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Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, PA MediaTwo people have died after the car they were travelling in collided with a police vehicle in Shropshire. A West Mercia Police crime scene investigation vehicle and a Skoda Octavia collided on the A458 in the Morville Heath area at about 10:15 GMT. A man in his 60s, the driver of the car, and a passenger, a woman in her 50s, died at the scene. The driver of the police vehicle, which was not responding to an emergency, sustained serious injuries. The officer was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for treatment following the incident on the A458 between Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth. West Mercia Police said paramedics attended the scene and attempted to revive the driver and passenger, before declaring them dead after 45 minutes. A third woman also travelling in the Skoda, aged in her 20s, suffered minor injuries. Ch Supt Gareth Morris said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man and woman following this awful incident, and our staff member who has been seriously hurt, at this difficult time.”The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the force’s Professional Standards Department has been alerted, as is normal practice.

Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Paul PigottBBC NewsWelsh leaders before the Roman invasion ruled from hillforts whose stone ruins still overlook every part of the country, an archaeologist has said.Aberystwyth-based Toby Driver said there were “big stories” still to be told about Wales’ 764 Iron Age hillforts.One of the largest, Garn Goch, looms over Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire.Villagers said they “respect” the sprawling monument, but know little about the people who built it.”People get very excited about the pyramids of Egypt and monuments around the world,” Mr Driver said.”We should be getting excited about this incredible hillfort heritage we have in Wales.”His new book, Hillforts of Iron Age Wales, includes illustrations showing what these “vibrant hill top villages” would have looked like 2,500 years ago.Picts’ exotic origins a myth, say researchersPeople living near Cardiff hillfort asked to dig up gardenWales before Roman rule, he said, was too often seen as “insular, primitive and wild, a forested place whose people were huddling in animals skins on hilltops”.Before the AD47 invasion and partial occupation of Wales after 30 years of war, Greek and Roman traders had been coming by sea for centuries to exchange pottery, wine and gem stones for lead, copper, gold and hunting dogs.Image source, Toby DriverMediterranean traders would have found complex societies, he said, with “sophisticated timber buildings” atop imposing stone hillforts that projected power over defended farms in the valleys below, in effect, “owning the landscape”.”We’ve got to wake up to how incredible Wales was before the Romans arrived. It was a devastating, brutal campaign.”The Romans changed everything and very quickly, but through archaeology we can unlock that period of Welsh history.”The largest hillfort in Wales is a little-known ancient monument, Garn Goch, on a hill above the Tywi Valley in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, also known as the Brecon Beacons. A 2.4 km (0.6 mile) wall of piled stones encloses a hilltop covering the equivalent of 30 football pitches and an enormous, 6,000-year-old burial mound, or cairn. Jane Claricoates from nearby Llandybie said thinking about the people who lived in the fort and how they moved thousands of tonnes of stone to build its walls makes you “stop in your tracks”. But she said Garn Goch was also a lonely place when compared to high profile sites such as Stonehenge, but was “very beautiful for that”.Dafydd Evans, 80, has lived in the shadow of Garn Goch nearly all his life and remembered how his father Gwynfor, the first Plaid Cymru MP, used to take his family to the site every year. “The community respects the fort and realise that it is of significance,” he said. “But people around here are just ordinary people they don’t particularly study it.”Few people in the village even know about the fort’s “large and imposing stone entrance,” he added.In the Garn Goch car park, a group of walkers from Dover said they found the trail on a hiking app but had no idea it was once a cultural and religious centre for pre-Roman Celts. “I don’t know much about it at all. But I’m really interested to find what’s up there,” said Sam Carmody as the group set off on a trail.Mr Driver said he hoped to capture people’s curiosity about the Celts in his book and that Garn Goch was unusual because, unlike other hillforts, there was no visible evidence of round houses.His theory is that the Garn, as it is known locally, was instead used to host festivals, a bit like an prehistoric Royal Welsh Agricultural Show or even an eisteddfod. Image source, Toby Driver”You need places where you can sell cattle, where you meet your family and kin, come together and feast and celebrate, maybe meet your loved one for the future,” he said. “This performed vital roles 2,500 years ago.”He said there must have been charismatic leaders able to bring “tribes together to provide the labour to build these enormous hilltop enclosures”.”What gets people excited when we bring walking tours around these sites is there’s so much to do now,” he said.”The archaeologists can do some of it, but I think we need to put a wider call to the public of Wales to re-engage with these incredible historic buildings.” Image source, Toby DriverMr Driver said a surge of new community projects at hillfort sites in Cardiff, the Clwydian Range and near Aberystwyth in Ceredigion was “waking up hillforts that have long lain unexcavated and telling us incredible new facts about them”.”Nowadays people can have their faces painted blue, learn about the Celts in school,” he said.”But actually we have evidence of a very sophisticated and advanced prehistoric past in Wales and how much of that is getting out to the wider public?”I think there’s still a big story to tell there.”More on this storySpearhead and rare wooden comb among ancient findsPublished12 July3,000-year-old house found in archaeological digPublished13 July 2022Locals help archaeologists excavate Iron Age fortPublished2 October 2021People living near hillfort asked to dig up gardenPublished30 June 2020Big roundhouse uncovered at Iron Age hillfort digPublished20 August 2019Heatwave unveils ancient settlementsPublished7 July 2018Experts map UK’s ancient hill fortsPublished22 June 2017Archaeologist ‘thrilled’ by tool findPublished7 September 2017Dig ‘changing views’ of hill fortPublished19 July 2013

Published51 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Reach PLC By Nicola BryanBBC NewsPaddy was a well-known character on the streets of Cardiff, and friends remember a nice man who liked to dance and share a drink.Last week he became the third rough-sleeper to die in the city this year.Richard O’Brien, nicknamed Paddy or sometimes Limerick because of his Irish roots, became unwell while sleeping in a doorway on one of the city’s main shopping streets on 27 November.As temperatures drop, one charity warned the city’s hostels were full and housing waiting lists were “absolutely unprecedented”.Gary Mason said he was with 53-year-old Paddy when he became unwell and raised the alarm.”He woke me up and said ‘Ga, I can’t move’,” said Gary.”He was in the doorway of Burger King with a skinny sheet over him and he didn’t look well.”I tried to warm him up, I thought he’d bounce back but he didn’t.”South Wales Police confirmed a man had died after an ambulance was called to Queen Street during the early hours.It said there were no suspicious circumstances, inquiries were being made to trace next of kin and his body had not yet been formally identified.His friends said Paddy was a drinker but didn’t use drugs and they believed he had a daughter. Jonathan Morgan, who himself became homeless after being made redundant and a relationship breakdown, said Paddy had been sleeping rough for years.”He was a funny little thing, he used to make you giggle, he was a nice person, a really nice man,” he said.Paddy was one of more than at least 40 people known to be sleeping rough in the city and the third rough sleeper to die in the city this year, according to Cardiff council.It said it was “very saddened to hear of the death of someone who had been rough sleeping in the city and our thoughts are with all those close to him at this sad time”.It said the person had been known to its homeless outreach team and had accessed accommodation on a number of occasions “but unfortunately each time returned to the street”.”The circumstances of this sad loss will now be investigated to see if there are any lessons that can be learned,” it said.Paddy was also known to the outreach teams at charity The Wallich.”It’s always absolutely devastating when somebody loses their life to homelessness, mainly because it’s so avoidable,” said its chief executive Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce.The charity is currently supporting between 50 and 60 people rough sleepers in Cardiff, eight of whom sleep in tents.She said people needed to remember that homeless people were “actually just people”.”They’re someone’s mum, someone’s daughter, someone’s son,” she said.She said the demand on homeless services in the city meant a lot of its emergency homeless accommodation were currently full and waiting lists for housing were “absolutely unprecedented”.She said the cost of living crisis meant the face of homelessness was changing. “More recently we’re starting to see people who are in work sleeping in cars and not able to to find accommodation – this is kind of new territory,” she said. “We used to see it every now and again before but just lately, since the cost of living crisis has started biting, we’re seeing it a lot more often and that’s a really big concern.”Dr Cordery-Bruce said the cause of homelessness was complex, which makes it difficult to solve.”It comes down to the fact that we don’t have enough homes for people but it’s not all about houses – sometimes it’s about the trauma and things that people have been through and so it’s a lot more complicated that just giving somebody some keys,” she said. She would like to see controlled rent in Wales and housing benefits that match the price of rent.The Welsh government said the latest death was “an extremely sad incident”. It said it had put in place new regulations and additional funding.Dr Cordery-Bruce believes many people who see homeless people out in the cold “walk by because it’s painful and because people don’t know what to do”.What can you do to help a homeless person? “Ask somebody if they’re alright if it feels safe to do so,” advised Dr Cordery-Bruce.”Just strike up a conversation with somebody on the streets – they’re usually really pleased to chat.” What should you give a homeless person?Dr Cordery-Bruce said the key thing is to ask the homeless person what they need.”They might have been bought 10 hot chocolates already,” she said. “They might need hand cream if the skin on their knuckles has dried out and started to split and has become painful… it might be a dry pair of socks.”Should you give cash to a homeless person?Dr Cordery-Bruce said giving money was a big debate in the homelessness sector. “Our position at The Wallich is if you want to give money it’s yours to give but do so without condition,” she said. “So if it does feel appropriate to give somebody some money so that they can choose what they spend it on, then do so without any other stipulations.”What can you do if you’re not comfortable approaching a homeless person?Street Link is a website where you can report a sighting of somebody that you’re concerned about.An outreach team is then alerted so they can go out and check on the person.How can you spot hypothermia in a rough sleeper? If you spot symptoms of hypothermia you should call 999 and stay with the person until help arrives.According to the NHS, symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, skin that is pale, cold and dry, lips that have turned blue or grey, slurred speech, low breathing, tiredness or confusion.While waiting for help you should move them indoors, remove any wet clothing, wrap them in a blanket, sleeping bag or dry towel making sure their head is covered, give them a warm non-alcoholic drink and some sugary food like chocolate if they’re fully awake and keep them awake by talking to them.What are the council doing?Cardiff council said it had sourced additional emergency accommodation for the winter to help people to come inside off the street.It said its outreach team would continue to support individuals sleeping outside, highlighting the dangers of sleeping rough, particularly in cold weather and encouraging them to accept accommodation.More on this storyNine-year-old uses pocket money to keep homeless warmPublished29 NovemberThe school where most children are homelessPublished23 OctoberFormer homeless people give guided city toursPublished13 October

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, BBC A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a baby was discovered. Police were called at 12:35 GMT on Saturday after the newborn was found outside a home on Norwich Road in Ipswich. Paramedics also attended the scene but the baby was declared dead. Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody. A cordon has been put in place on Norwich Road while inquiries take place into the death.Det Ch Supt Jane Topping said: “This is a very sad and distressing incident and, at this time, our investigation into the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death is in its early stages.”I would urge people not to speculate on social media as to the circumstances of this tragic event.”Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830

Published13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, UGCBy Catherine EvansBBC NewsStrong winds could disrupt travel across Wales this weekend, according to forecasters.A Met Office weather warning is in place until shortly before midnight on Saturday. Natural Resources Wales has issued a flood warning and 14 flood alerts.Gusts of 45 to 55mph (72 to 88km/h) are predicted quite widely, with 60-70 mph (96-112km/h) along the coast. A giant trampoline was blown into the road in Aberaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf.Believed to have been lifted from a neighbouring garden by strong gusts, it ended up blocking traffic on the B4275 on Saturday morning before coming to rest between two parked cars.Image source, UGCWrexham’s away game with Forest Green Rovers has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.The Met Office said “some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely”, as well as some short term loss of power.”If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea.”Image source, Met OfficeMore on this storyHeavy rain after yellow weather warning issuedPublished2 days agoSnow and ice warnings after temperatures plummetPublished6 days agoRelated Internet LinksMet OfficeThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Published7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Jacqueline HowardBBC NewsStrong winds and heavy rain have caused disruption around the UK as two storms track across the country.Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place through much of the country, with one warning in north west England in place until 3:00 GMT on Sunday.The conditions have already impacted some train lines, with warnings of further disruptions to be expected.Four League Two football matches were also postponed due to waterlogged pitches.The wet and windy conditions are being caused by two storms tracking one after the other across the Atlantic Ocean and over the UK. Storm Elin had drenched and battered much of the country by Saturday afternoon, while Storm Fergus was expected to have a similar impact on Sunday.Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said the band of heavy wind and rain will move from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east on Saturday, “bringing with it heavy rain for much of the country”. “We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea,” he said.SHow do storms get named?On what was causing the stormy weather, BBC weather’s Tomasz Schafernaker said: “The weather can become turbulent due to a strong jet stream spawning multiple areas of low pressure. “It’s not uncommon for these lows to intensify into storms, impacting Ireland and the UK in rapid succession.”On this occasion, Ireland’s Met Eireann named both storms Elin and Fergus, anticipating the most significant impact to be felt in Ireland from these two storms.”Since 2015, the UK and Irish weather services have named storms – most years,drawing on a shortlist of submitted favourites- with the aim of making it easier for the public to engage with the more extreme weather. The Dutch service also became part of the naming group in 2019. The Met Weather Office issued a yellow warning for rain for an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield until 3:00 GMT on Sunday. The yellow warning indicates potential flooding, service disruptions and power failures.Image source, Great Western Railway Image source, Casper/Weather WatchersImage source, Squiz/Weather WatchersThere are also flood alerts in place, which stretch as far north as Scotland and as south as Cornwall.In Cornwall, rail lines are blocked between Liskeard and Looe due to “heavy flooding”, Great Western Railway (GWR) said. The operator urged passengers to use Go Cornwall buses instead.The Environment Agency has issued a reminder that people should not to enter flood waters as it can contain hidden dangers including sharp objects, sewage, uncovered manholes and chemicals.More on this storyThe UK braces for storm Elin. Video, 00:01:04The UK braces for storm ElinPublished14 hours ago1:04Trains cancelled due to ‘significant flooding’Published10 hours agoMansfield, Bradford, Forest Green & Sutton games offPublished12 hours agoWarning as winds up to 70mph set to batter WalesPublished7 hours agoWeather causes disruption to sport and transportPublished47 minutes ago

Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, FacebookBy Jess WarrenBBC NewsA 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a woman who was shot in Hackney, east London.Lianne Gordon, 42, died at the scene of the attack outside a home in Lower Clapton on Tuesday evening.The 16-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Friday and charged on Saturday.He was also charged with the attempted murder of a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy.The Met Police made a further charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.He is due to appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on 11 December.Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] Internet LinksHM Courts & Tribunals ServiceThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Rachel RussellBBC NewsStephen Fry has said he finally feels comfortable returning to work – three months after having a nasty 6ft (1.8m) fall from a stage at London’s O2 Arena. The actor and broadcaster spoke about his recovery for the first time during an interview with Claudia Winkleman on her BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday. He was left needing constant physiotherapy after breaking his leg, pelvis and a “bunch of ribs”.But he will soon be back on screens, hosting a UK version of Jeopardy! Fry said he “praised my lucky stars” he did not injure his spine or skull after falling 6ft onto concrete while trying to exit the stage following a lecture about AI at the O2 Arena, in Greenwich, south-east London, in September. “I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn’t realise that I was walking off the part of the stage where there was nothing – just a six-foot drop onto concrete,” he said. “So I broke my right leg in a couple of places and my hip and pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs.”Stephen Fry voices mindfulness walk for bereavedClaudia Winkleman quits BBC Radio 2 showSpeaking to Winkleman about his new ITV television show Jeopardy! – which is already a popular quiz show in the US – he said it had been “an exciting week” as he flew to Zurich for an event and did not need to use his walking stick for the first time since his fall. The 66-year-old added he was now fine, as “like Lazarus I cast aside my crutches” and will return to work. Winkleman said she had no idea his accident had happened, but Fry quickly responded that “I didn’t want to make a fuss about it”. When asked what the secret was behind his recovery, he said “constant physiotherapy”, although he was reluctant to take Oxycontin on his first night at hospital, as it is known for being a highly addictive opioid drug.He has spoken openly in the past as his previous battles with drug addiction and, in his memoir More Fool Me, admitted to taking cocaine in Buckingham Palace, both Houses of Parliament and BBC TV Centre.However, he changed his mind about taking the opioid when a surgeon told him the pills “are not there for your comfort, they are there for your recovery and to save the NHS money”. Fry, who shot to fame in the 1980s as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, also said he felt “self-conscious” about walking without a cane for the first time near his home in central London. “The pavements are absolutely packed and people will stop to take a picture of the Christmas lights and you get worried about bumping into people. but it has been fine so far, but I feel self-conscious without the stick,” he said. Finally, he added that although it was a “tired cliché”, he wanted to thank that staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich as “it is not a famous hospital but they are doing extraordinary work and were very kind.”Recalling how he got the job as host of ITV’s new Jeopardy! series, which begins on New Year’s Day, Fry said he just happened to bring up the show during a dinner with his American agent while he was in the US filming episodes of the Apple TV series The Morning Show.”He asked me what I was getting up to everyday and I said: ‘Well, my husband and I are not very Hollywood party animals or anything like that. We usually stay at home, one of us will cook and we’ll watch Jeopardy,'” he told Winkleman. He added they went on to talk more about the show, with Fry telling his agent he wondered why there wasn’t a UK version, as it was “the best format I’ve ever encountered”. “A couple of weeks later, he calls up and says: ‘They’re very excited about you hosting Jeopardy’ and I said: ‘Excuse me?'” He joked, before adding he was won over when he visited the set. Jeopardy! was an “absolute institution”, Fry said, as the rules are different to other quiz shows. The show has been on US screens since the mid-1960s.Rather than a traditional question and answer format, contestants will instead receive facts about a subject in the form of answers and they have to identify what the question could be. You can listen to the full interview as part of the Claudia Winkleman show on BBC Sounds.More on this storyStephen Fry voices mindfulness walk for bereavedPublished17 AugustStephen Fry helps fund undergraduates’ year abroadPublished4 AprilClaudia Winkleman quits BBC Radio 2 showPublished2 December

Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, PA MediaThe former finance secretary, Kate Forbes, has urged the Scottish government not to appeal a court decision to uphold the UK government’s block on gender reform. Ms Forbes said politicians should work to “heal divisions not exacerbate them”. She said a reformed bill should safeguard the rights of trans people as well as women and girls. The Scottish government has three weeks to decide whether or not to appeal. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Forbes said she urged the Scottish government “not to prolong the legal battle further” over the Gender Recognition (Reform) Bill. She said: “I previously argued that Scot Gov shouldn’t contest S35 unless there was a v high chance of success. “A loss for Scot Gov would obvs absorb public funds but could also embolden future UK Govs to interfere in devolution, which no party of independence wishes to see.”She added that the legal process “has created a period of great uncertainty and fear for trans people and women and girls, deepening already bitter divisions”.She also warned that losing an appeal at this stage could “embolden” future UK governments to “interfere in devolution”.Why is the Scottish government losing court cases?Court says Scottish gender reform block is legalWhat’s happening with Scotland’s gender reform plans?Her intervention comes a day after judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that the UK government acted lawfully in blocking Scotland’s gender self-ID reforms.The legislation, which is designed to make it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex, was passed by the Scottish Parliament last year.The UK government blocked it from becoming law over fears it would impact on equality laws across the rest of the UK.Friday’s Court of Session ruling rejected a Scottish government legal challenge to the veto.If the Scottish government now decides to appeal against the ruling, the case could ultimately end up in the Supreme Court in London.The legislation received cross-party support in Holyrood, passing by 86 votes to 39.Opponents of the reforms warned the legislation could risk the safety of women and girls in same-sex spaces such as hospital wards and refuges.Supporters argued it would make the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) easier and less traumatic for trans people.’Significant concerns’Ms Forbes came a close second in the SNP leadership contest after the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon earlier this year.A member of the Free Church of Scotland, she has spoken of experiencing a backlash against her religious views.She has previously said she would not have voted for the Scottish government’s gender reform bill in its current form.In February she told BBC Scotland she had “significant concerns” about gender self-identification.In response to interview questions during her campaign, she said the idea of having children outside of marriage conflicted with her Christian faith and confirmed that she was anti-abortion.Ms Forbes also said she would not have voted for same-sex marriage if she had been a politician in 2014 when the law passed.Image source, Getty ImagesThe Gender Recognition (Reform) Bill is a central part of the Bute House Agreement, which brought Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater into government with the SNP as ministers.The Green MSP Maggie Chapman told the BBC she believed the Scottish government ought to appeal Friday’s ruling to protect both devolution and the rights of trans people.”Getting reform of the Gender Recognition Act through the Scottish Parliament is a cornerstone of the Bute House Agreement that the Scottish Greens have with the Scottish government,” she said.”But it is really, really important that we give all seven MSPs, the wider Green Party membership as well, the opportunity to have contributions to the conversation.”More on this storyCourt says Scottish gender reform block is legalPublished1 day agoKate Forbes would not have backed gender billPublished20 February