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18 November 2015 Last updated at 15:00 GMT
Det Ch Supt David Sandall said it was proving an "extremely traumatic time for her parents" and they are now treating the disappearance of the 15-year-old, from Measham, as murder.
The teenager has not been seen since about 18:00 GMT on Friday when she was dropped off outside Ibstock Community College.
Two men, aged 27 and 28, who were arrested on Monday on suspicion of kidnap have been re-arrested on suspicion of murder.
More updates on this and other stories from Leicestershire. | The police officer leading the search for missing Leicestershire teenager Kayleigh Haywood has told her family to prepare themselves for the worst. |
The first 18 of 59 fibreglass moths, each about 5ft (1.5m) wide, have been placed across the city to mark the 75th anniversary of her death.
Ms Johnson flew a De Havilland Gipsy Moth airplane from the UK to Australia in 1930 - becoming the first woman to do so.
The moth sculptures have been decorated by local artists.
Read more about this and other stories across East Yorkshire
In 2010, the city commemorated the 25th anniversary of the death of poet Phillip Larkin with decorated toad sculptures.
The success of that idea was behind the "A Moth for Amy" trail.
Ms Johnson was born in St George's Road, Hull, on 1 July 1903.
Her solo flight to Australia took 19 days and she landed in front of a huge crowd in Darwin on 24 May 1930.
The 37-year-old died in mysterious circumstances during World War Two when the RAF plane she was transporting crashed in the Thames Estuary on 5 January 1941.
Her body has never been found. | Models of moths have been appearing on buildings in Hull to commemorate aviator Amy Johnson who was born there. |
Seonaid, 21, won the 50m rifle three positions event with an accumulated score of 458.5.
Elder sister Jennifer, 26, won gold in the 50m rifle prone event on Monday.
She also featured in Thursday's three positions event, as Great Britain took overall team gold.
Jennifer finished fifth in the event as the McIntosh sisters, alongside shooter Katie Gleeson, finished in first place with their combined scores.
Ukraine were second, with France taking third. | Scotland's Seonaid McIntosh has won gold at the European Shooting Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, three days after her sister Jennifer achieved the same feat. |
Brazil succeeded Philippe Montanier following the Frenchman's sacking on 14 January.
The 54-year-old's only game in charge to date saw him oversee the 1-0 victory over Bristol City on Saturday.
"I've been here five years. I love the football club and will do whatever they ask me to do," Brazil said.
Despite the win over the Robins, Forest are 19th in Championship table and just five points above the relegation zone.
Brazil added: "At this moment in time, I'm not aware of where the club is in terms of looking for a new manager.
"From our point of view, we're very focused on making sure we do our jobs properly. You can tell when a group of players are on board with you, and they're on board with us.
"I've been speaking to the owner about a number of things, and from my point of view he's been very supportive. We're trying very hard to bring some players in, and I'm getting very well supported by the chairman with that."
Ben Osborn, who scored the winner against Bristol City, said: "It feels like a new manager has come in and taken over." | Interim boss Gary Brazil says he would take any role at Nottingham Forest and has not ruled out accepting the manager's job on a longer-term basis. |
Although the EY Item Club think tank predicts the economy will grow 1.9% this year, it expects that performance to fizzle out as inflation rises.
The economy's stability since June's Brexit vote was "deceptive", EY said.
Meanwhile, a senior Bank of England official told the BBC that inflation may surpass its 2% target.
In an interview to be broadcast on Monday, the Bank's deputy governor Ben Broadbent told Radio 5 live that sterling's weakness would fuel inflation, but that controlling prices with tighter monetary policy could hit growth and jobs.
The dilemma facing policymakers was underlined in the Item Club report.
It expects inflation to jump to 2.6% next year before easing back to 1.8% in 2018. That will cause growth in consumer spending to slow from an expected 2.5% this year to 0.5% in 2017 and 0.9% the year after, the report said.
Business investment is also forecast to fall due to uncertainty surrounding Britain's future trading relationship with the EU, dropping 1.5% this year and more than 2% in 2017.
EY predicts that the impact of weaker consumer spending and falling investment will cause UK GDP growth to drop sharply to 0.8% next year, before expanding to 1.4% in 2018.
Peter Spencer, chief economic advisor to the EY Item Club, said: "So far it might look like the economy is taking Brexit in its stride, but this picture is deceptive.
"Sterling's shaky performance this month provides a timely reminder that challenges lie ahead. As inflation returns over the winter it will squeeze household incomes and spending.
"The pressure on consumers and the cautious approach to spending by businesses mean that the UK is facing a period of relatively low growth," he said.
The report said that exporters will benefit from the depreciation of sterling, which last week tumbled against a basket of currencies. Exports will increase by 4.5% in 2017 and 5.6% in 2018, EY forecast.
But Mr Spencer did not expect this to be enough to offset a wider slowdown.
"With activity in the domestic market flat, GDP growth will become heavily dependent upon exports next year," he said.
"But once the UK has left the EU certain sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, and chemicals that trade extensively with the EU will be a lot more vulnerable and may need to be supported by subsidies and more robust industrial policies," he said.
Some of the economic challenges were spelled out in Mr Broadbent's BBC interview with 5 live's Sean Farrington.
The deputy governor, echoing remark's by the Bank's governor Mark Carney last week, said that letting inflation run ahead of the 2% target might ensure the economy does not suffer.
Tighter monetary policy to meet the target could lead to "undesirable consequences" such as lower growth and higher unemployment, he said. It's a "trade off", he added. | Britain's economy faces a "prolonged period" of weaker growth as consumer spending slows and business curbs investment, according to a report. |
Groups who use the hall in Llanwinio said they would hand in their keys after the rent tripled and they were asked to sign up to a 25-year lease.
Peter Walton, from the association that runs the hall, described the changes as "unreasonable and unfair".
But the Diocese of St Davids said as a charity it was "obliged by law" to charge market-value rent.
Rent costs charged to the Community Association of Volunteers are set to increase from £250 to £750 a year and it will also have to meet the costs of the insurance for the first time.
The St Davids Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) said: "A proper valuation of [the rental value] was undertaken and the rental charge increased in line with that.
"The rental goes to the parish, not the DBF, hence keeping it within the local community."
But Mr Walton from the Community Association of Volunteers told Newyddion 9 the finance board was behaving in an "unfair, unreasonable and unjust manner".
He added: "It's not just the money... we will be taking all of our belongings out of this building on Saturday 27 February and we'll be handing the keys back unless there's a change of heart." | A row has broken out between community groups and a Carmarthenshire diocese over the cost of using a church hall. |
Craig Rodger, 25, was hit by a Porsche as he crossed Wilbraham Road in Chorlton, Manchester, in March 2014.
Mohammed Basit Chaudhry was accused of causing death by dangerous driving but died in Dubai the following year.
Mohammed Omayr and Raheel Rehman, both from Chorlton, were sentenced to two and three years respectively at Manchester Crown Court.
Police said Omayr had been contacted by Mr Chaudhry after the crash.
The men drove in convoy to Brookburn Road, about half a mile away from the scene of the crash, where Rehman set fire to a Porsche Panamera.
Mr Chaudhry was dropped off at his home by Omayr, police said, and, six days later, he left the country. The following month he died in a collision in Dubai.
His identity and death were confirmed when his body was brought back to the UK.
Omayr, 33, of Wilbraham Road, and Rehman, 28, of Lambton Road, both admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at an earlier hearing.
After sentencing, Mr Rodger's family said they had been given "legal closure" but "the grief and heartache for us will go on forever".
They added: "To anyone who thinks they can drive recklessly and dangerously on our roads, this is the result, and to think you can then run and cover up your crime - you cannot and you will always look over your shoulder until you are brought to justice."
Sgt Lee Westhead, of Greater Manchester Police, said Omayr and Rehman were "cowardly and insidious individuals".
"The decisions they made that night are truly abhorrent," he said.
"The unwavering patience and dignity demonstrated by Craig's family throughout this period is utterly amazing." | Two men who helped an alleged hit-and-run killer conceal evidence have been jailed. |
Led by "generals" Mohammed Sajjad, 38, from Cardiff, and Imtiaz Ali, 35, from Newport, the group were involved in bringing the class A drug into Wales.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the group was arrested as part of one of the largest undercover operations in Wales.
Four were convicted after trial, while six others pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy from 2013-2014.
Arrests were made after police seized 40kg (88lbs) of the drug in 2014.
Most was found inside a speaker and a suitcase in a car stopped on the M5, while a smaller amount was discovered in the footwell of a taxi in Newport.
Officers said the seizure had prevented half a million drug deals, the court heard.
Sentencing the group, Judge Stephen Hopkins QC, said the gang had dealt in "industrial quantities" of the "highly addictive evil drug".
There have been more heroin seizures across the South Wales Police force area than anywhere else in Wales and England, outside London, for at least the past three years, according to figures from the Home Office.
During 2014-2015, South Wales Police made 303 heroin seizures per million people. The average for Wales and England was 135 seizures per million.
A force spokesman said: "There is a greater focus from the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) utilising the control strategy - which enables us to prioritise a coordinated approach on regional crime groups and the traffic of drugs." | Ten members of a gang who conspired to supply £5m worth of heroin have been jailed. |
The draft Investigatory Powers Bill would place a legal duty on internet providers to assist in hacking devices.
But it would not be restricted to phones and PCs, a tech industry chief told the Commons science and technology committee.
Antony Walker, of techUK, said anything that connected to the internet could "in theory" be hacked into.
In the future, this could include driverless cars or household appliances connected to the internet - the so-called Internet of Things - said Mr Walker.
He said the Home Office needed to spell out more clearly where it draws the line over what it calls "equipment interference", highlighting recent concerns about "smart toys" that connect to the internet and have microphones and cameras built-in.
"A range of devices that have been in the news recently, in relation to a hack, are children's toys, that children can interact with," he told the committee.
"These are devices that may sit in a child's bedroom but are accessible.
"In theory, the manufacturer of those products could be the subject of a warrant to enable equipment interference with those devices.
"So the potential extent, I think, is something that needs to be carefully considered."
In November, electronic toy company Vtech had its app store database hacked, allegedly resulting in the appearance online of personal data including children's names, dates of birth and gender.
Talking dolls, such as Hello Barbie and My Friend Cayla, have also been put under scrutiny by security experts in recent months.
Barbie manufacturer Mattel reportedly made modifications to Hello Barbie, which allows children to talk to the doll over a cloud server connection, after concerns were raised about cyber attackers potentially stealing data through it.
The police, security services, HM Revenue and Customs and other law enforcement agencies can already hack into devices provided they get a warrant.
This allows them to download the contents of computers or smartphones, track locations, listen to calls, or even switch on microphones and cameras, allowing officers to listen in to conversations or take pictures of those standing nearby.
The Home Office says these powers, the existence of which were revealed earlier this year following a court case, have "made a vital contribution to counter the increased threat to the UK from Islamist terrorism and have also enabled the disruption of paedophile-related crime", according to a Home Office fact sheet.
The draft Investigatory Powers Bill would put "equipment interference" warrants on a firmer legal footing and make sure they are "only used when necessary and proportionate for a legitimate purpose".
A revised bill will be introduced to Parliament in the New Year, following consultation and scrutiny by the industry and other interested parties.
Mr Walker, whose organisation represents 850 UK technology firms, told MPs it needed to be more forward-looking and less vague about the limits of surveillance.
"When we start to think, not just about the world today, but the world in five, 10 years' time as the Internet of Things becomes more real, and more pervasive.
"I think it requires careful thought in terms of where the limits should be." | The security services could remotely take over children's toys and use them to spy on suspects, MPs have been told. |
Torrential rain overnight left many roads impassable, while rail services were cancelled or delayed.
The Environment Agency issued five flood warnings across the county.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue said it had rescued a number of people trapped in their cars due to rising floodwater.
More on this story and others from Coventry and Warwickshire
Network Rail said flooding on train lines around Daventry, Rugby and Wolverton delayed services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston.
Trains on the West Coast Mainline also ran at reduced speeds due to heavy flooding.
Rose Plumbley, headteacher of Leamington Hastings C of E Academy in Rugby, said many pupils and staff had not managed to get into school.
"We're in the Leam Valley and it's flooded on both roads into school," she said.
"Some pupils did manage to get in but it became very clear that many weren't going to make it in. We decided to close so that the children can get home in daylight safely."
Firefighters rescued drivers from stranded vehicles in Great Alne, Wolston, Baginton and Princethorpe.
There were also reports of cars stuck in Kenilworth Ford.
There were flood warnings at the River Dene at Walton, River Sherbourne at Allesley, River Stour at Mitford Bridge, Shipston on Stour and Tredington, River Stour from Halford to Clifford Chambers and River Alne at Bird in Hand. | Fourteen schools were forced to close due to severe flooding in Warwickshire. |
Anscombe has been out since December with a groin injury which was the latest issue to sideline the New Zealand-born outside-half.
The 25-year-old has also suffered hip and ankle injuries since arriving at the Blues.
"You start getting bracketed as being made out of glass," he said.
Anscombe has been limited to 33 appearances for the Blues since joining in the autumn of 2014.
"Traditionally I've never had problems with injuries," said Anscombe.
"Coming from New Zealand, I played Super Rugby, ITM Cup and then finished the Cardiff Blues' season.
"I don't know if my body was angry at me for doing that or something, because it just seemed to catch up with me."
Anscombe has made nine Wales appearances and has a dual contract with the Blues and the Welsh Rugby Union that finishes at the end of the current season.
He has been overtaken in the international pecking order by Sam Davies and Owen Williams, behind Dan Biggar but still believes he can play at international level.
"It's been frustrating and disappointing," he added.
"It's tough when you think you are good enough to play at that Test level, but I just haven't had enough games.
"I guess everyone's got their doubts, but you've just got to keep competitive and believe in what you can do,
"You have got to have that self-belief and earn the jersey.
"There are a couple of guys there that have been playing well for a while now and deserve to be where they are, so Wales are in a lucky situation there.
"If I play well for the Blues and they start winning, hopefully people recognise you again."
Anscombe returned last month in the Challenge Cup match against Bristol and is in line to play against Connacht at the Arms Park on Sunday afternoon.
"If I can have a big second part of the season, then we will see what happens," he said.
"It's nice to be back in the Blues jersey.
"We really need to start winning and we have got belief in the squad that we can do it." | Cardiff Blues outside-half Gareth Anscombe hopes to put his injury problems behind him and achieve Wales recognition again. |
A counter at thepiratebay.se showed a countdown to 1 February, but it appears to have come back online a day early.
The website, which provides links to pirated content, was taken offline following a raid in Sweden in December.
Police officers seized servers in Stockholm after a complaint was filed by a group called the Rights Alliance, which targets internet crime.
The police operation took place in an area in Nacka, south-east of Stockholm, with the area's cold weather used as a natural cooling system for computer servers.
The site was taken down in 2006 after another raid by police but reappeared online three days later.
The Pirate Bay is one of the internet's most-visited websites, and the film, music and software industries blame it for losses running into billions of pounds.
Internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK were ordered by the High Court to block access to the site in 2012.
In October Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Warg was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for hacking into computers and illegally downloading files.
Another co-founder, 35-year-old Peter Sunde, was arrested in Sweden last year after two years on the run and was sentenced to eight months in prison for violating copyright laws.
Meanwhile a third co-founder, Hans Fredrik Lennart Neij (known to hackers as TiAMO), was arrested while trying to cross into Thailand from Laos in November.
A message from "Winston" on the newly-relaunched site reads: "So, first we ditched the trackers. We even got rid of the torrents. Then we left the servers to enter the clouds.
"Now, we're about to take the biggest step in our history."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | The Pirate Bay website has been relaunched. |
The 29-year-old striker arrived on Wearside last week and made his debut before his first training session in Saturday's 3-0 defeat by St Johnstone.
He has joined a Black Cats side relegated from the Premier League last season, but eager to do well.
"Some of the lads I can see really want it," Vaughan told BBC Newcastle.
"The Championship is definitely relentless, a completely different game, it's Saturday-Tuesday every week pretty much and the lads need to be mentally tough.
"If we all stick together and work hard, we'll get there."
Wearsiders manager Simon Grayson brought in Vaughan, with whom he previously worked at Huddersfield, to bolster his squad after Jermain Defoe and Fabio Borini left at the end of last season.
He joins teenagers Josh Maja and Joel Asoro among the striker options at the Stadium of Light, but says there is no pressure to be the main source of goals this season.
"It's not about me scoring goals," Vaughan added. "It's about me working hard for the team. I'll do that every week.
"If the goals come, they come but if they don't it's no issue, it's just about us getting the three points." | Sunderland have the necessary mental toughness within the squad to cope with a gruelling Championship campaign, according to new signing James Vaughan. |
Instead, it was her namesake, Irish politician Joan Collins, who was arrested at a protest against new water meters in Dublin yesterday.
The former Dynasty star tweeted: 'No I am not the Joan Collins Who was a rested (sic) yesterday At a Dublin protest meeting !!! The very idea !!"
United Left TD Ms Collins said she was taking part in a "peaceful protest".
She later tweeted that she should not be confused with the British screen icon.
"For the record I'm not @JoanCollinsOBE as I'd never take an honour from a monarch nor did I wear shoulder pads in the 80s. The very idea!"
Veteran actress Joan, 81, was made a dame in the Queen's New Year's honours list last year.
She is famous for her roles in films like The Stud and The Bitch, and more recently starred in the TV series The Royals.
She was previously a patron of UKIP, but said that does not mean she would vote for them, and has declared herself an admirer of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Irish parliamentarian Ms Collins sits on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
She was among 13 people arrested at the demonstration, which was part of continuing protests against the introduction of water charges in Ireland. | Actress Joan Collins has taken to Twitter to deny that she was arrested in the Republic of Ireland. |
Arsenal will play Chelsea on 6 August at Wembley Stadium, and £1.25m could be raised from the match.
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke said: "We hope that in some small way through the Community Shield we can help.
"Football is for all, and we hope it can in its own way give something back to those who are most in need."
The EFL said it would also be donating £175,000, with member clubs contributing their share of proceeds from the match.
Chief executive Shaun Harvey said football was "coming together to make a significant commitment to the cause".
Premier League clubs have agreed to contribute a total of £250,000.
"The thoughts of everyone at the league and our clubs are with the people affected by this terrible event," a statement read.
Seventy-nine people are missing or presumed dead after the blaze destroyed 150 homes in the Kensington tower block on 14 June.
Survivors, the families of the victims and emergency services personnel will be invited to the game as guests. | Proceeds from the 2017 FA Community Shield will be donated to support those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. |
Deputy Education Minister Mduduzi Manana appeared in court last week to face the assault charge.
He is accused of hitting the woman during an argument at the venue.
On Saturday, a brief statement from President Jacob Zuma's office said he had accepted Mr Manana's resignation, and thanked him for "his contribution to the work of government".
Mr Manana has previously apologised for what he called a "shameful incident". He claimed he was provoked, but "should have exercised restraint".
His political party, the African National Congress, welcomed his resignation and also thanked him for his service.
When the allegations first emerged, the ANC said "such behaviour is unacceptable ... violence against women is the shame of our times".
The allegations caused widespread outrage in South Africa, where violence against women is not uncommon.
During his initial court hearing, he was brought into the courtroom through a separate entrance, and journalists were not permitted inside.
But Police Minister Fikile Mbalula insisted that Mr Manana would not receive any special treatment.
"The deputy minister will not be treated with special kid gloves but will face the full wrath of the law. The state fully supports the victim," he said.
He was released on bail of $375 (£290) pending further investigation. | A South African minister has resigned amid accusations he assaulted a woman in a nightclub earlier this month. |
But the original timescale, which envisaged the closures taking place by the end of 2015, has slipped.
Calls have been made by Opposition MSPs for the work on the reorganisation to be postponed pending a review of the way calls to police are handled.
The review, by HM Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS), is due to report in October.
The closure of the Aberdeen control room was originally scheduled to be completed the previous month.
But a north-east MSP has said the programme, which has already seen control rooms in Dumfries, Stirling and Glenrothes closed, should be halted until the HMICS review is published.
It was ordered following the deaths of two people in a car crash on the M9 in Stirlingshire on July 6, and will examine the case for shutting regional control centres.
Although the incident was reported to police at the time, officers only attended the scene three days later after a second call from a different person.
John Yuill, 28, was found dead and 25-year-old Lamara Bell critically injured. She later died in hospital from injuries including broken bones and kidney damage caused by dehydration.
The initial call had been handled by the Bilston Glen call centre which takes calls from Central Scotland and Fife following the closure of Stirling and Glenrothes.
Lewis Macdonald, Labour MSP for north-east Scotland said the programme of closures - which has already seen a number of skilled staff leaving Aberdeen - should be halted by police until after HMICS has reported.
He said: "It would be absolutely unacceptable for them to continue with the closure plans while the decision is being looked at and while the future delivery of police control rooms across Scotland is under review.
"So I hope that we will hear from Police Scotland very, very shortly to the effect that they will take no steps leading to the closure of the Aberdeen control room, the service centre which answers 101 calls in Aberdeen or indeed the control room in Inverness.
"Because it is quite clear the local knowledge that is accumulated in these control rooms cannot be replicated, will be lost if they close and will simply heap further pressure on the control rooms in the Central Belt."
In a statement Assistant Chief Constable Val Thomson, commander of Police Scotland's C3 Division which is developing the control room reorganisation, said: "We remain committed to the C3 change programme and are in discussion with the Scottish Police Authority (SPA)."
A police spokesman said any decision on closures would have to be ratified by the SPA, which oversees the single police force.
It said the original timescale was now unlikely to be adhered to.
A spokesperson said: "Consultation with staff has not started yet. The timeline over the coming months needs to allow both proposals from staff via official consultation and any key findings from the HMICS work to be considered, before any final decisions are made." | Police have confirmed they are continuing with plans to close control rooms in Aberdeen and Inverness. |
The 24-hour strike, on 1 February, comes as part of a row over conditions.
Members of the RMT and Aslef unions walked out on 4 January this year, the day many returned to work after the Christmas break.
The pay side of the dispute has been accepted, but Aslef previously claimed Arriva was trying to "railroad through" changes to terms and conditions.
A union statement read: "Aslef today announced that, in the light of Arriva Trains Wales' failure to offer a satisfactory resolution to the long and ongoing dispute with its drivers, our members will withdraw their labour for 24 hours."
Arriva said it "regretted" the disruption January's strike caused to more than 1,000 services it runs each day, when people complained of queues for tickets, long delays and overcrowding. | Arriva Trains Wales drivers are set to go on strike for the second time this year, the Aslef union has said. |
At one stage, winds were gusting at 55 knots and winds over 48 knots are not safe for airport staff to work in.
As a result, passengers on nine planes were unable to leave as it was too windy to put access steps in place.
Some passengers were kept on planes for two hours, but wind speeds eventually dropped, allowing them to disembark.
Flights from Edinburgh, Tenerife, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Gatwick and Bristol landed, but flights, from Luton and Tenerife were diverted to Dublin.
Belfast man Martin Garland was on a flight from Liverpool that landed at 19:30 GMT.
Speaking from the plane, he said: "People are starting to get irritated now and there's a number of elderly passengers that are now getting agitated with the heat on the plane," he said.
"Most people seem to be playing on their phones, the pilot has been getting people up into the cockpit and letting the kids play."
Thomas Spence, who arrived at the airport on a flight from Tenerife, was unable to reclaim his luggage as baggage handlers could not unload baggage from the plane.
Returning to the airport on Wednesday morning to retrieve his bags, he said: "When we were sitting [in the plane], it was rocking on the tarmac.
"You actually thought you were still in the air.
"But it was good to be on the ground because it was a rough flight, it was bouncing everywhere, and we were just glad to get touched down.
"When you came off the plane, it was really windy and you could understand why we were stuck on the plane."
Alan Whiteside, the airport's operations director, said the weather conditions had been "probably the worst we've had in quite a number of years".
"The real issue is the safety of the both personnel operating the steps and the aircraft doors, and the passengers," he said.
"In those kind of winds, those large-sided steps will just start to move, so it's unsafe to put them on unsafe to try to get passengers off.
"It was a fairly horrendous night." | Passengers flying into Belfast International Airport were prevented from getting off planes for a time on Tuesday night due to high winds. |
After taking part at London 2012, the four national football associations could not agree on sending a British women's team to the Rio Games.
A place was earned by England finishing third in the 2015 World Cup.
"To turn it down is a great shame. It's something we may look at in the future and try to compete in," Allardyce told BBC 5 live's Sportsweek.
"When you see the delight on Justin Rose's face after winning the gold medal in golf it shows what it all means."
England's Football Association had put forward the idea of sending Great Britain teams to the Olympics, but Fifa said it would need the agreement of the ruling bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who were against it.
The other home nations fear such a move could affect their independent status within the sport's world governing body, Fifa, and at international tournaments such as the World Cup.
Team GB entered men's and women's sides at London 2012, with Stuart Pearce coaching the former and Hope Powell the latter. Both teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
For European nations, qualification for the Olympic football competition is via the Uefa Under-21 Championships for men and the World Cup for women.
England were the only home nation to compete at the Under-21 Championships, but failed to secure the required semi-final berth.
British Olympic Association vice-chairman and former sports minister Sir Hugh Robertson believes politics in particular has denied the women's game a perfect platform to build on the interest it received at London 2012.
A total of 154,998 people turned out to watch the four Team GB women's matches four years ago.
"From the British Olympic Committee's perspective, we would love to see Team GB football," Robertson told Sportsweek.
"It is particularly a powerful tool to promote the women's game.
"The tragedy is that the politics of football administrators impact on the athletes because women football players would want to be at the Olympics." | England manager Sam Allardyce would welcome Team GB entering football teams at future Olympics. |
Switzerland has been investigating Malaysia's scandal-hit 1MDB fund since last year.
Last week, its Attorney-General Michael Lauber said $4bn (£2.8bn) may be missing from Malaysian state firms.
A Malaysian minister said this was not possible due to extensive audits, and called the statements "premature".
The indebted 1MDB state fund, set up by Prime Minister Najib Razak to pay for socioeconomic projects, has been at the centre of a political scandal in Malaysia.
Mr Najib was himself cleared of any wrongdoing by Malaysian prosecutors last week.
The full background to the 1MDB scandal
Malaysia PM in the clear?
Swiss authorities opened their investigation after 1MDB amassed more than $11bn (£7bn) of debt.
Mr Lauber's office said on Friday there were "serious indications that funds have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies".
Some of the money, he said, had been transferred to Swiss accounts held by Malaysian former public officials and current and former public officials from the United Arab Emirates.
He said the Malaysian companies concerned had made no comment on the losses believed to have been incurred.
In a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, Malaysia's communications minister Salleh Said Keruak said 1MDB had undergone extensive audits, some by international firms, and that billions of dollars "simply could not have been misappropriated under such conditions".
The fund had also issued explanations and financial breakdowns about alleged losses, he said, and other state-linked firms had made public filings that showed they did not sustain losses caused by misappropriation of funds.
He said Mr Lauber's comments were "very unusual and against normal protocol", and criticised him for speaking to the media, rather than to Malaysian authorities who he said had been waiting to hear from Switzerland.
"These premature statements appear to have been made without a full and comprehensive appreciation of all the facts," said Mr Salleh.
Mr Lauber's office told the BBC it would not comment on political statements.
But it said it "took note with satisfaction of the reaction of its Malaysian counterpart and of its commitment to fully support Switzerland's request for mutual assistance".
Singapore, the US and Hong Kong authorities are also probing the fund.
On Monday, Singapore said it had seized a large number of bank accounts as part of an investigation into possible money-laundering linked to 1MDB. The city-state had already frozen two accounts last year.
Officials said they were working with counterparts in Switzerland, the US and Malaysia in their investigation. | Malaysia has rejected allegations from Switzerland that billions of dollars may have been stolen from the South East Asian country's state fund. |
The National Union of Farmers organised the event as a protest about delays in distributing EU farm payments.
It was changed to be about "wider rural economy and food chain issues" after the Scottish government pledged £200m to support farmers in the interim.
Scottish ministers Richard Lochhead and John Swinney, and Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson addressed the rally.
Farmers have been hit by delays in processing Common Agricultural Policy payments due to problems with a £178m computer system set up to administer the newly-reformed system in Scotland.
The Scottish government said 59% of payments have now been made.
Some protestors called for Rural Affairs Secretary Mr Lochhead to resign, as he told them "we'll get the payments out, we'll fix the problems."
He said: "While we have robust political debate inside the chamber, all political parties agree that food production in this country is an absolute priority.
"Helping out our food producers in their hour of need, whether that's because of the issues we've had with payments or the weather, or because of low market prices, we have to do what we can to make sure that the skills you represent and the jobs you sustain and the support you give to Scotland is maintained going forward."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson urged the protestors to keep up the pressure on the government.
She said: "If this had been an issue affecting urban Scotland it would have been solved months ago.
"There's a real question of what happens now. There's still a real question over next year's claims, given we know the computer system doesn't work."
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie told the protestors that the Scottish government needed to "act quickly to get the money out the door", while Finance Secretary John Swinney told them "your voice has been heard". | Dozens of farmers gathered outside the Scottish Parliament for a rally highlighting rural issues. |
Maud Kells, who is 75 and from Cookstown, was shot outside her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She narrowly missed death or paralysis after the bullet hit her in the shoulder.
Ms Kells said she wants to help free a man who has been imprisoned for involvement in the crime.
"There are two of our Christians who are falsely accused of being involved in my shooting incident and they were completely innocent," said Ms Kells.
Ms Kells said she hopes to go back to the town of Mulita at the end of the year and help one of the men who remains in prison.
"I'd really like to go out and get him released."
Ms Kells also said she would like to meet with those who carried out the shooting.
"I did feel that they should be arrested, they should get the punishment that's due to them but I would love to see them really regret it, repent and ask for forgiveness.
"I can honestly say I feel sorry for him, he must have a dreadful conscience.
"I would meet him and I would challenge him and find out his motives." | A County Tyrone missionary who was shot by bandits in Africa plans to return to fight for justice for a man she said is "falsely accused". |
Goals from Robert Wurube and James Moga helped South Sudan complete a 4-1 overall victory in the Central Eastern Zone qualifier to set up a meeting with Uganda in the next round.
On Saturday, Malawi and Seychelles went out to Madagascar and Mauritius respectively.
The CHAN - a tournament for locally-based African players featuring in their own country's domestic leagues - will be staged in Kenya from 12 January to 4 February 2018.
Malawi were beaten 1-0 at home in the second leg of their opening Southern Zone qualifier with Madagascar winning 2-0 on aggregate.
Seychelles could only draw the second leg of their qualifier in Mahé 1-1 as Mauritius progressed 3-2 overall.
Madgascar had Rokotoarimaldla Tsilavina to thank for their victory in Lilongwe as he scored the only goal just after the break, beating advancing Malawi goal-keeper Ernest Kakhobwe.
The visitors were then the better side for most of the second half, displaying offensive and passing football.
Malawi were left to rue their three missed chances in the first half with striker Muhammad Sulumba the main culprit after his weak shot from inside the six-yard box was easily stopped by the Madagascar keeper.
The defeat to Madagascar means Malawi's new coach Ronny Van Geneugden is without a win in three games.
The result will provide food for thought for Malawi who bolstered their squad on return from Madagascar by including among others former captain Joseph Kamwendo and forwards Binwell Katinji and Ishmael Thindwa .
Madagascar will play Mozambique in the next round.
On a good day for Indian Ocean nations, Mauritius sealed their place in the next round of the CHAN qualifiers with a 1-1 draw against Seychelles at the Stad Linité in Mahé to progress 3-2 on aggregate.
On a rainy afternoon, Mauritius opened the scoring with a 14th minute goal from defender Marco Dorza.
Mauritius thought they had doubled the lead but Kevin Perticot's goal was disallowed for offside.
Seychelles then scored two minutes after the break from a penalty having also had a goal disallowed, but they could not add to their tally, with Mauritius booking their place against Angola in the next round. | South Sudan booked their place in the next round of regional qualifying for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Sunday, defeating Somalia 2-0 in Juba. |
Prosecutors said Darren Byrne, 40, struck Maria Byrne, 35, on the head at their home in Theydon Bois after she discovered he was having an affair.
The jury was told Mr Byrne doused his unconscious wife in white spirit and turned on the hob before going out.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Mr Byrne denies murder and arson in February.
Prosecutor Andrew Jackson said former city trader Mr Byrne and his wife had a row on the morning of 13 February after she found he was continuing an affair with a married woman.
Mr Jackson said: "It's the prosecution case that the catalyst for this alleged murder was Maria Byrne's discovery for the second time of his alleged infidelity."
The court was told that after dousing his wife's body with the flammable liquid he went on a walk with the family dog. CCTV footage showed he was away for more than an hour.
Returning to find his plan had not worked, he concocted a charade, said the prosecutor.
He called the emergency services to say his wife was "burned" and told the operator: "The stove was on and the frying pan's on the other side of the room. She's not breathing."
Mr Byrne told paramedics his wife had been making him a bacon sandwich and when he returned home she was dead, the court heard.
A post-mortem examination identified white spirit on Mrs Byrne's clothing and a half-empty bottle of white spirit was found in the garage, the jury heard.
The couple had two children together who were not at home at the time of their mother's death.
The trial continues. | A man killed his wife and then took their dog out for a walk while he hoped their house would burn down with her inside, a court has heard. |
My confusion stems from the proposals for tax, benefit and economic reform submitted by the Greek government to secure, at the very last minute of the last hour, a deal from their creditors to avoid tumbling out of the euro.
Having obtained a copy of this paper, headed "Greece: Prior Actions - Policy Commitments and Actions to be taken in consultation with the EC/ECB/IMF staff", it feels very familiar.
That familiarity stems from its great similarity to the bailout proposals put to Greece by the creditors - the eurozone governments, the European Central Bank and the IMF - last month.
Pretty much everything wanted by the creditors is there - with the odd tweak or softening, but nothing which looks as though it ought to be noxious to them.
So there is a pledge for budget surpluses rising in steps to 3.5% of GDP or national income by 2018; VAT would be raised to three rates of 23% (the standard rate), 13% (for food, energy, hotels and water) and 6% (for medicine and books) - increases that would raise revenue equivalent to 1% of GDP; and Athens is eating the dust of comprehensive reforms of pensions to make them more affordable; and so on.
So here's why I am a bit baffled.
Only a few days ago the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras won an overwhelming mandate from the Greek people, in a referendum, to reject more-or-less these bailout terms.
And today, on the back of that popular vote, he is signing up to the supposedly hated bailout.
This is big politics that would make Lewis Carroll proud.
Does that mean the eurozone can go back to life as normal, of inadequate economic performance but Greek Armageddon deferred (again)? Is a rescue done and dusted?
Not yet.
Tsipras has to get these proposals through the Greek parliament today - though his pax of earlier this week with the main opposition parties will surely deliver that (at the price of the splintering away of some of his own supporters).
Then there is the small question of whether eurozone ministers will stump up the 35bn euros requested by Greece from the European Stability Mechanism to meet debt repayments through to June 30 2018.
And Athens wants a nod that there'll be proper negotiations on reducing its completely unaffordable debt burden by around 30%, as per the IMF's recent sustainability analysis (which would be achieved through the backdoor route of rescheduling repayments closer to the end of time, rather than through the direct write-offs that so offend Germans and east Europeans).
Finally, and most problematically, something has to be done to take the banks out of intensive care. Given the recent melting down of the Greek economy, my sources tell me there is now a solvency problem for Greek banks, to add to the awkwardness for them that they are almost out of cash.
Here is the point. If a way isn't found to allow the banks to re-open within days - and the ECB simply maintaining Emergency Liquidity Assistance won't come anywhere near to achieving that, but the ECB has lost all appetite for throwing more good money after bad - the Greek economy will implode so that any bailout deal agreed this weekend will become irrelevant in weeks.
Because the Greek economy would be so melting down that tax revenues would collapse and Athens would need yet more eurozone handouts. Greece and the eurozone isn't yet fixed, not even close. | Not for the first time over the five years of Greece's euro crisis - or the eurozone's Greece crisis - I am confused. |
District Judge Lucy Koh's move opens the way for US sales of Samsung's older tablet model to restart.
Separately, Samsung filed a motion on Tuesday against Apple's iPhone 5 saying its patents had been violated.
The iPhone 5 was launched last month and broke Apple's pre-sales record. Apple has not commented on either move.
The South Korean firm said it had "little choice little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights".
Apple and Samsung, the two market leaders in the lucrative smartphone market, are embroiled in patent disputes in as many as 10 countries.
The ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the US was put in place in June ahead of a trial.
In August, at the conclusion of that trial, Apple was awarded victory in many of its patent violation claims, centring on accusations that Samsung had copied Apple's iPhone and iPad designs. It was also awarded more than $1bn (£664m) in damages.
However, the jury found that Samsung had not violated the patent that was the basis for the ban on the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Samsung, therefore, argued for the sales ban to be lifted. | A temporary sales ban on Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the US has been lifted by a US court. |
There are two in the region at the moment - Stockton South's James Wharton and Hexham's Guy Opperman.
Few in number then, but uniquely placed to tell the rest of the party how the north is feeling about the fall-out from the Scottish referendum.
They are after all from the region closest to the border.
Both then have been keen to comment on the future for both Scottish and English devolution following the referendum no vote.
They support the push for Scottish MPs to be excluded from votes on English matters, but believe other measures are needed specifically for the North.
James Wharton was one of the Conservative MPs invited to Chequers to talk through his concerns with the prime minister.
Before the meeting, he made it clear he was prepared to vote against measures to strengthen the Scottish parliament if he thought they might leave the North East unfairly disadvantaged.
He wanted to hear how David Cameron might assuage those concerns.
After the meeting, he told me it had been "remarkably positive".
He believes the PM has taken on board the need to take the North's concerns into account as a new UK settlement is drawn up.
James Wharton said: "I do not want Scotland given an unfair advantage over us, and the prime minister acknowledged that and took the time to refer to that in his closing remarks to the meeting.
"I am not in favour of new institutions for our region - I opposed the idea of a regional assembly and I still believe it would be wrong.
"But I would be keen to look at whether we could use extra tax advantages or enterprise zones to help us compete with Scotland for investment."
Guy Opperman is also keen to see the North empowered.
But he believes the referendum campaign promise of extra powers for Scotland must be honoured.
He does want extra powers south of the border too though.
He sees the recently-formed North East Combined Authority of seven councils covering from Berwick in Northumberland to Barnard Castle in County Durham as ideally placed to take on more responsibility.
In an online blog, he said: "What our region needs isn't more politicians, it is more powers. Real powers to boost jobs, infrastructure and investment.
"The easiest way to do that is to build on the existing combined authority.
"They have already come together to make joint decisions on transport, skills and so much more. This is a body which is ripe for more power, and ready to accept it."
But his other idea could be more contentious. He would like to see that authority led by a mayor - a kind of Boris Johnson for the North.
He added: "My personal view is that we need the leader of the Combined Authority being elected as a mayor - as they have in London, New York and so many other great areas, rather than it being an appointed post as it is now.
"I think that is the simplest, cheapest and most sensible way to bring democracy and greater power to the combined authorities."
That's something many of those councils, and other MPs in the North East will have qualms about. And voters too possibly, as plans for a mayor in Newcastle were scrapped when people voted against the idea.
But Chancellor George Osborne has already indicated he's keen on mayors, and hinted he'd offer more powers to areas that adopted the model in this December's autumn statement.
The North East may face a tricky choice - accept a mayor or get a second-class form of devolution.
Messrs Opperman and Wharton and other northern Conservatives will be keen to hear more on how their party plans to solve "the English problem" at their party's conference.
But voters will also be watching to see what solution a party with such a small power base in the North East comes up with for the region's particular concerns about any new UK settlement. | North East Conservatives are not an endangered species as such, but they are a select bunch, and their MPs are even thinner on the ground. |
A statement issued by the region said the player had failed to recover from a head injury he suffered during the Premiership Sevens in August 2015.
The 25-year-old started his career with Blackwood and played sevens for Wales.
"I am devastated that I have been forced to retire from rugby through injury, but I know that it is the right decision," said Pewtner.
In May 2015, another Dragons player Ashley Smith had to retire at the age of 28 following a "series of concussive events".
And in September former Wales back-row Jonathan Thomas retired after being diagnosed with epilepsy linked to head traumas suffered while playing.
Dragons director of rugby Lyn Jones added: "It saddens us all to hear that Matthew has been forced to retire.
"We are all grateful for Matthew's fantastic contribution to the team throughout the years he has been with the region. We wish him all the best for the future."
In addition to playing seven for Wales, Pewtner was capped at under-20 level in 2009-10.
He said he would be studying for a teaching qualification. | Newport Gwent Dragons wing Matthew Pewtner has been forced to retire from injury on medical advice. |
The Mercian Regiment said Private Derby XXXI was officially selected by the Duke of Devonshire from his flock at the Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire.
The Swaledale Ram helped to form a guard of honour for a Premiership rugby union match on Saturday.
Lance Corporal Derby XXX, who switched on Ashbourne's Christmas Lights in 2014, died in November.
Private Derby XXXI, who will be based at RHQ Mercian, Lichfield, Staffordshire, is set to begin training for tasks including leading soldiers out on parade and marching out the players at Derby County.
The animal's first public appearance will at an Aviva Premiership rugby union match between Worcester Warriors and Sale Sharks at Sixways Stadium, Worcester.
The ram is the 31st mascot going back to the Indian Mutiny War in the mid-19th Century.
The first Private Derby was acquired in 1858 by the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot and became the mascot of the Mercian Regiment when it formed in 2007.
The animal has his own army number, gets paid to buy his rations and can take his holidays during the mating season at Chatsworth. | A British Army regiment has announced its new sheep mascot following the death of its predecessor. |
A general said clouds were limiting the ability of drones and other aircraft to provide cover, adding that troops would secure areas they had already entered.
IS militants are putting up fierce resistance, using snipers and large numbers of suicide bombers.
A BBC correspondent says that although progress is slow, it is steady.
Mosul, which was captured by IS in June 2014, is the jihadist group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, soldiers, police, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the offensive.
In the first two weeks of the operation, they advanced rapidly from the east and south-east, seizing outlying towns and villages despite strong resistance.
On 1 November, special forces and army units entered the eastern outskirts of the city at two points and were able to establish footholds there.
Two weeks later, progress towards the centre is slow, reports the BBC's Richard Galpin in Irbil.
IS has not shown any sign of weakening, our correspondent adds, and is using snipers and large numbers of suicide bombers to pin down troops in densely populated areas where manoeuvring armoured vehicles is not easy.
The militants are also reported to be using civilians as human shields.
And forces advancing from the north and south have still not entered the city.
Our correspondent says that unless there is a sudden collapse in the resistance now being put up by IS, the battle for Mosul is likely to continue for weeks.
The UN has warned that in areas retaken by Iraqi forces, civilian infrastructure such as water and power plants, schools and hospitals are damaged and medical services are often unavailable.
Families are going hungry due to lost livelihoods, disrupted food production and supply, and food prices are rising at markets, it said.
Many people are being forced to drink untreated water from wells, while children are going unvaccinated and are unable to go to school.
Almost 59,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, about 26,000 of them children. More than 40,000 have found shelter in formal camps, while 13,000 others have been taken in by host communities or are living in public facilities.
As many as one million people could be at risk in the combat zone itself. | Iraqi forces have paused their advance into Mosul due to poor weather, a month after launching an offensive to retake the city from so-called Islamic State. |
The Scream (1892), by Edvard Munch, depicts a figure holding its face, which is making an agonised expression.
But look above this individual and the sky is full of colourful wavy lines.
The researchers say these are probably Mother of Pearl Clouds - rare phenomena that would have had a big impact on anyone who saw them for the first time.
"Today the general public has a lot more scientific information but you can imagine back in his day, he'd probably never seen these clouds before," said Helene Muri from the University of Oslo.
"As an artist, they no doubt could have made quite an impression on him."
Dr Muri was speaking here in Vienna at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly.
From Munch’s diary notes, 1890-1892
"I went along the road with two friends – the sun set
I felt like a breath of sadness -
The sky suddenly became bloodish red
I stopped, leant against the fence, tired to death - watched over the
flaming clouds as blood and sword the city - the blue-black fjord and the city
- My friends went away - I stood there shivering from dread - and
I felt this big, infinite scream through nature"
The unusual sky formation in The Scream has previously been ascribed to volcanic effects.
Just nine years before Munch's first rendering of The Scream, Krakatoa famously blew its top.
This eruption in what is now Indonesia was one of the biggest such events in recorded history, and its sulphurous emission circled the globe to generate some spectacular sunsets.
But the Norwegian group argues that the wavy shapes painted by Munch are a far better match for what are termed Polar Stratospheric (Type II) Clouds; or as they are also sometimes called - Nacreous Clouds.
Their rarity comes from the very particular conditions needed in their formation, at altitudes between 15km and 20km.
These requirements include not only very cold winter air, down at minus 80-85C, but a good degree of humidity as well.
Atmospheric flow up and over mountains helps because it can inject moisture from the troposphere into the stratosphere, followed by a process called adiabatic cooling that can then greatly reduce air temperatures.
"That's when you can get very small ice crystals of about one micrometer," explained Dr Muri.
"These clouds are very thin and are best seen just before sunrise and after sunset, when the sun is below the horizon.
"You get these very distinct colourings, from the combination of scattering, diffraction and internal refraction of the sunlight on these tiny ice crystals."
Dr Muri has lived in the Oslo area for 25 years. She says she has seen the iridescent clouds only once with her own eyes - and she knows precisely when and what to look for.
Such phenomena could have taken Munch completely by surprise, she believes.
The team first started investigating the possible link between the unusual meteorology and The Scream when consultant Svein Fikke observed a display of the clouds in 2014.
He managed to take a series of stunning photos, and then started delving deeper into the story.
Some very rare cloud types are reported to be increasing in frequency and distribution, perhaps due to climate change.
An example would be Noctilucent Clouds. These are the highest clouds on Earth, forming at altitudes of 80km and more. There is evidence to suggest they are becoming more visible at lower latitudes than used to be the case.
It is conceivable similar trends might occur with Nacreous Clouds, Dr Muri said, although no statistics can justify such a statement yet.
"We know that the troposphere is warming and expanding while the stratosphere above is compressing and cooling. So, the temperature characteristics of minus 80C and below might become commonplace in the future," she speculated. | Norwegian scientists have put forward a new theory to explain the inspiration behind one of the most famous works of art ever produced. |
Kev Brady from Gloucester said he was terrified as he paddled more than 200 miles (320 km) along the Mahaweli.
He now aims to paddle the 800 miles (1,300 km) around the coast of the island of Sri Lanka.
His previous feats include canoeing along the Mississippi and swimming the length of the River Severn.
Mr Brady said he had suffered minor scratches and scrapes during the journey, but the most "frightening" thing was having to paddle past the crocodiles.
"I was on my own and standing [on the paddle board] only 2in or 3in above the water.
"I saw a two-foot long head pop up only 5m away from me.
"These are saltwater crocodiles that can grow up to 6m long and are considered man eaters.
"I was terrified."
Mr Brady said he felt relieved to have finished the river challenge.
"I was anxious and afraid most of the day and night, in between appreciating how beautiful and amazing it was.
"So there was a lot of relief when I finished - relief I've still got both arms and both legs." | A paddle boarder faced man-eating crocodiles during his quest to travel from source to sea along the longest river in Sri Lanka. |
Muir, 23, broke McColgan's 25-year-old record by 14 seconds at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on Wednesday, with a time of 14 minutes, 49.12 seconds.
McColgan said she felt excited to see her last record broken by Muir.
She had earlier raised concerns about whether Muir's race had met all the criteria set by UK Athletics for record-breaking attempts.
She had told BBC radio's John Beattie programme it needed to be a "genuine race" and may not have been as "Muir had been the only competitor".
"It was a mixed 3K race where all the other girls ran 3K and it was only Laura who finished the 5K," she said.
"We were wondering if to get a record ratified you have to have drug testing as well.
"So we were just wondering if they had everything in place to actually have it ratified as a record."
However, British Athletics confirmed Muir's time was expected to be classified as official.
A spokesman said: "The time will undergo ratification but is expected to be confirmed".
Rules stipulate that if there is no doping control at an event where a British record is set, there is no requirement for the athlete to submit drug tests.
McColgan said Muir had what it took to win world medals.
"To run 14.49 indoors is pretty good," she said.
"But she is a 3.55 minute 1,500m runner, so you would expect someone like Laura to run (5K) in something like 14.30.
"So there's still a lot more in the tank and I don't think that's the fastest 5K she's ever going to run.
"She's got the ability to get down to 14.30, which is really mixing it with the top in the world."
McColgan said Muir's race, which saw her lap other runners, had been similar to her own record-breaking race 25 years ago.
"I ran on my own right from the start with nobody really pushing me at all," she said.
"I actually lapped a young Paula Radcliffe about two or three times."
McColgan said it was a bonus that her record was beaten by a fellow Scot.
"She is world class," she said.
"She just needs to get her race tactics right so that she can start winning some medals."
Muir broke her own British 1500m record at the Diamond League meeting in Paris in August and reached the 1,500m Olympic final at Rio 2016. | New 5,000m British indoor record holder Laura Muir has what it takes to win world medals, Liz McColgan has said. |
Firefighters across the UK who retired between 2001 and 2006 received lower lump sums than they should have because of an error by the UK government.
The Treasury has given the Welsh government £5m to compensate those affected in Wales.
It follows a ruling by the Pensions Ombudsman in a test case in May.
Retired Strathclyde fireman William Milne received more than £30,000 after winning his claim against the UK Government Actuary's Department (GAD).
The Ombudsman ruled that firefighters and police officers who retired between December 2001 and November 2006 should receive a top-up to their lump sum, plus interest.
Thousands of police officers - including hundreds in Wales - are also affected.
As the fire service is devolved, the Welsh government is overseeing the compensation payments to retired Welsh firefighters.
The UK government is responsible for payments to retired police officers in England and Wales.
A Welsh government spokeswoman said: "The Treasury has provided the necessary funding so that we are not required to absorb the costs from our existing budgets.
"The Welsh government will provide grant payments totalling £5.24m to the three Welsh Fire and Rescue Authorities to cover payments owed to firefighters who retired between 2001 and 2006." | About 400 retired firefighters in Wales are to receive thousands of pounds in compensation because their pensions were miscalculated. |
All 57 seats were contested, of which the Tories took 43, compared to the 36 they won in 2013.
Labour gained a councillor, taking their tally to 12, while the Liberal Democrats saw their number of seats fall from six to two.
There will be no UKIP representatives on the council - all three of their seats were Tory gains.
Turnout was up on 2013, at 33.7%.
Heather Smith, Conservative leader on the council, said: "I'm very pleased. We've exceeded our number from four years ago and our target of 40 seats.
"We expected turnout to be low because of the general election.
"I can't foresee a bigger majority will make a difference [to how we govern]. We have to work within a certain budget."
In Northamptonshire, the Conservative party gained 8,832 votes in the local election - 45.54% of the vote.
It is higher than the national projected vote share for the Tories, which stands at 38%.
The Liberal Democrats suffered a major blow when their local leader, Brendan Glynane, lost his Delapre and Rushmere seat to Labour.
Asked about the increased Conservative majority, Mr Glynane said: "I think they will be emboldened by this.
"The finances are not sorted, there is nothing left in the bank and I think you will see some severe cuts."
As the declaration of results drew to a close, John McGhee announced he was to stand down as Labour group leader on the council.
Mr McGhee won his Kingswood ward, but said: "It's been extremely difficult watching the destruction of public services in Northamptonshire.
"I decided [to stand down] well before this election. I've been doing it so long. It has nothing to do with today's results." | The Conservatives have increased their control of Northamptonshire County Council. |
The Spanish 14-time Grand Slam champion has played in the Wimbledon warm-up event on six previous occasions, winning the title in 2008.
The 29-year-old said the grass-court tournament offered "perfect conditions" to prepare for Wimbledon, which will start a week later on 27 June.
Last month Andy Murray confirmed he will defend his Queen's title in June.
The 28-year-old, whose wife Kim has given birth to a girl this week, will attempt to win a record fifth title.
The Aegon Championships will be held from 13-18 June in London. | World number five Rafael Nadal will compete at the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club this summer. |
Spotlight: A Woman Alone With The IRA investigated the republican movement's handling of sexual abuse allegations against a suspected IRA member.
Maíria Cahill waived her right to anonymity to tell how the republican movement responded to her allegations.
The programme was broadcast last October.
Ms Cahill claimed she was raped by a suspected IRA man when she was a teenager, and that the IRA later helped to cover up the alleged abuse.
BBC Northern Ireland Director Peter Johnston said: "This is a fantastic win for our Spotlight team - particularly with a Northern Ireland story winning in the UK-wide Scoop Of The Year category.
"This recognition from the Royal Television Society follows Spotlight's long tradition of making award-winning programmes and is a reflection of the dedication of our Spotlight team to produce hard-hitting, high quality investigative journalism."
Jeremy Adams, Head of Television Current Affairs, BBC Northern Ireland, said it was a "tremendous achievement".
"The team put a great deal of time and dedication into what was a painstaking investigation and also one of the most important and talked-about television investigations of the past year," he said.
Other winners at the ceremony in the London Hilton, Park Lane, included ITV News at Ten for Daily News Programme of the Year, and Sky News for News Channel of the Year. | BBC Northern Ireland current affairs programme Spotlight has won Scoop of the Year at the Royal Television Society (RTS) journalism awards. |
The fire, which is being treated as deliberate, was first reported at about 11:00 BST on Sunday.
Eight fire appliances and 45 fire fighters are at the scene, including crew members from the Irish Fire Service.
The blaze has spread across a 5 kilometre area, crossing the border.
It is the latest of 435 reported wildfires since the beginning of May.
Group Commander Brian Stanfield said: "We believe this fire has been started deliberately and we believe there are still people in the area qho are starting fires.
"We'd like to appeal to members of the public. This is reckless behaviour, this is not just endangering the countryside, but it is putting people's lives and property at risk." | The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is attending a gorse fire in Alderwood Road near Clogher and Fivemiletown in County Tyrone. |
Police were called to the Biffa depot in Avonmouth at 11:00 BST on Friday after being alerted by staff to possible remains at one of the units.
Avon and Somerset Police have named the victim as Matthew Symonds, 34, of no fixed address in Swindon, and said his death was being treated as unexplained.
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out later.
His next of kin have been informed, police said.
Det Ch Insp Gareth Bevan said officers were "following several lines of inquiry" to establish the circumstances surrounding the man's death.
"Police inquiries so far suggest the body was transported with commercial recycling waste collected in Swindon and therefore the focus of the investigation will be in that area going forward," he said.
"The investigation is at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind about the circumstances leading to this man's death."
Police said it was too early to say how long the body parts had been there.
Biffa is one of the country's leading waste management companies, disposing of rubbish from commercial, industrial and public sector organisations.
Matthew Humphreys, from the company, said: "I can confirm that a body was received at our Avonmouth Transfer Station during the morning of Friday 1st August.
"Biffa takes health and safety very seriously and is conducting its own internal investigation, into the circumstances surrounding the incident." | A man whose body parts were found at a Bristol recycling plant has been identified as a Swindon man by police. |
A number of men, two of them believed to have been carrying guns, forced their way into the property at Oakfield Drive shortly after 20:00 GMT on Saturday.
They demanded money before assaulting a man aged in his 50s.
The gang made off with a sum of cash.
Alliance East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson has condemned the attack.
"This was a particularly vicious assault, coming as it did in front of a family," he said.
"Those behind it must be taken off the streets immediately, as they pose a serious danger to all," he added. | A man has been assaulted while a woman and four children escaped injury during a raid of a house in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, by an armed gang. |
The four-storey building in Los Cristianos, on the south of the island, collapsed at 09:30 local time (08:30 GMT), emergency officials said.
The body of a woman aged about 70 was found in the rubble, local media said.
Residents living near the building said they had heard a large explosion shortly before it collapsed.
Three people were also injured in the incident, one seriously.
Nearby apartments were later evacuated over fears of a gas leak.
Arona municipality said searches for nine of the 28 people who lived in the building were continuing.
It is not clear if those who are unaccounted for were in the building when it fell. Mayor Jose Julian Mena told Spain's Efe news agency it was unclear whether anyone was trapped.
Emergency officials on the Canary Islands said (in Spanish) that a 57-year-old woman had suffered serious injuries to her upper body.
Two others, a 28-year-old Italian man and a 55-year-old woman, were also treated, the latter after a panic attack.
One nearby resident told Spain's Efe news agency there had been a strong smell of gas in the area soon after the explosion.
The owner of the Hide Away Pub, a bar next to the affected building, said his terrace had been "obliterated" by the collapse.
Javier Velazquez told British newspaper The Sun that if the blast had happened in the evening, the number of casualties would have been "far worse".
English-language newspapers on the island say the area is popular with British tourists. | One person has died and nine others remain missing after an apartment block collapsed on the Spanish island of Tenerife. |
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The world number one, 30, was scheduled to play an exhibition match at Hurlingham Club in London on Friday.
"Sadly I won't be ready to play at the Hurlingham, my hip is still sore and I need to rest it," he said.
The Briton is still expected to begin the defence of his Wimbledon title on Monday, but will be short of practice heading into the Championships.
Murray has only played one grass-court match this year, suffering a shock first-round defeat by world number 90 Jordan Thompson at Queen's.
As defending champion, the Scot is set to open on Centre Court at 13:00 BST on Monday.
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent:
Aches and pains are nothing new for Murray, or for any professional tennis player, but the timing is inopportune.
Murray's last practice session was a light one at the All England Club on Tuesday, and although it is possible he might still have one on Friday, he may need to spend another day on the sidelines.
My understanding is that his participation at Wimbledon is not currently in doubt, but his preparation has once again been hindered. This is a season in which injury and illness have caused much frustration.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Defending champion Andy Murray has pulled out of his final warm-up match before Wimbledon because of a sore hip. |
The London-born, USA-raised 21-year-old will count as a foreign import because of his overseas junior development.
"My dad loves it," he said. "It's different from soccer, but he loves the intensity of it.
"He's only an hour and a half away, so he'll be able to get to watch me play more than he's ever done."
Asked whether his football-mad dad, a former Brentford trialist and passionate Celtic and Scotland fan, understands the game, Stewart added: "I've told him that, whenever we score, or the opposition score, he's just got to make sure he cheers for the right team."
"Liam is a very important signing for us," said Blaze head coach Danny Stewart. "He adds to our depth which will be crucial next season."
Blaze, who won the Elite League five times in eight seasons between 2003 and 2010, finished sixth last season.
Liam Stewart first developed an interest in ice hockey after moving to America to live with his mother in Southern California at the age of three.
He played at a junior level with the Spokane Chiefs, before making two play-off appearances for the Quad City Mallards, and then making 13 appearances last season for the Alaska Aces.
"I was there for a couple of months before I got injured," he said. "The injury is fully recovered now and I am itching to get back on the ice to start the season." | Elite League side Coventry Blaze have signed Liam Stewart, son of music legend Rod and former model Rachel Hunter, for the 2016-17 season. |
McGuigan and father Barry, the former world champion, signed Taylor to their Cyclone Promotions company when he won 2014 Commonwealth gold and turned pro.
"I thought you saw the complete article," said Shane McGuigan of the man from Prestonpans in East Lothian.
"He looked like he could punch - now he can really punch since changing the technique a bit."
In addition, the trainer said he was keen to work with Taylor because "he has a great personality, he's a good-looking lad, he's fast and he can really fight - he ticked a lot of boxes".
He added: "Also, I felt dad, with his background, a hall of famer, being a Celt himself, can appeal to a lot of the public in Scotland."
Taylor left Edinburgh's Lochend club, where he worked under Terry McCormack, and now trains for his pro fights at the McGuigans' gym in Wandsworth, south London.
He is aiming for a 10th consecutive win when he defends his Commonwealth super-lightweight title against Hackney's WBC Silver champion Ohara Davies at Glasgow's Braehead Arena on 8 July.
"Josh is a phenomenal talent, a phenomenal force," added McGuigan junior.
"He's been pro for a short time and he's already the Commonwealth champion and within six to 10 months he will be knocking on the door of a world title.
"We've been working together for nearly two years now and he has excelled so quickly.
"He has come out of the elite level amateur system and he is still progressing.
"He has shown me so much in the gym and now it is our chance to really showcase that talent on the main stage in front of big audiences on television and at Braehead."
Cyclone Promotions hopes Taylor will generate the same level of appeal as his stablemate, Belfast's Carl Frampton, a two-weight world champion.
"With Carl, we built him up at home and then we took him to America and then to Manchester for a unification fight," said Shane McGuigan.
"That's the same sort of platform we would like to set up for Josh Taylor.
"We'd like to make him a star back home in Scotland and then filter him out to London, Manchester and the bigger arenas and then eventually go to the States. That is where he is inevitably going to end up, that's where the money is.
"It is very rare that you have the Errol Spencers coming to fight for world titles over here. If you build loyalty with your fans they will go anywhere."
The McGuigans have already had Taylor on the road, with three of his nine fights being in El Paso, New York and Las Vegas.
"The American public loved his crowd-pleasing style, just like they loved Ricky Hatton," said the trainer.
"People want to see a good fighter go to work and they will get that with Josh Taylor."
Shane McGuigan is anticipating a "tricky" fight against undefeated Davies next month, expecting it to go to the later rounds.
However, he believes the home fighter will prevail and take over the mantle of Ricky Burns, for so long Scotland's main boxing attraction but who, in April, lost his WBA belt in Taylor's weight class to Namibia's IBF champion Julius Indongo.
"Ricky Burns has been a fantastic ambassador for Scottish boxing and a great champion but I don't see him reclaiming any world title; he's a step below that now.
"Josh Taylor is the man. He is going to be holding the flag and going on to bigger and better things. If he can inherit some of Ricky's fans then that would be fantastic." | Scotland's Josh Taylor has all the elements it takes to make it to the top in boxing, says trainer Shane McGuigan. |
The team of scientists hope the information will help shift the focus away from the way trees look towards on the focus on biodiversity.
Over the next decade, the urban environment is expected to increase by nearly 30%.
Details have been published in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal.
"We wanted to place the focus on city and urban locations when choosing trees, but not on the aesthetic aspects," said co-author Juliane Vogt from the Institute of Forest Growth and Forest Computer Science at Techische Universitat Dresden, Germany.
She told BBC News that the goal of the database was to "find the right tree for the right place".
"City planner tend to like 10 to 15 species of tree, and they like to plant them again and again - that's not really biodiversity," Dr Vogt observed.
"This is why we put in 390 trees and shrubs into the database so there was a huge range of different species and varieties.
Dr Vogt added that she hoped that professionals, such as city planners and landscape architects, would use the database, adding "but we also think it will be of interest for homeowners if they have a garden and want to find out what sort of tree would be suitable".
She said that there were numerous benefits associated with city trees, such as shading and reducing the urban heat island effect, which make towns and cities several degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. This is a particular problem during heatwaves.
"Trees also provide habitat for other animals that have made their home within cities," She added.
The long term survival and evolutionary development of species populations are shaped by the surrounding habitat. For some species, urban life has presented an opportunity for a new beginning.
The BBC Natural History Unit's Planet Earth II looks at the lure of the urban jungle for wildlife in its final episode of the series.
The programme, set to be broadcast on Sunday, 11 December, looks at peregrine falcons in New York, which are booming, thanks to another urban success story - the pigeon, or rock dove.
Langurs, a species of monkey in India, are also thriving. Revered as a mortal connection with a god, the animals are fed. Numbers are booming.
However, the growing biodiversity of urban life is not universally welcomed. Some species - racoons, rats, pigeons - are widely regarded as pests. Plants, such as the Japanese knotweed - once prized - are unwelcomed opportunists.
"Trees also interact with humans and the surrounding city, so one point of the database is to take account of some of the risks, such as having poisonous trees, or trees that have brittle wood that can break," said Dr Vogt.
"Some residents really dislike trees because, for example, they are too big.
"In the street near where I live, there are pear trees and now, in the autumn, the pears are falling and leaving a mess on the pavement below. People are now calling for them to be cut down, even though they are healthy."
Follow Mark on Twitter. | German researchers have compiled a 400-species database to encourage people to plant the "right tree in the right place" in urban areas. |
The owners said their planned £80m development at the site in Bewdley, Worcestershire, would create between 300 and 500 jobs.
Wyre Forest District Council granted planning permission for the water park, including seven slides. The park said it hoped this would open by 2017.
The hotel was given outline planning permission.
Some people living in Bewdley have raised concerns about traffic congestion and the impact on the environment.
Managing director Ivan Knezovich said: "If we see the safari park as a destination, the whole idea of creating a destination is for people to say 'well let's go to Bewdley, let's go to the safari park and we'll have a two or three days stay'.
"(That) means it'll encourage people to travel out into the Wyre Forest, to the River Severn."
Stephen Williams, who chairs the planning committee on the council, said the positives outweighed the negatives.
He said: "This is a very, very major development and it will bring a great deal of employment." | Proposals for an indoor water park and a hotel at West Midland Safari Park have been approved by councillors. |
The items have been highlighted during recent sonar scanning of the waterway in an effort to locate the remains of 11-year-old Moira Anderson.
She left her grandmother's house in Coatbridge on 23 February 1957 to go to the shops but never returned.
Convicted paedophile Alexander Gartshore is suspected of her murder.
Det Supt Pat Campbell said: "There are five distinct areas which have been identified which relate to items or structures within the silt layer.
"We are going to deploy divers from Police Scotland to remove these objects."
He said specialists from the University of Dundee would then identify the objects and determine whether any of them are bones.
The first phase of the operation last week focused on a 170m (185 yards) stretch of canal at Carnbroe. Although it is 3.5m (11.5ft) deep, around 2m (6.5ft) of that is silt.
The team were joined by leading experts including soil forensic expert Prof Lorna Dawson and forensic anthropologist Prof Sue Black.
The search involved the use of ground-penetrating radar, sonar scanning and magnetometry, which identifies magnetic anomalies within the water and silt layer of the canal.
Bus driver and convicted paedophile Alexander Gartshore, who died in 2006, is suspected of murdering Moira and disposing of her body.
When she left her grandmother's house during a heavy snowstorm, she boarded a Baxter's bus that was driven by Gartshore.
Later that year, he was jailed for raping a 17-year-old babysitter.
In 1999, convicted child abuser James Gallogley named his former friend Gartshore as Moira's murderer.
Gartshore's own daughter Sandra Brown was convinced he was the killer and campaigned to have him charged.
In 2014, prosecutors announced that Gartshore would have faced prosecution for the schoolgirl's murder if he were still alive.
A previous search has focused on the theory that he may have buried her body in Monkland Cemetery, in the family plot of an acquaintance, but an excavation in 2013 found nothing.
The latest searches were prompted by a sighting, reported in 1957 but not followed up, of a man carrying a large heavy sack towards the canal. | Police divers are to retrieve objects from a canal for assessment by forensic experts in the search for a schoolgirl who disappeared 60 years ago. |
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Kubica suffered a partially severed right hand in a rally accident on the eve of the 2011 season and has not recovered enough movement to return.
"I miss racing in F1, yes," he said in an exclusive BBC Sport interview before this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
"When you do everything you can to be an F1 driver and suddenly it stops, it's not painful but it's definitely not something you were looking for."
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The Polish driver is competing this year in the European Rally Championship for Citroen and is doing work for the Mercedes F1 team in their simulator as he continues his recovery.
He says he is still some way from being able to compete in F1 because of the restricted movement of his arm and fingers.
"I have suffered big injuries in the rally crash," the 28-year-old said, "but I am still lucky I am able to drive on a high level, although not any more in F1.
"Driving F1 would not be such a big problem, the problem would be to drive a complete race in all circuits but unfortunately that is not possible for now.
"The problem in F1 is the space. Maybe one day if the FIA say the car has to be 10-15 cm wider, I can drive - but it is not that rally is second choice.
"What is important for me is I am seeing progress. Even if in normal life I struggle with using the hand, [but] driving I see the progress, in the rally car, in the simulator.
"The question is how far I will go and how long it will take but to be honest it really doesn't matter if it will take one month, one year or 10 years, maybe one day I will have chance to drive F1 again."
Kubica, who won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix for BMW Sauber and finished eighth in the world championship in his maiden season with Renault in 2010, was considered one of the very best drivers in the sport at the time of his crash. He admitted the past two years had been difficult for him to handle.
But asked whether he was still in love with motorsport, he said: "I think more. I was always thinking I was very lucky to be in F1.
"I spent a hard time after the accident for many months - I would say maybe even for nearly two years - not just because of the surgeries, the recovery and the pain but afterwards because when you recover you lie down in the hospital, you start missing it and then you realise how much maybe not love but affection you have for the sport."
He added: "I paid quite a big price for a mistake but I could have paid a much higher price, that's for sure.
"It is unfortunately part of this sport that you have to accept. If you are driving you are not thinking about this. If you don't accept, you don't do it."
Kubica made it clear he still prioritised success in F1 over rallying but said he would not try to rush his recovery.
He said: "What I learned is that because of my situation I cannot look too much forward. I have to look week after week, day after day and move forward, that's the most important."
Watch the interview with Robert Kubica in the build-up to Canadian Grand Prix qualifying from 17:00 BST on Saturday | Former Renault Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica says he misses competing in F1. |
Wales international Huws, 23, is a Manchester City academy graduate.
Samuel, 22, came through the ranks at Reading and has two goals in 16 senior appearances for the Championship side.
He has also previously had loan spells at Colchester, Dagenham, Coventry and Gillingham and was Ipswich's sixth addition of the transfer window.
Samuel signed during Ipswich's 3-0 defeat by Derby and will be ineligible to face his parent club on Saturday.
Huws, Ipswich's seventh January signing, links up with his international team-mate Jonny Williams, who is on loan from Crystal Palace.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Ipswich Town have signed Cardiff midfielder Emyr Huws and Reading striker Dominic Samuel on loan until the end of the season. |
The Uefa general secretary has included the plan in his manifesto for the Fifa election on 26 February.
His idea follows European football's governing body Uefa's decision to play Euro 2020 in 13 different countries.
"Each confederation shall have to wait at least two editions before being able to host the World Cup again," he said.
"This will ensure a more equitable rotation, while giving every confederation the opportunity to organise this unique event.
"Furthermore, Fifa should investigate the possibility of organising the World Cup not only in one or two countries but in a whole region, so enabling several countries to enjoy the honour and benefits of hosting the World Cup."
Infantino is one of five candidates standing for the presidency of world football's governing body, which is in crisis following a series of corruption claims.
He is up against Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Bahraini head of the Asian football confederation (AFC), Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale and Jerome Champagne, a former Fifa deputy secretary general from France.
Current Fifa president Sepp Blatter has been banned for eight years from all football-related activities for breaching ethics rules. | Fifa presidential candidate Gianni Infantino says he would press for the World Cup to be held in a whole region rather than one or two countries. |
A judge dismissed the claims of the girl, referred to as "GK", that Paul Frew linked her name to anti-social behaviour via a social media post.
In an earlier court hearing, Mr Frew said he had never meant to harass the girl.
After the judgement, the North Antrim MLA said he felt "vindicated".
The court also previously heard that Mr Frew mentioned the girl in relation to an increase in anti-social behaviour in the Harryville area of Ballymena and the nearby village of Broughshane.
The judge said some of the comments made by others on Facebook "while undoubtedly unpleasant and unattractive in nature" did not target the schoolgirl.
The comments did not deter the schoolgirl from making her presence known to others by first tagging a friend and then engaging in exchanges, he added.
He said Mr Frew had acted in good faith in making considerable attempts to address the issue of anti-social behaviour in his constituency.
In his summary, the judge said the schoolgirl had been in public settings with others carrying out such acts and she could not claim to enjoy an expectation of privacy in relation to postings about it.
The judge said it was important to highlight that Mr Frew did not make an allegation against the girl but had had repeated an allegation that someone else had made and given the schoolgirl the opportunity to respond to it.
In summing up, the judge said the schoolgirl had "failed to establish liability" against Mr Frew and dismissed her claim.
Speaking after the judgement, Mr Frew said: "The court case, since it begun in March, has been an unsettling time, as I was made feel like a criminal for simply standing up for the community I serve.
"This case arose from my work of standing up for the community." | A 15-year-old girl who took a claim for damages against the chair of Stormont's Justice Committee over Facebook postings has lost her case. |
The views were expressed following a meeting of the EU Negotiation Joint Ministerial Committee in London.
Mr Davis said the UK government would keep Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland up-to-date about negotiations.
However, Mr Russell said transparency about UK government plans was needed.
Mr Davis said he wanted to hold a monthly meeting to share analysis as part of a "two-way information flow" with each of the three nations.
He believed that would allow the devolved administrations to voice their views as the Westminster government prepares talks with Brussels.
Mr Davis said: "Today's meeting was an important step in bringing the devolved administrations together with the UK government to discuss how we can work together to get the best deal for the whole of the UK.
"Naturally, there are different standpoints around the table, but the meeting was constructive and amicable. We will meet regularly and share our latest thinking as the UK shapes its negotiating strategy.
"We will work positively with the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland Executive as we implement the decision of the people of the UK to leave the EU."
Mr Russell said it was "good" that the process of involving the Scottish government was under way.
But he added: "More than four months after the referendum the UK government has still not made its strategic intentions clear.
"There was a discussion over EU market access but we do not know whether UK ministers want to remain inside the single market or the customs union. This will remain a considerable problem as we continue to promote the interests of Scotland.
"The UK Government must provide greater clarity and transparency on its intentions."
He said he made it "absolutely clear" that membership of the single market "is essential for the economic prosperity of Scotland".
The UK government hopes the High Court judgment on how Article 50 will be triggered will be overruled on appeal to the Supreme Court next month.
However, the Scottish government will seek to oppose the UK government in the Supreme Court during the appeal.
The intention is for Lord Advocate James Wolffe, Scotland's most senior law officer, to apply to be heard in the case. | The UK's Brexit minister David Davis has hailed his latest talks with devolved ministers but Holyrood's Mike Russell has called for greater clarity on the "strategic objectives". |
The Electoral Reform Society attacked both sides of the referendum campaign, saying people felt "ill-informed" by the "dire" debate.
The society said the impact of political leaders had been "minimal".
It called for a "root and branch" review of the way referendums are run.
Recommendations made by the society in its report include having a public body intervene when "misleading" claims are made by campaigns, reviewing broadcasters' role and publishing a "rule book" to govern conduct by campaigns.
They also propose that future referendums have a guaranteed six month official campaign, and citizenship education be extended in schools with the voting age reduced to 16.
The UK voted to leave the EU on 23 June by 51.9% to 48.1%.
The then prime minister David Cameron and the government backed a Remain vote, while the Leave campaign was fronted by ex-mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is now foreign secretary.
The Electoral Reform Society, which campaigns for "democratic reform", said its polling showed Mr Cameron and other political "big beasts" had failed to convince the public.
When asked about eight prominent politicians, most people said they had had no effect on the way they voted.
The only high-profile figures who, according to the poll, persuaded more voters of their position than drove them to vote the other way were Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who backed Brexit.
"Above all, what these numbers tell us is that people had by and large lost faith in established political figures as opinion-leaders - except where those figures might be said to be kicking against the establishment," the society said.
It said voters had viewed both sides as increasingly negative, and many "simply did not trust" their key claims. These included Remain saying households would be on average £4,300 a year worse off outside the EU and Leave claiming an extra £350m a week could be spent on the NHS.
The government's controversial mail-shot to every household in the UK had "little effect on people's levels of informedness", it said, and towards the end of the campaign nearly half of voters thought politicians were "mostly telling lies".
The society said the EU debate was in "stark contrast" to the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, which it said had featured a "vibrant, well-informed, grassroots conversation that left a lasting legacy of on-going public participation in politics and public life".
The society's chief executive Katie Ghose said: "This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was.
"There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public feeling totally ill-informed. Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters, while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark."
On the plus side, the society said it had heard "time and again" from people who felt the referendum was the first time their vote "had truly counted".
But it said there were "serious questions" to be asked about the place of referendums in politics, including how they sit alongside the parliamentary system and how to ensure a "high quality" debate.
Ms Ghose added: "Now that the dust is starting to settle after the EU referendum, we need a complete rethink about the role of referendums in the UK. They are becoming more common, but the piecemeal nature of the how, when and why they're done means we could simply end up jumping from referendum to referendum at the whim of politicians."
BMG Research polled over 1,000 UK-based adults every month from February until the end of the campaign for the Electoral Reform Society's report.
The Cabinet Office said: "The British people spoke decisively at the referendum, with one of the highest turnouts of any vote seen in a UK-wide poll in a generation.
"They voted to leave the European Union - and this government will deliver on the people's verdict." | The EU referendum campaign was dogged by "glaring democratic deficiencies" with voters turned off by big name politicians and negative campaigning, a report says. |
But many people will be asking this weekend if the 28-year-old is really worth all that money?
To answer that you need to separate his value to United right now from how some might view his broader value in the transfer market.
For all the income they generate, United are a club going through a difficult transition. They are way off the pace in the Premier League and struggling to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The financial impact of failure this season will not dent the money making machine that is Old Trafford, but long term decline? That's a very different proposition.
All of this has placed huge pressure on the club's new manager David Moyes and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward to show the club is still a force to be reckoned with despite the retirement of the formidable Sir Alex Ferguson.
The record signing of Juan Mata from Chelsea in the January transfer window was the first part of what Woodward and Moyes hope will be a three-step strategy back to the top.
Rooney's new deal is part two while the summer is phase three. That's when we will really be able to judge how serious the club's American owners, the Glazer family, are about rebuilding United's under-powered squad.
Mata's arrival and Rooney's decision to stay - having been courted first by Manchester City and more recently Chelsea - will surely help the club attract top talent before the start of next season.
The other thing to consider is that Rooney had just 18 months remaining on his previous deal. United knew they faced the possibility of him leaving for nothing. By signing him up for five and-a-half years, they have protected the value of arguably their most valuable and recognisable playing asset.
So while the £85m agreement up to 2019 looks exorbitant, it's probably cheaper than United having to find a replacement in the transfer market and pay his wages. The total cost would have probably been much higher.
It leaves United free to spend their money elsewhere - with midfield and defence arguably a greater priority.
The deal Rooney has signed is, I am told, worth around £250,000 a week in basic salary. What makes the new contract potentially much more lucrative to the England striker is an agreement with the club to market and exploit his individual commercial rights around the world.
This obviously has benefits for both the club and the player but there is no doubting United's hugely successful commercial operation could help take Rooney to a new financial level and certainly on a par with Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
In playing terms it would be hard to argue Rooney is in the same league as those two.
But as things stand he is United's most marketable brand and that is ultimately why the club couldn't afford to let him go. | With projected revenues of £420m this year, there is no question Manchester United can afford to make Wayne Rooney the best paid player in the Premier League. |
His left-wing Social Democrat party (PSD) had accused him of failing to carry out necessary economic reforms.
The prime minister was involved in a power struggle with party leader Liviu Dragnea, who was barred from office after a conviction for voter fraud.
Mr Grindeanu lost the censure motion by 241 votes to 10.
The decision by his own party and its liberal ALDE allies to oust him was seen as a first, even for Romania's turbulent politics. For the motion to pass they needed a parliamentary majority of 233 votes.
The PSD won elections in December only a year after losing power. Within weeks, protests erupted across the country over a decree seen as weakening anti-corruption measures in one of the European Union's most corrupt member states.
In February the EU warned the government in Bucharest against "backtracking" in its efforts against corruption. Although Mr Grindeanu withdrew the decree, the crisis weakened the new government and soured relations between the prime minister and Mr Dragnea.
Mr Dragnea criticised his rival's performance in government on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to push through "the most ambitious programme since 1989". Some commentators have argued that his removal was more about relaxing measures aimed at tackling corruption.
Mr Dragnea, while being the power behind the left-wing party's throne, cannot take power because he was given a suspended jail term for vote rigging and also faces trial for alleged abuse of office.
His first choice as prime minister, Sevil Shhaideh, was turned down by President Klaus Iohannis in December. A new nominee from the ruling coalition will also have to be approved by the president.
Far from being the sick man of Europe, Romania's economy is showing the highest growth in the EU, at 5.6% in the year to March 2017.
However, its justice system has been under EU scrutiny ever since the country joined in 2007.
In its most recent report this year, the EU's executive praised Romania's anti-corruption agency (DNA) but warned that the fight against corruption was under serious threat from political and media attack. | Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has been forced from power after only six months by his own party, in a no-confidence vote in parliament. |
Culture Minister Helen Grant told MPs their future was "unresolved" and bookmakers must take immediate action to increase protection for players.
People can wager £100 every 20 seconds on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Labour said they were "an example of David Cameron's Britain" and councils should have new powers to curb them.
But following a Commons debate, Labour's call for local authorities to be given new powers to restrict the growth of the machines was defeated by 314 to 232 votes.
There are more than 33,000 fixed-odds betting terminals in the UK.
The last Labour government relaxed the gambling laws, allowing bookmakers to start installing them.
But the party has accused the gambling industry of exploiting those changes to target poorer parts of the country,
It says fixed-odds betting terminals are acting as a magnet for crime and anti-social behaviour and local authorities should be given new powers to deal with "clusters" of shops opening together.
They would also review the number of high-speed, high-stakes fixed-odds betting terminals allowed on bookmakers' premises and would take steps to make the machines less addictive by requiring pop-ups and breaks in play.
Shadow culture minister Clive Efford said the last government had always maintained the machines should be kept under review.
The "world had changed" since they were first licensed, he said, with the online gambling industry now worth more than £2bn.
"These machines are an example of Cameron's Britain - one rule for constituents and another for big business which operate the betting shops," he said.
Another Labour MP, Brian Donohue, said fixed-odds betting terminals had been "likened to cocaine" as they were "absolutely and totally addictive".
Ministers insist that local authorities can already reject applications for new gambling premises and review existing licences.
But Ms Grant acknowledged the growth of the machines was "concerning" and she expected the industry to introduce voluntary player protection measures, such as suspensions in play and automatic alerts when stakes hit a certain level, by March.
She said the government was waiting for the findings of a study into "how [the machines] are used and the real impact on players" before deciding what further action may be needed.
"There is no green light for these machines. Their future is unresolved pending the research we have started," she told MPs.
Labour, she added, had liberalised gambling laws and accused them of "rank hypocrisy, total cynicism and outright opportunism".
"Labour bought these machines into being and they have the audacity to bring forward a motion blaming the government for any harm caused," she said.
The gambling industry insists it does not target deprived areas and has introduced a code of conduct for player protection and responsible gaming.
"Betting is a pursuit enjoyed by millions of working class people throughout Britain and we seek to reach the widest audience possible by being present on High Streets," the Association of British Bookmakers said.
"We accept there are concerns about these gaming machines and are always open to a constructive dialogue with politicians about the appropriate powers for local authorities."
It added: "The claims of widespread problem gambling on machines is just not supported by evidence. The industry continues to develop its approach to harm mitigation for the small number of gamblers who do experience problems."
MPs have previously rejected calls from Labour to reduce the maximum stake from £100 to £2 and to cut the top prize from the current £500. | Ministers have said the growth of high-stakes roulette machines on the High Street is "concerning" and they do not rule out action to restrict them. |
Steffan Roberts Vernon, 33, from Caernarfon, died at the Llanberis beauty spot in Gwynedd, on Sunday alongside Alexander Hadley, 21, from nearby Dinorwig.
Two others, aged 27 and 25, were treated in hospital and later released.
Police believe the men got into difficulty while swimming in the "extremely cold" water.
Friends have been posting tributes on a Facebook page called 'Steffan Vernon and why we all love him'.
Debbie Ann Williams wrote: "So sad such a lovely smiley soul the gentle giant who always had a big hug 4 everyone rip steff xxxx"
Eve Maria posted: "Xxx always ready for an adventure full of smiles and a beautiful crazy laugh xxx"
Emma O'Neill said: "Some souls leave the world a far better place than when they arrived....just by being a part of it."
The coroner for north west Wales has launched an investigation into their deaths and an inquest will be opened at a later date. | Tributes have been paid to a "gentle giant" who died while swimming near a waterfall in a north Wales village. |
An effort to raise cash for a role-playing video game was exposed as a fraud by users of Reddit, Something Awful and other sites.
The project
had $4,739 (£2,922) in pledges
out of a target of $80,000 at the point it was pulled by its creator.
Kickstarter could not provide comment at this time. The site has successfully funded
nearly 22,000 schemes
since it was created in 2009.
Mythic: The Story of Gods and Men had promised "gameplay characteristics will be similar to that of World of Warcraft and the graphics quality should be up there with Skyrim".
The commitment to compete on an equal footing with big budget titles and a claim that "animations will be done via motion capture thanks to some friends at Disney/Pixar" raised suspicions.
The scheme also offered supporters the chance of being motion captured so that they could appear as a "god" in the game, a life-sized sword and a copy of the soundtrack recorded "at the Disney Studios" if they gave enough money.
Internet users subsequently reported that teaser screenshots had been copied from unrelated concept art and graphic design tutorial websites.
No money transferred hands as Kickstarter only charges backers' credit cards if a project attracts enough support before a time limit expires.
However, some users have raised concerns about whether the site was doing enough to vet applicants.
"What worried me the most is how Kickstarter allowed this to be posted in the first place," wrote David Kononen on the site's comments page.
"A simple Google search, and I found out for myself this was very shady."
The person responsible for the scam may have been trying to capitalise on the success of another video game.
The studio Double Fine recently raised over $3.3m from more than 87,000 backers to develop a new point-and-click adventure.
That sum has since been eclipsed by Pebble, an effort to build an e-paper based watch which has raised close to $7.7m in pledges, smashing its $100,000 goal with more than a fortnight to go before its deadline. | Crowdsourced funding site Kickstarter has suffered its first publicised scam. |
Theresa May told the Commons it was a 100% failure rate, as all of the samples submitted so far since the Grenfell Tower fire had failed.
She urged local authorities and housing associations to "get on with the fire safety checks".
At least 79 people are feared to have been killed in the blaze on 14 June.
Meanwhile, regulator NHS Improvement said it has written to all NHS trusts and foundation trusts to ask them to carry out urgent fire safety checks.
There are 36 organisations that need additional support to find out if they have cladding similar to Grenfell, it said, and fire safety tests on building material is expected to be completed "by early next week".
Mrs May told MPs that she expects to name a judge to head the public inquiry into the disaster soon.
She said 282 temporary properties had been identified for residents of the tower, 132 families have had their needs assessed and there have been 65 offers of temporary accommodation.
The government has made almost £1.25m of discretionary payments and will be giving an extra £1m to a local group of charities, trusts and foundations, Mrs May said.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the tragedy had "exposed the disastrous effect of austerity" and said: "Fewer inspectors, fewer building control inspectors, fewer planning inspectors - we all pay a price."
The blaze, which started in a fridge-freezer, destroyed 151 homes in the north Kensington block and in the surrounding area of the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Questions were raised about the cladding used on Grenfell in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and a nation-wide operation has taken place to identify and test buildings with similar cladding.
It has emerged that London Fire Brigade issued a warning to all 33 London councils about panels attached to the exterior of buildings in May this year, in a letter seen by the BBC.
On Tuesday, Mrs May said there should be a "major national investigation" into the use of cladding on high-rise towers. | Cladding from 120 high-rise buildings in 37 local authority areas in England has now failed fire safety tests, the prime minister has said. |
Arlene, who was 15 and from Castlederg in County Tyrone, went missing after a night out in County Donegal in 1994.
The main suspect in her disappearance, Robert Howard, died in prison last year.
Kathleen Arkinson said she she felt police had missed opportunities to question some witnesses.
She complained to the Police Ombudsman in 2006 about the police investigation, the inquest heard.
She said police searched her house, breaking her door down with a sledgehammer, dug in her garden, and arrested her partner, adding "insult to injury already caused by the lack of investigation".
Ms Arkinson also felt Howard's trial in 2005 for Arlene's murder was mishandled because the jury was unaware of his many convictions.
She added that after Arlene went missing, false rumours grew worse.
"The rumours were that I killed Arlene," she said.
"The whole world was talking about it."
Later, Ms Arkinson was questioned by counsel for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who asked if it was the service's "duty to investigate every opportunity to find out what happened".
"It should have been," she replied, "but they didn't do it."
Ms Arkinson also said she became more protective of Arlene after an incident when Arlene was abused by a man in 1993.
The man was jailed for that assault.
Their mother had died three years earlier.
Ms Arkinson told the inquest of the last time she saw Arlene when she left for a disco in Bundoran, and how she had given her an money to buy chips on the way home.
She never saw her sister again.
She described confronting Howard and a family, the Quinns, who she believed had taken Arlene to Bundoran, and that she had become convinced they were telling lies over her disappearance.
Earlier, the mother of one of Arlene's friends told the inquest she became scared of Robert Howard after he told her he had killed a six-year-old girl.
Bernadette Timoney, giving evidence via videolink, said in the years before Arlene went missing she thought Howard was "an evil-looking man with drink in him".
"I didn't like the look of him," she later said.
"I didn't want to be in his company - he was very scary."
She added that she had daughters of her own and wanted to protect them.
She also said that two months before she went missing, Arlene had told her she wanted £200 to go to England for an abortion and insisted her family should not know.
She said Arlene became hysterical when she asked her if she had gone to get the money from a bank machine with Howard, or if Howard had done anything to her.
Ms Timoney said she had not told social services or the police about the incident because she did not want to get involved. | A sister of Arlene Arkinson has told the inquest into her death police did not treat her disappearance with the "seriousness and credence" it deserved. |
The former Sun and Daily Mail writer and sports editor for the Observer had been suffering from oesophagus cancer.
Mr Corrigan died on Thursday at a hospice in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, surrounded by his family, hours after watching his beloved Wales play England in Euro 2016.
His brother Chris, 69, said: "He could make you laugh in print, which not many people could do."
He added: "In every day life, he made people laugh - that's why he was so popular and that's how we'll remember him.
"Right up to the end, he always had a smile for the nurses."
Mr Corrigan was born and brought up in Roath Park, Cardiff, and had two brothers; Chris and Terry, 73, as well as son James and daughter Sally.
James Corrigan recently tweeted: "Just watched Wales win with my father in the hospice. At the whistle he said 'worth the wait' and went back to sleep. A lovely lovely moment."
Mr Corrigan co-wrote the autobiography of ex-Wales rugby star Jonathan Davies.
Mr Davies said: "Lost a very good friend today, RIP Peter Corrigan. Thank you for everything you did for me. I'll miss you."
He was also president of Glamorganshire Golf Club and was teaching his eight-year-old grandson Paddy how to play the sport he loved.
The club said: "The captains, officers and members of the club would like to extend their sympathy to Peter's family."
Mr Corrigan started his career at the South Wales Echo as a messenger when he was 16, working his way up before moving to London where he became a football writer for the Daily Herald.
He later moved on to cover golf and, after leaving the Observer in 1993, was appointed chief sports columnist for the Independent on Sunday and wrote The Hacker column, which he also published online.
Mr Corrigan said one story his brother was delighted with came when he bumped into Wales, Leeds United and Juventus legend John Charles on a beach while on holiday in Italy in the early 1960s.
"He said 'how you doing, Charlo?' and he said 'I'll give you an exclusive, I'm going back to Leeds.' It was a scoop he was very proud of."
Former editor of the Independent, Simon Kelner, said: "The world has lost a great man. Peter Corrigan, my friend, my mentor, died last night. He truly had bags of swank."
Ian Prior, the Guardian and Observer's current head of sport, tweeted: "RIP Peter Corrigan, former Observer sports ed. A wonderful writer, editor, and mentor to generations of journalists." | Highly-respected sports journalist Peter Corrigan has died aged 80. |
The BBC will broadcast more than 3,000 hours of coverage, including 550 hours of television on BBC One and BBC Four.
BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra will have full coverage of the Olympics (5-21 August) and the Paralympics (7-18 Sept).
Up to 24 live HD video streams will show every moment online.
Fans will also be able to personalise their Rio 2016 experience on the BBC Sport website and in the app.
'My Sport' will enable audiences to follow their favourite sports, signing up for the latest news alerts, setting event reminders and sharing their favourite moments across social media.
Redgrave won rowing gold medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1984 to 2000, while Chris Hoy is the most successful British Olympian of all time with six cycling golds from 2004 to 2012.
"The BBC's coverage of London 2012 was the most watched TV event in UK broadcasting history and we are committed to bringing the same high quality, in-depth coverage to Rio 2016," said Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport.
"The incredible offering across all our platforms will deliver every moment of the Games through a truly interactive, personalised experience while at the same time fully immersing audiences in this iconic sporting event just as we were so proud to do four years ago."
TV and radio coverage starts with the opening ceremony on 5 August, with live action from 12:00 BST until 04:00 every day until the closing ceremony on 21 August.
The BBC Breakfast sofa, which will move into the home of BBC Sport at MediaCityUK during the Games, will offer extended daily highlights from 06:00.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who won 11 Paralympic gold medals, will be part of the Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra team which provides more than 80 hours of live coverage of the Paralympics.
Along with Redgrave and Hoy, American sprinting legend Michael Johnson - winner of four Olympic golds - and some of Britain's most decorated sporting figures will provide expert opinion and insight into the 28 Olympic sports at Rio 2016.
The line-up across radio and TV also includes former Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis, two-time Olympic cycling gold medallist Victoria Pendleton, marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe and England's Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward.
Double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, 2004 sprint relay gold medallist Darren Campbell, three-time world champion gymnast Beth Tweddle and Anthony Joshua, the newly crowned IBF world heavyweight boxing champion, will also be part of the BBC team in Brazil.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Olympic legends Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Chris Hoy will be part of the BBC team offering comprehensive coverage of Rio 2016. |
The man, believed to be in his thirties, suffered neck injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene outside Southwark Park Primary School.
One witness tweeted he saw "a lot of blood" in the area after the accident at Banyard Road at around 11:00 GMT.
A Met Police spokesman said the incident had been referred to the Health and Safety Executive.
Another witness, Charlie Brenland said he saw police cordon off the road, adding: "Witnesses and the police said there had been an accident with a worker on one of the trees.
"Someone there said one of the tree surgeons had an accident with a chainsaw."
Emergency services, including a London Air Ambulance attended the scene shortly after 11:00 GMT but were unable to save the man.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "Sadly, despite the extensive efforts of our crews, a patient died at the scene."
The Metropolitan Police said next of kin had been informed. | A tree surgeon has died after reportedly injuring himself with a chainsaw in south London. |
In Mid Dorset and North Poole, Conservative Michael Tomlinson beat Vikki Slade - a seat which had been held by Lib Dem Annette Brooke.
The Tories held Bournemouth East and West, Christchurch, Dorset West, North and South and Poole.
Tobias Ellwood was re-elected in Bournemouth East.
After the count, which saw the Conservatives cross the finishing line with a 14,612 majority, Mr Ellwood said: "Two Conservative MPs return to Westminster, we're both elated."
He said he aimed to support tourism in the town and would be tackling the "big challenge" of the proposed Navitus Bay wind farm.
The former coalition partners lost 22.5% of their vote in that constituency.
Ms Slade, the Lib Dem candidate who failed to hold on to her party's seat, tweeted: "I am looking for a job! Will consider anything that my skills fit..Please pass to anyone who may be looking!"
Her CV lists dinghy sailing among her interests.
Richard Drax will be returning to Parliament after winning the Dorset South seat with 23,756 votes over Labour's Simon Bowkett's 11,762.
Conor Burns held the seat of Bournemouth West with 20,155 votes and Christopher Chope retained Christchurch for the Conservatives with 28,887.
UKIP came second in both of these constituencies. | The Conservative Party has taken all seats across Dorset, claiming the one Liberal Democrat-held seat in the county. |
The south of Scotland facility shut last year despite a local campaign for its retention.
A report to Dumfries and Galloway Council said the new service was proving of a "high standard".
However, it said changes to IT systems meant "direct performance comparisons" were not possible.
The Dumfries site was the first of a number of control centres across Scotland to be shut as part of plans to modernise the service.
The union Unison described it as a "sad day" for the town and more than 30 staff involved.
A review of its impact has claimed that many figures could not be directly compared between the old service and the new one.
It did find satisfaction levels were "consistently above 90%".
The report also revealed that just nine out of the 34 staff affected now remained with Police Scotland.
It concluded that the public and police officers in Dumfries and Galloway had benefited from the larger operating model and more modern IT systems.
Although it had been a "significant change", the report's verdict was that it had performed "to the satisfaction of the public".
What do you think? Have you phoned the police control room service since the Dumfries site was closed? Has it performed well? Email your thoughts [email protected] | A report has found the police control room service has "performed well" after closing its Dumfries site and moving provision to Glasgow and Motherwell. |
Clarkie and Melanie Killen became the first father and daughter to officiate a senior game in Ireland, according to the North West Cricket Union.
The Drumahoe pair were in charge of Tuesday's game between St Johnston and Ballyspallen in the the Eric Cooke cup.
At the same time, Melanie Killen became the first ever woman umpire of a NWCU match.
"I like the sport, I've always been interested and I just wanted to give something back to it," Ms Killen told BBC Radio Foyle.
"I really hope that me being the first female official will encourage other ladies to come on board.
"The players helped me as well, it was really good to have my dad there just for that extra support."
Her father Clarkie has been umpiring for a while but it was only last winter that Melanie, a keen cricket enthusiast, decided to sit the Level 1 course.
She passed "with flying colours" according to her tutors, and is now looking forward to a bright future in the sport.
"I was nervous at the start, first game, but it went well. Once I got into the match, second innings came round and I got really into the game," Melanie said.
"I had a few decisions to make but I was able to make them easy enough. Everyone was very nice to me, breaking me in gently as they say.
"Also, the abuse I hear umpires get, I don't know if that's going to come my way or not. It's just having to deal with those situations as they arise," she added.
A spokesman for the NWCU said: "We would like to congratulate both umpires and extend a very warm welcome to Melanie in particular.
"In an era when the women's game is growing at a rapid rate it is fantastic to see that participation extended into the officials' ranks as well.
"We hope that Melanie has a long and successful association within the Union and who knows, maybe beyond, and that she serves as an example to other women within the sport." | Cricket appears to run in the blood for one County Londonderry family who have made history twice in one week. |
Connor Farrell gave the visitors the lead before Luke Dorn went over for the hosts in his final game for Castleford.
Solomona ran in his three tries either side of Corey Thompson putting Widnes back into the game.
Ben Crooks, Matt Cook and Paul McShane also scored for the Tigers, Patrick Ah Van, Farrell and Thompson replying.
The treble from Man of Steel nominee Solomona means he has scored 40 tries in the league this term - the most ever scored in a Super League campaign.
Lesley Vainikolo and Danny McGuire jointly held the overall record of 38 tries in a season, both in 2004, however that milestone included play-off matches.
The result means that Castleford finish in fifth place in the Super League while Widnes finish in seventh.
Castleford: Dorn, Flynn, Webster, Minikin, Solomona, Hampshire, Gale, Cook, McShane, Springer, Holmes, Savelio, Milner.
Replacements: Maher, Chase, Crooks, McMeeken.
Widnes: Hanbury, Thompson, Dean, Runciman, Ah Van, Mellor, Gilmore, J Chapelhow, White, Dudson, Whitley, Farrell, Cahill.
Replacements: T Chapelhow, Leuluai, Heremaia, Mauokafoa.
Attendance: 7,103.
Referee: Jack Smith | Denny Solomona broke the record for the most tries scored in a Super League season as his hat-trick helped Castleford beat Widnes. |
Paulo Roberto Costa - who is in jail and being investigated for involvement in the alleged scheme - named a minister, governors and congressmen.
Among them were members of the governing Workers Party and groups which back President Dilma Rousseff.
But the names, published in a magazine, also included rivals of Ms Rousseff.
Many of the names were published in Veja, one of Brazil's leading magazines, just weeks before the presidential election in which Ms Rousseff is running for a second term in office.
Several politicians mentioned have denied involvement.
Mr Costa claimed that politicians received 3% commissions on the values of contracts signed with Petrobras when he was working there from 2004 to 2012.
He alleged that the scheme was used to buy support for the government in congressional votes.
Mr Costa was arrested in 2013. He is now in jail and struck a plea-bargain deal with prosecutors before giving the names.
Ahead of the election, Ms Rousseff's approval ratings have been slipping in opinion polls in favour of her rival, former Environment Minister Marina Silva.
The BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro says the latest allegations could hurt the incumbent further, as during her presidency Petrobras has dramatically underperformed and its costs have risen sharply.
It has become one of the world's most indebted oil companies and lost half of its market value in three years.
The BBC has requested a comment from Petrobras about the latest allegations and is awaiting a response. | An ex-director of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras is reported to have accused more than 40 politicians of involvement in a kickback scheme. |
The 58-year-old, who drew his first game in management with Bournemouth in 1992 on a plastic pitch at Preston, admits that a return to Stoke "could not have been scripted better".
"Players live a different life now," he said. "In a world where they get everything, they've become film stars."
Pulis managed the Potters for 464 matches over two spells and comes up against his old side with them bottom of the early Premier League table.
But the Welshman - who has also managed Crystal Palace in the Premier League - expects current Stoke boss Mark Hughes to steer his side away from trouble.
"You couldn't have scripted it better to be honest, the fact that I'm going back to Stoke," Pulis said.
"It's fantastic. Whichever way the result goes, my 1,000th game will be at Stoke and I had great times there.
"Everything changes so quickly. A couple of games and Stoke could be two-thirds of the way up the table. What you've got to do, and I don't have to tell Mark how to manage, is to keep your feet on the ground. Keep looking ahead, keep pointing ahead and hope that things change.
"They have a very strong squad there and it's a surprise that they are down at the bottom. I'm sure they will get out of it - I just hope that it's not on Saturday that they start."
Pulis first took charge of Bournemouth in the third tier of English football in August 1992, as the first Premier League season got under way.
His big signing that summer was striker Steve Fletcher for £30,000. This summer he broke West Brom's transfer record to spend £13m on Nacer Chadli.
He has been in charge for 277 Premier League games, 282 in the second tier, 258 in the third and 46 in the fourth.
Pulis has also won games in the FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Trophy and the Europa League.
"I could sit here all afternoon and talk about what has changed," Pulis said.
"Human beings have changed, the world has changed. Professional football, especially the Premier League, is no reflection on real life to me now.
"I would never have changed apprentices coming in and doing apprenticeships and realising how fortunate they are, even to be apprentices, never mind make the professional grade. But we can't change life - you have to move with the times.
"Everybody wants change now. If you don't like a programme straight away you can turn it over. Years ago we had ITV and BBC and that was it. You were stuck with it. Today there are a million channels.
"People are like that. You have a brand new phone, two months later a new one comes out and the lads are queuing up for it. I've had my phone for about 30 years and I still can't use it properly.
"But I still love the game. I have been very, very lucky. I have been blessed really. I understand how lucky I have been."
Never want to miss the latest West Brom news? You can now add the Baggies and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home. | West Brom boss Tony Pulis will take charge of his 1,000th game as a manager at former club Stoke on Saturday and says that one of the biggest changes during his career has been footballers becoming "film stars". |
The six girls were taking part in the FIRST Global Challenge competition, which took place across three days and saw 158 nations compete against each other.
They took home a silver medal for courageous achievement, which was awarded to teams "that exhibit a can-do attitude throughout the challenge, even under difficult circumstances, or when things do not go as planned".
According to the New York Times, the team's mentor Alireza Mehraban said: "We are simple people with ideas. We need a chance to make our world better. This is our chance."
A visa is a special permission that you get in your passport which you sometimes need in order to enter or stay in a country for a certain period of time
Their story made the news because, at first, they weren't going to be allowed to go to the competition because of visa problems.
They were told twice that they weren't allowed to enter the country so wouldn't have been able to take part.
However, US President Donald Trump stepped in at the last minute and the girls were able to travel to the US and participate.
The competition - which hopes to inspire young people to want careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths - will take place in Mexico City next year. | A team of girls from Afghanistan has won a special award at an international robotics competition in Washington in the US. |
Kevin McKell, from Dundee, had returned from a visit to Bavaria when his suitcase set off alarms going through an X-Ray machine.
McKell, 31. told security staff that he had a knuckle duster and a knife.
But a check revealed three CS gas canisters, seven knives and 10 knuckledusters.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that the items were "readily available" in Bavaria and that McKell was bringing them back for friends.
McKell admitted possessing the weapons without reasonable excuse or lawful authority at Edinburgh Airport on 1 June last year. | A man caught at Edinburgh Airport with knives, knuckledusters and CS gas canisters in his luggage has been jailed for three years. |
The homes are planned to be for social or mid-market rent and it is hoped they will all be completed by 2021.
Glasgow City Council's executive committee also approved £20m to improve existing housing.
Of this, £14m was announced last month as part of scheme to upgrade homes and make them available for social renting.
The £34m four-year improvement and repair scheme is also being funded with £20m from the Scottish government.
The funding to build homes is to be channelled through housing associations over the next four years.
Eight sites in the area have been identified for development.
As part of the strategy, Govanhill Housing Association has also committed £3.7m to new housing and repairs for the duration of the four year period.
Overall this means there are plans to invest more than £44m in housing in Govanhill over the next four years.
Councillor George Redmond: "This is an impressive document and points to the way ahead in Govanhill."
"Significant sums are being invested in Govanhill and it is great news that part of that money will go towards new housing.
"The council has been working exceptionally hard to turn things around in Govanhill and we are starting to see real progress being made."
He said that while the council was keen to work with all property owners in Govanhill, he warned the council would use power of compulsory purchase against those who refused to get on board with the plans. | About 350 homes are to be built in the Govanhill area of Glasgow under a £6.4m council initiative to help "turn the area around". |
Communities across Wales were hit by Sunday's deluge and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they received 30 calls.
In Wrexham, homes and streets were hit in Llay, Rossett and Gresford.
Residents in at least four properties on Llay New Road are being rehoused while repairs are carried out.
Brother and sister Peter and Mandy Jones spent Monday surveying the damage at their father's home.
He is being rehoused for the next several months until repair work is completed.
They described the situation as "distressing" saying cars passing through Sunday's floodwater sent waves of water into their father's home on Llay New Road.
Wrexham council said it was assisting tenants at five council houses in Llay and two in Rossett and knew of other private homes affected by the floods.
In Pembrokeshire residents described an "ocean of water" after a river burst its banks near homes in Narberth.
And in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, five people were rescued by boat after their car was submerged in flood water. | The clean-up operation is continuing in Wrexham after heavy rain caused flooding. |
Several first-team regulars, including captain David Gray, are out of contract this summer.
"In terms of all the players out of contract, they've all been offered deals," Lennon told BBC Scotland.
"The majority of them seem pretty happy with them, there might be one or two want a bit of tweaking here and there."
Hibs secured the Championship on Saturday after beating Queen of the South.
Gray, fellow defenders Darren McGregor, Lewis Stevenson and Liam Fontaine, midfielders Marvin Bartley and Fraser Fyvie, winger Chris Humphrey, forwards Martin Boyle, Grant Holt and James Keatings and goalkeepers Ross Laidlaw and Scott Gallacher are among those coming to the end of their current deals.
"The majority of the players are enjoying what they're doing here and the success that they've had over the last 18 months so I'd be surprised if there was a big exodus," former Celtic and Bolton boss Lennon said on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.
"Maybe one or two might move on for personal reasons but I think for footballing reasons, the majority of them will stay on."
The Easter Road side will face Derek McInnes's Aberdeen in Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final, with Lennon's predecessor Alan Stubbs having led Hibs to their first Scottish Cup trophy win in 114 years with victory over Rangers in last year's final.
Hibs beat Edinburgh rivals Hearts in a replay earlier in the competition and Lennon added: "We've kept some of our best performances for the cup run so far and now we're back at Hampden.
"It's going to be a big crowd, against a class side, really good manager in charge so we know how difficult it's going to be but the pressure's off as far as we're concerned.
"The only thing the players want to do is defend the trophy as best they can now and if you're going to win it, you have to beat what's put in front of you and the next obstacle's a big one in Aberdeen.
"I've got a good core of the squad who are more than capable of playing in the Premier League. They proved that with the cup runs last year, they made two finals and won one and now we're in a semi-final as well having beaten the biggest rivals very convincingly over two games." | Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon hopes to keep the bulk of his squad together after winning promotion to the Scottish Premiership. |
Author and academic Sir Anthony Seldon says China's strict schooling style needs to change or its youngsters will suffer, along with its economy.
Chinese schools, often criticised for rote and repetitive learning, should be more holistic, says Sir Anthony.
The comments come during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK.
In a speech at the Institute of Education on Wednesday, the president seemed to take on board some of these notions.
He said, after watching a BBC programme recreating a Chinese school in England, he had realised that "the British have learned the virtues of strict discipline" from China.
The Chinese, meanwhile, had been learning the advantages of recreation, he added.
"Chinese children do not play enough. They should play more," Mr Xi said.
The school day in China's state schools starts at 7am with various physical exercises.
Amongst other daily constitutionals, such as Tai Chi, pupils are encouraged to massage their eyes to keep them healthy and get them ready for the day.
The children have two meal breaks in the 12-hour school day and will exercise together every day - sometimes twice a day.
The teaching style is focused on note-taking and repetition, otherwise known as rote learning.
This is a great contrast to England's more interactive teaching style, where pupils are encouraged to participate in class and make judgments for themselves.
The Chinese believe children learn faster and better by rote learning
Chinese children live under the One Child Policy and feel the weight of responsibility on their shoulders, so there is great importance placed on their educational achievements.
Good exam results are associated with social status and success and entire families can pin all their hopes on the single child.
Chinese pupils learn the same subjects as English school children in the main, but are combined with practical work experience around the school campus, as well as Chinese culture, morality and ethics.
One feature of Chinese schools that England's teachers may welcome is that the pupils almost always are required to clean their own classrooms.
China's schools educate an estimated 192,000,000 children - a fifth of the world's school age children.
In a speech in Shanghai on Friday, Sir Anthony, now vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said: "China has some of the top schools in the world and is leading the way with maths and science."
Indeed Shanghai and Hong Kong are among the top performing districts in the world, according to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development.
Sir Anthony added: "It is the 'human' skills that cannot be replaced by computers that Chinese schools and schools worldwide need to be giving far greater focus.
"Many schools are robbing the young of the opportunity to blossom into the unique individuals that they are because too many teachers think that solely cramming pupils' heads full of facts is education.
"Many education systems focus on exams being the sole validators of school, but recent research suggests that jobs with a big growth in salary have been those that require a high degree of social skills," he adds.
Sir Anthony, former master of leading private school Wellington College, is a great advocate of protecting and enhancing pupils' well-being in order to maximise their potential to learn and express themselves confidently.
Like many private schools, Wellington College has an international school in China, where it offers a traditional English public school education. | China's education system is robbing its young people of the chance to become unique individuals, a leading educationalist says. |
Sixty seasonal workers have had their contracts terminated early and eight permanent staff have been made redundant at Surf Snowdonia in Dolgarrog, Conwy Valley.
The lagoon, which generates a man-made wave using new technology, suffered its third fault last week since it opened at the end of July.
Bosses have apologised to customers.
The lagoon was filled with more than six million gallons (33,000 cubic metres) of filtered rainwater for its opening but a fault led to it being emptied in August.
It was also shut for five days earlier in September due to a tear in the lagoon liner.
The latest fault is due to a "serious failure" of the main drive mechanism of the wave generating machinery which could take three months to repair.
Martin Ainscough, chairman of the Ainscough Group which owns Surf Snowdonia, said: "This is a very disappointing day for us all at Surf Snowdonia, and we know it's especially difficult for our excellent staff and for all of the people who have booked to come surfing with us.
"During the winter closure period we will be making further investment in order to improve the surf lagoon and broaden our offer.
"Surf Snowdonia was always intended as a long term investment in our group and our extra investment over the winter will prove our absolute commitment to make Surf Snowdonia a success."
The attraction received £4m of Welsh government funding in 2014.
A Welsh government spokesman said: "We share the disappointment of the team at Surf Snowdonia, their customers and staff.
"This innovative attraction has proved so popular since its launch and we welcome the further investment over coming winter months and are assured the attraction will return even bigger and better in time for the 2016 season."
The facility is due to reopen next spring. | A new surf lagoon in north Wales has shut eight weeks early for the winter due to mechanical issues, bosses said. |
Muzaffer Ali, 39, from Maidenhall Road in Luton, Bedfordshire had denied importing prohibited weapons.
Judge Jonathan Carroll told St Alban's Crown Court the weapons were to be used for "terrorising, intimidating and causing serious injury and death".
Four other men were also jailed for their part in the gun smuggling.
The court heard the men brought two shipments into the UK in February and September 2016, unaware they were under police surveillance.
Ali sourced the weapons from criminals in Amsterdam while other members of the gang provided security, delivered the firearms and collected money, the jury was told.
In May 2016, two gang members were stopped at the UK border at Coquelles in France and a search discovered firearms hidden behind the dashboard.
The court was shown evidence from mobile phones, automatic recognition data and police surveillance, gathered in an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operation Unit.
Ali was found guilty of conspiracy to evade the prohibition on the importation of a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to evade the prohibition of the importation of ammunition.
He was told he must serve a minimum of 11 years before he can be considered for parole.
The judge described him as "a dominating bully" who had never had a legitimate income and had an "utter disregard" for the effects the weapons would have when used by criminals.
Ali's three "lieutenants" were found guilty of the same charges.
His older brother Khalid Hussain, 49, of Maidenhall Road in Luton was sentenced to 19 years, as was Haroon Khatab, 41, of Jasmine Road in Luton.
Sajid Khan, 25, of Manx Close, Luton was sentenced to 18 years.
Ali and Khan were also convicted of transferring a prohibited weapon and transferring ammunition.
A fourth man, Faisal Mahmood, 20, of Maidenhall Road in Luton pleaded guilty to importing guns and ammunition and was sentenced to seven years and 10 months. | A "dominating bully" who led a gang which smuggled a machine gun, semi-automatic handguns and ammunition into the UK has been jailed for life. |
The 48-year-old ex-Oxford manager has guided the Cobblers to promotion from League Two this season, after a series of financial problems at the club.
Wilder is currently on a one-year rolling contract with the League Two side.
Jimmy Phillips has been in charge of Bolton since Neil Lennon left in March but could not prevent relegation.
Wanderers chairman Ken Anderson said on Monday that the club had a shortlist of three managers from applications they had received and hoped to make an appointment soon.
The Championship's bottom side have also confirmed that assistant manager Steve Walford and first-team coach Garry Parker have left the club. | Northampton's Chris Wilder is Bolton's preferred choice to be their next manager, BBC Radio Manchester reports. |
The cessation comes despite attempts to rescue the route in a £9m emergency deal, mostly from Stormont.
Economy Minister Simon Hamilton had previously said the rescue package was crucial to attracted US-inward investment for Northern Ireland.
A United Airlines statement said: 'We have regretfully taken this decision because of the route's poor financial performance."
The ruling by the European Commission to block the funding package to protect Northern Ireland's one and only scheduled trans-Atlantic service defies logic and is an example of "abysmal Brussels decision-making".
Managing Director Graham Keddie said: "You could hardly get a worse example of process-driven madness.
"This is a vital link for business and losing it will be a body blow to executive ministers who use it to promote Northern Ireland to would-be investors from the United States.
"This is a bad day for the executive and a bad day for Northern Ireland."
"The executive did the right thing with its bid to save this key route. There was a risk to the flight and we stepped in to save it. Faced with the same circumstances again, I would make the same decisions. All public money has been recouped with interest and we retained the route for a longer period.
"Our decision to support the route was praised by many and, had we not have made an effort to save the United flight, we would have been rightly criticised.
"We were always aware of the potential of an issue around state aid compliance, but given the tight timescale to put a package of support in place, approval by the European Commission could not be sought in advance of agreeing a deal with United."
"This is an international embarrassment.
"This is a huge blow to our international standing and the minister must tell us what he intends to do to sort it out."
"Awarding a £9m subsidy for a global corporation, which makes billions every year, against the advice of senior civil service officials and against state aid rules, was a dangerous commitment of resources at a time of already stretched budgets.
"The gamble taken by the executive has spectacularly crash landed and there are now very serious questions for the economy minister to answer.
"We need to know what communication the minister had with the European Commission before and after he issued a ministerial direction, ignoring the advice of senior civil servants.
"Additionally, Simon Hamilton must outline how much public money has been spent advertising the route since the direction was issued."
Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said the decision by United Airlines to halt its Belfast to Newark route is a serious blow to Northern Ireland, in economic and social terms.
He said: "To lose our only direct air route from Northern Ireland to the United States will have a serious impact on our business community as well as local people using it to visit family or for holidays. Coming just weeks after United was offered £9 million to keep the route open after they threatened to pull it is a slap in the face to our Executive.
"We now learn that the funding was blocked by the EU Commission and I am calling on the Executive to explain what discussions were held with the Commission before the announcement, which was made with great fanfare. Is this another case of the Executive seeking good news headlines without adequate preparation? Did they even bother to check if this funding could break EU rules? It looks like the Executive and the Department for the Economy have let us down again.
"I have consistently challenged the Minister for Economy to reveal the evidence that he used in deciding to allocate this money to United Airlines in the first place. Every time he has been unable to give a satisfactory answer.
"Now that he has also been knocked back by the European Union, it is evident that he didn't even bother to check whether he was allowed to do it, let alone complete an economic appraisal for it.
"Maybe, in future, the minister will consider the need for proper due process to ensure that money is being spent on things that it can actually be spent on, and that will actually have a benefit to society as a whole."
"I was against this subsidy being given to United in the first place.
"There are better uses for the £9m, especially when we are always being told that money's too tight to mention for a lot of departments.
"There was never a guarantee. If the European Commission had not put a stop to it (the deal), there was no guarantee United was going to preserve the route anyway." | Politicians and businesses have been reacting to United Airlines ending their flights from Belfast to Newark Airport. |
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So for the players of Hawk Green 1st XI from Marple, it might have been something of a dream to have a bowl at Michael Vaughan or face a Devon Malcolm delivery.
But on a sunny evening in Cheshire, Vaughan, joined by an England legends team including Malcolm, Neil Fairbrother and Adam Hollioake amongst others, turned out to take on Hawk Green's finest on their own turf.
Having done a coaching session with the club's youngsters and a Q&A session the England Legends were put into bat first in this Twenty20 encounter, one of three matches the legends have scheduled in order to raise funds for grass roots cricket.
Vaughan fell for 17 as the home side made an encouraging start with the ball but the form of Mal Loye, who top-scored for England Legends with 117, ensured the visitors set a tough mark of 194.
It was a target which, despite Justin Blackhurst's impressive 88, proved to be too much for the Derbyshire and Cheshire League outfit, who could only make 165 in 20 overs to leave the legends once again victorious. Scorecard.
To find out how you can get involved in cricket go to our pages. | They have graced the finest cricket stadia all over the world, played for England against the greatest players and come out on top. |
Sgt Louise Lucas, 41, was airlifted to hospital but later died. Her daughter Olivia, eight, was also injured in the incident on The Kingsway on 31 March.
Her family described her as "an outgoing, hard working and loving person."
A coroner has called on Swansea council to address safety concerns on the road.
In a tribute they wrote: "Our family is absolutely devastated at the tragic accident, which took Louise from us all last week.
"We've lost a beautiful loving wife, mum, daughter and sister who will never be forgotten.
"Louise was an outgoing, hard working and loving person. An incredible hole has been left in our family which can never be filled."
The family thanked staff at Swansea's Morriston hospital who treated the mother-of-three and her daughter.
They also paid tribute to police, members of the public and staff from the Principality building society who looked after Olivia after the incident.
After the crash, Swansea council said it would install temporary barriers along the central reservation of the road.
It has already dropped the speed limit to 20mph following concerns from residents that the road was unsafe.
In a letter to the council, Swansea's acting senior coroner Colin Phillips said the road had a "serious design issue", which "must be addressed".
Mr Phillips issued the report as part of his investigation into the death of Daniel Foss, 37, who died after being hit by a bus on The Kingsway in September 2013. | The family of an off-duty police officer who died after being hit by a bus in Swansea say her death has left a hole that can never be filled. |
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has also warned Devonport in Plymouth might need enhanced monitoring until 2020 unless improvements are made.
Special measures, including monthly inspections, were predicted to last two years when first imposed in 2013.
Babcock, which carries out the refitting for the Ministry of Defence, said safety was its "highest priority".
The ONR said its "enhanced regulatory attention" meant the once-a-month inspections of HMNB Devonport had "more effort and managerial attention".
Its latest annual report blames safety concerns on "ageing facilities" and "increasing demands" as well as "stretched resources" for an unscheduled refuelling of HMS Vanguard later this year.
Last December, Babcock was warned of legal action after a worker received a dose of radiation amid a series of safety breaches.
ONR - KEY REPORT POINTS ON DEVONPORT DOCKYARD
When Devonport was first placed under special measures in 2013, the ONR said the base was "expected to receive enhanced regulatory attention for around two years, as we anticipate the issues to be resolved during that time".
It added with "sustained commitment over the next three to five years", Devonport "has the potential to move to a routine attention position".
Peter Burt, of the Nuclear Information Service, said: "The nuclear safety improvements required at Devonport have not been completed within the expected two year timescale, and we will apparently have to wait for several more years before the situation improves.
"Babcock is clearly unable to deliver the improvements it is being paid to complete. It is time for the MoD to cancel the current management contract for the dockyard and bring the site under the control of a new, competent management team."
Source: MoD
Babcock said in a statement: "The continued safety of our operations at Devonport remains the highest priority.
"We have developed a comprehensive long term safety improvement programme to address the points raised by ONR. That work is progressing to plan and has the full visibility of the regulators."
The Ministry of Defence said: "Safety at HM Naval Base Devonport, as with all Ministry of Defence sites, is of paramount importance.
"The MoD supports Babcock's commitment to address the issues raised in the report, and we continue to work together to deliver the necessary investments at Devonport, which includes a site-wide nuclear safety programme with sustained commitment over the coming years." | The UK's nuclear submarine refit base is to remain in special measures amid safety concerns. |
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The events - at Chatsworth House and Windsor Great park - are aimed at a wide audience, says Ennis- Hill; "mum's with the buggies, families, serious runners and people who have never put on trainers before."
"I've seen the benefits you have from being active and being healthy," she adds.
"So for me it's about communicating my experiences about keeping fit with the general public - to help people take those first steps to being more active than they already are and finding a way into sport."
Find out how anyone can get involved with just about any sport with our special guides. | Jessica Ennis-Hill wants to help people be more active and find a way into sport - starting with two fun days combining music and running. |
After no play was possible on the first day, Stevens led Kent to 389-7 after Essex's decision to bowl first.
They had slipped to 208-6 with Essex seamer Matt Dixon taking two wickets in two balls with figures of 4-89.
But Stevens shared a partnership of 108 with James Tredwell (39) and completed his 31st first-class ton in the final over of the day at Canterbury.
It was an unflappable display from the 40-year-old, who was patient at first but then showed all his attacking prowess, at one point adding 26 in the space of nine balls faced.
When Tredwell was lbw to Dixon, Stevens added an unbroken 73 with Matt Coles, giving Kent four bonus points and leaving them only two short of guaranteeing second place.
The score at stumps was probably a fair reflection on the way Essex bowled - a one-paced attack short of a front-line spinner.
Joe Denly (74) and Sam Northeast (56) shared 109 for the third wicket, taking advantage as Essex often over-pitched.
Dixon, on his return to the first team, was the pick of the attack as he swung the ball at decent pace, removing Denly and Will Gidman in successive deliveries after Ravi Bopara trapped Sam Billings lbw.
The mini-collapse from 204-3 to 208-6 had Essex in the game, only for Stevens to take it away from them. But what is now a three-day match will be difficult for either side to win. | Darren Stevens' unbeaten 107 gave Kent the upper hand on day two of their game against Division Two champions Essex. |
Takayuki Tanooka, 44, and his wife briefly left Yamato Tanooka by the side of the road on the northern island of Hokkaido on 28 May as punishment.
When they came back he was gone. A huge search was launched and the boy was found at a military base on Friday.
Yamato was taken to hospital but was discharged on Tuesday.
The case sparked a debate in Japan about parenting.
Mr Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in an interview aired on Monday: "I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'."
"And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you'."
The boy was found on Friday morning in a hut on a military drill field, some 5.5km (3.4 miles) from where he was left as a punishment for throwing stones at people and cars.
He said he had lost his sense of direction from crying and walked for about five hours before arriving at the building where he was found, according to The Mainichi newspaper.
He slept between two mattresses and "met no-one".
He said he drank water from a tap at the facility but ate nothing for six days, the newspaper said.
When found, Yamato was lightly dehydrated, malnourished and had scrapes on his arms and legs but was said to be otherwise in good health.
Police have said they will not be pressing charges against the parents, local media reported. | The father of a seven-year-old Japanese boy who was found alive after six nights alone in a dense forest says his son has forgiven him. |
Mr Trump called off a rally on Friday night in Chicago after clashes between protesters and supporters.
The Republican who has won a string of primary contests has blamed the supporters of Democrat Bernie Sanders and denied responsibility for the violence. On Sunday, he said his campaign is "not provoking" and "wants peace".
He said no one gets hurt at his "love-fest" rallies.
A Quinnipiac University poll shows that Mr Trump is leading the way in Florida and tied with Ohio Governor John Kasich in Ohio ahead of crucial state primaries on Tuesday.
Here's what people are saying about Mr Trump and the violence at his rallies:
What Trump says about protesters at his rallies
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders: Called Mr Trump a "pathological liar" after he said he had sent protesters to disrupt his rallies.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio: Said it is "harder every day to justify" backing Mr Trump should he win the Republican nomination and said conservatism is not about "how angry can you get, how offensive you can be, how loud you can speak".
Ohio Governor John Kasich: Asked his staff to make a list of Mr Trump's quotes promoting violence at his rallies and that Mr Trump's "toxic" tone makes it even more important for him to win his home state in the primary election on Tuesday.
Senator Ted Cruz: Said that the culture of violence is Mr Trump's fault, telling reporters that "any candidate is responsible for the culture of the campaign".
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio: Tweeted that there is no question Mr Trump a racist.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton: Said Mr Trump's campaign consists of "hate" and "fear".
President Barack Obama: Said over the weekend: "Our leaders - those who aspire to be our leaders - should be trying to bring us together and not turning us against one another and speak out against violence and reject efforts to spread fear or turn us against one another. And if they refuse to do that, they don't deserve our support."
House Speaker Paul Ryan: Said the violence at Mr Trump's rallies is "very concerning" and that candidates must take "responsibility for the environment" at their events
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Republican candidate: Told NBC's Today programme that the violence could get worse, placing blame on the protesters, saying "I think certainly if the protesters continue with their... tactics, there is a real possibility of escalation".
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee: Defended Mr Trump, condemning the Chicago protesters. "I think it's ridiculous to blame Trump for a bunch of thugs out on the street," he told the Huffington Post.
Conservative pundit Ann Coulter:Tweeted that "left-wing fascists violently shut down a peaceful Trump rally last night & Cruz + the entire media took the animals' side" | Presidential candidates for the 2016 race and other politicians are speaking out against Donald Trump after a string of violence at his rallies. |
Subhan Shafiq stepped down as Milton Keynes mayor after describing the man as being of "good current character".
This helped the driver, Mr Shafiq's friend, to get a taxi driver's licence.
Milton Keynes Council leader Peter Marland said Mr Shafiq should examine his conscience over whether he could even continue as a councillor.
Mr Marland, Labour leader of the council, said: "He resigned to protect the reputation of the council but I think it is very difficult for him to remain and keep the trust of the public after advocating for someone who has been convicted of rape.
"He must examine his own conscience on this."
Mr Shafiq, a Liberal Democrat, had described his "friend", who had been convicted of four sexual assaults, as being of "good current character".
But earlier this month a member of the public raised concerns about the driver and his licence was revoked.
The council claimed it had "taken rapid steps" to keep passengers safe.
Mr Shafiq said in a previous statement he had resigned as mayor "with deep regret".
The driver had been issued with a licence in September 2011, despite councillors knowing of his four convictions, for which he had served a "substantial" custodial sentence.
He had received a "very strong" character reference from Mr Shafiq, who became mayor in June.
The driver's convictions were discussed again in 2012 and his licence was temporarily suspended, but this ban was later "inexplicably" lifted, the council said.
Seven other drivers who give the council "cause for concern" have been identified as part of a detailed review of licence holders. | A mayor who resigned after a taxi driver he vouched for was found to have a rape conviction has been urged to leave the council altogether. |
"This film will help bridge the gap between people of the Indian mainland and those from the north-eastern states," Mary Kom told the BBC.
The five-time world champion is from the remote northeast state of Manipur.
Bhansali, who has been planning the film for a year, described the boxer as an "inspiration to every Indian woman".
"I am very impressed with the way Mary Kom is leading her life with so much conviction and courage. We'll start working on the film very soon. I haven't decided on who will play her role," Bhansali told the BBC.
Recently, thousands of north-eastern people fled the Indian cities of Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad fearing reprisal attacks in the wake of ethnic clashes between Bodo tribes and Muslims in the north-eastern state of Assam.
The boxer says she has been worried about her relatives and friends living in Bangalore and "could not properly sleep at night when this exodus was taking place".
The mother of twin boys feels that Bhansali's film on her will help clear the air because "our people look different but they are Indians. We have the same passions when the country is involved".
Bhansali's assistant Omung Kumar, who researched Mary Kom's life and wrote the script, will direct the film.
But will it be possible to screen the movie in the boxer's home state Manipur, where separatist rebels have imposed a ban on Bollywood films?
"I hope nobody will object to a film if it centres on my life story, my struggles to become a boxer," Mary Kom said.
India's thriving film industry has rarely picked on themes from the country's long-embattled north-eastern states and the few films that have been made have focused on the separatist insurgencies and India's counter-insurgency efforts in the region. | Indian Olympics bronze medallist, boxer MC Mary Kom, has welcomed a film that Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants to make on her life. |
One of the uprising's leaders said the soldiers were "ready to fight" if attacked.
Sergeant Seydou Koné said they did not want to negotiate with anyone, according to Reuters news agency.
The unrest began after a spokesman for the soldiers announced on Thursday that they had dropped their pay demands.
In January, they forced the government into paying them about $8,000 (£6,200) each in bonuses to end a rebellion. They were due to receive a further payment this month and about 8,000 mutineers are unhappy that they were not consulted ahead of Thursday's televised announcement.
Three former rebels from the country's civil war era were wounded on Saturday after the mutinous soldiers opened fire in Bouaké to stop them staging their own protest, Sergeant Koné said.
There have also been reports of injuries after shooting in the northern city of Korhogo.
The military chief of staff, General Sékou Touré, had threatened "severe disciplinary sanctions" on Friday if the uprising did not end. Shops are closed and soldiers are patrolling and firing in the air in Bouaké, residents said.
The mutineers have also taken control of the city of Odienne, in the north, reports say.
On Friday, shots were fired in the air at military bases in Abidjan, Bondoukou in the east, Bouaké in the centre, and Korhogo. It is believed the mutineers were firing blanks.
In response, elite Republican Guard troops in Abidjan fired warning shots that pushed the mutineers back inside the military headquarters compound in Abidjan, Reuters reported. The situation in the city on Saturday was said to be calm.
Reacting to the spreading unrest, President Alassane Ouattara held an emergency meeting of the country's security council.
The mutiny has raised fears of a resurgence of the violence seen during Ivory Coast's 10-year civil war, which ended in 2011.
Many of the mutineers in January were thought to be former rebels who joined the army after the conflict. | Angry soldiers have blocked off access to Bouaké, the second largest city in the Ivory Coast, as a revolt over a pay dispute continues. |
Temperton died in London last week at the age of 66 after "a brief aggressive battle with cancer", Jon Platt of Warner/Chappell music publishing said.
Temperton's other hits included Off The Wall and Baby Be Mine for Jackson and Boogie Nights for his band Heatwave.
Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers was among those paying tribute, tweeting: "Your genius gave us a funkier world!"
Michael Jackson's sister LaToya wrote: "A brilliant prolific #songwriter Rod Temperton may you #RIP one of my favorite #songs Rock With You #Thriller #legend #Music #MichaelJackson"
Producer and DJ Mark Ronson wrote: "So devastated to hear that Rod Temperton has passed away. a wonderful man & one of my favourite songwriters ever. thank you for the magic x"
Temperton, whose private funeral has taken place, was nicknamed The Invisible Man because of his low profile.
Born in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, Temperton traced his songwriting ability back to his father's influence.
"My father wasn't the kind of person who would read you a story before you went off to sleep," he once said.
"He used to put a transistor radio in the crib and I would go to sleep listening to Radio Luxembourg, and I think somehow that had an influence."
In the 1970s, after a spell working in a frozen food factory in Grimsby, he answered an advert in Melody Maker magazine for a keyboardist.
The band he joined was disco group Heatwave, and his songs like Boogie Nights, Always & Forever and Groove Line became big hits for the band in the 1970s.
By the time he left the band in 1978, his tunes had caught the attention of producer Quincy Jones, who was looking for songwriters for a new Michael Jackson LP.
Temperton penned three songs for Off The Wall, which became Jackson's breakthrough solo album - the title track, Rock With You and Burn This Disco Out.
He went on to write three more for follow-up Thriller - the title track, which became one of Jackson's signature smashes, plus Baby Be Mine and The Lady in My Life.
They helped make Thriller the best-selling album of all time in the US, with 32 million copies sold.
His tunes have also been recorded by artists including Anita Baker, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin and The Brothers Johnson.
Temperton won a Grammy Award in 1990 for his work on Birdland, from Quincy Jones's album Back on the Block.
He was nominated for two Oscars in 1986 for his work with Jones on the soundtrack for The Color Purple.
He once summed up his approach to songwriting: "The first criteria is write something you love first, and once you feel those hairs standing up on the back of your hand, you can go to the world."
In a statement released on Wednesday, Warner/Chappell's Jon Platt said: "His family is devastated and request total privacy at this, the saddest of sad times."
Vocalist Chaka Khan, who recorded Temperton's tracks with the funk band Rufus, paid tribute, writing on Twitter: "Thank u 4 your superlative songwriting @RodTemperton. U will always Live in Me. Rest in power."
BBC radio presenter Gilles Peterson wrote: "Apart from Lennon and McCartney no one from the UK has written more gold plated songs than Sir Rod Temperton... a huge loss. RIP"
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Rod Temperton, the British songwriter best known for Michael Jackson's Thriller and Rock With You, has died. |
The 33-year-old, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, was a free agent after leaving Galatasaray at the end of last season.
The former Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan has signed a one-year deal, the club said.
Sneijder played in the 2010 World Cup final for the Netherlands and has won league titles in four countries.
Nice finished third in Ligue 1 last season and face a two-legged play-off against Napoli later this month to qualify for the Champions League group stages.
On Saturday they lost their opening league match of the season 1-0 to Saint-Etienne. | Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder has joined French Ligue 1 side Nice on a free transfer. |
Arthur Cory, 49, said the flag had been kept in a cupboard at Penllyn Castle near Cowbridge, since he was a boy.
The flag, one of only three surviving from the battle, is expected to fetch up to £50,000 at auction.
It is said to have flown above Nelson's warship HMS Leviathan.
The flag's "most probable" route to Penllyn Castle was through Mr Cory's ancestor Nicholas Cory, a rear admiral on William IV's Royal George yacht, the auction house said.
Roland Elworthy, senior valuer at Holt's Auctioneers, said he had "no doubt as to the flag's provenance". | A man from the Vale of Glamorgan is selling a rare union jack flag, said to have been flown at the Battle of Trafalgar. |
The 29-year-old forward has signed what the Red Devils describe as a "long-term contract" at the AJ Bell Stadium.
McCarthy has previously played in Super League with Hull KR and Warrington, helping Wolves win the Challenge Cup.
"Tyrone is a really big signing for us. He is a bloke that leads with his actions," said head coach Ian Watson.
"Not only will he bring ability and experience to the side, but also leadership.
"His attitude and commitment to play for his team-mates is first class and that is exactly what we need at this stage of the season."
McCarthy, who has 12 international caps and played for his country at the 2013 World Cup, will be available for the Super 8s phase of the season, with Salford sitting third in Super League with one round of the regular season remaining. | Salford have signed Ireland international Tyrone McCarthy from Australian NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons with immediate effect. |
The camera on a 30mph limit junction of Newport Road is catching an average of 71 speeding drivers every day.
A survey last year found a camera on the M60 in Greater Manchester caught about 26 speeding drivers per day.
The GoSafe partnership, which runs the Cardiff camera, said 99.5% of drivers at the site met the speed limit.
It said: "Motorists should comply with the relevant speed limit, which is there for a reason."
The body also insisted that placing cameras at a location was always "a last resort".
"The revenue from speeding fines is returned back to the government and not the partnership," said Chris Hume from GoSafe.
"There is a simple message - cameras are in place to save lives not to make money."
The camera was installed in 2012, but only went into fully commissioned operation earlier this year.
It has now notched up a staggering 13,624 penalty notices for speeding - and a further 146 drivers were caught for red-light offences. | A speed camera in Cardiff is the busiest in Britain - catching almost three times as many drivers each day as one on a busy Manchester motorway. |
It may be their signature pose, but how and why the birds perch on one limb has been a longstanding puzzle.
Now, a team from the US has shown that flamingos employ no active muscular effort when they're unipedal, meaning they are also expending less energy.
A passive mechanism is engaged in the one-legged position, allowing flamingos to stand proud while having a doze.
Previously, researchers had wondered whether the one-legged position might help reduce muscle fatigue, as the birds alternated from standing on one leg to the other.
Other teams have proposed that this behaviour helps regulate body temperature.
Now, Prof Young-Hui Chang, from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, and Lena H Ting, of Atlanta's Emory University, have uncovered the mechanical secrets behind this impressive trick.
The researchers conducted several experiments with both live and dead birds. Amazingly, they found that flamingo cadavers could be made to stand one-legged without any external support.
In a paper published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, they describe this phenomenon as a "passive gravitational stay mechanism".
"If you look at the bird from the front, while they're standing on one leg, the foot is directly beneath the body which means that their leg is angled inward. That's the pose you have to strike in order to engage the stay mechanism," Prof Chang told BBC News.
However, dead birds cannot stand unsupported on two legs, suggesting a greater role for active muscle force in this posture: "If you tilt it to the vertical, like you would if you were standing on two legs, the whole thing disengages," said the director of the Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory at Georgia Tech.
The researchers also studied live birds, and showed that when they were standing one-legged and resting, they hardly moved at all - underlining the stability of this passive position. However, the birds did sway somewhat when the one-legged posture was combined with an activity, such as grooming or calling out.
Prof Chang said the underlying anatomical apparatus that enables the passive posture was not yet understood - this is the next step in the team's research. But he explained that the phenomenon did not involve the limb joints locking.
"A lock would imply that it's fixed in both directions. What we found is that it's fixed in one direction, but flexible in the other direction, so we call it a 'stay' rather than a 'lock'. It's more akin to a doorstop," he told me.
Dr Matthew Anderson, an experimental psychologist who specialises in animal behaviour at St Joseph's University in Philadelphia, described the team's results as a "significant step forward".
The researcher, who was not involved with the latest study, added: "They begin to answer the question of how flamingos are able to rest on one leg. Importantly, these authors do not examine when and where flamingos actually utilise the behaviour in question, and thus this paper does not really address the issue of why flamingos rest while on one leg."
Dr Anderson's own research suggests that the birds adopt the unusual posture in order to conserve heat. Among other things, his team found that the number of birds resting on one leg falls as temperatures rise.
"Providing evidence of the mechanism that supports/allows for the behaviour to occur does not necessarily provide insight into why it happens in the first place."
Follow Paul on Twitter. | Flamingos expend less energy standing on one leg than in a two-legged stance, scientists have confirmed. |
Edinburgh Airport said more than 781,000 passengers passed through its doors last month, a year-on-year increase of 11.7%.
Glasgow saw its traffic rise by 8.4% to nearly 600,000.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen International Airport reported its lowest decline in passenger numbers for almost two years.
Edinburgh said most of its growth last month came from international flights, which were up by 11.6% on the same period last year.
Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar: "After a record-breaking 2016, it is fantastic that we start 2017 with strong figures.
"We are now seeing the impact of launching 27 international services in 2016. "
At Glasgow Airport, international passenger numbers grew by 16.1% as a result of strong demand on routes to Toronto, New York and Dubai.
EU-scheduled traffic was up 21.4%, following a rise in capacity on some winter sun services and city breaks.
Domestic traffic grew year-on-year by 2%, with increased uptake reported on routes provided by British Airways, Easyjet and Flybe.
Glasgow Airport managing director Amanda McMillan said: "Last year was our busiest on record, so it's pleasing to see this momentum has continued into 2017 with our best-ever January passenger numbers."
Meanwhile, Aberdeen International Airport recorded its lowest decline in passenger numbers for almost two years in January.
A total of 207,100 passengers travelled through the airport during the month, 1.7% fewer than a year ago.
Domestic traffic rose by 0.6%, while international traffic fell by 2.5%.
Helicopter traffic was down 7%, which the airport attributed to "inclement weather conditions in overseas locations" and the temporary recall of Sikorsky S92 helicopters early in the month.
Airport managing director Carol Benzie said: "It's hugely encouraging that last month we saw our lowest decline in passenger numbers since March 2015, which is a fantastic start to the year.
"I'm delighted that our domestic traffic increased and I'm confident that the overall figures would have been even healthier had our helicopter traffic not been impacted by a maintenance recall."
Ryanair is to extend its Aberdeen schedule in May by introducing a new link to Faro, which will coincide with the relaunch of Air Baltic's Riga route, as well as new flights to the Faroe Islands with Loganair. | Scotland's two busiest airports have recorded their best January on record, following a marked increase in demand for international travel. |
HS2 Action Alliance says a paper by HS2 Ltd shows engineering work will mean closing parts of some passenger lines for 133 weekends, and some freight lines for 50 weekends.
It would also mean 19 weekend closures at Euston station, the group said.
HS2 said any closures would be carefully planned.
On the Derby to Birmingham lines for example, the document says 32 weekends will be hit between 2017 and 2022, 13 of them for just a day and 19 for the entire weekend. The CrossCountry rail firm and freight services would both be affected.
For the Coventry to Leamington Spa route, it says four whole weekends will be lost in 2018, with passengers asked to catch a replacement bus instead.
Part of the busy West Coast Mainline will close for 31 weekends in 2018-19, as they build a new flyover junction in the Handsacre area, with trains diverted via Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Richard Houghton from HS2 Action Alliance said: "It is clear that once again HS2 is being less than honest with the travelling public. It is planning a huge number of weekend closures which will impact the travelling public.
"Combined with this its arrogance continues. It is planning to issue £7bn of supplier contracts before the Hybrid Bill passes through Parliament and now we discover it will start closing Euston before they have the legal go-ahead for the new line."
The document does say that the number and length of the closures are just estimates at the moment, and that work will be tied in with everyday engineering projects wherever possible, to minimise disruption.
But it does warn that "HS2 phase one will need to recognise the cumulative effect on passengers and operators of disruption".
Train operators could also be compensated for the impact on their services.
HS2 Ltd spokesman David Meechan said: "Our railways are becoming increasingly crowded. Britain desperately needs this new high speed rail network to boost rail capacity and improve links between our biggest cities.
"There will be times when construction impacts on the current railway, but this will be carefully planned with Network Rail and the train operators.
"HS2 Ltd will do all it can to minimise disruption to passengers. Compensation to the train operators for any such disruption will be drawn from the existing budget for the HS2 project."
Two years ago a government commissioned report said that the alternative to building HS2, basically beefing up what is already there, would cause 14 years worth of weekend problems across the network. | Building the proposed new High Speed Two (HS2) rail line will mean years of weekend "misery" for rail passengers, according to a campaign group. |
Rosie Ross, 16, was killed by schizophrenic Inderjit Kainth while she sunbathed in Birmingham City Centre in May 2001.
Rosie's Helping Hands has raised £350,000 for young people in and around Aldridge, but her parents say it is time for the charity to wind down.
"We didn't want to keep it going longer than we had Rosie," said mother Karen.
The last annual Rosie's Walk takes place on Sunday at Aldridge Airfield and Mr and Mrs Ross hope to raise £15,000.
Mrs Ross said: "Next year it will be 16 years which is the same amount of time that we had Rosie and we didn't want to take the charity past that time.
"Obviously Rosie will always be with us and we will always miss her but we don't always want to be taken back to those very painful and raw times.
"You do learn to live and cope better with that loss."
The couple will continue to fundraise and help projects until summer 2017.
The charity helped to fund a pirate themed play area on the children's ward at Walsall Manor Hospital.
Laura Phillimore, healthcare play specialist at the hospital, said the area was a "grey concrete space" before its makeover.
"Its made an absolutely huge difference to have a bit of normalising play, making them forget they are in hospital and all the horrible things they have to go through." | The parents of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death are holding the final fundraising walk in her memory. |
Vale took a deserved lead when AJ Leitch-Smith converted Byron Moore's cross.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce equalised just after half-time with a drilled finish and Sam Hird headed the hosts in front.
JJ Hooper's curling shot brought the visitors level, but Gboly Ariyibi turned in a corner and O'Shea's 20-yard shot sealed the win.
The win moved the Spireites up to 17th, five points clear of the relegation zone, while Port Vale dropped to 13th, 10 points adrift of the play-off places. | Chesterfield boosted their hopes of staying up with a comeback win to dent Port Vale's slender play-off hopes. |