The competition watchdog has moved a step closer to opening a full-blown investigation into Sainsbury's planned £12bn merger with Leeds-based supermarket Asda.

Image source, Getty Images

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it is looking into the deal and has invited interested parties to comment on its potential impact.

The CMA said it will be considering whether the tie-up will result in "a substantial lessening of competition".

Experts say they expect the CMA to order the two companies to dispose of scores ofstores as part of its review.

After years of wrangling, a plan to build 20,000 homes in York over the next 20 years has been backed by city councillors.

York's Local Plan was supported by Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors last night, although the Labour group voted against it.

It means the plan is on track to meet a government deadline and will be handed to a planning inspector by the end of the month.

The Conservative leader of City of York Council, Ian Gillies, says he accepts there have been compromises in the plan and changes are still likely:

Yorkshire Vikings begin their One Day Cup campaign away at Durham today.

You can listen to ball by ball commentary here.

Head coach Andrew Gale is hoping this is the year the Vikings can finally win the competition:

There's been a collision between a car and a motorbike between J43 and J44 northbound on the A1(M).

Only one of four lanes remains open and speed restrictions are in place.

The stage premiere is dismissed by critics as being "as appealing as a British Rail sandwich".

Staff at Hull College Group sites in Yorkshire are striking again today over plans to cut more than 200 jobs.

The group, which runs colleges in Hull, Goole and Harrogate, says it needs to make the changes to help deal with faces a £10m deficit.

But the University and College Union argues the proposals would lead to "fewer learning opportunities for local people".

College staff staged the first day of their planned 48-hour strike yesterday.

Historical items from the old North Yorkshire Police headquarters at Newby Wiske are being auctioned off.

So far, more than 100 things have been sold, raising more than £4,000, with money from the sales goes to the Police Treatment Centre and Police Welfare Fund.

Newby Wiske was sold last year to an adventure holiday firm and is due to open as an outdoor education centre in 2019.

Barnsley Chronicle

A police officer who posted derogatory comments about Barnsley people on Twitter has had his "duties revised" and an investigation is to be carried out by South Yorkshire Police, external.

Image source, Barnsley Chronicle

Abbie Dewhurst
Weather Presenter, BBC Look North

It will be a dry and fine day today with long spells of sunshine and some patchy cloud.

Watch my full forecast here

It has been a year to endure rather than enjoy for double Olympic champion Nicola Adams so far.

Image source, Getty Images

When the boxer steps into the ring on Saturday night there will be just one face she will scan the Elland Road crowd for, her mother Dee.

Because while Adams has been sparring in her San Francisco gym she has also been supporting her mother in her toughest fight, a battle against breast cancer.

"It's hard to focus on anything when your mum is sick and it means absolutely everything to me that she will be there ringside on Saturday," Adams explained.

"I will be wearing a breast cancer awareness badge on my shorts to help raise awareness and yes, I just want to do everything I can for her, basically.

"My mum was ringside when I won both of my gold medals and I'm used to her being there, so it means a lot she will be on Saturday too."

A shop has opened in Sheffield which allows customers to buy "plastic free" products.

Unwrapped, which has just opened on Crookes Road, encourages people to reduce their plastic waste by reusing refillable containers.

Customers are able to refill their plastic bottles, jars and fabric bags with items including pasta, coffee and washing up liquid.

A National Service of Commemoration to mark the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack will be screened live at York Minster.

Image source, Alex Klis/Facebook

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds injured when Salman Abedi detonated a home-made bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May.

The children of Marcin and Angelika Klis (pictured), a York couple who were among those killed in the attack at the Ariana Grande concert, will be at the service along with other families.

The screening of the live service will take place between 14:00 and 15:00 at York Minster, as well as at Glasgow Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, because many of the victims came from across the north of England and Scotland.

The Archbishop of York, Doctor John Sentamu, who will join the Bishop of Manchester and other leaders at the commemoration service, says everyone will stand together in shared solidarity and commitment to peace and the well being of all:

One person has been seriously injured in an accident on Leeds Outer Ring Road this morning.

Officers were called to the crash, between a lorry and a car on the Ring Road in Lower Wortley near Stonebridge Lane, at about 06:20.

The road is currently closed and police are advising motorists to avoid the area.

Jenny Eells
Reporter, BBC Radio Sheffield

I wonder what the nerves are like this morning at Canon Popham Church of England Primary in Edenthorpe?

The school, in Doncaster, is holding its own Royal Wedding with its very own "Harry" and "Meghan" tying the knot.

They'll be exchanging their vows at a special ceremony at the local church and their guests will be other pupils and parents.

I've been finding out more:

British number one Kyle Edmund, from Yorkshire, saved seven match points before eventually losing to rising German star Alexander Zverev in the Italian Open last 16.

Image source, Getty Images

Edmund, from Beverley in East Yorkshire, who moved into the world's top 20 this week, lost 7-5 7-6 (13-11) to the 21-year-old third seed.

The 23-year-old has claimed eye-catching scalps in 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov this year, helping the Yorkshireman rise into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

BBC News Travel

Leeds Outer Ring Road is currently completely closed at Lower Wortley due to a serious accident.

The affected area is between Whincover Drive and Stonebridge Lane, with the Ring Road closed between Lower Wortley and Farnley.

Long delays are expected, with police warning drivers to avoid the area if possible.

It is a chilly but sunny start across Yorkshire.

It will be warmer today than it was yesterday, with light winds and sunny intervals:

If you're planning on travelling through Lower Wortley in Leeds this morning, it seems you might want to change your plans:

A former teacher awarded £646,000 after he was sacked for showing the film Halloween in class has said the school's headteacher should resign.

Image source, Philip Grosset

Philip Grosset, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, was fired from the Joseph Rowntree School in York in 2014 on the grounds of gross misconduct.

But an employment tribunal ruled he was a victim of disability discrimination.

City of York Council said: "We hold safeguarding pupils and the highest professional standards as a priority."

Mr Grosset said headteacher Richard Crane should be suspended, pending an investigation, if he did not resign.