Compensation claims for Dreamliners
Boeing, the company behind the grounded fleet of 787 Dreamliner planes, is facing millions of pounds of compensation claims.
Billions for rail network facelift
Network Rail is to spend £38bn nationally on improving the railways. The Thames Valley area alone is to receive £9bn in investment capital.
Misery for region's commuters
The first full week back at work after the summer break started with a Monday of misery for thousands of Thames Valley commuters.
Live updates
New leader for county council
Hampshire County Council has elected Cllr Roy Perry as its new leader this morning.
It follows elections held on May 2nd and an announcement by former leader, Cllr Ken Thornber, to step down following 14 years in the post.
The Conservative councillor said: “My overriding objective will be, in the face of the difficult economic circumstances all councils face, to maintain Hampshire as a successful and prosperous county, balancing economic success with care for the environment.
"I will seek to maintain our council tax as the lowest of any county in the south east region with services amongst the best.”
Pedestrian killed in crash named
Police have named the pedestrian who died following a serious collision in Worthing as Ryan Chapman.
Mr Chapman, 29, of Goldsmith Road, Worthing, suffered life threatening injuries after the collision with an HGV on the A27 Arundel Road, Worthing, on Tuesday just after 9.30am.
He was flown by air ambulance to Southampton Hospital in a critical condition but died there on Wednesday afternoon. The lorry driver, a 42-year-old man from King's Lynn, Norfolk, suffered shock.
Police closed the A27, its junction with the A24 and the A280 for more than three hours for emergency services to deal with the incident and for the air ambulance to land.
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Police hunt for fugitive
Police are hunting for a fugitive who has absconded from prison and carried out a string of robberies.
Lyndon Stein, 49, has robbed travel agents and building societies in Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Oxford in the past three weeks.
Stein absconded on April 29 from HMP Spring Hill, near Aylesbury, which is a Category D open prison.
The following day he committed a robbery at a hair salon.
On May 5 Stein struck again, this time at Thomas Cook in Clifton, Bristol, before making his way to Gloucester where he targeted the Leeds and Holbrook building society on May 7.
A further robbery occurred at around 2.30pm on Thursday May 9 in Bristol.
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "This week alone he has struck at Santander in Gloucestershire on Saturday and Thomas Cook on the High Street in Kingswood shortly after 4pm last night.
"His crime spree is thought to have totalled thousands of pounds.
"We'd now like to speak to Stein or anyone who knows where he is."
He is described as white, stocky and normally carries a plastic carrier bag when committing offences.
Historic street signs snapped up in Sussex auction
Some of London's most recognisable street signs, including those which have stood in Downing Street and Abbey Road, have fetched thousands of pounds at auction in West Sussex.
The distinctive enamelled Downing Street sign was bought by London-based advertising executive Trevor Beattie for £7,800, achieving far more than its estimate of up to £1,500.
And the Abbey Road sign fetched £4,350 after being bought by north London-based property investor John Antoniou as a present for his son, a musician and producer.
A collection of black aluminium finger signs which have directed tourists to world famous landmarks in the capital also went under the hammer at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, and fetched £4,200.
Vodafone sales fall for first time in seven years
Newbury-based mobile phone giant Vodafone has reported its first drop in annual revenues for seven years.
Sales of £44.4 billion for the year to March 31 were 4.2% lower than a year ago, despite the firm benefiting from stronger trading in emerging markets and increased smartphone usage.
Vodafone's service revenues in southern Europe slumped 11.6% in the year, driven by economic weakness and competition in Spain and Italy, while the figure in the UK was 4% lower.
It described trading in its home market as robust and said the decline was in part due to the impact of regulatory cuts in the charges it sets other operators for terminating calls on its network.
The company gave no update on the future of its 45% stake in US operator Verizon Wireless, amid recent speculation that the firm's majority owner Verizon is preparing a deal to buy the holding.
Vodafone's share of profits from the US business rose 30% to £6.4 billion and it is due to receive a Verizon dividend of £2.1 billion next month.
Council owed millions by ferry company
Thanet Council has revealed that it is owed £3.3million by ferry company Transeuropa after it stopped sailing out of Ramsgate. The council provided financial support to the company in 2011 when it emerged it needed help to keep it going. The company has since been declared insolvent.
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Cyclist Chris Froome in Southampton
Tour de France hopeful Chris Froome has just Tweeted: "We're in Southampton today, looking for some more seconds to shave off in the wind tunnel. Here is the new TT bike."
Rescue dog saved by firefighters
Kent firefighters are hailing the early success of their new all terrain vehicle after it helped rescue a puppy from a 30 foot hole.
The vehicle was used for the first time near Chartham on Wednesday, getting firefighters and equipment to a ploughed field on the edge of a wooded copse where Brody, a 15-month-old puppy red setter retriever, was trapped.
He had been missing since Saturday.
Crews set up a pulley system to retrieve Brody and used specialist equipment to go into the hole, putting the puppy into a harness to bring him to the surface.
Station Manager Russ Jones said: “It was smiles all round when Brody was brought up to safe ground.”
Brody’s owner, Charles Willson, added: “He was a rescue dog and we’ve only had him for a short while, so we were devastated when he went missing. We are thrilled and incredibly grateful to Kent Fire and Rescue Service for helping us get him back.
“We’ve taken him to the vets this morning, who have said he’s fine and just needs a good meal or two and a rest but he’s very happy to be home.”
Construction begins on biomass plant
German company MVV Energie has started constructing a biomass plant near Sittingbourne in Kent.
The company says the £118million power plant will create 25 jobs at Ridham Dock. It will be fuelled by old timber and construction is due to be completed in 2015.
Police appeal - American dies in Winchester crash
A pedestrian involved in a crash near Winchester has died.
At around 1pm yesterday a blue Vauxhall Corsa collided with a woman and a dog on the B3049 near Lainston House Hotel.
Caitlin Homan, 24, from Canton in Connecticut, USA, was taken to hospital were she was pronounced dead earlier today.
Officers are continuing their appeal for information and would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or who saw either the pedestrian or the vehicle prior to it.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgnt Andy Tester at the Fratton Roads Policing unit on 101.
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