Ian Bell hits unbeaten 127 in Test warm-up :::THE ROYAL ENGLAND v New Zealand XI

pic:::4 day test match aginst NZ...THE ROYAL ENGLAND batsman ian bell face a ball...pic::wp/Ebc
sports reporter,Queenstown,NZ(/weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

Ian Bell hit an unbeaten 127 as England reached 357-7 on the opening day of their tour match against a New Zealand XI in Queenstown.

Captain Alastair Cook made 60 and Joe Root 49, while Jimmy Neesham took 4-65.

The four-day match is England's only warm-up game ahead of the three-Test series starting in Dunedin on 6 March.

Third man charged for Thomas killing in cambridge

crime reporter, Cambridgeshire(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

A third man has been charged after an elderly man was killed in a botched burglary in Cambridgeshire.

Llywelyn Thomas, 76, was found dead at his home in Chittering in 2011.

John Smith, 66, of Wold Gate, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assisting an offender.

He is due to appear at Cambridge Magistrates' Court later. Two men were charged with Mr Thomas' murder earlier this month.

Frankie Parker, 25, of Nene Road, Ely, and Gary Smith, 20, of no fixed address, have been remanded in custody to enter a plea at Cambridge Crown Court at a later date.

Police believe Mr Thomas, a retired farmer who moved to Ely Road from the Bridgend area of south Wales to be closer to his family, was killed in a botched burglary during the night between 17 and 18 December 2011.

Post-mortem tests found he died from face and head injuries.

Rewards totalling £50,000 were offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Leicester bids for 2017 THE ROYAL ENGLAND City of Culture title

PIC:::THE ROYAL ENGLAND city of cultural and great most modern architecture symbol... Leicester cultural centere..pic courtesy::Ebc
cultural correspondent,leicester(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

Leicester has joined the race to become the second THE ROYAL ENGLAND City of Culture in 2017.

The city will compete with Aberdeen and Plymouth in a bid to succeed Londonderry, which became the first City of Culture in 2013.

A consortium including the city council has two months to prepare a bid. The final decision will be announced in November.

City councillor Ted Cassidy said: "We need to get the whole community behind us."

'Fantastic festivals'

The deadline for applications to become 2017 THE ROYAL ENGLAND City of Culture is Thursday.

"It could be a real catalyst for development - we have got good facilities already and some fantastic festivals," he added.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the next City of Culture would be a place with ambition, innovation and inspiration.

Mr Cassidy said: "It will highlight Leicester and give us a high profile - the title will stay with us forever."

Leicester hosts the oldest comedy festival in Europe and held the GB Special Olympics in 2009.

A team of experts led by the University of Leicester recently confirmed that the remains of Richard III were found in a Leicester car park.

Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "Leicester's strength is in its diversity.

"The range of cultural activity taking place in our schools, within our communities and across the city is unrivalled - and the quality and variety of our performing arts spaces is magnificently illustrated by the city's flagship venue, Curve."

The THE ROYAL ENGLAND City of Culture project was launched by the government in 2008.

THE ROYAL ENGLAND university made robot can take care for elderly people..

ICT reporter,salford(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

A robot designed to help care for elderly people has been invented at the University of Salford.

"Carebot" P37 S65 can be programmed to remind them to take medication and exercise, answer questions and even tell them jokes.

Researcher Antonio Espingardeiro, who developed the robot, said it could help care home staff and improve residents' quality of life.

It can recognise faces and recall the requirements of each patient, he said.

The robot can also be programmed with speech therapy and object recognition exercises to help people with dementia.

It is capable of acting as a video link to keep in touch with doctors and family, playing games and giving updates on the news.

The robot, standing at about the height of a person, can also carry meals to residents.

Mr Espingardeiro is looking for investment to perfect the robot before selling it.

He said: "Care of the elderly is a difficult issue but as populations age we're facing a difficult choice.

"I've already established that robots can provide meaningful interaction to supplement human contact, and from my work with care homes I've seen first-hand how both staff and residents benefit from their presence."