Innovation

Several hospitals are set to get upgrades after Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust secured government funding.

Work will include improving fire safety systems, water infrastructure and electrical and energy systems at Rampton Hospital, The Wells Road Centre, Wathwood Hospital, Thorneywood Mount and Arnold Lodge Hospital.

The improvements at the sites, which offer mental health and community services across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, are due to start in the summer with the aim of completing next spring.

The trust, which runs the hospitals, said the funding would support urgent infrastructure projects and create a better environment for patients.

The £2,595,000 grant is part of a national project to improve NHS buildings and infrastructure in England.

At Rampton High Secure Hospital and several others, it is hoped the money will allow a full upgrade of fire safety systems – including alarms, fire compartmentation and suppression technology.

The Wells Road Centre in Mapperley, Nottingham, will benefit from the replacement of ageing machinery.

While at Arnold Lodge, in Leicester, a specialist secure unit, the money will deliver electrical and energy system improvements.

The trust said planning work was under way to ensure the disruption was minimal.

Chief executive at the trust Ifti Majid said the funding was "fantastic news", adding: "It allows us to fast-track improvements that make our hospitals safer, greener and more welcoming places to receive care and to work."

Alison Wyld, executive director of finance and estates, added: "By tackling our highest-risk infrastructure now, we're not only reducing future maintenance costs but also supporting the trust's net zero ambitions."

A New York judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni's $400m (£295m) defamation lawsuit against his former co-star Blake Lively.

The pair, who both starred in the 2024 film It Ends with Us, have been locked in a legal battle for several months, with a trial set for next year.

Judge Lewis Liman on Monday dismissed Baldoni's countersuit, which alleged extortion, defamation and other allegations.

Baldoni brought the suit after Lively filed a legal complaint last year against her former co-star, accusing him of sexual harassment and starting a smear campaign against her.

Lively filed a suit against Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, alleging she was sexually harassed on set and that Baldoni retaliated against her for bringing those complaints, among other allegations.

Lively also shared details of the allegations in a New York Times article published before her lawsuit.

Baldoni then brought defamation suits against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, claiming they were aiming to ruin his career and reputation with the allegations, as well as the New York Times.

Baldoni's lawsuit centred on two claims: that Lively "stole the film" from him and his company Wayfarer by threatening not to promote it, and that she and others promoted a false narrative that Baldoni sexually assaulted her and launched a smear campaign against her, Judge Liman explained in his opinion.

But Baldoni and his production company "have not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions", he wrote.

Additionally, the judge wrote, Baldoni and his company had not proved defamation because the "Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements" in her lawsuit, which are privileged.

The judge also determined that evidence did not show that the New York Times "acted with actual malice" in publishing their story, dismissing that $250m suit as well.

"The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened," he wrote. "The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively's version of events."

In a statement shared with US media, Lively's lawyers called the opinion "a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times".

In a post on her Instagram, Lively said that "Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us".

"While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back," she said, adding that she was "more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves".

The BBC has contacted Baldoni's lawyers for comment.

Judge Liman said Baldoni would be allowed to amend and refile his allegations related to interference with contracts by 23 June.

Judge Liman's dismissal comes a week after Lively asked to withdraw two of the claims in her suit against Baldoni – intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

In the original lawsuit, she said she experienced "severe emotional distress" in response to the alleged sexual harassment and smear campaign.

It Ends With Us is an adaption of a best-selling Colleen Hoover novel, which features Blake Lively as the main character, Lily Bloom, a young woman who grew up witnessing domestic abuse and finds herself in the same position years later.

Scotland's only oil refinery has stopped processing crude oil at Grangemouth after a century of operations, its owner Petroineos has confirmed.

In September, the company announced refining activities would cease in 2025 as it transitions to becoming an import terminal for finished fuels.

The site on the south bank of the Firth of Forth is home to the UK's oldest oil refinery, dating back to 1924.

It is being closed down by Petroineos, with the loss of 430 of the 2,000 jobs based at the sprawling 1,700-acre industrial complex.

The union Unite said political leaders had "utterly failed" the workers and the Grangemouth community, and would face "electoral wrath".

The SNP has called for the refinery to be nationalised, a demand rejected by the UK government.

Speedway bikes have one gear, no brakes, a clutch, a 500cc engines running on methanol fuel and can accelerate up to 60mph, faster than a Formula 1 car.

Heeps said the incident "felt like forever".

"I knew I was going in, it was just [about] when it was going to stop.

"By the time it stopped, I felt I was going very fast and it knocked the wind out of me."

He went to hospital straight after the meeting. His his X-rays had all come back "all clear" but he had been "in quite a bit of discomfort".

"The doctor said I'm going to be very sore and said I have a lot of internal bruising," adding that he was "managing the pain".

"The first two days I didn't really move … it was horrible, I felt useless but I'm staring to get back on my feet."

Heeps said initially his back, ribs and stomach had hurt the most.

"That's all coming down now and it's more my ankle."

Heeps said he hoped to be back "as soon as I can", potentially for the meeting at home to the Edinburgh Monarchs on 18 June.

He said he was "confident" he would get over the issues.

"It might take one or two races to calm down a bit and not be so tense on the bike.

"But if you are riding well previous to your crash, then it will all click back in and you will be straight back into the swing of things."

Oxford Speedway Supporters Club have raised more than £3,000 so far to help replace his equipment.

"I can't say how thankful I am," Heeps said.

The club said it was "relieved" that he had not suffered any breaks even though "Cam says he feels like he's been hit by a train".

"We wish Cam a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on track soon!"

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The singer representing Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest has revealed how her family became lifelong Norwich City fans.

Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen said her dad started following the Canaries aged seven when his favourite player, the late Martin Peters, left Tottenham Hotspur for Norwich in 1975.

The 26-year-old from Norway described Norwich as "beautiful" and said she loved watching games at Carrow Road.

Emmy, as she is known on stage, will perform at the Eurovision Grand Final if she gets through the semi-finals on 15 May.

"I grew up watching [Norwich] and going to a few matches," she told the BBC's Scrimmage Podcast.

"My first time at Carrow Road was in 2010.

"I remember the river, the ducks, the beautiful restaurants. It's just a beautiful city."

Emmy, who lives in the small Norwegian village of Sande, 37 miles (60km) south of Oslo, said she often listened to live match commentary on BBC Radio Norfolk.

Emmy's father, Roberth, described Norwich as a "good suit" for his family.

"Liverpool has about 50,000 supporters in Norway, and to be honest, that must be a bit boring.

"Norwich isn't the biggest or largest but it's a wonderful club."

Emmy, who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, was selected to take part in Eurovision after she attended a songwriting camp in Norway.

She met an Irish songwriter who suggested she should apply to represent Ireland.

Emmy's song, Laika Party, is based on the Russian stray dog, Laika, who became the first living creature to orbit Earth in 1957.

It died during the mission.

"I'm so so excited [for Eurovison]. It's a childhood dream coming true," Emmy added.

"The only thing I can do is try my best to make Ireland proud. That's my main goal."

The grand final, which takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May, will be available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer.

The UK's entry is the female country-pop trio Remember Monday.