounded.
The casualties occurred before the "medevac" helicopter was called in.
Some reports said the helicopter, believed to be a UH-60 Black Hawk, had also come under fire.
A US defence official said it had "sustained damage while on the ground" but had not been shot down.
He said it remained on the ground and the military was working to recover it, but gave no further details.
In 2011, 30 Americans were among 38 people killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Wardak province.
Helmand has long been a stronghold of the Taliban.
Afghan forces, aided by the US military, have been engaged in a fierce conflict recently with Taliban fighters who seized large swathes of Sangin district.
The fighting also sparked the deployment of a number of UK forces to Helmand for the first time in more than a year.
In September, the Taliban briefly overran the northern city of Kunduz in one of their biggest victories in 14 years of war. | One US service member has been killed and two wounded reportedly during a special forces mission in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. | 35231408 |
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Yu, 29, took the final three frames, closing with breaks of 66 and 70, for a 6-4 victory and a place in the last 32.
World champion Mark Selby held his nerve to see off world number 68 Daniel Wells 6-4 after trailing 4-3.
Scotland's three-time champion John Higgins came back from 3-2 down to beat Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 6-4.
Welshman Mark Williams eased past England's Andrew Higginson 6-2, while Matthew Stevens beat Michael White 6-4 in an all-Welsh contest.
England's Ali Carter beat Robbie Williams 6-2, but fellow Englishman Barry Hawkins went down 6-5 to Ireland's Fergal O'Brien, who made five centuries including three in a row at one stage.
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"It was a battle," Selby told World Snooker.
"My focus dipped in and out. It is still the early stages of the tournament, I don't want to peak too soon."
Higgins won four of the last five frames to overcome Saengkham, ranked 69 places below him at 73 in the world.
"I dodged a bullet there, I'm just delighted to get through," said Higgins.
"I really did think I'd be heading up the road when I went 4-3 down. A lot of these boys are not frightened of top players any more. I felt as if the luck had ran out but the luck's still with me just now."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app.
Media playback is not supported on this device | World number two Stuart Bingham suffered a shock defeat by world number 62 Yu Delu of China in the second round of the UK Championship in York. | 38118558 |
Edinburgh-born Collins went into a coma after suffering a stroke and two haemorrhages in 2005.
The Possibilities are Endless, explores his journey from the brink of death to rediscovering memories lost because of his medical condition.
NHS Highland and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland will host the screening in Inverness on 17 September.
The film will be shown at Eden Court.
Sandra Hewitt, of NHS Highland, said: "This is an inspirational film showing one man's personal journey and I think it will have a profound effect on stroke survivors, not just here in Highland, but across the UK and beyond.
"Stroke is a lifelong condition but you can improve with time."
She added: "I'm looking forward to the film. It's one man's story which many of those we hope will attend can see similarities with their own situation and they can also get the chance to meet their peers and learn about what support is available for them."
After waking from his coma, the first two phrases Collins was able to say were "Grace Maxwell" - which is his wife's name - and "the possibilities are endless".
The singer-songwriter is known for his work with the band Orange Juice and his 1995 solo hit A Girl Like You. | A film about songwriter Edwyn Collins is to be given a special screening to raise awareness about strokes. | 34152950 |
Bees debutant Marco Djuricin had given his side the lead when he found the net with a curling strike.
And the Austria international almost doubled his tally after the break when his first-time shot clipped the post.
But, after Chris Wood saw his attempt turned onto the woodwork at the other end, substitute Antenucci dispossessed Ryan Woods before firing in to level.
Leeds have now scored just twice against Brentford in five matches, having failed to win any of the games dating back to the 2009-10 season.
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The visitors took the lead when Djuricin, who joined on loan from Red Bull Salzburg on 31 August, found the net midway through the first half.
Jake Bidwell then went close to doubling the lead when his second-half header bounced across goal, before another Djuricic attempt hit the post.
Leeds striker Wood also saw a deflected effort hit the woodwork, when his shot was turned onto the post by Bees goalkeeper David Button.
But, just when it looked like it might turn out to be a first defeat of the season for the hosts, Brentford's debutant substitute Woods - who had only been on the pitch for two minutes - was easily dispossessed by Antenucci and the Italian, who had come on at half-time, fired home the equaliser into the corner with his left foot.
The result means Leeds remain unbeaten this season, having drawn five of their six opening games in the Championship.
Leeds manager Uwe Rosler:
"We lost our fearlessness and we made a mistake. When you do that against Brentford they can find the holes.
"Then we were down on confidence and they scored. We looked like we were afraid to get on the ball, that can happen. We deserved to trail at half-time.
"In the second half we started 0-0 and the substitutes helped us. The last 25-30 minutes we battered them in a football sense and could have won the game. I think it was a fair result for two teams who wanted to win." | Mirco Antenucci's second-half strike saw Uwe Rosler's Leeds rescue a point against his old club Brentford. | 34160340 |
Terry, 35, said last week that he had not been offered a new deal when his contract expires in the summer.
Asked after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United whether anything had changed, he told Sky Sports: "Not from my point of view."
He added: "I made it very clear I wanted to stay."
Since Terry suggested last weekend that he would leave, Hiddink appeared keen to discuss a possible contract extension with the centre-back.
But speaking on Sunday, Hiddink said was not going to speculate further.
Terry added: "It's a difficult one. The club is the most important thing. There is no communication between me and the club at the moment.
"I'll never forget my memories here and they will live with me forever."
Terry has been linked with moves to Qatar side Al Arabi - managed by his ex-Blues team-mate Gianfranco Zola - as well as Major League Soccer in the United States and the lucrative Chinese Super League. | Chelsea captain John Terry said there has been "no communication" between him and the club despite boss Guus Hiddink suggesting he could stay. | 35517984 |
A test transmission has already begun on Freeview channel 23 in south east Wales.
The broadcaster will be based at Elgin House in St Mary Street in the city centre and will have around 20 staff.
The Made TV group holds licences for local TV in Cardiff, Bristol, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
The other two local TV stations in Wales, Bay TV Swansea and Bay TV Clwyd in Mold, are both due to launch in 2015.
Made in Cardiff will shortly appear on the Sky satellite TV service in the area on channel 134, and Virgin Media channel 159. | Cardiff's local TV channel, Made In Cardiff, has announced that it will begin broadcasting programmes on 15 October at 20:00. | 29128205 |
Cracks in its structure were spotted in March and the area was sealed off.
The IFA has confirmed to the BBC that it received a preliminary engineer's report into the damage and is studying the findings.
The venue is scheduled to host the Euro 2016 qualifier against Romania on 13 June.
Kevin McShane of the Institute of Civil Engineers told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that it was a surprise "nothing more serious" had happened because the foundations had moved.
"We can see at the base of the columns that the wall and the beams have moved," he said.
"That's caused stress throughout the structure, given the shape of the structure it's very top heavy, it's leaning on one side towards the pitch.
"So if there's some problems with the foundation, the natural reaction of the whole structure is to try to topple over onto the pitch."
On Wednesday, the IFA's chief executive Patrick Nelson said staging the international at Windsor Park remained its "only focus".
He said an alternative venue for the qualifier, such as the Kingspan Stadium, had not yet been considered.
It is believed that at least two independent reports are being carried out on the damaged stand, with cracks first spotted on 31 March, two days after Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifier against Finland.
Linfield are unable to use their home venue and the Irish Cup final on 2 May, which was scheduled to be played at Windsor Park, has been switched to the Oval. | The Irish Football Association (IFA) has been advised to demolish the damaged west stand at Windsor Park, the BBC understands. | 32336990 |
The company reported a 21.8% increase in pre-tax profits to £14.5m for the year to 27 November.
Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner said it had achieved "robust trading" in a challenging environment.
However, the average order size fell 2.7% to £108.10 against the backdrop of continuing supermarket price wars.
The rise of German competitors Aldi and Lidl has shaken up the sector, putting pressure on the big four supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.
But investors welcomed Ocado's latest results, sending its share price up by more than 7% to 262p in morning trading.
Annual revenues rose 14.8% to £1.27bn, and the retailer's customer base grew by almost 14% over the year to 580,000.
However, Ocado said it was still in continued talks with several international retailers in regards to a partnership using the Ocado Smart Platform.
When it released its full-year results in February last year, Ocado said it was in "advanced discussions with multiple potential international partners" for the platform, adding it expected to sign "multiple deals" in the medium term.
Analysts believe agreements with retailers in the US and western Europe are important in driving Ocado's share price.
George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown said: "The group has long said it's making progress on deals with third parties, but there hasn't been much in the way of tangible progress recently.
"The appointment of Luke Jensen [from Sainsbury's] as head of Ocado's Smart Platform will raise hopes that the group can finally get someone to sign on the dotted line."
However, Mr Salmon warned that "following Amazon's entry into the market, competitive pressures are rising in its core business".
"In this context, it's arguably more important than ever for the group to get something over the line."
Last year, Morrisons agreed to supply groceries to Amazon customers in the UK under a new deal with the US online giant.
Amazon's entry into the market was seen as escalating competition in the sector.
In August 2016, Morrisons also built on its existing relationship with Ocado expanding its home delivery service nationwide in a new deal with the online grocer.
Ocado said it had "provided the capability and execution for strong growth" in regard to its partnership with Morrisons. | Online grocer Ocado has announced a rise in annual profits, but a long-awaited overseas deal has not yet materialised. | 38806573 |
The incident occurred at around 13:00 (11:00 GMT) on the 4,010m (13,155ft) Lagginhorn mountain.
"The five climbers fell several hundred metres. They all died at the scene," a local police statement said.
The hikers were descending the Lagginhorn when they fell. Police said it was not yet clear what caused the accident.
The BBC's correspondent in Geneva, Imogen Foulkes, says it appears the five were roped together.
A sixth climber who had not made the final attempt at the summit, because he felt unwell, raised the alarm immediately. Police said he had been airlifted to safety by helicopter.
Police confirmed the hikers were all foreign, but said they would not disclose their nationalities until their families had been informed.
Lagginhorn is the lowest of the 4,000-metre chain of mountains in the Alps, about 10km from the Italian border. It is regarded as one of the easier peaks to climb.
Weather conditions in the area were said to be relatively good. | Five foreign climbers have fallen to their deaths in the Valais canton in the Swiss Alps. | 18697729 |
The accident, involving a Jaguar which struck a bridge barrier, happened at 05:45 at Junction 18 Charing Cross in the city.
The affected lane and slip road reopened at 09:00 following repairs.
Police said a 38-year-old man had been taken by ambulance to Glasgow Royal Infirmary following the crash.
His condition was not thought to be life-threatening.
Traffic Scotland had warned drivers that the route was likely to remain shut through the early morning rush hour.
The delays affected traffic from Glasgow Airport and drivers on the M77 from Junction 5.
At one point, the tailback stretched as far back as Junction 29, St James Interchange.
The queues had largely dissipated by mid morning but traffic was slower than usual. | Drivers have faced a seven-mile tailback after an early morning accident on the M8 in Glasgow caused damage to a bridge. | 37437718 |
A gothic horror novel, a Victorian murder mystery and a biography of the creator of modern environmentalism were also category winners.
The overall Costa book of the year will be revealed on 26 January.
Atkinson won the top prize in 1995 with Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
Other category winners include former teacher and librarian, Andrew Michael Hurley, who has won the first novel award for his debut, The Loney.
The gothic horror initially had a first print run of just 300 copies. The judges called it "as close to the perfect first novel as you can get".
Scottish poet Don Paterson won the poetry category for a second time for his "tour de force" collection titled 40 Sonnets. He last won the award 12 years ago.
Historian and writer Andrea Wulf won the biography award for The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science.
She tells the story of the visionary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world and created modern environmentalism.
Young adult fiction and children's writer Frances Hardinge won the children's book award with The Lie Tree, a Victorian murder mystery.
The five Costa book award winners each win £5,000 and are all now in the running to win the Costa book of the year.
It is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to authors resident in the UK.
Last year's Costa book of the year went to Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk. In 2013 it was The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer and in 2012 it was Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. | Kate Atkinson has won the Costa novel award for the second time in three years for A God in Ruins - the companion novel to Life After Life, which won the award in 2013. | 35227592 |
The freighter sank after the collision on Wednesday night, about 11km (7 miles) off the Indonesian island Batam, Singapore officials said.
It was carrying 560 tonnes of fuel but there are no reports of an oil spill.
The Singapore Strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, although major accidents are rare.
Officials said the tanker Stolt Commitment, registered in the Cayman Islands, collided with freighter Thorco Cloud, which had the Antigua and Barbuda flag, around 20:00 local time (1200 GMT). The tanker had only minor damage.
The missing are among the freighter's crew of 12 men. The rest were rescued and are currently being treated in a Singapore hospital.
Anti-pollution craft have been put on standby in case of an oil spill, said Singapore's marine and port authority. | Authorities from Singapore and Indonesia are searching for six people, after a chemical tanker collided with a freighter in the Singapore Strait. | 35118626 |
New measures announced by ECB boss Mario Draghi to support the region's economy did not meet market expectations.
At close, the FTSE 100 was 145.93 points lower at 6,274.00
Whitbread rose 0.28% after Credit Suisse raised its price target for the hotel and coffee shop operator. Biggest faller was Sports Direct, down 5.4%, as Goldman Sachs cut its target price.
Mining shares weighed on the index after metals prices fell, with BHP Billiton down 3.3%.
Copper prices hit a one-week low and other metal prices fell as the dollar rose following comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen.
Ms Yellen said the US economy had "recovered substantially" and consumer spending was "particularly solid", raising expectations of a US rate rise this month.
Shares in Ashtead Group fell nearly 5% after Exane BNP Paribas cut its rating on the equipment hire group to "neutral" from "outperform".
In the FTSE 250, Go-Ahead Group shares were up 2.3% after it was announced that London Midland, in which Go-Ahead owns a 65% stake, will continue to run the West Midlands rail franchise until October 2017.
On the currency markets, the pound was up 0.94% against the dollar to $1.5092, but fell 1.67% against the euro to €1.3845. | (Close): The FTSE slumped in afternoon trade after being ahead at midday. | 34992913 |
Warren Whiteley and Johan Goosen went over to give South Africa an early lead before an Adam Coleman try reduced the arrears to 14-13 at the break.
Eben Etzebeth was shown a yellow card for the visitors just after the restart then Bernard Foley scored a crucial try to seal a morale-boosting win.
Earlier on Saturday, New Zealand beat Argentina to stay top of the table.
The Wallabies, who stay bottom, eventually opened their account in this year's championship after back-to-back defeats by the All Blacks.
They have had their troubles since losing the World Cup Final to New Zealand at Twickenham in October.
A 3-0 series defeat to England and those defeats to New Zealand had put pressure on coach Michael Cheika.
Many Wallabies fans voted with their feet and the Suncorp Stadium was half empty as the Springboks heaped on further misery in the opening minutes.
Whiteley barged over for his third international try, then Goosen dived over after Adriaan Strauss intercepted a Quade Cooper punt.
There were boos around the stadium with the Wallabies trailing 14-3, but they were soon silenced as a high pass from Will Genia picked out Coleman who went over in the corner.
The home side carried the momentum into the second-half and Foley gave them the lead for the first time with a penalty after Etzebeth was sin-binned for a challenge.
Samu Kerevi thought he had gone over in the corner for the Wallabies but his knee was adjudged to have been in touch before he grounded the ball.
The Wallabies were now under the cosh and Foley gave the home side some breathing space when he dived over after a dummy pass.
Australia: Folau, Haylett-Petty, Kerevi, Foley, Hodge, Cooper, Genia, Pocock, Hooper, Mumm, Coleman, Douglas, Kepu, Moore, Sio. Replacements: Polota-Nau, Slipper, Alaalatoa, Arnold, McMahon, Phipps, Kuridrani, Mitchell.
South Africa: Goosen, Habana, Kriel, de Jongh, Hougaard; Jantjies, de Klerk; Whiteley, Mohoje, Louw, de Jager, Etzebeth, Adriaanse, Strauss, Mtawarira. Replacements: Mbonambi, Kitshoff, Nyakane, Mostert, du Toit, Kriel, Steyn, Mapoe. | Australia ended a six-match losing run with a 23-17 victory over South Africa in the Rugby Championship in Brisbane. | 37328052 |
John Askey's men were second-best on the day, but rallied in the last minute and striker Chris Holroyd bundled in from close range to draw his side level.
The Daggers nosed in front in the first quarter when Corey Whitely squared for Fejiri Okenabirhie, and the onrushing midfielder dispatched firmly into the bottom corner.
John Still's men remained in relative control before the interval, but could not put the match beyond doubt. Whitely struck the top of Craig Ross's bar on the stroke of half-time.
They remained largely on top in the second half, but were to be undone by Holroyd's sucker punch.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 1.
Second Half ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 1.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Shomari Barnwell replaces Jordan Maguire-Drew.
Goal! Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 1. Chris Holroyd (Macclesfield Town).
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Chris Sutherland replaces Danny Whitaker.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Josh Staunton replaces Craig Robson.
Frankie Raymond (Dagenham and Redbridge) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corey Whitely (Dagenham and Redbridge) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Second Half begins Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Luke Howell replaces Fejiri Okenabirhie.
Paul Lewis (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Goal! Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Macclesfield Town 0. Fejiri Okenabirhie (Dagenham and Redbridge).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Macclesfield earned a last-minute point from a 1-1 draw at second-placed Dagenham. | 37664235 |
The number eight was capped 15 times at international level, touring Australia and New Zealand and skippering the side during the 1965 Five Nations.
Perry featured for Cambridge in the 1958 Varsity match, before going on to play for Bedford between 1962 and 1966.
He made 105 appearances and scored 115 points for Bedford. A Bedford statement said: "The club extends its deepest sympathy to David's family." | Former England rugby union captain David Perry has died at the age of 79. | 39564383 |
The £12m January signing from West Bromwich Albion has yet to score for the Potters in nine appearances.
But Hughes told BBC Radio Stoke he is backing the 23-year-old to justify the transfer fee Stoke paid for him.
"Next season is when we feel Saido will have the maximum impact," said Hughes.
"It's always difficult coming in half-term, so to speak, during the January transfer window, but he's integrated well within the squad - there's no issues in terms of that."
After missing so much football during the 16 months between Albion turning down his move to Tottenham in August 2015 and his eventual move to Stoke, Berahino made only his fifth Stoke start in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool.
"He hasn't played a lot of football and is still getting up to speed, it's fair to say," said Hughes. "But these games between now and the end of the season will be invaluable in terms of him understanding what we are about and what he needs to do.
"We want to get him scoring and get him off and running - that will be good for him. Then we'll see a marked difference next season in terms of his impact."
It is now over a year since Burundi-born former England Under-21 international Berahino scored his last goal - in Albion's 3-2 home win over Crystal Palace in February 2016. | Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says that fans should give January signing Saido Berahino time to make an impact in the Potteries, and that he should be truly judged from next season. | 39553969 |
Daley dived twice from 10m and once from 3m, while Gallantree completed the reverse routines.
They scored 434.65, with Ukraine (426.45) winning silver and China (425.40) bronze in Kazan, Russia.
Britain won bronze on Tuesday in the synchronised 3m springboard.
It is the first time Britain has claimed two medals at a World diving championships and Gallantree becomes the first British female to win a medal at World level.
"We didn't have any expectations ahead of the competition as we know China is so strong and it felt surreal to be competing and, the next thing, we're on top of the podium," said Olympic bronze medallist Daley.
"It's an insane feeling and thanks to Becky for diving so well."
Gallantree said she could not believe she and Daley had won, saying: "We came in for a bit of fun and to practise ahead of our individual events, but it became a bit more than that.
"I never thought I would be a world champion and it's amazing to say now that I am."
Earlier on Wednesday, Olympian Tonia Couch qualified for Thursday's individual 10m platform final and in doing so secured Team GB a place in the event at the Rio Olympics.
The British pair were in third after the first round of an event which featured China's multiple world champion Ruolin Chen and USA's London 2012 10m champion David Boudia.
Two stunning routines by Daley and solid performances from Gallantree saw them move clear of their opponents in the final rounds.
Daley was using the non-Olympic Team event as a warm-up before his individual 10m platform campaign begins on Saturday.
Gallantree, who came 10th alongside Alicia Blagg in the synchronised 3m springboard final on Saturday, will compete in the individual 3m event on Friday. | British divers have claimed their second medal of the World Aquatics Championships with Tom Daley and Rebecca Gallantree combining to win gold in the team event. | 33712555 |
Microplastics from tyres and textiles are a bigger source of marine pollution than the breakdown of larger plastic waste in some areas, says the IUCN.
Up to 30% of plastic released into the oceans each year comes from primary microplastics, not the disintegration of larger pieces, a report found.
Debris from tyre abrasion and synthetic fabrics are the main sources, they say.
The IUCN reviewed data from seven global regions to look at how much of the estimated 9.5 million tonnes of new plastic waste released into the oceans each year comes from primary microplastics.
These are tiny plastic particles from the likes of consumer products rather than the degradation of larger bits of plastic in the oceans.
The report found between 15% and 31% of plastic pollution came from primary microplastics, of which the biggest contributors (almost two-thirds) were abrasion of synthetic textiles, while washing, and abrasion of tyres, while driving.
Synthetic rubber, made from a variant of plastic, makes up around 60% of the rubber used in tyres.
Other sources included microbeads in cosmetics, which contributed about 2% of the releases to the ocean globally.
François Simard, deputy director of IUCN's marine programme, said the findings came as a surprise.
"We discovered that most of the microplastics are coming from either the clothes or from the tyres," he told BBC News. "Microplastics are going everywhere in the sea and into the food chain, let's close the plastic tap."
IUCN director general Inger Andersen said the report was "a real eye-opener".
"Our daily activities, such as washing clothes and driving, significantly contribute to the pollution choking our oceans, with potentially disastrous effects on the rich diversity of life within them, and on human health," she said.
The release of microbeads from cosmetic products has received widespread publicity, resulting in action from manufacturers.
However, solving plastic pollution from tyres and synthetic clothes will be harder to address.
Joao de Sousa, marine project manager for the IUCN's global marine programme, said solutions must include product and infrastructure design as well as consumer behaviour.
For example, synthetic clothes could be designed to shed fewer fibres and consumers can act by choosing natural fabrics.
In parts of the world, such as North America, primary microplastics are a bigger source of marine plastic pollution than plastic waste, according to the report.
Meanwhile, synthetic textiles are the main source of primary microplastics in Asia and tyres dominate in the Americas, Europe and Central Asia.
Last month, a separate report by a scientific body that advises the UN on marine environmental protection highlighted concerns about debris from vehicle tyres.
Report co-editor Peter Kershaw called for further investigation and partnerships with industry to tackle the problem.
Follow Helen on Twitter. | Particles of debris from car tyres are ending up in the ocean as "plastic soup", conservationists warn. | 39042655 |
Aseel Muthana, from Cardiff, followed his older brother Nasser - who is already on the UN's list - in travelling to Syria in early 2014.
From Syria the 18-year-old told the BBC in an online interview last year: "I am willing to die but Allah knows the truth behind the words."
He faces a travel ban and a freeze of his assets.
The other four UK jihadists fighting or recruiting for Islamic State militants in Syria who are subject to UN sanctions at the UK's request are: Aseel's brother, Nasser Muthana, from Cardiff, Omar Hussain from High Wycombe, Aqsa Mahmood from Glasgow and Sally-Anne Jones from Chatham in Kent.
The move is a new tactic to stem the flow of recruits to the IS group.
At least 700 Britons have travelled to support or fight for jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, according to British police. About half have since returned to the UK.
The UN sanctions regime was set up to tackle suspected al-Qaeda terrorism and extended to IS.
The UN list contains the names of 72 organisations and 231 individuals. British nationals Abu Hamza al-Masri, currently serving a life sentence in prison after being found guilty of supporting terrorism, and Syrian-born Mohammed al Ghabra, 35, from east London, who has been linked to al-Qaeda, were already on the list. | A fifth UK jihadist fighting for Islamic State militants in Syria has been added to a UN sanctions list. | 34408406 |
She was making dinner in her flat in the Leith area of Edinburgh when she made the discovery.
The woman called for a friend to help contain the animal, only to find it had disappeared.
It was later found in a cupboard and is now being cared for by the Scottish SPCA, which has named him Zak while it tries to trace his owner.
The California Kingsnake is non-venomous but can bite and rattle its tail.
It is thought he may have squeezed through the pipework in the block of flats.
Fiona Thorburn, of the Scottish SPCA, said: "The lady was just about to have her dinner and got a real fright when she reached into the drawer to grab cutlery and found Zak curled up on the knives and forks.
"As she has a phobia of snakes, she called her friend for help to contain him only to discover that he had disappeared from the drawer.
"Thankfully they managed to locate him in a cupboard elsewhere in the kitchen before he sneaked away.
"Zak is quite large for an escapee and it's usually smaller snakes that can squeeze through pipework in flats.
"However, all snakes can be really good escape artists, so there's every chance Zak has an owner nearby who is looking for him." | A woman with a fear of snakes discovered a 2ft-long kingsnake curled up in her kitchen drawer. | 35987797 |
The female spaniel was found by an off-duty policeman in West Malling, Kent, on Wednesday morning.
The charity said the dog - thought to be a springer or cocker spaniel - had been thrown into an enclosed gateway to a designated dog walking field.
It believed the pup, which has a docked tail, was left the night before.
RSPCA inspector Rosie Russon said: "This poor pup is lucky to be alive. When she was found, there was frozen solid faeces on the floor next to her.
"How she survived in such freezing conditions, I don't know."
The dog is receiving treatment for a skin condition and sore eye at the charity's centre in Chobham, Surrey.
Ms Russon said that after a 14-day abandonment notice ends and she is fully recovered, the team will find her a new home.
She added: "It's outrageous that somebody thought this was an appropriate way to dump their dog. It was an extremely cruel thing to do."
The charity is keen to hear from anyone who may have information. | A dog is "lucky to be alive" after it was discovered "dumped" over a six foot fence, surrounded by "frozen solid faeces", the RSPCA has said. | 38710499 |
A 10-year spending plan, published in 2015, added £24.4bn for new maritime patrol aircraft, infantry vehicles, and to speed up the purchase of F35B jets.
However, a National Audit Office report warned it must first find £5.8bn in new savings to meet the extra commitments.
Defence minister Harriett Baldwin said it was delivering an affordable plan.
The government set out its Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in November 2015, announcing £12bn in extra defence spending.
The review included plans for nine Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft - to replace the RAF's scrapped Nimrod jets - and that the purchase of 24 new F35 fighter aircraft would be accelerated.
The NAO report said additional planned expenditure amounted to £24.4bn of new commitments to the MoD budget.
The projected cost of funding the plan increased to £178bn - a rise of 7% - it said.
4,500 miles (7,200 km) maximum range without refuelling
490 knots (910km/h; 560mph) maximum speed
28 P-8A Poseidon aircraft in use by the United States
2 other countries, India and Australia, have variants of the aircraft in use or on order
The review said the MoD was already having to use a £10bn contingency fund set aside for emergencies and will have to find another £5.8bn in savings over the next 10 years.
The report warned the MoD had yet to generate £2.5bn of the £7.1bn savings already factored into the plan.
However, head of the NAO, Sir Amyas Morse, said the affordability of the equipment plan "is at greater risk than at any time since its inception".
"It is worrying to see that the costs of the new commitments arising from the review considerably exceed the net increase in funding for the plan.
"There is little room for unplanned cost growth and the MoD must actively guard against the risk of a return to previous practice where affordability could only be maintained by delaying or reducing the scope of projects."
The spending plans have also been hit by recent currency fluctuations as the MoD looks to buy new equipment from the US.
Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said the 10-year plan would deliver "the best kit for our armed forces at the best value for the taxpayer".
"We are focused on maintaining an affordable programme and delivering the efficiencies we need to reinvest in cutting-edge ships, planes, versatile strike brigades, and greater cyber capabilities, so that our Armed Forces have the equipment they need to keep the UK safe and secure." | The Ministry of Defence will struggle to afford plans to buy new jets, ships and armoured vehicles, the government spending watchdog has warned. | 38771866 |
JP Morgan Chase and American Express were among the biggest risers on the Dow Jones index, up 2.01% and 1% respectively.
Overall, the Dow was up 141.49 points or 0.66% at 21,452.15.
The broader-based S&P 500 was 21.31 points or 0.88% higher at 2,440.69, while the tech-focused Nasdaq was up 87.79 points or 1.43% at 6,234.41. | Wall Street shares closed higher on Wednesday, with financial stocks leading the way. | 40428269 |
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The Latics have lost all three of their games this season but could have picked up a point against Walsall were it not for Erhun Oztumer's 90th-minute winner.
Sheridan's side have conceded seven goals in their opening three fixtures.
"I'm watching players who I'm telling at half-time are excellent, and in the second half they're not at the races," he told BBC Radio Manchester.
"I pick the team, I need five or six players. I need changes to the system and some players, unfortunately, are not good enough at this moment to get in the team.
"A couple of them are playing as well and I don't like saying that, but we're not going to go where I want us to go."
Saturday's defeat by Walsall means Oldham are now without a win in their past six games in all competitions.
"Luckily for me only two games have gone in the season, and I want to sort it out as quickly as I can," Sheridan continued.
"There's lots of positives to take from [the defeat by Walsall] but we've only had a drink and sat down for 10 minutes, so why am I watching a different team in the second half?" | Oldham boss John Sheridan says he needs at least five or six new signings before the transfer window shuts. | 40924116 |
Since the pair crashed in Spain in May, Hamilton has won four out of five races to move to within one point of Rosberg.
"Ever since the low of Barcelona I've been able to cultivate this really strong mental attitude," he said.
"I'm feeling fresh, powerful and confident heading to Hungary."
World champion Hamilton, 31, has won four times in Hungary, but his last victory at the circuit came in 2013 and he was sixth last year.
"I have incredible support there, so I can't wait to get out on track," said the Briton.
"The past couple of years I haven't had the smoothest of weekends in Budapest - but I know I've got the pace, so I'm gunning to turn that around this time."
German Rosberg, 31, finished eighth in Hungary last year and has a highest-placed finish of fourth at the Hungaroring.
He said: "The battle is on with Lewis and I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car - so bring it on."
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is expecting a tough challenge this weekend and said the track "plays to the strength of our rivals".
He added: "The Red Bull, for example, is a car that functions well where high drag isn't penalised as much as at other types of circuit.
"In wet conditions and at low-speed circuits such as the Hungaroring, they are a major threat.
"We will need to be flawless to come out on top."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Lewis Hamilton says he is "feeling that fire inside me" as he tries to leapfrog Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the drivers' championship in Hungary this weekend. | 36824037 |
Mr Pompeo said he was "honoured and humbled" to accept US President-elect Donald Trump's job offer as Central Intelligence Agency director.
The 52-year-old, a three-term tea party Republican from Wichita, Kansas, is a vehement critic of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran.
He has also defended the National Security Agency's bulk data collection programme and opposes shutting the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
After visiting the detention facility in 2013, he remarked that some inmates who had declared a hunger strike looked like they had put on weight.
Mr Pompeo also defended the CIA after the 2014 release of the Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture, which detailed such interrogation practices as waterboarding.
He declared: "These men and women are not torturers, they are patriots".
The CIA tactics, he declared, "were within the law, within the constitution".
Mr Pompeo graduated first in his class at West Point and graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of its Law Review.
He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 with the support of the Republican mega-donors Charles and David Koch.
Mr Pompeo became a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Before joining Congress, Mr Pompeo founded an aviation parts firm and an oilfield supply company.
He was accused of Islamophobia for remarks he made following the deadly 2013 Boston marathon bombing.
Mr Pompeo took to the House floor to suggest some Islamic faith leaders might be tacitly encouraging terrorist attacks.
"When the most devastating terrorist attacks on America in the last 20 years come overwhelmingly from people of a single faith and are performed in the name of that faith a special obligation falls on those that are the leaders of that faith," he said.
"Instead of responding, silence has made these Islamic leaders across America potentially complicit in these acts and, more importantly still, in those that may well follow."
While he was a congressional candidate in 2010, one of his campaign aides sent a tweet linking to an article that labelled his Indian-American Democratic opponent Raj Goyle a "turban topper".
Mr Pompeo apologised; his campaign also sent out billboard ads urging everyone to "vote American".
He also served on the House Select Benghazi Committee, a special panel created in 2014 to investigate the deadly attack two years earlier on a US diplomatic compound in Libya.
Democrats described it as a political witch hunt against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr Pompeo released a report afterwards accusing her of intentionally misleading Americans about the nature of the attack to help President Barack Obama's re-election bid. | The United States' likely new spymaster, Mike Pompeo, is a hardline Republican Congressman and a national security hawk with a background in military and intelligence affairs. | 38029336 |
The visitors moved on from their overnight 182-7 to 313 all out, giving them a first-innings lead of 188 runs.
Ollie Robinson (81) and Ben Brown (71) put on 133 for the eighth wicket.
Having been bowled out for 135 on day one, Leicestershire fared little better as paceman Jofra Archer (3-31) added to his four first-innings wickets.
David Wiese (3-20) helped Sussex to 22 points from the match - enough to lift them above Worcestershire and up to third in the Division Two table.
Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove:
"We didn't play well, and it was pretty disappointing. To put in a performance like that on the back of the defeat by Essex was poor.
"I think the effort and respect we should have showed wasn't there. We were lucky to be in the game this morning, thanks to Neil Dexter's efforts on day one, but no-one helped him out.
"I don't think there's been a reaction to the news [director of elite performance] Andrew McDonald is leaving, definitely not.
"This is professional sport, people move on, so I'd be pretty disappointed if I heard any of the boys talking about that. There are no excuses."
Sussex captain Ben Brown:
"It takes a lot of character to come back from losing as comprehensively as we did against Kent last week, but we have to understand we're a young side and there are going to be ups and downs.
"We had a long honest chat about moving forward, and this is a step in that direction.
"I felt there was a huge amount in the pitch, it wasn't a great one to be perfectly honest, and Ollie and I looked to counter-attack this morning. As we went on it got a little bit easier, as it always does, and we took it to the opposition, and a lead of 178 was always going to be decisive: to get over 300 on a 160 pitch was a fantastic effort.
"Jofra Archer is a great talent, he'll have good and bad spells, but he bowled some frightening deliveries, cleaning guys up with balls going like off-spinners at 85mph." | Sussex completed victory over Leicestershire by an innings and 59 runs inside two days by skittling them for just 119 at Grace Road. | 37292419 |
About 40,000 homes have been damaged by floods caused by heavy rains, and 20,000 people have been rescued.
In Livingston Parish, home to 138,000 people, officials estimate that 75% of homes have been completely destroyed.
Residents returning to their homes are finding standing water, mould, and pest infestations, while the threat of further flooding and rainfall remains.
David Key arrived at his house in Prairieville by boat this morning to find five inches (12.7 cm) of "muddy nasty bayou water".
"I'm not going to lie, I cried uncontrollably," he said. "But you have to push forward and make it through. Like everybody says, you still have your family."
The National Weather Service is predicting that the chance of thunderstorms will continue in the region throughout the week, with temperatures expected to reach 32C (92F).
At an afternoon press conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards updated the death toll to eight people, and described how emergency crews are continuing with rescues.
"Nobody is going to be forgotten and we're going work around the clock," Mr Edwards said, calling the disaster a "historic flooding event".
"It's unprecedented," he told reporters. "We understand that there are a lot of people who are suffering."
Emergency crews are checking washed away cars for the bodies of motorists who may have become trapped inside.
Floodwaters have been receding today in most of the effected areas, however water levels are rising in the southern parts of the state as the excess water washes downriver and out to sea. | Residents are beginning to return to their flooded homes, even as more rains are expected in the state of Louisiana. | 37098454 |
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Gareth Furlong gave Wales the lead in the first period before securing a second goal from a penalty stroke.
Rupert Shipperley finished a strong team goal to take Wales 3-0 up as they dominated the game.
Wales will now face either Ireland in Saturday's semi-finals with the hope of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in India.
Co-captain Luke Hawker says they squad have developed over the course of the eight-day tournament.
"It is probably the first time this week we've put a 70 minute display together on both sides of the ball.
"Really pleasing to come away with the three goals and the victory but equally as pleasing to keep a clean sheet. That's something we pride ourselves on.
"We keep pushing ourselves. Keep asking a bit more. Every time we go back to the video and review the game just gone.
"Both our rest days were down here on the training ground and fine tuning really. It's great to see that transferring into on field performances"
A top-two finish in the eight-team tournament would lift Wales in the rankings and give them a chance of a first World Cup appearance.
Their victory against Italy puts them just one win away from the final, which would enable them to qualify for the World League Semi Finals tournament to be played this summer, which acts as a World Cup qualifier.
Wales could also qualify for the 2018 Commonwealth Games if they are ranked in the top 10 eligible nations by the end of the season.
"For us this is a victory in a sense. The tournament and coming here and getting to semi-final is great for us as a group," Hawker continued.
"We are not the sort of squad who will rest on our laurels. The hard work's done. I think we can play with a bit of freedom and go on and see if we can get that cherry at the end." | Wales men's hockey team are through to the semi-finals of the World League 2 tournament with a 3-0 win over Italy. | 39295544 |
It had been thought that being unhappy was bad for health - particularly for the heart.
But the decade-long analysis, published in the Lancet, said previous studies had just confused cause and effect.
However, experts argued that unhappiness in childhood may still have a lasting impact.
A series of studies had shown that how happy people are, strongly predicts how long they are going to live.
Ideas included detrimental changes in stress hormones or the immune system resulting in a higher risk of death.
But the research team in the UK and Australia said those studies failed to deal with reverse causality - namely, that people who are ill are not very happy.
Participants in the Million Women Study were asked to regularly rate their health, happiness and levels of stress.
The results showed that whether people were "never", "usually" or "mostly" happy had no impact on their odds of dying during the duration of the study once other factors such as health or whether they smoked were taken into account.
Dr Bette Liu, one of the researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said: "Illness makes you unhappy, but unhappiness itself doesn't make you ill.
"We found no direct effect of unhappiness or stress on mortality, even in a 10-year study of a million women."
Co-author Prof Sir Richard Peto, from the University of Oxford, said light smokers had double the risk of an early death and regular smokers had three times the risk of dying during the study period, but that happiness was "irrelevant".
He said it could have indirect effects if people started consuming large amounts of alcohol or massively overeating, but happiness itself "does not have any material, direct, effect on mortality".
But he warned the myth may be too entrenched to shake off: "People will still believe stress causes heart attacks after this story has been and gone.
"It isn't true, but it suits people to believe it."
In a commentary, Dr Philipe de Souto Barreto and professor Yves Rolland from the University Hospital of Toulouse in France, said: "Further research from a lifecourse perspective is needed since happiness during critical periods, such as childhood, could have important consequences on health in adulthood." | Being miserable or stressed will not increase your risk of dying, according to the UK's Million Women Study. | 35052404 |
Formula 1's bosses decided on Thursday not to introduce the protection until 2018 because they felt the 'halo' device tested so far needed more work.
But Rosberg said: "It is all ready to go. It just needs to be put on the car.
"For sure we all want it to be put on the car as soon as possible. I am disappointed and we'll look into that."
Some drivers believe it was the right decision to postpone the introduction of the halo.
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Renault's Jolyon Palmer said: "F1 safety is very good at the moment. We have very big run offs, I am pretty happy with the safety levels we have at the moment.
"It is personal preference, I know a lot of the drivers, especially the younger ones, are in the same camp as me."
But Rosberg said: "The large majority of drivers agree we need to get it on the car as soon as possible. It makes sense.
"It is such a huge step for safety."
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association [GPDA] has been vocal in pushing for the introduction of the halo and on Thursday its chairman, former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, said he "hoped F1 does not come to regret the decision".
Wurz added that it "could almost be seen as 'business first and safety second'".
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, a director of the GPDA, said: "I haven't read exactly what the reasoning was. It still remains positive that from 2018 onwards it is going to be on the car."
The decision to postpone the introduction of the halo caught some team insiders by surprise as all had been given the impression so far this year by the FIA, motorsport's world governing body, that it was working towards introducing the device in 2017.
F1 race director Charlie Whiting said the main reason for the delay was to give more time for drivers to assess its impact.
Whiting said: "The decision was taken that simply because only three drivers have ever tried it, and they have only done a total of four laps.
"This was something that everyone felt was quite a relevant thing and it wouldn't really be feasible to expect, in the short term, to get the relevant number of laps with the halo. That was the reason for introducing if for 2018 instead of 2017."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg says he is "disappointed" with the decision to postpone the introduction of extra cockpit head protection until 2018. | 36928110 |
Welfare crews warned it risked death because it was so woolly from living in the wild for several years.
More than 40kg (88lb) of wool was removed in what the RSPCA says is the heaviest wool haul from one shearing.
National shearing champion Ian Elkins was urgently called in on Wednesday to tackle the mammoth merino.
Mr Elkins described Thursday's marathon sheering session as one of his biggest challenges, saying he had never seen anything like it in 35 years of work.
Chris the sheep had to be sedated during the very delicate operation.
Mr Elkins said he was proud Australia had claimed the title from New Zealand, likening it to "the rivalry on the rugby field".
The massive bundle of fleece tipped the scales at more than 42kg (92lb), but was revised down to 40kg (88lb) to counter the weight of the bag.
Animal welfare officials said Chris was "four-to-five times its normal size" before going under the knife.
In 2004, Shrek the New Zealand sheep was found after six years on the loose.
The animal - also a merino - later lost his giant 27kg (60lb) fleece in a televised shearing broadcast live around the world. | An overgrown Australian sheep affectionately named Chris has set a new unofficial world record following a hair cut from five shearers. | 34135805 |
The government's policy was challenged over data security and privacy concerns.
Aadhaar, which means foundation, started out as a voluntary programme to help tackle benefit fraud.
However, it has become increasingly critical for any financial transactions and for access to welfare schemes.
States have been using Aadhaar to transfer government pensions, scholarships, wages for a landmark rural jobs-for-work scheme and benefits for cooking fuel to targeted recipients, and distribute cheap food to the poor.
The government argues that Aadhaar has cut waste, removed fakes, curbed corruption and made substantial savings.
But questions have been raised about the moral authority of the government to force citizens to share biometric data. Activists say it is in breach of the UN's Fundamental Right of Privacy. | India's Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to stop the government making a controversial biometric identity card mandatory for social welfare schemes. | 40414127 |
The move could allow it to eventually better compete with the likes of YouTube and traditional television channels for advertising revenue.
Users with Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and Samsung's Smart TVs will be able to watch Facebook's user-generated videos directly on their televisions.
The announcement is in line with Facebook's increasing focus on video.
The company has recently been paying creators for exclusive premium video content, and is heavily promoting the Facebook Live feature that allows users to live stream events.
Facebook says the standalone app will be released "soon".
The only screen Facebook doesn't dominate right now is the biggest one in your home.
The company's decision to launch these TV apps - which we've been expecting for some time now - is the first significant step the company has made to build its challenge to the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
To do that, though, it will need to offer programmes that are of a far higher quality than what is on Facebook right now. That will require big investment in getting top talent to make Facebook-only video.
One interesting move will be how it plans to make money from TV. If Facebook feels it can make its content free (with income coming from advertising), then it could give subscriber services like Netflix and Amazon Prime serious pause for thought.
The announcement by the social media giant was made together with several other news about the company's video features.
Videos will now autoplay sound in the news feed and will be displayed in full, even if they are vertical. | Facebook is to roll out an app that lets users watch the platform's video content on television. | 38977397 |
McKinnon was also interviewed for the vacancy at St Mirren, but the Paisley club instead appointed Dumbarton's Ian Murray.
The 44-year-old has joined Rovers on a two-year contract.
Chief executive Eric Drysdale said: "Ray ticks all the boxes and we are confident he can take us forward."
Rovers were seeking a new manager after Grant Murray, who had been in charge for three years, was sacked in April following five straight defeats.
Now Malpas, the 52-year-old former Motherwell and Swindon Town manager who had been in his role since December, has also left the Kirkcaldy club.
"As promised, the board has taken great care in its search for someone to replace Grant Murray," said Drysdale.
"We spoke in detail to four of the very best candidates from a very long list of applicants.
"Only one, Ray, was formally offered the job and we are very pleased that he has accepted."
Former Rovers player McKinnon, who previously managed junior club Lochee United, recently signed a new contract at Glebe Park.
First-team coach Laurie Ellis took charge of the Kirkcaldy side for the final Scottish Championship match of the season - a 2-2 draw away to Dumbarton - as they finished in sixth place.
McKinnon, who took over as Brechin boss in 2012, led his side to a fourth-place finish in League One this season.
However, they missed out on promotion after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Alloa Athletic in their play-off semi-final.
McKinnon, who began his career at Tannadice, had two spells as a player at Stark's Park.
He made five appearances in 2000 after leaving Livingston before joining Portadown, and Rovers were his final senior club, making 12 appearances in 2003 after leaving Montrose.
McKinnon also had spells with Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Stirling Albion, East Fife and Torquay United and finished his career in junior football with Lochee and Broughty Athletic. | Ray McKinnon has left Brechin City to become Raith Rovers manager, with Maurice Malpas standing down as director of football at Stark's Park. | 32820581 |
The Markit/CIPS construction purchasing managers' index rose to 56 from 53.1, its highest level since December 2015. A figure above 50 indicates expansion.
Builders also hired more workers and ordered more supplies to deal with an increase in new projects.
Economists said the sector was recovering after a slow start to 2017.
"A sustained rebound in residential building provides an encouraging sign that the recent a soft patch for property values has not deterred new housing supply," said Tim Moore, senior economist at IHS Markit.
"Instead, strong labour market conditions, resilient demand and ultra-low mortgage rates appear to have helped boost work on residential development projects."
The data contrasts with reports earlier this week suggesting greater caution by homebuyers and lenders.
Building society Nationwide said house prices had fallen for a third consecutive in May - the longest run of decline since 2009, just after the financial crisis.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England said loan approvals fell to a seven-month low in April.
The latest Markit/CIPS construction reading was still much weaker than the post-crisis high of 64.6 seen in January 2014.
However, the survey found there had been solid rises across the whole sector in May, including in civil engineering and commercial building.
Input prices for construction firms also rose at the slowest pace for seven months, despite the prolonged weakness of the pound.
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the result suggested the Brexit vote's "dampening influence on construction activity is fading".
But he added: "Note, however, that the PMI has had to exceed 53 in the past to signal growth.
"May's PMI reading, therefore, is consistent with quarter-on-quarter growth in construction output of only about 0.5%." | Activity in the UK construction sector expanded at its fastest rate in 17 months in May, boosted by a surprise rebound in homebuilding, a survey says. | 40130436 |
Lt Col Gill Wilkinson was commanding officer of 154 (Scottish) Regiment Royal Logistic, based in Dunfermline.
She handed over to her husband, Lt Col Alan Wilkinson, last month.
The exchange makes the pair, who married in 1998, the highest ranking couple to follow each other in a command role.
Gill, 45, originally from Northern Ireland, was in the Army from the mid-90s but left when her two children were born.
She re-enlisted in the Army reserve in 2003 and took command of the regiment in 2014.
Husband Alan, 46, who was also in the Army before joining the Army Reserve, took on the role of main carer for their children when Gill became CO (commanding officer).
Gill told BBC Scotland: "It almost feels like I handed over the children to him two-and-a-half years before taking command and this feels very similar.
"You do feel a responsibility for a regiment. It is quite a parental role. Your soldiers are like your family.
"Normally when a commanding officer leaves command they don't look back at the regiment, they leave the next CO to carry on.
"Obviously I'm trying to do that but I can keep an eye out and ask how people are getting on and satisfy that parental bit."
Alan, originally from the Borders, met Gill at Dundee University before joining the Army.
He joined the reserves in 2009.
Alan said taking over from his wife was no different to any new job.
He said: "We have worked closely together throughout our career in the Army. I was in the fortunate position of being able to speak to Gill in the months before about it so it only took about four days to handover. It was fine."
Gill, who will now work with the Army Reserve part-time, said opportunities for women were "getting wider".
She said: "When I joined the Royal Logistic Corps it was because it offered, as far as I was concerned, the greatest opportunity to do the same job as men were doing.
"It is still majority male but the regiment I was commanding was about a quarter to a third female."
"I think ever since I joined the Army it has been increasing with more and more opportunities opening up.
"But we are really at the final bastion now where women are moving into combat roles."
Alan says his wife has offered him advice on his new role.
He says: "Some is good, some I listen to but I do make my own assessment." | A Scottish couple made an unusual bit of British military history when the wife handed over command of an Army unit to her husband. | 39293869 |
Harry John Neville Vane, the 11th Baron Barnard, died at Raby Castle near Staindrop on Sunday. He was 92.
In a short statement, his family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
Lord Barnard, who succeeded his father in 1964, held numerous titles in County Durham. He is survived by five children.
The Raby estate covers large parts of Teesdale including numerous farms and houses which can be recognised by their whitewashed walls.
Raby Castle staff tweeted: "So much thanks for the messages of condolence we've received. Lord Barnard will be sadly missed."
The Vane family have held the Barnard title since 1698.
Click here for more on this story and other news from across the North East | Lord Barnard has died at his County Durham castle, his family has confirmed. | 35958609 |
The 22-year-old, who won the English Amateur Championship last summer, had previously said she would stay amateur.
Giles. who is the first golfer to win all three major English women's amateur titles, has applied for the Access Series of the European Ladies Tour.
"This season just gone I achieved everything I wanted to achieve in the amateur game, so I'm ready to take on the pro game now," she said.
"I'm hoping to eventually end up in America on the LPGA tour, that's where everyone really aims to get to, that's where the best competition is, that's where the best golf courses are and it would be a really awesome experience to go out there."
Giles says she is inspired by Charley Hull, who like Giles had an impressive amateur career before turning professional at the age of 16.
"I'd love to play in the Solheim Cup one day, that would be the aim," she added to BBC Radio Cornwall.
"That's what Charley Hull's done in the last few years, she was an amateur playing in the same stuff I was playing in and now she's doing really well in America and played two Solheim Cups." | Cornwall golfer Sammie Giles says she is planning to turn professional. | 38581986 |
Morocco start their Group C campaign against DR Congo on Monday, then face Togo on 20 January and take on Ivory Coast four days later.
Rherras, 23, and Cameroon midfielder Arnaud Djoum, 27, will miss Hearts' Scottish Cup meeting with Raith Rovers on 22 January.
Cameroon are in Group A with Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and hosts Gabon.
Djoum has five international caps while Rherras made his Morocco debut in August.
Scottish Premiership clubs are currently on their winter break and Hearts' next league fixture is away to Celtic on 29 January. | Hearts left-back Faycal Rherras has been given a late call-up to Morocco's Africa Cup of Nations squad. | 38604674 |
State-funded Holyport College near Maidenhead, opened to pupils for the first time in September.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were given a tour of the school before unveiling a plaque watched by its 122 pupils, staff and parents.
Holyport College, sponsored by Eton College, accepts boarders and gives its pupils access to some of Eton's facilities.
During the visit, the royal couple met Sir Nicholas Winton, who lives near the school which has named its reception building after him.
Sir Nicholas, dubbed the "British Schindler", helped to save hundreds of children, mainly from Jewish families, from the Nazis by transporting them by train from Prague to the UK in 1939.
The wheelchair-bound 105-year-old said: "I think it's a wonderful honour to have the building named after me.
"I hope the school will make contact with a school in the Czech Republic that is also named after me."
Other guests included Home Secretary Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead.
The school was proposed in February 2012 and then approved by the Department for Education through the free schools programme in June 2012.
Once it reaches capacity, the school will have 500 pupils, including 225 boarders aged 11-19 years.
Parents pay £3,850 a term for boarders but daytime education is free.
Free schools, which anyone can apply to set up, are funded directly by central government and are free from local council control. | A free school in Berkshire has been officially opened by the Queen. | 30232887 |
The online retail giant reported a $92m profit compared to a $126m loss for the same period a year ago.
Sales also rose 20% to $23.2bn in the second quarter to the end of June, boosted by strong growth in the US.
Its shares, which fell 1.3% during the day, leapt 18.5% to $571.24 a share in after-hours trading on Wall Street.
The firm was also upbeat on its prospects for the current third quarter, forecasting sales would grow between 13% and 24% compared to last year, much higher than analysts had predicted.
Sales in North America rose 25.5% to $13.8bn in the second quarter, driven by purchases of electronic goods and general merchandise, helping to drive the strong performance.
Its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, also made a contribution, with sales up 81% compared to the same quarter last year.
It said its widely promoted "Prime Day" on 15th July - which offered special deals to customers who signed up to its fast delivery service - had been a success with more new members trying it globally than any other day in the firm's history.
Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos credited hard work for the results: "The teams at Amazon have been working hard for customers," he said.
Throughout its history, Amazon's revenue has climbed while its profit has hovered around or below zero.
On Thursday evening, the e-commerce company reported a profit.
As customers in North America bought electronics and others products, sales in its biggest market rose more than 25% compared to last year.
And if you thought Microsoft's cloud computing business did well, then take a look at Amazon web services which includes its cloud business - revenue soared more than 80 percent.
The only slight negative was that sales growth outside the US wasn't nearly as impressive.
Still after years of ploughing its cash into new technology , mostly aimed at making it easier and faster for customers to get what they want, the results are starting to pay off - at least in the eyes of Wall Street | Amazon shares have surged more than 18% in after-hours trading after it reported a surprise profit and better-than-expected sales figures. | 33646389 |
A late Clint Hill equaliser secured a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park and Murty said the team had proved a point.
"I'm pleased for the players," he said after his last game in charge. "They showed the kind of tenacity and grit that they've been questioned about.
"It's a difficult environment, but two outstanding saves from Craig Gordon or it could have been more."
A Celtic victory would have been their 23rd in succession in the league and their 18th in all competitions.
The Premiership leaders took a first-half lead thanks to Stuart Armstrong's well-taken goal.
Rangers, in front of their new manager, Pedro Caixinha, who was watching from the stands, continued to battle and were rewarded with Hill's 88th-minute goal.
"He saw the players deal with an unbelievable atmosphere," Murty said.
"It takes a real man's performance to play in that and stand up to it.
"I'd been challenging them all week, saying you're the only ones who believe in yourselves.
"They showed that right to the end and I'm proud of them.
"From the moment I saw them at breakfast, I knew they were right where I wanted them to be."
The two Glasgow rivals will meet again in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on 23 April.
Murty, who had gone into the league game with a record of three wins and two defeats in his previous matches in charge, hands over to Caixinha with the side sitting third in the table.
"This should give them lots of confidence," he said.
"They didn't get rattled or lose their discipline.
"We made it difficult for them and put a shift in."
Caixinha will hold a staff meeting at Rangers' Auchenhowie training ground on Monday as he begins his spell in charge of the first-team.
In a message on Rangers' Twitter account, he urged fans to back the team.
"We are doing our very best, in a club like this, to keep up a track of winning," said the Portuguese manager.
"We want a winning mentality. We want a winning team. And you [the Rangers supporters] need to be here to support us."
Murty is expected to return to his role as head coach of the development squad. | Rangers caretaker Graeme Murty praised his players for answering their critics as they ended Celtic's winning streak. | 39249383 |
The 30-year-old has not won Olympic gold, having fallen short at the 2008 and 2012 Games.
He hopes to compete in the multi-event omnium in Rio.
"If he can't make the top three, he would pursue his dreams of the Tour de France yellow jersey," said Sutton.
"I believe he can do it, we wouldn't have selected him otherwise. That's not us being brutal, that's Cav being Cav, probably the greatest road sprinter of all time. He needs to know he can go to Rio and get the medal."
Cavendish has had a successful road season to date, having won the Tour of Qatar.
He is aiming to compete at the Tour de France, although men's endurance coach Heiko Salzwedel believes the Isle of Man rider will have to prioritise.
"If you ask me realistically, riding for two or three weeks on the Tour de France, he might be fit for the [Olympic] road race but not for the Olympic omnium," he said.
"Cav has to digest and make a decision about this
Cavendish will also compete in the madison - a non-Olympic event - with Sir Bradley Wiggins at the World Championships, being held in London early next month. They combined to win the title eight years ago. | Mark Cavendish must finish in the omnium top three at the Track Cycling World Championships to have a chance of competing at the Olympics, says British Cycling technical chief Shane Sutton. | 35667259 |
Developer Sirius Minerals wants to mine near Whitby and build a 23-mile (37km) tunnel to a Teeside processing plant.
Chris Fraser, of Sirius, said its case stood "up to scrutiny" and it was determined to pursue the plan.
The North York Moors National Park Authority is to consider a planning application on 30 June.
The 229-page report by the park authority does not make any recommendation about the proposed mine.
It acknowledged that there were likely to be economic benefits but said the proposal did not represent "exceptional circumstances".
The report said the National Park Authority's statutory responsibility was to "conserve and enhance the North York Moors for the enjoyment of present and future generations".
Sirius said it believed exceptional circumstances had been demonstrated and the mining was in the public interest, with environmental effects "mitigated".
The term "potash" is used to describe a range of minerals containing potassium, and the proposal is to mine polyhalite.
The mine would transform North Yorkshire's economy, Ryedale District Council and Scarborough Borough Council has claimed.
However a report published earlier this month suggested that the five-year construction phase of the mine would cost the area's tourism industry £10m a year.
The Campaign for National Parks said it hoped the authority would reject the planning application.
The decision was an "important test of the protection afforded national parks" and there were strong planning grounds for turning it down, it added.
Plans include a construction of a minehead at Dove's Nest Farm and Haxby Plantation about 1.6 miles (2.5km) from the village of Sneaton involving mining shafts, buildings, roads and a helicopter landing site on a 64-hectare site. | A report into a planned £1.7bn potash mine has said its economic benefits do not outweigh the harm it would cause the North York Moors national park. | 33179910 |
The competition will be extended to 64 teams, with sides from 16 of the 21 category one academies invited to join League One and League Two clubs.
In a change from the current knock-out format, there will be 16 regional groups of four for the opening round.
The proposals were approved at the English Football League's annual general meeting in Portugal this week.
Since the decision was announced Portsmouth, Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon, Hartlepool United and Luton Town have released statements to confirm they voted against the trial.
EFL clubs approve academy 'Rooney Rule'
In a statement, the EFL said it was piloting the changes as part of their "ongoing commitment to creating more and better home grown players".
The changes will see the 16 academy sides evenly distributed throughout the groups alongside the League One and League Two clubs, with the competition continuing to run on a north/south basis until the final.
Each team will play each other once in the group stage, with the academy team getting just one home game. The knockout stages will be single ties apart from the semi-finals, where there will be two legs.
At the AGM, clubs approved a 'Rooney Rule'-style application process to try to improve the number of black and ethnic minority coaches in the game.
They also discussed the EFL's proposals to add a new division of 20 teams to the English pyramid - meaning that there would be 100 teams in a five-division structure, rather than the current set-up of 92 clubs across four tiers.
There are currently 24 teams in the Championship, League One and League Two, below the 20-club Premier League.
The final decision on those proposals will be taken in June 2017. | Premier League academy teams will be allowed to play in the EFL Trophy in a one-season trial in 2016-17. | 36503204 |
The seats in the Grand Tier are located five boxes away from the royal box in the Grade I listed building.
Agents Harrods Estates said it was the first time such a box had come on the market in almost a decade and there had "already been a bit of interest".
Buying the box will give the owner access to two-thirds of events.
They will also become a member of the Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Science which helps to operate the South Kensington building.
Nicholas Shaw of Harrods Estates said it was "the most expensive box we have ever offered for sale".
The box is on the western side of the auditorium and has approximately 849 years remaining on its lease.
A five-seat box situated on the second tier, whose previous owners included Earl Spencer and the Duke of Devonshire, went on sale in 2011 for £550,000. | A 12-seat private box in the Royal Albert Hall close to where the Queen sits when she attends events has gone on sale for £2.5m. | 38571982 |
The 26-year-old ex-Fulham, Gillingham, Aldershot, Macclesfield and Dover Athletic forward first arrived in Shropshire on loan from Oakwell in last season's January window.
After being injured in his first game, he came back to help Shrewsbury stave off relegation from League One.
Payne has signed a two-year contract with the Shrews.
He is expected to figure in this Saturday's home game with Rochdale, against whom he scored his first goal for Shrewsbury four months ago.
He is the fifth striker brought in by Town boss Paul Hurst since the end of last season, among his 12 summer signings.
Goalkeepers: Craig MacGillivray (Walsall), Dean Henderson (Manchester United - loan)
Defenders: Zak Jules (Reading), James Bolton (Gateshead)
Midfield: Jon Nolan (Chesterfield), Ebou Adams (Norwich City - loan), Daniel James (Swansea City - loan)
Strikers: Lenell John-Lewis (Newport), Arthur Gnahoua (Kidderminster Harriers), Carlton Morris (Norwich City - loan), Niall Ennis (Wolves - loan), Stefan Payne (Barnsley)
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Shrewsbury Town have re-signed striker Stefan Payne from Championship side Barnsley for an undisclosed fee. | 40976098 |
The 80-year-old Tokyo market is known for its tuna auctions which supply many of the capital's top sushi restaurants.
Smoke could be seen billowing from shops on the outskirts of the market on Thursday, as dozens of fire engines tackled the flames.
The fire was out by Thursday night and there were no reports of injuries.
Tsukiji's interior industrial market - where the famous tuna auctions take place - was undamaged and the area was open to tourists as usual.
The blaze broke out at about 16:50 local time (07:50 GMT), Japanese broadcaster NHK said, in the outer region of the market and close to the surrounding area's narrow streets.
The area is home to many sushi restaurants and shops, some of which have been evacuated, NHK reports.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. The blaze seems to have affected several old wooden buildings.
The market was constructed in 1935, in the aftermath of the great Kanto earthquake of 1923, and built largely from corrugated iron sheds.
Today, it is a sprawling, busy market, but is seen by many as rundown and overcrowded.
Nonetheless, its enormous volume and variety of produce means it receives tens of thousands of tourist visitors each year.
The market is due to be moved by the end of 2017.
Efforts to move the market to a more modern location have been met with resistance by many of the workers, some of whom have been in the family business for generations.
Tokyo's governor, Yuriko Koike, has previously said the market needs to be rebuilt because of its age - and the associated risk of it being vulnerable to earthquakes, which are not uncommon in Japan. | Firefighters have extinguished a blaze at Japan's famous Tsukiji fish market - the largest in the world and a top tourist attraction. | 40817293 |
The woman was hit by the car on Emma Street at about 09:40 on Monday and became trapped between the pavement and the vehicle.
Firefighters used chocks and blocks to stabilise the car and free the casualty.
Police and the ambulance service also attended, and the woman was treated by paramedics for a leg injury. | Fire crews had to free a 79-year-old woman who was trapped under a car following a crash in Blairgowrie. | 30916823 |
Maj Matthew Collins, 38, from Backwell, in Somerset, and L/Sgt Mark Burgan, 28, from Liverpool, died on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Their commanding officer said their loss was "a devastating blow".
Their deaths take to 362 the total number of UK military personnel to have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
Maj Collins joined 1st Battalion Irish Guards and had also served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland and Iraq.
He was the company commander of Number 3 Company, and leaves behind two children and his wife, Lucy.
His family said in a statement: "Not only a soldier but a caring husband, devoted father to Freya and Charlie, caring son, wonderful brother and friend to many. We will all miss him and remember him always."
L/Sgt Mark Burgan joined the Guards in 1999 and had also served in Northern Ireland and Iraq.
His wife, Leanne, said: "I am so honoured to be Mark's wife. I will always love my hero.
"Mark was an extremely proud Irish Guardsman, dad, husband, brother and son. He will forever be in our hearts."
The two men were returning to base from an operation aimed at disrupting insurgent groups in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Lt Col Christopher Ghika, commanding officer of 1st Battalion Irish Guards, said: "Two more committed and professional soldiers it would be hard to meet; they epitomised what it meant to be a member of this family regiment."
He said Maj Collins had played a key role in training Afghan soldiers, adding: "It is a telling fact that there is a deep sense of sorrow hanging over the 3rd Kandak of the Afghan Brigade today, such is the respect in which they held Matt Collins."
Speaking about L/Sgt Burgan, Lt Col Ghika said: "The notes given to me by his company commander, alongside whom he died, say it all: 'Knows what has to be done, does it brilliantly and has the next thing ready before you ask'."
The commanding officer added: "It is perhaps a comment on the character of this regiment that both Lucy Collins and Leanne Burgan are the daughters of distinguished and long serving Irish Guardsmen.
"The events of last night are a family tragedy in every sense."
Defence Secretary Liam Fox said both were men "of great experience and exemplary commitment".
"They have laid down their lives protecting our national security, a loss made all the more poignant as they were so close to finishing their tour of duty and returning home," he said. | Two soldiers from 1st Battalion Irish Guards killed in Afghanistan just six days before they were due to return home have been named. | 12867786 |
A letter has been sent to all 45 elected members setting out Market Abuse Regulations.
They have been asked to sign the letter acknowledging the terms and return it to the authority's legal department.
It comes after the council became the first in Scotland to issue bonds on the stock exchange worth £370m.
That followed credit rating agency Moody's assigning Aberdeen an Aa2 rating.
It will be used to fund infrastructure projects including the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) and the City Centre Masterplan.
The local authority said the bonds were less expensive than other available loans.
BBC Scotland understands that some councillors were initially concerned about the terms of the letter and whether it would impact on their ability to raise concerns publicly about the council's finances.
Insider dealing - where a person uses inside financial information to their benefit - is a criminal offence and is punishable by a heavy fine or imprisonment.
Market abuse is when someone can be given an unlimited fine for disclosing financial information that might affect the value of bonds and investments.
As well as councillors, senior officials at Aberdeen City Council are also included in the insiders list that must be disclosed to the Financial Conduct Authority on request.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: "Aberdeen City Council successfully issued bonds on the London Stock Exchange in 2016 and as a result must comply with the Market Abuse Regulations.
"In line with these regulations, the council is obliged to keep a list of those individuals who have access to inside information.
"Elected members and staff who have been identified as having access to inside information relating to Aberdeen City Council have been notified in writing and asked to acknowledge receipt of that letter, which contains further detail of the insider list and its purpose.
"Training sessions on the Bond and compliance with associated regulations are under way for elected members and staff, underlining the responsibilities of the organisation and individuals. It should be stressed that the requirements for confidentiality in relation to specific subjects and issues are in line with the existing terms of employment and Councillors' Code of Conduct.
"The Bond issue was the subject of several reports to full Council in 2016, which outlined the implications of the public listing on the London Stock Exchange and made it clear it was highly likely all elected members would be on the Aberdeen City Council Insider List. These reports were considered and recommendations approved by elected members during full Council prior to the Bond issue."
The council said that so far no one had refused to sign the letter, and councillors have been given until Friday to respond.
Currently all of Scotland's councillors are governed by a code of conduct.
In extreme cases, a councillor can be disqualified from office for five years for any breach.
Aberdeen City Councillors now face a potential police investigation if they are suspected of breaching Market Abuse Regulations. | Aberdeen councillors are being warned they face prison or fines if they break London Stock Exchange laws on insider dealing, BBC Scotland has learned. | 40741264 |
The 26-year-old Swede joins the League One club on a two-year deal, with the option of a one-year extension.
Former Malmo and Hacken player Pekalski is Oxford United's fourth overseas signing since manager Pep Clotet was appointed in July.
"I'm happy to be here and it's been a pretty natural decision to make the move," he told BBC Radio Oxford.
"After 11 years of playing in Sweden, I was looking for something that would be a challenge and a bit of an adventure.
"I've worked with Pep before (at Malmo), he's a brilliant coach and I've heard a lot about Oxford's ambition, which I think is really interesting."
Pekalski has made 15 appearances for Halmstads in the Swedish top division this season after joining the club in March.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Oxford United have signed midfielder Ivo Pekalski from Swedish side Halmstads for an undisclosed fee. | 40863406 |
The deal will keep the Ivory Coast international at the Etihad Stadium until 2017.
"This is where I want to be," the 29-year-old told the club website.
"I will never forget how I have been treated here by the fans, the club and the owners and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to finish my career as a Manchester City player."
Toure joined City from Barcelona for a reported £24m in 2010, having helped the Spanish giants win the Champions League title a year earlier.
The box-to-box midfielder has since been an integral member of Roberto Mancini's side, scoring the winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup final and a crucial double against Newcastle United last May to keep the eventual Premier League champions in the title hunt.
We must try to finish on a high note and then start preparing to win more next season
Toure has scored eight goals this season as City have progressed to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday 14 April, but his side made an early Champions League exit and are 15 points behind Manchester United in the league with only seven games remaining.
"Of course now it looks likely that we will not successfully defend the Premier League title and that is sad for all of us," Toure added. "But we can still finish second and win the FA Cup for a second time in three years and that is still an achievement for a club that won nothing for a long time.
"We must try to finish on a high note and then start preparing to win more next season. Football is always a challenge and always a puzzle to solve and that is why we all love the game.
"You have to use your skill, intelligence and strength to constantly improve and that is what we at City intend to do." | Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club. | 22032500 |
The Reds had failed to score more than once in their previous 10 League Two games, but were dominant against Warren Feeney's side.
County striker Scott Boden opened the scoring at the wrong end when his header beat Joe Day after 36 minutes.
Shamir Fenelon then headed home eight minutes after the break, before Newport's Medy Elito was sent off with five minutes left for two yellow cards.
"It was disappointing, I don't think we got going from the first whistle, we couldn't get into a rhythm and our passing was poor," Newport manager Feeney told BBC Radio Wales.
"We have to put it to bed and move on to the next game, we are still in a fantastic position to avoid relegation and that is still my aim.
"You have ups and downs in a season and this was a down, the worst performance since I have been the manager. No-one likes to get beaten." | Crawley completed a double over Newport County with a comfortable 2-0 victory. | 35637597 |
The unfortunate moggy was found by Darren Sumner when the vehicle broke down in Reading, Berkshire.
Mr Sumner said: "He was warm and scared so I sat and stroked him for about 30 minutes until I coaxed him out."
The RSPCA wants to reunite the cat with his owner, thought to be in Tottenham where the van started its journey.
The cat, nicknamed Sparky, was unscathed by his ordeal on 28 August.
Mr Sumner, who took the cat home overnight, said: "He used a litter tray so I think he's probably someone's pet.
"He woke me up at about 3am in the morning for a play. I hope his owners can be found."
Sparky, who is thought to be about a year old, was taken to the vet for a check up. He was also scanned to see if he was micro-chipped - which would have revealed details of his owner - but unfortunately no chip was found.
Helena Peace, from the RSPCA in Reading, said: "He was traumatised but physically unhurt. He's certainly used up one of his nine lives." | A cat has been rescued from under the bonnet of a van after travelling about 60 miles in a space behind the heater matrix. | 37284426 |
Walt Disney said subscriber numbers for its sports channel ESPN had dropped. Viewers are moving away from packages offered by cable companies to simpler services and stand-alone streaming.
Time Warner also fell 9%, despite better-than-expected profit figures.
The Dow Jones shed 0.06% to 17,067 points.
The S&P 500 gained 0.31% to 2,099.88 points. The Nasdaq rose 0.67% to 5,139.95 points.
Discovery Communications fell 13% after reporting lower advertising sales and a strong dollar for below forecast profits.
Twenty-First Century Fox were down 7%, CBS down 5% and Viacom shares 7%.
Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, said: "If Disney can get dinged, maybe nobody's safe."
But bucking the trend, Dish Network reported higher-than-expected revenue and profit and shares rose 4%.
Priceline Group rose 6% after the travel company reported profit and revenue that beat analysts' forecasts.
First Solar, up 17% and Ralph Lauren, turned an earlier 2.3%, gain into a loss of 1% despite releasing results that pleased investors.
Economic data was disappointing.
Private employers hired 185,000 workers last month, according to the ADP National Employment Report. That fell short of economists' forecasts for an increase of 215,000.
The report also revised down June's private payroll gains to 229,000 from the 237,000 reported before.
Investors will be looking to Friday's non-farm payroll data. | (Close): Disney shares closed down 9% after disappointing earnings figures sparking share price falls in rival cable companies. | 33784160 |
It warned last year that profits would be £20m lower than in the year before.
Operating profits were down 22% at £69.5m, in line with that guidance, but the company also chopped its dividend from 42p to 25p.
De La Rue, which is more than 200 years old, makes notes for 150 countries including the UK.
Shares in De La Rue fell by 10% in early trade before recovering slightly. However, in lunchtime trade they were still 47.5p, or 8.6%, lower at 506p.
The company complained last year that its latest contract from the Bank of England was less favourable and that other countries would be encouraged to improve their contracts when renegotiating.
It has been battling rising costs, largely the price of paper, for a number of years.
De La Rue, which has customers in 65 countries, also makes biometric passports. | Shares in banknote printer De La Rue tumbled almost 9% after the firm reported lower full-year profits and cut its dividend by 40%. | 32895823 |
Wales international McCusker, 30, has impressed in the back row since a return from injury last month.
Eleventh-placed Irish face Northampton on Saturday, looking for a first Premiership away win in almost a year.
"We'll be keen to stay in touch with them as much as possible," McCusker told BBC Radio Berkshire.
Irish sit level on points with fellow strugglers Newcastle ahead of the trip to Franklin's Gardens and will be keen to maintain the momentum of their recent home form.
"We've had some games recently where we've been in it or just behind at half-time," said McCusker.
"But in the second half we've had games where we've just capitulated and been a totally different team.
"If we let Northampton get too far ahead, they'll be buoyed by that."
The former Scarlets captain left the Pro 12 club in September by mutual agreement as he joined Irish on an initial one-year deal.
Capped six times by his country, McCusker admitted the decision was driven by a need to play more games.
"I didn't really know how I'd ever leave," he said. "But circumstances changed and it wasn't the place I had fallen in love with.
"So it made the decision a lot easier. It was probably the right time and felt like the right thing to do." | London Irish number eight Rob McCusker believes confidence can flourish among his team-mates after their crucial Premiership victory against Worcester. | 35550637 |
American Chris Zablocki again finished second, while James Faudemer was the first Jersey runner home in a new personal best of 2:39.15.
Nollaigh O'Neill, who led from early on, dominated the women's race.
"I'm so happy, but the time was slow," said the 44-year-old Irish runner.
"I was flying up until about mile 20 or 21 and my quads started to seize and tighten up, so I just had to pull back and run strong and smart."
O'Neill made it over the line at the Weighbridge just outside the three hour mark (3:01.48) and more than 10 minutes clear of second-placed Ffion Davies.
More than 400 runners took on the full 26-mile course, with hundreds more in the 3K fun run and relay events.
While Troshkin stole the headlines in the men's race, Faudemer's run smashing quarter of an hour off his personal best was amongst the local highlights.
"I'm just so happy," Faudemer told BBC Radio Jersey.
"Long distance running is picking up in Jersey - I knew I had it in me with the sessions I've done in the build up.
"The support was amazing throughout the whole course, friends and family, it was awesome and made a big difference."
SportsHub Men, featuring Jersey's top triathlete Dan Halksworth, took the relay title while SportsHub Women were the first female team home.
Peter Holmes won the 3K race, narrowly ahead of Jack Kennedy. | Russian Aleksey Troshkin won the Jersey Marathon for the third year in a row, with his time of two hours, 18 minutes and 28 seconds just outside his own course record. | 37512085 |
2 December 2015 Last updated at 09:17 GMT
Emi, 22, wrote The Things She Told Me to reflect her own experiences as a woman, but she hopes it will resonate across the world.
The Sudanese-American who originates from Darfur only began writing slam poetry - work that is written for performance and that is often powerful and emotional in tone - when she arrived at university.
She is studying anthropology and molecular biology at Yale, and is one of the BBC's 100 Women 2015
Our 100 Women season showcases two weeks of inspirational stories about the BBC 100 Women and others who defy stereotypes around the world.
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram using the hashtag #100Women and listen to our programmes here. | Emi Mahmoud, the reigning World Poetry Slam Champion, has written a poem for the BBC 100 Women season. | 34974138 |
It follows an incident which saw a S92 spin more than 180 degrees on landing.
One-off inspections of the tail rotor on all S92 helicopters around the world took place last week, following the incident on the West Franklin platform in December.
Operators are now being told to increase inspections on the aircraft's tail rotor.
No-one was injured in the incident, but there was significant damage to the deck of the platform.
As a result of the initial safety checks, 11 tail rotor bearings were returned to manufacturer Sikorsky for further tests.
The Federal Aviation Administration has now said further inspections using specialist cameras must be carried out every 10 hours of flying time.
North Sea operators said they were fully complying with the latest directive. | Additional checks are being carried on a North Sea helicopter fleet in the wake of safety fears. | 38638845 |
The Big Sleep Hotel, once part-owned by Hollywood star John Malkovich, received complaints from guests about blood stains on walls, rubbish on floors and unclean bathrooms.
X-Ray also found dirty duvets, mouldy windows and dead insects.
The hotel, now owned by Compass Hospitality, has promised to improve.
The Big Sleep, opposite the Motorpoint Arena, was hailed as a "designer budget hotel" when it was opened by Malkovich in 1999.
But unhappy customers have spoken to X-Ray about how shocked they were by the cleanliness in the rooms when they visited.
Jan Jones, 58, from Porthcawl in Bridgend county, paid £68 to stay at the hotel following a night out with friends in January.
But she said when she went to her room, it was strewn with rubbish and the bed was unmade.
"I really thought it was occupied by someone because it was just an absolute mess," she said.
"There were empty food containers in there, there were empty beer bottles, the mattress was exposed and it was stained.
"The bathroom was filthy dirty. And the smell was awful because there was stale food in there. It was just shocking."
Another guest, Lina Tsaltampasi from Thessaloniki, Greece, who stayed in September, bought cleaning products to clean the room herself.
After speaking to guests, the BBC X-Ray team also booked a room at the hotel and presenter Omar Hamdi found a broken bed and a stained mattress and bedding.
"Everywhere I looked there was grime," he said.
"A blood stain on the wall, hairs on the bedding, thick dust on the skirting boards, and stains in not one, but both drawers of the bedside table."
The Big Sleep apologised and said its "lapses in quality" were unacceptable.
It said it was taking action to improve its housekeeping and to tackle poor management.
It added it was confident the hotel would be transformed once its current refurbishment was complete.
The hotel has said it will refund all the customers featured on X-Ray. | A hotel in the heart of Cardiff has admitted "unacceptable" failings, after a BBC Wales investigation uncovered dirty rooms. | 38124653 |
The move earlier this year sparked widespread public and political backlash with many questioning whether the British royal deserved Australia's top honour.
It came after Mr Abbot revived Australia's honours system last year.
The new cabinet under Malcolm Turnbull is set to review the honours system.
Mr Turnbull, the new prime minister, ousted Mr Abbott from power in an internal party challenge last month.
On 26 January - Australia's national day - Mr Abbott announced he had nominated Queen Elizabeth II's husband to receive the knighthood.
He had said then that the Duke of Edinburgh's life of "service and dedication" should be honoured. The Queen awarded the knighthood in April.
Asked on Thursday in an interview with radio station 3AW about his decision, Mr Abbott said: "Obviously it was an injudicious appointment."
Australia's honours system
The move was met with scorn from many among the Australian public, who questioned the Prince's contributions to Australia and pointed out that as a British royal he was a symbol of another country.
Some media outlets called it a "Knightmare", opposition leader Bill Shorten called it "anachronistic", and Mr Abbott faced criticism from within his own Liberal party.
Mr Turnbull, who used to chair Australia's republican movement, had previously defended the honours system's revival in 2014, noting that most republics have an honours system and an order of knighthood.
But he is now said to be in favour of abolishing the system, according to Australian media reports. | Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said his decision to award Prince Philip a knighthood was "injudicious". | 34409397 |
Henrietta Yakubu, a spokesman for the aviation authority, said repair works were completed 24 hours ahead of schedule.
An Ethiopian Airlines flight was the first to land on Tuesday morning.
Flights had been diverted to Kaduna, 160 km (100 miles) from the capital, and some international carriers refused to operate the new route.
Those airlines are now taking bookings for flights later this week.
The runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe airport was supposed to be upgraded in 2002 - it was built in 1982 and was only meant to have a 20-year lifespan.
There have been celebrations that the repair project was completed ahead of time but the fact the capital was without a functioning airport for more than a month highlights the state of Nigeria's crumbling infrastructure, the BBC's Martin Patience says. | Nigeria's airport in the capital, Abuja, has reopened six weeks after it was closed for urgent repairs. | 39628846 |
Lewis Elliot, 19, predicted both teams would score in both halves of the Crawley v Carlisle, Hibernian v Aberdeen and Chelsea v Tottenham games.
The bet came in at odds of 6,858/1 when Eden Hazard scored for Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final.
"I am absolutely delighted," said Mr Elliot. "I went crazy when Hazard scored."
The first two legs of his bet came in as Aberdeen reached the Scottish Cup final with a 3-2 win over Hibs.
Later, Crawley and Carlisle shared the spoils in a 3-3 draw in League Two.
Mr Elliot's win was confirmed at Wembley on Saturday evening, with Chelsea's Willian and Spurs' Harry Kane scoring in the first half of the two London sides' cup clash.
Dele Alli scored for Tottenham just after the break to leave Lewis requiring just one more Chelsea goal to land his bumper bet.
That goal came courtesy of Eden Hazard, who scored in the 75th minute to give the Blues the lead and send them on their way to the FA Cup final. | An apprentice joiner from Hawick has won more than £20,000 from a £3 football bet. | 39691900 |