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Runners going solo after coronavirus postponements

Its organisers have launched the Local Landmarks Challenge, where people can take on the run remotely in their area, record themselves using a running app, then submit it to get a participation medal. Image copyright Philip Bruland Image caption Sahar Shah ran the Bath Half Marathon distance around Leamington Spa While Bath Half Marathon went ahead on 15 March, many people who had signed up chose to do the run away from the main event because of concerns about the virus. Among them was Sahar Shah, a Warwick University PhD…

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Man proposes in Iceland after holiday cancelled

The couple, both 58, was on their way to dinner when he nipped into Iceland under the pretence of picking something up. “I was actually looking for an empty aisle,” he said. As he dropped on one knee, his partner “looked embarrassed at first,” but quickly said “yes” and he “popped the ring on her finger,” he said. EASY STEPS: How to keep safe A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms? GETTING READY: How prepared is the UK? PUBLIC TRANSPORT: What’s the risk? Related Topics Tonbridge Coronavirus pandemic Iceland Read…

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Rotas ‘changed’ after women’s Salmond complaints

Mr Salmond was cleared of a further charge of sexual assault against a 10th woman after it was dropped by the Crown when the prosecution case ended on Monday afternoon. The defence will begin to set out its case on Tuesday, with Mr Salmond expected to give evidence. Listen to the Alex Salmond trial podcast Follow @bbcphilipsim for live updates from the trial Earlier on Monday, Mr Birt told the High Court in Edinburgh that “we changed the rota” in about April 2014 in an attempt to ensure that no…

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Patrols aim to tackle heritage crime in Wales

Incidents include the daubing of a Neolithic burial chamber with animal blood and bluestone fragments from rocks linking Pembrokeshire with Stonehenge being sold online. A heritage watch scheme was launched by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park two years ago. Dyfed Archaeological Trust and Dyfed-Powys Police have also joined the scheme, establishing a team of 10 officers trained in dealing with reports of crimes at monuments. ‘These monuments cannot be replaced’ Related Topics Archaeology Listed buildings Llandrindod Wells Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51872715

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Coronavirus: What happened this week

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Catalan police officers stand guard outside Igualada, which is in lockdown Elsewhere across the continent, normal life for millions was put on hold as schools and universities closed in Austria, Portugal, France, Denmark and Norway. Gyms, restaurants, nightclubs, libraries and museums also shut in some countries. Spain became Europe’s worst-affected country after Italy, following a steep increase in deaths. It declared a state of emergency and placed four towns in Catalonia in lockdown. Even the Real Madrid football team were quarantined. Image copyright Getty…

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Sport Relief appeal raises more than 40m

He hosted the fundraiser alongside Paddy McGuinness, Alex Scott, Emma Willis, Rylan Clark-Neal, Oti Mabuse, Maya Jama and Tom Allen. Sport Relief trip moved over coronavirus worries How coronavirus is hitting entertainment events Sport Relief had raised a total of £40,540,355 for charitable causes by the end of the live show. Some of the money raised this year will go to projects dealing with challenges caused by the coronavirus. Image caption Stephen Fry and David Walliams in ‘Killing Steves’ Other pre-recorded segments included a celebrity boat race that saw teams…

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Coronavirus: What it does to the body

The coronavirus, officially called Sars-CoV-2, can invade your body when you breathe it in (after someone coughs nearby) or you touch a contaminated surface and then your face. It first infects the cells lining your throat, airways and lungs and turns them into “coronavirus factories” that spew out huge numbers of new viruses that go on to infect yet more cells. At this early stage, you will not be sick and some people may never develop symptoms. The incubation period, the time between infection and first symptoms appearing, varies widely,…

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US adds UK and Ireland to coronavirus travel ban

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionMike Pence: US to suspend all UK travel The US is to extend its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland. The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced. President Trump’s travel ban on 26 European countries – members of the Schengen free movement zone – came into force on Saturday. Mr Pence also announced that free coronavirus testing would be provided for every American. “Now it’s all systems…

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‘Metal-morphosis – how rock became my rock’

Along with everything that goes along with puberty, I found myself pulling away from an interest in science – something which seemed to come as a birthright for everyone in my family. On top of that, making friends didn’t get any easier. ‘Rock was my rock’ Then I found rock music. From then on, rock was my rock. It was a safety blanket – a soundtrack to a time when I felt alone and isolated. My first contact came from films, and what I could make out coming through my…

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NI energy scheme failure ‘not due to corruption’

Set up to encourage the use of renewable energy sources, the RHI closed to new entrants in 2016 amid concerns about the potential cost. Those boilers used wood pellets, but the subsidy payment was higher than the cost of the fuel, creating an incentive to use the boilers to generate income. It became known as “cash for ash”. Arlene Foster ‘sorry for failings’ The scheme was introduced by then Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster. Following the report’s publication, Mrs Foster, now the first minister, repeated an apology for her “failings in…

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Killer diet pill seller jailed after retrial

He was accused of buying the yellow powder from a factory in China and selling it on, in tablet form, to people around the world – including Miss Parry, who had been diagnosed with bulimia. Image copyright Parry family Image caption Miss Parry, from Shrewsbury, had been studying at Wrexham Glyndwr University “Eloise had many problems in her life but I always hoped they would be sorted,” she said. “In the latter part of her life there were positive signs that things were getting better. “When Eloise died, her life…

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Coronavirus: UK maps and charts

Since then, cases have been reported across the UK, with the highest number so far seen in London. EASY STEPS: What can I do? PROTECTION: Where are we with a vaccine? GETTING READY: How prepared is the UK? VIDEO: The 20-second hand wash 2. We are in the first phase of the government’s response The government has published its action plan for dealing with the virus, which involves three phases – contain; delay; mitigate – alongside ongoing research. The emphasis is currently on the contain and research phases, officials say,…

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Transgender man in appeal fight to be named father

He accused the General Register Office, which administers the registration of births and deaths in England and Wales, of discrimination. A registrar told him that the law required people who had given birth to be registered as mothers. Transgender man loses challenge to be named father Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division of the High Court, ruled against Mr McConnell in September. The judge concluded that people who had given birth were legally mothers, regardless of their gender. There was, he said, a “material difference between a person’s…

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Scotland faces ‘significant’ coronavirus outbreak

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionCoronavirus: Sturgeon says government ‘planning for significant outbreak’ Scotland should prepare for a “significant outbreak” of coronavirus, the first minister has said. Nicola Sturgeon said there remained just one confirmed case in Scotland, but warned future cases were likely in the “days to come”. A patient from the Tayside area was diagnosed on Sunday after recently travelling to Italy. They are “clinically well” and being treated in hospital as a precaution, officials said. The patient is currently in isolation and details of…

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