Former regional press journalist Yvonne Ridley, who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, is to stand as a candidate in the Leicester South by-election.
Yvonne, who began her career at the Stanley News and has also worked at the Northern Echo, Sunday Sun, Newcastle Journal and Wales on Sunday, will represent the anti-war party Respect.
The election was called following the death of Labour MP Jim Marshall.

The Hemel Hempstead Gazette has bagged an England shirt signed by goal-scoring sensation Wayne Rooney, to auction off in a bid to raise cash to buy local athlete Ben Smith an athletic limb after he lost his leg in a car crash last year.
It is expected to raise more than £250 towards the £30,000 appeal total.

Daily Post columnist Emyr Williams is to receive the White Robe of the Gorsedd of Bards - a gathering of druids - for his coverage of the eisteddfodau cultural festival.
Emyr said he would accepting the award on behalf of the whole editorial team at the north Wales paper.

A new gallery in Leeds is displaying work by photographers and photojournalists covering a diverse range of subject matter.
'Gallery 22' is run by East German photographer Kathrin Ollroge who exhibits her images alongside work by other established professionals such as John Angerson, Liza Dracup, Justin Slee, Alex Handley, Tania Coates, Corinne Silva, Lee Snoding, Simon Ford, Bhavesh Mistry, Michael Craig.

Two Newcastle newspapers produced and distributed a free 20-page racing supplement in collaboration with their Trinity Mirror national sister title, the Racing Post.
As well as being given away with every copy of the Racing Post one day earlier this month, it was also given away with The Journal and its evening sister title the Evening Chronicle. The supplement, a preview guide to the Northumberland Plate race meeting in Newcastle, was produced on high quality paper.

The Newspaper Society has so far allocated more than 200 Royal Rota passes for more than 60 events this year.
The passes are issued to the Newspaper Society by Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, and allow journalists to cover Royal visits across the country.

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