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The star of ‘Orange is the New Black’ talks about how she found herself taking on a mission to represent trans women on screen Laverne Cox is having a hell of a year. As Sophia Burset, a former firefighter serving time for credit-card fraud, Cox is the breakout star of Netflix’s addictive prison drama, Orange is the New Black, which returns for its second season next week. And she’s the first black transgender woman to have a leading role on a major US television show. Her character of Sophia – tender, intense, often very funny – is the prison’s hairdresser, and the episode which told the story of her time as a firefighter, her marriage, her transition and how she ended up in jail was one of the strongest (and most emotional) of the first season.

Two cars left the course and hit spectators in separate crashes Three people have been killed and six more injured in crashes at a motor rally in Scotland. Cars hit spectators lining the track in two separate incidents hours apart at the Jim Clark Rally near Kelso on Saturday. The most serious accident happened at Little Swinton, near Coldstream, at about 4pm when a racing car veered off the road into the crowd. One woman and two men, rumoured to be members of the same family, were pronounced dead at the scene and another man was taken to hospital in a critical condition. In a similar accident two hours earlier, five spectators – four men and one women – were injured near Crosshall Farm on the Eccles stage of the track. Two escaped with minor injuries but the others are in hospital, including one in intensive care. The racing drivers are understood not to have been injured. Official confirmation of the crashes came almost seven h...

The headlines say that the sex workers of Brazil are preparing for the World Cup with English lessons and credit-card facilities. But what is life really like in the country’s licensed brothels? Ewan MacKenna reports from the ‘zonas’ of Belo Horizonte, where England will play their final group match According to the locals, it's the bar capital of the world, with more than 12,000 catering for the five million citizens of Brazil's third city. Others will recall Belo Horizonte as the scene of England's most humiliating football defeat, when a hearse driver and teacher from the US stunned the national team at the 1950 World Cup. But if the 5,000 or so English ticket holders expected here for England's final group game against Costa Rica in a few weeks' time look a little more closely, they may remember it for something else. As is the case across Brazil, peer behind the mask and another reality stares back at you. In downtown Belo Horizonte are 23 brothels, kn...

All eight acts have fought hard to get to the final and are close to achieving their dreams. We took a look what the bookies are offering on each one Rex Final: The BGT judges will have a hard task on their hands next week So now the Britain's Got Talent finalists have been chosen - who's going to win it? Swing singers Jack Pack  and  dancers Paddy Jones and Nico  became the last two acts to be added to next week's final last night. All eight acts that have made it to the end have fought hard to get there. They are just one step away from achieving their dreams. We took a look at the odds on offer on each of the contestants to win the competition.

The girlfriend - and boss of the company - has been accused of waging a campaign of hate against her rival which ended with the woman being sacked National Pictures Tribunal: The mum-to-be was the girl’s line manager A pregnant boss unmasked her boyfriend as a love-rat by bugging his office computer, a tribunal has heard. The Sunday People reports a tape caught him ­having sex at work with a female colleague. But the mum-to-be was the girl’s line manager at the medical supply firm where the three of them were part of a 44-strong workforce. And the boss, who we are calling Y, has been accused of waging a campaign of hate against her rival – Z – which only ended with the woman being sacked. The  love-triangle was exposed  at East London Employment Tribunal where Z is claiming unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. She admitted her own marriage was troubled when the affair ­began in April 2013 after Y’s boyfriend came over to her desk. Z told the panel: “H...

Liam was so happy with his meal that he Tweeted a picture of the packaging and thanked the Colonel for his recipe

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, Derrick Pountney, 51, revealed: “It’s true that she was falling for Kieran. She’s never had an affair before though" Splash Triangle: Jane and Katie at model's wedding to Kieran Katie Price’s cheating best friend has admitted to her own heartbroken husband: “I fell in love with Kieran.” Jane Pountney, 49, who had a  seven-month affair with the model’s stripper husband Kieran Hayler, 27,  made the admission in a heart-to-heart with businessman Derrick. Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, devastated Derrick, 51, revealed: “It’s true that she was falling for Kieran. She said that. “She’s never had an affair or anything before though. We had the usual sort of marriage issues – just with the kids and things – but nothing particularly bad, not like this.” The tyre shop owner, who has been left sickened after sordid details emerged about his wife’s sex sessions with plasterer Kieran, confirmed: “We’ve been discussing...

Thousands of people marched in Cyprus' first gay pride parade on Saturday, calling for equal rights in a country where homosexuality is still vehemently opposed by an influential Orthodox Church. Waving rainbow flags, more than 3 500 people of all ages marched peacefully through the streets of the Cypriot capital where earlier a much smaller, anti-gay group clashed with police. "I'm here because I support the right of everyone to be who they are," said activist Magda Zenon. "I want to live in a society where everyone has equal access to resources and the law." Cyprus decriminalised homosexuality in 1998, five years after a lone activist won a damning judgement against the country from the European Court of Human Rights. Sixteen years on, activists say Cyprus still lags far behind its European Union peers in terms of rights for gay people, and has been slow in pursuing legislation on civil partnerships. Gay couples in Cyprus do not have the same ...

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi lifted Africa's fallen giant to the continental title after two decades of underachievement, and lived up to his "Big Boss" nickname by retaining control even after the national federation threatened to fire him midway through the tournament. When Keshi led Nigeria to last year's African Cup title, he became only the second man to win it as a player and coach. For Nigeria, it ended a 19-year trophy drought and enshrined Keshi — the 1994 African Cup-winning captain — as a football savior who delivers titles whether playing or coaching. It was quickly forgotten by Nigeria Football Federation officials that they tried to get rid of Keshi before the quarterfinals of the continental championship. "I'm an optimistic person. I rarely think about negativity," Keshi said after lifting the trophy. Now, Keshi is expected to take his country to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time, something he came within two minu...

Nigeria’s Dbanj beat a long list of nominees that included 2Face Idibia, Akon, Banky W, Darey, Davido and Olamide to win the 2014 World Music Award for Africa’s World Best Male Artist. D'banj went to his Instagram page to celebrate the recent victory and put a video of himself lifting the award above his head and thanking everyone that supports him and his music. The award show took place on Tuesday in Monaco.

President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the Friday assassination of the Emir of Gwoza, Alh Idrissa Timta, by the insurgent group, Boko Haram. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, disclosed this on Saturday, in an interview with the State House correspondents in Abuja.  He said: “the president got the news and he was sad about it because what it means is that,  these terrorists, who are threatening peace and stability in Nigeria, are desperate and they continue to show that desperation.” “The president made it clear in his democracy day broadcast, that was his main message to Nigerians, that at the end of the day, it is the people of Nigeria that will prevail.” “No matter how desperate terrorists may be, that his government is determined to rid the country of terrorism.”  “The whole of the West African sub-region, Africa and the entire world showed that this is the battle that the whole world is prepared to fight.”

A series of suspected Boko Haram attacks in four village killed several people, residents said Sunday, in the latest violence blamed on the insurgents. The military was not immediately available to comment on the raids in Borno state, the hardest hit area during Boko Haram's five-year extremist uprising, which has killed thousands. All of the targeted villages are in the Gamboru Ngala district near the border with Cameroon, where Boko Haram killed hundreds in a gruesome attack earlier this month. The latest unrest hit the villages of Nuwari, Musari, Walori on Saturday, where gunmen, some dressed as soldiers and riding in 4x4 trucks, opened fire on civilians and razed much of the area, according to multiple witness accounts. "They burnt all the villages and took away all our livestock," said Nuwari resident Bunu Kaloma, providing details reported by other witnesses. He said 15 people were killed in the spate of attacks but there were conflicting reports and it was not pos...