Torpoint

A Litany for the Armed Forces

Holy God, the protector of all who trust in you:
Grant to the Armed Forces of the Crown,
and all who seek you,
the assurance of your presence,
the knowledge of your love,
and the guidance of your spirit
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Bring healing and wholeness to people and nations:
let your mercy rule all that we do.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Be with all who defend your truth and your peace,
that they may vanquish injustice and wrong.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Give wisdom to leaders and commanders,
that they may be a force for good on the earth.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

In your wisdom embrace our enemies,
and those who wish us harm:
turn, the hearts of all to kindness and friendship.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Be with all medics and chaplains,
and all who support the suffering:
give then wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Sustain the anxious and fearful,
and renew then with courage from on high.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Comfort all worried families, whose loved ones are in danger:
surround them with your love, protect them from all harm.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Be with the sick and wounded,
stand by all prisoners and captives:
let your mercy be shown to all, and your power to heal and save.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Receive those fallen in battle, and all innocents who have died:
surround their loved ones with compassion,
and give them a patient faith.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Confirm what is founded on truth,
and establish your love in our hearts:
that justice may abound on the Earth,
and all peoples rejoice in your peace.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

The litany may end with the Lord's Prayer.

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Six D-Day veterans pay tribute on poignant Remembrance Day

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlre326g94o

Among the ten thousand men and women marching past the Cenotaph at this year’s Remembrance service, there were six surviving veterans of D-Day.

They are now so few that they were outnumbered by the eight former prime minsters, lined up at the annual commemoration in London’s Whitehall.

This summer saw a major international event marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, with a small army of world leaders and accompanying media.

Here under low, grey autumn skies the six remaining representatives of that huge and heroic moment, the men who were actually there, went quietly past in wheelchairs, with a collective age of 595 years.

It included 101-year-old Joe Randall, who was aged 20 at D-Day, and who had helped build temporary airfields for the invasion force liberating Europe from Nazism.

There’s an immense poignancy to such moments, literally watching history moving out of sight.

There is an estimated 70 - 80 British D-Day veterans still alive.

The Farm - All Together Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRgtzZ-mOQo

"All Together Now" is a song by British band the Farm and the second single from their debut album, Spartacus (1991). The song was released in November 1990 by Produce, Jive, Sire, and Reprise. Vocalist of the band Peter Hooton wrote the lyrics in his early 20s, after reading about the Christmas truce of 1914. The song was first recorded under the title "No Man's Land" for a John Peel session in 1983.

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Crowds of birdwatchers flocked to a quiet cul-de-sac after a rare sighting of a species perched on a garden washing line.

The report of the scarlet tanager in Shelf, near Halifax, is believed to be the first time one of the birds has been sighted in Yorkshire.

The stocky songbird normally travels between the eastern United States and lowland South American forests twice a year.

One twitcher who made an early morning journey from London described catching a glimpse of the creature as "exhilarating".

Dozens of birdwatchers assembled along the street after initial reports that the bird had been sighted were shared online and on social media.

Geoffrey King, who has been birdwatching for 15 years, made the 220-mile (354km) trip north from Weybridge in Surrey to West Yorkshire in the early hours of Monday.

He arrived on scene at 09:30 GMT but it was a further five hours before a hushed murmur rippled through the crowd, signalling the bird had become visible.

"It was very exhilarating," he said.

Mr King, 67, had been packing up his tripod and was ready to book a hotel when he saw the bird.

"I had basically given up. Somebody called and there it was at the top of the tree! It was a great relief to see it," he enthused.

The scarlet tanager was Mr King's 478th species spotted in the UK, he added.

Fixing LED strip lights to the bottom of surfboards could deter attacks by great white sharks, Australian scientists say.

A study conducted in Mossel Bay, South Africa involved towing seal-shaped boards fitted with different configurations of lights behind a boat to see which attracted the most attention.

The researchers from Macquarie University in New South Wales say the lights distorted the silhouette of their "decoys" on the ocean's surface and limited the ability of the great whites to see against the sunlight.

Lights could prove a non-invasive means of shark restraint, unlike nets or drones, they added.

Great white sharks are the species responsible for most human shark-bite fatalities, and often attack their prey from underneath, lead researcher Laura Ryan said. This means that sometimes the sharks mistake a surfer's silhouette for the outline of a seal.

Researchers say it is also important to see whether the LED lighting is effective in deterring other shark species known to attack humans, including bull sharks and tiger sharks.

Most attacks are associated with people surfing and participating in other board sports. There were 69 unprovoked shark bites in 2023, most in the US, Australia and South Africa, 10 of which were fatal, according to statistics., external

The Australian study, published in the journal Current Biology,, external involved testing three different intensities of LED lights.

Ms Ryan said the study showed the brightest horizontal-aligned lights were less likely to be targeted.

Timothy West, one of Britain's most distinguished and versatile actors, has died at the age of 90, his family have announced.

He was known for roles on stage and screen including in TV sitcoms Not Going Out and Bedtime, dramas such as Bleak House and Gentleman Jack, and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.

A statement released by his children, external said the actor died "peacefully in his sleep" and was "with his friends and family at the end".

The actor is also survived by his wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years.

In recent years, the couple had been followed in 10 series of Channel 4's Great Canal Journeys.

Scales has had vascular dementia for more than 20 years.

Dame Joanna Lumley said: "Timothy really will be a huge loss, obviously, to Pru, but I think a huge loss to everybody who came to love and respect them, not just the general public, but particularly those who live with dementia.

"I think between them, Timothy and Pru did an amazing job of convincing people that dementia was not something that you should be always afraid of, but something that you could embrace and live with and live with well," she added on Times Radio.

Broadcaster Piers Morgan recalled interviewing West, external for his Life Stories series with the actor’s wife Scales sitting in the audience.

"[She was] the love of his life... his devotion to her after she developed Alzheimer’s was profoundly touching," Morgan said.

Paying tribute, Dame Harriet Walter, who played West's on-screen wife in the 2002 film Villa des Roses, told BBC News: "We had a lot of giggles, but he was also a very serious, wonderful man."

Former EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman described West as, external "the most wonderful actor and human being".

In their statement, Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West described their father as having had a "long and extraordinary life on and off the stage".

West leaves "a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren", the family said, adding: "All of us will miss him terribly.

"We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George's Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days."

Gareth Ainsworth has been appointed as head coach of League One bottom club Shrewsbury Town.

The 51-year-old Lancastrian returns to management after a year out of the game.

After more than a decade in charge of Wycombe Wanderers, which included promotion to the Championship in 2020, Ainsworth left in February 2023 to take over at Queens Park Rangers, one of his clubs during his playing days.

But he lasted just eight months in charge at Loftus Road before being sacked.

Ainsworth replaces Paul Hurst, whose second spell ended last week after just seven months as head coach.

He brings with him long-standing number two Richard Dobson, who will be assistant head coach.

Why next five days are key to Scots' World Cup hopes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn8l27w531no

Claudio Ranieri has been appointed head coach of Roma until the end of the season - six months after announcing his retirement.

Ranieri has also taken on a role advising the Italian club's owners and will help in the search for a permanent manager.

At the end of the season the 73-year-old will "transition into a senior executive role", the club said.

Ranieri, who has managed his hometown club twice before including a temporary stint in 2019, retired in May after guiding Cagliari to survival.

His appointment comes after the sacking of Ivan Juric on Sunday.

Croatian Juric lasted just 12 matches after replacing Daniele de Rossi four games into this season. Former Italy midfielder De Rossi was manager for eight months following the departure of Jose Mourinho in January.

Ranieri has coached 18 clubs during his 37-year managerial career, as well as the Greece national team.

The crowning achievement of his career was the Premier League title he won with Leicester City in 2015-16.

Roma were linked with former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, who recently left his position as Saudi Arabia head coach.

Despite spending more than £80m during the summer transfer window, Roma are 12th in Serie A with 13 points after 12 games, and are 20th in the Europa League table with five points after four matches.

Roma's next Serie A match is at Napoli on 24 November.

Evan Ferguson's goal and a superb penalty save from Caoimhin Kelleher helped Republic of Ireland to a 1-0 win over Finland in the Nations League game in Dublin.

Finland were twice denied by the woodwork before Brighton striker Ferguson headed in from a Mikey Johnston cross on the stroke of half-time.

The visitors were pushing for a deserved leveller when they were awarded a 77th-minute penalty after a VAR check for a handball by Ferguson.

Kelleher dived to his right to keep out Joel Pohjanpalo's spot-kick and then got up to save Robin Lod's shot from the rebound.

England's win against Greece means the Republic will finish third in Group B2 and face a play-off next year while Finland are relegated.

Doctors fans have expressed their fury and disappointment after the final episode of the BBC soap aired today, bringing the show to a close after more than two decades.

Last year, the BBC revealed that the long-running series, which began in 2000 would be coming to an end in 2024, leaving viewers heartbroken.

The show is about the doctors and staff at a busy Midlands GP practice, and has featured famous names including Emilia Clarke, Alison Hammond, Ruthie Henshall, Joe Pasquale, Eddie Redmayne and Sheridan Smith.

Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004, before relocating to BBC Drama Village, also in Birmingham.

It has been nominated for five Baftas in its history, as well as a raft of British Soap Awards.

The penultimate episode on Wednesday featured late actor Timothy West, the husband of Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales.

West died 'peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening' aged 90 surrounded by his family and friends, his loved ones said on Wednesday.

The BBC is also aired a special Doctors, A Celebration episode, which looks back on 24 years of the programme, and had the cast take part in a Bargain Hunt episode.

UK police will investigate claims Greek police in Athens used riot shields and tear gas on England supporters before the Nations League match with Greece.

Officers from the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) were at the game and "actively worked" with local authorities to help "influence a change of tactics".

The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) is asking fans to share their experiences, external of the situation that unfolded outside of the Athens Olympic Stadium on Thursday.

Free Lions, the FSA's fans' embassy team, said there is "still clearly so much needed" to ensure fans are not put in "unjustifiably dangerous situations".

In a statement to BBC Sport, the UKFPU said: "A team of officers from the UKFPU were present at the match in Greece and we are aware of the difficulties that some fans experienced when attempting to enter the stadium.

"Officers actively worked with their counterparts to influence a change of tactics and, following the match, an investigation will now take place in partnership with the FA and FSA."

The Football Association said it is obtaining information to establish what happened.

About 3,500 England supporters travelled to the Greek capital for the sold-out fixture but some complained of being "pushed" and receiving "heavy-handed" treatment from local police.

The FSA said Uefa, European football's governing body, has also been informed.

BBC Sport has contacted Uefa for comment.

Hundreds of protesters opposing changes to inheritance tax rules for farms gathered outside the Welsh Labour conference as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended his government's recent Budget measures.

Farming unions have said the planned changes will have "disastrous" consequences.

Starmer told the conference in Llandudno, Conwy, he would defend the Budget "all day long" for taking "tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy".

Dozens of tractors and farm vehicles were parked on the prom outside the conference at Venue Cymru.

League One strugglers Cambridge held on to secure a 1-1 home draw against high-flying Barnsley.

The hosts made a flying start with a goal inside four minutes as Dan Nlundulu was allowed to cut inside from the byline and get a shot away, which deflected past Barnsley goalkeeper Ben Killip at his near post.

However, they were only ahead until the 17th minute as Barnsley drew level through Stephen Humphrys, who broke from a Cambridge corner and blasted beyond Jack Stevens.

Michael Morrison almost put the U’s back ahead but headed Danny Andrew’s corner on to a post.

An ambitious long-range effort from Kelechi Nwakali needed tipping over on the hour by Stevens, who made a fine save from Humphrys from the resulting corner.

Marc Russell netted the rebound but was denied by the offside flag.

Barnsley continued to push and 20 minutes from the end, Adam Phillips was played through but fired across Stevens and wide.

Five minutes after that Stevens again did well to touch a Humphrys shot on to the bar after it had taken a wicked deflection, before Phillips and Davis Keillor-Dunn both headed off target from close range as Cambridge held on for a point.