A video game designed to help with memory loss has boosted participants' memory by up to 40%, a trial by Cambridge scientists has found., external

The specially-developed game is based on TV game shows. Forty-two people, all with memory loss symptoms and over 70, took part in the trial which lasted for eight one-hour sessions.

Prof Barbara Sahakian (below, middle), who led the Addenbrooke's Hospital team, said: "It was aimed at improving everyday memory.

"We know cognitive training can improve cognitive function, but the problem is it's not very interesting and there's a high drop-out rate.

"So I thought why not gamify it and make it fun?"

A fire which broke out at the AstraZeneca building in Cambridge has been put out by firefighters.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said the fire was "confined to ducting in the basement" of the company's new HQ on Francis Crick Avenue.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to locate fire. Its cause was accidental.

We'll bring you more news as we have it.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

Eight fire crews from Cambridgeshire and Suffolk are currently in attendance at the AstraZeneca building on Francis Crick Avenue, near Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said that crews were called at 11:35 and more than 20 firefighters are at the scene.

Crews are currently at work tackling the fire and the building has been safely evacuated.

A section of the A5 through Northamptonshire has reopened after a suspected World War Two explosive device was discovered this morning.

Emergency services were called to Church Stowe, near Daventry, at about 09:15 following the find by contractors carrying out roadworks in the area.

The road was closed between Furnace Lane and Heyford Lane while an RAF Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team attended the scene.

It is estimated that some 30,000 tonnes of bombs It is estimated that some 30,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on Britain during WW2 bombing raids.

• Read more: How much of a threat are unexploded bombs?

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

There's a possibility that Airlander 10, the world's longest aircraft, could be taking to the skies for the sixth time.

The airship is currently outside its hangar at Cardington Airfield.

Mikey Reynolds, one of the spectators, told me the engines are on and it looks like the mooring ropes are being removed.

He thinks it's "promising" it could fly again.

Image source, Mikey Reynolds

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the company behind the craft, said this week: "We’re running a number of engine tests and other preparatory tests in preparation for our next flight.

"Everything has checked out well and we’re flight-ready."

It might not be the prettiest bit of engineering you've seen, but it's certainly the most important for Cambridgeshire when you remember the Denver sluice protects homes and businesses across Fenland from flooding, all the way down the Ouse to Ely.

Its origins date back to the 1650s, when Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden was commissioned by the London Company of Merchant Adventurers to start a drainage programme so they could exploit the rich, fen soil.

And now it's getting some new gates, courtesy of the Environment Agency...

Bucks Free Press

A female pedestrian who was killed in a crash, external involving a council bin lorry in Chalfont St Peter on 6 November has been named by the coroner.

Cambridge News

A new £7bn expressway linking Cambridge with Oxford and Milton Keynes “would boost the region’s economy by £160bn a year”, external.

Administrators for collapsed Luton-based airline Monarch are taking their fight over "valuable" runway slots to the Court of Appeal today.

The airline, which went into administration in October, wants to exchange the slots with other carriers to raise cash for creditors, but last week the High Court ruled against them.

The application for permission to challenge that decision is currently being heard by Lord Justice Floyd, Lord Justice Newey and Lady Justice Asplin.

Image source, AFP

Two men arrested by Irish police investigating the murder of an English man in the Republic of Ireland have been released without charge.

Image source, St Colmcilles GAC

Joseph Deacy, 21, from St Albans was found outside a house in Gortnasillagh, Swinford, County Mayo with head injuries, early on 12 August.

He was taken to Mayo University Hospital and then to Beaumont Hospital where he died a day later.

Two men aged in their 20s were arrested on Wednesday.

The Gardaí said the investigation was continuing.

Northamptonshire Police says the A5 is closed following the discovery of a suspected World War Two explosive device.

Emergency services were called to Church Stowe, near Daventry, at about 09:15 this morning following the discovery of the device by contractors carrying out roadworks in the area.

Officers say a cordon has been put in place while emergency services await the arrival of the RAF Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team.

The A5 is currently closed in both directions between the junctions of Furnace Lane and Heyford Lane and motorists are advised to find an alternative route.

Image source, Google

The Comet

A 21-year-old with lightning-fast hand speed has broken his own world record for the time taken to build a 171-cup pyramid, The Comet, external reports.

James Acraman, who lives in Stevenage, was invited by Guinness World Records to attempt to beat his record of one minute 26.9 seconds, which he set back in January.

Hertfordshire Mercury

Brothers who have owned a sports shop in Cheshunt for more than 40 years have decided to shut up shop in response to the town "becoming a dump", the Hertfordshire Mercury, external reports.

Henry Tilly Sports, by the Old Pond, will still have a store in St Albans at the end of the year and will continue to serve schools and sports clubs in Cheshunt online.

Justin Dealey
BBC Three Counties Radio

Parents of children who attend Nascot Lawn Respite Service in Watford have told me it looks set to close after its funding has been cut.

Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has yet to confirm the decision, which was being discussed at its meeting this afternoon.

I was told by one parent that "I feel sick, it's such a disappointment, I'm in shock".

Another said we "knew this was going to happen".

A protest took place outside the CCG's offices.

The unit is the only respite facility in Hertfordshire equipped to look after disabled children with complex health needs.

The British Red Cross, external is appealing for more "buddy" families to help refugee families in Milton Keynes.

The charity helps refugees with many aspects once they arrive in Buckinghamshire, including English lessons, setting up bank accounts and enrolling children in schools.

But the team thought setting up a buddy programme would help refugee families integrate into the community.

Marie Gracie, who is the trustee of Refugees Welcome Milton Keynes, external, was the first to sign up to buddy Syrian refugees Bassem (above with his children) and his wife Maisaa.

She said: "Bassem and Maisaa’s eldest son is about the same age as my son, and my daughter is just a year younger than their daughter, so it seemed like we could be a good fit.

"I think we were all a bit apprehensive at first, but it was obvious fairly quickly that there are lots of ways you can communicate without language!"

The family has been in the UK for more than a year now, and the Red Cross believes having a buddy family had a huge positive impact into their settlement.

It is now trying to encourage more families in and around Milton Keynes to sign up to the scheme.

Bucks Free Press

A Wycombe District Council hostel which provides temporary accommodation for families in need could be relocated from Saunderton to High Wycombe town centre, the Bucks Free Press is reporting, external.

Katy Prickett
BBC News

It's getting chillier, we're putting our winter coats on - and so are the outdoor sculptures at the National Trust's Waddesdon Manor...

Free baby boxes, for babies to sleep in, are being given away by Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

The box tradition originated in Finland, where for 75 years, every pregnant woman has been given one.

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs the hospital say it will "support a national initiative looking to reduce the number of still births and neo-natal deaths over the next five years".

Image source, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

The decision comes despite the The Lullaby Trust, a charity which researches cot death, raised doubts over the boxes, saying there was no evidence baby boxes reduced the rate of sudden infant death syndrome.

It's a year since work began on the massive £1.5bn upgrade of the A14 between the A1, Huntingdon and Cambridge.

Highways England says more than a quarter of the construction work has been completed.

This includes 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon, which is being upgraded to three lanes in each direction, including a brand new 17-mile bypass south of Huntingdon, with four lanes in each direction between Bar Hill and Girton.

Highways England says work should be completed by 2021.

You can find out more about the upgrade by watching the video below.