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Controversial plans for 700 homes on a former golf course that ecologists have said is a haven for nature have moved forward.

About 200 protestors turned up to a Swindon Borough Council meeting on Wednesday where councillors voted to move the plans for Highworth's former golf course to its next stage, where more details will be drawn up.

The Council says 46% of the land will be retained for public open space, and a nature reserve.

However, local campaigners and the town council created a business plan for it to be turned entirely into a nature park, and said the development would be "catastrophic".

The golf course closed and became an open space for nature to flourish and local people to enjoy in 2019.

The land is council-owned and has been since the 1970s.

Swindon Borough Council was looking at three options: 700 homes with a nature reserve, 400 homes with a nature reserve or reserving the site entirely for a nature park.

Officers had recommended the larger number of homes as it would help meet affordable housing needs and provide more return for taxpayers.

Campaigners say the area has also become an important, accessible open space for the local community.

Local resident Robin Clegg said the space is used by more than 500 people a day and that more than 4,500 signed a petition previously to keep the site as it is.

"I've seen heron, owls, snakes, many different flowers. Surveys have shown there's over 300 different flora and fauna on the site," added Mr Clegg, adding that having the open space available is good for people's health.

Councillor Julie Murphy, mayor and member of Highworth Town Council, highlighted how an ecologist's report commissioned by the borough council said the area was a unique and important place for people and nature.

She added the council "appreciate" affordable housing is a "necessity", but new developments with an element of affordable housing are already planned for Highworth.

A couple from Guernsey have urged fellow islanders to consider becoming foster carers.

Helena and Peter McGovern are respite foster carers, which means they fill in for foster carers when they need a break or go on holiday.

Mr McGovern said it was "a wonderful experience", which he and his wife both "highly recommend".

The pair shared their experiences as part of Foster Care Fortnight, an annual awareness campaign in the UK, which the Channel Islands also takes part in.

As part of the campaign, which runs until 25 May, the Family Placement Service said foster carers could have an "incredible impact".

Mr McGovern said of his experience with foster caring: "It's been great, it's tough sometimes, but we've met some wonderful people along the way, we've got to know some of the children and it's lovely to see them mature, growing up, settling down.

"It's a wonderful experience – we would highly recommend it."

Reform UK has selected a leader for its new group of councillors on Leicestershire County Council.

Dan Harrison has taken up the position following this month's election where the party wiped out the Tory majority at County Hall.

Harrison, a former Conservative county councillor who defected to Reform in February, will lead the party's 25 newly-elected members, it was announced on Monday.

Reform is the largest party on the authority but is three seats short of an overall majority.

Harrison said it was "an honour and a privilege" to be elected group leader.

The Tories are now the second largest party and hold 15 of the 55 seats and have lost control of the council after 24 years in power.

The authority remains hung with no party in overall control.

The Liberal Democrats have 11 councillors, Labour have two and there is a single Green and independent councillor, following the election on 3 May.

Reform has the option of either governing in a minority administration or trying to form a coalition with parties towards the opposite end of the political spectrum.

It is likely to become clear what the future political leadership of the council on Wednesday.

That is the date of the county council's annual general meeting – when all councillors meet to elect a chair and vice-chair and appoint councillors to committees.

The defeated Tories have already ruled out forming a coalition with Reform and said they would serve as a "strong opposition" to the larger party.

Harrison is division member for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and was first elected to the council as a Conservative in 2017.

said: "It's an honour and a privilege to have been elected leader of the Reform UK group on Leicestershire County Council.

"What we have achieved here is incredible.

"From a standing start we are now the largest party on the council.

"The people of Leicestershire have given this council a clear mandate for serious change."

Joseph Boam, the newly-elected Reform councillor for Whitwick, has been chosen as deputy leader of the Reform group.

The chairman of a swimming club which lost its home when a Kent sports centre closed said he was looking forward to returning after the site was saved from permanent closure.

Folkestone Sports Centre has been closed for nearly a year, but after months of uncertainty, has been bought by The Sports Trust, which plans to run it as a leisure centre again.

Ian Howe, chairman of Folkestone Swimming Club, which calls the sports centre home, said the deal was "really positive news", but uncertainty loomed as to when the site would reopen.

Mr Howe said the club was planning discussions with the trust to find out more about the opening.

He said: "We are coming up on 10 months now where we can only have one proper session a week. It's good to know we will back in there eventually."

Administrators confirmed in January that the sports centre, which was built in 1972, had secured a buyer for the site after the trust who previously ran it said in July 2024 it could "no longer afford to remain operational".

Sir Roger De Haan, whose charitable trust supported The Sports Trust in buying the site, said it had outbid multiple housing developers to ensure the site could be saved as a sports centre.

Paul Carney, chairman of the trust, said there was "considerable work to be done to the centre" and hoped that essential works would be completed over the next 12 months.

The acquisition of the site was also praised by Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan, who added that the deal "secures the future of this vital local community facility".

Portuguese and German police are starting a new search in Portugal as part of ongoing investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The search will cover the municipality of Lagos, which sits next to Praia da Luz, the town in the Algarve where she went missing nearly two decades ago.

Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from an apartment complex on 3 May 2007 while on holiday with her family.

Her disappearance sparked a Europe-wide police investigation, and has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world.

Portuguese police confirmed on Monday that they were carrying out the search between 2-6 June on warrants issued by German prosecutors.

German search specialists arrived in the town ahead of the renewed search, as Portuguese police started to close roads in preparation.

German investigators have taken the lead in the case since identifying 48-year-old Christian Brückner – who is currently in prison in Germany for a separate crime – as their prime suspect in 2020.

He is currently serving a sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He is due to be released later this year.

German authorities suspect him of murder but have not found enough evidence to bring charges. Brückner has repeatedly denied any involvement.

German authorities told the BBC on Monday that "criminal proceedings are currently underway in Portugal", and that this was being done with the support of Portuguese police.

Portuguese authorities have also named Brückner as a formal suspect, or "arguido". They said they would hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German authorities.

Meanwhile, the Met Police said: "We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann."

The search will be the first to take place in two years. The previous search in 2023 focused on a remote dam, a 40-minute-drive from where Madeleine was last seen.

Brückner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, was found to have photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

Portuguese media reported on Monday that the new search would focus on the area between the Ocean Club holiday resort where the McCann family were staying and the house where Brückner used to live.

The team has been given permission to search 21 plots of land in the area.

The night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while Madeleine and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor apartment.

Her parents checked in on the children throughout the evening until her mother, Kate, discovered Madeleine was missing at around 22:00.

German authorities continue to treat Brückner as their main suspect. However, prosecutors in Germany said earlier this year that there was "no prospect" of a charge against him relating to Madeleine's disappearance.

A German documentary in 2022 found evidence that Brückner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman, while German prosecutors have also linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against him.

Madeleine's parents last month marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".

The Metropolitan Police continues its investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, known as Operation Grange, which has been going since 2011.

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A stonemasonry student said companies had told her she could not join the profession "because she's a girl".

Alice, who is 17, was one of the students who took part in a competition for apprentices at Moulton College in Northampton on Thursday.

Industry experts have said 19,750 extra construction workers are needed in the East of England by 2028 to meet government housebuilding targets.

However, some students, like Alice, said they still faced barriers which made it difficult to pursue a career in construction.

The SkillBuild competition, organised by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), tested apprentices and trainees in a variety of tasks, from furniture making to tiling.

Alice, from Weston Favell in Northamptonshire, inherited her interest in architecture from her grandfather and wanted to work on some of the UK's greatest stone buildings – cathedrals.

But she said her journey had not been easy.

"I've tried to contact some companies to get onto that kind of work, but it hasn't really worked out," she told the BBC.

"The main thing is that I'm a woman and a lot of companies have told me 'you can't do this because you're a girl – you're not strong enough, you won't be able to do the heavy labour'."

Another competitor, Maizie from Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk, wanted to encourage more women to join the industry.

The 17-year-old goes to college in Colchester and said: "In my class it's actually a pretty good mix, but in the industry as a whole, it's definitely a big imbalance.

"People need to realise the value of these industries, and we need to push more young people to go into it. It can be a bit inaccessible at the beginning, especially for young people, since working in these workshop environments can be quite dangerous."

The first obstacle in the competition for Rugby man Sean, 18, was having to "scavenge" for the right tools to make a porch roof, having brought the wrong ones.

The bigger issue for him, generally, was the lack of opportunities for young people.

He said: "There's not enough apprenticeships – it took me two years to get here, and I feel like that's one of the biggest problems.

"The amount of houses they're trying to build; they definitely need more apprenticeships."

A CITB report published this month said 19,750 new workers were needed in the region.

Robert Smith, from the CITB, said "we really need to make that attractive so that they know there are jobs for the future, secure opportunities and great career pathways".

The figures suggest there is a long way to go before there is a gender balance in the industry.

According to The Office for National Statistics, women comprise just 15.8% of the construction workforce and only 2% of workers onsite.

There is some hope, though, with the number of women as a proportion of the overall construction workforce increasing by 36.9% since 2012.

The government said construction would be one area to benefit from a "record-breaking £3bn apprenticeship budget".

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Tanzania's opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been charged with treason a day after he was arrested following a rally he held in the south of the country.

The charge is connected to his nationwide campaign pushing for electoral reform under the slogan "No Reforms, No Election".

The country is due to go to the polls in October when Lissu is expected to challenge President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

When Samia first came to power in 2021, after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, she was praised for reversing some of his more authoritarian tendencies. But she has since been criticised after some opposition members have been targeted with arrests and abductions.

In a series of public appearances, Lissu has been saying that there is no chance of a free-and-fair election in six months unless there are reforms.

The leader of the Chadema party wants the make-up of the electoral commission to change. He has argued that it should not include people appointed directly by Samia.

• Why Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger
• What President Samia has achieved in her first year
• Tanzanian minister sacked after poll rigging remarks

The authorities have described the campaign as inciting the public against the holding of the general election.

Lissu has been arrested several times in the past.

In 2017, during Magufuli's presidency, he survived an assassination attempt during which he was shot 16 times.

He then went into exile and returned briefly in 2020 to run against Magufuli in that year's election. He left after the results were announced, complaining about irregularities.

He then returned in 2023 after changes that Samia introduced to allow more freedom for the opposition.

Earlier on Thursday, the police used tear gas to disperse Chadema supporters while blocking the party leaders from holding a press conference regarding Lissu's arrest.

Some party supporters told the BBC that nothing would stop them from demanding electoral reforms ahead of the elections.

"We are surprised that the police are harassing us when our rallies are peaceful," one supporter said.

"We know the ruling party, CCM, is behind all this. We will fight for changes before elections."

Rights groups have condemned the use of force and accused the government of using state institutions to silence critics.

A lawyers' association said the arrest of Lissu and the crackdown on his supporters was an abuse of power and showed a lack of political tolerance.

Lissu's treason case has been adjourned until 24 April.

More stories from Tanzania:

• 'Robbers stole the crosses from my daughter's and my mother's graves for scrap'
• Tanzania's fuel revolution slowed down by lack of filling stations
• All aboard the sparkling railway breaking new ground for East Africa

The world premiere screening of a film detailing the life of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne will take place in Birmingham.

The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne will be shown at Millennium Point on 4 July, the day before he and Black Sabbath reunite one last time for a fundraising concert at Villa Park in the city.

People will have two opportunities to see the film on the day, at either 16:00 or 18:30 BST, with profits donated to charity.

The film traces Ozzy Osbourne's life, from his childhood in the city through the rise of Black Sabbath and ensuing success as a solo artist, the venue said.

At the end of the Friday evening, special guest Jack Osbourne, Ozzy's son, will be appearing live for a Q&A with those attending the later screening.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Cure Parkinson's, Acorns Children's Hospice and Birmingham Children's Hospital charities.

Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in 1968 and held their first rehearsal at Newtown Community Centre, a stone's throw from Villa Park.

The band will headline a one-day festival at the stadium on 5 July, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Anthrax.

It will mark the first time Black Sabbath's original line-up – Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – have played together in 20 years.

Osbourne has largely been forced to stop touring due to a combination of Parkinson's and spinal injuries.

Police have arrested two 18-year-old men after a woman was found injured in a busy road in Leicester.

Officers were called to the incident in Corporation Road at 14:54 BST on Sunday.

The woman, in her 30s, was taken to hospital and remains in a critical condition, according to Leicestershire Police.

A man from Leicester was arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of robbery, causing grievous bodily harm and theft of a motor vehicle, and a second man – also from the city – was arrested on Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and robbery.

Both men have been released on bail.

The force said the theft offence connected to the first suspect related to a moped believed to have been stolen from the New Parks area on Wednesday 28 May.

Police added the woman had been riding an e-bike but this was not at the scene when they arrived.

Inquiries are continuing into how the woman was injured and anyone with information is asked to come forward.

A man died in a house fire after his clothing caught fire on a gas heater due to a build up of flammable skin cream, an investigation has found.

Jim Rownsley was killed in a blaze at his home in Kempton Gardens, Mexborough, on 20 February.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) said it was likely a build up of residue from an emollient cream he had been using had caused his clothes to become more flammable.

Following his death Mr Rownsley's family urged people to be aware of the potential dangers of skin creams.

His granddaughter Sherrie-Leigh Higgins, 25, said: "My grandad always used his gas heater to stay warm, but we didn't know that the cream he used for his legs could be so dangerous.

"These creams, often used for treating skin conditions, can easily soak into clothes if you use them regularly and become a fire risk.

"If someone you love uses these creams, please make sure you and they know how they can keep themselves safe. I don't want anyone else to go through the same trauma that we did."

Chris Tyler, from SYFRS's community safety team, said some skin creams contained paraffin and natural oils, which while not flammable on their own could make combustible fabrics such as bedding, clothing, or dressings "even more flammable".

He said: "What this means is that in cases where somebody uses these creams on a regular basis and/or spends an extended amount of time in their bed or armchair, their fire risk can increase dramatically.

"Anyone using emollient or skin creams regularly should keep well away from fire, naked flames, or heat sources.

"They shouldn't smoke and need to be careful near hobs, candles, and heaters."

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