Richard Barre (c. 1130 – c. 1202) was a medieval English justice, clergyman, and scholar. He was educated at the law school of Bologna, and entered royal service under King Henry II of England, later working for Henry's son and successor Richard I. He was also briefly in the household of Henry's son Henry the Young King. Barre served the elder Henry as a diplomat, and was involved in a minor way with the king's quarrel with Thomas Becket, which earned Barre a condemnation from Becket. After King Henry's death, Barre became a royal justice during Richard's reign, and was one of the main judges in the period from 1194 to 1199. During the reign of King John, Barre was no longer employed as a judge owing to earlier disagreements with John. Barre was the author of a work of biblical extracts dedicated to one of his patrons, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England. (more...)

Recently featured: Pathways into Darkness – Chew Stoke – Germany women's national football team

• Polish poet Wisława Szymborska (pictured), recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature, dies at the age of 88.
• More than 70 people are killed in crowd violence following a football match in Port Said, Egypt.
• Queen Elizabeth II annuls Fred Goodwin's knighthood due to his role in The Royal Bank of Scotland's near-collapse.
• In tennis, Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic win the women's and men's singles titles, respectively, at the Australian Open.
• The European Men's Handball Championship concludes with Denmark defeating Serbia in the final.
• Intense Tropical Cyclone Funso stalls off the coast of Mozambique, killing 15 people at sea and at least 14 others through inland flooding.