The history house

30 July 2011 Last updated at 02:35 GMT By Stephen Stafford BBC News, Southampton The Tudor House Museum has been closed since 2002 With its Tudor banqueting hall, Georgian drawing room and Victorian kitchens, Southampton's Tudor House Museum has five centuries of life under one roof.

The Grade I listed building in Bugle Street is reopening on Saturday after nine years of restoration work.

The creaking wooden floor, so warped it induces a slight feeling of seasickness when walked on, is just one of the idiosyncrasies kept in the restoration process.

The latest audio-video technology has been installed in the 15th Century house to display its unique contents.

The house was originally constructed in the 1490s near Southampton's prosperous port by the builder of the Mary Rose, John Dawtry.

It was later saved from slum clearance by forward-thinking Victorian philanthropist William Spranger.

He bought the building, restored it and sold it to the council as a museum and just about every Southampton schoolchild has visited it since.

Continue reading the main story 1492 - Current house built by prominent citizen John Dawtry MP18th Century - Home of artist George Rogers1850 - Subdivided into workshops including tannery1890 - Bought by William Spranger1912 - Opened as Southampton's first municipal museum1940 - Survived German bombing of Southampton2002 - Closed for extensive structural repair work2011 - Reopens to publicMany of the original exhibits and curios are back on display - from a stuffed puppy to a World War I hot cross bun.

It is thought the house survived the World War II blitz because German pilots wanted to preserve nearby St Michael's church as a navigation aid.

However by the 1990s, time was taking its toll and the house was in a perilous condition.

Surveys showed it was slipping into neighbouring Blue Anchor Lane. But carrying out major work to a unique and precious relic was fraught with difficulty.

Project manager Dan Matthews said: "The main thing was the complexity - so many things had been done to it over 500 years."

The house structure was pinned to a 15-tonne concrete pillar and basic services, including a state-of-the-art fire sprinkler system, installed.

The work was funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of ?3.5m, as well as ?1.8m from Southampton City Council.

'Star attraction'

Mr Matthews said: "It's got so much character and eccentricity, but the flipside is everything from changing a fuse to fixing a window is never a simple task.

"There's not a right angle in the place, so even hanging a picture never looks straight.

"The house is now singing. It looks wonderful and visitors will be amazed. This has given it life for another 100 years."

The wooden structure of the house has been secured

Today there are touch screens to highlight graffiti from around 1570 uncovered on a wall, and 360-degree virtual displays showing how rooms would have looked in different eras.

Designer Mark Magidson, of Exhibition Plus, said: "It was like peeling an onion of different layers of the various parallel histories of the building,

"The building itself is the star attraction," he added.

Southampton City Council's Karen Wardley said the house would be a major tourist attraction for the city - particularly for visitors from cruise ships.

She said: "We want to help visitors learn the history of the building and relate it to this area of Southampton and the people who lived and worked here over the ages.

"Everything we have done is in keeping with the building and we haven't lost its character," she said.

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Ladies in the lab

29 July 2011 Last updated at 11:54 GMT By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter Nasa scientist Dr Holly Goodhead in James Bond film Moonraker was a classic stereotype of a female scientist Women are being put off working in and studying science by "subtle" messages in the media and society, academics say.

Although girls make up more than half GCSE science students - by the time they reach university science departments they are outnumbered by men by a factor of two to one.

And higher up the academic food chain, for every female science professor, there are nine male ones. So what is putting women off?

"It's not that people actually think there are no women in science it's more subtle than that," says Rachel Tibbell, development consultant at the UK Resource Centre for women in science, engineering and technology (UKRC)

UKRC research suggests women scientists are stereotyped either as frumpy, glasses-wearing cartoon geeks or uber-sexy, Bond-film glamour pusses - who shake their hair out of their specs once they have split the atom.

Gender stereotypes seem to permeate all the way down to children. Mrs Tibbell describes an Open University research project which asked in 2006 a group of children to draw a picture of a scientist. "Overwhelmingly, the children drew a man."

But where does this stereotyping come from? It starts at birth, says Mrs Tibbell.

"I have girl-boy twins and what I found is people buy a car for the boy and a doll for the girl. So already the child is getting a message about the sort of thing they should be doing," she said.

She also highlights the lack of female scientists in the media. Further UKRC research suggests scientific experts interviewed on television are five times more likely to be male than female.

But are these media images, or lack of them, putting off the female scientists of the future?

Professor Susan Greenfield is one of the few female scientists to have made it into the media

Dr Patricia Brekke, a 32-year-old conservation geneticist who has a fellowship at the Institute of Zoology, says: "I wanted to be a female David Attenborough but there was never a female presenter on television.

"But I would never have let this stop me - then I was a little bit obsessed," she said at a recent women in science event at London's South Bank sponsored by L'Oreal and the Zoological Society London (ZSL).

However, some of today's current scientists suggest that even if women do opt for an academic career in science or technology that they can face sexism once they are at university.

'Girls can't do maths'

Dr Kate Jones, a senior research fellow at ZSL, recalls a very macho culture and unrepeatable sexist comments at the university where she studied, although she says it has improved now.

And Professor Charlotte Watts, a mathematics professor and an expert in HIV prevention in the developing world, says: "I remember when I was an undergraduate at Oxford, one of my peers saying; 'I didn't know girls could do maths'."

Dr Jones said she experienced a very macho atmosphere where she studied

She also remembers going to conferences where she was the only woman: "I was a nobody, but everybody knew my name, because I was a woman. I got bought a lot of drinks."

But how much has society moved on the issue? There has been a greater increase in the number of girls studying science technology and engineering subjects at A-level than for boys.

But progress is slow. Sean McWhinnie, independent research consultant with Oxford Research and Policy, said it would be many years before women are represented in equal numbers in the UK's university science departments.

If present rates of increase continue, he predicts men and women will reach parity in 2021 for biosciences, in 2042 for chemistry, in 2060 for physics and in 2109 for civil engineering.

'Short skirts'

And Prof Watts suggests cultural changes are needed. She adds: "I was talking to this older woman and she said that in her day she had not been allowed to study science. Obviously that has changed.

"But she went on to say how much she admired the neuroscientist and former director of the Royal Society, Professor Susan Greenfield. And then her husband piped up that no one respected her because she wore short skirts."

Dr Brekke suggests that even if women are determined to find their place at an academic institution, problems can arise if they decide to have children.

"The problem is you have to keep up with the latest research and when it comes to getting a grant you are judged by how many papers you have produced."

Dr Jones says when women go on maternity leave they are left with big holes in their academic record for the period of time they take out.

"I am not sure there is any way of showing you have had a break," she adds.

Mother-of-two and 37-year-old evolutionary biologist Seirian Sumner said: "I never really had maternity leave because I had lots of on-going projects and students to see.

"Also because I am a field biologist I had to take my family to Panama for two months. If I had 'logged out', so to speak, I think it would have been even harder coming back."

But eminent plant biologist Professor Ottoline Leyser, author of 'Mothers in Science 64 Ways to Have it All', says there is no reason for women scientists to choose between their career and a family.

Women scientists often feel they must choose between children and careers

"I appeared at a conference in 1993 with my son in my stomach and my daughter on my hip. I was told that my career was in ruins because I had decided to have children."

She argues that working in academia with a family should be easier than other jobs because it can be so much more flexible.

"Even if you are out for a few years for small children it is only a very small proportion of your overall career," she said.

And perhaps most crucially, she adds: "Children have two parents - and men have been happily having careers in science for a very long time."

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Broad hat-trick revives England

By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport at Trent Bridge

Second Test, Trent Bridge (day two):

England 221 & 24-1 v India 288 - England trail by 43 runs

Broad's place in the team was in doubt heading into this series Stuart Broad took a sensational hat-trick to fire England back into contention in the second Test against India at Trent Bridge.

The tourists were in total control of the match, leading by 46 on 267-4, when Broad dismissed Yuvraj Singh for 62 to break his partnership of 128 with centurion Rahul Dravid.

Then in his next over Broad had Mahendra Dhoni caught in the slips, Harbhajan Singh trapped leg before wicket and Praveen Kumar clean bowled in successive balls to send the crowd at his home ground into delirium.

Broad was the 12th Englishman to take a hat-trick in Test cricket and the first since Ryan Sidebottom in Hamilton in 2008.

Dravid was caught soon afterwards for 116, before Broad removed Ishant Sharma to wrap up the India innings for 288.

That wicket gave Broad Test-best figures of 6-46 and completed an astonishing 16-ball spell of five wickets for no runs.

It was a breathless period of play, and all the more remarkable for the fact that Broad was once again the instigator of England's comeback - the Nottinghamshire all-rounder having struck a rapid 64 to rescue England from 124-8 to 221 all out in their first innings on Friday.

Continue reading the main story Phil Tufnell,
Former England spinner and BBC summariser

Absolutely riveting day's cricket. This series is getting better and better, a great effort by Stuart Broad really dragged England back into the match. It looked like India would bat us out of the game but England will be thinking if they bat well and get a lead of 250-260 they will have a great chance. I can't wait to come back tomorrow

India's collapse left England 11 overs at the end of the day and they finished up 24-1, 43 runs behind, after Alastair Cook was caught off a leading edge.

Up until Broad's dramatic intervention the day had been entirely India's, with Dravid and VVS Laxman scoring 69 in the first hour - 56 of those runs coming in boundaries.

Laxman advanced untroubled to his 54th Test fifty before the return of Tim Bresnan from the Pavilion End brought about his downfall. One away swinger beat the bat, but the following ball caught the outside edge and was snaffled by a jubilant Matt Prior.

Sachin Tendulkar received a standing ovation as he set out once more in search of his 100th international century. But the Little Master's poor run of form continued as he was caught in the slips off Broad for 16 before Suresh Raina glided a catch straight to Eoin Morgan at point.

With the seamers bowling well, England were on top, and they should have reduced India to 144-5 when Yuvraj - on four - was dropped by Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

The error proved costly as Yuvraj and Dravid batted India well beyond England's total, with Dravid reaching three figures for the second successive Test and the 34th time overall.

The duo scored at almost four runs per over but just when they seemed to be taking the game away from England, the second new ball provided the catalyst for Broad to unleash an unforgettable spell.

Continue reading the main story Malcolm Ashton,
Test Match Special scorer Broad is the 12th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick and the 39th in Test historyRyan Sidebottom was the last Englishman to achieve the feat - against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2008Broad was the final victim of the last Test hat-trick - Peter Siddle v England in Brisbane in November 2010England are first side to take a Test hat-trick against India

It started when a ball angled across Yuvraj drew an edge and the catch was taken by Prior.

With the baying crowd roaring him to the crease, Broad produced a quicker ball that Dhoni slashed to second slip and a straight one that trapped Harbhajan on his crease, although replays revealed the ball took an inside edge on his pads.

The hat-trick ball was superb, moving in off the seam and slamming into Kumar's middle stump.

England's reply got off to an inauspicious start when Cook was removed cheaply, but Strauss and Ian Bell survived a testing period at the end.

Bell was forced to bat at number three after Jonathan Trott suffered a shoulder injury in the field, although a scan revealed no bone damage and he will be assessed again on Sunday morning.

Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott's review of the day's play on the TMS podcast.

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Prosecutors defend Knox evidence

30 July 2011 Last updated at 18:22 GMT Knox is serving a 26-year sentence for Miss Kercher's murder Italian prosecutors have rejected claims that evidence used to convict Amanda Knox of the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher was unreliable.

Knox, 24, and her Italian ex-boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito, 26, are appealing against their convictions for killing the Surrey student in Perugia in 2007.

On Monday, experts told the court the DNA evidence which helped convict the American could have been contaminated.

But the scientific police director has defended the original forensic work.

In a letter read out to the court, Piero Angeloni described the technology used as being world-class and said the officers were highly experienced.

"Never before" has there been such criticism of his agency, he said.

Patrizia Stefanoni, the police forensic scientist who originally found the DNA on the knife and Miss Kercher's torn bra clasp, has said she will fight the appeal trial experts' accusation that basic errors were made.

'Not reliable'

During proceedings in Perugia, prosecutor Manuela Comodi sought to undermine the independent experts' conclusions and show that the forensic evidence used to convict Knox could stand.

The experts - appointed by the court to review the evidence and procedures used to obtain it - maintain that the original investigation was marked by some glaring errors, the Associated Press reports.

Much of the debate centred on a kitchen knife the prosecutors believe to be the murder weapon.

In the first trial, prosecutors maintained that Knox's DNA was found on the knife's handle and Miss Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They also said Sollecito's DNA was found on the clasp of Miss Kercher's bra.

But the appeals court heard that the collection of evidence fell below international standards.

Carla Vecchiotti, a forensic specialist from La Sapienza university, Rome, said it was impossible to say whether the British student's DNA was found on the knife.

"There is a complete genetic profile, but it's not reliable," she said.

"We don't know if Meredith's DNA was on it or not."

Ms Comodi insisted that the genetic profile found on the blade should not be thrown out.

Miss Kercher, a Leeds University student, was living in Italy as part of a year of study abroad when she died.

Knox is serving a 26-year sentence for Miss Kercher's murder while Sollecito, an Italian, was sentenced to 25 years.

Both deny any wrongdoing.

Rudy Guede, 21, was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.

The hearing was adjourned until September.

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Man dies in two-vehicle collision

31 July 2011 Last updated at 08:22 GMT A man has died after a collision in east Cornwall.

The emergency services were called to a crash involving two vehicles on the A390 near St Ive, between Callington and Liskeard, on Saturday.

The male driver and female passenger of a Mazda sports car had serious injuries and were airlifted to Derriford Hospital, where the man died.

Police said the incident happened at about 12:40 BST and the people in the other car were not seriously injured.

The A390 was closed for several hours while police investigated the cause of the collision.

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Olympic knitters

29 July 2011 Last updated at 09:59 GMT

Photos from around the world this week

Photos from around the world on 29 July

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Flood families need support to rebuild

Photos on the theme of wind

A first glimpse inside the Olympic venue

Photos from around the world on 27 July

Norway mourns those killed in terror attacks

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Twin terror attacks in Norway

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Sir Bobby's cancer charity legacy

31 July 2011 Last updated at 08:21 GMT Sir Bobby died on 31 July 2009 The family of football legend Sir Bobby Robson has said he would have been proud at the ongoing work of the cancer charity he founded.

Speaking on the second anniversary of his father's death, Mark Robson has said they were grateful to the public for its ongoing support.

Set up in 2008, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has raised more than ?3.5m.

Achievements include the creation of a new medical research centre at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

The County Durham-born former England, Newcastle, and Ipswich manager died on 31 July 2009 after his fifth battle against the disease.

Mark Robson said: "It's incredible how great the support and feeling for dad still is.

"Dad described the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation as his legacy to help other people fighting cancer and that's just what it is.

'Great pride'

"In addition to what we've already funded, the medical trustees of the charity are investigating some very promising new pieces of cancer equipment and potentially funding additional research personnel.

"It's something my mum, my brothers and I take great pride in."

He added his father would be "touched and proud at the ongoing work in his name".

"We do feel we are achieving something for him," he said.

"I can't think of a better way to remember him than to help the experts find more effective ways to combat cancer.

"He would like that."

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Gerrard to miss start of season

Gerrard had an injury-plagued 2010-11 season with Liverpool Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is expected to be out until September because of a groin problem.

Gerrard, 31, began a course of antibiotic treatment for an infection on Saturday and is expected to remain in hospital for several days.

Groin surgery ended Gerrard's season in March but he had expected to be back for the start of the new campaign.

The midfielder could also miss England's two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales.

Gerrard missed his side's pre-season tour of Asia this month in order to try to regain full fitness for the start of the new season on 13 August, when Liverpool play Sunderland at Anfield.

He will also miss Premier League fixtures against Arsenal and Bolton, with the trip to Stoke on 10 September a likely target date for his return.

The England midfielder was already set to miss the international friendly with the Netherlands on 10 August but will now also be a doubt for the qualifiers away to Bulgaria on 2 September and at home to Wales four days later.

Gerrard has been plagued by the problem for several years now and it restricted his effectiveness in the last campaign, when he played only 21 of 38 Premier League matches.

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'Record' for space hopper bounce

30 July 2011 Last updated at 17:11 GMT More than 700 people took part on their space hoppers

Hundreds of people jumped on space hoppers in Leeds in an attempt to break the record for the largest number of people bouncing for 100m.

More than 700 people took part in Bounce for Leeds at Roundhay Park on Saturday.

Organisers Yorkshire Cancer Research believe they managed to break the record - which they set at an event last year.

On that occasion, 771 hoppers took part in a race in Sheffield.

Rachel Speight, from the charity, said the aim was to raise more than ?30,000.

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Man describes plane crash ordeal

30 July 2011 Last updated at 15:27 GMT The plane crashed into Colin Maher's semi-detached house at 12:20 BST A man has described the moment a light aircraft crashed into his Salford home, leaving two men critically injured.

Colin Maher said he could hear one man shouting for help after the plane burst into flames after hitting two houses.

The pilot and passenger, one in his late 50s and the other aged 21, are in Wythenshawe Hospital, where the older man is said to be very critical.

The crash was in Newlands Avenue, Peel Green, at about 12:20 BST on Friday.

The plane, operated by Ravenair flying school, was on fire as it took off from Barton Aerodrome, the BBC understands.

Mr Maher, who has only lived in the house for six months, rushed out of his home and saw the plane's tail end on fire.

Colin Maher said he could hear one man shouting for help

"As I ran into the garden there was fuel around my feet which ignited around me, I heard a man shouting for help and just put a hosepipe on him," he said.

"The upstairs is completely collapsed in on itself and the roof is hanging down over the sidewalls, they're just waiting for it to be pulled down."

The family are staying at a hotel for the forseable future while builders decide how to secure the property.

Some residents living near the crash site said such incidents were a constant worry.

Lyn Browning, who witnessed the crash, said: "Lots of us round here have problems because of the aircraft taking off and landing and the way they come over the flats."

Emergency accommodation

Local councillor and Salford Council deputy leader David Lancaster said: "The airport was here before the houses but that doesn't mean we don't have some concerns."

He said a number of families had spent the night in emergency accommodation.

Emergency crews described how people nearby, including a man who had been in one of the homes hit by the plane, helped put out flames after the crash.

The older man in the plane suffered 70% burns while the younger man had 60% burns.

The plane hit the upper floor of one of the houses

Mark Frimston, who lives in nearby flats, said the noise of the crash was "as if a bomb went off".

He said that when he went outside he "could see the plane embedded into the side of a house".

Another eyewitness, John Kavanagh, 56, said his "blood turned cold" as the explosion ripped through the area.

He said: "It felt like everything shook - the houses and cars - and then smoke rose up high into the sky. I thought it was a gas explosion.

"The people that survived this have had a miracle escape."

Investigation under way

In a statement, Ravenair said: "Our primary concern is for the welfare of the two persons on board the aircraft and their family and friends.

"We wish to express our gratitude and thanks to all of the emergency services and general public who assisted in the initial moments of the accident."

The Liverpool-based company posted a note on its website in May saying it was winding up its operations at the airport on 31 July.

It stated: "The decision was made as a result of a review of the commercial viability at the site due to costs and a reduction in business."

A spokesperson for the aerodrome said on Friday: "A Piper PA38 Tomahawk single-engine light aircraft with two people on board took off from City Airport [Barton Aerodrome] at 12:19 BST today.

"After take-off, the aircraft flew a short distance before coming down in Newlands Avenue, Salford."

A spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said a team was deployed to the crash site and an investigation was under way.

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DVT linked to video gamer's death

30 July 2011 Last updated at 15:44 GMT Chris Staniforth would spend up to 12 hours playing on the console. A man whose son died after playing video games for long periods is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use.

Chris Staniforth, 20, who would play his console for up to 12 hours, died in May from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

His father David believes the condition may have been triggered by long gaming sessions.

DVT can form during long periods of immobility and can kill if the clots travel to the lungs.

Computer records showed his son would sometimes play online on his Xbox for periods up to 12 hours.

The coroner said a clot formed in Chris' left calf before moving to his lungs.

Once there, it caused a fatal blockage, known as a pulmonary embolism.

Mr Staniforth said: "After my research I saw there was no difference to Chris sitting at a desk on his Xbox and someone on a long-haul flight.

"Sitting still is literally the danger zone. Chris loved to play and would stay up all night.

"Millions of people worldwide are playing these games for hours, and there is a risk."

While Mr Staniforth has no problem with games consoles, he wants to highlight the heightened risk of DVT associated with being immobile, and is in the process of setting up a website.

In a statement, Microsoft, who manufacture the Xbox console, said: 'We have always encouraged responsible game play through our education campaigns such as Play Smart, Play Safe.

"We recommend that gamers take periodic breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

David Staniforth calls for greater awareness of DVT after the death of his son, Chris

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NHS funds 'moved to rich areas'

31 July 2011 Last updated at 09:29 GMT The Department of Health says NHS spending will rise in real terms this year Labour is accusing the government of moving NHS spending in England away from poorer areas towards richer parts of the country.

It says this is because of changes to the funding for primary care trusts.

For years, areas which have higher incidences of poor health have been given a higher per-capita funding but this weighting is set to be reduced.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley called Labour's claims "nonsense" and said all areas were getting budget increases.

He said figures showed NHS spending was going up in real terms across England as a whole, and that Labour would not have matched that commitment if it had won the election.

"We're not taking money away from any parts of England, we're increasing the budget for the health service in England," said Mr Lansley.

"The average increase in each primary care trust is 3%, compared to [its] provision the previous year.

"The minimum increase is two and a half percent, and actually the minimum increase is going to Kingston upon Thames in London, which is hardly a poor area."

Labour, however, says the changes will mean less well-off areas such as Manchester and Tower Hamlets in east London losing out in the allocation of health funding, while more prosperous parts of the country - such as Surrey and Hampshire - will benefit.

Its claims are based on an assessment of funding changes made by public health bodies in Manchester.

Shadow health minister, Diane Abbott, stood by the report and said the NHS was under pressure because of a "misconceived reorganisation" by the Conservative-led government.

"A responsible government, which cared about health and equalities, that cared about the health of the poor, would not be taking money away from inner city areas.

"This isn't politics. This is about people's lives. This is about how quickly you can expect to get an operation, whether you get it as quickly as possible, whether you're made to wait artificially long - 15 weeks - rather than as quickly as possible."

The government argues that the funding changes were based on independent advice and that Labour's figures are misleading.

The Department of Health said primary care budgets in Surrey and Tower Hamlets would, in fact, increase this year by a similar amount.

It added that a greater emphasis on the prevention of illness in future would assist those living in poorer parts of England.

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Resting place

29 July 2011 Last updated at 05:16 GMT Excavations have been taking place in South Korea after an eyewitness reported seeing the burial of a Gloucestershire soldier

Human remains have been found in South Korea, which could be those of a Gloucestershire regiment soldier who fought in the Korean War in 1951.

Tests are now being carried out by the UK's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) to see if the soldier is British.

Bodies of several British soldiers who fought in Korea have never been found.

The discovery was made in October, but details of the find have only just been released.

Continue reading the main story

We would always suggest that they are buried with their comrades.”

End Quote Sue Raftree Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre Sue Raftree, of the JCCC based at RAF Innsworth in Gloucester, which is part of the MOD's Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA), said it was too early to say for certain if the soldier was British.

"If we can identify them [and they turn out to be British] we will trace the family and we will then organise a proper military funeral," she said.

The body was found in the DMZ, the demilitarised zone close to the border with North Korea.

Glorious Glosters

Local military began digging in the area after an elderly local man said he had seen a European soldier being buried there 60 years ago.

The eyewitness claims to have been told at the time of the burial that the soldier was from the Gloucestershire regiment.

The remains have already been examined by the South Koreans, and initial findings suggest the soldier is Caucasian.

The remains were found after an eyewitness to the burial came forward

It is known that as well as British soldiers, Belgian forces fought in the region at the Battle of Imjin River in 1951.

The battle was part of the Korean War in which United Nations forces fought for the South Koreans against the North Koreans and the Chinese.

The Battle of Imjin River became famous for the "Glorious Glosters", members of the Gloucestershire regiment who famously held off against 10,000 Chinese troops for three nights in April 1951.

It remains the bloodiest battle fought by British Forces since World War II.

Sue Raftree said if the remains did turn out to be those of a British soldier then the body would normally be buried in South Korea.

"Our policy is that from the 1960s we did repatriate," she said.

"Prior to that we would bury in the country where they died, and therefore they would be buried in [the United Nations Memorial Cemetery] in Busan.

Missing soldiers list

"If the family decided exceptionally that they wanted them to come back then we would look at that on a case by case basis, but we would always suggest that they are buried with their comrades where they fell together and are buried together."

The body was discovered by local military digging in the DMZ

It is understood that a list of missing soldiers in the Korean War from the Gloucestershire regiment was never officially compiled, so identifying the soldier and any living relatives could prove to be tricky.

"We've still got a lot of work to do," said Ms Raftree. "Whether he's an unknown or a member of a regiment, it is very difficult."

The JCCC is currently trying to identify about 40 remains of British soldiers found in different parts of the world.

Some cases they have been working on for up to three years.

"We have to ensure that everything is done properly and we do get the right decision in the end," said Ms Raftree.

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Non-league team play Spanish side Real Betis

30 July 2011 Last updated at 21:46 GMT Portsmouth FC's players became stranded in the US when their plane was hit by a catering lorry A non-league football team lost 7-0 in a "once in a lifetime" game against Spanish side Real Betis, after replacing Portsmouth at the 11th hour.

Conference South side Havant and Waterlooville took on the La Liga team in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

Pompey players, who were due to take on Real Betis, are stuck in North Carolina after their plane was hit by a catering lorry at the end of a tour.

Seville-based Real Betis are currently on a pre-season tour of the UK.

'Lengthy discussions'

Trevor Brock, a director at the Hampshire club, described the visiting team as "electric".

"I think we knew they were going to be good but I don't think we knew how good they were going to be, " he said.

"They have just won the equivalent of the Championship - they basically brought their whole squad here.

"This team was something else, we did the best we could."

The visiting club were already 5-0 ahead by half time, with a hat-trick by Ruben Castro and two goals by Jorge Molina.

Sergio scored the sixth goal in the 54th minute with the victory sealed by Salva, who knocked in a penalty two minutes from full time.

About 800 supporters packed into Westleigh Park, with tickets costing fans ?5 and ?10.

Goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore managed to hold off about eight near misses.

Havant and Waterlooville are hoping for a win away against local side Gosport Borough on Monday in a pre-season friendly.

Mankini invader

Real Betis had been due to play Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth FC said: "Almost all of the squad and its coaching staff will not arrive back in Britain until Sunday.

"After lengthy discussions, the difficult decision to call the match off was made in conjunction with Real Betis."

Portsmouth FC chief executive David Lampitt said: "Unfortunately events outside of our control have conspired against us and we have been left with no choice but to cancel this match.

"We are naturally disappointed as we were looking forward to welcoming Real Betis, their fans and directors to Fratton Park and we thank them for their patience and understanding."

Fans who bought tickets for the Portsmouth match will be refunded, the club said.

In 2008, Havant and Waterlooville played Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup, losing 5-2.

In March the team also hit national headlines after a match against non-league Dorchester Town. A Dorchester player was sent off for tackling a pitch invader who was dressed in a mankini.

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Monkey pedicure

22 July 2011 Last updated at 01:00 By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature This crude pedicure is an example of deliberate tool manufacture and use

A crude "pedicure" carried out by a mandrill at Chester Zoo suggests the monkeys are capable of more advanced tool use than previously thought.

Scientists from Durham University, UK, filmed the mandrill stripping a twig and using the resulting tool to clean under its toenails.

They published the findings in the journal Behavioural Processes.

Mandrills are the fifth species of Old World monkey seen deliberately modifying tools.

Non-human apes, including chimpanzees and orangutans, can adapt basic tools for specific jobs.

One well-known example of this behaviour is termite fishing in chimpanzees, where the animals strip down grasses to make fishing rods that they then poke into termite mounds to snag the nutritious insects.

"It is an ability that, up until a few years ago, was thought to be unique to humans," said Dr Riccardo Pansini, who led the research.

The new findings, he said, indicate that monkeys' intelligence may too have been underestimated.

"The gap between monkeys and great apes is not as large as we thought it was in terms of tool use and modification," he told BBC Nature.

Dr Pansini captured the footage while studying stress-related behaviour in the zoo's mandrills.

His research during that time helped inform the design of a specially landscaped enclosure, which contained shrubs to give the animals hiding places. The design won an animal welfare award in 2007.

In the footage that Dr Pansini captured, a large male mandrill strips down a twig, apparently to make it narrower. The animal then uses the modified stick to scrape dirt from underneath its toenails.

Though the scientist was excited to witness this deliberate tool modification, he said it was not entirely surprising.

"Mandrills have been seen to clean their ears with modified tools in the wild," he told BBC Nature. "This was thought to help prevent ear infections and therefore might be an important behaviour in terms of hygiene."

He thinks the captive setting may have helped bring out this behaviour.

"Animals have more time in captivity to carry out tasks that are not focused on looking for food or mating," he said. "So in zoos, you can occasionally pick up behaviours that are a little bit strange.

Mandrills are the fifth species of Old World monkey seen to modify tools

"In the wild this 'pedicuring' would be considered trivial," he explained. "But cleaning their ears with the same modified tool probably gave the animals some relief from the pain in their ears.

"So we're witnessing the same behaviour that's used in quite important tasks being adapted for a less important task," Dr Pansini said.

Dr Amanda Seed, an expert in primate tool-use from the University of St Andrews, UK, praised the researchers for capturing such interesting footage.

She added, though, that it was not entirely clear that the mandrill was deliberately modifying the stick for the specific goal of producing a "sharpened toenail-cleaning tool".

She told BBC Nature: "For me, the behaviour is closer to what we already know from other species, using a stick for self-cleaning purposes, than the tool modification of say chimpanzees - which rake their stick tools through their teeth to produce a brush for gathering termites.

"But these definitions are always tricky. You could say that as soon as an animal pulls a branch from a tree, they're modifying that branch."

Dr Sonya Hill a research officer at Chester Zoo, added that research findings from zoos could have a "direct impact on evidence-based conservation and husbandry practices".

"They can also contribute to a wider body of scientific knowledge, as this mandrill study has shown."

The enclosure the zoo designed for the mandrills won an animal welfare award

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Anfield to reduce United tickets

22 July 2011 Last updated at 19:50 GMT The committee is set to approve the away fan allocation from from more than 3,000 to 1,965 Manchester United fans may have their ticket allocation for their next trip to Anfield cut by more than 1,000 amid safety concerns.

Liverpool City Council's Licensing Committee has proposed reducing tickets because United fans have stood in seating areas and blocked stairways.

It said at a game between the teams in March the gangways at Anfield could not be kept clear of away supporters.

The proposals are expected to be approved at a meeting next month.

The committee will be asked to approve reducing the number of available tickets from more than 3,000 to 1,965 for the game on 15 October.

'Better stewarding'

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Ground Safety Advisory Group, which heard in spite of efforts of stewards to reduce standing, the gangways could not be kept clear throughout the last game.

It heard the actions of United fans had overwhelmed stewards and that the level of standing had reached a level that Liverpool Football Club's safety management plan was unable to address.

United fan Andrew Gilduff, from independent supporters group Stretford End Flags, said if the plan went ahead it would hit fans hard.

"If you look up and down the country, standing is rife amongst the away fans, it's not just a Manchester United issue, it's an issue which affects all football fans."

He added: "People in the reduced allocation are still going to stand, there is better ways of tackling the problem than by reducing allocation.

"Some clubs have stewards in the gangways and in the aisles. At Anfield you are never asked to sit down, they do make an announcement every now and then over the tannoy, but that just goes unnoticed."

'Strange decision'

Liverpool fan Gareth Roberts, from Well Red Magazine, said he thought it would be a "strange decision".

He said: "Anyone who goes to Anfield regularly will tell you that there is a section of the Kop that stands regularly.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I don't know why Man United fans are being targeted in this instance.

"Basically any away end of any team that has a big away following, they stand up."

He added: "Liverpool have paid the price for that as well, we have had our allocation reduced at Sunderland a couple of times.

"It's certainly not just United fans that do it."

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Brighton Pride picnic cancelled

22 July 2011 Last updated at 20:32 GMT Waiyne Jones initially only invited 15 to 20 people A Sussex care worker who invited a few friends to a picnic on the beach to mark Brighton's Pride celebrations has been forced to call it off.

Waiyne Jones, from Portslade, used Facebook to send out invitations to his free event.

However, the number of guests saying they would attend quickly rose to 8,000, which led Brighton council to send him a noise-abatement order.

This year's Pride takes place at Preston Park on 13 August.

It will be fenced off and ticketed for the first time to help cope with its growing popularity.

Unauthorised 'rave'

Mr Jones said he had planned an alternative event for 15 or 20 people to watch the parade and then go down to the beach with a few drinks and some picnic food, in protest at the introduction of charges.

"The council seem to think that I'm organising an event like Fatboy Slim," he said, referring to a gig on the beach organised by the DJ in 2002 which attracted about 250,000 people.

In the letter from Brighton and Hove City Council, Mr Jones was told that he could be fined and even jailed for organising an unauthorised "rave".

He has now closed down the Facebook page and cancelled the event.

In a statement, the council said: "People turning up for a picnic on the beach will not be stopped from doing so. But we have a responsibility to ensure people are able to have fun in a safe environment."

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Olympic victory

22 July 2011 Last updated at 14:13 GMT Beth's design was voted the best in the region before going to the national final A schoolgirl from Essex has won a national competition to design a version of the 2012 Olympic mascot.

Beth Siddle, from Wickford, beat 2,500 entries to create a version of Wenlock that reflected the community she lived in.

As part of the prize the 14-year-old spent a day with a London design agency to turn her idea into a 3D animated graphic.

It will now be made into an official London 2012 pin badge.

The teenager's design sees the mascot made up of jigsaw pieces and decked in green and the colours of the Union Jack.

She said: "The jigsaw pieces represent the different members within the community in Wickford and how they all fit together.

"The green areas represent how environmentally friendly our area has become with recycling."

The competition was run as part of the Games organiser's "Get Set" education programme.

Among the judging panel were former Olympic triple-jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards and paralympic basketball player Ade Adepitan.

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Boy, 17, critical after stabbing

23 July 2011 Last updated at 12:02 GMT A 17-year-old is in a critical but stable condition after being stabbed in south-west London.

The boy was stabbed on Friday afternoon on Eel Brook Common, Musgrave Crescent, off New Kings Road, in Parsons Green.

He is believed to have been followed and then stabbed after a minor scuffle involving several youths, while he and his friends were out playing football.

Two boys, aged 14, and one, aged 15, are being questioned at a west London police station.

Officers from Hammersmith and Fulham borough are investigating.

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Market closed over hygiene issues

23 July 2011 Last updated at 09:12 GMT A continental market in Cornwall has been stopped from trading because of concerns over some hygiene issues, public health officials said.

The market, which opened in Launceston on Thursday and featured clothes and food stalls, was closed on Friday.

Officers from Cornwall Council's public health and protection team said it was following complaints about the way it was run.

It had been scheduled to remain open until Sunday afternoon.

The county council officers said it was closed with the full co-operation and agreement of Launceston Town Council after the town council also found that operators were not complying with terms and conditions of their agreement.

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Trouble brewing?

14 July 2011 Last updated at 15:53 GMT The sale of counterfeit alcohol is estimated to cost the UK ?1bn a year in lost revenue Police are investigating whether an industrial unit where five men were killed in an explosion was being used to distil alcohol illegally.

Lincolnshire Police said chemicals found inside the "smoke-logged" unit at Broadfield Lane Industrial Estate in Boston indicated alcohol was being produced illegally.

But Supt Keith Owen, who said it was probably some sort of spirit, stressed investigations were continuing.

A sixth man is being treated in hospital for severe burns after the blaze on Wednesday evening.

Vodka rumours

Residents reported seeing thick, black smoke coming from the estate and the injured man running out of the building.

Ian Nuttall, 42, who lives about 200m from the site, said he had seen commotion and smoke coming from the unit.

Mr Nuttall, who did not know what the units were used for, said there had been rumours of people distilling their own vodka in the area.

In March, Trading Standards, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and police seized cigarettes and drink, including counterfeit vodka, from six shops in Boston.

The county council said last month that tests on the fake vodka showed it contained cleaning fluid and was unfit for human consumption. One shop had its alcohol premises licence revoked and another had its suspended.

Gary Seymour, assistant head of Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said after the raids that it was a "growing industry" which it was getting more and more intelligence about.

He said: "The real problem is you don't know what's in it.

"Some of the illegally-made vodka has been found to contain high levels of methanol, which is used to make anti-freeze and some fuels.

"Drinking it can be incredibly dangerous and could cause dizziness, breathing difficulties and even blindness.

"Production often takes place in unhygienic conditions and there is evidence that the counterfeiting of alcohol in the UK is being taken over by organised gangs, setting up factories and making alcohol on an industrial scale, which then gets shipped out to off-licences, pubs and clubs."

'Inherently risky'

A police spokesman said that the problem of distilling illegal alcohol was a national one.

"It's not uncommon to have reports about this in towns across the country. It's not a Boston problem - it's countrywide."

One man is in hospital with severe burns after the fire in Boston

David Bolt, head of the International Federation of Spirits Producers, said spirits were being made illegally across Britain but he did not know whether the problem was growing.

"The vast majority of spirits sold are genuine and if it is a growing problem it only represents a small percentage," he said.

"But even one incident is concerning because of the potential dangers as well as risks to consumers."

Mr Bolt said distilling spirits was "inherently risky" for producers as well as consumers, as it involved potentially "volatile" substances which was why the industry had tight procedures and regulations.

Trading Standards officials, who carry out spot checks around the country, said in February that up to a quarter of licensed premises in parts of the UK had been found to have counterfeit alcohol for sale.

The officers said it was a growing problem nationally. Alcohol fraud costs the UK about ?1bn a year in lost revenue, including ?300m from illegal spirit sales, according to government estimates.

In October 2010, HMRC officers seized 25,000 litres of counterfeit vodka, along with bottling and labelling equipment at Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

Illegal stills closed

And in March, more than 11,400 litres of counterfeit alcohol were seized at an industrial unit in Worcestershire, according to HMRC.

Last year HMRC and the UK Border Agency renewed their strategy for tackling alcohol fraud, a crime they said was "growing and changing".

The new approach includes a co-ordinated effort to detect, disrupt and dismantle illicit alcohol supply chains and penalise those who profit.

An HMRC spokesman said: "Yesterday's tragic events in Boston have underlined the risks that go with the illegal distillation of alcohol.

"In just over the last 12 months HMRC, working with other law enforcement agencies, has closed down three illegal stills and six men have been prosecuted for producing counterfeit vodka, resulting in prison sentences totalling over 56 years.

"Illegal alcohol undermines all honest alcohol traders whilst putting at risk the lives of those who consume and produce it."

Meanwhile, police and fire investigators in Boston continue to investigate the cause of the blaze, which caused the greatest single loss of life seen by many in the county's fire service.

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O'Sullivan out of Australia event

O'Sullivan has slipped to ninth in snooker's world rankings Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from the Australian Goldfields Open, the first ever ranking tournament to be held in the country.

O'Sullivan, 35, pulled out citing neck and back injuries suffered on the first leg of his journey to Australia.

The three-time world champion was due to face Dominic Dale in the last 32 in Bendigo, Victoria state.

Dale will instead play Australia's Steve Mifsud, a wild-card entry.

Mifsud's original opponent, Matthew Selt, goes straight into the last 32 to play world champion John Higgins.

The tournament starts on Monday and runs until 24 July.

A statement from World Snooker said: "Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from snooker's Australian Goldfields Open for medical reasons.

"He completed the first part of the journey Down Under, to Bangkok, but having suffered from neck and back problems on the plane he has decided to return to the UK for medical treatment rather than taking the flight to Melbourne."

In May, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn announced a three-year deal for the Australian Goldfields Open as part of attempts to expand snooker's global reach.

"Snooker is going global like never before," said Hearn at the time.

To date, 2011 has not been a vintage year for O'Sullivan, who is ninth in the world rankings.

In March, he hinted at retirement after a poor run of form continued with a 5-2 defeat by Ryan Day in round one of the China Open.

That was his fourth successive loss in tournament opening matches and he admitted he was not optimistic about turning his form around.

O'Sullivan subsequently attempted to pull out of the World Championships, only to change his mind.

He then made it to the quarter-finals at the Crucible before losing to John Higgins, the eventual world champion.

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Hospital death probe woman named

16 July 2011 Last updated at 16:01 GMT Tracey Arden's brother Gary said news of the investigation was a shock

A 44-year-old grandmother has been named as one of three patients whose deaths at a Stockport hospital are being investigated by police.

Tracey Arden, from Stockport, and two men, aged 71 and 84, died following the deliberate contamination of saline solution at Stepping Hill Hospital.

Police were alerted when insulin was discovered in a batch of 36 saline ampoules that had been tampered with.

Detectives said the deaths were being treated as unexplained.

Officers are awaiting the results of post-mortem examinations.

Eleven patients who survived the effects of the medication are to be interviewed by police.

Concerns were raised on Tuesday when an experienced nurse at the hospital reported a higher than normal number of patients with low blood sugar levels on her ward.

Continue reading the main story

We have someone deliberately contaminating saline in the one place that people should feel they are being most cared for”

End Quote Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney Insulin was subsequently found in a batch of 36 saline ampoules in a hospital storeroom.

Multiple sclerosis patient Ms Arden, a mother-of-two and grandmother, died on 7 July.

Her parents, Keith and June, visited her on that afternoon but were later called by hospital staff and told she had "taken a turn for the worse".

By the time they arrived back at Stepping Hill their daughter had died.

Ms Arden's funeral has been delayed while police investigate.

Her brother, Gary Arden, said news of the investigation was a shock as the family had initially been told she had died from a lung and chest infection related to her multiple sclerosis.

The contamination of the saline was not restricted to a single ward, the hospital said

"We accepted that as a family, that her time had come and that was the cause," he said.

"At this point in time my hope for me and my family is that the investigation takes its due course and we find that Tracey has nothing to do with this. "

The two male victims died this week. The 71-year-old man is believed to have been terminally ill while the nature of the 84-year-old man's illness has not been disclosed.

Greater Manchester Police said it was focusing its investigation from 7 July onwards but would review previous deaths at the hospital if new information came to light.

Increased security measures have been put in place at the hospital to protect patients currently receiving treatment there.

Anyone entering may now be searched and police are interviewing staff and visitors.

Chris Burke, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust's chief executive, said: "We have increased security both in terms of access to the hospital and access to medicines and already replaced all saline ampoules across the hospital.

"We are doing all we can to protect our patients and ensure their safety while under our care."

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We have someone deliberately contaminating saline in the one place that people should feel they are being most cared for.

"I want to reassure everyone connected to the hospital - staff, patients, visitors and the wider community - that we are determined to prevent further harm and to bring the offender to justice."

Mr Sweeney said police were still waiting to find out if the contamination of the saline "contributed to the deaths of these three people".

Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle, said: "This is obviously a very serious matter, I have to say I think the hospital have acted entirely responsibly, acted very promptly calling the police in as soon as they knew there was a problem."

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Seven hurt in motorway accident

16 July 2011 Last updated at 16:16 GMT Seven people, including an infant, were taken to hospital following a three-vehicle crash on the M5 in Somerset.

Emergency services were called to the northbound carriageway between the Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater junctions at 1235 BST on Saturday.

One person who was trapped in the wreckage was released by firefighters.

The accident comes less than 24 hours since a seven-car pile-up on the same stretch of motorway which caused tailbacks to the Taunton junction.

On that occasion two people were cut out of one of the vehicles and five people, including a child, taken to hospital.

The busy motorway was closed for 90 minutes while the accident was cleared.

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'Fantastic results' at Roman fort dig

16 July 2011 Last updated at 14:19 GMT One of the altars unearthed in Maryport. Photo Senhouse Museum The excavation of a Roman site at Maryport, in Cumbria, has produced "fascinating results", experts say.

The project at the remains of a Roman fort at Camp Farm, which started last year, is due to be completed on 22 July.

The team said it had found many features not recorded by a previous excavation in 1870.

Among them are fragments of altars, traces of timber buildings, pottery and coins.

A team of 28 volunteers has worked alongside the archaeologists on the project, which was commissioned by the Senhouse Museum Trust.

It was led by Professor Ian Haynes, from Newcastle University, and field archaeologist Tony Wilmott.

Maryport was part of the Roman frontier coastal defences extending from Hadrian's Wall.

Hadrian Wall Heritage has submitted plans for a ?10.7m Roman Maryport visitor attraction.

Its access director Nigel Mills said the excavation had yielded "fantastic results" and showed the potential of the site.

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Man charged after remains found

16 July 2011 Last updated at 12:46 GMT Police have been searching around a farmhouse near St Austell Police in Cornwall investigating a suspected double murder have charged a man with disposing of human remains.

Ross Jan Stone, 28, of Trenance Downs, near St Austell, appeared before Bodmin magistrates charged with disposing of a corpse to obstruct a coroner.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Truro Crown Court on 22 July.

A vehicle and human remains were discovered by police on farmland north of St Austell on Friday.

The discovery was made as police investigated the disappearance of Brett Flournoy and David Griffiths.

Mr Griffiths, from Plymouth, who was living in Berkshire, and Mr Flournoy, from Merseyside, were last seen on 16 June in Cornwall.

It is believed they were were heading to Newquay but police said it was not clear if they had ever arrived there.

Mr Flournoy was known to have picked Mr Griffiths up in a van from the car park on the Plymouth side of the Tamar Bridge, at about 1900 BST the night they went missing, before crossing the bridge into Cornwall.

Both men have not been in touch with their families, which police said was completely out of character.

Police had been excavating land on a farm near Trenance Downs using ground radar technology and cadaver dogs when they found the "remains of at least one individual" and a van which had "extensive fire damage".

The police have said one of their lines of inquiry is drugs related.

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Protest against town smoking ban

16 July 2011 Last updated at 19:07 GMT UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the ban could be the "final nail in the coffin" for Stony Stratford's pubs About 200 people have attended a protest against plans to ban smoking in open places in a Buckinghamshire town, according to organisers.

Councillor Paul Bartlett has proposed a new by-law to outlaw smoking in any public place in Stony Stratford.

Among those who spoke against the ban was UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who said it could stop people coming to the town, affecting local businesses.

Town councillors will be voting on the proposal on Tuesday.

If the plan is approved, smokers who light up in public in Stony Stratford could face on-the-spot fines.

Mr Bartlett has said the town, near Milton Keynes, is "blighted by cigarette butts".

Some local publicans have said a total ban on smoking would have a huge impact on their trade and Mr Farage, who is an MEP for Buckinghamshire, echoed their views in a meeting at the Vaults Bar in the town.

He said: "We have already seen the horrific impact the smoking ban has had to the pub trade which has resulted in hundreds of pubs across the UK shutting down.

"If this new proposal in Stony goes through it will mean no more 'popping out for a smoke'.

"I have been listening to the concerns from the local business community and they believe that this will have a negative impact on the place.

"For local pubs it could well be the final nail in their coffin. For other businesses they feel people will simply stop coming to Stony."

The meeting was followed by a "mass light up" by smokers opposed to the proposed ban.

If Stony Stratford Town Council votes in favour of the scheme at Tuesday's meeting it would have to ask Milton Keynes Council to use its powers to introduce the necessary by-law.

If implemented, the ban would be enforced by police community support officers.

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Policeman shot while chasing men

16 July 2011 Last updated at 13:52 GMT Police at the scene in south Croydon after a police officer was shot while chasing three men

An unarmed policeman has been shot in the arm while chasing three men in south London.

The constable, who has not been named, was hit when one of the men opened fire in Kingsdown Avenue, south Croydon, at about 2200 BST on Friday.

His injuries are not said to be life-threatening. Two men, aged 21 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

An 18-year-old was held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

The teenager, who was also arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs, was later bailed until early September.

Continue reading the main story

I am outstandingly proud of our officers who put themselves in positions of danger on a daily basis”

End Quote Commander Tony Eastaugh A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police (Met) said officers were called when a group of men were seen acting suspiciously but the men ran off when a patrol arrived.

He said as the officers chased the suspects on foot, one suspect produced a handgun and shots were fired.

Commander Tony Eastaugh said: "I am outstandingly proud of our officers who put themselves in positions of danger on a daily basis to protect the communities of London.

"It is sad that an unarmed officer has been shot whilst performing his duty to the public. Our thoughts are with him and his family."

The incident is being investigated by Operation Trident, the Met's unit dealing with gun crime in London's black community.

The police officer is the second to be seriously injured in Croydon in the past two months.

A plain-clothes Pc serving with the Broad Green Safer Neighbourhood Team was stabbed on 19 May when he stopped a gang of youths in Bute Road, Broad Green.

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Two men die in farm slurry pit

16 July 2011 Last updated at 10:04 GMT Firefighters were called to the farm at Stapleford Tawney just after 1700 BST on Friday Two men have died after becoming trapped in a slurry pit in Essex.

Firefighters were called to Albyns Lane in Stapleford Tawney, near Ongar, just after 1700 BST on Friday.

An Essex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "Two men have died at the slurry pit and a further two men have have been injured and placed in the care of the ambulance service."

He said the fire service was working with police and the Health and Safety Executive to establish what happened.

Firefighters drained 120,000 litres (31,700 gallons) of slurry on to a field as part of the rescue operations.

Crews from Ongar, Loughton, Harlow and Brentwood attended the scene.

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RAF's largest aircraft unveiled to public

16 July 2011 Last updated at 04:09 GMT The RAF has bought 14 of the aircraft under a 27-year contract worth ?10.5 billion The RAF's largest aircraft has been officially unveiled and named Voyager ahead of its first public appearance at the Royal International Air Tattoo.

The dual role air-to-air tanker and transport plane has a 60-metre (197ft) wingspan and is nearly 60 metres long.

It can carry almost 300 troops more than 6,000 miles and will replace the long-serving VC-10 and Tristar.

At a naming ceremony at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, Defence Secretary Liam Fox called it "magnificent".

He said: "This magnificent aircraft is the future for the RAF's air-to-air refuelling and passenger transport capability for the coming decades.

"Voyager, together with the C-17, C-130J and the A400M transport aircraft, will provide the RAF with a truly world class fleet of aircraft, underpinning the global reach that is vital to our operations."

Continue reading the main story Can carry out air-to-air refuelling of another aircraft with 100,000 litres of fuelHas a refuel rate of 5,000 litres per minuteA garage forecourt petrol pump can pump fuel at 40 litres per minuteThe RAF has bought 14 of the aircraft - a converted Airbus A330-200 airliner - under a 27-year private finance initiative contract worth ?10.5bn with the AirTanker consortium.

The service will provide training and maintenance, as well as new purpose-built buildings at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the RAF's air transport hub.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, said: "As we have seen in Afghanistan and Libya, an effective air-to-air refuelling and transport fleet is an essential force multiplier in this era of expeditionary warfare.

"Voyager, when it enters service later this year, will excel in these roles by not only increasing our air-to-air refuelling capability but also by substantially improving our strategic airlift capacity."

The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest air show and celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

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Media spotlight

14 July 2011 Last updated at 19:50 GMT Tom Watson is sitting on the select committee looking into allegations of phone-hacking An MP who has led a campaign against phone-hacking has spoken about the impact of the media on himself and his family.

Labour MP for West Bromwich East Tom Watson told BBC WM's Hard Talk series he cried over comments by a deputy political editor at the Sun, saying the worst moment in recent years was when he was libelled in the newspaper.

Mr Watson, who has two children aged six and three, has raised the phone-hacking issue in the House of Commons and demanded more action from the police, prosecutors and Parliament.

He is sitting on the select committee looking into allegations of phone-hacking, which has called for evidence from Rupert Murdoch and News International.

'So harsh'

In 2006, Mr Watson resigned as a defence minister, calling for Tony Blair to quit in the interest of the Labour Party and the country.

He was accused of conspiring against Mr Blair with Gordon Brown when it emerged he had visited the then chancellor at his home in Scotland shortly before stepping down. Both men denied any plot.

Mr Watson was later accused of being involved in the scandal surrounding a plot by Gordon Brown's spin doctor, Damian McBride, to spread smears about senior Tories.

The Mail on Sunday accused him of "encouraging" Mr McBride while the Sun published a cartoon of him under the headline "Mad dog was trained to maul".

Mr Watson subsequently won "substantial" libel damages from both newspapers in the High Court, which ruled the stories linking him to the plot were not true.

Continue reading the main story

The kids have been seeing me on telly this week and I hope one day they know I've done some good”

End Quote Tom Watson West Bromwich East Labour MP The MP said the worst moment in recent years was when he was libelled, adding a former political editor at the Sun called him a "liar" and the words of a deputy political editor were "so harsh and so untrue" that he burst into tears.

Mr Watson said: "That's probably the most miserable week of my life.

"The stress was immense. We'd got a new baby. I'd got a young boy. You think about 'how do I protect my family?', these people at the door, we're not safe in our home.

"There's pressure down in London, ministers going crazy working lots of sort of 'who did what to who?'

"That week, [about 2008 at Easter] I seriously thought about standing down from Parliament and having a quieter life.

"Then just before the election I seriously thought about standing down, but you know there's still much more I want to give."

Mr Watson said in the last two weeks he had "probably been more free from abuse in the press" than he ever had been.

"The kids [a son and daughter] have been seeing me on telly this week and I hope one day they know I've done some good."

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Corinthians make new Tevez offer

By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer Tevez has told City he wants to leave in order to spend more time with his children Brazilian side Corinthians have made an improved offer for Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez.

Earlier this week they failed in a ?35m offer for the Argentine striker and are understood to have come back with a ?39m bid.

"I do know there has been an increased offer," Tevez's representative Kia Joorabchian told BBC Sport, "but the bid only went in on Friday and it's very early stages."

City want close to ?50m for Tevez.

They are determined not to be rushed into a deal, but were it to go ahead manager Roberto Mancini would then pursue his interest in Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero.

City believe they are in a powerful position as they are under no financial pressure to sell and Tevez is still locked into a long-term contract believed to be worth in excess of ?200,000 per week.

So Corinthians' latest offer may still not be enough to persuade City into selling the 27-year-old, who last season captained them to the FA Cup and a place in the Champions League.

The Brazilians, backed by revenue from a new television deal, want to make Tevez a landmark signing by taking him back to the club where he previously enjoyed success.

Moving to South America would also help solve Tevez's problem of being separated from his family.

If he does go, his 23-year-old fellow countryman Aguero, who is rated at ?45m by Atletico, is regarded as a natural replacement.

But City will not make a move for him until Tevez's future is clarified.

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Eight people rescued from cliffs

16 July 2011 Last updated at 21:53 GMT

Three adults and five children had to be rescued by helicopter after scaling cliffs in Somerset to escape the incoming tide.

The group were at Brean Down, near Burnham-On-Sea, when they were forced to climb up by the rising water.

A rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor in Devon was sent to the scene with two RNLI lifeboats and the Burnham-On-Sea coastguard rescue team.

The alarm was raised at 1915 BST on Saturday and they were found at 1945.

The helicopter winched all eight on board taking them to a nearby field where they were met by the coastguard rescue team.

It is understood that nobody required hospital treatment.

Swansea Coastguard watch manager David Hughes said anyone going out for a walk along the coast should "always prepare by checking the tide times".

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Reputation in tatters

By Alastair Eykyn
BBC Sport rugby union commentator The RFU has been split apart by recent events Throughout its colourful history, the Rugby Football Union has proved itself world class when it comes to internecine warfare. The latest splurge of bloodletting, though, has shocked even seasoned RFU watchers.

To see the hierarchy of English rugby fighting like rats in a sack has been deeply unedifying if you happen to care about the sport. It must be deeply confusing even if you do not.

One RFU Council member was heard to remark recently that the governing body was "even managing to make Fifa look good". The reputation of the RFU is in tatters, and it is entirely of their own making.

The most recent episode played out last Sunday. It was a blockbuster, even by their standards. The 61 members of the RFU Council had gathered to discuss the findings of a report that they had commissioned.

The RFU's Disciplinary Officer, Judge Jeff Blackett, had been asked to investigate the chaotic events of the preceding months: the recruitment - and sacking - of John Steele as chief executive, and the flawed attempts to appoint a performance director. Blackett led a four-man panel.

The investigation involved more than 65 one-to-one interviews and written submissions, and more than 100 RFU documents. He had promised a "warts and all" investigation.

I have obtained a copy of the report, and the findings are highly critical of the role played by the RFU Management Board, but especially of the chairman Martyn Thomas. Blackett concluded that there had been a breakdown of trust within the RFU, and that Thomas was persistently leaking information outside Twickenham.

He recommended Thomas resign as chairman, along with every member of the management board, except Bill Beaumont.

Thomas did step down, but retained his role as acting chief executive. The board survived a vote of no confidence by the council members.

Perhaps the most staggering chapter of this tale occurred during Blackett's presentation of his findings to the council. The Judge was interrupted by an email from Martyn Thomas's lawyers, threatening a defamation suit, should the report be made public.

Thomas considered himself the victim of a witch-hunt, and later said the decision to prevent its publication was in part down to the short time that the council and the board had been given to digest it.

The former chief executive of the RFU, Francis Baron is stunned by the events of the last few weeks. "The Board is in a state of total denial. Nobody is accepting responsibility. When there is a horrendous sequence of events on your watch, then you do the honourable thing."

Baron also has strident views regarding Thomas's decision to threaten legal action against Blackett. "It's clearly ludicrous for an organisation to appoint a panel to produce an objective report, and then to suppress its publication by the threat of legal proceedings.

It would be like the Board of News International objecting to the publication of the Judge's report into phone hacking, simply because it criticises them."

Judge Blackett took several days to consider his own (unpaid) position, questioning whether his integrity had been impugned. He has decided to continue as disciplinary officer, which is one piece of good news for the RFU, given the regard in which he is held throughout the game and across the legal profession.

So where next for the RFU?

Strong leadership is required, from people in permanent posts. We are told that protocol dictates a minimum of 60 days before a new chairman can be elected, which means that we can expect a delay of closer to three months.

Continue reading the main story June 2010 - John Steele appointed RFU chief executiveMarch 2011 - Appointment of new performance director delayedApril 2011 - Job description of performance director downgraded to exclude overseeing of England team12th May 2011 - Job description reversed19th May 2011 - Sir Clive Woodward withdraws from performance director process25th May 2011 - Peter Baines, RFU governance committee chairman, leads review into process of performance director recruitment9th June 2011 - Steele resigns as chief executive after nine months15th June 2011 - RFU inquiry into Steele's exit, led by disciplinary officer Jeff Blackett29th June 2011 - Board chairman Martyn Thomas asked to continue as acting chief executive10th July 2011 - RFU Council member meeting assesses inquiry findings

The process of recruiting a new chief executive will take much longer. A time frame of up to nine months has been mentioned. That means that the Rugby World Cup will take place in New Zealand without any executive posts filled at Twickenham.

Arguably more significant is that in October, the union will face the embarrassment of being handed the hosting rights to the 2015 tournament without a permanent chairman or chief executive in place.

Baron is concerned that the International Rugby Board might even be considering stripping England of those hosting rights.

"They must be thinking that England's governing body can't manage its own business, and will be worried about risking the RFU managing the 2015 tournament. That would be horrendous. The Blackett report must be published, and the recommendations have to be implemented. Only then can we show that we can manage our own affairs properly."

Martin Johnson is about to lead his England team into a World Cup campaign. How much the recent shenanigans at Twickenham will have unsettled him and his squad is hard to quantify.

The players are unlikely to be affected by boardroom politics, but they must be thoroughly bemused at the way events have unfolded. Johnson himself has remained silent throughout.

No doubt that famous brow has furrowed disapprovingly on a number of occasions in the last few months. He is effectively without a boss, but perhaps he likes it that way. Johnson's contract as England manager concludes at the end of the World Cup campaign.

Clearly, his future will depend on his success or failure in New Zealand. A semi-final place or better, and he will most likely continue. Failure to qualify from the pool stages, and there would be a number of interesting discussions to be had and decisions to be made.

Who would make those decisions though? Martyn Thomas, the rejected chairman but still acting chief executive? The question alone indicates the tangled mess that the RFU has made for itself.

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'Homophobia' row opera goes ahead

16 July 2011 Last updated at 16:25 GMT Headteacher Emma Hobbs said she was delighted the production was going ahead An opera which was at the centre of a row over a gay character has gone ahead in Bridlington after a school which had pulled out finally agreed to take part.

Bay Primary said its pupils could perform in the production of Beached, by Billy Elliot creator Lee Hall, after he agreed to remove the word "queer".

The show went ahead at the resort's Spa theatre on Saturday.

Bay Primary headteacher Emma Hobbs said she was sure the performance would make the audience forget the controversy.

Beached, which was commissioned by Opera North, involved the school choir and other musicians from groups around Bridlington.

The school had complained about the lines: "Of course I'm queer/That's why I left here/So if you infer/That I prefer/A lad to a lass/And I'm working class/I'd have to concur."

Hall told BBC News: "I agreed to change "queer" to "gay" as to me they are synonymous. I would have done this months ago if asked."

The opera was staged at the Spa theatre in Bridlington

The contested lines have now been changed to: "Of course I'm gay/That's why I went away/So if you infer/That I prefer/A lad to a lass/And him working class/I'd have to concur."

In a joint statement, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Bay Primary said the school would take part now that the libretto was "an age appropriate text".

The council, the school and Opera North all denied being motivated by homophobia.

Just before Saturday's matinee performance, headteacher Ms Hobbs said: "The kids are very excited. They've been rehearsing really hard this week and rehearsals have gone fantastically.

"It's really important that the work all our children and all of the other choirs have put into this really comes to fruition."

Referring to the controversy the production attracted, she added: "I can certainly say that the performance speaks for itself.

"When the audience see them in action I think that will overshadow anything really."

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UK student's body found in Brazil

16 July 2011 Last updated at 14:41 GMT The body of a Coventry University student who went missing in the Amazon jungle has been recovered in Brazil, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Olakunle Teniola, aged 20, disappeared after jumping into a lake with a friend in Manaus on Tuesday.

His friend emerged from the water but Mr Teniola did not. His body was recovered on Friday.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said it was providing consular assistance to the family.

A university spokeswoman said Mr Teniola had been in his second year of a BA degree in youth work and had been in Brazil doing missionary work unrelated to his course.

"He comes from a very religious family, I understand he was a very committed Christian," she said.

His tutor, Brian Goredema-Braid, said Mr Teniola had been a popular student.

"He was very committed to his subject," he said.

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Josie's dilemma

13 July 2011 Last updated at 23:31 GMT Josie has to decide whether she wants to know if she's likely to get breast cancer

A teenage girl whose family has "been cursed" by hereditary breast cancer for generations faces a dilemma - should she be tested for a mutated gene which could cause the disease?

"It's not so much that I'm scared to get the test, or I'm scared for the operation," said Josie Bellerby, an 18-year old from York.

"It's a decision. If you go and get the test done you can never take it back, so it's just whether or not you want to risk feeling like part of your body might kill you."

Josie comes from a family where breast cancer has claimed the lives of her grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Her mother, Julia, had a preventative double mastectomy when she was younger after she found out she had an increased risk of cancer.

Josie has two sisters, Lucy and Emma, and the possibility that any of their daughters has a faulty gene has been difficult for parents Julia and Jules.

Julia said: "I lost my mum to cancer, I could not bear to lose a daughter to cancer. That just doesn't feel like something I could cope with at all.

"It just makes me sad because it is all becoming kind of real now. This thing that I so dreaded when I went through it myself, that you'd all have to face it and here it is, it is actually happening."

"They shouldn't have to be thinking of things like breast cancer, at their age," said Jules.

Josie wants to go drama college next year, but fears that if she has the test, the results might affect her plans.

"I never thought about the future. The furthest in the future I thought about was when is my next audition or, when are my exams coming up?

Jules and Julia's three daughters, Emma (l), Josie and Lucy (r) have all considered having the genetic test

"I feel like I am possibly being forced to grow up a bit faster because of this thing.

"I think it shocked our family quite a lot because we always just thought 'Oh, do you know what? We don't need to think about this,' but actually you do and it's happening sooner than we allowed for."

If someone carries the mutated genes BRCA1 or BRCA2, it can mean they have an up to 80% chance of developing breast cancer.

Both men and women carry the BRCA gene and children inherit one copy from each parent. Even if you only inherit one rogue copy, that will increase the cancer risk.

So for each child of a couple where there is one parent with a working gene and one with a flawed version, there is a 50/50 chance of inheriting the mutated gene.

But Josie's mother Julia worries she might be more scared if her sisters' results are clear.

"It's almost like, it's like Russian roulette, so if Lucy and Emma don't have it then you might think 'Oh God it is bound to be me'."

But Josie said she was prepared for that game of chance. "The chances of three girls possibly carrying a gene and for then none of them to have it just seems like illogical.

"Me and my sisters are so close now, it scares me sometimes. (But) the results of the test may make us either drift... make two drift apart or two come close... which affects that bond," she said.

At 23, Josie's big sister, Lucy, decided to have the test.

Lucy said: "I'm definitely not ready 100%, I don't think I would ever be 100% ready... but I think I'm at a place where I can cope with it."

But Josie feared her own decision could be changed by her sister's results.

"If I don't handle it very well with Lucy, then how am I going to handle it when it's actually me that's going through it?" she said.

The middle sister, Emma initially decided not to take the genetic test. She started the process but felt she was too young. But she has since reconsidered.

Receiving test results positive for the mutated gene often starts a process of decision-making about other things - like whether to have preventative surgery or partake in drug trials.

Mother Julia had known straight away what she would do. "I knew long before I had the test that if I had the gene, I would have surgery. And my instant reaction was just get rid of them (my breasts), they can kill me, let's get rid of them."

Continue reading the main story

If it's not a good result and I have BRCA, then, I'll cope with it because you just do just suck it up, get the news, and deal with it”

End Quote Josie Bellerby Professor Gareth Evans, from the Genesis Prevention Centre said the clinic was developing new treatments to take away BRCA1-related risk.

We are starting to actually treat people with Tamoxifen," he said. "So that is an old drug, that is nothing new, but what's new is that this is being offered as a preventative.

"Tamoxifen has been shown, with five years treatment, to reduce the risk by 40%."

And a group of drugs called "Parp" inhibitors are also being trialled at the moment.

"A Parp inhibitor is a drug that specifically targets cells which have lost the BRCA1 gene. We can actually kill the cells before they become cancerous. Now, if the drugs work perfectly it will normalise your risk of getting breast cancer, because it will effectively take away the BRCA1."

These options helped Josie decide that she wanted to take the test.

"If it's not a good result and I have BRCA, then, I'll cope with it because you just do suck it up, get the news, and deal with it.

"It doesn't need to be something that rules my life. It doesn't need to be something that I think about every day, I could still be me.

"I can still have a laugh and enjoy being young, but just be a little bit more responsible, and just be a little bit more aware."

Josie: My Cancer Curse is on Thursday 14 July at 2100 BST on BBC Three or watch again on BBC iPlayer.

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Divers to renew mine detonation bid

17 July 2011 Last updated at 02:34 GMT Royal Navy divers are to make a second attempt to blow up a live World War II mine which was dredged up off the Essex coast.

The 2,000lb (900kg) German parachute mine was found on Friday eight miles off Clacton.

It was due to be detonated on Saturday but became detached from its markers in 90ft (27m) of water.

Severe weather and poor visibility hampered divers trying to move it. They are expected to try again on Sunday.

'Destructive force'

On Saturday the Navy said it was using sonar to locate the mine which is believed to have fallen about 30m to the sea bed as it was being lowered from the dredger to a flotation device.

With the worsening weather and visibility, the RNLI's Walton and Frinton lifeboat brought the Navy team back to shore.

A Navy spokesman said: "They know where the mine is. They put it down on the sea bed and they won't lose track of it."

Stewart Oxley, a spokesman for RNLI Walton and Frinton, said the mine was "in remarkably good condition" and that it was still "a viable destructive force".

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