The Welsh athlete won the world sprint and keirin titles in 2013 and took silver at the same events at the 2016 Rio Olympics. "I have had time to think about my future and have decided to retire from international track sprint racing," James said in a statement. She intends to set up a baking business "along with exciting other projects". James has been plagued by injuries during her career, and suffered a cancer scare in 2014 when she had an operation to remove abnormal cells following a cervical screening. She first made a mark when representing Wales at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, winning a silver medal in the sprint and a time trial bronze. Media playback is not supported on this device After taking her world titles in Minsk, James faced a battle with illness and knee injuries before qualifying for Rio 2016. She took a break after Rio, and told BBC Wales in July 2017 that she was excited about getting back into full training. However, in a statement posted on her Twitter account on Wednesday, James said she was grateful for her success but that it was time to move on. "After 13 years of racing my track bike, it is time to start an exciting new chapter in my life. I have given cycling 100% and know how much commitment it takes to make it to the highest level in elite sport," she said. "The pressure of competing at the top can be mentally and physically draining, but the rewards have been incredible and I have absolutely no regrets! This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser "I have achieved my dreams of becoming a world champion, a Commonwealth medallist for Wales and becoming a double Olympic silver medallist. "I now want to enjoy my life without the strict training regime, while at the same time continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle both in body and mind. "For a long time I've had a passion for baking and have loved making special wedding and birthday cakes for friends and family ... and it's my intention to now pursue this passion as a business, along with some exciting other projects going forward."

Summary: Double track world champion and Olympic silver medallist Becky James has retired, at the age of 25.


The incident happened at about 03:00 on Saturday in Doon Way, Kirkintilloch. It is understood that a 20-year-old man was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment. Alloway Drive, which is near the scene of the assault, was closed between Doon Road and Burns Drive while investigations were carried out. It has since reopened.

Summary: Police are investigating after a man was assaulted in a street in East Dunbartonshire.


"If you are corrupt, I will fetch you using a helicopter to Manila and I will throw you out," said Mr Duterte, who is waging war on corruption and drugs. It's the latest claim by the president that he has personally carried out extra-judicial killings. His spokesman played down the remarks, which he described as "urban legend". Earlier this month another spokesman Martin Andanar said his blunt-speaking boss should be taken "seriously but not literally" when he said he had shot dead three men while mayor of Davao. The senator who dares to defy Duterte Duterte drug war: Manila's brutal nightshift The woman who kills dealers for a living Mr Duterte made his latest comments in a speech to victims of a typhoon in the central Philippines on Tuesday. A video clip of his remarks was posted by his office. He threatened the helicopter punishment for anyone who might steal the financial aid he was promising. "I have done this before, why would I not do it again?" he said to applause. He suggested his victim or victims were kidnappers who had murdered a hostage. It is not clear when or where the incident took place. On Thursday, the president appeared to distance himself from his earlier remarks. "Helicopter to throw a person? And if that is true, I will not admit it," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN news. The president has made a similar claims in the past - and has a history of contradicting himself. On 16 December he told the BBC he had shot dead three criminal suspects while he was mayor of Davao. "I killed about three of them... I don't know how many bullets from my gun went inside their bodies. It happened and I cannot lie about it." He made a similar claim to business leaders in Manila a few days earlier, when he said he used to cruise Davao on a motorbike "looking for a confrontation so I could kill." Mr Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao for two decades, presiding over a big fall in crime but also being accused of sponsoring death squads. As president he has pledged to root out drugs and corruption in the Philippines, at the cost of millions of lives if necessary. Nearly 6,000 people are said to have been killed by police, vigilantes and mercenaries in the Philippines since Mr Duterte launched a war on drugs after being elected in May. Opposition politicians and human rights groups have called for his impeachment, but he remains very popular with voters who want him to clean up the country. Last week the Philippines independent human rights watchdog said it would investigate President Duterte's claims that he personally killed drug suspects.

Summary: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to throw corrupt officials from helicopters mid-air, saying he has done it before.


Westminster Council has objected to plans for 128 new boxes since January, including 80 from Maximus Networks Ltd. Birmingham and Manchester councils say that the boxes are effectively little more than advertising boards. They say they cannot stop them as planning permission is not needed, just an Ofcom licence. Maximus Networks said it was offering "a truly useful" public service. Three cities have had 301 applications for new phone boxes in 12 months - 158 in Westminster, 104 in Birmingham and 39 in Manchester. Councils can object to Ofcom's approval of the boxes but only on two grounds: location and design. A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said it was considering the matters raised by councils. Each Maximus Networks box would provide 1.3m x 2m of advertising space which does not need local authority consent. Westminster Council said the boxes, which the company planned to install on Oxford Street, Victoria Street and Baker Street, would offer no wi-fi or internet connectivity. "This scheme will create ugly and unwanted advertising space," Councillor Richard Beddoe said. However, Maximus founder Ashley Smatt said: "We believe what we have planned will be the envy of the world. "There are currently around 66,000 calls a week from phone boxes across the UK and we believe there is a demand for this." Councillor Daniel Astaire, of Westminster Council which rejected another operator's proposal for 48 boxes on Tuesday, said companies "are trying to make a quick buck" with "ugly hoardings on some of our most iconic streets". Birmingham City Council deputy leader Ian Ward said "open access wi-fi and widespread mobile phone use" made the kiosks "redundant". But he said he anticipated more coming, "because city centres offer a highly lucrative market for advertising and there's no restriction on how many can be installed". Ofcom said it had no evidence Maximus had breached any obligations but it would "be concerned" if permission was "used to provide advertising space under the cover of a largely unwanted public call box service." Councillor Pat Karney, of Manchester City Council, said the only people he had seen using phone boxes "are drug dealers, particularly around the Piccadilly Gardens area". Redundant kiosks are increasingly being put to inventive uses, from defibrillator storage to miniature art galleries. There are about 46,000 remaining public kiosks across the UK including about 8,000 traditional red ones. About 2,500 of those in England are listed, according to Historic England.

Summary: Councils are fighting plans for hundreds of new "ugly and unwanted" phone boxes while they seek a change in the law.


The 27-year-old was contemplating life outside the sport while working for the media at the Olympic Games in Rio. But Dmitriy Balandin's gold in the 200m breaststroke prompted a rethink, as Jamieson swam faster for 2012 silver. The Scot will only continue racing if he feels he can compete for a Commonwealth gold medal in 2018. "Going into Rio, I thought being there in a different capacity, just trying to relax, I was leaning towards finishing," Jamieson told BBC Scotland's Sportsound programme. "I don't want to be an athlete that hangs on and falls down the pecking order, I want to be competing for medals. "But the time that I swam in London four years ago [2:07.43] was quicker than won gold [2:07.46] in Rio. The time that won the bronze medal [2:07.70], I've done that eight or nine times in my career." Jamieson was the only British male to win a swimming medal at the London Games four years ago, but he finished second to Ross Murdoch at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and has struggled for form since then. He was not selected for the GB team for the World Championships last year, which prompted him to move away from his Bath training base to Edinburgh University, but Jamieson could only finish fifth in the Olympic trials. In the immediate aftermath, he admitted he was considering retirement, and will make a final decision shortly, with the competitive fire still burning in him. "Missing out on the team this year was heartbreaking," he said. "It should have been bread and butter for me to make it. "I certainly don't have another four years in me, to go to Tokyo [2020], so if I was to continue, it would to looking to the Gold Coast and the Commonwealth Games in two years. "After having won two silvers in the past, I'd only be going there to win. So the question is if my body's capable of doing that. The honest answer is, I don't know, but psychologically I don't want to be involved in the sport if I'm not going to be competing for major medals. "I feel like I was very close to a decision before going out to Rio and then seeing the standard of times that won the medals in the 200m breaststroke, I thought 'I'm still there, I'm still capable of doing this. That's thrown the cat amongst the pigeons'. "I've kept myself in really good condition in the past couple of months. I've been doing a lot of strength training, a lot of yoga, a lot of land-based training, so I wouldn't have a problem getting back to 90% fitness, which I feel is where I've been for the last 12-18 months, but it's that other 10% that's missing. "The swimmers are all on a break just now, but within the next few weeks I need to make a call. I'm just not able to get the same out of my body as I was a few years ago. "That's quite a bizarre concept, and still something that

Summary: Olympic 2012 silver medallist Michael Jamieson admits he is "leaning towards" retirement from swimming, but will decide his future in the coming weeks.


The pensioner was found dead at an address in Park Lane at about 22:30 BST last Wednesday, West Yorkshire Police said. A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but was subsequently released. A file has been sent to the coroner, the force says. Live updates and more stories from Yorkshire

Summary: The death of an 84-year-old woman whose body was found at a property in Pontefract is no longer being treated as suspicious by police.


Earlier the Saudi foreign ministry said it had turned down the non-permanent seat, accusing the world body of "double standards". The ministry said the UN needs to be reformed first. It said the Security Council had failed in its duties towards Syria as well as in other world conflicts. Mr Ban refused to say whether he would be speaking to the Saudi king about the matter. "I understand that some member states, particularly some concerned group of member states, are discussing [this] among themselves," Mr Ban said. The reaction among diplomats to this unprecedented decision has been one of shock and confusion, the BBC's Nada Tawfik reports from the UN. France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud said: "We think that Saudi Arabia would have brought a very positive contribution to the Security Council, but we do also understand the frustration of Saudi Arabia." "The fact is that the Security Council has been unable to act now for more than two years," Mr Araud said, according to AFP. However, Russia's foreign ministry called the move bewildering, and said Saudi Arabia's criticism of the UN Security Council about its actions over Syria "is particularly strange". By Bridget KendallDiplomatic correspondent, BBC News Usually there is fierce competition to secure one of the 10 rotating seats on the UN Security Council - a chance to sit alongside the five permanent members for two years on the top UN body which rules on international security issues. Instead Saudi Arabia has used the coveted position to lodge a very public protest. This is the second protest from Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month the Saudi foreign minister pulled out of giving a speech at the UN General Assembly, expressing similar frustration. It is a dramatic gesture, but whether it makes immediate reform of the Security Council more likely, as the Saudis demand, is probably questionable. Saudi Arabia has previously expressed frustration at what it sees as an international failure to act on Syria, where it staunchly backs the rebels. The announcement came hours after Saudi Arabia was elected for the first time to one of the 10 rotating seats on the Security Council. The non-permanent members sit on the council for two years, along with the five permanent members - the US, the UK, France, China and Russia. As well as accusing the council of "double-standards" and demanding reform, the Saudi foreign ministry pointed to its failure "to find a solution to the Palestinian cause for 65 years", which had led to "numerous wars that have threatened world peace". It also criticised the UN's "failure" to rid the Middle East region of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. And it accused the UN of allowing the Syrian government "to kill its own people with chemical weapons... without confronting it or imposing any deterrent sanctions". The UN Security Council last month finally broke a two-and-a-half year deadlock on how to deal with conflict in Syria after voting unanimously to adopt a binding resolution on ridding the country of chemical weapons. Saudi observers say Riyadh would have been working for years

Summary: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he has received no notification from Saudi Arabia that it will turn down a seat on the UN Security Council.


The funding is based on conditions including detailed development and financial plans and leasing a super-hanger at St Athan. The firm will build its new DBX model from 2020. The new plant will employ 750 highly-skilled workers. The information commissioner instructed the Welsh Government to release the details of the financial support given to the company. Ministers had initially refused to make the figure public. This was challenged through the Freedom of Information Act by businessman Tom Gallard. The Â£5.8m is "repayable business finance" according to the details released by the Welsh Government. Wales beat off more than 20 other countries to secure the deal, which was announced early last year. Mr Gallard, who runs a tech company, said: "I'm happy the Welsh Government has now released this information. It is an important principle that we must know how public funds are being spent."

Summary: Aston Martin is receiving Â£5.8m in financial support from the Welsh Government as part of the deal to bring the luxury carmaker to the Vale of Glamorgan, it has been revealed.


The pro-Leave justice secretary said there were "risks to our future" whatever the outcome of the poll. David Cameron and George Osborne say people will be worse off and that there is "no turning back" if the UK leaves. In his Andrew Marr Show interview, Mr Gove also said he "shuddered" when he saw UKIP's "breaking point" poster showing a queue of asylum seekers. UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who launched the poster last week, described it as "a statement about the whole of the European Union". But Mr Gove said: "I thought it was the wrong thing to do." He said he believed in free speech and did not want to "deny anyone a platform", adding that people would only support helping refugees if they felt the government could control migration numbers. Mr Gove was interviewed as the EU referendum campaign restarted after being suspended following the death of Labour MP Jo Cox. He said leaving would be an opportunity for the UK to establish itself as a "progressive beacon to the world". How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU. The Remain campaign has said such an outcome would be a "gamble" but Mr Gove rejected this term. "Whether we vote to leave or remain there are risks to our future, there are challenges in the global economy," he said. "My view is that those challenges will be easier to meet, those risks will be less if we vote to leave because we will have control of the economic levers, we will have control over money we send to the European Union, we will have control over our own laws, and as a result we will be able to deal with whatever the world throws at us." Vote Leave has set out a string of policies it wants to see enacted if it wins Thursday's referendum, including extra cash for the NHS and cutting VAT on fuel bills, in what has been seen an alternative manifesto for life outside the EU. Mr Gove said it was a "clear outline of the things that we could achieve if we leave" and that he would say to David Cameron "now is the time for us to implement these proposals". He also defended his campaign's claims about Turkish membership of the EU. The Remain campaign says the UK has a veto on whether Turkey is able to join, and David Cameron has said it would be "literally decades" before Turkey was considered ready to join. But Mr Gove said both the UK government and the EU supported Turkish accession. He defended Vote Leave's references to the birth rate in Turkey, saying it was important to take into account the number of people that could come to the UK. And despite being on different sides to David Cameron and George Osborne in the EU debate, he strongly defended both men's record. The PM, meanwhile, has said the UK faces an "existential choice" in the EU referendum. "Are we going to choose Nigel Farage's vision - one which takes Britain backwards;

Summary: The UK can "deal with whatever the world throws at us" if it votes to leave the EU, Michael Gove says.


South West Trains said the line between Eastleigh and Fareham via Botley had been shut because of flooding. The B3354 Winchester Road in Botley was also closed after two trees came down, one on to a van - the driver was taken to hospital with a fractured sternum. Residents in Bishops Waltham and Botley have been warned to prepare for flooding, with more rainfall forecast. A flood warning has been issued by the The Environment Agency (EA) for the Upper River Hamble area including Durley Mill and Botley Mills. The (EA) said more than 50mm of rain had been recorded at Bishops Waltham overnight. Police have urged drivers not to risk driving through floodwater.

Summary: Heavy downpours have hit train services and left roads in parts of Hampshire impassable.


Australian Border Force (ABF) said its officers would be checking for visa fraud as part of a general crime crackdown involving several agencies. But the move sparked a social media outcry, with fears of harassment and racial profiling. Victoria Police then said Operation Fortitude had been cancelled. A scheduled press conference was also cancelled after about 300 people gathered in the heart of Melbourne to protest against the operation, The Age reported. The initial statement from the ABF said a "diverse team of transport and enforcement agencies" would be operating in Melbourne on Friday and Saturday night. "Officers will be positioned at various locations around the CBD speaking with any individual we cross paths with," said regional commander Don Smith. "You need to be aware of the conditions of your visa; if you commit visa fraud you should know it's only a matter of time before you're caught out." Word of the plan spread like wildfire on social media, and there were calls for a snap protest outside the Flinders Street train station. The ABF later issued a "clarifying statement" on its plans, saying: "[We] will not be 'stopping people at random' in Melbourne to 'check people's papers' as reported in media." "The ABF does not and will not stop people at random in the streets and does not target on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity." Police have since cancelled the entire multi-agency operation. "Victoria Police has made a decision not to go ahead with this weekend's Operation Fortitude," it said. "We understand there has been a high level of community interest and concern which has been taken into consideration when making this decision." The Federal Government spent $10m Australian ($7.7m; Â£4.6m) in branding the months-old Border Force with a new hardline image, local media this week reported. It including new military-style uniforms and signs at airports and detention centres.

Summary: Australia's border protection agency has sparked outrage with a snap announcement it would carry out visa checks on the streets of Melbourne.


Media playback is not supported on this device Adams, 33, beat China's Ren Cancan - who she beat to win gold at London 2012 - in Thursday's semi-final. The Leeds woman lost the first of four two-minute rounds, before coming back to win the final three. She will face France's 10-time national champion Sarah Ourahmoune in Saturday's gold-medal match (18:00 BST). "Another gold-medal fight - I can't wait. This is what I've been training for for the last four years. I'm excited," she told BBC Sport. It is guaranteed to be GB's first gold or silver boxing medal at Rio 2016, although super-heavyweight Joe Joyce could also reach his final. The 30-year-old Londoner meets Kazakhstan's Ivan Dychko in Friday's semi-final ahead of Sunday's gold-medal bout. Defeated semi-finalists do not fight again and both receive bronze medals. Joshua Buatsi won Team GB's first boxing medal in Brazil by securing bronze at light-heavyweight. Adams has achieved virtually everything there is to achieve in boxing, having already won Olympic, European and Commonwealth golds. But she showed her determination to add another Olympic title - becoming the first Briton to defend her crown after middleweight Harry Mallin in 1924 - by coming from behind against Ren. Ren, a three-time world champion, took the opening round on all three judges' scorecards, but Adams came out aggressively in the next to pin back her 30-year-old opponent with her powerful left jab. She knocked Ren off balance as she restored parity at the halfway stage, also going on to win the final two rounds 10-9 across the board. "Four years is a lot of time to for a boxer to change and strengthen their weaknesses so I just had to go and stick to the tactics," Adams said. "The jab won me the fight, it just paid off. I am always nervous and you need that nervous energy to give you the adrenaline." Anthony Joshua, 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight champion on BBC TV: "I am sure Nicola will be familiar with Sarah Ourahmoune - the French and British spar a lot together. "I think Nicola will control her with jabs and keep busy to not give her an opportunity to attack."

Summary: Nicola Adams continued her bid to become the first British boxer to retain an Olympic title for 92 years by reaching the women's flyweight final.


Brett this week told BBC Scotland he hoped to have a future with Cowdenbeath but would accept their decision. And the 24-year-old has now been dismissed by the Central Park club. This week Brett was also banned by the Scottish FA for four matches, with a further four suspended, for offensive posts on Twitter. Brett was initially suspended by Cowden as a result of the betting offences, which came to light after the SFA looked at his Twitter account over the alleged offensive tweets. It was found that he had placed 2,787 bets, with eight of those against his own team, and five of those involving matches in which he played. Players in Scotland are not allowed to bet on any football matches. Brett had faced a traumatic few years in his personal life, with his 22-year-old wife having died of cancer in January 2015, four months after their daughter Mollie, who was born prematurely, had died. Media playback is not supported on this device Cowdenbeath revealed a club hearing over the betting offences had determined the player was guilty of gross misconduct, and said it was with a "very heavy heart" that the board decided to dismiss the player. A statement read: "The board's duty was clear. A player betting on his own team to lose, often in matches in which he was playing, is not a situation Cowdenbeath FC could accept or excuse. Simply put, no Cowdenbeath FC player committing such an act could remain in the employ of the club. "The board of Cowdenbeath FC therefore has today conveyed to Dean its decision is that he is dismissed and his employment has been terminated without notice. We believe this decision to be one that any reasonable employer would make and that it is both fair and reasonable in the circumstances." The club also revealed that the SFA had found Brett guilty of making "comments upon a social networking site, namely Twitter, that were of a discriminatory, and offensive nature, based upon sexual orientation as well as comments that were otherwise of an offensive nature," resulting in the ban.

Summary: Cowdenbeath defender Dean Brett has been sacked by the League Two club after admitting betting against his own team.


Seaman William Williams was awarded the medal for his part in sinking a German U-boat during World War One on 7 June 1917. The new stone will be unveiled in Amlwch during a ceremony marking the centenary on Thursday. His family and local officials will be among those attending the service at Amlwch Port's park at 11:00 BST. Seaman Williams was on board the Q-ship HMS Pargust. Q-ships were disguised as merchant navy ships which would lure German U-boats in and then counter attack with their hidden weapons. HMS Pargust was torpedoed and Seaman Williams held the ship's heavy gun port in place for about 30 minutes until the U-boat surfaced and they could open fire. It was the first ship to receive the Victoria Cross (VC) from King George V and Seaman Williams was unanimously chosen by his crewmates to receive the medal. After his service in World War One, he returned home to Amlwch and later settled in Holyhead. He died in October 1965. Anglesey council chairman Richard Jones, who will unveil the memorial stone, said he "gallantly served his country". "We're proud to say he was from Amlwch and pleased to honour him with a new centenary commemoration stone," Mr Jones added. The ceremony forms part of a centenary commemoration scheme honouring 628 recipients of the VC during World War One.

Summary: The only man from an Anglesey town to be awarded the Victoria Cross is being honoured with a commemorative stone.


The Bolivian authorities earlier said the pontiff had requested to chew coca to help him cope with the effects of the high altitude in La Paz. The Pope made the remark when questioned by a journalist as to the secret of his energy during his South American tour, which ended yesterday. Pope Francis said that mate, the traditional tea popular in his native Argentina, helped to keep him going. "You wanted to ask me what is my drug of choice? Well, mate helps me. But I haven't tried coca, I want to make that clear," said the Pope during the flight from the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, to Rome. Coca leaves, which are the raw ingredient for cocaine, are used legally for medical and religious purposes in Bolivia. The leaves are chewed or brewed in teas and work as a mild stimulant, helping also to alleviate nausea caused by high altitudes. Bolivia's left-wing President Evo Morales began his political life as the leader of the cocaleros, traditional coca leaf producers. The pontiff, who had part of a lung removed when he was young, only stayed in the La Paz area - which lies 3,650m (12,000ft) above sea level - for about four hours. The pontiff returned to Rome this morning after an eight-day trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, some of Latin America's poorest countries. Pope Francis addressed inequality, poverty and indigenous rights during his South American tour. The pontiff's visit to Bolivia was marked by controversy when Mr Morales gave him a crucifix sculpted in the shape of a hammer and sickle. The Pope looked visibly surprised and it was rumoured that the crucifix had been left behind in Bolivia. But Pope Francis has now clarified that he took it back with him to the Vatican. The crucifix was based on a design by Luis Espinal, a Jesuit Priest assassinated in 1980 by right-wing militia. "It was a surprise indeed. I didn't know that Father Espinal was also a poet and a sculptor," he said. "He was killed in 1980, a time when the [Catholic Church's] Liberation Theology embraced so many different groups and one of them adopted Marxist views." Pope Francis also shared his views on the popularity of selfies: "Today a policeman, a man in his forties, asked to take a selfie with me. I told him: But are you a teenager? "It is a different culture. I respect it but I feel like a great-grandfather," said Pope Francis.

Summary: Pope Francis has said he did not chew coca during his recent trip to Bolivia.


Zack Davies, 26, tried to kill dentist Dr Sarandev Bhambra, 25, in revenge for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby. The racially motivated attack happened in Tesco in Mold in January and earlier this month Davies was jailed for life. Speaking for the first time since the attack, Peter Fuller, 44, said it was "like something out of a horror movie". "I will think about what happened for the rest of my life," he said. "That's the image I still have in my head every night - him running towards me with the machete raised and dripping blood. "It is like something out of a horror movie." Mr Fuller spoke out about the ordeal before accepting an award for outstanding bravery from the Pride of Britain Awards. Mr Fuller said he heard Davies shout "remember Lee Rigby". "Initially I just thought it was kids larking about but then as I moved about four paces I saw a man on the floor surrounded by blood and the guy standing over him and hitting with a hammer," he said. "I decided then that there was no way I was backing away. "There was no-one else around me, they were all running and screaming, so I moved to one side to let Mr Bhambra run past and then I moved into the middle of the aisle and made myself as big as possible. "I started shouting at the guy that what he was doing was madness and that I was ex-Forces. I made it clear that he was either going to have to go through me or he was going to stop." During the trial, Gareth Preston, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Wales, said: "Such was the level of violence involved that, were it not for the extremely courageous actions of ex-serviceman Peter Fuller, this offence could have become an act of murder." Mr Fuller will be honoured at the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain ceremony at London's Grosvenor House on Monday night.

Summary: An ex-soldier who stopped a neo-Nazi beheading a Flintshire shopper with a hammer and a machete says he is still haunted by the savage attack.


Gary Gallacher was 13 years old when he began his campaign of terror and degradation in 1995. He threatened his victims with a knife before beating and raping them, the High Court in Edinburgh heard. Judge Lady Scott warned Gallacher, who is now 34, he would only be released when he no longer posed a threat to the public. She told him: "You have no remorse. You blame your victims and you do not care about the harm you have inflicted. You take no responsibility. You have apparently no wish to change. "You have been convicted on 25 charges, involving three victims, which constituted a very serious and sustained course of conduct consisting of physical and sexual violence." His trial earlier this year heard how Gallacher, who has a history of violence, had first struck in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. He continued to offend for 17 years while living across the city and later in Ayrshire. His crimes did not stop until 2012. His first victim told how Gallacher had bound her hands with her school tie and raped her, despite her protestations that she was too young to have sex. During another attack, Gallacher held a knife to her neck and told her she belonged to him. Gallacher's second victim, who was also a teenager at the time, told his trial how she was slapped, punched, kicked, stamped on and pulled by the hair. He also brandished a knife at her and repeatedly struck her with it, leaving her with scars. Gallacher's third victim told his trial how he had assaulted her on her 17th birthday and had also bitten and throttled her. Lady Scott imposed an order for lifelong restriction on Gallacher and warned him he faced imprisonment for an indefinite period. The judge ordered he must serve at least five years in jail but told him there was no guarantee he would be released at the end of that period. Hearing that he posed a high risk of reoffending, she said he would only be freed when he no longer posed a threat to the public. In sentencing, the judge said she had taken into account that he was a child when his first offences took place and that he suffered from a muscle-wasting disease. Gallacher was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. Det Insp Gillian Faulds, who led the investigation, said: "Gary Gallacher is a very dangerous individual who carried out a campaign of violence on three partners who will no doubt be affected by the experience for the rest of their lives. "Despite the horrific abuse the women suffered, they managed to find the strength to speak to police and testify in court to ensure that he was held to account. I would like to thank the women for their bravery in coming forward."

Summary: A violent rapist who first struck as a teenager more than 20 years ago has been jailed for life.


The Northern Irish party's 10 MPs will support the Conservatives in key Commons votes in areas such as the Queen's Speech, Budget and Brexit. Labour warned it would undermine trust in the UK government over Northern Ireland. But the Conservatives said they had a duty to form a government. The Conservatives and the DUP have said the deal makes the restoration of the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland - which collapsed amid a bitter row between the DUP and Sinn Fein about a botched green energy scheme - more likely. Negotiations lasted 18 days after the general election on 8 June resulted in a hung parliament. The support of the DUP, added to the Tories' 317 MPs, means Mrs May passes the 326 figure needed for an overall Commons majority under a "confidence and supply" arrangement planned to last until 2022. After talks with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Number 10, the prime minister said the two parties "share many values" and the agreement was "a very good one". Mrs May said it would would "enable us to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom, give us the certainty we require as we embark on our departure from the European Union, and help us build a stronger and fairer society at home". Mrs Foster said she was "delighted" with a package that includes Â£1bn of new funding, plus more flexibility on almost Â£500m of previously announced funds, on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland. The agreement has prompted calls for more money for Wales and Scotland. Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones called the deal a "straight bung" and said it "kills the idea of fair funding". The Scottish National Party's leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, said Scotland should get "its fair share". "For years the Tories have been cutting budgets and services, but suddenly they have found a magic money tree to help them stay in power," he said. Labour said the deal was "shabby and reckless" and would undermine the trust in the impartiality of the UK government which was vital to the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said: "For the government to be putting such an agreement in jeopardy just to prop up this dismal prime minister is nothing short of a disgrace." Sinn Fein said the DUP were effectively supporting continued austerity and cuts, as well as "a blank cheque for a Tory Brexit which threatens the Good Friday Agreement". However, First Secretary of State Damian Green said only the Conservatives had "the ability and legitimacy to lead the government our country needs". "As the party with the most seats at the general election, the Conservative Party had a duty to form a government," he added. "It is right that we talked to other parties to seek to ensure that the government can provide the competence the country needs at this crucial time." Mr Green said the agreement should help to break the deadlock at Stormont which has meant there has been no power-sharing executive since elections in March.

Summary: Theresa May's Â£1bn deal with the Democratic Unionist Party to back her minority government has been branded "a bung" and "shabby" by opposing parties.


28 September 2012 Last updated at 08:44 BST From stranded sailing boats to drifting dinghys - it's estimated they've saved more than 130,000 lives. But they now have a new 1.5 million pound tool to tackle even the toughest rescues. And Joe couldn't wait to try it out!

Summary: For almost 200 years a group of volunteers called the RNLI have been taking the plunge into the seas around the UK.


Mitzi Steady, four, Robert Parker, 59, Philip Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, died in the crash in Bath in 2015. Bristol Crown Court heard Matthew Gordon, of Grittenham Haulage Ltd, did not know the brakes had to be tested four times a year. Mr Gordon, 30, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire denies 14 charges against him. Driver Phillip Potter, 20, denies causing the deaths by dangerous and careless driving. The lorry hit several pedestrians, including Mitzi from Bath, and a car containing Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan, both from Swansea, and Mr Parker, from Cwmbran, south Wales. The trial has previously heard Mr Gordon had been told the truck had faulty brakes by other employees. The jury heard Grittenham Haulage did not have a transport manager in its employ at the time of the crash despite it being a legal requirement. Mr Gordon said he thought he had "six months grace" to find one. He said that during that time, checks had been done on the vehicles and he would be alerted to any problems by the drivers either verbally or by text. He agreed that he had pleaded guilty at Bath Magistrates Court in August last year to eight offences of failing to keep his tachograph records up to date - and 33 similar offences by his company. Mr Potter, also of Dauntsey, is also charged with causing serious injuries to Karla Brennan and Margaret Rogers - Mitzi's grandmother - by dangerous driving. He denies a total of 10 charges against him. Peter Wood, 55, from Brinkworth, Wiltshire, a mechanic who carried out safety checks on the truck, denies four charges against him. The trial continues.

Summary: A haulage company owner whose tipper truck killed four people when its brakes failed admitted he "used to stay away from paperwork", a court heard.


Mohammed Allan, an alleged activist for the Islamic Jihad militant group, was on a respirator and was being given fluids, an Israeli hospital said. His case is being seen as a test of a recent Israeli law authorising the force-feeding of hunger strikers. Israeli doctors are challenging the law, which they say is unethical. The Israeli Medical Association has described force-feeding as tantamount to torture and a violation of a patient's rights. It has urged doctors to refuse orders to perform the procedure. Supporters of the law say force-feeding is necessary to save prisoners from death, and to discourage them from using hunger strikes as a tactic to end - or draw attention - to their detention. It is not yet known if Mr Allan will be subjected to the controversial procedure, in which doctors forcibly insert a tube into the empty stomach. The decision could depend on his medical condition. A statement from the Barzilai hospital, where Mr Allan is being treated, said his condition had deteriorated on Friday morning but remained stable. "The treatment is being administered according the ethics committee guidelines and includes respiration and intravenous fluids and saline," a hospital statement said. Jamil al-Khatib, a lawyer for Mr Allan, told the AFP news agency that he had heard his client had gone into a coma and that Israeli authorities were planning to force-feed him. However, an Arab-Israeli MP, Osama Saadi, told the Associated Press news agency that Mr Allan was not being force-fed and was not in coma. Mr Allan has been held without charge since November.

Summary: A Palestinian held without charge by Israel has lost consciousness after nearly two months on hunger strike in protest at his detention.


The child was struck by the vehicle in Montrose Avenue at the junction with Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, at about 19:15 BST. Police and the ambulance service attended the scene, but he was pronounced dead in hospital. The driver of the car stopped and police said he was helping with their investigation. No arrests have been made. The boy's next of kin have been informed.

Summary: A four-year-old boy died when he was hit by a car in north-west London.


Media playback is not supported on this device Keetels, a member of the victorious 2014 World Cup team, fired low past Maddie Hinch in the fourth quarter after two shots had been blocked. England won several penalty corners, but were frustrated by a resilient Dutch defence. Alex Danson did go close though with a shot saved by keeper Anne Veenendaal. Danson's team-mate Sophie Bray also went agonisingly close to scoring as she failed to convert Zoe Shipperley' low driven pass. Keetels said: "It was amazing. I'm so happy. The English attacked and defended well. "We are enjoying the pressure. The crowd is all orange so it feels like an extra player on the field." The home nation will play neighbours Belgium in Saturday's final. England will take on Germany for the bronze medal prior to that match. England play Netherlands again, this time in the men's semi-finals on Friday (19:00 BST).

Summary: England's hopes of defending their EuroHockey title were thwarted at the semi-final stage as Marloes Keetels' strike sent hosts Netherlands through.


Both sides have already qualified for the semi-finals the winners of Group A face Zamalek of Egypt while the runners-up will play South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. Wydad know they need just a point to top the table and will take encouragement from their comfortable 2-0 win over Zesco in Morocco two months ago. Coached by former Real Madrid manager and Liverpool striker John Toshack, Wydad top Group A with 10 points despite a mid-group crisis. After wins over Asec Mimosas of the Ivory Coast and Zesco, the Moroccans only took one point from a possible six off struggling Al Ahly of Egypt. Wydad then battled to translate dominance over Asec at home into goals until Congo Brazzaville-born Fabrice Ondama scored in the final minute to secure a 2-1 win. That result, and Zesco holding record eight-time African champions Ahly 2-2 away, eliminated the Egyptian and Ivorian clubs. Zesco have exceeded expectations by reaching the semi-finals although coach George Lwandamina remains worried about concentration lapses in defence. "Our defence has a tendency to fall asleep after we score and this allows opponents back into matches," said Lwandamina, who doubles as the caretaker national coach. What Zesco do boast are consistent goal scorers with Idris Mbombo from the DR Congo scoring five in this Champions League campaign. Clatous Chama and Kenyan Jesse Were have notched four each and John Ching'andu three. Failing to reach the semi-finals cost Ahly coach and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol his job amid safety concerns. Assistant coach Ossama Orabi has taken charge for the meaningless midweek match against 1998 champions ASEC at Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan. Another fixture where only pride is at stake involves already-eliminated Enyimba of Nigeria and Sundowns in Port Harcourt. Zamalek have a bye as Entente Setif of Algeria were disqualified.

Summary: Wydad Casablanca of Morocco travel to face Zesco United of Zambia on Wednesday to decide who tops Group A of the African Champions League.


But since 2007, when Ian Paisley agreed to share power at Stormont with Sinn Féin, the DUP has become a party of government. When Ian Paisley became MP in 1970, he stood as a Protestant Unionist, but his party was relaunched as the Democratic Unionist Party in 1971. The party drew support from Protestants and was fiercely opposed to any moves towards involving the Republic of Ireland in Northern Ireland affairs. During the 1990s, the DUP pulled out of talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement in protest against the decision to invite the IRA's political wing, Sinn Féin, to enter negotiations. The DUP benefited from growing unionist unease over power-sharing and the failure of the IRA to decommission, overtaking the Ulster Unionists at the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in 2003. Nine DUP MPs were subsequently elected. In 2006, the party was a key player in the St Andrews' Agreement in Scotland. A year later, the party made its historic decision to share power with Sinn Féin. Ian Paisley served as first minister until 2008 when Peter Robinson took over. But, in the most surprising result of the 2010 General Election, Mr Robinson lost his East Belfast Westminster seat to Alliance's Naomi Long. Regaining East Belfast is a key DUP objective in 2015, and it is one of four seats covered by an electoral pact between the DUP and UUP. The DUP currently has eight MPs and is the fourth largest party at Westminster - a fact it highlighted when it was excluded from UK pre-election television debates. The relationship between Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness has never appeared as friendly as that between the deputy first minister and Mr Paisley. It continues to appear strained, notably over the issue of welfare reform. The DUP, which holds the ministry in the Northern Ireland Executive responsible for the implementation of the bill, and Sinn Féin, whose leadership in the Republic of Ireland has championed an anti-austerity approach, seem to be at loggerheads. It was thought a deal had been done during talks at Stormont in December 2014, but in March - on the day the final stage of the bill was due to pass through the assembly - Sinn Féin withdrew its support and the bill's passage was halted.

Summary: For more than three decades, the Democratic Unionist Party was the natural party of protest for unionists in Northern Ireland, the outsiders who challenged the establishment Official, or Ulster, Unionists.


In 2010, the 34-year-old Englishman was going to meeting after meeting in California's Silicon Valley, trying to secure funding for his business idea - Nutmeg, an online-based investment management business. And the first 45 wealthy investors he pitched to all said no. "It was horrible," he says. "The feedback was very personal. "Some investors said they liked the idea, but that I couldn't do it. Others said they didn't like the idea, and some simply said I wasn't good enough. "It was really brutal, I hugely questioned myself." At the time Mr Hungerford, who was in Silicon Valley after completing a Master of Business Administration from nearby Stanford University, was sleeping on the floor of a friend's house, and working out of his garage. "I was living the entrepreneurial dream that had turned into a horrific reality," he says. It was the autumn of 2010 at this point, and Mr Hungerford was running out of money, maxing out his credit cards to cover his living expenses. He says: "I drew a line in the sand, and said that if I haven't got a 'yes' by December I would go and get a job." Then Mr Hungerford secured another investment meeting, his 46th, this time with a man called Tim Draper. Mr Draper may be little known outside of technology circles, but he was an early investor in Hotmail and Skype, and is worth an estimated $1bn (Â£620m). After listening to Mr Hungerford's pitch, Mr Draper was quick to say yes. Other wealthy investors soon followed suit. "I felt so vindicated," says Mr Hungerford. With "tens of millions of dollars" now behind him, he never did need to look through the job advertisements. Instead, he was able to start Nutmeg in early 2011, choosing to return to the UK to launch the firm in London. Nutmeg itself is an investment management business. You give it your savings, and it will invest them on your behalf in everything from shares to property, and bonds to currencies. While there are thousands of such firms around the world, Nutmeg's difference is that it claims to have been the very first to base itself online. So instead of having to phone your investment manager at some big bank in the City of London, or relying on a statement sent to you in the post every six months, you simply log into Nutmeg's website, and you can instantly see your portfolio and how it is performing. In analysing small business growth it is sometimes useful to distinguish between "lifestyle firms" and "growth firms". The former are set up by individuals who prefer being self-employed to working for someone else, but are essentially looking for a stable income. Growth firms, on the other hand, such as today's successful online firms, are founded by traditional risk-taking, innovative entrepreneurs. They respond positively to new opportunities and incentives to undertake risk, and they are focused on process and product innovation. Joseph Schumpeter - a famous inter-war economist - described these growth firms as the agents of "creative destruction". For him they were

Summary: Nick Hungerford knows a few things about dealing with rejection.


Ond pa mor dda ydych chi am 'nabod eich Llannau? Rhowch gynnig ar gwis Cymru Fyw:

Summary: O Langefni i Lanilltud Fawr, Llangollen i Lanelli, mae 'Llan' i'w gweld ym mhob cwr o Gymru.


It comes after similar concerns about pressure on bed availability at the Borders General. NHS Dumfries and Galloway said an upsurge in demand for services was being seen across Scotland. It said work was ongoing to improve "patient flow" to deal with the increase in hospital admissions. Infection control manager Elaine Ross said flu and other respiratory viruses were circulating in communities across the region. She urged everyone to play their part in tackling the issue. "Currently, the demand on our local hospital is extreme," she said. "Patients are arriving at our emergency department and via GP referrals with flu-like symptoms and persistent coughs that may be compounded by underlying conditions. "The flu vaccine is effective but won't protect against other viruses that are going round." She asked anyone with symptoms to take lots of fluid and paracetamol and to stay indoors and rest until they felt better. "We are also urging people to not visit relatives in the hospital if they are showing any symptoms," she said. "It is vital that we stop the spread of infection." Interim general manager Gail Meier said staff were "working round the clock" to assess patients and determine the need for admissions. She said they aimed to ensure that people were "seen, treated and either discharged or admitted in a timely manner". "It is a very demanding time for the health service and I take the opportunity to urge everyone to consider the use of emergency services as it is a finite resource," she said. "Community pharmacies and NHS 24 offer help and advice as an alternative to attending hospital. "I would like to thank everyone for their commitment over the past few weeks and 365 days of the year for that matter. It does not go unnoticed."

Summary: Health chiefs have warned Dumfries Infirmary is facing "extreme" demand from people with flu-like symptoms and persistent coughs.


Stroud also remains a Conservative minority, while in Cheltenham the Liberal Democrats kept a majority rule. The leader of Cheltenham's Conservatives, Rob Garnham, narrowly lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats, in a result that required a recount. One of the country's youngest councillors was elected in Stroud. In Gloucester, voters were deciding on 15 seats in the city. Deputy council leader Jennie Dallimore held her Podsmead seat for the Conservatives, where she doubled her majority. Stroud continues to be run by a Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat alliance. Conservative Paul James, leader of Gloucester City Council, said it was a "big achievement" to defend the group's eight seats from the 15 being contested. Overall the council is made up of 18 Conservative, nine Labour and nine Liberal Democrat seats. The leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the city, Jeremy Hilton, said the council was balanced but it would require "a lot of close co-operation between the three groups" to do the best for Gloucester. In Stroud, where a third of seats were up for election, the council is now made up of 22 Conservative, 20 Labour, six Green Party and three Liberal Democrat seats. It meant an overall gain of one Conservative seat, three Labour seats and one Green seat and a loss of two Liberal Democrat. Two seats on the council were vacant and one Independent candidate defected to the Conservatives. One of the country's youngest councillors was elected in the Stroud district, when 20-year-old Tory Tim Williams won the seat for Bisley. He said he would continue to work on his parents' farm while carrying out his duties. In Cheltenham, the leader of the Conservatives, Rob Garnham, narrowly lost the Park ward seat to Max Wilkinson of the Liberal Democrats, in a result which needed a recount. Overall the Liberal Democrats gained one seat and now have 24. The Conservatives remain with 12 seats, People Against Bureaucracy remain with four seats, and one Independent seat was lost. Turnout in Cheltenham was 37%.

Summary: Gloucester remains a Conservative minority administration after every party held their seats in the local elections.


24 June 2015 Last updated at 14:21 BST But this is a hoverbike - one of the world's first flying motorcycles, that travels in the air at low levels. It's makers Malloy Aeronautics say it's based on drone technology and has been developed over many years. It can be flown by a driver or remotely. The first version was made in 2011 using a 1200cc BMW motorbike engine. The latest prototype is powered by four bladed fans. It's still not clear when the first ones will be ready to buy but there's a lot of interest, including from the US Military. Watch the hoverbike in action.

Summary: It's billed as having the simplicity of a motorbike and the freedom of a helicopter.


The Iron nearly took the lead when Russell Penn headed Manny Parry's effort off the line. It was one of the few highlights of the first half, and affairs did not spring to life until the hour mark. Jack Midson broke the deadlock for Braintree with a firm header from Reece Hall-Johnson's cross. James Bolton's close-range header was fielded by Sam Beasant as the Tynesiders pushed for an equaliser. McLaughlin eventually provided it five minutes from time, and Gateshead could even have won it a minute later when Jordan Burrow fired wide when in on goal. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Gateshead 1, Braintree Town 1. Second Half ends, Gateshead 1, Braintree Town 1. Substitution, Braintree Town. Lee Barnard replaces Michael Cheek. Gus Mafuta (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Goal! Gateshead 1, Braintree Town 1. Patrick McLaughlin (Gateshead) converts the penalty with a. Substitution, Gateshead. Gus Mafuta replaces Danny Johnson. Substitution, Gateshead. Luke Hannant replaces Sam Jones. Substitution, Braintree Town. Ebou Adams replaces Chez Isaac. Substitution, Gateshead. Wes York replaces Russell Penn. Goal! Gateshead 0, Braintree Town 1. Michael Cheek (Braintree Town). Substitution, Braintree Town. Reece Hall-Johnson replaces Monty Patterson. Second Half begins Gateshead 0, Braintree Town 0. First Half ends, Gateshead 0, Braintree Town 0. Danny Johnson (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

Summary: Paddy McLaughlin's late penalty salvaged a point for Gateshead as they drew at home with Braintree in the National League.


After leaking information about the National Security Agency's surveillance programme to the Guardian newspaper, he said he chose Hong Kong because the city has "a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent". Mr Snowden's current whereabouts cannot be confirmed. He left the hotel he had been staying in shortly after going public. The Hong Kong government has promised to handle any extradition request from the US according to established law and policy. Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty with the US shortly before the territory returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. "You get extraditions several times a year from Hong Kong," Clive Grossman S.C, a barrister and former vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, told the BBC. Under the Fugitive Offenders (United States of America) Order, both Hong Kong and the US have agreed to extradite someone who has committed "an offence which is punishable under the laws of both Parties by imprisonment or other form of detention for more than one year... unless surrender for such offence is prohibited by the laws of the requested Party." Regina Ip, a legislator and Hong Kong's former Secretary for Security, told reporters in May that the Hong Kong government was "obliged to comply with the terms of agreements" with the US government, including extradition treaties. "It's actually in his best interest to leave Hong Kong," she said, referring to Mr Snowden. However, the extradition process can be a long and complicated one in sensitive cases like this, Tim Parker, an immigration lawyer based in Hong Kong, has told the BBC. "There are a number of hurdles that could come up for the extraditing authority, to the advantage of Snowden," he said. "There is a bar under Hong Kong's extradition law... to extradition for an offence that is of a political character, [where] the prosecution is thought not just to be the application of the criminal law, but to crush that person or to crush their dissent," Mr Parker said. Another potential hurdle would be any intervention from Beijing, which could block an extradition if it raised questions "going to their national security, foreign affairs, or defence", Mr Parker says. A handover could also be halted if Mr Snowden was believed to be in danger of receiving inhumane treatment in the US, Mr Parker added. "If Mr Snowden is at risk of being detained under the sort of conditions that Bradley Manning has reportedly been detained, which the UN special rapporteurs have said amounted to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment... then Hong Kong would not be allowed under its law, and could not extradite him to the US." A further consideration is what visa Mr Snowden used to enter Hong Kong. If his visa is due to expire soon, a formal extradition request may not be needed. However, it would not be "legally possible" under Hong Kong law for Mr Snowden to be forcibly taken to Beijing, Mr Parker says. "That would be a serious breach of the autonomy under Hong Kong's One Country Two Systems arrangement. There

Summary: Edward Snowden, who has been charged with espionage by US over leaks about US surveillance programmes, is thought to have been in Hong Kong since 20 May.


The 30-inch sword was found by Goran Olsen, a hiker who found it when he sat down to rest. Experts say it's in surprisingly good condition after surviving hundreds of years of frost and snow. The ancient weapon will be able to help archaeologist work out how people lived in Viking times. The sword will go on display at the University Museum of Bergen.

Summary: A twelve hundred year old Viking sword has been found buried in rocks in southern Norway.


The project to find influential games that deserved to be in the Hall of Fame was begun in February by The Strong - a US museum of play. Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Pac-Man, and World of Warcraft were also chosen to feature in an exhibit of iconic games. Angry Birds and Minecraft were nominated but did not make the final list. The museum invited people to nominate games played on PCs, consoles, hand-held gadgets, phones or in arcades. The winners span three decades of gaming from Pong, first released in 1972, to World of Warcraft which debuted in late 2004. Pong was chosen because it launched the entire games industry, said the museum in a statement, revealing the six entrants in its Hall of Fame. It acknowledged that it was not the first electronic game but was the first to get "wide-scale public attention". Other games were chosen for becoming cultural icons (Tetris), making games a mass-market phenomenon (Pac-Man) and changing the way games were made (Doom). World of Warcraft was chosen, said the museum, because of its longevity and the way it has brought millions of players together into one game world. The winners were whittled down from a long list of 15 that was picked by an internal panel of academics, journalists and game experts recruited by The Strong. Their decisions were based on a game's longevity, influence, geographical reach and iconic status. The museum now plans to feature the winning games, the other nominees and many others in a permanent exhibition. The other nine nominees included Legend of Zelda, Space Invaders, the Oregon Trail and Pokemon. Nominees for the 2016 inductees to the hall of fame are now being accepted. Based in Rochester, New York, The Strong was founded in 1968 by Margaret Woodbury Strong a collector of toys, dolls and other play paraphernalia.

Summary: Pong and Doom have been inducted into the first Video Game Hall of Fame.


Their quartet of Marcus Hellner, Lars Nelson, Johan Olsson and Daniel Richardson led from start to finish and completed the course in one hour 28 minutes 42 seconds. The battle for silver and bronze was won by Russia - who were watched by President Vladimir Putin. The bronze was taken by France - their first medal in the event. A day after their women's team came from behind to earn a narrow relay victory, Sweden's anchor Hellner skied alone for the entire fourth leg and grabbed a Swedish flag to wave as he entered the stadium and proceeded unchallenged down the final straight. Hellner started the final leg with a 14-second lead over Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin and quickly extended the gap, eventually winning by 27.3 seconds. It was another disappointing day for Norway, who had fallen a minute behind by the second exchange and ended up fourth, a day after their heavily favoured women also failed to get a medal.

Summary: Defending champions Sweden took gold in the men's cross country 4x10km relay at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Frenchman's stance puts him in direct opposition to some of Europe's biggest leagues and clubs, who want the event to be staged in May. The World Cup is usually held in June and July, but Fifa has been told that Qatar's searing summer temperatures will put players' health at risk. Platini said: "It'll never be in April, May or June. It will be in winter." He added the 2022 Champions League semi-finals and final could be moved to June if necessary, saying the clubs would accept whatever decision was made. "It's not the clubs that are playing, it's the players and it's not possible to play in May when it's 40 degrees," said Platini, 59. Media playback is not supported on this device The English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and the German Bundesliga think a May World Cup will cause the least disruption as Fifa attempts to find an alternative date to June and July. But the favourite dates are either November and December or January and February. Football's most influential figures met in Zurich on Monday in an attempt to agree a solution to one of the sport's most controversial dilemmas, and plan to meet again in January. The taskforce set up to look into this issue will then present its preferred option to Fifa's executive committee in March. Fifa's preference is for a switch to November and December. President Sepp Blatter has already agreed that a World Cup will not clash with the Winter Olympics, which appears to rule out a move to January and February. But Uefa, which governs European football, is opposed on the grounds it would impact on the Champions League group stages, a stance backed by the Premier League. Many North American and South American domestic seasons conclude about this time, too. Speaking during a tour of the Football Association's training base at St George's Park in Staffordshire, Platini said: "As president of Uefa, I have no problem whether it's in November, December, January or February. "I have no problem. For the competition of the Champions League, we have no problem. "Your clubs in England, your league (the Premier League) has a problem… but we have to find a compromise. Everybody has to lose something but in the end I think winter will be a good date. "It will not be in April, it will not be in May or June or July or September. It will be November, December or January." When asked how regrettable it was that the issue had still not been finalised four years after Fifa's executive committee voted for Qatar, Platini said: "It's not regrettable for me. I don't regret voting for Qatar." He also rejected any suggestion the World Cup's credibility had been damaged by the Qatar controversy. "I don't think so," he said. "I've always said that I hope it will be in Qatar in winter. A lot of people voted for Qatar, not only me." Platini insisted Qatar was the right choice because Arab countries had bid for

Summary: Uefa president Michel Platini has told BBC Sport the 2022 Qatar World Cup must be played in winter.


It will cover a 14.7km (nine-mile) stretch of the A6 from Randalstown in County Antrim and Castledawson in County Londonderry, either side of the Toome bypass. Upgrading the stretches of road to dual carriageways is expected to cost Â£160m. Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard said the work would "strengthen the links between Belfast and Derry". He added that it would help to address an "infrastructure deficit" west of the River Bann. The route will replace the existing road from Castledawson to the M22 motorway to Belfast, which sees lengthy tailbacks during peak hours on a daily basis. "Road users and the local community will directly benefit from this new all-purpose dual carriageway as it will reduce journey times and improve road safety," he added. "I am determined to contribute towards economy growth in a regionally-balanced way, and I believe it is vital that infrastructure projects such as this are prioritised." On occasions during the morning rush-hour on the current route, traffic grinds to a complete standstill, resulting in traffic jams stretching for miles. The scenario is reversed during evening rush-hour as commuters return to the north-west from the direction of the M22 motorway. Earlier this year, Northern Ireland's roads authority said the proposed route would affect about 120 landowners. The Department for Infrastructure said ground investigation work has begun and archaeological investigations along the route will start this week. Construction is expected to begin in October. Mr Hazzard added the project was "welcome news" for the construction industry.

Summary: Four years of roadworks are to begin on the main road between Belfast and Londonderry road this autumn.


Media playback is not supported on this device Three tries in the space of 10 first-half minutes by Micky Higham, Sam Hopkins and Ben Crooks had put Leigh in control. But Tom Johnstone, Jacob Miller and Ben Jones-Bishop crossed to turn the game around for the hosts after the break. Leigh saw a second-half score for Matty Dawson ruled out for a forward pass. Had Ryan Hampshire's long floated pass to Dawson not crept ahead of play, Leigh could have stretched their lead to 12 points going into the last quarter. But within two minutes, a clever grubber from Wakefield scrum-half Liam Finn allowed Miller to score under the posts and level the scores. Sam Williams then executed a pin-point cross-kick for Jones-Bishop to collect out wide and, after the video referee eventually awarded a try, Wakefield reclaimed a decisive lead. Trinity's third victory of the season takes them level on points with Leigh, who have now lost four matches away from home. Wakefield coach Chris Chester: "It was a tale of two halves. We looked in control after 23 or 24 minutes, but then came up with a poor play and we struggled to contain them. "We need to be a lot better defensively because we conceded some really soft tries, a couple of dive-overs. "But I'm pleased with the way we stuck at it and I thought we were worthy winners. "We were a totally different team in the second half, very dominant, I thought we got back to where we were a couple of weeks ago. "I'm proud we got the two points but we're certainly not getting carried away." Leigh coach Neil Jukes: "I'm just really disappointed with our second-half performance. We were like chalk and cheese. "For 40 minutes we were on fire and, if we'd have had a half-decent second half, I'd have thought fair play, but we were garbage in the second half. "We lost (Josh) Drinkwater but that's no excuse for trying to cling onto a 12-point lead. "I'd like to have given the guys a long weekend off and kick on on Monday but we'll be in tomorrow and we'll fix it up. "We've got to find that away form." Wakefield: Allgood, Arona, Arundel, Ashurst, Batchelor, Fifita, Finn, Grix, Hadley, Hirst, Huby, Johnstone, Jones-Bishop, Kirmond, Miller, Tupou, Walker, Williams, Wood. Leigh: Naughton, Brown, Higson, Crooks, Dawson, Drinkwater, Hock, Higham, Weston, Hansen, Pelissier, Tickle, Vea, Hampshire, Reynolds, Green, Hopkins, Acton, Burr.

Summary: Wakefield scored three second-half tries as they came from behind to beat Leigh Centurions and deny the visitors a first Super League away win.


The Treasury will write to cabinet ministers on Tuesday to ask for savings in their departments to total £20bn. BBC Newsnight understands specific targets will not be set for departments. It is expected that cabinet ministers will put forward their proposals for cuts by September. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that departments that are not protected by a ring-fence will have to cut 12.6% from their budgets over the next five years. Chancellor George Osborne announced £37bn of spending cuts during this parliament in his Budget. He has already set out £17bn of cuts, including £12bn from welfare and £5bn from tackling tax evasion, avoidance, planning and imbalances in the tax system. At the time he said that no year "will see cuts as deep" as those in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Last month he ordered non-protected government departments to find £3bn in savings in the current financial year. BBC Newsnight's Laura Kuenssberg said the theme of the November review would be "more with less". She said Mr Osborne wants to encourage public sector reforms that use taxpayers' money more efficiently. "The Treasury believes that billions can be found from selling off public land - they say currently more than £300bn's worth is owned by the taxpayer," she said. "For the first time, departments will be expected to show they are contributing to the government's target of building 150,000 homes on land previously owned by the taxpayer by 2020." She said ministers also believe that money could be released by devolving spending from Whitehall, under the Chancellor's so-called "Northern Powerhouse" strategy, which is a plan for increased devolution across England. BBC Newsnight understands the previous process of the "star chamber" - where ministers appeared in front of a small cabinet committee to answer for their plans - will not be repeated. However, ministers who engage with the Treasury as part of the process will have more control over where the cuts to the departments are made.

Summary: The government's spending review that will set out departmental budget cuts over the next five years will take place on 25 November.


The US company says the "limited edition" Toq is designed to showcase its new technologies rather than compete with its other products. Qualcomm is best known for making processors that power smartphones. However, one analyst suggested the device was too bulky to appeal beyond a niche enthusiast audience. The $349 (Â£215) gadget is being made available via only Qualcomm's website to US customers, and the company said it was "unlikely" it would sell the watch elsewhere. The Toq is designed to be paired with any smartphone running Android 4.0.3 or higher. It allows its owner to receive and send text messages, manage reminders and view other information - such as weather forecasts or stock prices - obtained via their handset. There is no software store for the watch itself, but existing handset apps can be adapted to send details to its display and activate a vibrate function. In addition it can be used to accept or reject calls, and control what music is being played from the linked phone's library. The company says that the watch's key innovation is its use of its proprietary Mirasol technology. Rob Chandok, president of Qualcomm Interactive Platforms, described this as being similar to the e-ink displays commonly used by e-book readers and another smartwatch - the Pebble - but better. "In addition to the fact it offers colour, the refresh rate of Mirasol can be 30 frames a second, which allows you to build a touch interface," he told the BBC. "That's tremendously important when you are trying to offer some of these experiences. "In an e-ink display you can't refresh the screen fast enough to follow the finger." Mirasol is significantly less power-hungry than the OLED tech used by Samsung's Galaxy Gear watch, meaning that unlike its rival, its screen does not have to turn itself off when angled away from the user's face to extend battery life. Sony's Smartwatch 2 does offer an always-on LCD display - however, it requires the user to switch on a backlight in dim conditions. Although Qualcomm suggests the Toq's lack of an on/off switch makes it the superior option, Mr Chandok acknowledged that the Toq display's graphics were not as vibrant or crisp as the alternatives. "But we've got other versions of Mirasol in the pipeline that are going to have a better colour gamut and vibrancy," he added. Qualcomm has also included three other technologies it has developed that it hopes will attract the attention of manufacturers: Mr Chandok said "tens of thousands, but not hundreds of thousands" of the watches were being produced, adding that its appeal was likely to be limited to an "early adopter" crowd. "We would consider making more if the demand were high," he said. "But our preference is for our partners to bring out products [using the new technologies] in the next six months, and we're working hard with a few people to do that." He declined to name the companies involved, but did reveal that in theory the Toq could be made compatible with Apple's iPhones. "We limited the spend

Summary: Qualcomm has released a smartwatch that it says can last days between recharges despite the fact its touchscreen display is always on.


They have expressed scepticism over a deal by world powers to push for a cessation of hostilities within a week. They have also reiterated their demand that President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power. Earlier the president said he wanted to retake "the whole country" from rebels. Three Syrian rebel groups have expressed doubts to the BBC over the cessation of hostilities agreement: Riad Hijab, co-ordinator of Syria's main opposition bloc, earlier told the BBC's Newsnight programme that to announce a cessation of hostilities before making progress in the political process "is not realistic, objective or logical". What does truce deal amount to? How Putin is succeeding in Syria World media on Syria plan Agreement to try to bring about a cessation of hostilities and allow more access for humanitarian aid was reached by world powers late on Thursday in Germany, but neither the Syrian government nor the rebels were involved. So far there has been no sign of the UN realising its hopes of delivering aid imminently to more besieged areas. A new UN task force set up to co-ordinate aid distributions convened in Geneva on Friday. Some Syrian cities have been cut off from aid for more than a year because of fighting. About 13.5 million people are in need, the UN says. In his rare interview recorded on Thursday, Mr Assad told AFP news agency that defeating the groups ranged against him could take some time due to the involvement of regional powers. Mr Assad expressed support for peace talks but said negotiations did not mean "we stop fighting terrorism". And he vowed to sever the rebels' supply route from Turkey. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have almost encircled rebels in parts of the northern city of Aleppo. US state department spokesman Mark Toner said Mr Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict. More than 250,000 people have been killed and some 11 million displaced in almost five years of fighting in Syria. Why is there a war in Syria? Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that, four years on, has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory. Who is fighting whom? Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, who are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other. How has the world reacted? Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.

Summary: Rebel groups in Syria have told the BBC they will not stop fighting because they do not believe that Russia will end its bombing campaign in support of the government.


Feeney, 29, previously spent time on loan at Blackburn at the end of the 2013-14 season, making six appearances. The former Bournemouth and Millwall man, who finished last season on loan at Ipswich Town, made 71 league starts for Bolton during a two-year contract. Rovers finished 15th in the table last term, 15 points clear of relegation. Feeney is the club's fourth signing so far this summer, joining full-back Stephen Hendrie plus strikers Anthony Stokes and Danny Graham. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Championship club Blackburn Rovers have signed former Bolton Wanderers winger Liam Feeney on a two-year deal, with the option of a further year.


In the Dorfman Theatre there's The Red Lion - Marber's account of modern masculinity laid bare in an old-fashioned football club. The much larger Olivier is home to what he calls a 'fiddled about with' version of George Farquhar's 1707 classic comedy The Beaux' Stratagem. And in the Lyttelton there's a new version of Turgenev's 1870s Russian classic usually known as A Month in the Country but now re-titled Three Days in the Country. No writer has previously filled all three auditoriums on the same night. Only the 225-seat Temporary Theatre has evaded Marber's clutches. "But it's just the way the scheduling worked out," he says. "No one really planned it this way". But it's proof that a long fallow period for the playwright has ended. In the mid-1990s he was the hottest young writer in London theatre. There were big hits at the National - and on Broadway - such as Dealer's Choice (1995) and Closer (1997). Closer was made into a film by Mike Nichols starring Julia Roberts and Jude Law. But until this year Marber, now 50, hadn't come up with an entirely new stage-play for a decade. He says the reason was simple. "I couldn't think of one. I tried and I abandoned various plays. I got half way there sometimes, or a quarter of the way there. But a play is something you have to live with for a very long time. You've got to love the thing and I just didn't manage it." The Red Lion is a tragedy about football, which I suggest to him may be a wholly new genre. "Not if you're an Arsenal fan. But I don't think the play wholly is a tragedy: it has laughs too." It's not the first of Marber's works to address the nature of modern masculinity. Many of his characters appear intimate with despair. I ask him if there's a line from The Red Lion back to Turgenev - a profoundly sad story which has gorgeously comic moments too. "Yes I think it's true that there is a link. There is an underlying tragedy in both plays. But in Three Days, for instance, our brilliant cast gets real comedy out of the situations Turgenev created." Critics have praised the way performers such as Mark Gatiss, John Simm and Debra Gillett (who's married to Marber) extract both humour and sadness from his reworked version of the Russian original. "All these three projects were very different. I loved being back in Farquhar's comic world - it was a play I did as a student and I loved it then. But with Three Days I'm also director: it's a thrill to have the intimacy of working with great actors and to know you can still work on the script in rehearsal." We discuss which playwright is most likely to match or even exceed his schedule-domination at the National. I suggest the prolific Richard Bean may one day come snapping at his heals. "Oh there's any number of writers with more vim and energy than me. I expect someone will

Summary: Patrick Marber insists it's coincidence that for two consecutive nights this week the National Theatre is a relentless 'Marber-thon'.


They say that the animals, which live in the Taimyr Peninsula in the northernmost tip of Russia, are being affected by rising temperatures and human activity. This is causing the animals to change their annual migration patterns. The research has been presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). "There is a substantial decline - and we are also seeing this with other wild reindeer declining rapidly in other parts of the world," said Andrey Petrov, who runs the Arctic Centre at the University of Northern Iowa, US. The Taimyr herd is one of the most monitored groups of reindeer in the world. The animals have been tracked for nearly 50 years by aerial surveys and more recently by satellite imagery. The population reached a peak of one million in 2000, but this latest research suggests that there are now only 600,000 reindeer. "Climate change is at least one of the variables," explained Prof Petrov. "We know in the last two decades that we have had an increase in temperatures of about 1.5C overall. And that definitely impacts migration patterns." Industrial development is increasing in the region, which is also changing the animals' distribution. The researchers found that in the summer, the reindeer were moving east to avoid human activity. But they were also shifting north and to higher elevations. The team thinks this is to try to get to cooler ground and also to avoid the mosquitoes that are booming as the region gets warmer and wetter. "They just move and move and move to escape them," said Prof Petrov. This is extending the distance that the animals have to migrate between winter and summer. "They now have to travel much longer distances to reach those areas with their newborn calves, and that means there is an increase in calf mortality." He added that rivers in the region were also growing in size, making them more dangerous for the animals as they had to swim rather than walk across them. In addition, food in the summer grounds is becoming more scarce, especially as the animals move to higher elevations. Prof Petrov said it was important to try to halt the decline. "Reindeer are tremendously important for biodiversity - they are part of the Arctic food chain and without them other species would be in trouble," he explained. "But on the other hand, in all the areas they inhabit, they are vital for peopleâ€™s survival. "Thousands and thousands of people rely on wild reindeer; it is the basis of their subsistence economy. So it's about human sustainability too." Follow Rebecca on Twitter @BBCMorelle

Summary: The world's largest wild reindeer herd has fallen by 40% since 2000, scientists have warned.


The 21-year-old was taken by "unknown parties" to Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool, in the early hours of Sunday with wounds to his hand and side. Police said he was stable and the motive for the attack was unknown, although it was thought to be targeted. They are appealing to witnesses for information.

Summary: A man with stab wounds was left outside a hospital in a van with blacked-out windows, police have said.


Setting off at a leisurely pace through the west end, the former governor of California promptly began cycling on the wrong side of the street. The Terminator star was in the capital to attend a black-tie dinner in his honour at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The Hollywood star is often spotted cycling at home in California. He shocked London commuters last year when he jumped on a Boris bike to enjoy a sightseeing tour.

Summary: Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken to the streets of Edinburgh for a morning bike ride.


Highways England has said its preferred route for a new Lower Thames Crossing is a tunnel connecting Gravesend, in Kent, to Tilbury, Essex. However, Tory MP for Gravesham, Adam Holloway, said the government should instead build a new tunnel between Dartford and Thurrock. He claimed there would be "carnage" if the M25 at Dartford was "not fixed". "This is quite simply the worst stretch of road in the UK, and it has a huge impact on local residents," Mr Holloway told MPs during a parliamentary debate on Monday. "There are entirely viable schemes, including a seven-mile tunnel under Dartford and Thurrock," he said. More news from Kent The Conservative MP for Dartford, Gareth Johnson, suggested Mr Holloway was in favour of "funnelling more traffic" towards the existing Dartford Crossing and in to the Dartford area. He said: "Isn't it the situation that we should have more resilience, as we have across the rest of the Thames, so you have crossings at various different locations? "The solution surely is to take traffic away and put the crossing east of Gravesend." But Mr Holloway said the "Â£5bn opportunity to fix the M25 is about to be wasted," adding that it will soon be "too late to stop a plan that's going to result in another 30 years of misery on the M25". He added: "Have a conversation about something to the east of Gravesend, or wherever it is, but let's not confuse two things. "The problem is a disaster at Dartford and it is going to be a complete scandal." Concluding the debate, transport minister John Hayes said more than 47,000 people had taken part in a consultation on the preferred option for the crossing and the government was currently analysing the results.

Summary: A proposed new road tunnel beneath the River Thames would lead to 30 years of "misery" on the M25, an MP has warned.


India is one of the world's largest consumers of electricity, and the bulk of it is generated from coal. The new reactors amount to more than the country's present installed capacity of nuclear power. But it is not clear when they will begin working. India currently operates 22 nuclear plants, with a capacity of 6,780 megawatts. "A total of 7,000 megawatts will be added. It will help produce clean energy," Power Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters. The planned nuclear units will generate business worth $11bn (Â£8.48bn) and create more than 33,000 jobs, the government said. The homegrown reactors will be built under the ambitious "Make in India" initiative, with the government saying it will boost India's nuclear manufacturing capability.

Summary: India will build 10 heavy water reactors to boost its nuclear power capacity, the government has announced.


The Community union said it expected to hold talks on the industry generally with the steel company this week. Union officials said they expected Tata's Port Talbot plant to be "high on the agenda" as concerns grow over potential job losses. Some 4,000 people are employed at the works, and Tata employs 6,000 in Wales. It puts ??200m a year into the economy in wages. Tata Steel Europe, which employs 17,000 in the UK, is in the throes of a wide-scale reorganisation of its business, prompted by a slump in the price of steel. Alan Coombs, the president of the steelworkers' union Community, and chairman of the multi-union group at Port Talbot, told BBC Wales: "Without doubt there'll be restructuring on the cards - that's if we are in a position to restructure. "There is concern that we are running out of time". Mr Coombs said the steel industry was changing quite rapidly, and he thought job losses were "inevitable" at Port Talbot - the UK's largest steelworks. He said there was always a knock-on effect from Port Talbot on other parts of the steel industry in Wales. A spokesperson for Community added: "These reports of potential job losses at Port Talbot should serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing steel crisis and the urgent need for government to deliver upon the agreed steps to protect this vital foundation industry. "We need a level playing field for UK steel makers, especially on issues like business rates and energy costs." Councillor Tony Taylor, who represents the Aberavon ward in Port Talbot and worked at the steelworks for 44 years before retiring last year, said there had been rumours about potential job losses in the area "for weeks". "The government needs to help the industry now," he said. "It's OK for AMs and MPs to talk the talk, but we need to see action before it's too late. "We have to keep the steel industry going in Britain - it's too important to lose." There have been waves of job losses in the steel industry in the UK, which the sector has blamed on cheap Chinese imports and a collapse in prices. In October, Tata Steel announced nearly 1,200 roles were to be axed in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire.

Summary: The future of the Port Talbot steelworks will be discussed when Tata Steel bosses meet union officials in the coming days, the BBC has been told.


Glasgow City Council confirmed Harry Clarke had been suspended following evidence at the ongoing inquiry into the tragedy, which killed six people. The inquiry has heard Mr Clarke, 58, previously fainted while working as a bus driver but failed to disclose the incident when he joined the council. It has also heard a claim Mr Clarke "lied through his teeth" to doctors. A spokesman for the council confirmed that it had suspended Mr Clarke on a precautionary basis pending a full disciplinary investigation. He added: "A number of allegations have been made during the enquiry in regard to Mr Clarke's conduct before and at the point where he commenced employment with the council. "These allegations have yet to be put to Mr Clarke and he has not yet had the opportunity of responding to them. The internal investigation will therefore take place at the conclusion of the fatal accident inquiry". The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) at Glasgow Sheriff Court has previously heard evidence that Mr Clarke had suffered episodes of dizziness and fainting for decades before the fatal crash on 22 December, when several witnesses reported seeing him slumped behind the wheel on the bin lorry as it went out of control in the city centre. But he failed to disclose his health history to the DVLA and on job application forms, and was said to have continued to deny any history of blackouts even after the bin lorry crash. In April 2010 - shortly before he joined the council - Mr Clarke fainted on a stationary bus while working as a driver for First Bus. The FAI has heard claims that Mr Clarke was "on his last legs" at the bus firm following repeated sick days prior to his blackout. Paramedics examined him on the bus and he refused to accompany them to hospital, instead returning to the depot where he informed his managers about the blackout. He visited Baillieston Health Centre and told his GP, Dr Gerard McKaig, that he fainted "at work, in canteen, hot environment, no warning signs". Later, he visited a second GP, Dr John Langan, and repeated his claim that he fainted in the work canteen but then told him he had felt light-headed beforehand. However, two letters from First's medical officer Dr Kenneth Lyons indicated that Mr Clarke fainted on a stationary bus. DVLA guidelines to GPs state that people who have fainted may be fit to return to the wheel if there was provocational factors, such as a hot environment, prodromal features such as light headedness, and if a faint "is unlikely to occur while sitting or lying". Dr Langan later wrote to First Bus diagnosing the blackout as a "simple" faint which did not require Mr Clarke to give up driving. The GP said he would have looked at Mr Clarke's medical history over the past five years before making his diagnosis. He said "nothing jumped out at me at the time" to merit diagnosing a more serious condition. During Thursday's evidence, Ronald Conway, the solicitor advocate acting for the family of bin

Summary: The driver who was behind the wheel of the bin lorry that crashed in Glasgow has been suspended by his employer.


The Dow Jones rose 150.52 points or 0.73% to 20,701.50, while the wider S&P 500 index added 17 points, also a gain of 0.73%, to 2,358.57. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index climbed 35 points, or 0.60% to 5,875.14. Financial and energy shares did particularly well. Other newly released data showed the trade deficit in goods narrowed sharply in February and there were more increases in house prices in January. These figures "underscore what has been going on really in this whole rally, and that is that confidence is pretty high and optimism is high and that has kind of been underpinning the resiliency of the equity markets," said Jim Davis, regional investment manager at US Bank Wealth Management. Earlier in the day, investors had been hoping for hints about the timing of the next rise in US interest rates from Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen, who was speaking at a conference in Washington. In the event she made no mention of monetary policy. Among individual stocks, electric carmaker Tesla rose 2.7% after Chinese tech giant Tencent spent $1.8bn buying a 5% stake in the company. General Motors rose 2.4% after activist investor David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital called on the car giant to split its stock into two classes. He is also calling for four new directors to be appointed by GM. The company has rejected his proposals. Shares in Amazon added 1.1% after the company said it had agreed to buy Middle East online retailer Souq.com.

Summary: (Close): The three main US stock indexes ended the day markedly higher on Tuesday as new figures showed consumer confidence hitting its highest level for more than 16 years in March.


The Uganda Wildlife Association (UWA) has said the 832 pieces of ivory could be worth up to $6.7m but other estimates put the value lower. Experts say some of the ivory is believed to have come from elephants poached outside Uganda. There is a huge demand for African ivory in Asia for use in ornaments. The ivory was apparently heading for the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Some of the tusks had been broken up and covered with plastic bottles in crates labelled as material to be recycled. The UWA told the BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga that Uganda is increasingly being used as a transit country by poachers who kill elephants in states such as South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda is believed to have about 5,000 elephants and this haul would represent the tusks from about 400 animals. Last week, some four tonnes of ivory was found in Mombasa after coming from Uganda. According to the UWA, the rate of elephant poaching is relatively low in Uganda, with an estimated 20 elephants killed for their ivory across the country in 2010. After a sharp fall in the number of elephants in Africa, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) banned the trade in ivory in 1989 But in recent years poaching has increased across sub-Saharan Africa with criminal gangs slaughtering elephants for ivory markets in Asia.

Summary: Ugandan officials have seized some two tonnes (4,600lb) of ivory - one of the country's biggest such hauls for many years.