BBC Local Live: Leeds and West Yorkshire on Wednesday 23 March 2016

Summary

Updates on Wednesday 23 March 2016
News, sport, weather and travel updates will resume at 08:00 on Thursday

Live Reporting

Oli Woodcock

Brussels attacks: One minute's silence held in Bradfordpublished at 12:32 GMT 23 March 2016
A minute's silence was held in Centenary Square a little earlier in memory of the victims of the terror attacks in Brussels.
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Watch: West Yorkshire tops the table of animal cruelty last yearpublished at 12:10 GMT 23 March 2016
There've has been more cases of cruelty to animals in West Yorkshire than elsewhere in the country.
The RSPCA has published its latest statistics which show, external there were more convictions for animal cruelty here in 2015 than anywhere else in the UK.
The animal charity says over 7,500 complaints were investigated in West Yorkshire last year and as a result of which 81 people were found guilty of the crime, slightly down on 93 who were convicted in 2014.
This RSPCA video, taken in Armley last year, shows the sort of conditions the charity can find animals in:

Company secretary stole nearly £166,000 from Harden and Bradford garden centrespublished at 11:48 GMT 23 March 2016
Keighley News
A company secretary who stole almost £166,000, external from Harden and Bradford garden centre businesses over a period of nine years has been warned she faces jail.
Image source, Keighley News
Challenge cup: Wildcats take on the Eaglespublished at 11:24 GMT 23 March 2016
BBC West Yorkshire Sport
The draw for the fifth round of the Challenge Cup was made last night.
Image source, PA
Wakefield have been drawn at home to Sheffield Eagles.
Wildcats captain Nick Scruton has told BBC West Yorkshire Sport he knows neutrals will look at that tie as a potential upset.
Quote Message
It's a tie they'll probably be rubbing their hands at. They beat us last season in the middle eights. It's a game I'm sure they'll go into with some confidence. It's up to us to knock it out of them."
Nick Scruton, Captain, Wakefield Wildcats

Major Yorkshire tourism projects due to be announcedpublished at 11:09 GMT 23 March 2016
What's being called "the biggest tourism conference in the UK" takes place in Yorkshire today.
Image source, PA
Tourist organisation Welcome to Yorkshire is expected to announce its plans for the next year at the event in York.
Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity says there'll be a number of big announcements.
Quote Message
We think it's really appropriate in the great and historic City of York that history will be made today with some of the announcements we'll bring out - including cycling and much wider than that for the whole of Yorkshire."
Gary Verity, Chief executive, Welcome to Yorkshire
Analysis: Huddersfield family fear Iraq suicide bomber was their sonpublished at 10:52 GMT 23 March 2016
Sabbiyah Pervez
Journalist, BBC Look North
British authorities are continuing their efforts to find out for sure whether a Huddersfield man has become West Yorkshire's fifth home-grown Islamic suicide bomber.
The family of Mohammed Rizwan Awan, 27, believe he was behind a car bomb in western Iraq on Monday, after seeing a picture online of the man thought to have been responsible.
I've spoken with his family and they are in no doubt that it was their son who detonated the device two days ago.
They instantly recognised him from the picture. The family are devastated and are grieving at the moment. They have met with the police and have confirmed it is indeed their son.

Latest headlines: Huddersfield family fear Iraq suicide bomber was their son and stats show West Yorkshire tops animal cruelty tablepublished at 10:24 GMT 23 March 2016
Oli Woodcock
BBC Local Live
The top stories in Leeds and West Yorkshire so far this morning include:
- A Huddersfield family fears a suicide bomber responsible for an attack in Iraq on Monday is their missing son
- Leeds City Council 'shocked and saddened' at Belgium attacks
- There were more incidents of animal cruelty in West Yorkshire last year than in any other region outside London, new figures by the RSPCA suggest
Leeds City Council 'shocked and saddened' at Belgium attackspublished at 10:11 GMT 23 March 2016
The leader of Leeds City Council says she and her colleagues are "shocked and saddened" by yesterday's attacks in Belgium which killed at least 30 people and injured dozens of others.
Image source, Reuters
In a statement, Judith Blake says, external: "We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these truly terrible events. Our thoughts are with the people of Belgium at this very difficult time.
A minute's silence will be held before today's council meeting as a mark of respect to all those who lost their lives in the attacks, Ms Blake adds.

Watch: 'I'll miss Rugby League for the rest of my life' - Kevin Sinfieldpublished at 09:50 GMT 23 March 2016
James Deighton
BBC West Yorkshire Sport
Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield has told me he misses rugby league "every day".
Sinfield, 35, switched codes to join Yorkshire Carnegie in October after helping the Headingley side to the treble in his final season.
He captained the Rhinos for 13 years and won seven Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups.
So-called 'devolution deal' might not be made until this summerpublished at 09:27 GMT 23 March 2016
Julie Langford
News Editor, BBC Radio Leeds
A decision on whether there'll be an elected mayor for the Leeds area under a so-called "devolution deal" might not be made until this summer.
That's according to a report going before leading councillors in Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale today.
It says any deal for local councils to take control of certain government powers is unlikely to happen before local council elections in May.

Challenge Cup: Fifth round draw madepublished at 09:15 GMT 23 March 2016
Jake Katborg
BBC West Yorkshire Sport
The draw for the fifth round of the Challenge Cup was made last night.
Wakefield have been drawn at home to Sheffield Eagles, while our only remaining amateur side, Lock Lane, will go to Halifax.
Meanwhile, there'll be another West Yorkshire derby as Batley host Featherstone.
Hunslet will face Super League side Salford and Dewsbury Rams will be at home to York City Knights.
The ties will be played over the weekend of 16 and 17 April.
Ofsted report says Keighley College needs improvementpublished at 08:56 GMT 23 March 2016
Keighley News
Keighley's further education college has been told it requires improvement, external following an Ofsted inspection.
Image source, Keighley News

Latest headlines: Huddersfield family fear Iraq suicide bomber was their son and stats show West Yorkshire tops animal cruelty tablepublished at 08:45 GMT 23 March 2016
Oli Woodcock
BBC Local Live
The top stories in Leeds and West Yorkshire so far this morning include:
- A Huddersfield family fear a suicide bomber responsible for an attack in Iraq on Monday was their missing son
- There were more incidents of animal cruelty in West Yorkshire last year than in any other region outside of London, according to new figures by the RSPCA
- What's being called "the biggest tourism conference in the UK" takes place in Yorkshire later
Travel update: Very heavy traffic on M62 eastboundpublished at 08:30 GMT 23 March 2016
BBC Travel
Traffic is much heavier than normal on the M62 eastbound between J25, A644 (Brighouse) and J27, M621 (Gildersome). This is causing delays for drivers.
BBC Radio Leeds has travel and traffic updates throughout the morning to keep you moving.

West Yorkshire family fear Iraq suicide bomber was sonpublished at 08:19 GMT 23 March 2016
A British family fear a suicide bomber responsible for an attack in Iraq on Monday was their missing son.
The attack on Iraqi forces was said to have been carried out by a militant named as "Abu Musa al-Britani".
The Awan family, from Huddersfield, claim a photograph of al-Britani, released by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, was Mohammed Rizwan Awan.
We'll be bringing you more updates on this story through the day.
West Yorkshire's weather: A few bright spells but cloudypublished at 08:09 GMT 23 March 2016
Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North
A few bright spells are likely this morning across West Yorkshire, with the chance of some sunshine first thing. It will gradually become cloudier from the west today and this could introduce a few patches of rain.
Light to moderate westerly winds with a maximum temperature of about 10C (50F).

Good morning: Join us for today's live coveragepublished at 08:00 GMT 23 March 2016
Oli Woodcock
BBC Local Live
Hello and welcome to BBC Local Live in Leeds and West Yorkshire on Wednesday 23 March 2016.
I'll be with you until 18:00 with all the latest news, sport, weather and travel updates from across the county.
Why not get in touch with us today? As ever, I'm looking forward to hearing your news, views and comments.