Exeter, doughty performers throughout their first season at the elite end of the English club game, will be playing Premiership rugby again next season. This should have been a matter of record some time ago – the Devonians have, after all, been winning regularly, which is more than can be said for any of the three northern sides in the top flight – but a mix-up over foreign player registration left them vulnerable to the whims and fancies of Twickenham's disciplinary class. They were duly punished yesterday, but nowhere near heavily enough to threaten their current status.

Exeter have been deducted two Aviva Premiership points and fined £5,000 after fielding too many overseas players against Leeds Carnegie last month.

Exeter will face a disciplinary hearing next Wednesday to answer a charge of breaching Aviva Premiership competition regulations.

The head of the Met Office has said that he received death threats from climate-change sceptics. John Hirst, chief executive of the organisation, said the threats were made after the "Climategate" data-fixing controversy and the much derided "barbecue summer" prediction made by the Met Office in 2009.

The head of the Met Office has revealed that he has received death threats from climate change sceptics.

Exeter, undeniably the success story of this Premiership campaign despite hitting a large brick wall over the last three weeks, should be safe from relegation by now. All things being equal, they cannot be overtaken by Leeds, even in the unlikely event of the Yorkshiremen winning each of their remaining matches with attacking bonus points. But things may not stay equal for long, thanks to an alarming oversight on the paperwork front that could see some of the Devonians' hard-earned rewards taken away from them.

Exeter face a potential points deduction after admitting they broke Aviva Premiership regulations by fielding three overseas players against Leeds on April 3.

Leeds Carnegie head coach Neil Back lavished praise on Adrian Jarvis after the fly-half kicked two drop goals in the space of six minutes to give his side a last-minute 30-29 Premiership victory over relegation-rivals Newcastle.

Exeter have completed the signing of Samoa international centre Josh Tatupu on a two-year contract.

The Royal Navy's former flagship HMS Ark Royal went on sale on the Ministry of Defence's auction website yesterday, just two weeks after she was decommissioned.