Adlington claims World 800m gold

Venue: Shanghai, ChinaDates: 16-31 JulyCoverage: Selected live coverage and daily highlights [of swimming phase] on BBC Two, Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & online (UK only); reports on BBC Radio 5 live and website; watch again on iPlayer Superb Adlington wins gold

Rebecca Adlington produced a sprint finish to win the 800m freestyle at the World Championships in Shanghai.

The 22-year-old - who won silver in the 400m last week - was behind with 100m to go but overhauled Lotte Friis.

Adlington had never won a world title but held on to claim Britain's fourth medal of the meeting.

Earlier Michael Phelps won his 25th world title by winning the 100m butterfly in 50.71 seconds ahead of Konrad Czerniak and Tyler McGill.

Double Olympic champion Adlington and Friis were together from the start before the Danish swimmer made a break after 500m.

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That was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen and it is very unusual for an 800m race to finish so close. The girls will have been in agony so for Becky to find a sprint finish was amazing

Karen Pickering BBC Radio 5 Live commentator

World record holder Adlington was 0.65 seconds behind with two lengths remaining but managed to sprint clear to win in a time of eight minutes 17.51 seconds.

She told BBC Sport: "Lottie is always such a strong competitor that I knew it was going to be a battle.

"I'm so glad I've added to my collection. She is just an absolute competitor and always there battling.

"Next year it will be the two of us again but hopefully I'll have the crowd behind me.

"I don't think I can do the 200m in London as I don't have enough speed. I want to work on the 400 and 800m, they are the ones I prefer.

"But hopefully I will get a spot on the 4 x 200m relay team."

Phelps was only third at the halfway stage of his final but powered back down the second 50m to take his third gold of the week.

Defending champion Liam Tancock won his semi-final of the 50m backstroke in 24.62 seconds to qualify fastest for Sunday's final.

The Brit told BBC Sport: "I want to come here and race fast in every race and now I've got my spot in the final.

"It is a very tough field and medals could come from every lane but I am in there with a shot."

Adlington thanks supporters after gold win

Fran Halsall, who finished joint-fourth in the 100m, comfortably qualified for Sunday's 50m freestyle final after finishing second in her semi-final behind Herasimenia Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

Halsall was only able to resume training in March after undergoing ankle surgery last December.

Kate Haywood missed out on a place in the 50m breaststroke final by 0.02 seconds after finishing fifth in her semi-final, which was won by Russian Yuliya Efimova.

Lizzie Simmonds finished seventh in her 200m backstroke final which was won by 16-year-old American Melissa Franklin.

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Adlington will be under huge pressure in London as defending Olympic champion and now World Champion but she has shown that she can handle it.

Karen Pickering

Inge Dekker won the women's 50m butterfly in a time of 25.71 seconds while Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho defended his 50m freestyle in 21.52 seconds.

Daniel Fogg could only manage the 14th fastest time in the 1500m freestyle heats, finishing in 15 minutes, 13.39 seconds. China's Sun Yang led the way in 14:48.13.

The women's 4x100m medley relay team, consisting of Haywood, Georgia Davies, Jemma Lowe and Amy Smith, finished sixth as winners the United States narrowly missed out on a world record.

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Scots police probe hacking claims

8 July 2011 Last updated at 14:32 GMT Andy Coulson (centre) and Bob Bird (right) gave evidence at Tommy Sheridan's trial Prosecutors have asked Strathclyde Police to examine specific claims of phone hacking in Scotland by the News of the World newspaper.

The Crown Office has also asked the force to "assess specific claims" of breaches of data protection.

It comes after a dossier was handed to police on Thursday containing a list of people in Scotland who allegedly had their phones hacked by the newspaper.

Prosecutors will consider whether the inquiry findings merit further action.

This is the second move in 24 hours by the Crown Office to investigate allegations against the News of the World.

Defamation case

It comes amid a developing maelstrom at UK level which has resulted in the News of the World publisher, News International, deciding to close the paper after this Sunday's edition.

As the fallout from the scandal gathered pace, Scottish prosecutors announced on Thursday that they had asked Strathclyde Police to look at witness statements given at the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial.

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A judge-led public inquiry into the appalling hacking activity at News of the World...is clearly the right and proper course of action”

End Quote Alex Salmond MSP First Minister In December last year, Sheridan was convicted of lying at his successful defamation case against the newspaper in 2006.

The News of the World claimed he was an adulterer who had visited a sex club.

When Sheridan defended himself during the trial, he questioned three senior figures from the newspaper - former UK editor and then Number 10 communications director Andy Coulson, Scottish editor Bob Bird and news editor Douglas Wight.

Sheridan claimed that his phone had been hacked by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was jailed, along with the newspaper's former royal editor Clive Goodman in 2007, for intercepting voice messages for members of the royal household.

While being questioned by Sheridan, Mr Coulson, Mr Bird and Mr Wight all denied any knowledge of wrongdoing at the newspaper.

Mr Coulson and Clive Goodman were arrested on Friday by the Metropolitan Police who are investigating allegations of phone hacking and corruption.

Two inquiries

Amid fast-moving events, Prime Minister David Cameron has also announced two inquiries into the hacking scandal.

On Thursday, hours after the Crown Office asked police to look at evidence given during the Sheridan perjury trial, the former MSP's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, and Labour MP Tom Watson, called for a full investigation into the News of the World's activities in Scotland and of the evidence given during the trial.

Both men later handed in a dossier to Strathclyde Police which they allege contains details of illegal practices by the newspaper.

Tom Watson and Aamer Anwar handed a dossier over to Strathclyde Police

The Crown Office has now asked the force to examine those allegations and report its findings.

A Crown Office statement said: "In light of further emerging developments regarding the News of the World, the Crown has asked Strathclyde Police to consider and assess specific claims of phone hacking and breaches of data protection in Scotland.

"Strathclyde Police will review available information and will liaise with the Metropolitan Police in relation to any Scottish dimension to their current investigations and will thereafter report their findings to the area procurator fiscal at Glasgow."

Meanwhile, First Minister Alex Salmond said "a judge-led public inquiry into the appalling hacking activity at News of the World, and breaches of data protection laws across the newspaper industry, is clearly the right and proper course of action".

Mr Salmond added: "In terms of the additional inquiry announced by the prime minister into the broader conduct of the press, if he is discussing its scope and remit with opposition leaders at Westminster, he must also consult with the parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, given the diversity of the media across the different nations of the UK."

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West Ham act over stadium claims

3 July 2011 Last updated at 07:42 GMT West Ham United are taking legal action against Tottenham Hotspur and The Sunday Times over allegations about the Olympic Stadium bidding process.

West Ham said they were treating the claims "with the utmost seriousness".

It comes after an Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) employee was suspended when it emerged she worked for West Ham during their bid to use the stadium in London after the 2012 Games.

West Ham said they were "certain of the robustness" of their successful bid.

A West Ham spokesman said: "West Ham United can confirm the club are taking legal action in relation to allegations made in today's Sunday Times.

"We are certain of the robustness of our successful bid for the Olympic Stadium."

Consultancy work

On Friday it was revealed that an OPLC director had been suspended on full pay after it emerged she had been undertaking paid consultancy work for West Ham.

The director, later named by West Ham as Dionne Knight, had declared "a personal relationship" with a Hammers employee when she started at the OPLC, but on Thursday she told the legacy company of her work at the club.

The OPLC said she was being suspended while any possible conflict of interest was investigated.

The OPLC board voted 14-0 in February to back the Hammers as first choice to move into the ?486m stadium after the Games. The OPLC and West Ham said Ms Knight had no involvement in that decision.

West Ham said they had already carried out an investigation into the woman's role with the club.

West Ham plan to retain the running track after moving into the stadium and create a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use.

Last month, attempts by Tottenham and Leyton Orient to get a judicial review of the OPLC's decision in favour of West Ham were rejected.

Spurs' plan had involved knocking down most of the structure and rebuilding it without the running track, instead rebuilding the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace.

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Action vowed over injury claims

28 June 2011 Last updated at 14:50 GMT Road accidents involving personal injury have actually fallen since the mid-1990s The government have pledged to get a grip on the compensation culture surrounding personal injury claims.

Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly said the current situation was "rotten" and action was needed to increase transparency and reduce costs.

Critics say insurers are getting paid for referring details of people involved in accidents to personal injury lawyers without permission.

Insurers have promised to work with ministers to reform the system.

Labour MP Jack Straw has been putting pressure on the government to take action over referral fees, which he says are a "scandal" and should be banned.

The former Labour minister has spoken out about the issue which he says is contributing to a spike in the cost of motor insurance - despite the fact that the number of road accidents involving personal injury has fallen sharply.

'Rotten'

He has claimed insurance firms were "complicit" in the referral practice and that other organisations - including some police forces - were also selling on commercial information to facilitate claims which were often entirely trivial.

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Critically the minister has failed to tackle at all the scandal of referral fees paid all along the chain”

End Quote Jack Straw Labour MP Mr Straw has also criticised what he said was the high-pressure tactics of legal firms who handle personal injury claims, claiming a constituent was inundated by calls and texts urging him to claim compensation after an accident, despite being uninjured and having not given permission to be contacted.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Djanogly said referral fees were a symptom of a "rotten" compensation culture but that many of the features of the current system had come into being under the last government.

"In 1999, claimant costs represented 56% of damages but by 2010 claimant costs represented 142% of damages," he told MPs.

The government would study the findings of a recent Legal Services Board study into the matter, he added.

"We are looking at referral fees in the context of the reforms as a whole," he said. "We will look carefully at all of these issues."

'Look to MPs'

But Mr Straw said ministers were not going far enough.

"Critically the minister has failed to tackle at all the scandal of referral fees paid all along the chain," he said. "This scandal will continue...until he and his colleague implement recommendations to abandon and outlaw referral fees altogether."

And Alan Beith, the Lib Dem chair of the Justice Select Committee, urged ministers to give a "clear commitment" to outlaw fees as part of proposed changes to legal aid and civil litigation currently before Parliament.

The Association of British Insurers - who speaks on behalf of leading insurers - says its members are committed to dealing with genuine claims promptly.

It has said greater transparency about fees is not sufficient and it would support efforts to ban the practice which it says has helped fuel frivolous and fraudulent claims and encourage unsolicited contact by personal injury lawyers.

"Insurers now look towards Parliament to take the necessary steps and ensure a full ban, which is the only way to protect consumers," it said.

In 2009, the number of road accidents involving personal injury was 31% down on the average for 1994-98. But the cost of personal injury claims has doubled from ?7bn to ?14bn in the past decade and motor insurance premiums have risen at least 30% in the last year.

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