Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Labour's Derby North MP Chris Williamson has criticised the US's decision to impose sanctions on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

Williamson, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, said it would be "better to facilitate talks" between the government and opposition amid ongoing political unrest and violence.

During an appearance on BBC Newsnight he was asked whether his politicial philosophy more closely matched Tony Blair or Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

Trains on the Newark-Nottingham line should be back to normal soon...

Simon Ward
East Midlands Today

I really enjoyed catching up with Mars One mission candidate Ryan MacDonald from Derby.

He's now researching at the University of Cambridge. He's looking at how to detect life outside Earth. He's in the final worldwide 100 people who could be selected for a one-way mission to Mars in 2031.

I was lucky to also get an interview with the Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees. He believes it could well be a private company that gets humans to Mars before the main space agencies.

More on BBC East Midlands Today at 18:30.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

A student from Derby says he's still fully committed to his dream of becoming one of the first people to travel to Mars.

Ryan MacDonald is on a shortlist of 100 space enthusiasts who've spent the past few years waiting to find out if they'll be picked for a four-person commercial mission to the red planet in 2031.

He's currently involved with research at Cambridge University into ways of detecting life outside Earth - and has told BBC East Midlands Today his enthusiasm for the Mars One expedition, external remains undimmed.

East Midlands Today

Horse owners in Nottingamshire are being offered head mounted cameras to help the police tackle rural crime.

The trial, which involves 15 cameras, is being funded by the county's Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping.

Mr Tipping (below) told BBC East Midlands Today: "The cameras aren't on all the time, but if someone feels there is something suspicious going on they can turn the camera on."

Christine Carlisle, who runs a riding school near Newark, added: "We've had quite a few problems out on the lanes, roads and the tracks where the drivers haven't been very courteous.

"We've also had break ins, so if we can get anything on camera that will help, then that will make things a lot better."

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

These two four-month-old snow leopard cubs have been named by Twycross Zoo.

Image source, Lucy Ray

The cubs, who made their first public appearance last month, are called Eva (meaning 'life') and Ceba (meaning 'dear to hold').

Image source, Lucy Ray

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Plans to hand 10 of Derby's 15 libraries to voluntary groups could be challenged in court.

The shake-up by Derby City Council will involve 46 redundancies and the Unison union said it was considering its options, which include seeking a judicial review.

On Tuesday night, an attempt by the Conservative opposition to halt the plan was defeated in a council vote.

Nottingham Forest sign Everton's England Under-20 midfielder Kieran Dowell on a season-long deal.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

A reader has been in touch via Your Questions to ask whether anyone else felt a tremor in Chilwell last night.

We've checked with experts at the British Geological Society who told us there was no evidence of a seismic event in the area yesterday evening.

However, they did tell us there was a very minor quake in Arnold a few weeks ago - magnitude 1.0 at a depth of 9km at 06:09 on Saturday 17 June.

Image source, BGS

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

A second jogger has come forward to say he's been attacked by a bird of prey while running through Chellaston.

Yesterday, Andy Llewellyn (pictured) showed us the remarkable head injuries he sustained when a large bird swooped down on him as he ran along Infinity Park Road.

This morning Keith Hill told BBC Radio Derby he's been attacked several times in the same spot.

He said: "It just swooped out of the tree squealing and tried to attack me with its claws so I just ducked down.

"It's quite a large bird - with its wing span and its claws coming down, when it's trying to attack you it's quite terrifying."

Nick Brown, from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said the attacker was most likely a nesting buzzard.

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

There are still delays on the Newark Castle-Nottingham line because level crossing faults...

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Thieves have used a digger to steal a cash machine from the wall of a shop in Hatton.

Police said they were alerted to the raid at Nisa in Station Road at about 02:30.

The raiders loaded the cash machine into a trailer pulled by a 4x4 and threw a metal bar at officers before driving off.

The car was spotted later in Alrewas by Staffordshire Police but not stopped. The digger, stolen from Tutbury, was left outside the shop.

Image source, Google

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

England winger Jonny May's imminent arrival at Leicester Tigers will offer the club "genuine pace" in the backline, according to ex-Tigers fly-half Bleddyn Jones.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Leicester understands May, 27, is poised to head to the East Midlands in a deal that would see forward Ed Slater head to Gloucester.

"He has got pace and if there's anything the Tigers lack it is genuine pace," Jones told BBC Radio Leicester.

"OK, I know there are questions about his defence but I think it is an excellent signing."

Andy Trigg
BBC Radio Leicester reporter

More than 100 people are currently being treated for an addiction to former legal highs in Leicestershire.

Image source, Getty Images

The charity Turning Point, external has said it is because they have become more potent and cheap to buy after they were made illegal last year.

The psychoactive substances have led to paramedics being called out around 100 times across the East Midlands since the weekend.

Sean Gibson, from Leicester, became addicted to a substance known as Black Mamba following a spell in prison.

"I've been crawling round the floor of hostels looking for little bits of green stuff on the floor," he said.

"It has had me addicted, it has ruined my life to be honest."

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Derby City Council says its phone lines are currently out of action due to a technical issue.

It's suggested people try using its website, external instead while it tries to resolve the problem.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

This overturned fruit and veg lorry is still being cleared from a slip road on the A1M southbound at J34 (Blyth).

Highways England, external said the clear-up should be finished by about 13:30.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

Communities across parts of Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to decorate their area for when the Tour of Britain passes through.

Image source, Sweetspot

Stage four of the tour will be run between Newark and Mansfield on 6 September, external, with the race being shown live on national television.

Kay Cutts, the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "I'm not asking people to do the impossible, but please... big pieces of art to go in your field so it can be seen by the helicopter.

"For example, if you are going over Scrooby, you'd naturally choose the Pilgrim Fathers... maybe a Mayflower ship cut into some sort of landscape."

Image source, Sweetspot

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

This is connected to the issue with level crossings in that area. More here, external.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

A new report has highlighted Derby as having one of the country's largest gaps in educational success between poorer secondary school students and their wealthier classmates.

The Educational Police Institute study, external said disadvantaged pupils in the city were, on average, about 27.1 months behind non-disadvantaged children of the same age by the time they were taking GCSEs.

Other areas that performed poorly were Darlington, Luton, South Tyneside and Thurrock.

The national average was 19.1 months.

Image source, Getty Images

The report said: "Despite significant investment and targeted intervention programmes, the gap between disadvantaged 16-year-old pupils and their peers has only narrowed by three months of learning between 2007 and 2016.

"At current trends, we estimate that it would take around 50 years for the disadvantage gap to close completely by the time pupils take their GCSEs."

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

Leicestershire Foxes and Notts Outlaws had to settle for a point each as rain interrupted their T20 Blast group game at Grace Road.

Outlaws opener Riki Wessels (above) hit 63 from 37 balls as the visitors posted 210-8 from their 20 overs.

The rain started to fall in the interval and despite attempts at starting the Foxes' reply, the weather won.