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Holyhead: Video shows suspected gun discharge - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | null | Three people have been arrested after a firearm is believed to have been discharged in north Wales. | null | Footage shows the moment a firearm is believed to have been discharged on a residential street in north Wales.
Three men were arrested following the incident in Holyhead, Anglesey, which occurred at about 08:30 BST on Monday, 10 April.
One man was arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of a firearm with intent and later released on condition bail. Two other men were arrested on suspicion of affray and later released under investigation.
North Wales Police has said no injuries were reported. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-65249896 |
Study reveals cancer’s ‘infinite’ ability to evolve - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Scientists say focus should be on cancer prevention, with "universal cures" unlikely at present. | Health | An unprecedented analysis of how cancers grow has revealed an "almost infinite" ability of tumours to evolve and survive, say scientists.
The results of tracking lung cancers for nine years left the research team "surprised" and "in awe" at the formidable force they were up against.
They have concluded we need more focus on prevention, with a "universal" cure unlikely any time soon.
Cancer Research UK said early detection of cancer was vitally important.
The study - entitled TracerX - provides the most in-depth analysis of how cancers evolve and what causes them to spread.
Cancers change and evolve over time - they are not fixed and immutable. They can become more aggressive: better at evading the immune system and able to spread around the body.
A tumour starts as a single, corrupted cell, but becomes a mixture of millions of cells that have all mutated in slightly different ways.
TracerX tracked that diversity and how it changes over time inside lung cancer patients and say the results would apply across different types of cancer.
"That has never been done before at this scale," said Prof Charles Swanton, from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London.
More than 400 people - treated at 13 hospitals in the UK - had biopsies taken from different parts of their lung cancer as the disease progressed.
"It has surprised me how adaptable tumours can be," Prof Swanton told me.
"I don't want to sound too depressing about this, but I think - given the almost infinite possibilities in which a tumour can evolve, and the very large number of cells in a late-stage tumour, which could be several hundred billion cells - then achieving cures in all patients with late-stage disease is a formidable task."
Prof Charles Swanton says challenge of tumours evolving inside our body means we need to focus on preventing cancer.
Prof Swanton said: "I don't think we're going to be able to come up with universal cures.
"If we want to make the biggest impact we need to focus on prevention, early detection and early detection of relapse."
Obesity, smoking, alcohol and poor diet all increase the risk of some cancers. Tackling inflammation in the body is also being seen as a way of preventing cancer. Inflammation is the likely explanation for air pollution causing lung cancers and inflammatory bowel disease increasing the risk of colon cancer.
The evolutionary analysis has been published across seven separate studies in the journals Nature and Nature Medicine.
The researchers hope the findings could, in the future, help them predict how a patient's tumour will spread and to tailor treatment.
Dr David Crosby, the head of prevention and early detection at Cancer Research UK, said: "The exciting results emerging from TracerX improve our understanding that cancer is a disease which evolves as it progresses, meaning that late-stage cancers can become very hard to treat successfully.
"This underscores the crucial importance of further research to help us to detect cancers at the earliest stages of their development or even better, to prevent them from happening at all." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65252510 |
Kentucky bank shooting: Bodycam video shows police under fire - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | One officer was hit in the head, while the other suffered a graze wound before killing the suspect. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Police in Louisville, Kentucky, have released bodycam footage of the fatal shootout between police and a banker who gunned down five colleagues.
The video shows two officers getting shot as they advanced towards the lurking gunman during Monday's attack.
One officer was hit in the head, while the other suffered a graze wound before killing the suspect.
Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the videos show the officers heroically intervening to save lives.
Four people - including the police officer who was shot in the head - remain in hospital.
Police say the 25-year-old suspect used a legally purchased AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle during the attack, which he was live-streaming.
Officers arrived three minutes after the first emergency call was placed at 08:38 local time.
Officer Cory Galloway and rookie Officer Nickolas Wilt charged toward the building after their patrol car came under fire, according to the video.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Two men recall the terrifying moments at the Louisville bank
The clip shows that as they moved up the stairs to the building entrance, a barrage of shots were fired. Officer Wilt was hit, although the video does not show this.
A bullet also grazed Officer Galloway's shoulder, sending him diving to the bottom of the steps for cover behind a concrete planter.
"The shooter has an angle on that officer," he says to other police as they arrive. "We need to get up there. I don't know where he's at, the glass is blocking him."
The gunman was at an elevated position to the officers, and was able to see outside through glass windows of the Old National Bank that officers could not see into.
After he fired again at the officers, breaking the glass, Officer Galloway was able to spot the suspect and fired at him until he collapsed in the building's lobby area.
"I think I got him down. I think he's down," he is heard shouting. "Suspect down. Get the officer."
A memorial outside the Old National Bank in Louisville
Deputy Chief Humphrey says the officers' actions saved lives, both by stopping the gunman from killing more employees and by giving first aid to the victims.
Officer Wilt, 26, who had been sworn in to the force 10 days earlier, was taken to hospital in a police car. He remains in a critical condition.
Another officer drove an ambulance to hospital so medical workers could remain in the back of the vehicle with a victim.
The family of the gunman, Connor Sturgeon, released a statement late on Tuesday saying they had been addressing his mental health challenges, but there were no warning signs he could commit such an act.
"No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community," the statement said.
"We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for everyone traumatised by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the bravery and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department."
Meanwhile, the legally purchased AR-15-style rifle used by the gunman will probably be auctioned to the public, officials say.
Under current state law, guns confiscated by local police - including those used in homicides - are returned to state police and then made available for purchase at auction.
In February, the Louisville mayor ordered local police to temporarily disable seized weapons before handing them over to state police for resale.
Mayor Craig Greenberg told a news conference on Tuesday: "Under current Kentucky law, the assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbours and shoot at rescuing police officers will one day be auctioned off.
"Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65234314 |
UK to be one of worst performing economies this year, predicts IMF - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | It is predicted to be the worst performing out of the G20 nations in 2023, including Russia. | Business | The UK is set to be one of the worst performing major economies in the world this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It says the UK economy's performance in 2023 will be the worst among the 20 biggest economies, known as the G20, which includes sanctions-hit Russia.
The IMF predicts the UK economy will shrink this year, although this is a small upgrade from its last forecast.
It also warned of a "rocky road" for the global financial system.
It follows the collapse of two US banks last month, closely followed by a rushed takeover of Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse by its rival UBS, which sparked fears of another financial crisis.
The IMF had already forecast that the UK would experience a downturn this year and be bottom of the pile of the G7 - a group of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies, which dominate global trade and the international financial system. The UK topped the group in 2022 during the pandemic rebound.
It now expects the UK economy to shrink by 0.3% in 2023 and then grow by 1% next year.
Although the UK is forecast to have the worst economic performance this year, the IMF's latest prediction is slightly better than its previous expectation of a 0.6% contraction, made in January.
IMF researchers have previously pointed to Britain's exposure to high gas prices, rising interest rates and a sluggish trade performance as reasons for its weak economic performance.
Forecasts are made to give a guide to what is most likely to happen in the future, but they are not always right. For example, previous IMF forecasts picked up fewer than 10% of recessions a year ahead of time, according to an analysis it conducted of recessions around the world between 1992 and 2014.
Responding to the latest IMF's predictions, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "Our IMF growth forecasts have been upgraded by more than any other G7 country.
"The IMF now say we are on the right track for economic growth. By sticking to the plan we will more than halve inflation this year, easing the pressure on everyone."
But Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow chancellor, said the estimates showed "just how far we continue to lag behind on the global stage".
"This matters not just because 13 years of low growth under the Tories are weakening our economy, but because it's why families are worse off, facing a Tory mortgage penalty and seeing living standards falling at their fastest rate since records began," she added.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney said the forecast was "another damning indictment of this Conservative government's record on the economy".
A number of forecasters think the chances of a recession in the UK this year are declining. An economy is usually said to be in recession if it shrinks for two consecutive three-month periods.
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility now expects the economy to contract by 0.2% this year but avoid a recession.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey also said recently that he was "much more hopeful" for the economy, and it was no longer heading into an immediate recession.
The new forecasts come against the backdrop of a world economy that continues to recover from both the pandemic and the Ukraine war energy shock.
But the IMF said there were concerns about the wider impact of recent fragility in global banking markets.
The IMF now expects global growth to fall from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.8% in 2023, before rising slowly and settling at 3% in five years' time.
But it warned that if there is more stress in the financial sector, global growth could weaken further this year.
Separately, the IMF said it expects real interest rates - which take into account inflation - in major economies to fall to pre-pandemic levels because of low productivity and ageing populations.
Central banks in the UK, the US, Europe and other nations have been increasing interest rates to combat the rate of price rises, otherwise known as inflation.
In the UK, inflation is at its highest for nearly 40 years because of rising energy prices and soaring food costs. In response, the Bank of England has been raising interest rates, and last month increased them to 4.25%.
However, in a blog the IMF said that "recent increases in real interest rates are likely to be temporary". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65240749 |
Could you endure Nasa's 3D-printed Mars simulation? - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | null | For a full year, four people will live in a simulation of the planet to help Nasa prepare for human exploration there. | null | For a full year, four people will live in a simulation of the planet Mars to help Nasa prepare for human exploration there.
During the simulation, crew members will carry out different types of mission activities, like simulated spacewalks and robotic operations.
To be as Mars-realistic as feasible, they will also face environmental stressors such as resource limitations, isolation and equipment failure. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65247481 |
Dáithí's Law: Rishi Sunak honours Belfast boy over organ donation - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rishi Sunak has presented Dáithí Mac Gabhann with an award while in Belfast to see Joe Biden. | Northern Ireland | Points of Light award recognises people who are contributing to their community
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has presented six-year-old Dáithí Mac Gabhann with an award for his campaign to reform organ donation in NI.
Dáithí has been on the list to get a heart transplant for about five years.
The new law, known as Dáithí's Law, which takes effect from June, will consider most adults as potential organ donors unless they opt out.
The Points of Light award recognises people who are contributing to their community.
The law had been delayed due to the political stalemate at Stormont. However, the government then stepped in to ensure it could take effect.
In a tweet, the prime minister said Dáithí's Law "will save lives".
"One of the joys of my job is being able to meet some exceptional people - just like Dáithí Mac Gabhann," he said.
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In an earlier letter to Dáithí, the prime minister said the six-year-old was "helping others in your situation to get the life-changing help they need - it is a huge achievement.
"In your father's words: 'Exceptional things happen for exceptional people'. I agree with him that you are truly exceptional and so I am delighted to recognise your courage by naming you as the UK's 2029th Point of Light.
"The whole country is with you as you continue your treatment."
Mr Sunak met Dáithí and his family while in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and President Joe Biden's visit.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where an opt-out organ donation system is not in place.
Dáithí's Law was introduced in the Stormont assembly in 2021 and passed its final stage in February 2022.
It would mean all adults in Northern Ireland would be considered a potential organ donor after their death unless they specifically stated otherwise.
But last month it emerged that additional legislation was needed to specify which organs and tissues were covered under the opt-out system.
Read more: What is Dáithí's Law? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65247208 |
Cardiff: Police officer who punched arrested man dismissed - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The officer was described as punching the man a number of times and kneeing him in the ribs. | Wales | PC Rowan Knight has been dismissed without notice
A police officer has been dismissed after punching a man in the face, holding him in a headlock and kneeing him in the ribs during an arrest.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct found PC Rowan Knight used excessive force and gave a dishonest account of the arrest in February 2021.
At Cardiff Magistrates' Court in October 2021, PC Knight was found not guilty of assaulting Christian Summers.
However, a gross misconduct hearing found he should be dismissed.
During the court case, a judge ruled PC knight had acted in self-defence while arresting Mr Summers on Cardiff's Northern Avenue and cleared him of the charge.
But following an investigation by the IOPC, South Wales Police agreed the officer had a disciplinary case to answer for gross misconduct.
"We examined allegations including whether there were legitimate grounds for arrest, and whether the force used in punching the man several times to the face while holding him in a headlock and kneeing him in the ribs was proportionate in the circumstances," a statement said.
"It was also alleged that PC Knight escalated the situation unnecessarily by his use of force, and that he later provided a statement that described a different version of events to those captured on police footage."
At the hearing overseen by an independent chairperson on 6 April, the panel heard how Mr Knight took an angry and confrontational tone of voice before grabbing the barefoot and semi-naked man by the throat.
PC Knight, who was accompanied at the incident by two other officers, claimed to be acting in self-defence.
At the end of the South Wales Police hearing, the panel determined that PC Knight's initial four punches were reasonable and in self-defence, but that further punches when the man was no longer a threat were disproportionate.
IOPC director David Ford said: "Police officers should only use the minimum amount of force required in any given situation they face.
"In our view the physical force applied by PC Knight was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate in the circumstances. The body-worn video of the other officers present did not support the officer's account that all his actions were in self-defence, and therefore the explanation he gave was dishonest.
"A gross misconduct hearing has now determined that PC Knight should be dismissed."
He will also be added to the police barred list. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65256453 |
Joe Biden hails Northern Ireland young people on Belfast visit - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president says they are at the "cutting edge" of the future, 25 years on from the 1998 peace deal. | Northern Ireland | US President Joe Biden has praised Northern Ireland's young people, saying they are at the "cutting edge" of its future during his visit to Belfast.
Earlier he met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before briefly speaking to some of Stormont's political party leaders.
He is on a four-day visit to Ireland to mark 25 years since the Good Friday peace agreement, which ended decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
He hailed the "tremendous progress" since the deal was signed in 1998.
"This place is transformed by peace; made technicolour by peace; made whole by peace," he said.
He hailed Northern Ireland as a "churn of creativity", having produced some of the world's most popular films and TV series over the past decade, and said that major economic opportunities for the region were "just beginning".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: James Martin, star of Oscar-winning Northern Ireland film An Irish Goodbye, is mentioned in Joe Biden's speech
President Biden was speaking as he opened the new Ulster University campus in Belfast, his only official engagement in Northern Ireland.
His visit comes at a time when Northern Ireland's power-sharing government at Stormont is not functioning.
It collapsed last year when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - one of the biggest parties - pulled out as part of a protest against post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
Mr Biden urged politicians to make a return to governing but praised them for their unity after the attempted murder of one of Northern Ireland's top detectives in February.
John Caldwell was shot several times by two gunmen in Omagh, County Tyrone.
During his speech, the president said: "Northern Ireland will not go back [to violence]."
Mr Sunak visited Mr Caldwell and his family at a hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
Before briefly meeting the political leaders, Mr Biden was asked what he would say to them - he answered: "I'm going to listen."
After leaving Belfast early on Wednesday afternoon, he flew on Air Force One the Republic of Ireland where he is continuing his tour of the island.
He is to due to meet the Irish President Michael D Higgins and speak to politicians at the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) on Thursday and will meet some of his Irish relatives in County Mayo on Friday.
His sister Valerie and his son Hunter have joined him for the Ireland trip.
President Biden managed to deliver a speech that hit all the right notes with the invited audience.
As he left the stage he was swamped by people armed with their phones for a selfie.
His speech was pitched at reminding people what is at stake - peace, said Mr Biden, cannot be taken for granted.
He reminded those in the room about the risks taken 25 years ago by the architects of the Good Friday Agreement.
Democracy in Northern Ireland needs champions now to do the same, he added.
While he didn't namecheck the DUP it was clear to whom he was directing those comments about getting Stormont back up and running.
Before Mr Biden's address in Belfast, US Special Envoy Joe Kennedy spoke about the significance of American investment in Northern Ireland.
"Some of the biggest companies in the world have set up shop here and now entrepreneurs with dreams to outcompete them are following," he said.
"I look forward to drawing on your energy and your ideas and to making sure that we bring prosperity to all corners of Northern Ireland."
After listening to Mr Biden's speech at the university, Michelle O'Neill, the vice-president of Sinn Féin, the largest party at Stormont, said the message was "one of hope and opportunity".
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DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not get a sense that the president was urging his party to do more to restore power-sharing during their brief private discussion.
"Like all of us, he wants to see the political institutions up and running again but we are very clear that can only happen when we have got the solid foundations that we need," he added.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long described President Biden's speech as "positive, balanced, optimistic and hopeful for the future".
Doug Beattie, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, said the meeting with Mr Biden was a fleeting "grip and grin" engagement.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described his conversation with the president as "positive".
Mr Biden arrived in Belfast city centre on Tuesday night, having been greeted by Mr Sunak as he stepped off Air Force One at Belfast International Airport.
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden met on the 23rd floor of the Grand Central Hotel on Wednesday morning
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the huge security plan put in place for the presidential visit was its biggest for years.
Some 2,900 officers were deployed as part of the £7m operation.
But the PSNI is investigating a security breach after a document that appears to give details of the operation was found on a street in the city by a member of the public.
BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show was shown the document, which is marked: "PSNI and sensitive."
It names police officers who were in charge of the area around the hotel in which Mr Biden had stayed.
"We take the safety of visiting dignitaries, members of the public and our officers and staff extremely seriously," said the PSNI.
Joe Biden is visiting the locations marked on this map during his four days in Ireland
Declan Harvey and Tara Mills explore the text of the Good Friday Agreement - the deal which heralded the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
They look at what the agreement actually said and hear from some of the people who helped get the deal across the line.
Listen to all episodes of Year '98: The Making of the Good Friday Agreement on BBC Sounds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65208880 |
Manchester City 3-0 Bayern Munich: Pep Guardiola's side take control in quarter-finals - BBC Sport | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | null | Man City take a big step towards Champions League semi-finals with 3-0 first-leg win against Bayern Munich | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Manchester City took a giant stride towards the Champions League semi-finals with an outstanding performance to overpower Bayern Munich at Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland, inevitably, was on target with his 45th goal of the season to make him the highest scorer in all competitions in a single campaign since the Premier League began 30 years ago, surpassing Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
City, however, gave a powerful all-round team display and Bayern, under new coach Thomas Tuchel, face a mountainous task to turn this quarter-final around in the second leg at the AllianzArena.
"Emotionally I'm destroyed," said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. "I have aged 10 more years. It was so demanding a game. It was not comfortable.
"Now I have to relax - a day off for the guys, prepare for Leicester [in the Premier League on Saturday]."
Rodri broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion with a curling left-foot drive into the top corner after 27 minutes while Bayern had chances of their own, especially former City forward Leroy Sane, who brought a vital save out of Ederson early in the second half.
City were always a threat and extended their lead with 20 minutes left, Haaland crossing perfectly for Bernardo Silva to head home after Jack Grealish stole possession off Dayot Upemecano.
Haaland was not to be denied himself and he pounced for City's third six minutes later, getting on the end of John Stones' headed knockdown to sweep a finish past Bayern keeper Yann Sommer.
"It was an incredible result but I know a little bit what can happen in Munich," added Guardiola, who managed Bayern Munich from 2013 until 2016, winning three league titles and two domestic doubles.
"If you don't perform really well they are able to score one, two, three. I know that, the players know that.
"It's an incredible result, but we have to do our game with huge, huge personality. If we don't do our game anything can happen.
"To knock out these teams you have to have two good games, not just one."
Haaland's record breaking will capture the headlines as the 22-year-old Norwegian's voracious appetite for goals shows no sign of being satisfied.
This, however, was much more than a one-man show as Guardiola's side had outstanding performers in all areas as they go in pursuit of the one major trophy that has remained tantalisingly out of reach during the manager's years of huge success at Etihad Stadium.
City have had mishaps before in the Champions League and will face either holders Real Madrid or Chelsea in a potentially hazardous last-four assignment if they complete what should be the formality of the second leg in Munich, but they look in perfect shape.
And in Haaland, they have the goal machine that gives an already outstanding side an added edge amid the fine margins of Europe's elite competition.
They also have a midfield powerhouse in Rodri, whose goal set them on their way, while they defended with real resilience, Nathan Ake continuing an outstanding season with a faultless performance.
Bernardo Silva showed all his creative powers as well as scoring the crucial second goal while Jack Grealish's tireless performance was exemplified by the manner in which he nicked the ball off Upamecano in the build-up to that goal.
Three goals and clean sheet was a fair reward for City's superiority and it will surely now take something extraordinary to stop them taking their place in another semi-final.
Thomas Tuchel declared his delight at being back in England for this Champions League quarter-final, having recently succeed Julian Naglesmann at Bayern Munich, but there was not much else for the former Chelsea manager to be happy about on this rain-sodden Manchester night.
Tuchel's task is to get Bayern back at Europe's top table and his constant agitation in the technical area was an indicator of how big his task is. The Bundesliga is almost taken for granted at Bayern but this fiercely ambitious club wants more and they were well beaten here.
This outstanding coach has proved his quality in the past but he will need to be a miracle worker to get Bayern out of the hole they fell into at Etihad Stadium.
"I try to not allow my players to focus on the result," Tuchel said. "I think it is not a deserved result, it does not tell the story of this match.
"We played with personality, courage and a lot of quality but we didn't get the rewards we deserved.
"This does not feel a 3-0 but it is a 3-0. It is a huge task to turn it around but we will not give up."
• None Follow live radio and updates as Man City host Bayern Munich in Champions League
• None Attempt missed. Jack Grealish (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Bernardo Silva.
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• None Attempt saved. Rodri (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Julián Álvarez with a cross.
• None Offside, FC Bayern München. Joshua Kimmich tries a through ball, but Leroy Sané is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Julián Álvarez (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Jack Grealish.
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• None Enter the world of the social media personality’s multi-level marketing scheme and webcam business
• None The rise and fall of the jeweller-turned-criminal: Listen to Gangster: The Story of John Palmer | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65233785 |
Michael Jordan's trainers sell for record $2.2m - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The sale seals the basketball titan's position as the most valuable athlete at sports memorabilia auctions. | US & Canada | A pair of Air Jordan XIIIs worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $2.2m
A pair of trainers once worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan has sold for $2.2m (£1.7m) at auction, becoming the priciest shoes ever sold.
The signed sneakers - which Sotheby's had estimated would fetch $2m to $4m - are among the most expensive Jordan items auctioned.
A jersey he wore at the 1998 NBA Finals sold in 2022 for $10.1m.
The latest sale seals Jordan's position as the most valuable athlete at auctions for sportswear memorabilia.
"Today's record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations," said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables.
The previous record for Jordan shoes was $1.47m for a pair of his Nike Air Ships auctioned in 2021.
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The Air Jordan XIIIs sold on Tuesday were worn by the basketball star during his last championship season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98.
Jordan had the size-13 shoes on when he scored 37 points in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals series, carrying the Bulls to a 93-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Bulls went on to win the championship, a story told in the 2020 documentary series "Last Dance" about the megastar's last season with the team.
It was Jordan's sixth NBA championship and the fifth time he'd be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
Right after the Game 2 victory, Jordan gave the shoes to a ball boy in the locker room as thanks for finding a lost jacket, Sotheby's auction house says.
The "Bred" Air Jordans - short for "black and red" - are the only complete pair of sneakers worn by Jordan in an NBA Finals game to be authenticated, Sotheby's said.
Jordan wore the first Air Jordan shoe in 1984 during his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls. The Air Jordan I became available to the general public the following year. To date, more than 30 different models of the Air Jordan have been made.
Jordan won a total of six NBA Finals championships, two Olympic Gold Medals and numerous other accolades.
He is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time.
The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan takes a shot during Game 4 of the 1998 NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, Utah | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65246682 |
Man charged over English Channel boat deaths - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ibrahima Bah is charged after four people died and dozens were rescued off the Kent coast last year. | Kent | A search and rescue operation is launched in the English Channel
A man has been charged with manslaughter following the deaths of four people as they attempted to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
Ibrahima Bah has been charged in connection with the deaths on 14 December, which happened when 39 people were safely brought to shore.
Mr Bah, 19, of no fixed address, is accused of four counts of manslaughter.
He was previously charged with facilitating attempted illegal entry into the UK.
Kent Police said officers were continuing their work to establish the identity of the four who died and locate their next-of-kin.
Mr Bah is due before magistrates on Thursday to face the manslaughter charges.
A Kent Police spokesman said: "In the early hours of 14 December 2022, Kent Police was called to Dover to assist HM Coastguard following a report received of a small boat in distress in the water.
"A multi-agency search and rescue operation was carried out, resulting in 39 people being safely brought to shore. Four other people were pronounced deceased."
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Decision on gender reform legal battle 'imminent' - Yousaf - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The first minister will soon confirm if he will challenge a UK government decision to block draft gender laws. | Scotland politics | Humza Yousaf has been seeking legal advice on whether to challenge the UK government
The first minister has said he will "very imminently" confirm if he will launch a legal battle with the UK government over a bill which will make it easier to change gender.
MSPs backed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill but it was blocked by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack.
He claims it will have an adverse impact on British equality laws.
Humza Yousaf said he was considering legal advice.
The UK government is blocking the legislation under what is known as a Section 35 order.
It prevents legislation passed by Holyrood from being given royal assent if the Scottish secretary believes it would have a detrimental impact on areas reserved to Westminster.
The deadline for lodging a legal challenge to Mr Jack's decision falls in the middle of April, shortly after the Scottish Parliament returns from its Easter recess.
Asked whether he would confirm the launch of an appeal, Mr Yousaf said he would "confirm very imminently".
It comes less than a month after he took over as SNP leader following a campaign during which he repeatedly questioned on the subject.
On Tuesday he told reporters: "I made it clear during the election contest that my first principle was to challenge what I consider to be an undemocratic veto over legislation that was passed by a majority of the Scottish Parliament.
"And there's a range of views over the GRR Bill, but actually almost regardless of what the Bill is, the fact that a Section 35 order has been used is something that I think is unacceptable in this circumstance.
"So I'll make that decision known very, very soon. I'm considering, as you'd imagine with any court case or any potential court case, the legal advice.
"I can't go into the detail of that legal advice, as you'd imagine. And as I say, I'll make a decision on very imminently."
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the decision to block the bill a "full-attack" on the Scottish Parliament, and vowed to oppose it before her resignation earlier this year.
Rallies in support of the bill were held outside Holyrood
The bill, which passed by 86 votes to 39 in the Scottish Parliament, would streamline the process in Scotland for changing legal gender.
The Scottish government argued that it was necessary because the current process was too difficult and invasive, and caused distress to an already marginalised and vulnerable minority group.
No diagnosis or medical reports would be required, and the period in which adult applicants need to have lived in their acquired gender would be cut to three months.
Sixteen and 17-year-olds applying for a gender recognition certificate would have to live in their acquired gender for at least six months.
However it led to concerns from some women's groups about safeguards to protect single sex spaces including women's prisons and refuges.
Ash Regan, who went on to challenge Mr Yousaf in the SNP leadership race, resigned from the government over the issue.
Another leadership candidate, Kate Forbes, was on maternity leave when the vote took place but she said she would not have backed the bill.
They both said they would not challenge the Section 35 order in court.
The Scottish secretary has said that having two systems of gender recognition north and south of the border risks creating "significant complications".
In the UK government's statement of reasons, concerns are also raised about the safety of women and girls given the "significantly increased potential for fraudulent applications to be successful".
It also highlights an impact on the Equality Act 2010, which makes "sex" a protected characteristic.
A former Supreme Court judge has said the Scottish government's chance of winning a legal challenge are "very low" and called for both sides to find a compromise. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65245327 |
Cardiac arrest survivor meets paramedic who saved her - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Leah Lewis had a cardiac arrest in her sleep after it was triggered by a rare heart condition. | Wales | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jordan Lewis performed CPR on his wife as he waited for an ambulance
A mum whose heart condition triggered a cardiac arrest as she slept has been reunited with the paramedics who helped save her.
Leah Lewis was shocked twice with a defibrillator to restore her heartbeat to normal after husband Jordan Lewis performed CPR for 20 minutes.
The 29-year-old, from Merthyr Tydfil, called meeting them "incredible".
"Everything I can talk about now is because of what I've been told by my family," she said.
Paramedic Mark Sutherland responded after Leah Lewis had a cardiac arrest as she slept
Recalling the night it happened in November 2021 was, she said, surreal.
Ms Lewis added: "It was a Saturday night. We'd been at my brother's at the other end of the street watching the rugby.
"We walked back home and the next thing I knew it was Wednesday."
In bed, Ms Lewis went into cardiac arrest.
On dialling 999 Mr Lewis, 30, was guided through CPR to keep his wife alive until the paramedics arrived.
"I ran around her side of the bed, checked her pulse and there was nothing there," he said.
"It was the longest 20 minutes of my life."
It was triggered by a rare heart condition
Ms Lewis said: "He performed amazing CPR. I've been told I certainly wouldn't be as well as I am if he hadn't.
"He's my hero. He is amazing. He is the man that I love and that I will be forever grateful to."
Paramedic Mark Sutherland was one of those who responded.
Ms Lewis met him at the unveiling of a defibrillator near her mother's workplace.
He praised Mr Lewis for giving his wife a fighting chance.
"Without his input at the start, our job would have been made a lot harder, and Leah's chances of survival would have definitely been lessened," Mr Sutherland said.
"She had fantastic quality CPR from her husband, the defibrillator was there ready to shock her, which are the first two parts of the chain of life."
Leah spent five days at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales, where she was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome.
Husband Jordan Lewis performed CPR after being told how on dialling 999
The rare genetic disorder causes an abnormally fast heartbeat and can be life threatening.
Ms Lewis was given a defibrillator implant, which activates if she has a cardiac arrest.
It has already been used twice.
Ms Lewis said: "When my heart goes into ventricular fibrillation, it pretty much just vibrates. It's not pumping, it's not doing anything that it should.
"The ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) picks up on that rhythm and gives me a shock to kick my heart back into rhythm. And away we go."
Despite fears Ms Lewis would be disabled after her cardiac arrest, she returned to work as a maths teacher six months later.
Her mum, Lydia Miller, has helped fund a defibrillator with her bosses at an HR consultancy near their office in Ebbw Vale, in Blaenau Gwent.
Mr Sutherland said it was good to see Ms Lewis had recovered so well.
"Early access to CPR and early access to a defibrillator increase a person's chances of survival," he added.
"It's great to see the defibrillator here today. We obviously don't want it to be used, but it's great that the facility is here and ready if needed."
Mrs Miller said the industrial estate location was ideal because of the number of businesses there.
"Leah was 29 when it happened so it could be any single one of us," she said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65254315 |
Delicate diplomacy on show in Joe Biden's Belfast visit - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US leader was both challenging and sensitive, writes our Ireland correspondent Chris Page. | Northern Ireland | This was a presidential visit which required delicate diplomacy.
US President Joe Biden's task was to sum up the achievements of the 25 years since the Good Friday peace deal against a backdrop of all-too-frequent political instability in Belfast.
He said the return of the power-sharing devolved government at Stormont was "critical" for Northern Ireland.
But he followed that up by adding: "That's a decision for you to make, not for me to make."
The remark was simultaneously challenging and sensitive.
The White House will have been aware that a tone which could have been interpreted as overbearing would have fuelled unionist hostility towards a president who they have often criticised in the past.
But Mr Biden's visit seems to have gone down reasonably well with the leader of unionism.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says the president made it clear that he had no come to Belfast to interfere
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said the president had made clear he hadn't come to "interfere" and that Mr Biden had "recognised the need to bring balance to what he had to say".
The DUP is vetoing the formation of a governing coalition at Stormont - the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly - in protest against Brexit trade barriers with the rest of the UK.
Mr Biden speaks often of his Irish roots but in Belfast he talked about his English ancestry.
He also mentioned the contribution made to the founding of the US by immigrants from an Ulster Scots background - the community which is associated with modern-day unionism.
That was surely an attempt to appeal to those in Northern Ireland who have been suspicious that US involvement in the peace process has been tinged with an Irish nationalist agenda.
Actor James Martin got the biggest round of applause during Biden's speech
The president's overriding message was that the US remained committed to Northern Ireland and was ready to invest.
Mr Biden even suggested Northern Ireland's economic output could triple "if things continue to move in the right direction".
The incentive was obvious - more stability would bring in more dollars.
The industries he mentioned are already bright spots in the Northern Ireland economy - cybersecurity, life sciences, green energy.
And the biggest round of applause during the speech came when the president pointed out Northern Ireland actor James Martin, who was recently on stage at the Academy Awards when the short film he starred in won an Oscar.
It was a way of highlighting Northern Ireland's global reputation as a hub for TV and film production.
The projects which have been based here have included Game of Thrones - one of the biggest TV series of recent years.
Mr Biden seemed to suggest that the creative industries could be substantially expanded - he described Northern Ireland as a "churn of creativity".
While the president has now moved across the Irish border, his economic envoy Joe Kennedy is staying on in Northern Ireland for a few days.
He will lead a trade delegation from the US later this year.
No-one can be sure if the devolved government will be in place when the corporate executives make their transatlantic journey.
The DUP has said it won't be swayed by any particular US input in deciding whether and when to allow power-sharing at Stormont to return.
The party is continuing to examine the new deal between the EU and the UK - the Windsor Framework - to assess whether it removes unionist concerns about Brexit trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
There was no expectation that President Biden's arrival would herald a sudden breakthrough.
Michelle O'Neill says Joe Biden's message was one of "hope and opportunity"
The most fulsome praise for him came from non-unionist parties.
The Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill, who is in line to be first minister if the devolved government is restored, said Mr Biden's visit was a "special moment".
It is likely that the president's schedule in Northern Ireland would have been more extensive if the political circumstances had been more favourable.
For example he did not accept an invitation to address the Stormont assembly, which was established by the Good Friday Agreement.
However the prevailing view among those who witnessed his speech is that Mr Biden handled the sensitivities with skill and gave Northern Ireland a worthwhile moment in the worldwide spotlight. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65244335 |
Storm Noa: Power cuts and trees down in Devon and Cornwall - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hundreds of homes without power as gusts of more than 60mph (96.5km/h) are recorded. | Devon | Hundreds of properties were left without power and trees blocked roads as Storm Noa swept across Devon and Cornwall.
Gusts of more than 60mph (96.5km/h) were recorded on the Isles of Scilly and the Met Office predicted wind speeds of up to 70mph (113km/h).
A tree fell on to a house in Raleigh Avenue, Cockington, Torquay.
Police said the road would be closed for the remainder of the day and Thursday until the tree was cleared.
It confirmed the fire service, highways and a tree management team were in attendance, and everyone in the house was accounted for.
A female driver suffered a face injury after hitting a tree which had blocked the A377 in Devon
Police also confirmed a woman was left injured when her car hit a tree that had fallen across the A377 near Copplestone, Devon.
She sustained a facial injury and was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The tree, which had blocked the road, was cleared with the help of a local farmer and emergency services.
Tree surgeons cut down and removed a fallen tree in Plymouth
A fallen tree was also reported outside of the Plymouth Guildhall with three cars damaged when it landed on them.
At 14:00 BST, the National Grid said 268 properties in Devon were without power.
More than 700 homes were also reportedly without power in the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.
The National Grid confirmed power had been restored to most properties in St Austell and it was working to restore supplies to all homes later.
A tree fell outside the Plymouth Guildhall on to three cars
Speed restrictions were in place on the main rail line between Plymouth and Penzance and drivers on the M5, A38 and A30 were urged to take extra care.
Stagecoach South West reported its buses were diverted in Torquay due to a fallen tree in Hawkins Avenue and other services were delayed in Plymouth.
Ed Parkinson captured the crashing waves in Ilfracombe on Wednesday
The National Trust closed some of its sites on Dartmoor.
In a yellow warning, which was valid until 20:00, the Met Office predicted strong winds with severe coastal gales in the south and west.
It said the winds, low temperatures and heavy rain or showers were down to an Atlantic low-pressure system slowly moving eastwards across the UK.
Some campers evacuated campsites as winds tore down tents.
Steve Ackland, of Monkey Tree Holiday Park near Newquay, said: "We had some fantastic weather last weekend and this is the flip side of that.
"It is what you expect in Cornwall in April and the fact that there are still so many people around is testament that it's a great place to be."
Others like holidaymaker Katrina Kay were sticking it out.
"If you go camping you know what you're letting yourself in for, it's not been bad really," she said.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger terminates neighbourhood pothole - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | null | The actor and former California governor fixed the road himself after his complaints went unanswered. | null | The actor and former Californian governor tweeted that he'd had enough of the pothole in his Los Angeles neighbourhood, so he had decided to take action. At least one neighbour was thankful. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65210127 |
Help for Heroes: Royals pay tribute after death of charity's founder - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Prince William and Prince Harry are among those to praise the "inspirational" work of Bryn Parry. | Wiltshire | Bryn Parry founded Help for Heroes with his wife Emma
The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to a co-founder of Wiltshire-based veterans' charity Help for Heroes following his death from pancreatic cancer.
Bryn Parry passed away on Wednesday at the age of 66, the charity said.
Mr Parry and his wife Emma founded Help for Heroes in 2007 after learning about ex-servicemen's struggles to access rehabilitation treatment.
Prince William described him as "a life-affirming and inspirational man".
In a tweet, the prince said he was "deeply sad to hear that Bryn Parry has passed away".
"A life-affirming, inspirational man, his work with @HelpforHeroes made a difference to so many and his legacy will be its continuing impact."
Prince William visited a Help For Heroes Recovery Centre in Tidworth in 2013
Prince Harry also expressed his condolences in a statement published on his own veteran's charity, the Invictus Games Foundation.
"Today is a truly sad day for the military community as we bid farewell to a man who, alongside his wife, completely transformed the UK charity sector for the benefit of those that have served," he wrote.
"His vision, determination and brilliance provided a lifeline for thousands of veterans, as well as their families, when they needed it most."
The minister for veterans' affairs, Johnny Mercer, also paid tribute, saying Mr and Mrs Parry had "revolutionised veterans' care in the UK".
The MP for Plymouth, Moor View, added: "(Mr Parry) inspired me with his unapologetic determination to do the right thing by these men and women who serve.
"He will never be forgotten."
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Mr Parry, who forged a career as a cartoonist after leaving the Royal Green Jackets, initially set out to raise £10,000 for wounded veterans with his wife through a charity cycle ride.
Within three years the couple, who are from the village of Downton near Salisbury, had raised £50m.
The charity's chief executive James Needham said: "Without Bryn, this charity wouldn't be here. Without him, over 27,000 veterans and their families wouldn't have received life-changing support.
"Bryn was instrumental in changing the focus of the nation and the way we regard both military service and wounded veterans."
He added: "Bryn's founding principles and his no-nonsense approach of doing everything humanly possible to help our heroes, remain at the heart of all we do."
Help for Heroes hold charity bike rides every year to raise funds for the Armed Forces community
Speaking to the BBC in 2010, Mr Parry said he and his wife felt there had been a lot of pent up public support for veterans that had no outlet.
"The problem was, people were concerned about the politics and the rights and wrongs of the wars," he said.
"We said it's not about the rights and wrongs of war, it's about a 22-year-old boy who's had his legs blown off.
"That allowed people to get behind the movement. It's just been a humanitarian desire to do something, and not stand around and feel helpless."
Mr Parry's cartoon business, Bryn Parry Studios, announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and would not be taking on any new commissions.
In a statement on its website, it said: "He is comfortable at home, surrounded by his family and mad dogs!"
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-65258234 |
Kenya-UK defence deal: MPs amend rule over prosecuting UK troops - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | British troops can now be tried for murder committed against Kenyans in Kenya. | Africa | British soldiers prepare for operations around the world at the Kenya training unit
Kenyan MPs have voted to amend a defence agreement with Britain after allegations that troops training there committed serious crimes.
It means UK soldiers could be tried for murder, amongst other grave offences, committed against Kenyans in Kenya.
It comes after a lack of progress in getting justice for the 2012 murder of a young woman.
Agnes Wanjiru went missing after she was seen walking out of a Kenyan bar with British soldiers.
The 21-year-old's body was later found in a septic tank at a hotel nearly three months later. To this day no-one has been brought to justice for her killing.
The UK Defence Ministry has insisted it has been co-operating with Kenyan authorities over the investigation after allegations of a cover-up reported by the Sunday Times in October 2021.
On Wednesday, the ministry reiterated this message in a statement to the BBC: "The jurisdiction for this investigation lies with the Kenyan Police Service. The Defence Serious Crime Command and Unit are proactively engaged with the Kenyan Police Service in support of their investigation where appropriate."
It also added it would not comment further in order to "protect the integrity" of the investigation.
However, the amendment voted through on Wednesday does not apply retrospectively, meaning that it would not materially change how the Wanjiru case is handled.
Speaking in an interview with BBC's Focus on Africa Radio, the chair of the Kenyan parliament's Defence Committee, Nelson Koech, said he hoped the change would stop a case like Agnes' happening again.
This will ensure that if that ever happens again "we have a faster local mechanism... to bring the culprits to book," Mr Koech said.
The defence agreement was initially proposed in 2021 under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, but its parliamentary ratification was delayed due to a presidential election and local objections over the agreement.
The amended deal will now go to the Kenyan Ministry of Defence for further negotiation with their British counterparts.
Notably, the ministry cannot simply ignore the amendment if it does not wish to implement it. Rather, the entire document would have to be reopened and fresh negotiations started. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65257083 |
Can President Biden put pressure on the DUP? - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Joe Biden will briefly meet party leaders in Belfast before travelling to the Republic of Ireland. | Northern Ireland | President Biden with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley and US Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy
It was to be the moment of triumph with President Biden jetting in to celebrate the return of power sharing at Stormont.
A moment to remember an old agreement 25 years on and look forward to a new one bringing some much-needed political stability.
Provisions were even in place for a special presidential address to returning assembly members (MLAs) in the Northern Ireland Assembly chamber.
The Windsor Framework agreed between London and Brussels to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol was considered the game changer.
But the DUP clearly didn't get the Whitehouse memo.
The party's Stormont boycott remains intact as the president's great plans were left in tatters.
Instead we have been left with a scaled-down presidential visit with just one public engagement in Belfast lasting just over an hour.
But, for many, the significance of a visit by a US president cannot be measured in minutes.
It puts a global spotlight on Northern Ireland - if even for an afternoon - which countries elsewhere can only dream off.
Harnessing that moment and maximising the opportunity is the challenge for both businesses and political leaders.
A task not helped by the lack of a functioning Stormont.
The president's visit has been scaled down
Though pressed for time today, Joe Biden is making space to meet the party leaders for a brief chat ahead of his speech at Ulster University.
Much of the focus will be on his discussions with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Will he apply some presidential pressure or gently try to nudge the party back to power sharing?
In truth, the DUP is beyond the reach of President Biden as the party has already slipped into election mode.
Now is not the time for compromise with the council elections next month.
The best President Biden can hope for is a DUP commitment to revisit its Northern Ireland Executive boycott in the autumn.
Maybe then legislation will be in place to ease the DUP's constitutional concerns.
However, President Biden will wave the potential of fresh US investment to tempt the DUP to new ground.
Expect to hear more about that pledge in the president's speech with his special economic envoy Joe Kennedy standing in the wings.
He will talk up the opportunities of dual market access as protected through the Windsor Framework.
But when it comes to the Stormont stalemate, he will likely chose his words carefully.
Singling out the DUP will only serve to deepen the party's mistrust of the Biden administration.
He must find the words to acknowledge the deep frustration of the other Stormont parties without completely isolating Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his party.
That's a task made easier against the backdrop of a new university campus and not a deserted assembly chamber.
President Biden will also focus on local businesses success stories in his speech and expect him to name drop some faces in the audience.
But absent from the gathering will be the man who invited the president to Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be missing as he has another engagement.
On the surface that appears odd and only adds to reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit.
Downing Street has been working hard to play up the significance of the prime minister's role.
Firstly rejecting Whitehouse claims the meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Sunak on Wednesday morning is nothing more than a chat over coffee.
There are reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit
Then Number 10 rejected suggestions the prime minister's role was "low key".
So don't be surprised if the prime minister's other private engagement, pulling him away from the president's one and only public event, is made public.
By then, the presidential cavalcade will likely have left Northern Ireland en route to Dublin.
Together with his sister and close confidante Valerie and his son Hunter, President Biden will revisit his ancestral roots in counties Louth and Mayo.
It will be a trip laced with all the positive images of a returning Irish-American president.
The images which will come in handy when President Biden finally declares his plan to run for a second term in office.
With 30m Americans claiming to have Irish roots, any opportunity to reaffirm his Irish connections is a potential vote winner for President Biden.
When he climbs the steps of Airforce One on Friday, it will be the images from the Republic of Ireland and not the brief Belfast stopover which will feature in the Biden '23 collection. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65248449 |
Stakeknife: Alleged Army agent in IRA Freddie Scappaticci dies - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Freddie Scappaticci denied he was the Army's most high-ranking agent in the IRA during the Troubles. | Northern Ireland | Freddie Scappaticci always denied he was an Army agent within the IRA
Freddie Scappaticci, the man suspected of being Stakeknife, the Army's top agent within the IRA, has died.
Mr Scappaticci, who was in his 70s, always denied he was Stakeknife.
He left Northern Ireland in 2003 after media organisations alleged he had been working for the Army while head of the IRA's internal security unit.
Jon Boutcher, who is heading an investigation into Stakeknife's activities, said Mr Scappaticci died last week.
The IRA's internal security unit - known as "the nutting squad" - identified suspected informers, many of whom were murdered by the group after being kidnapped and tortured.
Mr Scappaticci, who formerly lived in west Belfast, was the grandson of an Italian immigrant who came to Northern Ireland in search of work.
In 2016, the Police Service of Northern Ireland commissioned an investigation into Stakeknife's activities led by Mr Boutcher, the former head of Bedfordshire police.
Mr Boutcher was in the process of preparing a report on his investigation, Operation Kenova.
The Operation Kenova team has investigated historical crimes, covering murder and torture, and the role of the state, including MI5.
Mr Boutcher said his team was "working through the implications" of Mr Scappaticci's death in consultation with stakeholders, including victims and bereaved families.
"The very nature of historical investigations will mean a higher likelihood that old age may catch up with those affected, be they perpetrators, witnesses, victims, family members or those who simply lived through those times, before matters are concluded," Mr Boucher said.
Mr Scappaticci left Northern Ireland when identified by the media as Stakeknife in 2003
He added that his team remained committed to "providing families with the truth of what happened to their loved ones" and pursuing criminal charges against several individuals.
The Operation Kenova report was due to be published earlier this year but has been delayed.
KRW Law, which represents some victims of the IRA's internal security unit, said the news of Mr Scappaticci's death would "frustrate many families" who had been waiting for the publication of the Operation Kenova report.
"Clearly the death will have an impact on both the content of the report and whether or not criminal prosecutions go ahead," they said.
Last week, Mr Boutcher said a key stage of the report had "taken longer than I had hoped".
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) had about 30 files related to the Stakeknife investigation, awaiting decisions.
Mr Boutcher expressed hope that Mr Scappaticci's death would make more people comfortable to come forward and speak to his investigators. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65244928 |
Can President Biden put pressure on the DUP? - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Joe Biden will briefly meet party leaders in Belfast before travelling to the Republic of Ireland. | Northern Ireland | President Biden with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley and US Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy
It was to be the moment of triumph with President Biden jetting in to celebrate the return of power sharing at Stormont.
A moment to remember an old agreement 25 years on and look forward to a new one bringing some much-needed political stability.
Provisions were even in place for a special presidential address to returning assembly members (MLAs) in the Northern Ireland Assembly chamber.
The Windsor Framework agreed between London and Brussels to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol was considered the game changer.
But the DUP clearly didn't get the Whitehouse memo.
The party's Stormont boycott remains intact as the president's great plans were left in tatters.
Instead we have been left with a scaled-down presidential visit with just one public engagement in Belfast lasting just over an hour.
But, for many, the significance of a visit by a US president cannot be measured in minutes.
It puts a global spotlight on Northern Ireland - if even for an afternoon - which countries elsewhere can only dream off.
Harnessing that moment and maximising the opportunity is the challenge for both businesses and political leaders.
A task not helped by the lack of a functioning Stormont.
The president's visit has been scaled down
Though pressed for time today, Joe Biden is making space to meet the party leaders for a brief chat ahead of his speech at Ulster University.
Much of the focus will be on his discussions with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Will he apply some presidential pressure or gently try to nudge the party back to power sharing?
In truth, the DUP is beyond the reach of President Biden as the party has already slipped into election mode.
Now is not the time for compromise with the council elections next month.
The best President Biden can hope for is a DUP commitment to revisit its Northern Ireland Executive boycott in the autumn.
Maybe then legislation will be in place to ease the DUP's constitutional concerns.
However, President Biden will wave the potential of fresh US investment to tempt the DUP to new ground.
Expect to hear more about that pledge in the president's speech with his special economic envoy Joe Kennedy standing in the wings.
He will talk up the opportunities of dual market access as protected through the Windsor Framework.
But when it comes to the Stormont stalemate, he will likely chose his words carefully.
Singling out the DUP will only serve to deepen the party's mistrust of the Biden administration.
He must find the words to acknowledge the deep frustration of the other Stormont parties without completely isolating Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his party.
That's a task made easier against the backdrop of a new university campus and not a deserted assembly chamber.
President Biden will also focus on local businesses success stories in his speech and expect him to name drop some faces in the audience.
But absent from the gathering will be the man who invited the president to Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be missing as he has another engagement.
On the surface that appears odd and only adds to reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit.
Downing Street has been working hard to play up the significance of the prime minister's role.
Firstly rejecting Whitehouse claims the meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Sunak on Wednesday morning is nothing more than a chat over coffee.
There are reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit
Then Number 10 rejected suggestions the prime minister's role was "low key".
So don't be surprised if the prime minister's other private engagement, pulling him away from the president's one and only public event, is made public.
By then, the presidential cavalcade will likely have left Northern Ireland en route to Dublin.
Together with his sister and close confidante Valerie and his son Hunter, President Biden will revisit his ancestral roots in counties Louth and Mayo.
It will be a trip laced with all the positive images of a returning Irish-American president.
The images which will come in handy when President Biden finally declares his plan to run for a second term in office.
With 30m Americans claiming to have Irish roots, any opportunity to reaffirm his Irish connections is a potential vote winner for President Biden.
When he climbs the steps of Airforce One on Friday, it will be the images from the Republic of Ireland and not the brief Belfast stopover which will feature in the Biden '23 collection. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65248449 |
Rylan Clark steps down from Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The co-host says he will leave It Takes Two after four years to "explore what else life has for me". | Entertainment & Arts | Rylan Clark will be part of the BBC Eurovision commentary team
Rylan Clark has announced he is stepping down as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two after "four fantastic years".
The TV personality tweeted that the time had come for him to "pass on the baton to someone else and explore what else life has for me".
Clark has co-hosted the BBC Two show since 2019, first alongside Zoe Ball and then dancer Janette Manrara.
The BBC said the 34-year-old would be "hugely missed".
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Clark said: "I've had the best time hosting the show alongside Janette and Zoe and I can't thank the amazing team enough for always putting on a great show."
Reacting to the news on Instagram, Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman replied: "We love you. And we'll miss you so so much."
"We love you so much!" added co-host Tess Daly.
Strictly dance professional Johannes Radebe offered: "All my love to you."
Fellow broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, meanwhile, cheekily suggested: "Bet you are becoming a contestant!"
Kate Phillips, director of BBC Unscripted thanked the outgoing host "for entertaining audiences so brilliantly for the past four years".
She said: "Rylan's infectious personality, his stand out sass and his genuine love for all the glitz and glamour of the ballroom, has been a big part of It Takes Two's continued success.
"Rylan will always be part of the Strictly family of course, but I know he'll be hugely missed by all the Strictly It Takes Two viewers, Janette and everyone else who works on the show."
Executive producer Eve Winstanley said the team would miss his "boundless energy and love for entertaining viewers".
The new series of Strictly is expected to start in September. Clark's replacement will be announced in due course, the BBC said.
Clark found fame on The X Factor in 2012 and went on to win Celebrity Big Brother the following year, before being chosen to present another spin-off, Big Brother's Bit On The Side.
He has also hosted revivals of Supermarket Sweep and Ready Steady Cook, and appears alongside his mother on the celebrity edition of Gogglebox.
Alongside Scott Mills, he will commentate on the semi-finals at next month's Eurovision Song Contest.
After that, he will front a Channel 4 documentary series looking into sex and relationships. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65248559 |
Joe Biden's blink-and-you'll-miss-it visit to Northern Ireland - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Despite months of diplomatic chatter, the US president's Northern Ireland trip does not amount to much. | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
For the best part of a year at least, the prospect of this presidential visit has been discussed among diplomats.
Washington's deep pride, seeing itself as a midwife to the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement, ensured this date was pencilled in to the White House diary - and those of British and American diplomats - long ago.
But amid the reminiscing about 1998, the politics of 2023 swirls; stirring a loose idea into an actual visit and then moulding its scale, or lack of it.
The prime minister's diplomatic triumph in re-casting the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland has not - yet at least - delivered its most sought after domestic prize - the restoration of power-sharing devolved government in Belfast, that cornerstone of the peace deal 25 years ago.
The Democratic Unionist Party are not happy with what is known as the Windsor Framework and are not willing to go back to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont - and so there can be no moment with a grandiose backdrop and smiles of success.
And so an awkward, if frequent political impasse here hangs over this blink and you'll miss it visit from both the president and prime minister.
Because yes, after months of diplomatic chatter about it, it doesn't actually add up to much.
There has been a smidgen of tension between the White House and Downing Street about the timetabling of the leaders' itineraries which probably hasn't helped.
It would have been odd if President Biden had come here and not been met by the prime minister.
But we won't see very much of them together beyond a handshake at the airport and a meeting on Wednesday morning.
And the president will be in Northern Ireland for only around 15 hours, for around half of which he'll be in bed.
After that, Joe Biden's much talked about Irish heritage will draw him to the Republic.
A mix of family history and made-for-television imagery the year before a presidential election.
As my colleague Sarah Smith writes here, with 30 million Americans claiming Irish roots, the personal and the political will overlap for him rather neatly in the next few days.
For the prime minister, it'll be straight back to London on Wednesday afternoon.
The rationale of those around Mr Sunak is that overt cajoling of the DUP now could prove counter-productive.
No 10 is seeking to emphasise a more prominent role for the prime minister at Good Friday Agreement commemorations here next week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65246488 |
Warning millions would struggle if cash phased out - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Only 17% of payments are in cash but millions would struggle without notes and coins, a major report finds. | Business | Ten million people would struggle to cope in a cashless society even though only 17% of payments are now made with notes and coins, a report has found.
Going cashless would make budgeting difficult and would be a "major inconvenience" to another 15 million, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) found.
Thousands of bank branches have closed in recent years, and access to cash withdrawals is under threat.
The RSA said the "dash to digital" held huge risks as finances were stretched.
"For millions of people, their relationship with cash is critical to the way they manage their weekly budget," said Mark Hall, author of the report called The Cash Census.
"Despite online banking and shopping becoming more common, our research shows the percentage of the population wholly reliant on cash is unchanged."
The report said that although millions of people benefitted from the convenience of things like smartphone payments, others felt forced into a world they were not equipped for.
An estimated 15 million people used cash to budget, the report said, which was all the more important when the cost of living was rising.
The constituencies of Liverpool Walton and Bradford South had the smallest decline in cash withdrawals, and were among the most deprived in the UK, it said.
Joanne Batty says cash is simple to use
Among those keen to keep cash going is Joanne Batty, from Leeds, who said it was still the "easy and simple" way to pay and manage finances.
"It is stress and hassle-free," she said, explaining that she liked the control you had as a consumer with notes and coins.
The 51-year-old said that a "traumatic" episode in which she was the victim of fraud meant she was now far more sceptical about online and digital payments.
The RSA - or its full name - The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce - used surveys and interviews during its research.
Craig Purr says he generally carries cards, not cash, in his wallet
It also suggested that, in contrast to those dependant on cash, there were another 11 million people who were cashless converts. They strongly preferred digital payments and saw no benefit in using cash.
They included Craig Purr, a 32-year-old commercial insurance broker, who said that cash was more inconvenient because you usually had to go to an ATM to get hold of it.
Mr Purr, from Cambridge, said he carried cards in his wallet instead, or used his smartphone to pay.
"My personal, and selfish, point of view is that we do not need cash. It is out of date because technology is evolving so fast," he said.
This is the first major study into the topic of cash reliance since the Access to Cash Review in 2019.
The author of that 2019 report, Natalie Ceeney, said: "The question we asked three years ago was whether the UK is ready to go cashless? The answer is still no."
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that digital payments "just don't work" for some people, including the 1.5 million who don't have a bank account, and similar numbers without broadband.
"They're increasingly getting marginalised, unable to pay for goods and services, and for many people they could lose their independence, particularly for elderly people, and it can leave people increasingly isolated," Ms Ceeney said.
Among the recommendations in the latest RSA report were:
Martin McTague, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "One in four small High Street businesses say cash is still the most popular payment method among customers.
"This new report rightly suggests a combination of innovation in the free access to cash space and investment in digital capability as the way forward."
The closure of thousands of bank branches and ATMs has ignited debate about access to cash, and the ability of small businesses to cash their takings nearby.
"With bank branches closing, the problem facing a retailer is do they shut up shop at lunchtime, go [and] drive somewhere else, stand in a queue to pay-in cash, and go back, or do they go cashless?" Ms Ceeney said.
Major banks recently signed a new voluntary agreement which means an independent assessment of local needs will be carried out each time a branch is shut.
These reviews could recommend a shared branch is opened, an ATM installed or a Post Office upgraded. Banks will commit to deliver whatever is recommended.
The government is legislating to give the Financial Conduct Authority oversight of access to cash. It has also paved the way for more convenience stores to offer cashback to customers, even if they are not making a purchase. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60879095 |
New Zealand cabinet reaches gender equality for the first time - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The country also has one of the most diverse parliaments in the world. | Asia | New Zealand's cabinet (seen in February) now has 10 women and 10 men
For the first time, New Zealand will see an equal number of men and women in its cabinet.
This comes after Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, who is of Māori descent, was promoted as a cabinet minister.
"It is nice to have a cabinet that reflects the New Zealand population," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said, calling it a "good milestone to reach".
The country elected one of the world's most diverse parliaments in 2020.
It has the highest number of female lawmakers in the OECD, and a number of Māori as well as LGBTQ+ MPs.
From Wednesday, there are 10 women and 10 male members in the cabinet.
The prime minister said the decision to appoint Ms Prime as a cabinet minister was based on a combination of her skills and existing portfolios. Ms Prime holds the conservation and youth ministerial portfolios.
Ms Prime's promotion also takes Māori representation in New Zealand's cabinet to a record of six ministers.
Mr Hipkins, who became New Zealand's prime minister in January, has promoted three women to the top level of government in the past three months.
Ginny Andersen and Barbara Edmonds, both based in New Zealand capital Wellington, entered the cabinet in February.
On Monday, Mr Hipkins also said that there are now more female than male ministers overall - if ministers outside the cabinet are included in the count.
The 2020 general elections saw 58 women elected into New Zealand's 120-strong house. About one in 10 of the country's parliamentarians identify as LGBTQ+, while 25 are Māori. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65247904 |
Elon Musk: Twitter boss on hate speech, lay-offs and sleeping in the office - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Twitter boss gave an impromptu and meandering interview to the BBC and denied hate speech was flourishing on the platform. | US & Canada | US public broadcaster NPR has decided to leave Twitter , following a row with the social media firm over a new label associating it with government control.
The new tag - which describes NPR as "government funded media" - was initially "state-affiliated media", the same designation used for media organisations linked to autocratic regimes in Russia, China and Iran.
NPR says even the "government funded" label is misleading and inaccurate, pointing out that less than 1% of its $300m annual budget comes from the US government.
The broadcaster's CEO John Lansing says the decision was taken to avoid having its journalism hosted on a platform that will "risk our credibility", adding he has "lost my faith in the decision-making at Twitter".
The move means all 52 of NPR's accounts will no longer post on Twitter, but Lansing adds individual NPR journalists and employees will be allowed to make their own decisions over whether to continue using the social media app.
The BBC is currently in a dispute with Twitter over a similar move, although Elon Musk did tell James Clayton in last night's interview the company plans to amend the label on the BBC's main account to say "publicly funded" media.
But NPR says that, even if the description is changed to "publicly funded" on its Twitter accounts as well, it will not change the decision to stop using the platform. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65247272 |
CBI boss Tony Danker 'shocked' at firing over misconduct claims - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tony Danker is dismissed by the business group following complaints about his conduct towards several employees. | Business | The boss of one of the UK's largest business groups has been fired over complaints about his behaviour at work.
Tony Danker, who will leave the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) following an investigation over his conduct towards several employees, said he was "shocked" by the sacking.
Three other CBI employees have also been suspended pending a probe into other allegations, the group said.
It is also liaising with the police who are looking into the claims.
Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Waight of the City of London Police said: "We approached the CBI following media reports and our investigations are at a very early stage. It would not be appropriate to comment any further at this time."
Mr Danker stepped aside in March after the CBI hired law firm Fox Williams to investigate several complaints about him. These included a complaint from a female employee in January and complaints from other members of staff which surfaced in March.
The 51-year-old, who was paid £376,000 by the CBI in 2021, has now been dismissed with immediate effect with no severance pay. He is being replaced by Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI's former chief economist.
Mr Danker tweeted on Tuesday: "I recognise the intense publicity the CBI has suffered following the revelations of awful events that occurred before my time in office. I was appalled to learn about them for the first time last week.
"I was nevertheless shocked to learn this morning that I had been dismissed from the CBI, instead of being invited to put my position forward as was originally confirmed. Many of the allegations against me have been distorted, but I recognise that I unintentionally made a number of colleagues feel uncomfortable and I am truly sorry about that. I want to wish my former CBI colleagues every success."
The findings of the investigation into him for now remain unpublished.
Last week, the Guardian newspaper reported sexual misconduct claims against CBI employees, including an allegation of rape at a summer boat party in 2019.
Many of the most serious allegations predate Mr Danker's time as director-general.
Belfast-born Mr Danker took over as head of the CBI in November 2020. He had previously spent 10 years as a consultant with McKinsey, and worked as a special adviser to the Treasury under Gordon Brown's government. He has also been international director then chief strategy officer at Guardian News and Media.
In its statement on Tuesday, the CBI said: "Tony Danker is dismissed with immediate effect following the independent investigation into specific complaints of workplace misconduct against him.
"The board wishes to make clear he is not the subject of any of the more recent allegations in The Guardian but has determined that his own conduct fell short of that expected of the director-general."
The scandals have left the CBI facing its biggest crisis since it was founded in 1965.
Some company executives who are members of the group have described it as an existential crisis for an organisation that represents the interests of some 190,000 businesses across the UK.
The lobby group has already postponed its public events and asked Fox Williams to conduct a separate investigation to the one into Mr Danker.
A Downing Street spokesman said the government would keep its engagement with the CBI on hold while the group continued its investigation, adding: "We continue to expect any allegations to be taken seriously and for appropriate action to be taken in response."
Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour had also cut ties with the CBI for now, calling the allegations "incredibly concerning".
In its statement, the lobby group said the allegations made in recent weeks had been "devastating" and that there had been "serious failings" in how it had handled sexual misconduct complaints. It said it would now begin a "root-and-branch review" of its culture and governance.
This will look at issues such as how employees raise concerns and processes for escalating complaints.
"It is already clear to all of us that there have been serious failings in how we have acted as an organisation. We must do better, and we must be better," it said.
Mr Danker's replacement, Rain Newton-Smith, becomes the second woman to lead the group in its history.
Ms Newton-Smith, who spent her early career as an economist at the Bank of England, left the CBI in March to join Barclays bank as managing director for strategy and policy, sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance).
She is well known to CBI staff and members but will face a tough job in reassuring members that the lobby group can effectively represent their interests.
Jürgen Maier, the former UK boss of engineering giant Siemens, said Mr Danker's sacking should be a "wake up moment" for all business leaders.
Mr Maier, who served on the CBI's president's committee until 2019, told Radio 4's World at One programme: "For any leader this is a wake up moment to make sure that we do root and branch reviews of our organisation and make sure that we've got the cultures in place that don't allow these sorts of behaviours to happen."
Last week the boss of brewing company Adnams said his firm had considered leaving the CBI following the scandals.
On Tuesday, chief executive Andy Wood said a decision would not be made until the full investigation was complete, but added he was encouraged by the action taken.
"The allegations were very serious and there's clearly no room for that type of behaviour in any workplace," he told the BBC.
"So it was right that we reviewed [our membership], but it's also right we give the organisation a chance to put its house back in order."
The CBI lobbies politicians on firms' behalf to make policies that benefit UK businesses. It also hosts regular networking events for business leaders, with the UK chancellor typically giving the keynote speech at its annual dinner.
According its most recently published accounts, £22m of its £25m income in 2021 came from membership fees. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65238672 |
Matt Hancock investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The ex-health secretary is among three MPs facing probes by Parliament's watchdog. | UK Politics | Matt Hancock is among three MPs facing probes by Parliament's standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg, it has been disclosed.
The ex-health secretary is being investigated for allegedly trying to influence the commissioner's enforcement of the rules.
A spokesman for Mr Hancock said he was "shocked and surprised" by the investigation.
He added that Mr Hancock denied trying to lobby the commissioner.
The investigation was revealed by an update to the commissioner's website, which confirmed that a probe was launched on Tuesday.
It also confirmed Scott Benton is under investigation for his use of his parliamentary email address, without offering further information.
Mr Benton has been suspended as a Conservative MP since referring himself to the commissioner after he was filmed offering to lobby ministers for a fake company in a newspaper sting.
The website said Mr Hancock is under investigation for potentially breaching a rule in the MPs' code of conduct that prevents them from lobbying the commissioner in a way "calculated or intended to influence his consideration" of whether the code has been breached, without offering details.
Mr Hancock's spokesman confirmed Mr Hancock had written to Mr Greenberg "in good faith" to offer evidence for an inquiry he is currently conducting, but did not offer further information.
"It's clearly a misunderstanding and Matt looks forward to fully engaging with the commissioner to clear this up," the spokesman added.
Mr Hancock, who became one of the best-known politicians in the country during the Covid pandemic, remains suspended as a Tory MP for for taking time off from his parliamentary duties to appear on I'm A Celebrity last year.
It led to widespread criticism, with his local Conservative Association in his West Suffolk constituency passing a motion to say he was "not fit to represent" the seat.
He confirmed in December that he will not be standing as an MP at the next election, saying he wanted to find "new ways to reach people" outside Parliament.
The commissioner's website also confirmed that Henry Smith, the Conservative MP for Crawley in West Sussex, is under investigation for his use of taxpayer-funded stationery, again without offering details.
The BBC has contacted Mr Smith and Mr Benton for a comment. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65253933 |
Climate change: Fossil fuel emissions from electricity set to fall - report - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rise in wind and solar energy means that use of coal, oil and gas may have peaked for energy production. | Science & Environment | The world will likely use fewer fossil fuels to produce electricity this year in a "turning point" for planet-friendly energy, a new report says.
It would be the first ever annual drop in the use of coal, oil and gas to generate electricity, outside of a global recession or pandemic.
As a result, fewer warming gases would be released during energy production.
The authors attribute the expected change to a boom in renewable energy led mainly by China.
Wind and solar now produce 12% of global electricity with enough wind turbines added in 2022 to power almost all of the UK.
Renewables are set to meet all growth in demand this year, the study from energy analysts Ember says.
Making electricity is the single biggest contributor to global warming, responsible for over a third of energy-related carbon emissions in 2021.
So phasing out coal, oil and gas in this sector is seen as critical in helping the world avoid dangerous levels of climate change.
This new study looks at data from countries representing 93% of global electricity demand.
Enough wind energy was added globally to almost power the UK
This, the fourth edition of Ember's Global Electricity Review, indicates that significant progress is now being made in reducing the role of fossil fuels in power production.
The major developments are the continuing rise of solar and wind as economically viable sources of electricity. Around the world, solar grew by 24% last year, enough to meet the annual demands of a country as big as South Africa.
Taken together with nuclear and hydropower, clean sources produced 39% of global electricity in 2022. The report finds that electricity produced last year was, in effect, the cleanest ever made.
But despite this, carbon emissions from the sector also continued to rise, as coal use edged up.
China added around 40% of the world's new solar panels last year, with large numbers of rooftop installations
According to the report's authors this is because overall demand for electricity rose, and not all of it was met from clean sources.
There were also problems with nuclear and hydro electricity in 2022, with many French reactors offline, and Europe's rivers too low in many places for hydro generation.
However the report says that in 2023, the growth of wind and solar will be greater than the rise in demand - and this will start to turn the tide on warming gases.
"When you stop adding more fossil fuels to generate your electricity, you start seeing a fall in emissions," said Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, the report's lead author.
"This is extremely important in the context of rising electrification, as we have more electric vehicles, more heat pumps, so cleaning the power sector will drive emissions down in other sectors as well."
While the fall in fossil fuel emissions in electricity this year is expected to be small, around 0.3%, the authors believe the drop will continue and accelerate in subsequent years. Key to this is a fall off in the use of gas, which fell slightly last year according to the report, with some countries like Brazil seeing a surge in hydro power which reduced their use of gas by 46% in 2022.
Meeting the rising demand for electricity with renewables is key to curbing fossil fuel use
"We now have reached this next turning point of starting to see a new era of falling fossil fuel power sector emissions. We know that wind and solar are the answer and we've just got to get on with a roadmap for building them as quickly as possible," said Dave Jones, from Ember, one of the report's authors.
One significant player impacting the overall trend is China. Around 50% of the global addition of wind power came from China and about 40% of the world's new solar came from from the country that's also the world's biggest use of coal power.
"There is a chance that at the rate that China is building wind and solar and all types of clean generation, that they achieve that peak in coal generation earlier than 2025, which would be significant," said Mr Jones.
Energy experts acknowledge that curbing fossil fuels in power generation could well be a "turning point", but much more remains to be done.
"The earliest peak of coal power generation was in the UK in 1979," said Prof Jessica Jewell from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who was not involved with the study.
"Nevertheless, it took decades to fully phase out coal power, for example the UK still used a bit of coal in 2022, 43 years past the peak. In order to reach clean energy goals we don't have 40 or even 30 years, we need to fully decarbonize electricity in a much shorter time." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65240094 |
Millions choose a cashless lifestyle - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A major report charts the drop in cash use, but 1.9 million people still deal primarily in notes and coins. | Business | Mobile payments are growing in popularity - but may not work everywhere
More than five million people led a close to cashless lifestyle last year, as debit cards secured their position as the most popular method of payment.
Two million more people used cash no more than once a month in 2018 compared with the previous year, a report by banking trade body UK Finance has said.
However, 1.9 million people mainly used cash, primarily to budget.
The figures will reignite the debate over the future of bank branches, ATMs, and digital security.
"More and more customers are now opting for the speed and convenience of paying with their contactless cards. This rapid rate of technological change is set to continue over the coming decade," said Stephen Jones, chief executive of UK Finance.
"However, technology is not for everyone and cash remains a payment method that is valued and preferred by many, so maintaining access to cash will be vital to ensure no customer is left behind."
A total of 39 billion transactions were made in the UK last year by businesses and individuals, the UK Payment Markets report said.
The vast majority of these (34.9 billion) were by consumers, and most (29.7 billion) were spontaneous, rather than scheduled payments. Businesses made 4.4 billion payments, but often of much higher value.
Debit cards were the most frequently used method of payment, accounting for 15 billion payments. The report forecast that half of all payments would be made by debit card by 2024.
This is driven primarily by the use of contactless - which itself was boosted by adoption on public transport systems. Take-up has been increasing across all age groups, particularly among pensioners last year, and regions of the UK.
The volume of payments using cash fell by 16% in 2018 compared with the previous year, down to 11 billion transactions.
Whereas cash accounted for 60% of payments in 2008, this proportion fell to 28% last year. UK Finance predicted this would drop to 9% - fewer than one in 10 transactions - in a decade's time.
It suggested cash would become "less important than in once was", but that the UK would not become a cashless society.
It said there was a chance of cash being used less frequently than credit or charge cards in 10 years' time. However, evidence shows many turned back to cash amid the financial crisis, and a return of an economic recession or shock could increase cash use.
The fall in cash use has led to debate over the need for cash machines, and fears that they are disappearing from rural areas.
John Howells, chief executive of ATM network operator Link said: "The sharp drop in cash usage means that it is vital now to reform how cash is distributed to maintain broad, free access for all consumers. Link is determined to deliver this with the support of industry and regulators."
The switch to payments by card or on devices also raises concerns among many over the exposure to security flaws, and that financial institutions will be armed with data showing how and where almost every penny of our money is spent.
Along with the disappearance of cash goes the anonymity than it offers, for better or worse. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48542233 |
Charley Bates: Man jailed for murder of Radstock teenager - BBC News | 2023-04-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Joshua Delbono's mother called police when he got home after killing Charley Bates, 16, in a fight. | Somerset | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A 19-year-old man has been jailed for life for murder after his mum alerted police that he had stabbed another teenager to death.
Joshua Delbono killed 16-year-old Charley Bates during a fight between two groups in Radstock, Somerset.
Delbono's mother called 999 when he returned to his home in Frome, Bristol Crown Court had heard.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years after being found guilty by the jury following a two-week trial.
Delbono had admitted stabbing Charley but had denied murder, claiming he had been defending a friend.
Passing sentence, Judge William Hart told Delbono he had "lost self-control and of his senses".
"Charley had had no intention that this should have been anything other than a punch up between two boys," he said.
"You slashed at him causing a number of injuries - one to his arm, then, when there was no reason, you stabbed him through the heart."
Charley's mother Helen Freeman said in a victim impact statement her son's death had left her "utterly heartbroken".
Fighting back tears she described running to the car park hoping to get there before Charley passed away.
"Arriving at the scene, there was a complete lack of activity. The silence told me all I needed to know. I was too late and he was gone," she said.
She continued: "I have tried hard to take some solace from 'Charley Boy's' death, by hoping that he will be the last to be taken by knife crime. But that is not so.
"It would seem that my son Charley died for nothing. So many pointless, senseless deaths. Such a tragic waste of lives."
Ms Freeman paid tribute to all of Charley's friends who tried to help him, telling them: "I promise I'll always be there for you all."
The court heard that when Delbono's mother called the police, she said: "My son's killed someone. He's in my house now, I can't let him go anywhere."
Charley died after being stabbed in a car park near the town's library.
The court heard he was with a group of six friends at about 18.30 BST on the night, when two cars - one driven by Delbono - arrived in the car park.
There was a history of bad feeling between the victim and one of Delbono's group, the jury heard.
An exchange of insults between Charley and the defendant's friend rapidly escalated into the fight between the groups.
Seconds later the defendant got out of his vehicle armed with a five-inch knife and stabbed the victim several times, the jury heard.
As Charley bled to death, Delbono shouted "don't mess with us again" as he and his friends left the scene, witnesses reported.
The whole incident lasted less than five minutes.
Following the killing, Delbono drove to Shearwater Lake near Warminster in Wiltshire where he threw away the knife and burned some of his clothes.
One of Delbono's group filmed the blaze on their phone.
Radstock is a town, nestled on the edge of the Mendips, close to beautiful countryside - a place where one local told me "stabbings just don't happen here".
Nine months on, the murder of 16-year old-Charley Bates still hurts this town and the locals are still very much grieving for him.
Charley was a former pupil at Writhlington School, had just finished his GCSEs, and was getting ready to start at college.
He was well loved and well known, often seen riding down the high street on his moped.
On 2 September 2022, what would have been his 17th birthday, hundreds came together for Charley's memorial.
And months later in the car park behind the library where Charley died, three parking spaces are still cordoned off.
The spaces have become a memorial, covered in yellow flowers and flags, the teenager's favourite colour.
The police, school and youth services are still working hard together to calm tensions and implore young people not to carry knives.
The court heard Charley had also taken a bag containing a knife and a BB gun to the car park on the night of his death.
Following the stabbing, one of his friends dumped it in nearby woodland but it was recovered by police.
Charley's friends said he was not armed during the fight, the jury heard.
Delbono initially made no comment to police questions, but later admitted stabbing someone.
In a prepared statement, he said: "I thought my friend was being stabbed - this caused me to react."
He said he knew the person he had bought his vehicle from had left a knife inside it but that he did not mean to cause Charley serious harm.
"I didn't realise he was hurt. It was a chance encounter. I'm truly devastated Charley was fatally injured, it was never my intention," he said.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-65200239 |
Ministers propose stricter rules for holiday lets - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Turning homes into short-term lets would require planning permission under government plans. | UK Politics | Scarborough is one of many coastal towns that have seen a sharp increase in the number of holiday lets
Homeowners would need to get planning permission before converting properties into short-term holiday lets in tourist hotspots, under government plans aimed at easing housing problems.
There could be exemptions based on how often a home was available to tourists.
Ministers have launched a consultation on the plans, which would only apply in England.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove said too many people were being "pushed out of cherished towns, cities and villages".
Announcing the consultation, he said tourism brought economic benefits but added: "I'm determined that we ensure that more people have access to local homes at affordable prices, and that we prioritise families desperate to rent or buy a home of their own close to where they work."
The plans could help out residents struggling to find suitable housing in popular holiday destinations, including Cornwall, the Lake District and Norfolk.
The number of holiday lets in England rose by 40% between 2018 and 2021, with tourist areas such as Scarborough and North Devon seeing sharp increases, according to council figures analysed by the BBC last year.
The government says the measures are focused on short-term lets and would not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs.
Separately, the culture department has also launched a consultation on plans to introduce a registration scheme for short-term lets.
Under the consultation, the government is expected to set a rental period of between 30 and 90 days before a homeowner would need to apply for planning permission to change the property's primary use.
Homeowners would then have to seek permission from the local council to reclassify their property as a short-term let.
The new rules would allow councils to see how much local housing stock is taken up by temporary lets. However, local authorities may choose not to use planning controls.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said there was currently an "incomplete picture of the size and spread of our short-term lets market" and that a national registration scheme would provide "the data we need to assess the position and enable us to address the concerns communities face".
Airbnb - the website which enables people to advertise holiday lets - said it welcomed the scheme but warned that any changes to the planning system would need to "strike a balance between protecting housing and supporting everyday families who let their space to help afford their home and keep pace with rising living costs".
Salcombe, in south Devon, has been named Britain's most expensive seaside town, with an average house price of more than £1.2m, according to Halifax.
The picture-postcard scenery speaks for itself - but its popularity comes with a cost. Rising house prices make it unaffordable for many locals, and outside of tourist season, lots of the homes are empty.
Local business owner Lucia Bly told BBC News it is very hard for businesses like hers to keep afloat outside of the summer season, when an average 25,000 people flock to the town.
Lucia, who co-owns Salcombe Dairy with her husband Dan, says you have to be creative to make a business work in the town
Tourists are essentially the "lifeblood" of the town, she says. Outside of that, the town's 2,000-strong population weathers the off-season, with many homes outside of this time left empty.
Ms Bly said: "I think 75% of the houses are not lived in."
The announcement comes ahead of May's local elections in England.
Although there are no elections taking place in tourist hotspots like Cornwall and the Lake District, the impact of holiday lets have also been a key issue in other rural areas.
Conservative MPs Selaine Saxby, who represents North Devon, and George Eustice, who represents Camborne and Redruth in Cornwall, are among those who have called for stronger regulation of short-term lets.
However, former Conservative Housing Secretary Simon Clarke, said requiring planning permission to convert properties into short-term lets was "anti-business" and stemmed from "our failure to build enough homes".
Labour have accused the government of failing to build enough houses over the last 13 years. The party has said it would, if elected to government, aim to increase home ownership to 70%.
The Liberal Democrats said the consultation was "far too late for communities which have been hollowed out by a free-for-all on holiday lets". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65258629 |
Blue crayon scrawled over 230-year-old Sabrina statue at Croome - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A statue of Sabrina and a memorial to Capability Brown at Croome is covered in blue crayon. | Hereford & Worcester | The statue of the Roman Naiade, Sabrina, takes its name from the nymph spirit of the Severn.
Museum staff were left dismayed after a historic statue was scribbled on.
Bright blue crayon markings were scrawled across the face, arms and torso of the 230-year-old Sabrina statue at Croome, Worcester.
A memorial to landscape architect Capability Brown was also defaced sometime during 8 April, the National Trust said.
The markings have been removed from the statue but work to clean the memorial is ongoing.
The scribbling is believed to have happened during opening hours on 8 April
The National Trust has confirmed the blue crayon marks have now been removed
Moulded from Coade stone, the sculpture is thought to have been made in 1802 and depicts the Roman Naiade, Sabrina, in a grotto which was originally decorated with shells, coral and gems.
"We are dismayed that this has happened," said a National Trust spokesperson.
They added: "Disappointing as they are, incidents like this are very rare considering the millions of visitors who enjoy and respect the places in our care."
Work to remove crayon marks from the Lancelot 'Capability' Brown Memorial are ongoing. His work landscaping the grounds is thought to have been his first large commission.
Work is still in progress to remove the crayon marks from the Lancelot 'Capability' Brown memorial
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-65262756 |
UK economy will avoid recession despite no growth in February, says Hunt - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Walkouts hit output but the chancellor says the economic outlook is "brighter than expected". | Business | The UK economy saw no growth in February after being hit by the effects of strikes by public sector workers.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that a rise in construction activity had been offset by walkouts by teachers and civil servants.
It follows a surprise 0.4% jump in economic growth in January.
Despite February's flat performance the chancellor said the economic outlook was "brighter than expected" and the UK was "set to avoid recession".
Jeremy Hunt noted that GDP - the measure of economic growth - had grown by 0.1% in the three months to February.
Revisions to previous data also means that the ONS now estimates monthly GDP to be 0.3% above its pre-Covid levels of February 2020. The previous estimate in January had put it 0.2% below that point.
Labour said the UK was "lagging behind on the global stage with growth on the floor".
"The reality of growth inching along is families worse off, high streets in decline and a weaker economy that leaves us vulnerable to shocks," said shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Darren Morgan, ONS director of economic statistics, said the UK construction sector had grown strongly in February after a poor January, with more repair work taking place.
There was also a boost from retailing, with many shops having "a buoyant month".
But he added: "These were offset by the effects of civil service and teachers' strike action, which impacted the public sector, and unseasonably mild weather led to falls in the use of electricity and gas."
Walkouts by teachers nationwide on 1 February and in some regions of England on 28 February had been the biggest drag on growth, the ONS said.
When schools close or only have a skeleton staff because of strike action, this is deemed to decrease the output of the education sector, as the ONS measures it, in terms of its contribution to GDP.
Strikes by many civil servants on 1 February also affected output.
Economic growth figures can vary wildly from month to month, and economists warn against reading too much into a single set of figures.
But the big picture, according to Mr Morgan, is that the economy has been "pretty much flat" since last spring.
High energy prices and rising interest rates to control inflation are taking their toll, and industrial action in several sectors is also having an impact.
On Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund warned the UK is set to be one of the worst performing major economies in the world this year, shrinking by 0.3% in 2023.
The UK's inflation rate was 10.4% in the year to February, remaining near a 40-year high.
However, many economists expect inflation - the rate at which prices rise - to ease later this year as energy and food prices fall, and recent forecasts suggest the economic situation is not as bleak as it looked a few months ago.
But for many consumers and businesses, price rises are leading to a daily struggle to pay bills and buy food.
Bees is an Asian bridal jewellery store in Upton Park, East London. The shop is busy at the moment because of Ramadan but thing are still "really tough" for the business, said manager Sushil Raniga.
"From a consumer point of view, we're definitely seeing that [the cost of living] has impacted the way that they spend," he told the BBC.
"We're also seeing an increase in the cost of our raw materials and transport costs, things like brass and aluminium, those things have gone up quite significantly. That's obviously impacting our bottom line."
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said the economy was "likely to escape recession but a period of stagnation awaits".
"Economic activity will remain subdued in the near term as households continue to be squeezed by elevated prices and the cumulative impact of past interest rate increases," she said.
Capital Economics agreed the UK had "probably avoided recession" but said more interest rate rises were likely as the Bank of England fights to get inflation under control.
The Bank has raised rates steadily since December 2021, most recently from 4% to 4.25% in March. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65250170 |
Juice: Space mission to Jupiter's moons blasts off - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The £1.4bn probe aims to explore whether the distant planet's moons could support simple life. | Science & Environment | Phew, what a couple of whirlwind hours those have been!
Thanks for joining us as we followed the launch of the Jupiter moons mission, one of the European Space Agency's most ambitious ever.
"Juice is coming, Jupiter! Get ready for it," announced Andrea Accomazzo, the operations director of ESA's mission control in Germany, once the satellite was sent skyward on an Ariane-5 rocket.
"The Juice is loose!" declared our science correspondent Jonathan Amos, with today's blast off making up for the disappointment of yesterday's postponement.
But there's still a long way to go. It will take eight years for the satellite to reach the Jupiter system, travelling four billion miles from Earth.
As our science editor Rebecca Morelle explained, today's launch is the halfway point of the mission.
But the ESA will be breathing a sigh of relief to see lift-off, and we look forward to updating you on the satellite's arrival (hopefully) in 2031.
Today's coverage was brought to you by Marita Moloney and myself, as well as our colleagues Thomas Mackintosh, Aoife Walsh, Ece Goksedef and Gem O'Reilly.
Shall we see you all again in eight years? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-65258309 |
Environment Agency workers strike over pay - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Workers responsible for protecting England's environment stage a three day walkout over low pay. | Science & Environment | Thousands of Environment Agency workers began a three day strike on Friday over claims of "endemic low pay".
The latest action from the Unison trade union will see staff working on flood defences, river pollution and fires walk out.
These emergency response teams say they are too thinly stretched, making it difficult to protect communities and keep the environment safe.
The government said representatives are meeting with the unions to discuss pay.
The strike began at 19:00 and will end at 07:00 Monday morning,
It follows months of industrial action by Environment Agency workers in England who argue a 2% pay offer by the government is not enough to cover the impacts of inflation and equates to a 20% real terms pay cut since 2010.
Unison's Head of Environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said workers at the agency were resorting to food banks.
"The pay is so low that last week the lowest 2 grades in the Agency had to have an emergency pay uplift just to meet the national living wage [£9.53/hr]", she said.
The average salary and benefits for an agency worker is £36,508 whilst the lowest four bands, which represent more than 30% of roles, earn less than £30,000.
Unison have said that no government ministers have engaged with them on pay talks.
The government's environment department - Defra - was unable to confirm if ministers had attended talks but a spokesperson said "representatives are involved".
Striking workers would only speak to the BBC anonymously. They said their contracts placed limits on speaking to the media and that they feared repercussions.
Tom, an Environment Agency worker in the South East who attended a previous walkout, said: "The low pay means there are real problems recruiting staff. That means we're expected to cover vacant posts and do more for less money. Staff need a pay rise that properly values the important work we do keeping communities safe."
Workers at the public body are 'category 1 responders' meaning they attend emergencies which pose a threat to life in the same way ambulance services or police forces do. They are responsible for attending floods, commercial fires and cleaning up major pollution incidents, such as the Poole Harbour spill which occurred last month.
Since 2001 the Environment Agency has attended 1, 490 major incidents which could post a serious threat to human health.
However, it relies on staff volunteering to be on these 24/7 emergency rotas as well as their normal day jobs.
"People are choosing not to put themselves forward for these shifts, people that are, are just doing it to supplement their income and make ends meet", said Graham Macro, an installations officer at the Environment Agency and union representative for Prospect union who are also striking next month.
With fewer volunteers the agency is no longer responding to category 3 and 4 incidents.
These strikes will take workers off these shifts, but Mr Macro said that Prospect had coordinated with Unison to make sure that strikes were on different days to ensure safety for communities.
Voluntary weekend workers from the Environment Agency clean up the Poole Harbour oil spill earlier this month
Another worker who was at the Environment Agency until recently as a senior manager, told the BBC anonymously that low pay meant colleagues were moving on to other jobs and there was a struggle to recruit.
He said pollution monitoring teams in his area were "slashed" in half over the last decade.
Rivers monitoring is a crucial element of the government's new Water Plan - the government's strategy for "delivering clean and plentiful water". It includes new targets for the Environment Agency to punish water company sewage spills.
The new Water Plan allocates an additional £2.2m a year to the agency for enforcement - an increase of 2.4% on the Agency's current grant.
The Environment Agency's overall enforcement budget, has been cut from £170m in 2009-10 to £76m in 2019-20.
The Rivers Trust CEO Mark Lloyd said that money needed to go to paying teams doing day-to-day monitoring which could help limit spills and prevent the government having to use the last resort of enforcement.
He said: "The number of monitoring sites and the frequency of monitoring have been reduced which has reduced the ability to drive improvements in the health of our rivers."
• None Strike dates: What do Heathrow staff and junior doctors want? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65244157 |
London Waterloo: Rail disruption to last until end of day - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A significantly reduced service continues to operate and disruption is expected all day. | London | Fourteen out of 24 platforms were closed earlier, Network Rail said
Rail disruption at London Waterloo is expected until the end of the day, after passengers were urged to avoid the station due to signalling problems.
South Western Railway (SWR) issued the warning for customers attempting to travel to and from the station, which is the busiest in Britain.
Although a temporary fix is in place, a significantly reduced service continues to operate on limited lines.
Many platforms were closed throughout the day, the rail firm said.
Two services an hour have been running between Reading and London, while other stations including Queenstown Road and Hampton Court have had no service at all.
Demand outstripped supply at the rail information desk all morning, overrun by customers unable to travel as fresh cancellations were announced.
The number of people arriving with suitcases suggested most remained unaware of the disruption.
Most services have been disrupted
Network Rail, which is responsible for signalling, confirmed there had been a "major power failure" to cabling equipment that powers signals controlling the Waterloo area.
Mark Killick, Wessex route director for Network Rail, said it was "working hard to reintroduce as many trains as we can" but warned of further disruption.
He said: "Something that affects half of Waterloo is a major issue and [we] absolutely recognise this has wrecked people's plans today so I'm really sorry for the disruption.
"Our teams have been working since the small hours of the morning to find the issue and resolve it and the great news is that we have now done that."
Emma, from Southampton, told the BBC she had been planning a day trip to London to visit the Science Museum and Natural History Museum with her young daughter but, "everything has been cancelled and we can only get to London if we were willing to do a three-hour detour".
The trip had already been postponed once as a result of train strikes.
Martin Benko said he would have to get an alternative train and taxi to reach his workplace
Commuters faced difficulties getting to work. Martin Benko said: "I have a presentation in two hours," and the signal failure at Waterloo would add "two to three hours minimum" to his journey.
Others decided to give up on their journeys altogether after realising there were no suitable alternative routes.
Gareth Dutton said he was meant to travel to Southampton for a gig but, given he had to be there for a certain time, had decided to "turn around and go home".
Another commuter, Anna Henderson, said she had to call her boss to "tell him I'm not going to make it in", as she was unable to get to Wimbledon.
London Waterloo is the busiest railway station in Britain
Peter Williams, SWR's customer and commercial director, said: "We are very sorry for the disruption this morning.
"While the problem is in the Waterloo area we do expect the wider network to be affected as trains and their crews will be displaced."
London Waterloo is the busiest railway station in Britain with 41.4 million passengers travelling through every year.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65260212 |
Covid: Staff propped up care homes without extra pay, says report - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Most care homes struggled but some paid more to shareholders, says the Warwick University-led study. | UK | At St Brelade's care home in Kent, life is getting back to normal after Covid
Many care home staff worked extra hours without extra pay to prop up the system during the pandemic, a study suggests.
Public money helped stabilise UK care homes during the first wave of Covid-19 but it was withdrawn too soon and not focused on staff, says the research, led by Warwick Business School.
While many homes struggled financially, some larger companies were able to pay more to shareholders, the study found.
Ministers are discussing reforms to adult social care across the UK.
The researchers studied the accounts of more than 4,000 UK care home companies, from just before the pandemic and during the first year of the health crisis.
They found nearly two thirds (60%) of care homes were already financially fragile as the pandemic took hold.
The report, co-written with University College London and the Centre for Health and the Public Interest think tank, accuses the government of failing to plan for "highly predictable" damage to the sector's financial viability during a pandemic.
An extra £2.1bn of public money pumped into the sector at the peak of the pandemic helped many care homes avoid financial collapse, but not all of it reached the front lines and most of the payments ended in 2022, say the authors.
In the first year of the pandemic, 122 larger, for-profit, care home companies were able to pay shareholders 11% more in dividends than the previous year, the research found.
The majority of care home companies are small, like the one operating St Brelade's in Herne Bay, Kent.
Staff here gave up their private lives to keep residents safe as the pandemic took hold.
"I lived here for three weeks," says Nicola Helman. "Then I was in every single day after that, for another four weeks".
Nicola also went to great lengths, when off-duty, to avoid picking up Covid, stressing she "didn't communicate with anybody, didn't pass anybody or anything like that".
Care worker Nicola Helman (r) lived at the care home at the height of the pandemic
He says the government subsidy helped ease financial pressures during the first year of the pandemic, but things became far tougher once it was withdrawn.
"Inflation really kicked in. Everything had become much more expensive... so now you had less revenue, less subsidy and high expenses."
Locally, at least three care homes have closed since 2020, he adds.
The report concludes: "The decision by government to end financial support for care home companies after the peak of the pandemic had passed has likely contributed to the current financial and operational difficulties experienced by the sector."
It states the financial plight of many staff and the immense pressure they were under "means it is not surprising the care home sector has struggled to both recruit and retain staff once lockdown restrictions were removed and the wider economy re-opened".
The Department of Health and Social care responded that it is supporting social care in England with up to £7.5bn over two years, and its latest social care plans were published last week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65250546 |
Premier League clubs to ban gambling sponsorship on front of matchday shirts - BBC Sport | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | Premier League clubs collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs' matchday shirts by the summer of 2026. | null | Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, after the deadline, clubs will still be able to continue featuring gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.
And clubs will be allowed to secure new shirt-front deals before the deadline.
Eight top-flight clubs have gambling companies on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60m per year.
The announcement follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the government's ongoing review of current gambling legislation.
The decision will see the Premier League become the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.
• None 'No plans' for SPFL ban on gambling sponsors
• None Listen - The Sports Desk podcast: Is it time for football to cut ties with gambling?
The league is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship.
The government was not expected to propose banning gambling sponsorship, with the plan being for the Premier League to agree voluntarily to a change.
Reforms to the Gambling Act 2005 were largely agreed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson before he stepped down last July, leading to a delay in a gambling white paper being published.
On Thursday, Lucy Frazer, who was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in February, said she "welcomed the decision by the Premier League".
"The vast majority of adults gamble safely but we have to recognise that footballers are role models who have enormous influence on young people," she added.
"We want to work with institutions like the Premier League to do the right thing for young fans. We will soon bring forward a gambling white paper to update protections for punters and ensure those who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected."
What is the background?
A DCMS spokesperson told BBC Sport last May that they are undertaking "the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to make sure they are fit for the digital age".
Campaigners for a wider ban say gambling sponsorship in football has normalised the industry, and that tighter regulation is needed to protect children and other vulnerable groups.
The Betting and Gambling Council, which represents the industry, said the "overwhelming majority" of the 22.5m people in the UK who bet each month, do so "safely and responsibly".
It added the "rate of problem gambling remains low by international standards at 0.3% of the UK's adult population - down from 0.4% the year previous".
However, a YouGov survey for GambleAware in 2021 put the figure at 2.8%.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith is part of the All Party Parliamentary Group on gambling-related harm, which has been lobbying the government for tougher protections.
He said: "At the moment, we are probably the country with the most liberal gambling laws in the world."
• None Who are the betting firms sponsoring your team?
In January, Aston Villa's fan consultation group met chief executive Christian Purslow after the club was reported to have signed a deal with Asia-based betting firm BK8. It later issued a statement saying "the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies".
The Premier League has previously said "a self-regulatory approach would provide a practical and flexible alternative to legislation or outright prohibition".
The collective agreement to start the ban after 2025-26 has been reached to assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponsorship.
The English Football League (EFL), which is sponsored by Sky Bet, has previously said any outright gambling sponsorship ban for its 72 members would cost clubs £40m a year.
The EFL's position on the gambling industry is long standing, that it should contribute to the financial sustainability of professional football, considering the significant amount of money it makes from the game.
Chairman Rick Parry has previously expressed the EFL's belief that an evidence-based approach to preventing harms is of much greater benefit than that of a blanket ban.
'Although this outcome isn't perfect, it's a huge step'
Last summer Premier League club Everton confirmed they had agreed a club-record, multi-year partnership with casino and sports betting platform Stake.com.
After the league's agreement was announced on Thursday, Everton's current manager Sean Dyche said: "I am not going to get too involved in the debates of judging about it but they have made a collective decision and all parties have agreed with that."
According to The Big Step, a campaign to end gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, just over three years ago nearly 30 clubs in the Premier League and the Championship had a gambling company on the front of their shirt.
"With today's announcement, we are getting closer to when that will be 0," said The Big Step in a statement. "It is a significant acceptance of the harm caused by gambling sponsorship.
"But just moving logos to a different part of the kit while allowing pitch-side advertising and league sponsorship to continue is totally incoherent.
"Without government action on all forms of gambling ads in football, at every level, online casinos will exploit any voluntary measures and continue to market their products through our national sport.
"Although this outcome isn't perfect, it's a huge step. The government and the sport itself now need to wake up to the reality that gambling ads are unhealthy, unpopular and will be kicked out of football. Delaying that moment is risking the health and lives of another generation of young fans."
Gambling with Lives, a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, said the announcement was "not perfect by any means, but a welcome move and significant acceptance of the harm caused by gambling advertising and sponsorship".
'A total ban had always looked unlikely'
The news of this voluntary ban doesn't go far enough for some campaigners. They point out the influence that the Premier League has on children and young people and argue gambling sponsorship of football is a key part of the process to normalise the industry (as they see it).
Even after 2026, gambling company names will still be on the banner advertising around the grounds and on the sleeves of adult shirts.
Many had wanted a total ban on this kind of sponsorship and advertising in football. That had always looked unlikely.
All eyes are on the new Culture secretary Lucy Frazer, who is picking up where three of her predecessors have left off, reshaping the gambling laws to make them fit for the world of online gambling.
There's been intense lobbying of MPs from both the industry and those campaigning for reform - and that lobbying has reached a crescendo in recent weeks as the final decisions are made about exactly what that will mean in practice.
• None Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - follow your team and sign up for notifications in the BBC Sport app to make sure you never miss a moment | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65260002 |
Cyclone Ilsa: Powerful storm hits Western Australia - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Alerts remain in place in the north of the state as the storm tracks inland. | Australia | A powerful cyclone has hit Western Australia as a category five storm, setting a wind speed record but sparing populated areas from major damage.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the state close to Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub, just before midnight (17:00 BST).
The storm has been downgraded to category two, but alerts remain in place for some inland communities.
The cyclone is the strongest to hit the region in some 14 years.
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Todd Smith said a late south-easterly shift in the storm's path meant that "Port Hedland dodged a bullet last night".
Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter described the sound of the wind hitting the town as "very eerie and unusual" and "like a freight train".
Officials said the storm was now tracking east, and warned inland communities to stay vigilant.
"There are several remote communities and mining operations which are yet to be impacted," WA's Acting Emergency Services Minister Sue Ellery told reporters.
One well-known local tavern and caravan park lying right in the path of the storm - the Pardoo roadhouse - suffered "great damage", its owners said on Facebook.
But there have so far been no reports of injuries to people and all critical infrastructure was undamaged by the cyclone, the region's fire chief said.
"Once we can get crews onto the ground and helicopters in the air... we will move along the coast just to check to see roads and other critical infrastructure," Peter Sutton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Winds of 135.5 miles per hour (218km/h) were recorded on Bedout Island just off the coast as the storm touched down, setting a preliminary 10-minute sustained wind record for Australia.
The previous record was 120.5mph (194km/h) - winds that were recorded when Cyclone George slammed into the country in 2007.
Dramatic skies were seen in the area as the cyclone passed through
As Ilsa's very destructive winds move inland, the storm is predicted to weaken further overnight into Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said.
As the cyclone approached, Port Hedland residents made last minute preparations by sandbagging and securing homes and businesses, Channel Nine reporter Ezra Holt told the BBC from the town.
He added that there were mixed emotions within the town, with some not too fussed, and others more concerned because cyclones this strong are quite rare.
Ships, including iron ore carriers, were reportedly moved from the Port Hedland harbour as the storm approached.
The last category five cyclone to hit WA was Cyclone Laurence in 2009. Two years earlier, another category five storm, Cyclone George, killed three people as it tore through mining camps just south of Port Hedland. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-65259342 |
Joe Biden in Ireland: President says 'I'm at home' - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president praises the strength of the Irish-US relationship and speaks of pride in Irish roots. | Europe | President Biden was welcomed to Dublin Castle by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar
US President Joe Biden has declared "I'm at home" as he made an historic address to the Irish Parliament.
Mr Biden said he has returned to his ancestral home and his only wish was that he could stay longer.
In his speech to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas (both houses of the Irish parliament), he spoke of his pride in his Irish roots and support for the peace process in Northern Ireland.
He said the UK "should be working closer" with Ireland to support NI.
President Biden's final engagement on Thursday was a banquet dinner held in his honour at Dublin Castle.
The event, hosted by Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar, involved a reception in the Portrait Gallery followed by a dinner in St Patrick's Hall.
Welcoming Mr Biden at the banquet dinner, Mr Varadkar said that both the US and Ireland have "a similar past and philosophy", one where they "are joined by bonds of kinship as well as of friendship".
"By looking always to the future, you have helped us to move beyond the past, and build something better," he said.
Joe Biden arriving at Leinster House, the home of the Irish parliament
President Biden received a standing ovation as he once again spoke about the special relationship between Ireland and the US.
He recounted one of his grandfather's favourite sayings as he took centre stage at the banquet: "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough," he said.
The president told those gathered in Dublin Castle that he felt incredibly lucky to be so warmly welcomed by so many people on his visit to the island of Ireland.
"No barrier is too thick or too strong for Ireland and the United States of America," Mr Biden said, adding: "There is nothing the two nations cannot do when they do it together".
During an earlier address in Leinster House, President Biden praised the "huge strides" that have been taken since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which largely ended decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
"People of Ireland, it's so good to be back in Ireland," he told the Oireachtas, making a remark in Irish which translated as: "I am home."
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Mr Biden went on to say that the United States was "shaped by Ireland".
"As nations, we have known hardship and division, but we have also found solace and sympathy in one and other."
President Biden praised the Good Friday Agreement which, he said, had ensured that an "entire generation of young people's lives have been shaped by confidence that there are no checkpoints on their dreams".
He said the agreement not only changed lives in Northern Ireland, but it also had a "significant positive impact across the Republic of Ireland as well".
"Political violence must never again be allowed to take hold on this island," Mr Biden told those present, to rapturous applause.
"Peace is precious. It still needs its champions. It still needs to be nurtured," he said.
Former Irish president Mary McAleese, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Marie Heaney, the widow of the late poet Seamus Heaney were among those in attendance.
Stormont leaders such as Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill, the SDLP's Colum Eastwood and Naomi Long from Alliance were also there.
Joe Biden was the fourth US president to ever address the Irish parliament after John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
He began his working day with a visit to Áras an Uachtaráin - the home of the Irish president in Phoenix Park.
President Biden inspected a military guard of honour, and signed the visitors' book. He also planted an oak tree and rang the Bell of Peace.
The bell was erected in 2008 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
After ringing the bell, President Biden gave it another ring, saying: "One more for peace".
He said he was feeling "great" and that he had "learned a lot from the president".
One of Michael D Higgins' Bernese Mountain dogs was present when Joe Biden visited
President Higgins then gave President Biden a quick tour of the grounds around his official residence and introduced him to one of his dogs.
The two men discussed the importance of the meeting 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, the strong connection between their two countries and their shared love of Irish poetry.
President Biden then met Leo Varadkar at nearby Farmleigh House, shaking hands and exchanging a few words before posing for pictures.
Mr Biden remarked that it was "a beautiful day", the weather a contrast to the conditions that greeted him as he arrived in Dublin on Wednesday.
Mr Varadkar said it was "great" to have the US President back in Ireland and that the visit was going "very well".
Mr Biden described the meeting as an opportunity to make "tremendous progress".
He said he was not just commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement - but also wanted to hail Ireland's "leadership" on world issues such as taking in Ukrainian refugees.
The US President rang the Bell of Peace, erected in 2008 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement
Earlier, Mr Biden said he had quoted an Irish proverb, in his message in the visitors' book - "your feet will bring you where your heart is", adding that it was "an honour to return".
He made a reference to returning to the home of his ancestors, pledging to recommit to peace, equity and dignity.
Mr Biden added: "I'm not going home. Isn't this an incredible place, all you American reporters, it's just like the White House, right?"
A delegation attending the event included Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and former Irish football star Paul McGrath.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met President Biden at Farmleigh House in the sunshine
On Friday, the US President is expected to travel to County Mayo where he will again explore his Irish ancestry.
His great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt left Ireland around the time of the famine.
President Biden planted an oak tree in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin - the home of the Irish president in Phoenix Park
While in the county, the President, who is a Catholic, is also expected to visit shrine at Knock and to make an outdoor speech to people in Ballina before he ends his four-day visit to the island.
A US genealogist who researched Mr Biden's lineage had estimated he is "roughly five-eighths" Irish.
His great-great grandfather Owen Finnegan left there for America in the late 1840s.
Declan Harvey and Tara Mills explore the text of the Good Friday Agreement - the deal which heralded the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
They look at what the agreement actually said and hear from some of the people who helped get the deal across the line.
Listen to all episodes of Year '98: The Making of the Good Friday Agreement on BBC Sounds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65240668 |
Jack Teixeira: Suspect charged over Pentagon documents leak - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The suspect is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. | US & Canada | This is the worst leak of US intelligence for 10 years.
Not since former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden and former US Army soldier Chelsea Manning published classified documents has so much supposedly secret intelligence leaked into the public domain.
The damage is on several levels. Russia now knows exactly what parts of its military intelligence are being eavesdropped on by the US. It will now move swiftly to plug those gaps.
It’s also clear from the documents that Washington hasn’t just been spying on its enemies, it’s been spying on its friends too – like Ukraine, Israel and South Korea.
The scene yesterday near the front line in Bakhmut, Ukraine Image caption: The scene yesterday near the front line in Bakhmut, Ukraine
It appears that the US has been distributing highly sensitive intelligence to far too wide a circle of people.
That will make some countries think twice before they can trust America with sensitive information.
But, by far the most serious damage has been done to Ukraine.
The leaked documents reveal what weapons Ukraine still has. And the conclusion is that it’s fast running out of air defence missiles.
That tells the Kremlin that if Ukraine can’t resupply itself then it will be safe to unleash the Russian air force.
This could potentially change the entire course of the war in Moscow’s favour. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65270164 |
Jamie Oliver: I recorded my books to avoid writing - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The chef and author says writing a children's book helped him feel more positive about his dyslexia. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Jamie Oliver on having dyslexia: "The kitchen genuinely did save me"
Jamie Oliver said he recorded his first books on a Dictaphone instead of writing them down because of his struggles with dyslexia.
The chef and author told BBC Breakfast he "always had a chip on my shoulder" after experiencing difficulties with reading and writing at school.
He has now published his first children's book for struggling readers.
In a sometimes tearful interview, he said it was his most important book "emotionally".
"It just feels like I've fully got out of the baggage of how kids feel when they're not made to feel like they can learn properly at school," he told the programme.
Oliver developed children's book Billy and the Giant Adventure by writing in 10-minute chunks over lockdown.
As the chef struggles with his focus due to ADHD and dyslexia, he said he developed his own formula to write it.
"It was that weird time in lockdown, and I started thinking, as a growing adult, how do I develop myself?" he said.
"I sat down for 10 minutes a day - which is as long as I can focus - and wrote it. Over the course of four years, I built 14 chapters and sent it to a publisher."
The chef said the idea came from the bedtime stories he would make up for his children.
"It's tricky because quite early they get better than you. So they go 'Dad, don't read a story, do it from your head'," he said.
"I recorded the stories because I kept forgetting what I did the night before because I was dreaming of gin and tonic," he joked.
Oliver said he has worked to make the book as accessible as possible, inspiring younger readers who may be put off reading because of their learning difficulties.
The book, published on Thursday, is printed in a dyslexia-friendly font, and will be released as an audiobook.
According to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), sans serif fonts such as Arial and Comic Sans can appear less crowded for those with dyslexia.
Oliver is one of over six million people in the UK who have dyslexia, with one in ten thought to have the condition. The BDA says many don't know they're living with it.
Dyslexia affects people in different ways, including someone's coordination, organisation and memory.
Oliver said he was one of "many kids left by the wayside" at school because of his neurodiversity.
While he was not diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD at school, the chef was labelled as having special needs and was taught separately.
"I've always had a chip on my shoulder about it," he told the programme, emphasising why his latest book was so important to him: "For me, this was finally brushing the last chips off my shoulder."
The Dyslexia Association provides a wide range of services to directly assist and improve the lives of dyslexics of all ages. Visit their website here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65260342 |
Biden begins Ireland trip after Belfast speech - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US leader has travelled south, after visiting Northern Ireland to commemorate the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. | US & Canada | Biden spoke of threats to democracy during speech
On the motorcade route outside Ulster University earlier, a lone Trump flag waved to greet the US president. A familiar sight in America - but an unexpected one for this president who so proudly touts his Irish-American ties to this place. Another protester nearby held a sign that read "Fake Catholic. Fake president." Between folksy anecdotes designed for laugh lines about what Northern Ireland and the Republic mean to him, President Biden's remarks didn't focus solely on the international politics of this visit. “Those of you who have been to America know there is a large population that is invested in what happens here,” Biden said during his speech at Ulster University. "Supporting the people of Northern Ireland, protecting the peace, preserving the Belfast Good Friday Agreement is a priority for Democrats and Republicans alike in the United States, and that is unusual today because we have been very divided in our parties.” The president's oft-repeated ode to the importance of democracy here, in America, and around the world was not missing from his brief remarks. And his reference to the threats that American democracy faced during the 6 January riots at the US Capitol two years ago won’t have fallen on deaf ears for a city whose residents were once no stranger to persistent conflict and violence. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65167022 |
Biden hails ‘enduring’ US-Irish bond in Dublin speech - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president has become the fourth American leader to address the Irish parliament. | Europe | It’s well documented that Joe Biden loves to talk about his Irish heritage.
He recites poems by Seamus Heaney, frequently tells stories about his mother, and boasts that 10 of his 16 great-great grandparents lived in Ireland.
It’s not surprising, then, that much of the US media coverage of Biden’s trip to the Emerald Isle has focused on his ancestral roots and connection with the Irish people.
It’s an angle the White House seems happy to encourage.
As with any presidential trip abroad, there’s a domestic political angle to Biden’s activities. According to the US census, approximately 31.5m Americans – 10% of the US population - claim Irish heritage.
And there are some key electoral areas – New Hampshire, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Phoenix in Arizona – that have significant Irish-American populations.
Irish-Americans, while a key constituency in urban Democratic political machines in the 19th and early 20th century, tend not to vote as a block any more, however.
Biden’s emphasis on his Irish roots at this point may be less of an effort to win over Irish-Americans than a subtle way to emphasise his blue-collar, working-class roots.
At a time when being considered “elite” can be a political death sentence, Biden is leaning heavily into his “Irishness” to make the case that he has a common touch – and that has been on full display during his Irish visit. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-65258551 |
Prince Harry to attend coronation without Meghan - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Prince Harry will travel to the UK but Meghan will stay in California with their children. | UK | Harry will attend the coronation at Westminster Abbey, but Meghan will stay in the US with their children
The Duke of Sussex will be present at the King's coronation, but his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, will not be attending, Buckingham Palace has said.
There had been speculation about whether the couple would travel to the coronation but it has now emerged that Prince Harry will attend alone.
The prince will join more than 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.
It will be the first time he has been seen with the Royal Family since his bombshell memoir Spare was published.
Prince Harry's book vividly revealed the depth of his disagreements with other members of the Royal Family, and he has since spoken of feeling "different" from the rest of his family.
King Charles and the Queen Consort will be crowned next month, in front of more than 2,000 guests
The decision for Meghan to reject the invitation will be seen as part of these continuing, unresolved family tensions.
Prince Harry's book - and an earlier Netflix series - had highlighted his anxiety about negative media coverage, particularly towards his wife, amid suggestions of a lack of support from his family.
It had been unclear whether Prince Harry would attend his father's coronation, but it is now confirmed that he will be at the Abbey, meaning King Charles will have both his sons present for the ceremony.
The date is also the fourth birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan's son, Prince Archie, who will remain in the US with his mother.
The couple issued a statement along the same lines as the palace: "The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
Neither the couple's spokeswoman nor Buckingham Palace commented on the decision, but there were strongly divided opinions on social media, with supporters praising Meghan for standing up for herself while opponents criticised her for "snubbing" her royal in-laws.
Prince Harry made a surprise appearance for a court hearing in London last month
Prince Harry and Meghan had been contacted more than a month ago about attending the coronation, prompting weeks of speculation about whether they would go.
The announcement means that Prince Harry will be part of the historic ceremony, joining other members of the Royal Family, public figures, world leaders and 450 representatives of charities and community groups.
As he is no longer a "working royal", it remains to be seen what part Prince Harry will play in the ceremony. For the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Prince Harry and Meghan were not allowed to take part in the traditional appearance on Buckingham Palace balcony.
It is expected that the Prince of Wales will have a prominent role in the coronation - and after Prince Harry's dramatic account of their falling out there will be attention on the two brothers being seen together again.
Prince Harry's memoir described a physical altercation between the brothers and arguments about their father marrying Camilla.
The Queen Consort's grandchildren will be among the children with roles at the coronation, and Buckingham Palace has said that after that event will be an "appropriate time" for her to become known as Queen Camilla.
As well as the coronation service, there is a long weekend of public events and concerts which the Royal Family will be expected to attend. However, it is not known how long Prince Harry will be in the UK.
Prince Harry made an unexpected appearance in London in March, when he attended a court hearing in a case against Associated Newspapers about allegations of privacy breaches, but he was not thought to have met his brother, Prince William, or the King during the visit.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65255135 |
Drake Bell: Drake & Josh star found safe, police say - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Police say the actor, who starred in the hit Nickelodeon children's show has been found after considering him "missing and endangered". | Entertainment & Arts | Drake Bell, who starred in the hit show Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon, has been found after being considered "missing and endangered" by US police.
On social media local law enforcement confirmed it had been in contact with Mr Bell and that he was safe.
Authorities added that his last known location was "potentially" in the area of a Florida high school on 12 April.
In a comment on the initial post police went on to say: "For those asking, this is a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department."
Bell, 36, appeared in 56 episodes of Drake & Josh between 2004 and 2007.
In the Nickelodeon series, he and his co-star Josh Peck played two teenagers with opposite personalities who became step brothers. They also starred in two Drake & Josh films.
Police had said the actor "should be travelling in a 2022 grey BMW" and that he was last seen on Wednesday evening at around 21:00 local time (01:00 BST).
Bell, who started acting as a child star, and also appeared in The Amanda Show, went on to win nine Nickelodeon Kids' Choice awards. He also released two albums and his recent acting included voice work for children's animations.
However, in recent years he has faced scrutiny after high profile criminal cases.
In June 2021 he was charged with attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to children, and pleaded guilty.
The following month he was sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service in California for charges relating to a girl who met him online and accused him of sexual contact after she attended his concert when she was 15.
The Associated Press said that before sentencing, he said: "I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong. I'm sorry the victim was harmed. It was not my intention."
In January it was reported that Bell and his wife Janet Von Schmeling had separated and were "heading for divorce" after four years of marriage. The couple's son, named Jeremy Drake Bell, was born in in June 2021. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65268428 |
Camra award ban for Essex pub displaying golly dolls - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Campaign for Real Ale says the dolls on display at the pub "discriminate against customers". | Essex | CCTV images from inside the pub showed officers seizing several dolls
A pub where golly dolls were seized by police should not be considered for "future awards or inclusion in our Good Beer Guide", the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said.
Camra said it found it "baffling" that the White Hart Inn, in Grays, Essex, chose to display the "offensive" dolls.
Police are investigating after a member of the public reported being racially distressed on 24 February.
Chris Ryley, who co-runs the pub, said the dolls were "part of our history".
In a series of tweets, Camra said it was instructing its South West Essex local branch "not to consider the White Hart, Grays, Essex, for future awards, or inclusion in our Good Beer Guide, while these discriminatory dolls continue to be on display".
A spokesman for South West Essex Camra said the matter was being dealt with by Camra centrally.
Camra said it had altered an entry on its Good Beer Guide App as it said the previous entry was "problematic".
It added a line to the entry describing the pub, which said: "Note this pub has chosen to display items that are considered by many to be offensive."
The landlord of a pub in Essex is due to be questioned by police when he returns from abroad over allegations of a hate crime
On its website, the pub said it had won the South West Essex Camra Pub Of The Year awards in the past due to its "great service".
Mr Ryley said the pub was used by South West Essex Camra and Thurrock Beer Festival for meetings.
"A mountain has been made out of a molehill," he said.
He said the pub had received more support than abuse and it was "still open and trading".
Police said a member of the public reported being racially distressed after attending the pub.
Five officers attended, where they seized several of the racially offensive dolls on 4 April.
It was reported that Home Secretary Suella Braverman had contacted the force about the investigation.
Essex Police said that was "categorically not true" but did not rule out having been contacted by the Home Office.
In an interview with LBC, Policing Minister Chris Philp said it is "up to police to decide how they respond to incidents" when asked whether it was necessary for five officers to remove the dolls.
Essex Police said it was "categorically not true" that Suella Braverman had contacted the force
Police said no-one had been arrested or charged in connection with the investigation, and the landlord would be questioned when he returned from abroad next month.
Officers were in discussion with the Crown Prosecution Service about the case before the items were taken last week, the force added.
Benice Ryley said she had displayed the collection of about 30 dolls, donated by her late aunt and customers, in the pub for nearly 10 years.
The dolls are based on 18th Century minstrels and are regarded as caricatures.
The doll is a fictional character created by Florence Kate Upton that appeared in children's books in the late 19th Century, usually depicted as a type of rag doll. It has become controversial for its perceived racist connotations.
They first appeared on jars of Robertson's Jam in 1910 and became one of the most recognisable brands in the UK.
It spawned a range of toys and collectibles. In the 1980s, the name became Golly amid accusations that the character perpetuated stereotypes. It was finally dropped in 2001.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-65260945 |
Suella Braverman rhetoric fuels racism, claims Tory peer - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Conservative Baroness Warsi fears British Asians, including her own family, have been put at greater risk. | UK Politics | Tory peer Baroness Warsi has warned that what she describes as Suella Braverman's "racist rhetoric" is putting British Asian families at risk.
The peer, the UK's first South Asian cabinet minister, claimed the home secretary's comments on small boats and grooming gangs "emboldened racists".
She told the BBC she feared a backlash against British Asians and had told her dad not to walk home from the mosque.
Ms Braverman's spokesperson said she would "not shy away from hard truths".
Ahead of announcing plans for a new police taskforce to tackle grooming gangs, Ms Braverman said groups of "vulnerable white English girls" were being "pursued and raped and drugged and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani men who've worked in child abuse networks".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - who jointly launched the taskforce with Ms Braverman - said victims and whistleblowers had often been ignored by the authorities because of "cultural sensitivity and political correctness".
In an interview on Sky TV's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the home secretary said grooming gangs had a "predominance" of "British Pakistani males, who hold cultural values totally at odds with British values".
Ms Braverman said police and council workers had "turned a blind eye to these signs of abuse out of political correctness and out of fear of being called racist" - referencing findings in several reports into grooming in Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford.
In a series of joint letters to the prime minister, a coalition of groups including senior medics and the British Pakistan Foundation called on Ms Braverman to withdraw her comments, which some labelled as "inflammatory and divisive".
Baroness Warsi, who chaired the Conservative Party between 2010 and 2012, backed the letters, adding that the home secretary's comments had left vulnerable British Asians fearful of attacks.
"I've had to warn my son that if people start swearing and shouting, to just remove himself from the situation to avoid it escalating into an attack. Why should I be having these conversations with my son?," she told BBC News.
"I've had to tell my dad if you go to the mosque don't walk home, we need to have someone taking him and bringing him back every day."
Sayeeda Warsi was a Conservative Party chairwoman between 2010 and 2012
She said Ms Braverman "was tarnishing a whole community" by focusing on British Pakistanis, who were a "small subset" of perpetrators in a context of half a million children a year being sexually abused.
"If you look at the interviews she did, she gave no caveats," Baroness Warsi added.
"Ms Braverman basically said group sexual exploitation is a British Pakistani problem. At no point in those interviews did she say it was a small minority of British Pakistanis committing these crimes."
A 2020 Home Office study found offenders in child grooming gangs "are most commonly white", based on data from just under half of all police forces.
The same report found "a number" of high-profile cases had "mainly involved men of Pakistani ethnicity", but also highlighted "significant limitations to what can be said about links between ethnicity and this form of offending".
In 2012, while serving in David Cameron's cabinet, Baroness Warsi said a "small minority" of British Pakistani men believe "white girls are fair game" for sexual abuse.
Her comments followed revelations that a child grooming gang of mostly Pakistani men preyed on girls under the age of 16 in Rochdale.
Referencing her former comments, Baroness Warsi said: "I am the last person to say don't have bold and brave conservations with local communities - but they need to be based in fact.
"Suella Braverman needs to understand that when she opens her mouth she's speaking as a home secretary. She can't use loose language.
"This kind of 'shock jock' language is becoming a pattern with her. It feels like she more interested in the rhetoric and the noise of creating a culture war than the actual job."
Writing in the Guardian, Baroness Warsi added: "Whether this consistent use of racist rhetoric is strategy or incompetence, however, doesn't matter. Both show she is not fit to hold high office."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Secretary has been clear that all despicable child abusers must be brought to justice.
"And she will not shy away from telling hard truths, particularly when it comes to the grooming of young women and girls in Britain's towns who have been failed by authorities over decades.
"As the Home Secretary has said, the vast majority of British-Pakistanis are law-abiding, upstanding citizens but independent reports were unequivocal that in towns like Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford cultural sensitivities have meant thousands of young girls were abused under the noses of councils and police.
"That's why we have announced a raft of measures, including a new police taskforce and mandatory reporting, to ensure this horrific scandal can never happen again, and bring members of grooming gangs to justice for the victims."
Ms Braverman's comments were supported in a joint statement from UK Sikh and Hindu faith groups. The letter praised Ms Braverman, for "courageously speaking out about the over representation of British Pakistani men in sex grooming gangs".
The letter, signed by crossbench peer Lord Singh of Wimbledon, said it was "false to label all Pakistani Muslim men as groomers" but politicians should not "allow political correctness to stifle obtaining justice for victims by addressing the actions of a minority".
Baroness Warsi also criticised Ms Braverman's claims that "100 million people" around the world could qualify for protection under current UK asylum laws - and that "they are coming here".
This refers to people forcibly displaced around the world as recorded by the UN's refugee agency. There is nothing to suggest they would all want to come to the UK.
The Home Office said Ms Braverman meant that illegal migrants were coming to the UK - pointing out that there had been a 500% increase in small boat crossings in two years.
Small boat arrivals accounted for about 45% of asylum applications made in 2022. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65249872 |
Johnny Kitagawa: Ex-pop star Kauan Okamoto details sexual abuse by famed producer - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Kauan Okamoto said he was repeatedly abused by celebrated music producer Johnny Kitagawa. | Asia | Kauan Okamoto said he was sexually abused by Johnny Kitagawa from the age of 15
Another former J-pop star has said he was the victim of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa, a revered Japanese music producer who died in 2019.
Kauan Okamoto said he was abused up to 20 times from 2012-2016, beginning when he was 15 and in a boy band.
Mr Okamoto said he believed as many as 100 boys had been abused.
Kitagawa denied all accusations during his life and never faced charges. A BBC documentary in March detailed allegations from several victims.
Mr Okamoto said he had been compelled to speak out after the BBC released Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop documentary.
Multiple accusers told the BBC they feared their careers would be harmed if they refused Kitagawa.
In Japan, he was viewed as one of the music industry's most powerful figures. When he died in 2019 at age 87, his legacy as the architect of J-pop idol culture was widely celebrated in the country.
However allegations of his sexual exploitation were ignored for decades.
On Wednesday, Mr Okamoto said the abuse he experienced occurred about 15 to 20 times at Kitagawa's penthouse in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old Japanese-Brazilian singer and songwriter said that Kitagawa would come to his bed at night and remove his clothes before performing oral sex on him. Okamoto pretended to be asleep as the abuse occurred.
"[Kitagawa] never explicitly said that if you don't put up with [the abuse] you won't be a success," he told reporters .
"But Johnny's favourite first picks would make it."
He had been picked to join the Johnny's Jr group in 2012 - which was a talent pool of male idols in training at Kitagawa's agency Johnny & Associates.
Mr Okamoto said he knew of at least 100 boys who had stayed over at Kitagawa's home and he believed all of them had been abused.
On Wednesday Johnny & Associates issued a statement after Mr Okamoto's press conference saying the company was working to "strengthen our governance system".
It did not address Mr Okamoto's allegations or make any other reference to its founder.
The agency remains Japan's top male talent manager and production company. It has produced some of the country's biggest boy bands, such as SMAP and Arashi.
Allegations that Kitagawa groomed and sexually abused minors go as far back as the 1960s.
In 1999, local magazine Shukan Bunshun published accounts from six former idols detailing alleged abuse by Kitagawa.
Most Japanese media however did not cover the allegations - prompting accusations for years of an industry cover-up.
This silence persisted even when Kitagawa lost the lawsuit he launched against the magazine, with a court finding that Shukan Bunshun had sufficient reason to publish the sexual assault allegations.
In his press conference, Mr Okamoto said he had not considered taking legal action against Johnny & Associates.
Instead he expressed hope that telling his story would inspire more victims to speak out.
"I hope everyone will come forward because it is an outrageous number of victims," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"I believe that what he did to me, performing sexual acts when I was 15, and what he did to other boys, was wrong."
He said he had been compelled to speak out after the BBC documentary was released last month.
He first detailed his allegations to Shukan Bunshun on 5 April, and he was invited to speak at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
"Japanese media are extremely reluctant to cover this issue, but [I have heard] foreign media, like the BBC, might report on it," he said.
• None Japan’s J-pop predator - exposed for abuse but still revered | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65259427 |
Conwy: Body found in search for missing walker - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | While formal identification is yet to take place, Ausra Plungiene's family have been informed. | Wales | A major multi-agency was launched for for Ausra Plungiene who went missing on Tuesday morning
A body has been found in the search for a missing dog walker.
Ausra Plungiene, 56, from Prestatyn, Denbighshire, went missing in the mountains above the Conwy Valley on Tuesday morning.
Mountain rescue team members made the discovery near Yr Aryg in the Carneddau mountain range on Thursday afternoon.
While formal identification is yet to take place, Ms Plungiene's family has been informed. A dog was found alive at the location, police said.
Supt Owain Llewelyn of North Wales Police said: "Our thoughts are with Ausra's family at this most difficult time.
Ms Plungiene's went missing while walking her black Swedish lapphund, Eyora
"I would like to offer my thanks to all involved in the search for Ausra, in what have been extremely difficult weather conditions," he added.
"Finally, I would appeal for Ausra's family to be afforded some privacy during the coming days."
Ms Plungiene is believed to have left home to walk her dog, Eyora, at about 10:30 BST on Tuesday.
More than 60 rescue team volunteers had joined the search across Eryri - also known as Snowdonia - for Ms Plungiene.
North Wales Police said Ms Plungiene was an experienced mountain walker who was well equipped for the conditions.
The body was found near Yr Aryg in the Carneddau mountain range
Ms Plungiene's car was found in a mountain car park in Bwlch-y-ddeufaen shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
Earlier on Thursday, police were investigating two possible sightings and had narrowed down the search to an area of almost 14 sq miles.
Video posted on Twitter showed snow and ice on the ground and strong winds in the area on Wednesday.
The force has said it would not be commenting further, and no further updates would be issued.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65249901 |
Pay rises above inflation would be a terrible mistake, says Hunt - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The chancellor says the impact of the junior doctors' strike on NHS patients is "regrettable". | Business | The chancellor has said it would be a "terrible mistake" to give pay rises above the rate of inflation, even though strikes are hitting the economy.
Jeremy Hunt said the impact of the junior doctors' strike on NHS patients was "regrettable".
But wage increases that fuelled inflation would have a "more damaging" impact on the UK economy, he said.
Junior doctors are calling for a 35% pay rise, to make up for 15 years of below-inflation wage rises.
There has been no breakthrough in the latest public sector strike. The government has said that junior doctors' pay demands are "unreasonable" and that talks can only happen if the BMA union moves "significantly" away from their current position.
Speaking on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings in Washington DC, Mr Hunt said agreeing pay awards without making inflation worse was an "incredibly difficult balancing act that we have to get right".
Inflation, which is the rate prices rise at, is currently near a 40-year high in the UK. Prices in February were 10.4% higher than they were in the same month a year earlier.
That has prompted workers in many sectors to call for higher wages, bringing a wave of strikes. Official figures revealed industrial action held back economic growth in February.
But Mr Hunt told the BBC the government's aim was to "put this high inflation period behind us".
He said if the government stuck to its plans inflation could be brought below 3% by the end of the year.
"The worst possible thing that we can do for junior doctors, nurses, train drivers, teachers is to manage the economy in a way that they are still worried about 10% cost of living increases, in a year's time," he added.
Though the government has pledged to cut inflation, many economists have said that inflation is due to fall naturally in the coming months, as a result of energy prices falling.When asked about the junior doctors' pay demands, the chancellor pointed out that when nurses, who started out asking for a 19% rise, publicly committed to a much lower number "that became the basis of a fruitful discussion".
Following an IMF forecast suggesting that the UK would be one of the worst performing major economies in the world this year, Mr Hunt hit back, saying that the IMF had "undershot on the British economy for quite a long time".
The IMF now believed the British economy was "on the right track", he added, and had praised his recent Budget.
Other G7 finance ministers at the Washington gathering warmly welcomed what they saw as a remarkable change in tone and engagement from the UK, from the last set of IMF meetings, which occurred in the middle of the mini-Budget crisis, under the previous chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65267370 |
PC Sharon Beshenivsky: Man appears in court charged with murder - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Piran Ditta Khan appears before magistrates accused of murdering the officer in Bradford in 2005. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | A 74-year-old man has appeared in court accused of murdering PC Sharon Beshenivsky 18 years ago.
Piran Ditta Khan was charged over the 2005 shooting of the 38-year-old after being extradited from Pakistan.
PC Beshenivsky had been a police officer for only nine months when she was killed in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Mr Khan appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London on Thursday wearing a blue and white tracksuit jacket.
He is also charged with robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead while responding to reports of a robbery in Bradford in 2005
Mr Khan spoke only to confirm his name in court and listened as he was told his case would be sent to the Old Bailey for a hearing on Monday.
PC Beshenivsky, who had three children and two stepchildren, was shot dead as she and a colleague, PC Teresa Milburn, responded to an alarm at a travel agent in Morley Street, Bradford, on 18 November 2005.
PC Milburn was also seriously injured but survived.
Police officers in Morley Road, Bradford, after PC Beshenivsky was shot in 2005
Mr Khan is charged with robbery of a quantity of cash from Mohammed Yousaf, the owner of the travel agent.
He is also accused of possessing a Mac 10 machine gun, which it is alleged had been modified to fire in a burst with one pull of the trigger, and a 9mm handgun.
Three men were found guilty of murdering PC Beshenivsky in 2007, along with two convicted of manslaughter and a sixth man found guilty of robbery.
Craig Nicholls, chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said the officer's death "sent a shockwave not only through West Yorkshire but throughout the world".
He added: "We still mourn the loss of Sharon. She will never be forgotten.
"The persistence to bring to justice all those involved in the murder of PC Beshenivsky has never wavered. I know my colleagues within West Yorkshire will now be watching closely the wheels of justice turning in this case."
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Dame Mary Quant: Fashion designer dies aged 93 - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Twiggy has led tributes to the designer who popularised the miniskirt that helped define the Swinging '60s. | Entertainment & Arts | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: What Mary Quant's miniskirts looked like in the 1960s
Model Twiggy Lawson has led the tributes to designer Dame Mary Quant, who has died aged 93.
The fashion legend passed away "peacefully at home in Surrey", her family announced on Thursday.
Dame Mary was credited with popularising the miniskirts that helped define the Swinging '60s.
Twiggy, who became a style icon during the era, said Dame Mary had "such an influence on young girls in the late 50s early 60s".
"She revolutionised fashion and was a brilliant female entrepreneur," she wrote in a social media post. "The 1960s would have never been the same without her."
Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman called Dame Mary a "leader of fashion but also in female entrepreneurship", adding she was "a visionary who was much more than a great haircut."
Vanessa Friedman, the fashion director of the International New York Times, tweeted: "RIP Mary Quant, who freed the female leg. We owe you."
Her family described her as "one of the most internationally recognised fashion designers of the 20th Century and an outstanding innovator".
"She opened her first shop Bazaar in the King's Road in 1955 and her far-sighted and creative talents quickly established a unique contribution to British fashion."
Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman described Dame Mary (pictured in 2009) as "a visionary"
Dame Mary has been lauded for decades as an innovator whose chic designs melded comfort and practicality.
She drew inspiration from the counterculture scene that sprung up in west London in the 1950s, the area which became her base.
Taking cues from Mod style - which incorporated Italian sports clothing - she designed outfits that made women feel comfortable, rather than just items for big occasions.
It appealed widely to a generation of young women eager for an alternative to the otherwise subdued fashions commonplace in post-war Britain.
Dame Mary (pictured in 1966) was a major figure in the fashion industry in the 1960s
The Victoria & Albert Museum said: "It's impossible to overstate Quant's contribution to fashion. She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women.
"Fashion today owes so much to her trailblazing vision."
Photographer David Bailey, who captured much of the spirit of London in the 1960s, told the BBC that Quant "was kind of wonderful, she was very positive".
Dame Mary was one of the most influential figures in the fashion scene of the 1960s and is credited with making fashion accessible to the masses with her sleek, streamlined and vibrant designs.
Born in south-east London on 11 February 1930, Dame Mary was the daughter of two Welsh schoolteachers.
She gained a diploma in the 1950s in art education at Goldsmiths College, where she met her husband Alexander Plunket Greene, who later helped establish her brand.
A budding designer, Dame Mary was taken on as an apprentice to a milliner before making her own clothes, and in 1955 opened Bazaar, a boutique on the King's Road in Chelsea.
The shop would become the beating heart of Swinging London. Bazaar sold clothes and accessories and its basement restaurant became a meeting point for young people and artists.
The whole Chelsea district was soon attracting celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
An recent exhibition of Dame Mary's work saw models wear her designs to launch the show at the V&A
Her far-sighted and creative talents quickly established a unique contribution to British fashion.
Dame Mary was arguably best known for conceiving the miniskirt and hot pants as well as helping to develop the mod style in the 1960s.
In 2014, Dame Mary, who named the skirt after her favourite make of car, recalled its "feeling of freedom and liberation".
She said: "It was the girls on King's Road who invented the mini. I was making clothes which would let you run and dance and we would make them the length the customer wanted.
"I wore them very short and the customers would say, 'shorter, shorter'."
Dame Mary told the Guardian in 1967 that "good taste is death, vulgarity is life", and raised the hemline well above the knee as she created short dresses and skirts with simple shapes and strong colours that she described as "arrogant, aggressive and sexy".
Whether or not Dame Mary actually invented the miniskirt has been the subject of a long and bitter dispute with late French designer Andre Courreges, among others.
But her role in turning the thigh-skimming super-short hemlines into an international trend has not been disputed.
Dame Mary explored geometric designs, polka dots and contrasting colours, and played with new fabrics, including PVC and stretch fabrics, to achieve a modern and playful look.
Her models were showcased in extravagant and provocative window displays overlooking the King's Road, which became a miniskirt catwalk and drew American photographers keen to picture Swinging London.
Writing in her 1966 book Quant by Quant, Dame Mary recalled: "City gents in bowler hats beat on our shop window with their umbrellas shouting 'immoral!' and 'disgusting!' at the sight of our miniskirts over the tights, but customers poured in to buy," she recalled.
As well as popularising the bob haircut pioneered by her friend Vidal Sassoon, the hairstylist and businessman, Dame Mary also created hot pants, the skinny rib sweater and waterproof mascara.
Dame Mary also created hot pants, the skinny rib sweater and waterproof mascara
Dame Mary pictured in 1972 with Vidal Sassoon (centre) and broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson
Dame Mary, who was also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and winner of the Minerva Medal, the society's highest award, was made an OBE in 1966 and a dame in 2015 for services to the fashion industry. She was made a companion of honour in the most recent New Year Honours.
A retrospective exhibition of her work opened at the V&A in 2019 and has since toured Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Japan.
Reflecting on the first 20 years of her career as the show launched, Dame Mary said: "It was wonderfully exciting and despite the frenetic, hard work we had enormous fun.
"We didn't necessarily realise that what we were creating was pioneering, we were simply too busy relishing all the opportunities and embracing the results before rushing on to the next challenge."
Actress and designer Sadie Frost said she was "honoured" to front a documentary about Dame Mary's "astonishing life" in 2021.
"The more I researched and delved into her life I realised the vast impact she had on fashion, popular culture, history and women's rights," Frost said in a statement to the BBC. "I really felt like I knew and loved her. Rest in peace, Mary." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65265531 |
The Big One: Passengers rescued from UK's highest rollercoaster - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Passengers had to walk down the tracks after The Big One in Blackpool was halted due to strong winds. | Lancashire | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Passengers had to be helped down from The Big One in Blackpool
Passengers on the UK's highest rollercoaster had to walk down its tracks to safety after the ride was halted due to sudden strong winds.
The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was stopped for safety reasons as thrill-seekers enjoyed the 235ft (71m) high attraction.
Theme park staff led the stranded passengers down the tracks and the ride was cancelled for the rest of the day.
People can pay to walk the ride once a month with full safety equipment.
Passengers were seen being helped down the rollercoaster's steep tracks in an image captured from a nearby hotel as the drama unfolded on Tuesday.
A Blackpool Pleasure Beach spokeswoman confirmed the ride was stopped "due to sudden changes in weather conditions".
She continued: "Guests on the ride were reassured and escorted from the ride by Blackpool Pleasure Beach staff.
"Due to high gusts of wind the Big One rollercoaster closed for the remainder of the day."
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-65256286 |
PC Sharon Beshenivsky death: Man extradited and charged with murder - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Piran Ditta Khan will appear in court later over the 2005 shooting in Bradford. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead while responding to reports of a robbery in Bradford in 2005
A 74-year-old man is due to appear in court later charged with the 2005 murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky after being extradited from Pakistan.
Piran Ditta Khan was brought back to the UK and taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
PC Beshenivsky, 38, had been an officer for nine months when she was fatally shot in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Mr Khan is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
West Yorkshire Police said he has been charged with murder, robbery, two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.
The CPS said the charges were authorised in 2006, leading to the issuing of the extradition warrant.
"Since Piran Ditta Khan was arrested in Pakistan in 2020, our specialist prosecutors have been working closely with our Pakistani partners to complete the legal process in the country so that he could be extradited back to England to face the allegations from almost 20 years ago," a spokesperson added.
PC Beshenivsky, a mother of three and stepmother of two children, was shot as she responded with colleague PC Teresa Milburn to an alarm at a travel agent in Morley Street, Bradford, on 18 November 2005.
PC Milburn was also shot but survived.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-65258849 |
Met officers guilty over offensive Katie Price son messages - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Eight serving and ex-officers sent discriminatory Whatsapp messages, with some mocking Harvey Price. | London | Some of the messages mocked Katie Price's son Harvey
Eight serving and former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct over offensive messages shared in a WhatsApp group.
The "discriminatory and offensive" messages included some that made fun of Katie Price's disabled son.
The seven men and one woman were found by a panel to have sent sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic messages.
Daniel Hobbs, representing the force, called for all eight to be dismissed and placed on the police barred list.
Speaking at the hearing after the guilty rulings, Mr Hobbs said this should happen "as a priority". This would mean they would never be able to work for the police again.
Two of the eight officers are still serving in the force, while the other six have resigned or already been dismissed.
The panel is set to hand down its sanctions for each officer on Friday.
The hearing concerned former Sgt Luke Thomas, former acting Sgt Luke Allen, former PC Kelsey Buchan, former PC Carlo Francisco, former PC Lee South, former PC Darren Jenner, PC Glynn Rees, and "Officer B", who has been granted anonymity.
The panel found the eight officers had also failed to challenge other group members' conduct.
Some of their messages, sent between May 2016 and June 2018, "applauded sexual violence against women", the fifth day of the hearing in central London was told.
The panel heard that "Officer B" posted an edited photograph of Harvey Price in a chat, accompanied by a caption that had a "racist tone" and made fun of his disability.
Mr Price, 20, has Prader-Willi syndrome, autism and is partially-sighted.
Legal chairman of the panel Christopher McKay described the post as "inappropriate and offensive" to Mr Price, and said it had constituted "gross misconduct".
He described gross misconduct as a "breach of the standards of professional behaviour that is so serious as to justify dismissal".
TV presenter and model Ms Price previously described the messages as "disgusting". In February, she posted a letter from the Met Police to her Instagram account, which informed her of the upcoming misconduct hearing.
Katie Price said the officers facing allegations of misconduct needed to be "named, shamed and exposed"
Ex-Sgt Thomas, the most senior-ranking officer in the group, "appears to have been one of the most active participants" in the WhatsApp group, the panel found.
Mr Thomas mocked Mr Price's weight in some messages and called a junior female officer "ugly".
He also joked he should name his dog "Auschwitz" or "Adolf", or "Fred" or "Ian" after "my two favourite child sex killers", the hearing was told.
Mr McKay said Mr Thomas's failings were "extremely serious".
"He could and should have closed the WhatsApp group as soon as the highly inappropriate nature of the messages became apparent.
"Instead he became one of its main contributors," Mr McKay said.
The disabilities charity Mencap, for whom Mr Price is an ambassador, described the officers' actions as "absolutely appalling".
A charity spokesperson said the outcome of the hearing should "serve as a warning to those who turn a blind eye or, worse, partake in bullying".
The hearing follows a string of high-profile scandals at the Metropolitan Police.
A year-long review into the force concluded last month that racism, misogyny, and homophobia were rife within the ranks.
Baroness Louise Casey was appointed to review the force's culture and standards after the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021.
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Trump sues former lawyer Michael Cohen for $500m - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The lawsuit accuses Mr Cohen of "improper, self-serving, and malicious statements" about Mr Trump. | US & Canada | Ex-US President Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer for $500m (£400m), alleging breach of contract.
He says Michael Cohen breached his duty as attorney to act in his client's best interests.
The lawsuit comes amid escalating attacks from Trump allies on Mr Cohen, who is a key witness in a New York investigation into the ex-president.
A Manhattan prosecutor last week charged Mr Trump with fraud in relation to hush-money payments to a porn star.
Mr Cohen's spokesman and lawyer, Lanny Davis, told the BBC he was confident the lawsuit against his client would fail.
The legal action, filed in a Florida federal court, also accuses Mr Cohen of making "improper, self-serving, and malicious statements about his former client, his family members, and his business".
Mr Cohen worked as Mr Trump's attorney for more than a decade. He was also a vice-president at the Trump Organization and was often described as Mr Trump's fixer.
But the two had a significant falling out after the 2016 election, as investigators began looking into several of Mr Trump's aides.
In 2018, Mr Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine, after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and campaign finance violations.
Now out of prison, Mr Cohen has become a high-profile critic of Mr Trump and a frequent guest on news programmes.
He has written a book and hosts a podcast, both of which Mr Trump cites in the lawsuit, which claims Mr Cohen fabricated conversations and wrongfully called Mr Trump a "racist" in his 2020 book Disloyal.
In a statement to the BBC, Mr Davis said: "Mr Trump appears once again to be using and abusing the judicial system as a form of harassment and intimidation against Michael Cohen.
"It appears he is terrified by his looming legal perils and is attempting to send a message to other potential witnesses who are co-operating with prosecutors against him."
New York prosecutors have charged Mr Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, in what they say was an effort to cover up payments intended to keep former porn star Stormy Daniels, quiet about her alleged affair with the ex-president.
On 4 April, Mr Trump appeared in Manhattan criminal court - the first former US president ever indicted on criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty.
Mr Cohen has admitted, while acting as Trump's fixer, he facilitated a $130,000 (£104,000) pay-out to Ms Daniels.
As Mr Trump's court date approached, Mr Cohen made numerous appearances on major network news programmes and criticised his former boss.
"He's not thick-skinned," Cohen told CNN, speaking after Mr Trump's indictment. "He's actually very thin-skinned, and he has a very fragile ego."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Law expert says Carlson appeared to apologise to Trump | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65256568 |
President Biden: Irish relatives eagerly awaiting 'cousin Joe' - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Excitement is building among President Biden's distant Irish relations in counties Louth and Mayo. | Northern Ireland | Distant relatives of US President Joe Biden are looking forward to seeing him back on home soil
"You'd know there's Irish roots in him because he's good craic like."
That's one Irishman's take on US President Joe Biden, and he would know, being related to him.
Back in 2016, the White House called the Irish Family History Centre, asking it to trace Mr Biden's ancestry ahead of an upcoming visit.
After weeks of searching parish records and land registers it compiled a list of his closest living relatives - many of who knew nothing of the connection.
Enter the Blewitts of Ballina, County Mayo, and the Finnegans of Carlingford, County Louth.
Trips to both counties feature on the US presidents whistle-stop itinerary of Ireland and his cousins cannot wait to see him back to cement the connections made during his visit in 2016.
US President Joe Biden is fiercely proud of his Irish heritage
Proud of his Irish heritage, President Biden said he was brought up on stories of the "faith and fortitude" of his relatives that left Ireland.
"I grew up in a household where my grandfather and grandmother Finnegan, all my mother's brothers and my father told us about the courage and commitment it took for our relatives to emigrate from Ireland - in the midst of tragedy - to distant shores where they didn't know what awaited them," he told RTÉ in 2016.
The Blewitt family are linked to president Biden through his great-great-grandfather Patrick.
The family were aware of their connection to the US politician for decades, and met Mr Biden in 2016.
He made a second visit to Mayo at their invitation in 2017.
According to Joe Blewitt, it was during this trip that he told his Irish cousins he would one day return to Ballina "as president".
"Of course I knew it was true.
"He's been in politics all his life - that man was bound to be president so I'm absolutely delighted," Mr Blewitt told BBC News NI.
The Blewitts have visited the White House several times, most recently last month for St Patrick's Day.
"It was a surreal, very special day for us... It's just one of those days when [it] goes too fast," Mr Blewitt said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Celebrations broke out across Ballina when Biden's presidential victory was declared
He speaks fondly of the president, describing his distant cousin as a down-to-earth, genuine character with a quick wit.
"He loves jokes... You'd know there's Irish roots in him because he's good craic like."
True to his word, Mr Biden is set deliver a speech to the people of Ballina on Friday.
"We're all happy to see him... It's great for the country, it really just tightens the close bond between America and Ireland," Mr Blewitt added.
Mr Biden's public address will take place outside St Muredach's Cathedral which was constructed using bricks sold by Edward Blewitt in 1828 - 27,000 of them earned him £21 and 12 shillings.
It was this money that afforded the family of 10 to eventually set sail to New York on the SS Excelsior in 1851.
Mr Biden's great-great-great grandfather sold bricks used to build St Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina
About 250km (155 miles) to the east of Ballina in County Louth, the president will link up with the Finnegan side of the family tree.
Owen Finnegan emigrated to the US in 1849.
His family followed a year later and settled in Seneca, New York, with their namesake eventually being passed on to the president's own descendants - one of his grand-daughters is named Finnegan Biden.
Fianna Fáil councillor for the area Andrea McKevitt told BBC News NI that "the atmosphere is electric" across the Cooley peninsula as residents prepare to welcome Mr Biden with a sea of stars and stripes.
Ms McKevitt is a distant cousin, related through the president's great-great-grandfather Owen.
Andrea McKevitt said her distant cousin's visit sends a strong message during peace deal anniversary
Andrea McKevitt's family were oblivious to the connection until 2016 when White House officials contacted her uncle to break the news.
"I think at the beginning he thought somebody was joking but then when we had paperwork and started looking into it, it proved to be true indeed," she said.
Ms McKevitt was also in attendance at this year's St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House, something she described as a "pinch-me moment".
"It was a family event," she joked.
"It wasn't until it was over I thought: 'Oh my God, I can't believe that's just happened'
"You're living in a dream nearly for the whole day waiting to go in and when you finally got there it was just amazing."
An advertisement for passage to new York appears on the front page of the Newry Commercial Telegraph newspaper on 10 April 1849
And through the Finnegans there's a Kearney connection with President Biden's fifth cousin once removed getting an invitation to the White House last month.
Former Ireland international rugby player Rob Kearney was singled out of the crowd, just a day before Ireland beat England to win the Six Nation's Grand Slam, with the president nailing his colours to the mast.
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It's expected Mr Biden's engagements in Louth will be on a smaller scale than those on the opposite side of the country in Mayo, but Ms McKevitt insists there is no rivalry between the two counties.
"We're happy to let Mayo run with the big public address. Here in Dundalk we had President Clinton address us in 1998, so we can't get all the limelight," she said.
With the president's visit timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Ms McKevitt said it sends a "really strong, important message" to the people of Ireland.
"There was a deal made 25 years ago. It's time for us to keep moving and getting on to the next stage of the peace process," she said.
"Hopefully his hand of wisdom and hand of friendship can ensure that more work continues to be done so peace remains on this island." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65219409 |
M&S removes T-shirt after being accused of 'ripping off' pub name - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Craft Beer Co. pointed out the similarities on social media, prompting M&S to remove it from sale. | Business | Marks and Spencer has removed a T-shirt from sale after a London pub chain accused it of "ripping off" its trademark name.
The T-shirt had the "Craft Beer Co." name in a graphic on the front and back.
M&S said it took "intellectual property very seriously" and added that its design was "in good faith".
The pub chain had tweeted the retailer on Thursday, writing: "What's the idea with these T-shirts!?"
It went on: "Can we expect a royalties cheque in the post!?
"Surely one Iconic British Institution shouldn't be ripping off another….!!"
In a further tweet the company said: "It really is hard to believe in 2023 such things can be signed off by someone at huge PLC."
After being approached for comment, M&S said it had taken the decision to remove the product from sale "so we can investigate further".
In a description of the T-shirt on its website, M&S had said "the St Michael Brewery-themed graphics on the back and chest add a distinctive theme".
The Craft Beer Co. was set up in Clerkenwell in 2011 by friends Martin Hayes and Peter Slezak, and now operates seven pubs in London and one in Brighton.
The Craft Beer Co.'s logo on a sign in one of their pubs
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hayes said they were alerted to the T-shirt when a punter mentioned it to one of their bar staff on Wednesday.
"I'm not angry about it, but it is a little annoying," he said.
"I've got a lot of respect for M&S. It's an iconic British business and I think somebody's just made a bit of a boo boo really, but I'm sure it will be sorted out," he added.
Mr Hayes said his company was not planning to take any legal action.
"We're a relatively small business so I don't think we'll be taking on a PLC. This isn't Aldi versus Marks and Spencer," he said.
In 2021, M&S took legal action against supermarket rival Aldi arguing that the latter's Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake infringed its Colin the Caterpillar trademark.
Marks and Spencer claimed at the time that Aldi's cake "rides on the coat-tails" of its reputation, and lodged an intellectual property claim at the High Court.
The two companies reached a settlement in the case last year.
On Thursday night, Aldi tweeted in response to this story: "OH HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED."
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Mr Hayes said he was pretty sure M&S would withdraw the T-shirt in any case, calling some of the language used in the graphic sexist.
One of the lines reads: "Proper good beer... for proper good blokes", which received an angry response on Twitter.
"So only 'proper blokes' can enjoy beer? It's 2023!" said one.
"It's really awful wording, very sexist," said Mr Hayes. "It's hard to believe anything like that could be put on a T-shirt these days.
"Our pubs are very inclusive. We've always championed beer, and it's for everybody.
"I can see online that a lot of people are upset about it, and I feel bad about that. I think it reflects really badly on M&S."
Mr Hayes said one of their pubs was located very near to the M&S headquarters in Paddington in central London and said a team from the company had a booking for this evening.
"I'm not sure if they'll come now, but if they do come, they can rest assured they'll be treated as well as always," he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65265673 |
Suspect Nima Momeni held over Cash App founder's death - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Bob Lee was reportedly stabbed during a row while driving in San Francisco. | US & Canada | Tributes were paid to Bob Lee, who founded the popular Cash App and worked for MobileCoin
Police have arrested a self-described tech entrepreneur over the fatal stabbing in San Francisco of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
The suspect is 38-year-old Nima Momeni from Emeryville, California. Mr Lee and Mr Momeni knew each other, police said.
According to a LinkedIn profile for Mr Momeni, he is a technology consultant and start-up owner.
Police found Mr Lee, 43, unconscious with stab wounds on 4 April near San Francisco's city centre.
He died in hospital from his injuries.
Mr Scott said Mr Momeni had been charged with murder and was now in custody at the San Francisco County Jail.
He did not elaborate on how Mr Lee and the suspect knew each other.
He was caught drink driving in 2004, and in 2011 Mr Momeni was charged with a misdemeanour for carrying a switchblade, criminal records show, but the case was dismissed after he took a plea deal.
Mr Momeni's LinkedIn says he is the owner of a company called Expand IT, Inc.
Neighbour Sam Singer told CBS News Bay Area that he never had a poor interaction with Mr Momeni except hearing him play music too loudly.
He said he was in "total shock" hearing about Mr Momeni's arrest.
Prosecutors are seeking to hold Mr Momeni without bail. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
Mr Scott said the "case is not closed" despite the arrest, and an investigation is continuing into Mr Lee's death.
Mission Local, a regional news outlet, first reported on the arrest and identified the suspect as someone who works in the tech industry.
Citing police sources, Mission Local reported Mr Lee and the suspect were in a vehicle together and had an altercation before Mr Lee was stabbed.
Police officers first responded to reports of the stabbing at about 02:35 local time (09:35 GMT) on 4 April.
The San Francisco Standard viewed CCTV footage that shows Mr Lee walking down a deserted alleyway, seemingly looking for help.
He is seen stumbling towards a parked car and lifting up his shirt to reveal his wound, but the vehicle drives off before the tech entrepreneur falls to the ground.
Police found Mr Lee unconscious in the Rincon Hill neighbourhood with two stab wounds to his chest and started to administer aid before rushing him to hospital.
He was the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency company MobileCoin.
Mr Lee is also credited with founding Cash App, a smartphone-based platform that allows person-to-person money transfers. The app is popular in the US and is worth $40b, according to Forbes.
His death garnered many tributes from figures in the US tech industry.
It also ignited criticism against authorities in San Francisco for their response to the city's violent crime.
During Thursday's news conference, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins addressed the criticism by saying that her office and police had "worked tirelessly" to solve Mr Lee's case and others.
She also accused those who linked Mr Lee's murder to overall safety in San Francisco of making "reckless and irresponsible" statements.
Ms Jenkins specifically mentioned Elon Musk by name, who tweeted after Mr Lee's stabbing that "violent crime in San Francisco is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately".
She said tweets such as his "assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr Lee's death [and] served to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco".
Police statistics suggest San Francisco's murder rate is fairly consistent. There were 56 murders last year and 56 the year before. The city seems on track for a similar homicide rate this year.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city has unusually high rates of property crime, such as theft and burglary, but lower-than-average rates of violent crime compared with other US cities.
Whole Foods temporarily closed its flagship San Francisco store on Monday, citing concerns about worker safety.
Other retail giants, such as Walgreens and Target, have in recent years shut locations in the city or reduced opening hours because of crime concerns. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65257806 |
Humza Yousaf told of SNP motorhome after becoming leader - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The luxury vehicle was seized by police as part of an investigation into the party's finances. | Scotland politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Humza Yousaf said he became aware of the SNP's motorhome asset shortly after becoming first minister.
Scotland's first minister has said he only discovered the SNP had bought a luxury motorhome after he became party leader.
Humza Yousaf said he was shown a police warrant to seize items from the party, which included the vehicle.
The motorhome was seized from outside a property in Dunfermline last week.
Party sources are reported to have said it was intended to be used as a "campaign battle bus" ahead of the last Holyrood election in 2021.
They told the Daily Record that it would have acted as a "mobile campaign room" if Covid restrictions prevented other forms of mixing, but was never used.
Mr Yousaf was asked during a visit to a Glasgow nursery school when he first learned that the party had bought the Niesmann + Bischoff vehicle, which can retail for more than £100,000.
He replied: "Shortly after I became leader of the party".
The first minister said: "The police of course give us a warrant for items that they are looking to take in their possession.
"I can't go into the detail of that but of course the police have done the responsible thing and I as leader have seen the warrant in terms of the items that they've confiscated, including the motorhome that you referenced."
The Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that the vehicle had been parked outside the home of Peter Murrell's 92-year-old mother since January 2021. Mr Murrell is married to Nicola Sturgeon, and was until recently the SNP's chief executive.
It was said to have been taken away on the same day that officers searched Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell's home in Glasgow, and the SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh. Mr Murrell was arrested before later being released without charge.
Campervans similar to the one seized by police can retail for more than £100,000
Officers are investigating the SNP's finances in response to complaints about how the party spent more than £600,000 of donations that it had received from activists.
Mr Yousaf said the public had "very reasonable" questions to ask regarding the issue of transparency within the SNP.
It has been revealed that the SNP has been without auditors since September. Accountants Johnston Carmichael, which audited its accounts for more than a decade, said the decision to no longer work with the party was taken after a review of its clients.
Mr Yousaf said he had not been aware of the issue until he became leader, adding that "it would have been helpful to have known beforehand" and that "there should have been more transparency around the party finances".
He said he was now committed to finding replacement auditors for the party as soon as possible.
The first minister was speaking the day after the Scottish government confirmed it would be launching a legal challenge to the UK government's block on its gender recognition reforms.
Mr Yousaf said he did not "know the full costs" that would be involved in taking legal action, but insisted that "it's an important principle".
He said: "Spending taxpayers' money on defending the will of the Scottish Parliament, on defending devolution, for me that's important."
He said he would launch the challenge even if it was a bill he "fundamentally disagreed" with, claiming that if he did not do so then the UK government would "veto legislation after legislation" passed at Holyrood.
However, former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption told the BBC that the Scottish government's position was "weak" and the legal challenge would be "very difficult".
The case for judicial review will initially be heard in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, but is widely expected to end up in the UK Supreme Court for a final decision.
Lord Sumption told the BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Section 35 empowers the UK government to stop a Scottish bill becoming law if it modifies the law relating to a matter reserved to Westminster in a way that adversely affects how the law works.
"One of those matters is equal opportunities, and what the UK government says is the Scottish bill modifies the law relating to equal opportunities in a way that adversely affects how it works.
"So if you think about it, the result will be that some UK citizens, if this bill comes into force, will have a different legal gender in different parts of the UK depending on where they happen to be."
Asked if he would resign as first minister if the legal challenge was unsuccessful, Mr Yousaf replied: "No". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65264713 |
Conwy: Sightings in search for missing Ausra Plungiene - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Police say they are searching an area to try to locate Ausra Plungiene, 56. | Wales | A major multi-agency search is under way for Ausra Plungiene who was last seen on Tuesday morning
More than 60 rescue team volunteers have resumed the search across Eryri for a missing dog walker.
Ausra Plungiene, 56, from Prestatyn, Denbighshire, set off with her black Swedish lapphund in the mountains above the Conwy Valley on Tuesday morning.
The search was paused at 20:00 BST on Wednesday, but resumed on Thursday.
Two possible sightings were also being investigated, North Wales Police said, with a senior officer adding that the search area was almost 14 sq miles.
The force said Ms Plungiene is an experienced mountain walker who was well equipped for the conditions.
Specially trained officers are supporting her family as the search across the national park - also known as Snowdonia - continues.
Supt Owain Llewellyn said: "We are desperately concerned about Ausra's wellbeing, as are her family.
"A large search involving several organisations has been taking place all day in the mountains above Rowen until we lost the light in the evening.
"Sixty-five volunteers, including members of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, had been out on the hills "in some extremely challenging conditions.
"The search area now extends to 36 sq km, a huge area which is providing a real challenge to the team.
"The search is focusing on the mountain area south of Rowen in the Conwy Valley sort of heading towards Llwellyn and encompassing a number of mountain peaks there.
"It's an absolutely horrendous situation for the family."
Video posted on Twitter showed snow and ice on the ground and strong winds in the area on Wednesday.
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Farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, who captured the video of a search helicopter over the mountains on Wednesday, said: "The last few days has been pretty bad, the night the lady went missing was cold and wet, with hailstones, but the morning after I was taking the lambs onto the heft and this almighty storm storm came.
"I had to look for shelter and the snow that was landing on me was freezing on me. So the conditions up there, even higher up where she was missing, would be even worse," he said.
"It does make people worry for her safety even [if] she is well prepared. This place is massive - it's 27,000 acres of open mountain, and it is literally like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"This place is massive - it's 27,000 acres of open mountain, and it is literally like looking for a needle in a haystack," farmer Mr Jones said
Local residents in Prestatyn said they hoped Ms Plungiene would be found soon.
"It's a long time to go missing, it was so cold and windy last night. I hope and pray they find her, bless her," Joan Castle said.
Mal Edwards said recent bad weather and high winds had added to the concern for Ms Plungiene.
"The last couple of nights have been quite stormy. I do know it does get to minus zero temperatures with the wind chill factor, so that is quite worrying," he said.
A car believed to be that of Ausra Plungiene was found by police near Rowen, Conwy on Wednesday
Ausra Plungiene's car was found in a mountain car park in Bwlch-y-ddeufaen shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
Police are investigating two possible sightings of her and her dog, called Eyora, in the Carneddau mountains on Tuesday.
"The thoughts of all the teams are with Ausra's family and friends at this very difficult time."
It is believed Ms Plungiene may have been wearing a dark pink or purple padded jacket, black leggings and blue shoes.
Officers are appealing for anyone who may have been walking in that area on Tuesday with a dog to get in touch, so they can can rules these sightings out of their enquiries.
Ms Plungiene left her home in Prestatyn, Denbighshire with her Swedish lapphund on Tuesday morning
The team is also investigating possible leads from a hillwalking app Ms Plungiene often uses to log her mountain routes.
Supt Llewellyn urged people not to conduct their own searches due to the poor weather conditions. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65256455 |
Conwy: Search for missing dog walker Ausra Plungiene - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A multi-agency search in bad weather conditions is under way for 56-year-old Ausra Plungiene. | Wales | A major multi-agency search is under way for Ausra Plungiene
A major search is under way for a missing woman who was last seen walking her dog.
Ausra Plungiene, 56, from Prestatyn, Denbighshire, is believed to have left home to walk her dog at about 10:30 BST on Tuesday.
The alarm was raised shortly before 22:00 when police began a search across Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.
North Wales Police said Ms Plungiene's car was found in Rowen, Conwy, early on Wednesday.
It is believed to still be parked in the same place, in a car park at Bwlch y ddeufaen.
A car believed to be that of Ausra Plungiene was found in a car park near Rowen, Conwy
Officers said she may have been wearing a dark pink or purple padded jacket, black leggings and blue shoes.
Ms Plungiene left home to walk her dog at about 10:30 BST on Tuesday
Supt Owain Llewellyn said: "We are extremely concerned for Ausra's safety and I am appealing to anyone who may have seen her or has any information on her whereabouts to get in touch.
"A number of resources were deployed throughout the night to try and find her. Her vehicle was located in a remote car park in Rowen shortly after midnight so we are working to establish which route she may have taken."
"Searches are continuing across the area this morning - involving a number of resources including air support."
A BBC reporter at the scene said a police helicopter had been circling the area.
Supt Llewellyn asked people not to conduct their own searches due to the poor weather conditions. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65253110 |
Ukraine war: Pentagon leaks reveal Russian infighting over death toll - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | US documents suggest Russian officials disagreed over how casualties were being counted. | Europe | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Pentagon leaks explained in under 60 seconds.
Leaked US documents have revealed that disagreements in Russia's security apparatus led to the defence ministry being accused of undercounting casualties of the war in Ukraine.
Russia has said very little publicly about the scale of its war deaths.
But the files show the FSB security service claimed officials were not counting deaths of the Russian National Guard, Wagner mercenaries and others.
Russia has already warned the leaks may be fake, deliberately dumped by the US.
However, the detail corroborates what was already widely known: that Russia's military and security groups have had frequent disagreements about the handling of the war in Ukraine and that Russia has avoided publicising the numbers of dead and wounded.
The FSB's reported calculation of almost 110,000 casualties by February is still far lower than numbers this week in previously leaked US documents, which estimated Russian losses at between 189,500 and 223,000 casualties, with 35,500-43,000 men killed in action.
Russia's most recent official figure dates back to September last year, when the deaths of 5,937 servicemen were confirmed.
The same document says under-reporting of casualties within the system highlights the military's "continuing reluctance" to convey bad news up the chain of command.
Commentators have often suggested that President Vladimir Putin has been shielded from the extent of Russia's losses on the battlefield, and this assessment appears to be borne out by these communications intercepts, labelled "SI" or Special Intelligence.
Another leaked document labelled top secret refers to an "information war" between the defence ministry and Wagner's mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in February.
Prigozhin repeatedly accused the military of halting ammunition supplies as his men fought to capture Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
The leak quotes ministry officials suggesting that they find "allies of equal status to fight Prigozhin rather than doing so itself".
Tellingly, the assessment in the leak asserts that significant losses suffered by Russia's National Guard, or Rosgvardia, will "probably hinder Moscow's attempts to fully secure all of its annexed territories".
Rosgvardia troops have taken part in combat and helped organise Russia's rigged referendums that led to Mr Putin annexing four Ukrainian regions last September.
Little is known about the identity of the leaker, but the Washington Post has reported that he is a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a US military base.
According to the Post, the leaker transcribed and then typed up the content of classified documents he had seen on the base, and then posted photos of the documents themselves.
Among the pages of photographed documents, one shows a US assessment of Russia's "grinding campaign of attrition" in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. It says barring an "unforeseen recovery" by Russian forces, Ukraine will be able to frustrate Moscow's war aims "resulting in a protracted war beyond 2023".
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has suggested that the US may have dumped the documents deliberately.
As a "party to the conflict" he argued that Washington may have sought to "mislead the enemy, that is the Russian Federation".
Wagner mercenaries have died in large numbers in the battle for Bakhmut - these military cadets attend a mercenary's funeral
However, another intriguing leak cites Russia's Main Operations Directorate hailing a successful operation in early February aimed at convincing Ukrainian intelligence of a potential joint Russian-Belarusian offensive from Belarus.
As Russia's military campaign in the east stalled in the run-up to the anniversary of the war, there had been reports of a Russian military build-up in Belarus with the aim of reviving its failed invasion from Belarusian territory the year before.
Kyiv was forced to move troops to defend the area from possible attack, diverting them from the front lines in the east and south.
The leaked document cites a Directorate official recommending two more phases of activity in March "to further mislead Ukrainian forces". The leak makes clear the plans were being sent to Belarus's military chief for approval. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65260672 |
Tories suspend Haverfordwest councillor for alleged slave remark - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Andrew Edwards is accused of saying white men should have black slaves. | Wales politics | Andrew Edwards is alleged to have said white men should have black slaves
A councillor accused of saying white men should have black slaves has been suspended by the Conservative Party.
Political opponents identified the voice of Andrew Edwards on a recording of someone making racist remarks.
Mr Edwards, who represents the Haverfordwest Prendergast ward on Pembrokeshire council, said he could not comment as the case had been referred to a watchdog.
The Conservatives said he had been suspended while it investigated.
A 16-second audio recording was shared online of someone saying: "Nothing wrong with the skin colour at all.
"I think all white men should have a black man as a slave or black woman as a slave, you know.
"There's nothing wrong with skin colour, it's just that they're lower class than us white people."
Mr Edwards would not confirm whether the recording was of him when asked, but said in a statement on Tuesday: "I am aware of such serious allegations being made against me.
"This is why I have self-referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for an independent evaluation.
"It is now in the hands of legal experts and the ombudsman. It would be unfair on the process for me to comment."
Independent-led Pembrokeshire council said it had also referred the case to the ombudsman.
Mr Edwards left the opposition Conservative group on Pembrokeshire council after the allegations were made against him.
The comments have been widely criticised, including by the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd.
Andrew RT Davies said: "The views expressed in the recording are disgraceful, abhorrent and are not shared by the Welsh Conservatives."
A senior Labour council leader criticised the time it took to suspend him.
Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, tweeted that it "took [the Welsh Conservatives] long enough to suspend him". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-65266125 |
Eurovision 2023: Rita Ora and Rebecca Ferguson amongst semi-final interval acts - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BBC confirms the artists performing during the semi-finals for next month's song contest. | Entertainment & Arts | Rita Ora holds the record for the most top 10 singles in the UK's Official Charts by a British female artist
Rita Ora will perform a medley of some of her biggest hits as one of the interval acts at next month's Eurovision semi-finals.
Rebecca Ferguson will also be performing, in her home city of Liverpool.
Speaking on the BBC's Eurovisioncast Podcast she said: "It's a celebration of Liverpool and Ukraine through music".
She will sing a duet with Ukrainian artist Alyosha.
One of this year's hosts, Julia Sanina will open the first semi-final performing with her band The Hardkiss.
Other Ukrainian artists who will perform include Mariya Yaremchuk, OTOY and Zlata Dzyunka, as the UK is hosting the song contest on behalf of Ukraine.
The BBC said it will symbolise how the UK is "United by Music" - this year's slogan for the competition.
Singer songwriter Rebecca Ferguson began her career on 2010's X Factor placing runner-up to Matt Cardle
"I'm hoping to squeeze into some kind of dress," Ferguson joked to the BBC, eight weeks after she gave birth.
"I'm looking forward to it because it'll be my first work event where I get to dress up because I've just been mummy for the past few weeks".
About 160 million people are expected to watch the competition, making it one of the biggest TV audiences in the world.
"I'm going to treat it like I treated X Factor because when I'd go on stage all I'd imagine was the studio audience," Ferguson, who has four top 10 albums in the UK said. "That's the only way you can get through a performance, otherwise you'd never get on the stage".
Kate Phillips, BBC's director of Unscripted, which includes focus on entertainment and big events, said: "There won't be a moment to miss during these very entertaining and very tense semi-finals."
The knock-out stages will take place on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May.
All the build-up, insights and analysis is explored each week on a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.
Eurovisioncast is available on BBC Sounds, or search wherever you get your podcasts from. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65255258 |
What the leaked Pentagon documents reveal - 8 key takeaways - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ukraine's spring offensive and Chinese hypersonic weapons are among the issues highlighted in the leaks. | US & Canada | A cache of classified US documents leaked online sheds new light on American intelligence gathered about other countries.
Images of the covert files have appeared on messaging app Discord since early March.
Complete with timelines and dozens of military acronyms, the documents, some marked "top secret", paint a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine and also offer information on China and allies.
Pentagon officials are quoted as saying the documents are real.
BBC News and other news organisations have reviewed the documents and these are some of the key findings.
The US believed the UN secretary general's stance on a key grain deal was undermining attempts to hold Russia accountable for the war in Ukraine.
Antonio Guterres was too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to files which suggest Washington has been closely monitoring him.
Several documents describe private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy.
One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis.
It suggests that Mr Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal that he was willing to give in to Russia's demands - a stance which was "undermining broader efforts to hold Russia accountable".
While the bulk of the leaked documents concern, in one way or another, the war in Ukraine, there are others that touch on a huge range of unrelated issues. Many of them shed light on some of Washington's global preoccupations.
Like the spread and purpose of Chinese technology.
The documents appear to have been printed out and folded before being photographed and posted online
Three documents based on intelligence from late February detail discussions among senior Jordanian officials over whether or not to shut the Chinese firm Huawei out of its 5G rollout plans.
Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein, in charge of the rollout, is said in the document to be worried about retaliation from China if they keep Huawei out.
Nor is this the only place where fears about Chinese technology are revealed
Another document marked top secret addresses China's "developing cyber-attack capabilities." It says these are designed "to deny, exploit, and hijack satellite links and networks as part of its strategy to control information, which it considers to be a key warfighting domain."
Newly discovered documents suggest Russian officials are at loggerheads over the reporting of casualties.
The main intelligence agency, the FSB, has "accused" the country's defence ministry of playing down the human impact of the war, the files show.
These findings show the extent to which the US agencies have penetrated the Russian intelligence and military.
One document, dated 23 March, refers to the presence of a small number of Western special forces operating inside Ukraine, without specifying their activities or location. The UK has the largest contingent (50), followed by Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14) and the Netherlands (1).
Western governments typically refrain from commenting on such sensitive matters, but this detail is likely to be seized upon by Moscow, which has in recent months argued that it is not just confronting Ukraine, but Nato as well.
Other documents say when a dozen new Ukrainian brigades - being prepared for an offensive that could begin within weeks - will be ready. They list, in great detail, the tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces that are being provided by Ukraine's Western allies.
One map includes a timeline that assesses ground conditions across eastern Ukraine as spring progresses.
According to the Washington Post newspaper, one document from early February expresses misgivings about Ukraine's chances of success in its forthcoming counteroffensive, saying that problems with generating and sustaining sufficient forces could result in "modest territorial gains".
Ukraine's difficulties in maintaining its vital air defences are also analysed, with warnings from late February that Kyiv might run out of critical missiles.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Pentagon leaks explained in under 60 seconds.
Casualty figures are also listed. One slide refers to as many as 223,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, and as many as 131,000 Ukrainians.
Some Ukrainian officials have dismissed the leaks, suggesting they might constitute a Russian disinformation campaign. But there are signs of frustration and anger too.
One presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted: "We need less contemplation on 'leaks' and more long-range weapons in order to properly end the war."
President al-Sisi is said to have told officials to keep production of rockets for Russia secret - but an Egyptian official says the allegation is baseless
The Washington Post obtained access to another document from mid-February, where they found that Egypt had plans to produce 40,000 rockets for Russia in secret.
The Post said President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi told officials to keep production and shipment secret "to avoid problems with the West".
An official is quoted as saying he would "order his people to work shift work if necessary because it was the least Egypt could do to repay Russia for unspecified help earlier".
It is unclear what the earlier help refers to. In January, Reuters reported that Russia's share of Egyptian wheat imports had risen in 2022, offering one possible explanation.
There is no indication that Egypt - a recipient of US security assistance, worth around $1bn a year - went ahead with the proposed sale to Russia.
An unnamed official quoted on Egyptian news channels described the allegation as "utterly baseless" and said Cairo did not take sides in the war.
The Kremlin called it "just another canard" and the White House said there was "no indication" Egypt was providing lethal weapons to Russia.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Expert: US and Egypt ready to move forward after leak
A classified document, seen by the BBC, reveals that South Korea was torn about selling weapons for use in Ukraine.
The report, based on signals intelligence, details a sensitive conversation between national security advisers.
They are torn between US pressure to send ammunition to Ukraine and their policy not to arm countries at war.
One of the advisers suggests sending the shells to Poland instead, to avoid appearing to have given in to the US.
As part of a resupply deal last year, Seoul insisted that the US could not pass the shells on to Ukraine. Seoul has been reluctant to arm Ukraine, for fear of antagonising Russia.
The leak has triggered security concerns in Seoul, with opposition politicians questioning how the US was able to intercept such a high-level conversation.
The Post also found that Beijing tested one of its experimental missiles - the DF-27 hypersonic glide vehicle - on 25 February.
The missile flew for 12 minutes over a distance of 2,100km (1,300 miles), according to the documents. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65238951 |
Wiltshire rogue traders who mocked elderly victims jailed - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Dean Smith and brothers Matty and James Rossiter filmed themselves boasting about "bodging" work. | Wiltshire | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. John Bray fell prey to rogue traders and said he wanted to warn others not to make his mistake
Three rogue traders who filmed themselves boasting about overcharging for poor roofing work have been jailed.
Dean Smith and brothers Matty and James Rossiter were "rogue builders on an industrial scale" who preyed on the elderly as they were "easy targets".
They made £45,000 from crimes committed in 18 properties across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bristol.
The judge said their "arrogance was notable" after they laughed at a victim they called "really old".
The trio were jailed at Swindon Crown Court, having admitted a number of fraud offences in June.
Matty, 18, and James Rossiter, 25, both of Sambourne Park, Minety, in Wiltshire admitted fraud by false representation and participating in a fraudulent business.
James Rossiter was jailed for three years and four months, while his younger brother was handed two years and three months.
Smith, 21, of Paices Hill in Aldermaston, Berkshire was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to participating in a fraudulent business.
The known offences occurred between October 2020 and March 2021.
Judge Jason Taylor told them: "Together you were rogue builders on an industrial scale.
"Over several months you mainly targeted elderly people and you viewed them as easy targets due to their vulnerability and felt no guilt about taking advantage of them.
"Your arrogance is notable. There was significant planning.
"You knew the bungalows you targeted would be occupied by the elderly."
Matty Rossiter (left), James Rossiter and Dean Smith were jailed for fraud
The fraudsters would sometimes knock on elderly people's doors and tell them their roofs needed repairing, then overcharge by thousands.
Other victims engaged with them through Facebook and professional-looking websites.
They would use different company names depending on where in the country they were working, including Southern Homecare, Chippenham Roofing, Skyline Roofing, Wiltshire Roofing and Yate Roofing.
Footage of them bragging about their scam was found when their mobile phones were confiscated.
One of their victims was 82-year-old John Bray from Calne in Wiltshire.
While on Mr Bray's roof, one of the three said: "As you can see, we're doing some roofing work here... we're doing some bodging."
They then joke about Mr Bray's age, boasting that it was easy to find elderly victims like him.
Rossiter, Rossiter and Smith charged Mr Bray £8,500 for work that amounted to replacing just a few tiles.
Steve Bray (left) and his father John Bray said the shame of being defrauded had contributed to the death of John's wife Irene (Steve's mother)
"They made a video laughing and joking, insulting my dad, laughing and joking while they were doing more damage."
At the time, John Bray's wife was alive and the family said they believed the stress of being defrauded had contributed to her death.
Steve Bray said: "The feelings my parents had - the shame and embarrassment - my mum took that feeling to her grave. That's the worst part."
Train driver Darren Collins was charged £4,200 for just three hours of roofing work that involved replacing the mortar on a small number of his roof's hip tiles.
He said his and his wife's mental health suffered as a result.
Speaking to BBC West, he said: "I got depressed, I got down about it.
"My wife got really down. She started having to go to counselling on the back of this because she got so depressed."
Elsewhere, Stuart Dye, from Yate in south Gloucestershire, was charged £3,000 for less than a day's work.
One of the tiles used by the defendants had been taken directly from his neighbour's roof.
A chartered surveyor called by Wiltshire Trading Standards said the work was "abysmal", "carried out with no attendant skill or competence" and "probably without the use of appropriate hand tools".
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Trading Standards said the three defendants were among the most prolific rogue traders they had come across.
They added that Matty Rossiter, who was just 16 at the time of most of the offences, was also the youngest offender of this type the body had ever dealt with.
- Never do business at your door - legitimate trades people will rarely reach out to you first
- Never exchange money at the door - only pay invoices once you can confirm the work has been carried out successfully
- Check a tradesperson's website or business address is legitimate before proceeding
- Be aware that photos used on websites and social media may not be the trader's own work
- Avoid paying large deposits in advance and arrange staged payments for high value contracts
- Where possible, hire people who have been verified by an independent body such as Trading Standards' Buy With Confidence scheme or Age UK's business directory
The rogue traders were eventually charged following an investigation by Wiltshire Council in partnership with National Trading Standards regional investigation team.
Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for public protection, thanked all of the victims who gave statements.
He said: "We appreciate the prospect of appearing in court to give evidence can be daunting, but without this vital evidence we are unable to bring rogue traders to justice".
Lord Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said the defendants were "calculated" in the way they chose their victims.
"They pressured their victims, many of whom were vulnerable, into paying huge amounts upfront for work that afterwards was deemed to be worthless, or worse, had actually caused damage," he said.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-65251456 |
North Korea missile launch sparks confusion in Japan - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hokkaido residents were asked to "evacuate immediately" but the order was later retracted. | Asia | A missile launch by North Korea sparked confusion in northern Japan, where an evacuation order was abruptly retracted
A missile launch by North Korea sparked confusion in northern Japan, where an evacuation order was issued and then retracted within 30 minutes.
Sirens blared across Hokkaido and residents were told to "evacuate immediately" on Thursday morning.
Authorities later said the missile did not land near the island and withdrew the alert.
Tensions have been growing in the region, as North Korea has already fired 27 missiles this year.
The projectile flew about 1,000 km (620 miles), in what South Korea's military called a "grave provocation".
The missile is believed to be of medium or longer-range, but details on which weapon was tested on Thursday morning have not yet been made public.
Meanwhile, Japanese coastguards said the missile had splashed into waters to the east of North Korea. Mr Hamada said he could not confirm whether the missile flew over Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Schools in Hokkaido delayed their start times and some train services were suspended, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Pyongyang's repeated missile launches pose a "grave and imminent threat" to Japan's security.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the latest launch "needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region".
This latest launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to adopt a "more practical and offensive" manner in war deterrence, as reported by its state media agency KCNA.
For the past week, North Korea has not been answering twice-daily phone calls from South Korea, which has concerned the government in Seoul.
The two Koreas typically exchange calls at 09:00 and 15:00 local time (00:00 and 06:00 GMT) via a military hotline - these daily check-ins are intended to prevent clashes along the countries' border.
Earlier this week, South Korea's Unification Minister Kwon Young-se described the North's suspension of communication as "unilateral and irresponsible".
"Pyongyang's provocations continue past its protest of US-South Korea defence exercises because Kim Jong-un hasn't finished demonstrating his nuclear delivery capabilities yet," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul,
"However, with the North Koreans literally not answering the phone, the lack of hotlines and diplomacy increases the risk of unintended escalation," he said.
This is an important week for North Korea as it celebrates Mr Kim's 11th year in power - the country tends to mark these anniversaries with displays of military progress.
North Korea has been working to increase its nuclear arsenal and build ever-more sophisticated weapons. It has also criticised joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, accusing them of escalating tensions.
The latest missile launch also comes two days before the birthday of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung - the biggest annual holiday on the country's calendar.
In October 2022, residents in northern Japan woke up to similar sirens and text alerts to take cover after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan.
The missile travelled 4,500km (2,800 miles) before falling into the Pacific Ocean far from Japan, and there were no reported injuries.
In October 2022, residents in northern Japan were alerted to take cover after North Korea fired a ballistic missile | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65259718 |
Real Madrid 2-0 Chelsea: Blues' Champions League ambitions dented by the holders - BBC Sport | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | Chelsea have it all to do if they are to advance to the Champions League semi-finals as they lose to holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Chelsea have it all to do if they are to advance to the Champions League semi-finals after losing to holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema's tap-in - his 90th goal in the competition - gave Real boss Carlo Ancelotti the perfect start against his former club.
Real Madrid struggled to add to their lead before Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute for fouling Rodrygo as the Brazil forward threatened to go clean through on goal.
Chelsea produced a battling performance but Real scored what could be a decisive second goal when substitute Marco Asensio finished well after the visitors were caught out following a short corner.
Chelsea carried more of an attacking threat after the tepid performance against Wolves in Frank Lampard's first game back as interim manager, and had chances of their own.
Joao Felix forced Thibaut Courtois into a smart save when the game was goalless before the former Chelsea keeper produced a fine diving stop to deny Raheem Sterling an equaliser.
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Chelsea must score at least twice in next Tuesday's quarter-final return leg at Stamford Bridge, but they are now without a goal in their past four matches.
They were denied a late strike when former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger produced a superb block to deny substitute Mason Mount a goal that would have sent the Blues into the second leg in high spirits.
The Champions League is their last hope of a trophy in this most chaotic of seasons and Felix almost gave the Blues a dream start in the second minute, only to be denied by Courtois.
While Real struggled at times for rhythm in midfield, the return of N'Golo Kante improved Chelsea's engine room, while Felix continued to keep Courtois on his toes before he was replaced after Chilwell was sent off in the 59th minute.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly said in an interview with Sky Sports before the game that "we're excited about the future" while also predicting his club would win 3-0 against Real Madrid.
It is hard to see where the excitement is coming from after a fifth game without a win and the team drifting in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
This was Chelsea's ninth Champions League game of the season with their third different manager.
Since Ancelotti was sacked by the Blues in May 2011 after finishing second in the table, Chelsea have gone through 10 permanent managers - sacking seven, including Lampard in January 2021.
Lampard had been due to work at this game as a television pundit until he answered Chelsea's call to take charge until the end of the season.
The club legend, however, has now suffered 13 defeats in his past 16 matches in all competitions across spells with Everton and Chelsea this season.
Ancelotti said on the eve of this tie that he was "sad" about Chelsea's poor form yet his Real Madrid side added to his former club's problems.
Real were far from their fluid best but did enough to establish a healthy advantage as they look to win the competition for a record 15th time.
Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were a handful as Real registered 18 attempts, while Courtois was a solid last line of defence.
Rudiger's block to deny Mount at the end was crucial. Having helped Chelsea win the Champions League in 2021, the German showed what a shrewd addition he is after moving to Real on a free transfer last June.
• None Attempt missed. Kai Havertz (Chelsea) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
• None Attempt blocked. Mason Mount (Chelsea) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt missed. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box is too high.
• None Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt blocked. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Alaba.
• None Éder Militão (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Marco Asensio (Real Madrid) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Toni Kroos following a set piece situation.
• None Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65243061 |
Tesco cuts milk prices after wholesale costs fall - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The supermarket says it is passing on savings to customers after seeing its own costs fall for milk. | Business | Tesco has cut the price of its milk for the first time since May 2020, in a possible sign that price rises for a weekly shop could be starting to ease.
Britain's largest supermarket said it would reduce its four pint bottle from £1.65 to £1.55 from Wednesday.
Two pints will be cut by 5p to £1.25 and a single pint will also drop by the same amount to 90p.
Tesco said its costs for buying in milk had fallen so it had decided to "pass that reduction on to customers".
The price of a weekly shop for households has been rising in recent months and latest official figures show that food inflation in particular was up by 18.2% in the year to February - the highest since 1978.
Milk itself has risen by 43% in price on average from February 2022 to February this year. It is one of many staples, including cheese and eggs, which have surged in cost and squeezed household budgets.
Jason Tarry, Tesco's UK and Ireland boss, said the supermarket's cuts to milk prices would "not affect" the price it pays to its farmers.
"We've seen some cost price deflation for milk across the market in recent times, and we want to take this opportunity to pass that reduction on to customers," he said.
Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said while the cut in price was only to a single product, the decision by Tesco was "some light at the end of the inflationary tunnel for consumers".
"It also suggests that the UK's fiercely competitive supermarket sector isn't simply going to cash in on profits as wholesale costs fall, because there's always a competitor waiting in the wings to do some undercutting," he added.
Bigger supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's are having to constantly monitor their prices amid stiff competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Mr Khalaf said that some "good financial news is long overdue" following a year of price rises and interest rate hikes which had hit household finances.
As well as reducing milk prices, Tesco said it was "locking in" prices on over 1,000 everyday products until 5 July, including Yorkshire Tea, chips, and Shredded Wheat.
Sainsbury's announced on Monday that it was introducing lower prices on hundreds of products for members of its loyalty Nectar card.
The loyalty programme rivals Tesco's Clubcard which rewards members with deals when they shop.
The shake-up by the rival supermarkets comes as new figures revealed people had cut back on groceries and eating out in March, with nine out of 10 shoppers reporting feeling concerned about rising food prices, according to Barclays.
Around 62% said they were finding ways to reduce the cost of their weekly shop, a report showed. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65255643 |
Ex-BBC and Capital DJ Tim Westwood interviewed under caution - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The former BBC Radio 1 DJ has been questioned on two occasions by the Metropolitan Police. | UK | Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has been questioned twice under police caution over five alleged sex offences.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are now investigating five accusations of offences alleged to have happened between 1982 and 2016.
Detectives say they interviewed a 65-year-old man under caution on 15 March and 4 April. There has been no arrest.
It comes after BBC News and the Guardian uncovered allegations from 18 women. He denied those allegations.
In April last year, a number of women accused the former Radio 1 DJ of predatory and unwanted sexual behaviour and touching, in incidents between 1992 and 2017.
They also accused him of abusing his position in the music industry. Some of the women told us they encountered Mr Westwood when they were under 18. One says that she was only 14 when Mr Westwood first had sex with her.
The DJ stepped down from his Capital Xtra radio show after the allegations emerged.
Last August the BBC launched an external inquiry into what the corporation did and did not know about Tim Westwood's conduct during his nearly 20 years working there. That inquiry is still ongoing.
BBC News has attempted to contact Mr Westwood for comment.
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If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65254814 |
In pictures: Joe Biden visits Northern Ireland - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Large crowds gathered in Belfast on Wednesday to try to catch a glimpse of the US president. | Northern Ireland | Large crowds gathered in Belfast to try and catch a glimpse of US President Joe Biden as he made a landmark visit to Northern Ireland.
Mr Biden is on a four-day visit to the island of Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The president arrived in Belfast city centre late on Tuesday night after making the journey from the airport in his presidential motorcade.
On Wednesday he made a speech at the new Ulster University campus in Belfast before meeting people in the audience, shaking their hands and taking selfies.
Hundreds waited to see the presidential motorcade close to Belfast City Hall
Some, like Tiernan Lynch and his dad Michael, had planned to join the crowd
Others, like Nora and Chase from Boston, USA, made it to Belfast at the same time as the president purely by chance
It was an opportunity for some groups to protest
Political messages for Joe Biden were left on Black Mountain, which overlooks Belfast
Other messages were somewhat esoteric...
A huge security operation was in place in the city
Several major roads were closed as a result of it
Anne Marshall (left) and Alison Savage were on a city break to Belfast and described the president's visit as "an historic day"
Gabrielle Feenan, who introduced President Biden on stage at Ulster University, had to keep her starring role secret from family and friends
People filled the balconies of the university to hear the president speak
Joe Biden took to the stage early in the afternoon
The president was only the second biggest celebrity in the room - Oscar winner James Martin nearly stole the show
There were opportunities for a once-in-a-lifetime selfie
Pragya and Adanna, who managed to get a selfie with the president, said the day was an amazing experience
After the speech President Biden was whisked away in his armoured limousine, affectionately known as The Beast
He gave the people of Belfast a final thumbs-up before travelling to the Republic of Ireland for the remainder of his Irish tour | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65250631 |
President Joe Biden tours his Irish family heritage - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | The US President has been welcomed to the Republic of Ireland, where he's been exploring his ancestral ties. | null | US President Joe Biden has been welcomed to the Republic of Ireland for a three-day visit, and he's been exploring his ancestral ties.
The BBC's Charlotte Gallagher looks back at President Biden's first day in the Irish Republic, where he was welcomed in Dublin by the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister). | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65259132 |
Study reveals cancer’s ‘infinite’ ability to evolve - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Scientists say focus should be on cancer prevention, with "universal cures" unlikely at present. | Health | An unprecedented analysis of how cancers grow has revealed an "almost infinite" ability of tumours to evolve and survive, say scientists.
The results of tracking lung cancers for nine years left the research team "surprised" and "in awe" at the formidable force they were up against.
They have concluded we need more focus on prevention, with a "universal" cure unlikely any time soon.
Cancer Research UK said early detection of cancer was vitally important.
The study - entitled TracerX - provides the most in-depth analysis of how cancers evolve and what causes them to spread.
Cancers change and evolve over time - they are not fixed and immutable. They can become more aggressive: better at evading the immune system and able to spread around the body.
A tumour starts as a single, corrupted cell, but becomes a mixture of millions of cells that have all mutated in slightly different ways.
TracerX tracked that diversity and how it changes over time inside lung cancer patients and say the results would apply across different types of cancer.
"That has never been done before at this scale," said Prof Charles Swanton, from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London.
More than 400 people - treated at 13 hospitals in the UK - had biopsies taken from different parts of their lung cancer as the disease progressed.
"It has surprised me how adaptable tumours can be," Prof Swanton told me.
"I don't want to sound too depressing about this, but I think - given the almost infinite possibilities in which a tumour can evolve, and the very large number of cells in a late-stage tumour, which could be several hundred billion cells - then achieving cures in all patients with late-stage disease is a formidable task."
Prof Charles Swanton says challenge of tumours evolving inside our body means we need to focus on preventing cancer.
Prof Swanton said: "I don't think we're going to be able to come up with universal cures.
"If we want to make the biggest impact we need to focus on prevention, early detection and early detection of relapse."
Obesity, smoking, alcohol and poor diet all increase the risk of some cancers. Tackling inflammation in the body is also being seen as a way of preventing cancer. Inflammation is the likely explanation for air pollution causing lung cancers and inflammatory bowel disease increasing the risk of colon cancer.
The evolutionary analysis has been published across seven separate studies in the journals Nature and Nature Medicine.
The researchers hope the findings could, in the future, help them predict how a patient's tumour will spread and to tailor treatment.
Dr David Crosby, the head of prevention and early detection at Cancer Research UK, said: "The exciting results emerging from TracerX improve our understanding that cancer is a disease which evolves as it progresses, meaning that late-stage cancers can become very hard to treat successfully.
"This underscores the crucial importance of further research to help us to detect cancers at the earliest stages of their development or even better, to prevent them from happening at all." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65252510 |
WTA tournaments will return to China after boycott over Peng Shuai allegations - BBC Sport | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | The Women's Tennis Association will resume tournaments in China having accepted an investigation into Peng Shuai's sexual assault allegations will not be carried out by the Chinese government. | null | The Women's Tennis Association will resume tournaments in China this year having accepted an investigation into the sexual assault allegations made by former player Peng Shuai will not be carried out by the Chinese government.
Former doubles world number one Peng said in November 2021 she was "forced" into a sexual relationship with former China vice-premier Zhang Gaoli.
The WTA suspended its end-of-year events in China and said it would not return until there was an investigation and it had proof of Peng's safety.
After making the accusation in a social media post, Peng briefly disappeared from the public eye and she then later denied making the allegation. Zhang has not commented publicly on the allegation.
The WTA had called for the Chinese authorities to hold a "full, fair and transparent" investigation before any tournaments could go ahead.
"We've been in this for 16 months and we are convinced that at this point our requests will not be met," WTA chief executive Steve Simon told BBC Sport.
"To continue with the same strategy doesn't make sense and a different approach is needed. Hopefully, by returning, more progress can be made."
The decision means the final two months of the WTA season will once again be dominated by China. Simon said the schedule will be "very similar" to the pre-pandemic year of 2019 when eight Chinese tournaments were staged in eight weeks from early September.
And crucially, the season-ending WTA Finals will resume its 10-year deal with the city of Shenzhen. Prize money this year, as it was in the first year of the contract in 2019, will be £11.2m.
Simon says the "great majority" of players are in support of a return to China.
And despite promising a hard-line stance with the Chinese government, in which there would be no room for compromise, he says he has not considered resigning.
"No, I would never do that to an organisation. It's about leading an organisation and listening to its members," he said.
"We have athletes that come from over 80 nations, so there's plenty of different opinions, but the majority of athletes were very supportive of a return back to the region. We certainly have some that were not, but the majority - the great majority - were in support and are in support of going back. There was strong support across the members, the [player] council and the board."
Simon says this change of heart was not forced upon them by commercial realities, but accepts members would have "sacrificed a great deal" had the WTA Tour withdrawn from China for good.
The WTA's boycott lasted just over 16 months, although no tournaments could have taken place in the country during that period anyway because of the Covid pandemic.
"We've achieved some assurances from people that are close to Peng that she's safe and living with her family in Beijing," Simon said when asked whether the WTA had achieved anything. He says he has not yet been able to speak personally with Peng.
"We do also have some assurances that there won't be any issues with our players and staff while they are competing in China. And hopefully we have received some respect for the stance we took," he continued.
"We haven't seen anyone else take a stance such as we did. There hasn't been any other sporting leagues or any business that have - we took that strong stance, we stand behind it."
The men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour committed itself to 2023 events in Chengdu, Zhuhai, Shanghai and Beijing once China's Covid regulations eased, and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said this month it is looking forward to bringing the World Tennis Tour back to China.
"We didn't go into this with expectations that anybody would [follow suit]," Simon added.
"I would have liked to have seen that, for sure, but we didn't expect it and we're not pointing fingers at anyone else."
Simon denies that by returning to China, the WTA has removed a crucial pillar of support for Peng.
"We are hoping by the return more progress will be made," he said. "We are very proud of the position we took.
"We're not going to let Peng be forgotten at this point in time."
Kai Ong, a China researcher at Amnesty International, said: "There's no independently-verifiable evidence that can prove Peng Shuai is truly safe and free.
"We're reminding the WTA of the structural hurdles many survivors of sexual violence in China face when seeking justice and remedy.
"Returning to China without continuing to push for an independent investigation into Peng's accusations risks perpetuating the systemic injustice faced by sexual violence survivors in the country."
The move was described as "very important" by French world number five Caroline Garcia, who said she understood the decision to return to China.
"The ATP and the ITF was already going back, and women's tennis is following," she told BBC Sport.
"In the past we have had some huge tournaments over there and I think it is an important swing for us in our calendar and I'm looking forward to it."
Former British number one Anne Keothavong, who captains the nation's Billie Jean King Cup team, and current British player Katie Boulter both stressed Peng's safety was their main concern.
But they added the future health of the WTA Tour - and the staging of more tournaments - had to be considered.
"From a tennis perspective, hopefully it will be a welcome return," said Keothavong.
"I don't know whether they have been able to investigate in the way that they would have liked, but tennis is a business. The WTA need to generate commercial revenue and the players need a circuit to compete."
Boulter added: "I think ultimately there's two things. One is that we hope Peng Shuai is OK and secondly it's just an excitement to have tournaments on the calendar.
"Sometimes I think we don't have enough tournaments and I really hope that we can get out there and enjoy it."
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Dáithí's Law: Rishi Sunak honours Belfast boy over organ donation - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rishi Sunak has presented Dáithí Mac Gabhann with an award while in Belfast to see Joe Biden. | Northern Ireland | Points of Light award recognises people who are contributing to their community
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has presented six-year-old Dáithí Mac Gabhann with an award for his campaign to reform organ donation in NI.
Dáithí has been on the list to get a heart transplant for about five years.
The new law, known as Dáithí's Law, which takes effect from June, will consider most adults as potential organ donors unless they opt out.
The Points of Light award recognises people who are contributing to their community.
The law had been delayed due to the political stalemate at Stormont. However, the government then stepped in to ensure it could take effect.
In a tweet, the prime minister said Dáithí's Law "will save lives".
"One of the joys of my job is being able to meet some exceptional people - just like Dáithí Mac Gabhann," he said.
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In an earlier letter to Dáithí, the prime minister said the six-year-old was "helping others in your situation to get the life-changing help they need - it is a huge achievement.
"In your father's words: 'Exceptional things happen for exceptional people'. I agree with him that you are truly exceptional and so I am delighted to recognise your courage by naming you as the UK's 2029th Point of Light.
"The whole country is with you as you continue your treatment."
Mr Sunak met Dáithí and his family while in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and President Joe Biden's visit.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where an opt-out organ donation system is not in place.
Dáithí's Law was introduced in the Stormont assembly in 2021 and passed its final stage in February 2022.
It would mean all adults in Northern Ireland would be considered a potential organ donor after their death unless they specifically stated otherwise.
But last month it emerged that additional legislation was needed to specify which organs and tissues were covered under the opt-out system.
Read more: What is Dáithí's Law? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65247208 |
Joe Biden hails Northern Ireland young people on Belfast visit - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president says they are at the "cutting edge" of the future, 25 years on from the 1998 peace deal. | Northern Ireland | US President Joe Biden has praised Northern Ireland's young people, saying they are at the "cutting edge" of its future during his visit to Belfast.
Earlier he met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before briefly speaking to some of Stormont's political party leaders.
He is on a four-day visit to Ireland to mark 25 years since the Good Friday peace agreement, which ended decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
He hailed the "tremendous progress" since the deal was signed in 1998.
"This place is transformed by peace; made technicolour by peace; made whole by peace," he said.
He hailed Northern Ireland as a "churn of creativity", having produced some of the world's most popular films and TV series over the past decade, and said that major economic opportunities for the region were "just beginning".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: James Martin, star of Oscar-winning Northern Ireland film An Irish Goodbye, is mentioned in Joe Biden's speech
President Biden was speaking as he opened the new Ulster University campus in Belfast, his only official engagement in Northern Ireland.
His visit comes at a time when Northern Ireland's power-sharing government at Stormont is not functioning.
It collapsed last year when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - one of the biggest parties - pulled out as part of a protest against post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
Mr Biden urged politicians to make a return to governing but praised them for their unity after the attempted murder of one of Northern Ireland's top detectives in February.
John Caldwell was shot several times by two gunmen in Omagh, County Tyrone.
During his speech, the president said: "Northern Ireland will not go back [to violence]."
Mr Sunak visited Mr Caldwell and his family at a hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
Before briefly meeting the political leaders, Mr Biden was asked what he would say to them - he answered: "I'm going to listen."
After leaving Belfast early on Wednesday afternoon, he flew on Air Force One the Republic of Ireland where he is continuing his tour of the island.
He is to due to meet the Irish President Michael D Higgins and speak to politicians at the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) on Thursday and will meet some of his Irish relatives in County Mayo on Friday.
His sister Valerie and his son Hunter have joined him for the Ireland trip.
President Biden managed to deliver a speech that hit all the right notes with the invited audience.
As he left the stage he was swamped by people armed with their phones for a selfie.
His speech was pitched at reminding people what is at stake - peace, said Mr Biden, cannot be taken for granted.
He reminded those in the room about the risks taken 25 years ago by the architects of the Good Friday Agreement.
Democracy in Northern Ireland needs champions now to do the same, he added.
While he didn't namecheck the DUP it was clear to whom he was directing those comments about getting Stormont back up and running.
Before Mr Biden's address in Belfast, US Special Envoy Joe Kennedy spoke about the significance of American investment in Northern Ireland.
"Some of the biggest companies in the world have set up shop here and now entrepreneurs with dreams to outcompete them are following," he said.
"I look forward to drawing on your energy and your ideas and to making sure that we bring prosperity to all corners of Northern Ireland."
After listening to Mr Biden's speech at the university, Michelle O'Neill, the vice-president of Sinn Féin, the largest party at Stormont, said the message was "one of hope and opportunity".
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DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not get a sense that the president was urging his party to do more to restore power-sharing during their brief private discussion.
"Like all of us, he wants to see the political institutions up and running again but we are very clear that can only happen when we have got the solid foundations that we need," he added.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long described President Biden's speech as "positive, balanced, optimistic and hopeful for the future".
Doug Beattie, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, said the meeting with Mr Biden was a fleeting "grip and grin" engagement.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described his conversation with the president as "positive".
Mr Biden arrived in Belfast city centre on Tuesday night, having been greeted by Mr Sunak as he stepped off Air Force One at Belfast International Airport.
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden met on the 23rd floor of the Grand Central Hotel on Wednesday morning
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the huge security plan put in place for the presidential visit was its biggest for years.
Some 2,900 officers were deployed as part of the £7m operation.
But the PSNI is investigating a security breach after a document that appears to give details of the operation was found on a street in the city by a member of the public.
BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show was shown the document, which is marked: "PSNI and sensitive."
It names police officers who were in charge of the area around the hotel in which Mr Biden had stayed.
"We take the safety of visiting dignitaries, members of the public and our officers and staff extremely seriously," said the PSNI.
Joe Biden is visiting the locations marked on this map during his four days in Ireland
Declan Harvey and Tara Mills explore the text of the Good Friday Agreement - the deal which heralded the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
They look at what the agreement actually said and hear from some of the people who helped get the deal across the line.
Listen to all episodes of Year '98: The Making of the Good Friday Agreement on BBC Sounds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65208880 |
Texas dairy farm explosion kills 18,000 cows - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Animal welfare activists say the incident is "by far" the deadliest barn fire in recent memory. | US & Canada | Smoke rises from the scene of South Fork Dairy near Dimmit, Texas
Approximately 18,000 cows were killed in a blast at a Texas dairy farm earlier this week, according to local authorities.
The explosion, at South Fork Dairy near the town of Dimmitt, also left one person in critical condition.
Authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas.
Nearly three million farm animals died in fires across the US between 2018 and 2021.
Castro County Sheriff's Office said they had received a report of a fire at the farm at about 19:21 on Monday (00:21 GMT Tuesday).
Photos posted by the Sheriff's Office show a huge plume of black smoke rising from the ground.
When police and emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found one person trapped who had to be rescued and flown to hospital in critical condition.
While the exact figure of cows that were killed by fire and smoke remains unknown, the Sheriff's Office told the BBC that an "estimated 18,000 head of cattle" had been lost.
Speaking to local news outlet KFDA, Sheriff Sal Rivera said that most of the cattle had been lost after the blaze spread to an area in which cows were held before being taken to a milking area and then into a holding pen.
"There's some that survived," he was quoted as saying. "There's some that are probably injured to the point where they'll have to be destroyed."
Mr Rivera told KFDA that investigators believed the fire might have started with a machine referred to as a "honey badger", which he described as "vacuum that sucks the manure and water out".
"Possibly [it] got overheated and probably the methane and things like that ignited and spread out and exploded," he said.
In a statement sent to the BBC, the Washington DC-based Animal Welfare Institute said that - if confirmed - a death toll of 18,000 cows would be "by far" the deadliest barn fire involving cattle since it began keeping statistics in 2013.
"We hope the industry will remain focused on this issue and strongly encourage farms to adopt common sense fire safety measures," said Allie Granger, policy associate for AWI's farm animal program. "It is hard to imagine anything worse than being burned alive."
According to the AWI, nearly 6.5m farm animals have been killed in barn fires since 2013, of which about 6m were chickens and about 7,300 were cows.
Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 3 million farm animals died in fire, with 1.76m chickens dying in the six largest fires over that time period. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65258108 |
US thinks UN chief too accommodating to Moscow, leaked files suggest - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Classified files indicate that Washington believed Antonio Guterres was soft on Russia over Ukraine. | US & Canada | Antonio Guterres (C) visited war-ravaged Ukraine in April of last year
The US believes the UN secretary general is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online.
The files suggest Washington has been closely monitoring Antonio Guterres.
Several documents describe private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy.
It is the latest from a leak of secret documents, which US officials are scrambling to get to the bottom of.
The documents contain candid observations from Mr Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Pentagon leaks explained in under 60 seconds.
One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July, following fears of a global food crisis.
It suggests that Mr Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal he was willing to accommodate Russia's interests.
"Guterres emphasised his efforts to improve Russia's ability to export," the document says, "even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals".
His actions in February, according to the assessment, were "undermining broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine".
UN officials bristled at the suggestion that the world's leading diplomat was being soft on Moscow.
"The Secretary-General has been at this job, and in the public eye, for a long time," Mr Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, has said.
"He's not surprised by the fact that people are spying on him and listening in on his private conversations. What is surprising is the malfeasance or incompetence that allows for such private conversations to be distorted and become public."
Refusing to comment on leaked documents, one senior official said the UN was "driven by the need to mitigate the impact of the war on the world's poorest".
"That means doing what we can to drive down the price of food...and to ensure that fertiliser is accessible to those countries that need it the most."
Russia has frequently complained that its own exports of grain and fertiliser are being adversely affected by international sanctions, and has threatened at least twice to suspend co-operation with the grain deal unless its concerns are addressed.
Russian grain and fertiliser are not subject to international sanctions, but Russia says it has experienced difficulties with securing shipping and insurance.
UN officials are clearly unhappy with America's interpretation of Mr Guterres' efforts. They say that Mr Guterres has made his opposition to Russia's war very clear.
Another document, from mid-February, describes a frank conversation between Mr Guterres and his deputy, Amina Mohammed.
In it, Mr Guterres expresses "dismay" at a call from the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for Europe to produce more weapons and ammunition as a result of the war in Ukraine.
The two also talk about a recent summit of African leaders. Amina Mohammed says that Kenya's president, William Ruto, is "ruthless" and that she "doesn't trust him."
It is well known that America is among a number of nations which routinely spy on the UN - but when the fruits of that espionage come to light, it is highly embarrassing and, in this case, potentially damaging to Mr Guterres.
There were few clues as to who leaked the files until Wednesday, when the Washington Post reported it was a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a military base.
It said he shared the classified information to a small group of men and boys who share a "love of guns, military gear and God" on Discord - a social media platform popular with gamers.
The BBC has been unable to verify the report, which was based on interviews with two members of the chat group.
The screenshots of the documents themselves, which have since been shared on several Discord discussion channels, have been verified by the BBC.
Discord said on Wednesday that it was co-operating with law enforcement in its investigation into the leak.
"This was a series of dangerous leaks," US national security spokesperson John Kirby told the BBC.
"We don't know who's responsible, we don't know why. We are assessing the national security implications, and right now there is also a criminal investigation," he said, on Wednesday.
"We want to get to the bottom of this; we want to find out who did this and why."
Washington was "reaching out actively" to allies to answer questions they have about the leaks, so they know "how seriously we are taking this", he added.
Mr Kirby said that while the authenticity of some of the documents had yet to be established, they "certainly appear to have come from various source of intelligence across the government". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65257957 |
Mary Quant: The miniskirt and PVC pioneer - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The late fashion designer will be remembered for revolutionising clothing for women in the 1960s. | Entertainment & Arts | Miniskirts, shift dresses and PVC are three fashion staples you'll spot in any high street store - but they probably wouldn't exist without Dame Mary Quant.
She will be remembered as one of the most innovative designers in British history, after her death aged 93.
Quant changed women's fashion forever with her vision of chic clothes that provided both comfort and practicality.
Her aesthetic was influenced by the dancers and musicians who hung around in London's Chelsea, and the Mods who were synonymous with London's youth culture in the late 1950s.
Mods, short for modernists, wore Italian sportswear rather than structured clothes, something Dame Mary replicated in her first collections.
She wanted those who wore her clothes to feel relaxed in them - rather than outfits for big occasions, her clothes were designed for everyday life.
Mary Quant's popular white plastic collar look added depth to jumpers and dresses.
The appeal of her clothes for a new generation of women who wanted to shake off the shackles of post-war utility clothing.
Dame Mary once told the Sunday Telegraph that after World War Two, there were "10 years of gloom and despair, when London was a bomb site".
"Nothing moved, nothing happened. And then suddenly the next lot of young people said, 'Enough of this, we're going to do it,' and they did it themselves," she said.
As a self-taught designer, she had gained her sewing skills from evening classes and would produce clothes that would then go straight on the rails at Bazaar, a boutique she opened in Markham House on the Chelsea's King's Road in 1955.
She'd take the money she made from a day on the shop floor and use it to produce new lines that would be made overnight and stocked the next day.
Her signature styles included short tunic dresses with bright tights, white plastic collars for jumpers and dresses, plus weatherproof plastic boots.
Mary Quant looks at a window display in her Bazaar store on King's Road, London in 1960
They gained international appeal thanks to the model Dame Lesley 'Twiggy' Lawson, whose long legs and petite frame were perfect for Quant's short hemlines.
Twiggy paid tribute to Quant on Thursday, saying she "revolutionised fashion" and that "the 1960s would have never been the same without her".
Quant created the knitted skinny rib body-hugging jumper and is even credited with designing hot pants for the first time in 1966.
Dame Mary wasn't afraid to try new materials and used polyvinyl chloride - better known as PVC or vinyl - to manufacture wet-look clothes like dresses and raincoats.
Her 1963 Wet Collection was a huge success and earned Quant her first British Vogue cover, with model Tania Mallet wearing a PVC red raincoat and matching hat.
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Photographer David Bailey, who captured much of the spirit of London in the 1960s, told the BBC that Quant "was so nice about me".
"She said I'd like my pictures to look like Bailey and I like to control them a bit, but she liked all those jumping pictures," he added.
Bailey, 85, also said he was "sad" about Dame Mary's death, saying: "She was kind of wonderful, she was very positive."
Although there's some dispute about who actually invented the miniskirt (French designer Andre Courreges says the thigh-skimming hemline was his creation) the name was Quant's alone.
The skirt is well-known for sitting well above the knees, normally at mid-thigh and would be paired with colourful tights.
Skirts of this length had only been acceptable in sports like tennis and figure skating before this point, but became the height of fashion for young women and teenagers as a result of Quant's influence.
She named the skirt after her favourite car and said it was invented by "the girls on King's Road" in a 2014 interview.
David Bailey, 85, with some of the pictures he took of Mary Quant
The skirt, like a lot of her clothes, was designed to let you "run and dance" and enjoy "freedom and liberation".
By 1967 she had three shops - two in King's Road, Chelsea and one in London's New Bond Street.
She had also experimented with cosmetics, creating the Daisy brand and a cheaper, nationwide fashion offering called Ginger Group.
It was estimated that up to seven million women had at least one Mary Quant fashion item with thousands more using her make-up.
Throughout the 1970s her influence grew - with her business growing to include home décor, swimwear, jewellery and even skincare for men. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65269428 |
Joe Biden's Irish 'homecoming' could carry political weight - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | With 30 million Americans claiming Irish roots, it never does any harm for a US president to embrace his Celtic connections. | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: How is President Joe Biden connected to Ireland?
The shift in tone and mood is unmistakable as US President Joe Biden begins a three-day visit to the Republic of Ireland, having spent a short time in Northern Ireland.
Baseball cap on, out of an armoured limo and into a pub. "It feels like I'm coming home," Mr Biden said in Dundalk, County Louth.
The tightrope of Northern Ireland politics negotiated, it seems it's now time to unwind a little.
His sister and son in tow, this isn't conventional diplomacy - or even diplomacy at all. It's a return to a family's roots and sense of belonging.
With 30 million Americans claiming Irish ancestry, it comes with a hoped-for political dividend too, the year before a presidential election. And what a contrast with what came before in Belfast.
The prospect of this presidential visit to Northern Ireland has been talked about for months, but lasted only hours. While there is no such thing as a low key public trip for an American president, this felt like it came close.
It was quick. It was short. Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's involvement was minimal. He wasn't at the president's single public appearance - a decision which, privately, raised some eyebrows in government.
Mr Sunak did, though, meet the police officer John Caldwell and his family while he was here. A visit many here are praising him for. But could he have not done both?
DCI Caldwell was shot several times in County Tyrone in February. President Biden talked about him in his speech, as he pleaded with Northern Ireland to leave violence behind and bring power sharing devolved government back to Stormont.
So where are we with that?
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) walked out over a year ago, and are not convinced Mr Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, called the Windsor Framework, is good enough to justify going back in.
The reaction within the DUP to the presidential visit is not surprising, but is instructive about what lies ahead. In short, the party is divided.
People like MP Sammy Wilson and peer Lord Dodds are sceptical, to put it mildly, about Mr Biden and returning to Stormont.
The party leadership is more mild in its tone, and said the president's tone and language was appreciated. So, in crude terms, the visit doesn't change anything, at least immediately. But it was never likely to.
There are local elections here in the middle of May and the timeframe for any DUP change of mind is probably months away, if it comes at all. Some wonder if they may hold out until after the next general election.
Those hoping for a restoration of power sharing hope the steady trickle of those arguing that without it Northern Ireland can't function properly might twist arms in the end, maybe by the autumn.
But we are not there yet. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65259211 |
PA shortage leaves disabled people 'stuck at home' - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A lack of personal assistants is leaving some disabled people housebound, a charity has warned. | Wales | Shahd Zorob has had problems recruiting PAs and said doing so was "demeaning"
Disabled people are being shut out of society because of a lack of personal assistants, it has been claimed.
Disability Wales said many people with disabilities were being left without the support needed to live as independently as possible.
Shahd Zorob, who has cerebral palsy, has had problems recruiting PAs and said the problem was "demeaning".
The Welsh government said it was investing £70m into the pay of social care workers, including PAs.
PAs are usually employed directly by the person who needs them but paid for by the council.
Ms Zorob, from Cwmffrwd, Carmarthenshire, employs two of them to help her with personal care, appointments and campaigning.
She said she advertised for new assistants three years ago, but no-one applied.
The 30-year-old said PAs should be paid more so disabled people can get the required support.
She said: "The money isn't as much as similar jobs in the NHS, so how do you expect people to live?"
Ms Zorob said she has to rely on her mum to help her if a PA isn't available.
She said the pandemic was a particularly difficult time and the situation was "really hard".
"I wish I could help out and do things but it's really difficult.
"I am a 30-year-old woman and I am very active. I've got my own life. I do a lot of online events and I'm part of so many groups.
"I'm one of hundreds with cerebral palsy in Wales and we have been missed all our lives. We don't seem to exist."
PA Sian Barlow said the work was not easy but she enjoyed it
Sian Barlow is one of Ms Zorob's PAs. She said she loves working with her, but that the work is not easy.
"It's really rewarding but the pay is pretty terrible across the country," she said.
"The pay reflects the value we all put on it. We don't value the work so the money does not follow."
Jane Tremlett, cabinet member for health and social services at Carmarthenshire council said local authorities are "experiencing unprecedented challenges with recruitment across the social care sector".
She added: "We are working with colleagues locally, regionally and nationally to improve upon this position. Examples of this are innovative recruitment campaigns and developing career progression pathways to attract more people into the sector."
Disability Wales' disability equality officer, Alex Osborne, said the consequences of too few PAs could be dire.
"In the best case scenario people aren't able to do as many things," she said.
"But for some disabled people, they're stuck in bed.
"We've heard of people being left for hours in their bed and even having soiled themselves because a PA hasn't turned up."
Alex Osborne said the consequences of too few PAs could be dire
Ms Osborne said people were having to fight for direct payments that they were entitled to.
"People get a lot more lonely if they can't go out and meet people," Ms Osborne said.
"We've seen disabled people being quite worried or put off applying for work.
"They're feeling stuck in their homes and excluded. Disabled people have always had to fight for direct payments to pay for support to access leisure activities. It's a hard fight."
Dewis Centre for Independent Living supports people to employ PAs through direct payments.
Direct payments manager for Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, Greg Davies, said the vacancy rate was the highest in 15 years.
Greg Davies had not seen the PA vacancy rate as high in 15 years
The charity supports 1,670 disabled people who employ around 3,200 PAs - but they are still short of assistants by 280.
"Social care is having to compete with retail and hospitality," he said.
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said its research showed PA workforce challenges were "one of the most significant ongoing risks in social care".
A spokesman said: "There remains a need to prioritise and invest in social care and the workforce to ensure that we have a workforce who are truly valued, have parity of esteem with NHS workers, and are appropriately rewarded."
The Welsh government said in 2023 it was investing £70m to ensure social care workers, including PAs, were paid at least the real living wage.
A spokesman said: "We're taking steps to professionalise the sector, improve the status of social care as a valued career, and ensure there are more opportunities for career progression." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65254308 |
Manchester United 2-2 Sevilla: Late own goals leave Europa League tie evenly poised - BBC Sport | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | Two late own goals mean Manchester United have work to do against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-finals. | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Harry Maguire's late own goal came after he replaced Raphael Varane at half-time Manchester United conceded two own goals and lost Lisandro Martinez to a serious-looking injury in the final six minutes against Sevilla to put their Europa League hopes in jeopardy. United looked to be coasting to a quarter-final first-leg victory at Old Trafford thanks to Marcel Sabitzer's first-half double. However, after Antony had hit the crossbar, Sevilla came back into the contest and profited from a terrible ending to the game for Erik ten Hag's men. First Tyrell Malacia diverted the ball past David de Gea after former Manchester City man Jesus Navas had pulled a low cross back from the goalline. Then, two minutes into injury time, Youssef En-Nesyri's off-target header struck Harry Maguire to leave De Gea helpless as it flew into the net. The scoreline is bad enough as it leaves United facing a battle to secure the semi-final spot they seemed to have virtually sealed. However, the loss of Martinez is a major concern, particularly as Raphael Varane had to be replaced at half-time. Martinez had to be carried from the field by his Argentina team-mates Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna and then left for the dressing room on a stretcher in obvious pain after catching his foot in the turf with no opponent near him.
• None What is happening with the Man Utd sale? Lisando Martinez's Argentina team-mates Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel helped to carry him off Having opted against replacing Marcus Rashford when his side were two goals up against Everton at the weekend and seeing the England man get injured, it was probably not a surprise when United boss Erik ten Hag took off key man Bruno Fernandes, plus Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial after an hour. At that point United had a healthy advantage, with Sabitzer profiting from excellent through balls from Fernandes and Martial and Ten Hag presumably reasoned it was a wise option not to take a risk with so many big games to come, knowing Fernandes is banned for the second leg anyway after he picked up another yellow card. But the decision allowed Sevilla to gain some momentum. United's goal came under threat and eventually, their lead disappeared. Arguably though, the extent of Martinez's injury is of more concern.
• None Martinez injury does not look great - Ten Hag The Argentine has been a rock at the heart of United's defence this season and, given the clear pain he was in as he sat sadly by the touchline waiting to be carried to the dressing rooms, there must be huge uncertainty over when he will play again, which could place his side's season under a threat that previously did not seem to exist. If there is some comfort to be taken from a night that ended so badly, it came from the performance of Martial. Ten Hag quoted "stats" in the build-up to the game when he said United were a better team with the Frenchman in it. The problem is that, since he arrived from Monaco in 2015, United fans have seen the 27-year-old be maddeningly frustrating, capable of brilliance in one moment before disappearing for extended periods - either figuratively in terms of his contribution to the team or literally by being injured. If ever there was a time for Martial to step up, this is it. No timescale has been put on Rashford's absence but even if it was just to the end of the month - and the belief is it will be slightly longer - that would take in the rest of this tie, the FA Cup semi-final with Brighton and a crucial league game at Tottenham in the battle to secure a Champions League spot. Martial has to stay fit and he has to perform. His contribution to Sabitzer's second goal emphasised why. Collecting the ball inside the Sevilla half, Martial took his time, created some space, then delivered a perfect through ball. Immediately after he scored, Sabitzer pointed to Martial in grateful acknowledgement. Martial's last involvement was to hold up possession superbly as United cleared their lines from a Sevilla attack, setting in motion a move that ended with Antony firing against the crossbar. Ten Hag has praised Wout Weghorst for his contribution but the on-loan Burnley forward is not in the same class. Ten Hag said afterwards he took Antony and Fernandes off to avoid them being red carded after being told the pair were on the last warnings. The United boss felt his side should have scored "three or four" but also conceded they were unlucky with injuries and the two late own goals. "We have to learn and have to kill the game but everything is open," he added on BT Sport. "When we didn't get the third and got some injuries we lost the rhythm in the game. We played well in the first half with a lot of belief, scored two great goals for Sabitzer and we could've scored even more, then after half time we lost control of the game. "I know we can do better with these players in the last part of the game and we needed to be more composed, it was not a nice night." Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, a pundit on BT Sport, called the second half "a complete disaster". "You never felt Sevilla put loads of pressure on United," he added. "United must have felt this was going to be a stroll in the park."
• None Attempt missed. Marcão (Sevilla) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ivan Rakitic with a cross following a corner.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt missed. Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lucas Ocampos with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt saved. Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marcos Acuña with a cross.
• None Attempt blocked. Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Suso (Sevilla) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Gonzalo Montiel.
• None Lisandro Martínez went off injured after Manchester United had used all subs. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None It's sink or swim for rookie police officers in Belfast:
• None Four movies that predicted the future incorrectly: Are practical hoverboards and flying cars just a distant dream? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65255442 |
Delicate diplomacy on show in Joe Biden's Belfast visit - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US leader was both challenging and sensitive, writes our Ireland correspondent Chris Page. | Northern Ireland | This was a presidential visit which required delicate diplomacy.
US President Joe Biden's task was to sum up the achievements of the 25 years since the Good Friday peace deal against a backdrop of all-too-frequent political instability in Belfast.
He said the return of the power-sharing devolved government at Stormont was "critical" for Northern Ireland.
But he followed that up by adding: "That's a decision for you to make, not for me to make."
The remark was simultaneously challenging and sensitive.
The White House will have been aware that a tone which could have been interpreted as overbearing would have fuelled unionist hostility towards a president who they have often criticised in the past.
But Mr Biden's visit seems to have gone down reasonably well with the leader of unionism.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says the president made it clear that he had no come to Belfast to interfere
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said the president had made clear he hadn't come to "interfere" and that Mr Biden had "recognised the need to bring balance to what he had to say".
The DUP is vetoing the formation of a governing coalition at Stormont - the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly - in protest against Brexit trade barriers with the rest of the UK.
Mr Biden speaks often of his Irish roots but in Belfast he talked about his English ancestry.
He also mentioned the contribution made to the founding of the US by immigrants from an Ulster Scots background - the community which is associated with modern-day unionism.
That was surely an attempt to appeal to those in Northern Ireland who have been suspicious that US involvement in the peace process has been tinged with an Irish nationalist agenda.
Actor James Martin got the biggest round of applause during Biden's speech
The president's overriding message was that the US remained committed to Northern Ireland and was ready to invest.
Mr Biden even suggested Northern Ireland's economic output could triple "if things continue to move in the right direction".
The incentive was obvious - more stability would bring in more dollars.
The industries he mentioned are already bright spots in the Northern Ireland economy - cybersecurity, life sciences, green energy.
And the biggest round of applause during the speech came when the president pointed out Northern Ireland actor James Martin, who was recently on stage at the Academy Awards when the short film he starred in won an Oscar.
It was a way of highlighting Northern Ireland's global reputation as a hub for TV and film production.
The projects which have been based here have included Game of Thrones - one of the biggest TV series of recent years.
Mr Biden seemed to suggest that the creative industries could be substantially expanded - he described Northern Ireland as a "churn of creativity".
While the president has now moved across the Irish border, his economic envoy Joe Kennedy is staying on in Northern Ireland for a few days.
He will lead a trade delegation from the US later this year.
No-one can be sure if the devolved government will be in place when the corporate executives make their transatlantic journey.
The DUP has said it won't be swayed by any particular US input in deciding whether and when to allow power-sharing at Stormont to return.
The party is continuing to examine the new deal between the EU and the UK - the Windsor Framework - to assess whether it removes unionist concerns about Brexit trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
There was no expectation that President Biden's arrival would herald a sudden breakthrough.
Michelle O'Neill says Joe Biden's message was one of "hope and opportunity"
The most fulsome praise for him came from non-unionist parties.
The Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill, who is in line to be first minister if the devolved government is restored, said Mr Biden's visit was a "special moment".
It is likely that the president's schedule in Northern Ireland would have been more extensive if the political circumstances had been more favourable.
For example he did not accept an invitation to address the Stormont assembly, which was established by the Good Friday Agreement.
However the prevailing view among those who witnessed his speech is that Mr Biden handled the sensitivities with skill and gave Northern Ireland a worthwhile moment in the worldwide spotlight. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65244335 |
Storm Noa: Power cuts and trees down in Devon and Cornwall - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hundreds of homes without power as gusts of more than 60mph (96.5km/h) are recorded. | Devon | Hundreds of properties were left without power and trees blocked roads as Storm Noa swept across Devon and Cornwall.
Gusts of more than 60mph (96.5km/h) were recorded on the Isles of Scilly and the Met Office predicted wind speeds of up to 70mph (113km/h).
A tree fell on to a house in Raleigh Avenue, Cockington, Torquay.
Police said the road would be closed for the remainder of the day and Thursday until the tree was cleared.
It confirmed the fire service, highways and a tree management team were in attendance, and everyone in the house was accounted for.
A female driver suffered a face injury after hitting a tree which had blocked the A377 in Devon
Police also confirmed a woman was left injured when her car hit a tree that had fallen across the A377 near Copplestone, Devon.
She sustained a facial injury and was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The tree, which had blocked the road, was cleared with the help of a local farmer and emergency services.
Tree surgeons cut down and removed a fallen tree in Plymouth
A fallen tree was also reported outside of the Plymouth Guildhall with three cars damaged when it landed on them.
At 14:00 BST, the National Grid said 268 properties in Devon were without power.
More than 700 homes were also reportedly without power in the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.
The National Grid confirmed power had been restored to most properties in St Austell and it was working to restore supplies to all homes later.
A tree fell outside the Plymouth Guildhall on to three cars
Speed restrictions were in place on the main rail line between Plymouth and Penzance and drivers on the M5, A38 and A30 were urged to take extra care.
Stagecoach South West reported its buses were diverted in Torquay due to a fallen tree in Hawkins Avenue and other services were delayed in Plymouth.
Ed Parkinson captured the crashing waves in Ilfracombe on Wednesday
The National Trust closed some of its sites on Dartmoor.
In a yellow warning, which was valid until 20:00, the Met Office predicted strong winds with severe coastal gales in the south and west.
It said the winds, low temperatures and heavy rain or showers were down to an Atlantic low-pressure system slowly moving eastwards across the UK.
Some campers evacuated campsites as winds tore down tents.
Steve Ackland, of Monkey Tree Holiday Park near Newquay, said: "We had some fantastic weather last weekend and this is the flip side of that.
"It is what you expect in Cornwall in April and the fact that there are still so many people around is testament that it's a great place to be."
Others like holidaymaker Katrina Kay were sticking it out.
"If you go camping you know what you're letting yourself in for, it's not been bad really," she said.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-65249185 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger terminates neighbourhood pothole - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | null | The actor and former California governor fixed the road himself after his complaints went unanswered. | null | The actor and former Californian governor tweeted that he'd had enough of the pothole in his Los Angeles neighbourhood, so he had decided to take action. At least one neighbour was thankful. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65210127 |
Psychiatrists warn gamblers ahead of Grand National - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The weekend will be "challenging" for those who struggle to control their gambling, experts warn. | Health | Problem gamblers are being encouraged to take preventative steps, such as putting blocks on betting websites, ahead of the annual Grand National horse race which runs on Saturday.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists says this weekend will be challenging for many gamblers who struggle to control their betting habit.
They may include betting caps and industry taxes to fund addiction care.
The White Paper, which is expected to deliver the biggest shake-up of the gambling industry in more than two decades, was first announced in late 2020 but its publication has been repeatedly delayed.
It is estimated that the Grand National race, at Aintree, Liverpool, is watched by a global audience of around 600 million people.
According to the Betting and Gaming Council, some 13 million adults in the UK will place bets totalling around £250m.
Annually, the race generates £3m in tax revenues for the Treasury.
Not everyone who gambles develops a gambling disorder, but it is estimated there are between 250,000 and 460,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain.
According to new analysis by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the fiscal cost of harmful gambling to the UK is £1.4bn per year, linked to higher welfare payments and increased healthcare needs.
Prof Henrietta Bowden-Jones, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "While millions of people will enjoy betting on the Grand National, others who struggle to control their gambling may find this weekend particularly challenging.
"If you have a gambling disorder, it is important to seek help from specialist NHS clinics and put appropriate self-exclusion agreements in place to stop you from gambling online and in person.
"You could also install blocking software to prevent access to gambling websites."
Gambling disorder is marked by a repeated pattern of behaviour where an individual feels they've lost control, continues to gamble despite negative consequences and sees gambling as more important than anything else.
Left untreated, it can lead to significant depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, says Prof Bowden-Jones. It is estimated hundreds of suicides each year are linked to problem gambling.
Prof Bowden-Jones said: "If you think you may have a gambling problem, speak to your GP who can refer you to a specialist clinic for treatment."
Many banks now offer the ability to limit or block spending on gambling.
Gambling blocking software can be downloaded onto devices, as can apps such as GamBan, which allows a person to block any access to gambling websites or other online gambling services.
Support for addiction issues is also available via the BBC Action Line.
• None Help for problems with gambling - NHS The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65261202 |
Juice: European Space Agency mission to Jupiter's icy moons postponed - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The £1.4bn probe aims to tell us if the major moons of Jupiter could support simple life. | Science & Environment | The six-tonne spacecraft has a long journey ahead of it
The European Space Agency (Esa) has postponed a planned launch of a satellite to the planet Jupiter.
Weather conditions showed there was a risk of lightning to the mission that aims to establish if the planet's moons could sustain life.
Esa says it will try to launch the rocket again on Friday.
The eight-year journey from Earth to reach Jupiter's major moons is one of the organisation's most ambitious missions ever.
There's good evidence that these the moons' icy worlds - Callisto, Europa and Ganymede - hold oceans of liquid water at depth.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Michele Dougherty: "You need patience and a vision to investigate the outer Solar System"
The project is known as the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice for short.
Juice is not seeking to detect life - it will not be sending back pictures of alien fish. But it could help determine whether conditions in the moons' hidden oceans have at least a chance of supporting simple microbial organisms.
This isn't a crazy idea, says Prof Carole Mundell, the director of science at Esa.
"In every extreme environment on Earth, whether that's high acidity, high radioactivity, low temperature, high temperature - we find microbial life in some form," she told BBC News.
"If you look at the (volcanic) vents at the bottom of Earth's oceans, these even look like alien worlds. There's no reason why that microbial life should not be able to exist elsewhere, if we have similar conditions. And it's those conditions that we want to study with Juice."
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei identified Jupiter's four major moons in 1610. Only Io (top) will not be visited during the mission
The €1.6bn (£1.4bn; $1.7bn) mission was supposed to launch on Thursday on an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, at 09:15 local time (13:15 BST).
The Ariane doesn't have the energy to send Juice directly to Jupiter, certainly not within a useful timeframe.
Instead, it will dispatch the spacecraft on a path around the inner Solar System. A series of fly-bys of Venus and Earth will then gravitationally sling the mission out to its intended destination.
Arrival in the Jovian system is expected in July 2031.
Juice will perform 35 close passes of the moons - getting to within 400km (250 miles) of their surfaces on occasion - before settling into orbit around Ganymede.
The spacecraft carries a total of 10 instruments. There are various cameras, particle detectors, a radar to map sub-surface features; there's even a lidar, which is used to make 3D maps of surface terrain.
But it is the UK-provided magnetometer that could provide some of the most influential data. The Imperial College London-built experiment will tell us about the properties of the moons' hidden oceans. And at Ganymede, in particular, the information should be quite detailed.
"We'll know the depth of the ocean, its salt content, how deep the crust is above the ocean, and whether the ocean is in contact with the rocky mantle," explained Prof Michele Dougherty, Imperial's magnetometer principal investigator.
"So, we'll get an understanding of the interior structure of the moon, and from observations from other instruments looking at the surface, we'll be able to resolve if there is organic material on that surface."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carole Mundell: "Liquid water we think is a precondition for habitability"
Earth has taught us that life requires four essential inputs: liquid water, nutrients of some kind, an energy source, and time - an extended period of stability during which biology can get a foothold and establish itself.
We've long considered Mars to be the most likely candidate to host extra-terrestrial life, if not today then sometime in its distant past.
But for astrobiologists - scientists who study the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe - the ice-covered moons of Jupiter and also Saturn are really starting to pique their interest.
Tiny alien-looking worms can be found at deep-sea volcanic vents on Earth
These worlds may be in the cold, outer reaches of the Solar System, far from the Sun, but they could just be able to satisfy the four inputs - even for a supply of energy. It's not light and warmth from a star, but the constant gravitational squeezing and pushing the giant planets exert on the moons.
It's this flexure that provides the means to keep water in liquid form and could also drive the kind of volcanic vent systems on ocean floors that Prof Mundell mentions and which some scientists think could have been the origin of life on Earth.
"If I were a betting man, I'd probably put my money on Europa having life that is alive, that exists today," says Prof Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist at the University of Westminster. "The chances of that are much higher than finding extant (living) life on Mars today."
Artwork: The US space agency will launch the Clipper spacecraft next year
The US will be launching its companion mission, known as Clipper, next year. It will focus on Europa, making 50 fly-bys, some as low at 25km.
The close pass of a planetary destination is usually followed by a later spacecraft going into orbit and then a further mission attempting to land.
This is how exploration has progressed at Mars, where we're about to make one additional step - that of trying to bring material back to Earth to study in the lab.
Investigations at Jupiter's and Saturn's moons are not as advanced in the sequence, but it's possible to envisage ventures later this century that could land on these fascinating outer Solar System bodies and seek to drill through their icy crusts and sample the waters below.
"If we find evidence for life on the moons of Saturn or Jupiter, then almost certainly it would be of independent origin," says Astronomer Royal, Prof Sir Martin Rees.
"That then would carry a momentous message that life - if it had started twice, independently, in our Solar System - can't be a rare fluke, and almost certainly exists in a billion places in our galaxy, and it completely transforms the way we look at the sky." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65254502 |
Help for Heroes: Royals pay tribute after death of charity's founder - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Prince William and Prince Harry are among those to praise the "inspirational" work of Bryn Parry. | Wiltshire | Bryn Parry founded Help for Heroes with his wife Emma
The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to a co-founder of Wiltshire-based veterans' charity Help for Heroes following his death from pancreatic cancer.
Bryn Parry passed away on Wednesday at the age of 66, the charity said.
Mr Parry and his wife Emma founded Help for Heroes in 2007 after learning about ex-servicemen's struggles to access rehabilitation treatment.
Prince William described him as "a life-affirming and inspirational man".
In a tweet, the prince said he was "deeply sad to hear that Bryn Parry has passed away".
"A life-affirming, inspirational man, his work with @HelpforHeroes made a difference to so many and his legacy will be its continuing impact."
Prince William visited a Help For Heroes Recovery Centre in Tidworth in 2013
Prince Harry also expressed his condolences in a statement published on his own veteran's charity, the Invictus Games Foundation.
"Today is a truly sad day for the military community as we bid farewell to a man who, alongside his wife, completely transformed the UK charity sector for the benefit of those that have served," he wrote.
"His vision, determination and brilliance provided a lifeline for thousands of veterans, as well as their families, when they needed it most."
The minister for veterans' affairs, Johnny Mercer, also paid tribute, saying Mr and Mrs Parry had "revolutionised veterans' care in the UK".
The MP for Plymouth, Moor View, added: "(Mr Parry) inspired me with his unapologetic determination to do the right thing by these men and women who serve.
"He will never be forgotten."
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by The Prince and Princess of Wales This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by The Prince and Princess of Wales
Mr Parry, who forged a career as a cartoonist after leaving the Royal Green Jackets, initially set out to raise £10,000 for wounded veterans with his wife through a charity cycle ride.
Within three years the couple, who are from the village of Downton near Salisbury, had raised £50m.
The charity's chief executive James Needham said: "Without Bryn, this charity wouldn't be here. Without him, over 27,000 veterans and their families wouldn't have received life-changing support.
"Bryn was instrumental in changing the focus of the nation and the way we regard both military service and wounded veterans."
He added: "Bryn's founding principles and his no-nonsense approach of doing everything humanly possible to help our heroes, remain at the heart of all we do."
Help for Heroes hold charity bike rides every year to raise funds for the Armed Forces community
Speaking to the BBC in 2010, Mr Parry said he and his wife felt there had been a lot of pent up public support for veterans that had no outlet.
"The problem was, people were concerned about the politics and the rights and wrongs of the wars," he said.
"We said it's not about the rights and wrongs of war, it's about a 22-year-old boy who's had his legs blown off.
"That allowed people to get behind the movement. It's just been a humanitarian desire to do something, and not stand around and feel helpless."
Mr Parry's cartoon business, Bryn Parry Studios, announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and would not be taking on any new commissions.
In a statement on its website, it said: "He is comfortable at home, surrounded by his family and mad dogs!"
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-65258234 |
Can President Biden put pressure on the DUP? - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Joe Biden will briefly meet party leaders in Belfast before travelling to the Republic of Ireland. | Northern Ireland | President Biden with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley and US Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy
It was to be the moment of triumph with President Biden jetting in to celebrate the return of power sharing at Stormont.
A moment to remember an old agreement 25 years on and look forward to a new one bringing some much-needed political stability.
Provisions were even in place for a special presidential address to returning assembly members (MLAs) in the Northern Ireland Assembly chamber.
The Windsor Framework agreed between London and Brussels to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol was considered the game changer.
But the DUP clearly didn't get the Whitehouse memo.
The party's Stormont boycott remains intact as the president's great plans were left in tatters.
Instead we have been left with a scaled-down presidential visit with just one public engagement in Belfast lasting just over an hour.
But, for many, the significance of a visit by a US president cannot be measured in minutes.
It puts a global spotlight on Northern Ireland - if even for an afternoon - which countries elsewhere can only dream off.
Harnessing that moment and maximising the opportunity is the challenge for both businesses and political leaders.
A task not helped by the lack of a functioning Stormont.
The president's visit has been scaled down
Though pressed for time today, Joe Biden is making space to meet the party leaders for a brief chat ahead of his speech at Ulster University.
Much of the focus will be on his discussions with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Will he apply some presidential pressure or gently try to nudge the party back to power sharing?
In truth, the DUP is beyond the reach of President Biden as the party has already slipped into election mode.
Now is not the time for compromise with the council elections next month.
The best President Biden can hope for is a DUP commitment to revisit its Northern Ireland Executive boycott in the autumn.
Maybe then legislation will be in place to ease the DUP's constitutional concerns.
However, President Biden will wave the potential of fresh US investment to tempt the DUP to new ground.
Expect to hear more about that pledge in the president's speech with his special economic envoy Joe Kennedy standing in the wings.
He will talk up the opportunities of dual market access as protected through the Windsor Framework.
But when it comes to the Stormont stalemate, he will likely chose his words carefully.
Singling out the DUP will only serve to deepen the party's mistrust of the Biden administration.
He must find the words to acknowledge the deep frustration of the other Stormont parties without completely isolating Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his party.
That's a task made easier against the backdrop of a new university campus and not a deserted assembly chamber.
President Biden will also focus on local businesses success stories in his speech and expect him to name drop some faces in the audience.
But absent from the gathering will be the man who invited the president to Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be missing as he has another engagement.
On the surface that appears odd and only adds to reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit.
Downing Street has been working hard to play up the significance of the prime minister's role.
Firstly rejecting Whitehouse claims the meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Sunak on Wednesday morning is nothing more than a chat over coffee.
There are reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit
Then Number 10 rejected suggestions the prime minister's role was "low key".
So don't be surprised if the prime minister's other private engagement, pulling him away from the president's one and only public event, is made public.
By then, the presidential cavalcade will likely have left Northern Ireland en route to Dublin.
Together with his sister and close confidante Valerie and his son Hunter, President Biden will revisit his ancestral roots in counties Louth and Mayo.
It will be a trip laced with all the positive images of a returning Irish-American president.
The images which will come in handy when President Biden finally declares his plan to run for a second term in office.
With 30m Americans claiming to have Irish roots, any opportunity to reaffirm his Irish connections is a potential vote winner for President Biden.
When he climbs the steps of Airforce One on Friday, it will be the images from the Republic of Ireland and not the brief Belfast stopover which will feature in the Biden '23 collection. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65248449 |
Can President Biden put pressure on the DUP? - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Joe Biden will briefly meet party leaders in Belfast before travelling to the Republic of Ireland. | Northern Ireland | President Biden with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley and US Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy
It was to be the moment of triumph with President Biden jetting in to celebrate the return of power sharing at Stormont.
A moment to remember an old agreement 25 years on and look forward to a new one bringing some much-needed political stability.
Provisions were even in place for a special presidential address to returning assembly members (MLAs) in the Northern Ireland Assembly chamber.
The Windsor Framework agreed between London and Brussels to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol was considered the game changer.
But the DUP clearly didn't get the Whitehouse memo.
The party's Stormont boycott remains intact as the president's great plans were left in tatters.
Instead we have been left with a scaled-down presidential visit with just one public engagement in Belfast lasting just over an hour.
But, for many, the significance of a visit by a US president cannot be measured in minutes.
It puts a global spotlight on Northern Ireland - if even for an afternoon - which countries elsewhere can only dream off.
Harnessing that moment and maximising the opportunity is the challenge for both businesses and political leaders.
A task not helped by the lack of a functioning Stormont.
The president's visit has been scaled down
Though pressed for time today, Joe Biden is making space to meet the party leaders for a brief chat ahead of his speech at Ulster University.
Much of the focus will be on his discussions with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Will he apply some presidential pressure or gently try to nudge the party back to power sharing?
In truth, the DUP is beyond the reach of President Biden as the party has already slipped into election mode.
Now is not the time for compromise with the council elections next month.
The best President Biden can hope for is a DUP commitment to revisit its Northern Ireland Executive boycott in the autumn.
Maybe then legislation will be in place to ease the DUP's constitutional concerns.
However, President Biden will wave the potential of fresh US investment to tempt the DUP to new ground.
Expect to hear more about that pledge in the president's speech with his special economic envoy Joe Kennedy standing in the wings.
He will talk up the opportunities of dual market access as protected through the Windsor Framework.
But when it comes to the Stormont stalemate, he will likely chose his words carefully.
Singling out the DUP will only serve to deepen the party's mistrust of the Biden administration.
He must find the words to acknowledge the deep frustration of the other Stormont parties without completely isolating Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his party.
That's a task made easier against the backdrop of a new university campus and not a deserted assembly chamber.
President Biden will also focus on local businesses success stories in his speech and expect him to name drop some faces in the audience.
But absent from the gathering will be the man who invited the president to Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be missing as he has another engagement.
On the surface that appears odd and only adds to reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit.
Downing Street has been working hard to play up the significance of the prime minister's role.
Firstly rejecting Whitehouse claims the meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Sunak on Wednesday morning is nothing more than a chat over coffee.
There are reports of strained relations between Downing Street and the Whitehouse over the scaled-down visit
Then Number 10 rejected suggestions the prime minister's role was "low key".
So don't be surprised if the prime minister's other private engagement, pulling him away from the president's one and only public event, is made public.
By then, the presidential cavalcade will likely have left Northern Ireland en route to Dublin.
Together with his sister and close confidante Valerie and his son Hunter, President Biden will revisit his ancestral roots in counties Louth and Mayo.
It will be a trip laced with all the positive images of a returning Irish-American president.
The images which will come in handy when President Biden finally declares his plan to run for a second term in office.
With 30m Americans claiming to have Irish roots, any opportunity to reaffirm his Irish connections is a potential vote winner for President Biden.
When he climbs the steps of Airforce One on Friday, it will be the images from the Republic of Ireland and not the brief Belfast stopover which will feature in the Biden '23 collection. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65248449 |
Anne Perry: Murderer turned crime writer dies aged 84 - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Anne Perry served five years in prison for bludgeoning her friend's mother to death as a teenager. | Entertainment & Arts | Perry died at a hospital in Los Angeles, four months after suffering a heart attack
Crime author Anne Perry, who, as a teenager helped murder her friend's mother, has died aged 84.
The writer served five years in prison from the age of 15 for bludgeoning Honorah Mary Parker to death.
Perry died in a Los Angeles hospital, her agent confirmed. She had been declining for several months after suffering a heart attack in December.
The author was the inspiration for Peter Jackson's 1994 film Heavenly Creatures, which starred Kate Winslet.
At the time Perry bludgeoned her best friend's mother to death, she was known as Juliet Hulme, later adopting Anne Perry as a pen name for her writing career.
The murder took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1954, and was plotted by Perry and her friend Pauline Parker, the victim's daughter.
The details were later discovered in journals found by police.
Honorah Mary Parker died after being hit with a brick about 20 times. When the case went to trial, a court heard the two girls had plotted the murder in an attempt to avoid being separated when 16-year-old Perry's parents were planning to send her abroad.
The girls wanted Parker to join Perry as she went to live with relatives in South Africa, and thought Parker's mother would try to stand in the way of their plan.
As both were aged under 18 at the time they killed Parker's mother, the girls were too young for the death penalty, and were sent to prison instead.
Perry was born in Blackheath, London, in October 1938, and moved first to the Bahamas at the age of eight before settling in New Zealand.
She said on her website that she had been fostered as a child due to illness and missed a lot of school as a result.
After she was released from prison, Perry left New Zealand to return to the UK, and worked briefly as a flight attendant.
She later became a Mormon and settled in Portmahomack, a small Scottish village.
Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published in 1979. She went on to write a string of novels across multiple series, which collectively sold 25 million copies around the world.
One series of books focused on a Victorian police-inspector-turned-detective Thomas Pitt. Another featured a private investigator called William Monk.
The most recent novel in the Pitt series was published last month.
New Zealand director Peter Jackson dramatised the murder by Perry and Parker in his 1994 Academy Award-nominated Heavenly Creatures.
A statement from Ki Agency said: "Anne was a loyal and loving friend, and her writing was driven by her fierce commitment to raising awareness around social injustice.
"Many readers have been moved by her empathy for people backed into impossible situations, or overwhelmed by the difficulties of life." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65261971 |
Joe Biden's blink-and-you'll-miss-it visit to Northern Ireland - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Despite months of diplomatic chatter, the US president's Northern Ireland trip does not amount to much. | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
For the best part of a year at least, the prospect of this presidential visit has been discussed among diplomats.
Washington's deep pride, seeing itself as a midwife to the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement, ensured this date was pencilled in to the White House diary - and those of British and American diplomats - long ago.
But amid the reminiscing about 1998, the politics of 2023 swirls; stirring a loose idea into an actual visit and then moulding its scale, or lack of it.
The prime minister's diplomatic triumph in re-casting the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland has not - yet at least - delivered its most sought after domestic prize - the restoration of power-sharing devolved government in Belfast, that cornerstone of the peace deal 25 years ago.
The Democratic Unionist Party are not happy with what is known as the Windsor Framework and are not willing to go back to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont - and so there can be no moment with a grandiose backdrop and smiles of success.
And so an awkward, if frequent political impasse here hangs over this blink and you'll miss it visit from both the president and prime minister.
Because yes, after months of diplomatic chatter about it, it doesn't actually add up to much.
There has been a smidgen of tension between the White House and Downing Street about the timetabling of the leaders' itineraries which probably hasn't helped.
It would have been odd if President Biden had come here and not been met by the prime minister.
But we won't see very much of them together beyond a handshake at the airport and a meeting on Wednesday morning.
And the president will be in Northern Ireland for only around 15 hours, for around half of which he'll be in bed.
After that, Joe Biden's much talked about Irish heritage will draw him to the Republic.
A mix of family history and made-for-television imagery the year before a presidential election.
As my colleague Sarah Smith writes here, with 30 million Americans claiming Irish roots, the personal and the political will overlap for him rather neatly in the next few days.
For the prime minister, it'll be straight back to London on Wednesday afternoon.
The rationale of those around Mr Sunak is that overt cajoling of the DUP now could prove counter-productive.
No 10 is seeking to emphasise a more prominent role for the prime minister at Good Friday Agreement commemorations here next week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65246488 |
Assaults, neglect and a Taser revealed in ‘deeply shocking’ BBC care home investigation - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Residents assaulted and a staff member ordered Taser for protection - more care firm failings found by BBC. | UK | Oliver is one of more than a 100 young people feared to have been harmed in Hesley's homes and residential special schools
A company which ran children's homes where residents were systemically abused also failed to prevent adults being harmed, BBC News has learned.
An investigation found 99 cases of abuse at a Doncaster home for vulnerable adults in 2010. One worker even ordered a Taser to use there.
The care home company - Hesley - said improvements were made at the time.
But children at other Hesley homes were later reported to have been punched, kicked and fed chillies.
The BBC reported in January how more than 100 reports of appalling abuse and neglect - dating from 2018 to 2021 - were uncovered at sites run by the Hesley Group. They included children being locked outside in freezing temperatures while naked, and having vinegar poured on wounds.
Now the BBC has obtained confidential reports from within Hesley and the local authority which reveal wider safeguarding failings spanning more than a decade at both children's homes and placements for vulnerable young adults.
Our latest findings come after an expert panel found that residents at the children's homes had faced "systemic and sustained abuse" in the three years up to March 2021 - when the regulator finally stepped in. All three were closed shortly afterwards.
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The homes, which included two residential special schools, held a "good" Ofsted rating throughout. Hesley continues to run a school and placements for adults with complex needs.
The BBC has spoken to five families whose children attended the children's homes.
Oliver is autistic and has complex needs and was placed with Hesley in 2019 when he was 19 years old. His mother, Maria, says she's been told he's one of more than 100 young people feared to have been harmed.
She believes her son faced abuse and neglect despite his placement costing taxpayers around £300,000 a year.
When she visited him, Maria says she would frequently find him wearing no underwear and with unexplained bruises.
Maria says she was informed on one occasion that a member of the public - with a background in social work - had reported witnessing her son being strangled by staff in a minibus on a school trip.
Oliver, pictured with his sister, was frequently found with unexplained bruises by his mother when she visited
Maria says documenting incidents and contacting bosses about worries became a "full-time job", but she was left feeling "powerless".
One email sent to the chief executive Chris McSharry - among dozens seen by the BBC - shares her concerns of a "culture of institutional abuse" two years before the site's closure.
"I felt I should be able to protect my son from harm but I couldn't," she wrote.
The BBC has obtained a confidential report - produced by Doncaster Council - which reveals how vulnerable young adults were abused in a Hesley home in 2010 - eight years before assaults are documented to have begun at the children's homes.
The council report - prompted by safeguarding concerns - details 99 cases of abuse it regarded as "proven" involving young people aged 18 and over who have a range of complex needs.
A number of failings, such as staff sleeping on duty and residents being found in soiled clothing, mirror later neglect reported in Hesley's children's homes.
One of the Hesley Group sites, Fullerton House, is in Denaby Main on the edge of Doncaster
Investigators learned that one resident - who required one-to-one supervision at all times - had been found unsupervised, wearing a soiled incontinence pad in a bath full of dirty water and faeces, after their carer had left the home during a shift.
A staff member also admitted ordering a taser from abroad to use in the home. Although the electronic stun device was never delivered - it was impounded by Customs and Excise - the worker told investigators he had bought it with the intention of using it as a last resort in the home, because he felt he didn't have enough protection there.
Hesley says changes were made in response to the 2010 investigation and "poor outcomes" it was aware of at the time - and regulators were "satisfied".
But the report's author, Kevin Stolz - a social worker who ran Doncaster Council's investigation team - says lessons have not been learned. When we tracked him down he told us that reports of abuse at Hesley homes nearly a decade later, was "history repeating itself".
"[The 2010 report] doesn't seem to have had any impact at all. Local authorities just continue to feed people into this system and Hesley continues to make these massive profits."
Kevin Stolz says lessons were not learned from his investigation
Hesley's latest accounts recorded a 16% profit of £12m for all the sites it runs - almost the same margin (17%) regarded as "excessive" by a government watchdog.
The BBC has also obtained another report - an internal Hesley document - which casts further doubt on how far lessons were learned.
Written by a Hesley social worker, it criticises how the company investigated reports of abuse in its children's homes between 2018 and 2021 - with cases having been closed "without rationale".
The report found thresholds which required staff to be suspended were met but not followed, and risk "was simply transferred" by moving support workers to care for different children.
It concludes: "We portray an ethos that the welfare of the child is paramount, yet our approach at times has been to focus on disproving the allegations."
BBC News has learned that some staff members accused of abuse between 2018 and 2021 were not immediately referred to the DBS.
Other staff facing allegations of physical assault were also able to leave Hesley and work with vulnerable children at different providers following the homes' closure.
The findings are "deeply shocking", says Robin Walker MP - the Conservative chair of the Education Select Committee.
"This fundamentally shows a company that is repeatedly not following the rules, not meeting its safeguarding responsibilities, that should be a red flag to the system as a whole."
Hesley has repeatedly declined to be interviewed but, in a statement, said it's aware of six cases where it was unclear if a DBS referral had been made at the time but had been now. It said the majority of its records showed that referrals had taken place but its systems "should have been more robust".
It added that it did not redeploy staff where there was a known safeguarding concern and that references provided to those who then joined other companies were factual and agreed by the local authority.
The BBC has spoken to one company which says it took months to be notified - by the local authority - that a support worker employed from Hesley was facing abuse allegations.
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, has repeatedly declined to be interviewed about Hesley or comment on the remuneration received by its chief executive.
In a statement, the government said it was "horrified" by events at Hesley and plans to strengthen standards in children's social care.
Last year, it also promised reform after the BBC learned that children in care had reported being groomed and sexually assaulted in homes run by a different firm making huge profits.
Do you have more information about this story?
You can reach Noel directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7809 334720 or by email at [email protected] | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65183594 |
Mary Quant: The miniskirt pioneer who defined 60s fashion - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | British fashion designer Mary Quant, who designed the miniskirt that defined the 60s, has died. | In Pictures | British fashion designer Mary Quant, credited with designing the miniskirt that helped to define the Swinging '60s, has died aged 93.
Let's take a look back at her life in pictures.
In 1955, Quant set up a shop called Bazaar just off the King's Road in London's Chelsea area, where she sold a range of clothes and accessories.
Her clothes appealed to a new generation of women who had decided they did not want to dress like their mothers.
She won a scholarship to London's prestigious Goldsmiths College, where she failed to complete her course but did meet future husband and business partner Alexander Plunket Greene.
It was the miniskirt more than any other garment that came to epitomise the new liberated woman.
Hems had been rising since the late 1950s - but it was Quant who popularised the style and put it out into the mass market.
An era-defining haircut by iconic stylist Vidal Sassoon was named after Quant, who was one of his celebrity clients.
The cut was a geometric five-point bob, which was worn by the fashion designer and contrasted sharply with the romantic, curly look of the 1950s.
In 1966 she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to fashion.
By the 1970s she had begun moving away from clothes design, eventually turning her attention to cosmetics and perfumes.
The packaging was stamped with her iconic, stylised black-and-white daisy motif.
Quant stepped back from the cosmetics business that bore her name when she sold it to a Japanese company in 2000.
In an interview in 2012 she was asked whether she was ever surprised by how successful she had been.
"I mostly felt, my God, what a marvellous life you had, you are very fortunate," she said. "I think to myself, 'you lucky woman — how did you have all this fun?'"
She was made a dame in 2015.
In 2019 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which has the largest collection of Quant clothing in the world, presented an exhibition looking at her legacy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-65265873 |
Ghana first to approve 'world-changer' malaria vaccine - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The vaccine - R21 - was up to 80% effective in early-stage clinical trials. | Health | Ghana is the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine that has been described as a "world-changer" by the scientists who developed it.
The vaccine - called R21 - appears to be hugely effective, in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field.
Ghana's drug regulators have assessed the final trial data on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, which is not yet public, and have decided to use it.
The World Health Organization is also considering approving the vaccine.
Malaria kills about 620,000 people each year, most of them young children.
It has been a massive, century-long, scientific undertaking to develop a vaccine that protects the body from the malaria parasite.
Trial data from preliminary studies in Burkina Faso showed the R21 vaccine was up to 80% effective when given as three initial doses, and a booster a year later.
But widespread use of the vaccine hinges on the results of a larger trial involving nearly 5,000 children.
These had been expected to take place at the end of last year, but have still not been formally published. However, they have been shared with some government bodies in Africa, and scientists.
I have not seen the final data, but have been told it shows a similar picture to the earlier studies.
Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority, which has seen the data, has approved the vaccine's use in children aged between five months to three years old.
Other African countries are also studying the data, as is the World Health Organization.
Prof Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, where the vaccine was invented, says African countries are declaring: "we'll decide", after being left behind in the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
He told me: "We expect R21 to make a major impact on malaria mortality in children in the coming years, and in the longer term [it] will contribute to overall final goal of malaria eradication and elimination."
The Serum Institute of India is preparing to produce between 100-200 million doses per year, with a vaccine factory being constructed in Accra, Ghana.
Each dose of R21 is expected to cost a couple of dollars.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute, said: "Developing a vaccine to greatly impact this huge disease burden has been extraordinarily difficult."
He added that Ghana, as the first country to approve the vaccine, represents a "significant milestone in our efforts to combat malaria around the world". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65252511 |
Twitter staff cuts leave Russian trolls unchecked - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Troll farms are thriving after Elon Musk wiped out the team fighting them. | Technology | Hundreds of Russian and Chinese state propaganda accounts are thriving on Twitter after Elon Musk wiped out the team that fought these networks, the BBC has found.
The unit worked to combat "information operations", coordinated campaigns by countries such as Russia, China, and Iran, made to influence public opinion and disrupt democracy.
But experts and former employees say the majority of these specialists resigned or were laid off, leaving the platform vulnerable to foreign manipulation. The BBC has spoken to several of them. They asked for anonymity, citing non-disclosure agreements and threats they received online.
"The whole human layer has been wiped out. All Twitter has left are automated detections systems," a former senior employee said.
In a BBC interview on Tuesday, Musk claimed there was "less misinformation [on Twitter] rather than more" under his tenure. He did not comment on active state troll farms on the platform nor the team that used to fight them.
We approached Twitter for comment but received no response other than a poo emoji - the standard auto-reply from the company to any press enquiry.
Organised groups of people posting coordinated messages are called 'troll farms.' The term was first used by Russian reporters who exposed one of roughly 300 paid employees run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group.
Since then, troll farms influencing elections and public opinion have been uncovered in many countries, from Poland and Turkey to Brazil and Mexico. They have also been used as a propaganda tool in ethnic conflicts and wars.
In January, a cartoon promoting Russia's Wagner Group's actions in Mali went viral on Twitter
Now, a new group of Russian trolls is active on Twitter.
It supports Putin's war in Ukraine, ridicules Kyiv and the West, and attacks independent Russian-language publications, including the BBC Russian Service. Many of these trolls' accounts have been suspended, but dozens are still active.
Darren Linvill, associate professor at the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub in South Carolina, says the network appears to originate from Prigozhin's troll factory.
Mr Linvill and his colleagues have also discovered two similar Russian-language troll networks, but from an opposite camp. One tweets in support of Ukraine, and another promotes Russian opposition, including the jailed Putin critic Alexey Navalny.
While they have all the markings of troll accounts, including random numbers in the Twitter handles and coordinated behaviour, these networks appear to remain undetected by the platform.
The Clemson University team is also tracking pro-Chinese accounts targeting users in both Chinese and English about issues of importance to the Chinese government.
With only a skeleton crew remaining, Twitter does not have resources to swiftly detect, attribute and take down this foreign propaganda, according to former employees.
While the platform also established partnerships with research institutions that detected information operations, scholars say they have not heard anything from Twitter since November.
Experts have long warned about the dangers of foreign influence on social media.
In 2018, the FBI said that fake accounts impersonating real Americans had played a central role in the Russian effort to meddle in the 2016 election. That was when Twitter and Facebook started hiring "information operations" specialists.
Accounts meddling into the Brexit debate and US selections were in part managed from this office building in St Petersburg, Russia
"I still remember the rage I felt when I saw accounts with names like "Pamela Moore" and "Crystal Johnson" purporting to be real Americans from Wisconsin and New York, but with phone numbers tracing back to St Petersburg, Russia," recalls Yoel Roth, Twitter's former Trust and Safety head.
Twitter has a fraction of Facebook's reach and budget. But over the years, it built a small but capable team. While it could not match the resources of its rival social network, Twitter "nonetheless punched above its weight", says Lee Foster, an independent expert in information operations.
Twitter hired people with backgrounds in cybersecurity, journalism, government agencies and NGOs who spoke an array of languages including Russian, Farsi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Portuguese.
One former investigator says: "We needed people who would be able to understand: if Russia is likely to be the responsible actor behind this, what is its motivation to do this particular operation?"
He says he resigned because his team did not fit into 'Twitter 2.0' that Musk was building.
"Our role was to help make the use of Twitter as safe as possible. And it did not feel like that was likely to continue as a priority."
The team worked in close contact, but separately from the ones countering misinformation. That is because state-run campaigns can use both fake news and factual stories to promote their messages.
In 2016, Russian trolls targeted black voters in the US using real footage showing police violence. And in 2022, a coordinated network promoted negative - but sometimes accurate - news about the French contingent and United Nations missions in Africa's Sahel region.
Both networks were taken down by Twitter.
In 2016, Russian trolls posing as American activists played on the racial tensions in the US
As similar information operations were conducted on different platforms, Twitter employees met with their peers at Meta and other companies to exchange information.
But at such meetings, Twitter's investigators would be reminded of how small their operation was. "Their team would be ten times the size of ours," says an investigator.
Now even those resources are lacking.
Without the team dedicated to fight coordinated campaigns, Twitter "will slowly become more and more unsafe," says Linvill of Clemson University. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65067707 |
Aldi, Lidl and Asda follow rivals in cutting milk prices - BBC News | 2023-04-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Several supermarkets are reducing the cost of milk in a sign that inflation could be easing. | Business | Aldi, Lidl and Asda have joined rival supermarkets Sainsbury's and Tesco in cutting the price of milk by at least 5p.
The retailers are reducing the price of a pint to 90p, in order to match other grocers.
While the drop will be welcomed by people struggling with higher living costs, milk still costs more than double the average price before Covid.
In March 2020, a pint of milk was around 43p, according to official data.
All five supermarkets have confirmed the reductions in price will not affect how much they pay farmers.
Tesco said it made the decision because its costs for buying in milk had fallen.
Asda said that it had taken "swift action to reduce the price of milk as commodity prices have eased".
Arla, the UK's largest dairy producer, said in March that the wholesale price of milk was already expected to fall by around 5.3p per litre this month because of rising supplies and falling demand from cost-conscious shoppers.
The move comes at a time when food inflation is at its highest level since 1978. The latest official data shows that food prices increased by 18.2% in the year to February.
Milk alone has risen by 43% in price over the same period, one of many staples, including cheese and eggs, which have surged in cost and squeezed household budgets.
Some analysts have suggested that supermarkets reducing their prices is a possible sign that hikes in the cost of a weekly shop could be starting to ease.
Arthur Fearnall, a farmer and board director at Arla Foods, said: "While some prices for dairy categories are seeing early signs of levelling out, the severity of the on-going cost of living crisis and volatile economic environment is continuing to negatively impact consumer demand for both conventional and organic milk."
Paul Savage, agriculture director at Arla, said milk supplies in the UK rose by 3.2% in March compared to the same month last year. "When coupled with a decline in dairy consumption and an overall decline in shopping spending, with 75% of people cutting expenditure on food, this is creating a change in the supply and demand of milk," he said.
Sainsbury's said with "costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low, especially on the everyday essentials people buy the most".
Recent research revealed nine out of 10 shoppers reported feeling concerned about rising food prices, according to Barclays.
Around 62% said they were finding ways to reduce the cost of their weekly shop, a report showed.
On Thursday, Tesco announced its full-year results and admitted that customers had faced "an incredibly tough year" with prices soaring.
Tesco's chief executive Ken Murphy said that he expected prices to keep rising throughout the first half of this year but they would then "moderate".
Tesco said that while its full-year sales had risen by 7% to £66bn, pre-tax profits dropped 51% to £1bn. It said it had faced "unprecedented" rises in prices charged by its suppliers.
Separately, Sainsbury's has announced a major restructuring of how its logistics operations work, affecting around 7,000 staff throughout the country.
The company said that no one would lose their job or get moved to worse contractual terms. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65267367 |
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