Alan Walker

Bill Tidy, the cartoonist who was known for his quick artistry on shows including Countdown and Countryfile, has died at the age of 89.

His family paid tribute to "the most brilliant cartoonist and the very best dad" after he died with his children, Sylvia and Rob, by his side.

Among Tidy's greatest works in a decades long career were The Fosdyke Saga and The Cloggies.

But his health declined in recent years after he suffered two serious strokes.

In a statement on his official Facebook page, Tidy's family said: "It is with huge sadness that I have to share with you the tragic news that we lost our dad, who is not only the most brilliant cartoonist but the very best dad two sons, a son-in-law and a daughter could ever wish for."

Tidy, who was born in Liverpool in 1933, did not receive any formal artistic training growing up and instead started his working life in the Royal Engineers branch of the Army.

His cartoonist career began when he sold a sketch to a Japanese newspaper in 1955.

He went on to publish cartoon strips in a host of UK national newspapers, including The Fosdyke Saga for the Daily Mirror and The Cloggies for Private Eye.

The Fosdyke Saga became so popular it eventually became the subject of a 42-part radio series for the BBC from 1983.

Over the years he also appeared on television shows such as Watercolour Challenge, Countdown, Blankety Blank and Countryfile and he illustrated more than 70 books.

Tidy was awarded an MBE in 2000 for services to journalism and helped to set up the British Cartoonists' Association.

Ireland need a home win against England next week to complete a Grand Slam after grinding out a clinical victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

The improving hosts matched the side ranked number one in the world in an enthralling first half, with Huw Jones and Mack Hansen trading tries.

Despite a glut of injuries, including both hookers, Ireland found a way to earn an eighth successive win over Scotland as James Lowe and Jack Conan touched down against opponents who badly lost their way after the break.

With out-of-sorts England suffering a record home loss to France on Saturday, Andy Farrell's formidable squad are now heavy favourites for a repeat of 2018's clean sweep.

This was billed as one of the matches of the championship. Scotland's best team of the Six Nations era against Ireland's best team ever.

Scotland were led out by Stuart Hogg on the occasion of his 100th cap and if there were nerves in the Hawick man's stomach, they were mirrored by his team-mates in the opening exchanges.

One of the key elements of Ireland's victory on their last visit to Edinburgh in 2021 was the disastrous meltdown of the Scottish line-out.

The memories came flooding back when George Turner failed to find his man with his first two throws, one of which led to Ireland crossing the try-line, only for the score to be ruled out because Turner had taken the quick throw with a new ball. Saved by the rulebook.

After limiting the damage to just three points, the Scots went down the other end and battered the Irish line until the door was prised ajar and Sione Tuipulotu sent Jones careering through to score.

The world's number one side were unlikely to be spooked so easily and Hansen finished off a fine passage of play to edge Ireland back in front.

Where the Irish have had the edge on Scotland, and indeed most teams these days, is in the collisions, but the home side were giving as good as they were getting. At times it was brutal and a lock on either side - Richie Gray and Iain Henderson - departed with injuries early on.

There has been an inevitability about matches between these two in recent times, a sense of Ireland simply softening Scotland up before putting them away with a bit to spare.

In the first-half it felt different, like two serious sides slugging it out. Both teams managed to work their way to the brink of the try-line only to be denied by some extraordinary defence.

Scottish Cup holders Rangers eased past Raith Rovers at Ibrox to progress to the competition's semi-finals.

Connor Goldson's goal on the brink of half-time was well-deserved, before Ryan Nolan's unfortunate own-goal and Scott Arfield's injury-time strike.

Michael Beale's side dominated proceedings and never looked like losing to their Championship opposition.

Rangers now join Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Celtic in the final four.

The draw for the semi-finals follows Falkirk v Ayr United on Monday, live on BBC Scotland.

Burnley have been put under a transfer embargo by the English Football League after submitting their accounts late.

In a statement, the Championship leaders said draft accounts and financial information had been given to the EFL's financial reporting unit and the delay was down to a change in auditors taking longer than expected.

The club believe the EFL will have "no issue" with the accounts.

They also said they were confident the issue would be "resolved swiftly".

Under the league's jurisdiction, clubs can be penalised with embargoes for failing to fulfil requirements of the Financial Fair Play system.

"We continue to have regular dialogue with the [financial] unit to ensure we remain as open and as transparent and answer any questions the league may have," Burnley's statement continued.

"We believe the EFL will have no issue with the detail of our accounts other than their late submission and fully understand and support their position and efforts to sanction any club who fails to comply with any of their regulations.

"Both the club and our new auditors are confident this can be resolved swiftly and we hope our submission will be made next month at which point the embargo will be lifted."

Linfield have won the BetMcLean Cup for an 11th time after goals from Joel Cooper and Chris Shields helped them to a 2-0 victory over Coleraine.

It was a first half devoid of clear-cut chances at a wet Windsor Park, before the game burst into life with the Blues hitting two goals.

Cooper latched on to a Chris McKee through-ball before firing into the bottom corner for the opener.

Shields made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after McKee was brought down.

Linfield claimed a first success in the competition since 2019, while it was a second straight final loss for the Bannsiders after their victory in the 2021 decider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6r1tUhl1cQ

The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer of Dutch communications agency KesselsKramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, then the two lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan on the same day as the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final. Bhutan won the game 4–0, their first ever victory and also the first time they had kept a clean sheet in any match. The friendly match, officially sanctioned by FIFA, saw Bhutan rise out of the bottom two of the world rankings and kept Montserrat in last place. The referee was Englishman, Steve Bennett.

Scientists track an iceberg the size of London

It's often hard to gauge the size of icebergs, for both A81 and A76a, it's worth remembering that what you see is only a fraction of the objects' bulk.

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Michael O'Neill has named former defender Aaron Hughes in his revamped backroom team for his second stint as Northern Ireland manager.

Hughes, who won 112 Northern Ireland caps, and Diarmuid O'Carroll have been brought on board as senior coaches.

David Rouse is NI's new goalkeeping coach while Matthew Crawford will be the team's performance analyst.

Northern Ireland begin their Euro 2024 qualification campaign in San Marino on 23 March.

O'Neill said he is "more than happy" with his backroom team as aims to repeat Northern Ireland's qualification for the Euro 2016 finals, which came during his first stint in charge.

O'Carroll's role comes after he withdrew his application for the Northern Ireland Under-19 and Under-17 manager's role - a day after his appointment was announced in 2021.

This was down to an "administrative error" in his application and O'Neill added O'Carroll "recognises the difficult situation which the association was put in at that time", but "we both consider the matter closed".

O'Neill said the former Cliftonville, Glenavon and Crusaders striker will be a "great asset" and is a "vibrant young coach".

He added that former NI defender Nicholl is "a vital source of information, not just for me, but for all the staff" and Hughes, who is also the Irish FA's technical director, brings experience and professionalism "which will be particularly invaluable to the younger players in the squad".

Rouse was goalkeeping coach under O'Neill during his stint at Stoke City, and Crawford spent five years as senior analyst with Wales' senior team.

Gary Lineker will return to present Match of the Day after he was taken off air following an impartiality row after he criticised the government's new asylum policy.

BBC director general Tim Davie said an independent review of BBC social media guidelines would be carried out - but denied the BBC had backed down.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "it was right" the matter had been resolved.

But on Monday the BBC continued to face criticism from a range of sides.

Lineker said he supported the review and looked forward to getting back on air, describing the last few days as "surreal" and thanking people for their "incredible support".

Tory backbench MP Philip Davies told the Mail Online the BBC's decision was a "pathetic capitulation" to Lineker and the "start of the end for the licence fee", while ex-cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg also warned the "licence fee has passed its sell-by date".

Labour's shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell, meanwhile, said the return of Lineker was welcome, but "much bigger questions remain about the impartiality and independence of the BBC from government pressures".

She said: "The ongoing uncertainties around the future of the BBC are keeping it over a barrel and making it susceptible to political campaigns orchestrated by ministers, MPs and the right-wing press.

"This saga should prompt the government to examine how it protects and promotes a truly independent and impartial BBC."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted the BBC "made the right decision".

2013 – The 2013 papal conclave elects Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.

The total amount that workers can accumulate in their pension savings before paying extra tax is expected to be increased in Wednesday's Budget.

The final figure hasn't been confirmed, but people are expected to be able to save up to £1.8m over a lifetime, up from £1.07m currently.

The policy would be aimed at stopping people from reducing their hours or retiring early due to the tax charges.

Persuading workers to work for longer is part of UK plans to boost growth.

The chancellor could also increase the £40,000 annual cap on tax-free contributions to pensions, to £60,000.

It is expected millions could benefit from the rise, including those who have worked in the public sector for many years. There has been a particular focus on doctors and consultants - some of whom have retired early or reduced hours for pension tax reasons as the NHS has become increasingly stretched.

UK economic growth has flatlined in recent months and the Bank of England expects the UK to enter a recession this year. Many industries have struggled to recruit workers, though job vacancies are falling.

Job hunting: Six top tips for finding work

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64939070

Gheorghe Hagi: Inside a football icon's plan to restore Romania's glory days

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64920773

Wales boss Rob Page has selected four uncapped players in his squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Jordan James, Nathan Broadhead and Oli Cooper could all win first caps, as could 17-year-old forward Luke Harris.

Millwall striker Tom Bradshaw's fine form sees him recalled for the first time in five years.

This is the first Wales squad to be confirmed since men's record scorer and top appearance-maker Gareth Bale announced his retirement from football.

Wales will also go into the qualifiers without recent international retirees Joe Allen,Chris Gunter and Jonny Williams who have all announced their intentions to focus on their club careers.

However, Nice midfielder Aaron Ramsey, now the most-capped outfield player in the squad, is fit and available.

Aside from the retirees, Rubin Colwill, Mark Harris, Dylan Levitt and Matt Smith all miss out after featuring in Wales' World Cup squad.

Wales begin their European Championship qualifying campaign with a daunting trip to face World Cup semi-finalists Croatia on Saturday, 25 March, before hosting Latvia at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 28 March.

Wales have been drawn with Croatia, Latvia, Turkey and Armenia in Group D of Euro qualifying, as they aim to reach their third consecutive European Championships, which will be held in Germany next summer.

Uncapped Zander Clark and Angus Gunn have been included in Scotland's squad for this month's opening Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain.

First choice goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 40, is injured long term and Clark, 30, has taken Gordon's place at Hearts.

Norwich stopper Gunn, 27, committed his international future to Scotland after being capped by England Under-21s.

Liam Kelly is picked again and Scotland manager Steve Clarke says it's "all to play for" among the three keepers.

Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes makes the squad after a recent spell in hospital with illness.

However, Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland, who has scored 21 goals this season, misses out, having also been absent from his club's past two games while injured Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna is not included.

The Scots host Cyprus on 25 March (14:00 GMT) then Spain on 28 March (19:45 BST).

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10 years this year since 1man's trip to Bournemouth.

Police in Australia have rescued a baby kangaroo from crocodile infested floodwaters over the weekend in Burketown.

The kangaroo joey was spotted swimming near two large crocodiles by a helicopter pilot, who alerted Queensland Police.

Heavy rains caused record-breaking flood in the region, with local authorities saying residents had to be airlifted out to safety.

Constitution Hill produced a memorable performance to win the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 4-11 favourite, ridden by Nico de Boinville for trainer Nicky Henderson, triumphed by nine lengths from runner-up State Man.

It was a fifth consecutive victory for the unbeaten gelding.

"That is only the sixth race of his life but this horse is going to extraordinary levels, and we are lucky to be custodians," said Henderson.

"That would bring tears to most eyes. He is pretty unique."

Constitution Hill always travelled prominently, cruised into the lead and powered up the hill in impressive style.

The six-year-old had won his previous five races, including last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, by an aggregate of 77 lengths, leading to suggestions he could be developing into one of the greats.

And he lived up to the hype with a foot-perfect display on the biggest stage.

"He had loads left, he's an exceptional horse, a superstar," said De Boinville.