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London Marathon: Would you run in that gear?
Trainers? Check. Vaseline? Check. Silly costume? Of course. Meet some of the charity runners making tomorrow's London Marathon just that little bit harder…
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Tony Selwyn, 29
Betty Boop, for Help the Hospices.
“I’ve worn this costume to a few house parties and some friends bet me I wouldn’t run the marathon wearing it. My main concern is the wig. It’s thick and black, and I might overheat. I’m going to use lots of aspirin and chafing cream on the day.”
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Mike Barton, 35
Banana, for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.
“My mum died of leukaemia when I was a teenager. I joked that I’d run for the charity as a banana, and it turned out it was their mascot. I’m trying for a Guinness World Record: fastest marathon run by a fruit.”
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Kim Johnston, 50
Puff the Asthma Dragon, for Asthma UK.
“I’ve done 59 marathons – I’m aiming to join the 100 Marathon Club. But this is my first in costume. If I run quickly, I get asthma, so I’m a plodder.”
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Geoff Clark, 34
Front half of Humphrey the Camel, for WaterAid.
“This is Humphrey’s 15th marathon – he’s been running them with Thames Water, where I work, since 1996. He’s a furry sauna, but when the crowd cheer you on, it’s a real buzz.”
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Eliza Ferguson, 25
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, for Clic Sargent.
“My friend Thomas – Doc, in the lime green hat – got us to do this. Six guys said they’d run with him, so he decided to get a girl on board as Snow White (one of the dwarves was away for our training). We’ve made a pact that we’re not allowed to leave each other in the marathon. They’ll have to go at my pace.”
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Dean Holder, 41
Spitfire, for Leonard Cheshire Disability.
“This will be my first and last marathon. I went last year and was inspired, but I’m a battered old rugby player, not built to run miles and miles. I’m in the RAF, and so was the founder of the charity I’m running for, so we thought of the Spitfire.”
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Andy Stringer, 29
Donkey, for Spana (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad).
“I’m the veterinary director of Spana. This sombre donkey loaded down with bags reminds people of the loads these animals carry on a daily basis. The costume weighs 17kg, which certainly reminds me.”
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Adam Betts, 30
Sonic the Hedgehog, for Spinal Injuries Association.
“Sonic’s head is massive. I was quite worried that I might injure myself – he does catch in the wind quite a bit – so I’ve been in the gym doing neck exercises. I’m hoping for cold, calm weather. I’ve done a half marathon as Sonic on a chilly day – and that felt warm enough.”
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Trevor Bannister, Are You Being Served's Mr Lucas, dies aged 76
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Trevor Bannister, who played the role of ladies' man Mr Lucas in the department store comedy Are You Being Served? has died at the age of 76.
He suffered a heart attack on Thursday at his allotment in Thames Ditton, Surrey, his brother John told the BBC.
"He was a good lad, we were all very fond of him," he said, adding that the actor had been doing some repair work on his shed when he became ill.
Bannister had a lengthy career including appearances in the long-running police drama Z Cars, and more recently a stint in Last of the Summer Wine.
He also made regular appearances in the theatre and in pantomime.
In 2009, he gave a reading at the funeral of his co-star Wendy Richard, who played Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and later Pauline Fowler in EastEnders.
Born on 14 August 1936 in the village of Durrington, Wiltshire, Bannister enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts after two years' national service.
His first break in theatre had come when he was hired for a repertory company in Folkestone at 15, and his West End stage debut was in 1960 when he appeared in Billy Liar, with Albert Finney.
Are You Being Served? ran from 1972 until 1985, but Bannister left the show in 1980 when it was at the height of its popularity, going on to play Peter Pitt in the 1988 BBC sitcom Wyatt's Watchdogs.
He also had minor roles in Keeping Up Appearances, The Saint and The Avengers and played three different characters in Coronation Street.
Five years ago he played Sir John Tremayne in the 70th anniversary production of the Noel Gay musical, Me And My Girl, which toured the UK.
Frank Thornton, who appeared as Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served?, said he had "many, many happy memories" of Bannister. "He was a very good friend over a long time," he said.
"We often met with him and his wife – he was recently at my 90th birthday celebrations in January and that was the last time we saw him. We shall miss him sorely."
His agent, David Daly, said: "I have known and worked with Trevor Bannister as his agent for 24 years. He has been a wonderful friend as well as a very talented client and I shall miss him greatly."
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A woman dresses an image of Jesus of Nazareth at the Church of Saint Francis in Tegucigalpa, Honduras as part of the preparations for the celebrations of the Holy Week.
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Nigerian boys play ball next to a campaign billboard advertising presidential candidate Goodluck Jonathan (left) and his running mate Namadi Sambo at Jos. The incumbent, Goodluck is expected to win.
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Palestinians take part in a candlelight vigil in Gaza City to condemn the murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni, who was killed by a Salafist group of radical Islamists.
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Protesters demand the end of longtime Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's rule in Benghazi. NATO insists its member nations remain united on military operations as Russia said NATO involvement in Libya was excessive.
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The body of a dead man remains on the ground in Abidjan. While President Alassane Ouattara has arrested opponent Laurent Gbagbo and stability is starting to return to the Ivory Coast, some of Gbagbo's allies continue to fight.
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Organist and Master of the Choristers James O'Donnell conducts The Choir of Westminster Abbey, who will sing at the Royal Wedding, during a performance at Westminster Abbey in London.
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An aerial view of the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island where police found ten sets of human remains in Wantagh, New York. Four sets of remains have been identified as missing prostitutes.
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An engineer looks on as the James Webb Space Telescope's mirror segments are prepped before being tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
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Supporters carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad as they shout slogans following prayers outside the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus. Tens of thousands also protested the Assad regime throughout the country.
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Wrong Lady Liberty
After printing three billion stamps, the Postal Service realized its new Statue of Liberty stamp was based not on the one that greeted immigrants, but a Las Vegas replica. The stamps will remain on the market.
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A Croatian reacts in Zagreb's main square after hearing the verdict for Croatian general Ante Gotovina. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years by a United Nations court for killing civilians in 1995.
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Controversy Over Route for Killed British Soldiers
A Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster comes in to land at RAF Brize Norton. Locals in the area are furious over a change in the route used for transporting fallen soldiers, calling it so inconvenient that it disrespects the dead.
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Anger Builds Against Yemeni President
A Yemeni protester hangs an effigy of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration calling for his ouster outside Sanaa University. Influential tribal and religious chiefs have abandoned the president.
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Soldiers from Fort Riley in Kansas fly to Afghanistan. Recent findings by military psychologists found that a key to preventing post-traumatic stress may be officers capable of recognizing quickly any changes in soldiers' behavior.
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A visitor purchases a balloon featuring Minnie Mouse at Tokyo Disneyland. About 10,000 people lined up to visit the amusement park as it reopened after being shut down by the earthquake.
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A farmer and horse breaker stands on a horse during routine practice on his farm in the outskirts of Havana April 10, 2011.
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President Barack Obama sprints up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial surrounded by Secret Service agents, to visit with tourists, a day after Congress came to agreement on funding the federal government, emphasizing that national parks, monuments and museums are kept open and filled with visitors, in Washington April 9, 2011.
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A friend of Vittorio Arrigoni puts his head against the wall after news Arrigoni's killing was announced, at the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) office in Gaza City April 15, 2011. Security personnel found the body of Arrigoni, a pro-Palestinian activist from Italy, who was killed and left in an abandoned house in the Gaza Strip following his abduction by militants, Hamas said.
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A Buddhist nun walks in line with novice Thai nuns to receive food from people during the Songkran Festival at the Sathira-Dhammasathan Buddhist meditation centre in Bangkok April 13, 2011. The Songkran festival, also known as the water festival, marks the start of Thailand's traditional New Year and is believed to wash away bad luck.
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A general view of makeshift houses at a shanty town in Huaycan, a district on the outskirts of Lima, April 9, 2011. Peru will hold a presidential election on April 10, with a run-off being likely on June 5 since no candidate is expected to win 50 percent of the votes.
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A man is seen through windows as he watches television on his bed in a scrapped vehicle which serves as his dwelling, at a dismantling centre for old vehicles on the outskirts of Hefei, Anhui province, China, April 12, 2011. Seven families in the centre, with ages from 4 to 84, dismantle old cars as their livelihood during the day and live in renovated scrapped vehicles during the night, local media reported.
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Makala Welch helps her grandparents clean up after a tornado touched down in Clinton, Miss., April 15, 2011. Three suspected tornadoes hit Mississippi on Friday, including one that damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in Clinton and left at least one person with life-threatening injuries.
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A vehicle rests on a tree after an overnight tornado in Tushka, Okla., Friday, April 15.
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A dog curls up on a mattress near a destroyed mobile home in Tushka, Okla., Friday, April 15, following a tornado.
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Polar bear Mercedes put to sleep
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Mercedes the polar bear has been "put to sleep" after a "recent rapid deterioration in her welfare", the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has announced.
The 30-year-old female bear was moved from Edinburgh Zoo to a new, larger enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore two years ago.
She had been suffering severe arthritis which was treated with painkillers.
The RZSS said it was "with great sadness" that it announced the death.
Mercedes was captured after being rescued from being shot in Canada in 1984 and added to the animal collection at Edinburgh Zoo.
She was relocated to the park at Kincraig in 2009.
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Libya conflict: Gaddafi 'cluster bombing Misrata'
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Pro-government forces in Libya have been accused by a human rights campaign group of using cluster bombs, which are banned by more than 100 countries.
Human Rights Watch said one of its photographers saw three mortar-launched projectiles explode over a residential area of Misrata.
A Libyan government spokesman denied the allegation.
Government troops have intensified their siege of Misrata, the only western Libyan city still in rebel hands.
The BBC's Orla Guerin reports from inside the battle-scarred city that local residents fear a massacre without greater action by Nato air forces to break the siege.
As well as cluster munitions there have been a number of reports that Libyan forces are using the Soviet-designed Grad rocket system in their bombardment of Misrata.
The Grad, which launches multiple rockets from mobile launchers, has been blamed for a number of civilian deaths in recent days, including eight people in a bread queue.
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Unexploded cluster bomblets are often brightly coloured and picked up by children
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Ten die in Afghanistan army base bomb
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Five foreign and five Afghan troops have died in an attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.
A Taliban suicide bomber wearing a military uniform hit an Afghan army base near the city of Jalalabad, the Afghan defence ministry said.
Coalition officials said five foreign troops died but gave no more details. Four Afghan soldiers and four translators were said to be injured.
The attack was one of the deadliest in months against foreign troops.
It took place shortly after 0730 (0330 GMT) when the bomber approached the gate of the military base and detonated his explosives.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, adding that the attacker was a "sleeper agent" who had served in the army for at least one month before launching his attack.
However, Afghan officials strongly denied that suggestion, insisting that the bomber was wearing a military uniform but not a serving soldier
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Tunisia's former President Ben Ali faces 18 charges
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Tunisian authorities say they want to try former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on 18 different charges, including voluntary manslaughter and drug-trafficking.
Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said the charges were among 44 to be made against Mr Ben Ali, his family and some former ministers.
An international warrant for Mr Ben Ali's arrest is in force.
He was ousted in January amid a popular uprising and fled to Saudi Arabia.
Authorities said at the time they had arrested 33 members of his family, reportedly on suspicion of plundering the country's resources.
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Residents hose down shanties as fires burn in a suburb of Manila. No casualties were reported although at least 420 people lost their homes
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The number of bodies found in a mass graves in Mexico has risen in the past week after more corpses were discovered
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Man Utd v Man City - FA Cup semi-final
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Today is the 159th time that the red and blue halves of Manchester have faced it other but the first time that have done so at Wembley. United are ahead with 66 victories against City's 42 and there's been 50 draws
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Wayne Rooney sits out today's game on the bench
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Roberto Mancini looks pensive ahead of kick off
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or maybe he's a bit jealous because Sir Alex Ferguson is watching the game from the Royal Box
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It's no wonder there's a lot of space around him
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It's not long before they create their first chance. Some nice buildup play outside the area creates space for Dimitar Berbatov to burst through into the area, but he is denied by a smart save from Joe Hart who rushes out to block the shot
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Almost immediately Berbatov gets another chance to open the scoring after Nani creates himself some space and then slips a perfect pass across the six yard box. Berbatov slides in to meet the cross ...
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but he shins it over the bar.
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Edwin van der Saar dives at Yaya Touré's feet
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Gareth Barry shoots into the side-netting. City fans thought it was in, so their opposite numbers use the opportunity for some banter.
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Seven minutes after the restart City draw first blood after some slack United play. Firstly Van der Sar slices a clearance, but then Michael Carrick misjudges a pass, allowing Toure to pick up the ball in the centre, 20 yards out, drop a shoulder to shift to the right, draw the keeper and slot the ball home
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...and the City fans celebrate in their now customary fashion
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Paul Scholes is outnumbered by David Silva and De Jong but still gets stuck in. In the 72nd minute the United veteran has one of his moments and goes in very high on Pablo Zabaleta and gets his marching orders
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Van der Saar takes a clatter on the ankle as he saves from Balotelli
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Blow the final whistle... please. But there's going to be at least five minutes of injury time
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and there is but United can't equalise and the whistle finally goes. City are in the FA Cup final and their fans go wild
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The final whistle doesn't bring an end to the action on the pitch. Mario Balotelli, who can start a fight in an empty room, is in the middle of a fracas after annoying Rio Ferdinand and Anderson. City manager Roberto Mancini is in the middle of it trying to seperate him from the aggro
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Once the handbags come to an end, the celebrations start and the City players mimic their fans' celebrations
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City fans have the final word
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Kathmandu, Nepal: A man has his face covered with vermilion powder at the Sindur Jatra festival to welcome spring and the new year
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Hainan province, China: A Li ethnic minority woman with a two-month-old macaque in Bing Lang Gu
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Sheffield, England: Jenny Cowen of Britain competes in the women's 10m platform semi-finals of the Fina world series diving at Ponds Forge sports centre
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Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Soldiers from the pro-Outtara Republican Force of Ivory Coast patrol the city
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California, US: Fans at the Coachella music and arts festival are sprayed with cooling mist for relief from the desert heat
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Ramallah, West Bank: People run away from teargas fired by Israeli soldiers
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Sibate, Colombia: Police officers stand in formation during a promotion ceremony at their academy
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London, England: Members of the Household Cavalry return to their barracks after a dress rehearsal for the major-general's review in Hyde Park
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Veteran Life magazine picture editor John G Morris talks us through some of the photographs from his extraordinary personal collection that are to be auctioned in April 2011.
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Jackie and the Kennedys, Wedding day in Newport
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Gypsy Wedding, Slovakia 1947
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Workers Alliance of America, 1936
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Buckingham Palace being cleaned, late 1960s
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John G Morris: "I snapped this photo of Robert Capa as he shot the surrender of German officers, somewhere in Normandy in August 1944. This print is unique"
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Liberation, Marseilles, 1944
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Marilyn, 1960
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Military appraisal at Moscow trolley stop, 1954 (Life cover)
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South American children, c.1962
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Albert Einstein, 1940
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Presidential guards march in front of the monument of the Unknown Soldier at the Greek Parliament in Athens.
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Emergency personnel confer in front of Lowe's Home Improvement after it was hit by a tornado in Sanford, N.C., Saturday, April 16. Homes and businesses were badly damaged Saturday by a severe storm system that whipped across North Carolina, bringing flash floods, hail and reports of tornadoes from the western hills to the streets of Raleigh. In the Lee County town of Sanford, a Lowe's store was smashed by the storm. "The Lowe's Home Improvement has been flattened," said Monica Elliott, who works at the nearby Brick City Grill. "It's totally destroyed."
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Two participants race their office chairs and jump over a barrier at the 3rd German Championships in office chair racing in Bad Koenig-Zell, Germany, April 16. Around 58 participants from Luxemburg, Cologne and Stuttgart raced their office chairs along the 200 meter long steep street. They could propell the chairs with their hands or feet, but motorized chairs were forbidden.
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A participant crashes with his customized chair after crossing the finish line during the third official German office chair race championships in Bad Koenig Zell, Germany, April 16.
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AV vote: Paddy Ashdown attacks George Osborne
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The former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has launched an explosive attack on George Osborne, accusing the chancellor of cheap mud-slinging and scaremongering ahead of the alternative vote referendum.
As the AV debate grows increasingly acrimonious, laying bare growing coalition tensions between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, Ashdown takes Osborne to task over his allegations that the Electoral Reform Society stands to profit from a yes vote.
Osborne claimed the society, which gave £1.1m to the yes campaign, would benefit from the adoption of the alternative vote system through its commercial subsidiary, Electoral Reform Services Ltd (ERSL). But in a strikingly personal attack on the chancellor, Ashdown writes in today's Observer that Osborne's approach is a prime example of why British politics needs radical reform.
"The strategy is clear," writes Ashdown. "Throw as much mud as you can, don't let the issue be discussed openly and frighten the public over the next three weeks into voting to preserve the power the present first-past-the-post system gives you. This strategy stinks of the same odour which has surrounded our politics recently.
"For the chancellor of the exchequer – the chancellor of the exchequer – to claim that there is something 'dodgy' about the Electoral Reform Society donating cash to a campaign in favour of electoral reform is bizarre. George Osborne makes the case for change for us. He graphically shows why we need to change our politics. Why we need to clean it up. Why the voting public deserve something better."
Ashdown's aggressive intervention is made as the gloves come off in the increasingly embittered referendum debate. Twelve Tory ministers and cabinet ministers, including key allies of David Cameron, pounded pavements across the country drumming up support for the no vote which a Comres poll last night said had a 6% lead on the yes vote, with 43% supporting the retention of first past the post.
Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, condemned the use of smear campaigns during the AV debate and attempted to distance himself from Tory policies. "The no campaign is getting increasingly desperate," the Lib Dem leader said. "That's why they are using ludicrous false claims to try to scare people into keeping things the way they are."
Clegg added: "Working together in the national interest does not mean we agree on everything. And it doesn't mean we shouldn't be taking the fight to the Tories in the local elections, criticising mistakes and wrong priorities wherever they occur."
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Nicolas Cage arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse and public drunkenness
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Actor Nicolas Cage has been arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse after an allegedly drunken altercation with his wife. The Oscar-winning actor was taken into custody in New Orleans on Friday after he was said to have grabbed his wife, Alice Kim, and damaged parked cars during an argument about where they were staying in the city.
Cage, 47, was booked on suspicion of domestic-abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness, said New Orleans police spokesman Gary Floyd.
"[They] were standing in front of a residence that he insisted was the property the couple was renting," said Floyd. "She disagreed and Cage grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her to what he believed was the correct address."
He is then alleged to have begun striking cars. "An officer… observed that Cage was heavily intoxicated." There were no visible injuries to Cage's wife and the actor was later released on bail.
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Kenneth Clarke: prison is a waste of money
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The rate of jail sentencing is "financially unsustainable", the justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has said, delivering a defiant riposte to critics within his own party and the tabloid press who have suggested that his plans to overhaul the penal system are soft on crime.
Clarke last year unveiled a green paper on sentencing as part of government plans to cut the £4bn prison and probation budget by 20% over four years, promising to end a Victorian-style "bang 'em up" culture and reduce high reoffending rates by tackling the root causes.
But after facing sustained criticism, he used an interview with The Times to dismiss characterisation of him as a minister who is "soft on crime."
He is preparing to publish a bill next month which will include proposals to allow for large sentence discounts in return for early guilty pleas and diverting the mentally ill away from jail. The goal is a 3,000 cut in the record 85,000 jail population in England and Wales in four years.
"[The rise in prison numbers is] financially unsustainable. That is not my principal motivation but it is pointless and very bad value for taxpayers' money," Clarke said.
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Lewis Hamilton wins thrilling Chinese grand prix
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Lewis Hamilton drives towards victory in the Chinese grand prix in Shanghai.
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren returned to their thrilling best here as the British driver won the Chinese Grand Prix, his first victory since last year's Spa race eight months ago.
Hamilton was just 35 seconds away from having to start in the pit-lane because of a fuel problem just a few minutes before the start of the race, but he overcame that as well a three-stop strategy to pass Sebastian Vettel (two stops) coming out of turn six on the 52nd lap. Even the ebullient Hamilton has rarely shown as much emotion as this.
After a respectful bow in the direction of the Chinese crowd he flung himself into the embracing arms of the McLaren crew. He kissed a TV camera and then hugged Vettel.
"It's been a long, long time," he said. "I can't remember the last time I won a race." Having won here in 2008, he became the first two-time winner of the Chinese Grand Prix.
He added: "I feel absolutely overwhelmed. It was a worry before the race when the car wouldn't start. But I tried not to show I was concerned.
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Anger reigns as Amir Khan wins homecoming against Paul McCloskey
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Barry Hearn shouts abuse at referee over stoppage
Perhaps the pre-fight shenanigans featuring his promoters offered an omen that Amir Khan's fourth defence of his WBA light-welterweight crown against Paul McCloskey would end in uproar.
Midway through the sixth round referee Luis Pabón made himself truly unpopular by stopping what had been a riveting bout due to an accidental clash of heads that left McCloskey's left eye cut. After the judges's cards were consulted, Khan was declared the unanimous 60-54 winner, which was a fair reflection of the action. But Pabón was about to face the fury of Barry Hearn, the owner of Matchroom, McCloskey's promoter.
After clambering into the ring Hearn shouted at the Puerto Rican official: "You're a fucking disgrace, a fucking disgrace." Later he said: "If I was Khan I'd be ashamed. The referee showed enormous ineptitude. This was a world-title fight. If you see the cut you'd be amazed. It's a nick. It's the worse stoppage I've ever seen."
Hearn has promoted professional boxingsince the 1980s. And although his outrage had no material effect on the decision, when McCloskey strolled round the ring shaking his head the sense deepened that he should have been allowed to continue.
The European champion said: "I'm numb, I'm really angry, I want a rematch. Obviously Amir was completely knackered after the second round. This is what I've dreamed about all my life and it's been taken away by a doctor and a referee."
Khan was unrepentant. "To be honest if that fight did happen and it went a couple more rounds I think I would have knocked him out. But this is boxing and I think the referee made the right choice to stop the fight," he said.
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Rory McIlroy suffers more final round agony at Malaysia Open
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Rory McIlroy chips towards the green during another frustrating final round at the Malaysia Open.
Rory McIlroy suffered Sunday agony for a second successive week as Matteo Manassero of Italy won the Malaysian Open two days before his 18th birthday.
The Northern Irishman led by four shots going into the final round of the Masters at Augusta last week but blew his advantage by shooting eight over par.
His fade from prominence this weekend was less spectacular, letting slip a three-shot lead going into the final four holes of his partially-delayed third round this morning before ultimately finishing third, but questions will continue to be asked of the 21-year-old's mental strength following this latest setback.
Manassero demonstrated his fortitude to claim his second European Tour title following his victory at the Castello Masters last year. The Italian was four under par in his final round, including an eagle three at the par-five 10th.
