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Australian Open 2017: Andy Murray to play Ilya Marchenko in first round - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | British world number one Andy Murray will play Ilya Marchenko in the Australian Open first round, which gets under way on Monday. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's world number one Andy Murray will play Ukraine's Ilya Marchenko in the Australian Open first round.
Murray was drawn in the same quarter as Roger Federer - meaning the pair could face each other in the last eight.
The 29-year-old Scot is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title and his first in Melbourne, where he has reached the final five times.
Konta's draw places her in the same quarter as Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova and American six-time champion Serena Williams.
Heather Watson and Naomi Broady will both face Australian opponents, with Watson playing Sam Stosur and Broady up against Daria Gavrilova.
Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic will be aiming for a record seventh Australian Open title with a first-round match against Fernando Verdasco.
Spaniard Verdasco knocked his compatriot Rafael Nadal out in the opening round last year, but lost to Serb Djokovic in their recent meeting at the Qatar Open despite having five match points during a second-set tie-break.
Nadal, seeded ninth, will play German Florian Mayer, before a possible quarter-final against Canadian Milos Raonic.
Britain's three other male participants see Kyle Edmund face Santiago Giraldo, Dan Evans play Facundo Bagnis while Aljaz Bedene was paired with Victor Estrella Burgos.
If Murray can safely find a way through his first week as a top seed at a Grand Slam, then he may have the chance to avenge last year's US Open quarter-final defeat by Kei Nishikori.
But Federer may have something to say about that. Now seeded 17, after six months out through injury, the 17-time Grand Slam champion is in Nishikori's section of the draw.
All the British men will face opening round opponents outside the world's top 50, but the women have a tougher draw.
Flipkens brings the experience of a Wimbledon semi-final into her match with Konta, while Watson and Broady must both face seeded Australians.
Sam Stosur has a very poor record in front of her home fans, however, which should give Watson cause for optimism.
In the women's draw, Williams is aiming for a record 23rd Grand Slam title.
Her first match will be against Swiss Belinda Bencic.
World number one Kerber is aiming for her third Grand Slam win following her maiden US Open title last year.
• None See the full women's draw here
Konta is in good form heading into the tournament. She beat world number three Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-2 to win the Sydney International on Friday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38605497 |
Dog stuck on cliff ledge in Provo, Utah - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | null | Rescuers tried to help a dog that was stuck on a ledge on a 60ft cliff in Provo, Utah. | null | Rescuers tried to help a dog that was stuck on a ledge on a 60ft cliff in Provo, Utah. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38600230 |
The business of free: How to boost your chance of getting a freebie - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Everyone loves getting something for free, but why do firms continue to give out freebies, what is in it for them, and who do they target? | Business | Propercorn gives out free popcorn at fashion and arts events in London
As the saying goes, "there is no such thing as a free lunch", but it may be easier to get one if you are young, fashionable and live in a capital city.
Attendees at last autumn's London Fashion Week didn't have to worry about their snacking needs.
Outside the main venue in Brewer Street, Soho, a team of workers from upmarket UK popcorn brand Propercorn were there every day to hand out free packets.
In total they gave away some 30,000 samples, in what was the 10th time in a row they have been generous at the biannual event.
For Propercorn the giveaway is part of a strategy that also sees it offer free packets at arts events in the UK capital, such as Late at the Tate Britain, when the art museum opens its doors at night and puts on a music concert.
It is a deliberate move by the company to target the so-called trendsetters and influencers, in the hope that they will speak positively about the product, giving it a word-of-mouth buzz.
Propercorn says it wants to be part of an "exciting cultural dialogue"
A Propercorn spokesman explains: "Positioning popcorn outside of traditional snack circles, and looking for inspiration at design, fashion, wellbeing and entrepreneurship events, helps us to remain fresh and part of this exciting cultural dialogue.
"It's less about immediate increase in sales, and more about getting our product in the hands of people who will excitedly and personally engage in our brand and story."
Everyone loves a freebie, but is it really free? Not even remotely, says Jean-Pierre Dube, professor of marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Instead, the cost of giving away free samples comes from a firm's marketing budget, which in turn comes from its overall earnings.
Lipton gave away free drinks at a number of breakfast events in London
Prof Dube says: "Giving things away is definitely a form of marketing.
"[For example], when you buy a ski vacation that comes with 'free lessons', the lessons are of course not free.
"The price of the package was set with the lessons taken into account."
He adds: "But what about literally giving things away? There is still no free.
"This is an investment the firm makes in anticipation of receiving the reward in the future. For example, [US cable TV firm] Comcast gave away free digital video recorders as a promotion a few years ago. This was just an investment in receiving the monthly cash flows from people's service subscriptions."
If you want to be handed a freebie on the street, it certainly helps to live in a country's capital or largest city.
Lipton said it wanted to create a "clearly different brand experience"
This is not simply because of the larger population, but because a country's main conurbation is more often the trendsetter for retail purchases.
So in the UK new products or new promotional campaigns are invariably launched in London, in the US it is New York, while in France it is Paris, and so on.
The hope is that the young and fashionable of the big city will try the item, like it, and then talk positively about it - preferably on social media in this day and age.
If all goes to plan this will kick start increased sales across the country as a whole.
Consumer goods giant Unilever went for this approach last year when it sought to increase UK sales of its Lipton Ice Tea brand.
Lipton's Daybreakers campaign saw it give out free drinks at a number of breakfast events across London that included DJ sets and live music. Venues included Old Street in fashionable east London, and the Sky Garden venue at the top of the 34-floor 20 Fenchurch Street building, otherwise known as the "walkie talkie".
A Lipton spokesman says: "In order for people to look at Lipton Ice Tea in a new way, we needed to offer consumers a meaningful and relevant reason to try it.
Innocent has targeted music festivals to give out free samples
"We therefore went down an early morning experimental road to cut through and create a clearly different brand experience."
UK drinks firm Innocent is also in the habit of first giving out free samples in London, such as when it launched its coconut water product in 2015. This saw it hand out free samples at a pop-up bar in the trendy Shoreditch area.
Innocent, which is majority owned by US giant Coca-Cola, has since gone on to offer free samples at UK music festivals Latitude and Wilderness, and at sporting events such as the Richmond marathon, in south west London. Last year it gave away more than 500,000 cartons.
James Peach, Innocent's coconut water brand manager, says: "For [free] sampling to be effective it's important to be targeting the right type of consumer at the moment they would most likely want to use the product, so they get the most out of the experience, and understand the product's benefits.
"Generally people drink coconut water to naturally re-hydrate or rejuvenate themselves after exercise or after excess [if they are hungover]. So we simply try to target those occasions as much as we can, to be there when people need it most."
While most consumers don't give freebies much thought, behavioural economist Enrico Trevisan says that from the perspective of the business there are three main types; "future selling", "cross selling" and "up-selling".
"In the future selling approach, firms give away a product for free, assuming that clients will like it and want to buy more in the future," he says.
The New York Times operates an up-selling free model
"With cross-selling, the company tries to gain new clients through an entrance product, with the intention of selling them additional products during their life cycle."
Mr Trevisan, who works for marketing consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners, says that an example of cross-selling is banks giving current accounts away for free in order to later sell the client loans, mortgages and overdrafts.
Finally, he says that up-selling is when a firm gives away a basic version of the product, but then charges the client for more advanced and complete versions. He cites the examples of online news websites that only offer a limited number of free articles.
However, Mr Trevisan cautions that while "giving something for free to potential users is not necessarily complicated, to convert them into paying customers is a very different story". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38570537 |
US snow: Oregon Zoo closes - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | null | A polar bear has fun after historic amounts of snow fell in Oregon this week, closing the state's zoo. | null | A polar bear has fun after historic amounts of snow fell in Oregon this week, closing the state's zoo. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38604185 |
Graham Taylor: Ex-England, Watford & Aston Villa manager dies aged 72 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | Former England manager Graham Taylor has died at the age of 72. | null | Former England manager Graham Taylor has died at the age of 72. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38597194 |
Graham Taylor: Football to pay tribute to former England manager - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | Fans are being asked to pay tribute to former England manager Graham Taylor at this weekend's games, while greats remember his contribution to the sport. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Football is preparing to pay tribute to former England manager Graham Taylor at fixtures taking place this weekend.
Taylor, who enjoyed success with Watford, Wolves, Aston Villa and Lincoln City, died aged 72 on Thursday.
A minute's applause will be held before the weekend's English Football League matches.
Watford, whom he managed for 15 years over two spells, will commemorate Taylor before their game against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
• None Obituary: 'Perhaps now his work will get the credit it deserves'
• None 'I love you Graham, I'll miss you very much' - Sir Elton John pays tribute
• None Listen again to a 5 live special: Tributes to Graham Taylor
The EFL said it was also giving clubs the option of letting their players wear black armbands during this weekend's fixtures.
The Premier League will leave the decision of whether to pay tribute to individual clubs. Its executive chairman Richard Scudamore said Taylor's "insight, wit and self-deprecating humour" would be missed.
"You will struggle to find a more decent individual in football - one who cared passionately about all levels and aspects of the English game," he said.
Meanwhile, Watford supporters have been laying tributes to Taylor outside their stadium, where a stand is named after their former manager, chairman and, more recently, honorary vice-president.
As a club manager, Taylor led Watford from the Fourth Division to runners-up in the old First Division in five years, and to the 1984 FA Cup final.
He took Aston Villa to second in the First Division, returning to Watford and Villa after his spell in charge of the national side, and also managing Wolves.
Wolves meet Aston Villa in a Championship game at Molineux on Saturday.
Taylor became England boss in 1990 but resigned in 1993 after the team failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
He later became a respected pundit for BBC Sport.
He leaves behind his wife Rita and daughters Joanne and Karen.
In the aftermath of the news of Taylor's death, emotional tributes poured in from the football community.
BBC Radio 5 live hosted a tribute show in Taylor's honour, in which his colleagues and peers spoke about the effect he had on their lives.
Former England captain Alan Shearer, who was given his national team debut by Taylor, said he held him in the "highest, highest regard".
"The biggest and best compliment I can give him is he was genuine, honest, passionate and down to earth," he said.
"Most of all, he just absolutely loved his football. He was so genuine, so honest and his passion for the game was just immense."
Burnley manager Sean Dyche - whose first managerial position was at Watford, where Taylor offered him guidance, said he would be "forever in his debt".
"He had an extremely thick skin, and he showed that by defending me on the radio when I was a young manager as well. Things like that mean a lot," he said.
"To have that strength behind me when I was a young manager meant a lot."
John Murray, a football commentator for 5 live who worked with him during his time as a pundit and summariser, said that Taylor was "everything I had hoped before I met him".
"He was steeped in football - he was brilliant at being interested in other people and would always want to talk about football," he said.
"I'd describe him as one of the football managers of our time. His club career was outstanding."
Fans have been paying tribute to Taylor too, with thousands of people using social media to share their stories of the former England manager:
Robert Howard: I spent a train journey from Hemel Hempstead to Euston sitting talking to Graham. We spoke about football old and new. Kids, football and life in general. He was friendly, open and a very nice man. I am glad I met him.
Alan Jones: I refereed a youth team match between Portsmouth and Watford. On the same afternoon, Watford's first team were due to play Bournemouth, so they stopped at Eastleigh to watch the youth match on their way there. Graham came into the dressing room afterwards and thanked me for the game, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He looked at the towel around my waist and asked me to get a new one, as he did not like orange. He was a very charming and supportive ambassador for football. RIP.
Dave Revell: Met Graham Taylor at a charity day for Kit Aid. Had so much time for people and was always so nice. One of England's better managers.
Will Room: I remember seeing a clip of Taylor in the dugout during a match, and some fans behind him shouting out racial abuse to John Barnes and he went hell for leather against them - didn't hold back telling the fans to sit down and shut up basically. Back then it was probably normal for fans to think they could get away with stuff like that but Graham Taylor was definitely a decent man and respected everyone who played for him. Top bloke.
Taylor started out as a player and, after coming through the youth ranks with Scunthorpe, was a defender at Grimsby and Lincoln.
He became manager at Lincoln in 1972 aged 28, and led them to the old Fourth Division title in 1975-76 before joining Watford.
In his first spell as Hornets boss between 1977 and 1987, Taylor took the club to the top flight and they finished second to Liverpool in 1983.
He was appointed by Villa in 1987 and, after leading them to promotion into the top tier, took them to second in 1990.
His exploits led to his appointment as England manager, but he had a turbulent spell in charge of the national team as they failed to make it out of the group at Euro 92 and did not qualify for the World Cup in the United States two years later.
Taylor's return to club management came with a relatively brief stint at Wolves before he again took over at Watford, leading them to two promotions in as many years as he guided them back into English football's top flight.
He also returned to manage Villa in 2002 but retired a year later.
His association with Watford continued when he became chairman in 2009, a post he held for three years, and the club renamed their Rous Stand at Vicarage Road after Taylor in 2014.
"In this day and age, when a stand is named after somebody, it's for commercial reasons. I felt honoured," he told BBC Three Counties Radio at the time.
• Lincoln City (1972-77) - Youngest person to become an FA coach, at the age of 27. Won Fourth Division title in 1976.
• Watford (1977-1987) - Led team from Fourth Division to First Division in five years (W244, D124, L159)
• Aston Villa (1987-1990) - Took over when Villa had been relegated to Second Division. Took them back to top flight at his first attempt. Finished runners-up to Liverpool in his third season in charge (W65, D35, L42)
• England (1990-1993) - Failed to progress beyond group stage of Euro 92 or qualify for World Cup in 1994 (W18, D13, L7)
• Wolves (1994-1995) - Resigned after one full season in charge (W37, D27, L24)
• Watford (1996-2001) - Won Division Two title in 1998 and Division One play-off final in 1999 (W104, D80, L91) | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38602558 |
Severe flood warnings mean ‘threat to life’, warns Environment Agency - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | null | The severe warnings in place along the east coast of England need to be taken seriously, the Environment Agency has warned. | null | The severe warnings in place along the east coast of England need to be taken seriously, the Environment Agency has warned.
The BBC spoke to Lisa Pinney from the Environment Agency, who has been assisting residents in Jaywick, Essex, affected by possible floods. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38610092 |
Will Catalonia try to secede from Spain this year? - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Independence-minded Catalans play a game of political chicken with Spanish authorities. | Europe | If the stand-off between the Spanish state and the north-eastern region of Catalonia has been intense for the past five years, 2017 looks set to be explosive.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont set the tone in a New Year message, saying a planned referendum would go ahead by September. That would defy the Spanish government's warning that any vote organised by Catalonia's regional authorities would be illegal.
"If 50% plus one vote 'yes', we will declare independence without hesitation," he said.
Tensions between supporters of independence and Spanish authorities are likely to rise when three senior Catalan ex-officials, including former president Artur Mas, go on trial accused of criminal disobedience for organising a wildcat poll in November 2014.
Spain's conservative prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, says he is willing to negotiate possible alterations to the relationship between the national and Catalan administrations, but will not discuss changes to Spain's constitution.
Artur Mas has spearheaded the Catalan campaign for independence
So Madrid says there will be no referendum. Barcelona insists there will be a vote and it will be binding.
"If we have 50% turnout and a majority in favour of independence, this will be legitimate. Then Madrid will have to ask itself if it is going to impose its laws by force, if the Catalan people choose their future peacefully and democratically," says Joan Maria Pique, the Catalan government's director of international communications.
The image of tanks rolling north across the Ebro river belongs to Spain's tragic civil war of the 1930s. But how would Madrid react if Catalonia made a unilateral declaration of independence?
When Spain's defence minister until last November, Pedro Morenes, was asked what the army would do in such a scenario, he avoided giving a direct answer: "If everyone does what they are legally bound to do, that situation will not be necessary."
Like other regions in Spain, Catalonia already has the power to run its educational and healthcare systems, as well as limited freedoms in the area of taxation. But Spanish constitutional experts offer little encouragement to supporters of independence for Catalonia.
"If the Catalan government does not negotiate the calling of a referendum with the state, it is not legally possible, because this power is held by the central state," explains Javier Garcia Roca, professor of constitutional law at Madrid's Complutense University.
Spain's constitutional court agrees. It outlawed the unofficial vote held in November 2014, and that ruling led to former Catalan President Mas and two of his ministers facing trial this year. If found guilty, Mr Mas could be barred from public office for a decade.
Surveys suggest a referendum vote on secession would be close
Many Catalan towns and villages have gone ahead and declared independence in a symbolic but defiant fashion.
A picturesque Costa Brava fishing village, El Port de la Selva, declared itself "morally excluded" from Spain's constitutional order in July 2010. Earlier Spain's top court had ruled that large chunks of the Catalan autonomy statute, approved by both the Spanish and Catalan parliaments, were unconstitutional.
The number of rebel municipalities has gone on growing.
One estimate from a pro-sovereignty association suggests 787 of the region's 947 town and city halls have declared support for "decoupling from the Spanish state".
Several local politicians and hundreds of councils are being investigated for offences deriving from symbolic disobedience of Spanish laws.
The constitutional court has also quashed several attempts by the Catalan parliament to vote into existence "instruments of state" for a future independent country, including a tax agency and a social security department that would form the basis of a new welfare system.
It has also annulled laws against fracking, gender inequality and banks which keep empty homes on their books. In 2010 the court sparked outrage by removing the preferential status of the Catalan language and quashing another dozen articles.
Catalan spokesman Joan Maria Pique accuses the Spanish government of "exercising juridical violence by violating the independence of the courts".
"The constitution lays down the principle of unity of the state and nation, which are described as 'indivisible'," argues Prof Garcia Roca. "It is a rigid document and the possibilities for imagination and constitutional engineering are therefore not the same for Catalonia as for Scotland."
Solar panels at a Barcelona cemetery: It is one of the most developed regions in Spain
And yet much of Catalonia believes that it has already triggered what pro-independence circles describe as "decoupling" from the Spanish state, backed by a majority of the Catalan parliament and the region's local councils.
A recent poll published by Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico, not seen as backing independence, suggested that 85% of Catalans wanted a referendum, which all surveys predict would be extremely tight.
So while the Madrid government insists any vote will have no validity, the game of political chicken goes on.
Court orders have been served on councillors in Catalonia who refuse to acknowledge Spanish national holidays, remove flags or bow to other constitutional requirements, or who burn images of Spain's King Felipe.
Meanwhile, the tension continues to rise. Something will have to give.
11 September 2012: Barcelona's police estimate at 1.5 million the number of people attending the Diada march for independence
20 September 2012: Prime Minister Rajoy rebuffs Catalonia bid to cease being net contributor to the Spanish state
9 November 2014: Catalan authorities hold consultation on secession - more than 80% vote in favour, but turnout is only 40%
27 September 2015: In regional elections presented as independence plebiscite, pro-sovereignty forces win majority of seats with 48% of popular vote | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38582121 |
Events in Gravesend mark Pocahontas' death 400 years ago - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | null | It is 400 years since Pocahontas, immortalized by a Disney Film, died. | null | The animated film Pocahontas, released in 1995, was inspired by a Native American woman who died 400 years ago. This week special events marking her extraordinary life have got under way - although the location might surprise you. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38607889 |
Alastair Cook: How did we get here? Why might he stay as England captain? - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | As he weighs up his options, the time taken by Alastair Cook to decide on his future as England captain could raise the chances of him staying on. | null | What seemed to be a certainty is now not so sure.
All of the noises, particularly from the man himself, pointed towards Alastair Cook ending his 59-Test reign as England captain.
But Thursday's news that Cook will be given as much time as he needs to decide on his future hints at a greater possibility he will remain in charge.
What might persuade him to stay? What might more Cook mean for the England side? And what happens if it goes wrong?
How did we get here?
Through a combination of Cook's words and demeanour on a thoroughly miserable winter tour of India.
Even before the start he admitted he was looking forward to not being captain, going on say he had "questions" over his future and he needed time to think about his position.
That Cook may be tired of the rigours of captaincy is no surprise, he is over four years into a job that no-one has managed to do for more than five since 1961.
And, during a gruelling schedule of seven back-to-back Tests in Bangladesh and India, he cut an increasingly gloomy figure, especially after England lost the final two matches by an innings despite posting first-innings totals in excess of 400.
"When you have presided over something so cataclysmic in sporting terms as that, then it is only natural that Cook may be thinking differently about his future as captain," said BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew after England lost the fifth Test in Chennai.
All of this suggested Cook would call time on his tenure in his regular post-series review with England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, his good friend and former opening partner.
That meeting takes place on Friday, but we now know Cook's future will not be decided.
Time may just heal all wounds.
Cook has been close to quitting before, only to be talked out of jumping ship by his wife Alice. It could be that a Christmas at home and discussions with his closest confidant have pushed the 32-year-old in the direction of staying.
"They really are a team," said Agnew of Cook and his wife. "The time he is taking means that Cook is making the right decision for him. He will be incredibly comfortable with what lies ahead."
The opener, England's record Test runscorer, is approaching this decision very much in the way he constructs an innings. Patiently, meticulously, playing a shot only when absolutely certain.
There was no throwing in the towel after the chaotic fifth Test loss or rushing into a meeting with Strauss at the earliest opportunity. Even now he has indicated he would like more time.
All of that suits the England management, who feel there is no rush for an answer on the captaincy with the next Test not until July.
England coach Trevor Bayliss said last month he would be "disappointed" if Cook did not remain as skipper.
It may be the longer he waits to give an answer, the more likely Cook is to stay on.
Why might he stay?
Cook has been on the brink before, most notably the summer of 2014. Whereas then he was pushed to the edge by a combination of patchy form and poor results, here he has voluntarily walked to the precipice.
Back then, Cook repeatedly reiterated he would not quit and that it would be for someone else to take the job away from him - that sense of duty may not yet have been eroded away.
"He's stubborn and mentally very tough," said former England captain Michael Vaughan. "He's been through this sort of spell two or three times in his captaincy and carried on."
He also retains, publically at least, the support of the England management and staff. Not only has Bayliss spoken out in support of the skipper, but so too have assistant coach Paul Farbrace, all-rounder Ben Stokes, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and opener Haseeb Hameed.
More importantly, there is a huge, Ashes-shaped temptation on the horizon.
Cook, so bruised by the 5-0 whitewash he presided over in 2013-14, may not be able to resist the chance for revenge on an Australia side England should be mildly optimistic about facing.
Would staying on be a good idea?
There is a school of thought that a captain is halfway out of the door the moment he considers quitting. Vaughan says even 1% of doubt is enough for a skipper to stand aside.
Cook, having come close to resigning before, flies in the face of this theory.
That doesn't necessarily mean he would be right to remain, especially when he has just overseen eight defeats in 2016, the joint-highest for England in a calendar year.
The main case for Cook staying in charge centres around continuity at the beginning of an Ashes year, and that a near seven-month break from Test cricket should provide a refreshed outlook on the job.
There is also a paucity of options to replace Cook, with some feeling captain-in-waiting Joe Root, England's best batsman, should not yet be burdened with the responsibility of captaincy.
"Root is the outstanding candidate, but you wouldn't want it to be a case of making your best player captain, only for it to backfire on you later," said former England off-spinner Graeme Swann.
"I'm still not convinced Root is the right man for the job. I want him to concentrate on being the best player we have ever had, rather than having his talent curbed by the pressures of captaincy.
"He has tried to be more sensible later, but part of his cheeky chappy persona makes him the player he is, and I don't want to see that taken away."
What could go wrong?
If Cook does remain, England will want him to commit to leading them down under, rather than dropping an inexperienced new captain into the job for the toughest and most high-profile of tours.
For that to happen, both his own form and the results of the England team must be solid throughout the home summer to prevent the issue of the captaincy rearing its head once again.
It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where England start badly in the series against South Africa, Cook struggles for runs, and pressure is heaped upon the captain. After all, the past three visits by the Proteas have resulted in an England skipper resigning.
"If we are to have a new captain, he needs all seven home Tests this summer to get his feet under the table," said former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott.
"We don't want Alastair giving it up after three or four Tests, before the biggest series of all.
"If it is going to be Root - which it will be - he needs seven Test matches to put his stamp on it. Players need to get with his style."
What happens next?
In recent times, the England and Wales Cricket Board hasn't always been airtight. Information has leaked like a broken tap.
This, though, is likely to be different. Cook is a fiercely private man. Few other than his wife and Strauss may really know what his intention is.
Whatever his decision, the story does not end there. If he stays, he will be under the microscope. If he goes, the heat shifts to Root.
The consequences will not fully be revealed until 8 January 2018, the Sydney Cricket Ground and the end of the Ashes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38597814 |
Jeffrey Schlupp: Crystal Palace sign Leicester player for undisclosed fee - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | Crystal Palace sign Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp from Premier League champions Leicester City for a fee believed to be £12m. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Sam Allardyce has made versatile Leicester player Jeffrey Schlupp his first signing as Crystal Palace boss.
The 24-year-old moves south for a reported £12m, and has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract.
The Ghana international made 24 Premier League appearances in 2015-16 as the Foxes won their first title.
But he has started only one league game this season and has not featured at all since the 5-0 Champions League defeat at Porto on 7 December.
Schlupp, who can play in defence, midfield or attack, was left out of Ghana's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
He began his career at Leicester - making 150 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals - and had a loan spell at Brentford during 2010-11.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis had been interested in Schlupp, who joins a Palace side 17th in the Premier League.
The Eagles, one point above the relegation zone, visit West Ham on Saturday, a game Schlupp is available for.
Allardyce said: "He will bring strength and experience to the defence and will be a major asset for the club."
Sunderland manager David Moyes had earlier confirmed the club had rejected a bid from Palace for Netherlands defender Patrick van Aanholt. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38607724 |
Masters 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan wants to win with the style of Lionel Messi - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | Reigning Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan says entertaining fans is more important than titles and he wants to be the Lionel Messi of snooker. | null | Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Reigning Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan says entertaining fans is more important than titles and he wants to be the Lionel Messi of snooker.
World number 13 O'Sullivan begins his quest for a record-breaking seventh Masters crown against China's Liang Wenbo in the first round on Sunday.
But the 41-year-old told BBC Sport: "I want to try to win playing an exciting, aggressive and attacking game.
"It is OK to win, but I want to win with style."
O'Sullivan said he wanted fans to be able to say he doesn't just win, but he "delivers entertainment as well".
"I think I have done that over the over the last five or six years," he added.
"I have put on some magnificent performances - performances I am very proud of.
"Sometimes people say you can't play like that and win. Well, Michael van Gerwen has proved you can, Lionel Messi proves you can, Tiger Woods does, Roger Federer does. I want to try to be one of them."
Victory for O'Sullivan at Alexandra Palace would move the 28-time ranking event winner clear of Stephen Hendry and see him retain the title he won by thrashing Barry Hawkins 10-1 in 2016.
"I still want to win tournaments - but for me it is about people coming to watch, people switching on their televisions wanting to see good entertainment," he said.
"It would be great to get another Masters, not because it's the seventh, but because it's the Masters. I don't think 'I've got to break the record', I just want to win another Masters.
"I want to win another Worlds and another Welsh and China Open. I just want to win more tournaments."
'I might not play again'
Although he dominated a one-sided final against Hawkins last season, O'Sullivan said a back injury meant he struggled and feared for his career.
"I slipped a disc and I couldn't get in the right position for my shots," he said. "Fortunately I overcame that a couple of weeks after the Masters and it is not a problem now.
"But it was really hard mentally. I was struggling because I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play properly again because of my back.
"Winning the tournament is the main goal and that was a great box ticked, but my performance wasn't great. I have played a lot better and lost tournaments. I think I got a bit lucky in some ways."
This time around he is far happier with his fitness - and his form - after a difficult start to the season.
"The first two months of the season were difficult because I didn't really practise going into the season," the Essex man said. "I didn't really play for three months.
"I lost matches early on and it wasn't losing the matches that bothered me, it was how I was playing. I was struggling and getting to the last 16 was a good result."
O'Sullivan reached finals at the European Open final in Romania as well as the Champion of Champions event in Coventry, before losing a high-quality UK Championship final to world number one Mark Selby.
"From mid-November to mid-December I had a really good month where I was happy with my form and I was enjoying it," he said.
The invitation tournament is one of snooker's triple crown events and features the world's top 16 players competing for a top prize of £200,000.
"Sometimes it's the easiest one to win because you are playing against the best players," said O'Sullivan.
"You know what they will do and what they will bring to the table; you know their what their best game is like, what their worst game is like and what their middle game is like. You know everything about their games.
"The tougher matches are sometimes guys that you don't know; you don't know their strengths and weaknesses.
"With the Masters you know what you are getting involved in."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/38608159 |
Barack Obama legacy: The president and the tale of US jobs - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How US job creation tells the story of outgoing US President Barack Obama's economic legacy. | Business | Economists and economics reporters do like their charts and graphs.
And if they were all forced to pick just one with which to tell the story of the Obama presidency, many would plump for the bar chart of "non-farm payrolls".
The non-farm payrolls report is simply the official measure of how many jobs the US economy has added (or lost) in the previous month.
The release of this job tally, which happens at the same time, on the same day (the first Friday) of every single month, is one of the constants in the working life of a Wall Street economist or reporter.
Many feel they measure out their lives with non-farm payroll reports.
But you can reasonably measure out the Obama presidency with them as well.
Take a look at the chart.
On it you can see that from the first such report after entering the White House, President Obama learned that the US economy had just shed 800,000 jobs in one month.
No other figure so clearly illustrates that Mr Obama started his presidency with an economy that wasn't just weak, it was on the verge of collapse.
A recession of a severity not seen since the 1930s was under way.
The most pressing question for the new president was what, if anything, could be done to stabilise the economy so that it could create jobs once more.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. ’Yes we did’: Obama on Iran, Cuba and healthcare achievements
The chart shows us what happened.
By early 2010 the monthly tally shows the US was adding jobs again
And albeit with further dips later that year, it has done so ever since.
The last non-farm payrolls report of the Obama era showed that in December 2016 the US economy added 156,000 jobs.
It was also the 75th consecutive month of job growth.
There has never been such a long period of job creation.
The official unemployment rate in the US is now 4.7%. For many economists that represents "full employment".
But the chart doesn't tell us WHY the job market bottomed out and started its long expansion.
For an explanation of that you might start with one word: Detroit
Detroit, or rather the US car industry with which the city is synonymous, was seemingly in its death throes in January 2009.
The recession and financial crisis had hit General Motors, Chrysler and Ford particularly hard.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US "car tsar" Steve Rattner discusses President Obama's economic legacy with the BBC's Michelle Fleury
Already heavily indebted, by the turn of the Obama administration it looked like they would simply run out of cash and cease operations within weeks.
President Obama's decision to bail out General Motors and Chrysler with bridging loans and managed bankruptcies (Ford managed to turn itself around without government money) was deeply controversial.
But look again at the chart.
If the auto industry had in fact collapsed, we would probably need to spread something like a million more job losses across those bars for 2009-10.
Beyond the number of jobs directly or indirectly lost, it's hard to calculate the ultimate economic effects of a disintegration of the US auto industry.
But it seems safe to say that America would look very different indeed without the auto bailout.
There was also Mr Obama's stimulus package - or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to give it its official name.
This was a package of government spending which Congress passed, at the new president's behest, within weeks of his taking office.
There have been 75 consecutive months of job growth in the US
It too met fierce criticism and its impact has long been disputed.
Still, more than one analysis has estimated that through 2010 it created or saved more than 2 million jobs.
Taking those away would also dramatically alter the non-farm payrolls chart.
At least it would for the beginning of Mr Obama's presidency.
But after the first two years of his administration the politics of job creation, like everything else, changed.
The Republican Party's capture of the House of Representatives in November 2010 deprived the president of most of his influence on the writing of new laws.
He lost his grasp of one of the main levers of economic control and never regained it.
The Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in November 2010
That means that so much of the long period of job growth, from 2011 to the present, has unfolded with little input from the White House.
Of course the president always has large powers, whoever controls Congress, but they tend to be in the administration of business regulations and in trade relations.
Attributing the creation of jobs to those functions of government is even more speculative than attributing them to new laws.
Still, if presidents cannot write laws, their veto power means laws can hardly ever be passed without them.
It is a feature of the notorious political "gridlock" that has characterised much of the Obama era.
The president and the Republican Congress have been in a perpetual stand-off over so many issues at the heart of the economy.
The result is that many economic problems have gone unaddressed.
Yet it also means that politicians, and their insistence on change and reform, have been kept on the sidelines, leaving the economy to develop without them.
In the absence of major external shocks, perhaps the consistent job growth the US has enjoyed for more than six years should be attributed, not to the name and the politics of the president but to things more fundamental to the US and its brand of capitalism.
It seems appropriate that after the steep steps down, then up, in the first 18 months of the non-farm payrolls bar chart, what the Obama presidency looks like is then a consistent series of bars, representing steady if undramatic job growth, month after month after month. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38581768 |
100 Women: How South Korea stopped its parents aborting girls - BBC News | 2017-01-13 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | South Korea has brought its gender gap back into balance, but have women gained real equality? | Asia | Daughters were traditionally valued less than sons in South Korea
For every 100 baby girls born in India, there are 111 baby boys. In China, the ratio is 100 to 115. One other country saw similar rates in 1990, but has since brought its population back into balance. How did South Korea do it? Yvette Tan reports.
"One daughter is equal to 10 sons," was the message desperately being promoted by the South Korean government.
It was some two decades ago and gender imbalance was at a high, reaching 116.5 boys for every 100 girls at its peak. The preference for sons goes back centuries in Korean tradition. They were seen to carry on the family line, provide financial support and take care of their parents in old age.
"There was the idea that daughters were not regarded as part of their own family after marriage," says Ms Park-Cha Okkyung, the executive director of the Korean Women's Associations United.
The government was looking for a solution - and fast.
In an effort to reduce the incidence of selective abortions, South Korea enacted a law in 1988 making it illegal for a doctor to reveal the gender of a foetus to expectant parents.
At the same time women were also becoming more educated, with many more starting to join the workforce, challenging the convention that it was the job of a man to provide for his family.
It worked, but it was not for one reason alone. Rather, a combination of these factors led to the eventual gender rebalancing.
South Korea was acknowledged as the "first Asian country to reverse the trend in rising sex ratios at birth", in a report by the World Bank.
In 2013, the ratio was down to 105.3, a number comparable to major Western nations such as Canada.
Monica Das Gupta, research professor in sociology at the University of Maryland who has studied gender disparity across Asia, says factors other than legislation are likely to be the most significant in accounting for this change.
A legal ban can "dampen things a bit", but she points out that "seven years after the law [was instituted] sex-selective abortions continued".
Rather she attributes the change to the "blistering pace" of urbanisation and industrialisation in South Korea.
While the country was predominantly a rural society there was great emphasis on male lineage and boys staying at home to inherit their fathers' land.
But in just a few decades a large part of the population has moved to living in apartment blocks with people they don't know and working in factories with people they don't know, and the system has become much more impersonal, Dr Das Gupta says.
China and India, though, still have a stark gender imbalance, despite India outlawing, and China regulating against, sex-selective testing and abortions. So why is that?
Dr Das Gupta believes that in China this may be because until last year, the rule that your household registration - known as the hukou system - remained in the village where you were from, regardless of the fact that you might work in the city, meant that there was still an emphasis on male lineage and land ownership, but that this should now start to shift.
But she also stressed that the change is not always linear. As people gain economic advantage they have better access to sex-selective testing and have fewer children, which actually then puts greater emphasis on their gender.
In India in 1961, there were 976 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of seven. According to the latest census figures released in 2011, that figure had dropped to a dismal 914 and campaigners say the decline is largely due to the increased availability of antenatal sex screening, despite the fact that both the tests and sex-selective abortion have been outlawed since 1994. They say that in the past decade alone, 8 million female foetuses may have been aborted in the country.
But she argues that several factors in India are slowly having a trickle-down effect on attitudes to women including media representation of women functioning in the outside world, and legislative changes enforcing equal inheritance rules and requiring one-third of elected positions be reserved for women.
BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year. We create documentaries, features and interviews about their lives, giving more space for stories that put women at the centre.
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While South Korea may have rebalanced its population, this does not necessarily equate gender equality, Ms Okkyung argues.
"Even though Korea has a normal gender ratio balance, discrimination against women still continues," the 47-year-old says. "We need to pay more attention to the real situations that women face rather than just looking at the numbers."
Women in South Korea face one of the largest gender wage gaps amongst developed countries - at 36% in 2013. By comparison, New Zealand has a gap of some 5%.
"Nowadays women go to university at a higher rate than men in South Korea. However, the problem starts when women enter into the labour market," Ms Okkyung explains.
Women are still expected to manage both work and family in South Korea
"The glass ceiling is very solid and there is a low percentage of women at higher positions in offices."
One of the reasons it is harder for women to compete in the workplace is because they are expected to devote their time to both work and family.
"One example is that working mothers have a dilemma, as children in elementary schools come home early after lunch. Therefore, mothers who cannot see a sustainable future in the workplace tend to quit their jobs," says Ms Okkyung.
Dr Hyekung Lee was one of the few Korean women in her generation that did find workplace success.
"I have been very lucky that I was brought up in a very enlightened family. My family had three girls and two boys, and all were given the same support for education," says 68-year-old Dr Lee, who is the chairperson of the Korea Foundation for Women, the country's only non-profit organisation for women.
"But when I became a full-time faculty member in my university, I had to be the only woman professor in my department throughout my 30 years there."
Generally, attitudes towards women have improved as today's Korean men become more educated and exposed to global norms.
They also inevitably mix with women across all spheres of life, in workplaces, schools or social circles, something that perhaps was not so common decades ago.
Having children makes it hard for women to compete in the workplace, partly because of school hours for younger children
It is amongst the older generation that many still cling on to the preference for sons.
Emily [not her real name], 26, recalls that growing up as an only child, she was always treated equally by her grandparents - until her step-brothers were born.
"I only noticed the difference when my brothers came," she said. "Then I realised that they would never do stuff like the housework."
"My birthday is also one day before my father's so my grandparents didn't allow me to celebrate it because as they said: 'How dare a girl celebrate a birthday before her father?'"
How long will South Korea's women take to catch up?
"I think Korea is at that transitional phase that people are more aware now than previous generations, but it's still not quite equal compared to Western countries," she says.
"I've had friends tell me I can only keep my career if I stay single, and others tell me I've chased away men because I was too bossy on the dates and took the initiative."
She also notes that there is also a substantial difference in attitudes towards women in bigger cities and smaller towns.
"Cities like Busan are more traditional. I've had friends from Busan get a culture shock when they come to Seoul," she says. "In the capital, things are more progressive."
Yet she believes change will come.
"Women in Korea need to be aware that there is gender discrimination," says Emily, who is now studying in the Netherlands. "I didn't know until I left - I thought the way things were was just how they were."
"It's not until you expose yourself to other cultures that you start to question your own. I think things will change, but it will take a lot of time."
Additional reporting by the BBC's Geeta Pandey and Yuwen Wu. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38362474 |
Graham Taylor: Gems from former England manager's brilliant career - BBC Sport | 2017-01-13 | null | Did I not know that? We pick some gems from Graham Taylor's brilliant career, following the former England manager's death at 72. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Taylor managed England between 1990 and 1993, but arguably his finest work was done at Watford The future England international he signed for a few pairs of shorts, the warmth, the generosity of spirit, the community values, the achievements. Tributes have been paid to former England boss Graham Taylor, who died on Thursday following a suspected heart attack at the age of 72. He was a respected pundit, a highly successful manager and "one of the nicest and most genuine men in football". And as these 10 stories show, he also had the capacity to surprise...
• None 'I love you Graham, I'll miss you very much' Sir Elton John's tribute
• None An outstanding manager and one of the nicest men in the game' | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38601781 |
Britain's first beauty queen Ivy Close is back in the frame - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ivy Close, Britain's first beauty queen, had a spectacular rise and fall. Now she's back in the limelight. | Entertainment & Arts | Sir Arthur Hacker's portrait of Ivy Close was on the front page of the Daily Mirror in 1908
Ivy Close won Britain's first national beauty contest, was a trailblazing actress and the matriarch of one of Britain's most illustrious showbusiness dynasties. She faded into obscurity - but her great-grandson, who created Downton Abbey, has put her back in the spotlight.
When 17-year-old Ivy Close charmed the country in the first nationwide beauty competition, the press swooned over her "exquisite loveliness".
Part of her prize - along with a new Rover motorcar - was to have her portrait exhibited at the Royal Academy in London.
That picture, showing Close with rosy cheeks and wispy curls, also took up the entire front page of the Daily Mirror - which had run the contest - on 4 May 1908.
Ivy Close beat 15,000 other entrants to win the Daily Mirror's beauty contest
"She's effectively the first British beauty queen," says her great-grandson Gareth Neame, a Bafta-winning TV producer who came up with the concept for Downton and made The Hollow Crown and Hotel Babylon.
"And there was then a competition between the winner in Britain and the winner in the US, and she ended up winning that one. So I often say she was effectively the first ever Miss World."
The portrait, by Sir Arthur Hacker, has now been restored thanks to a donation from Mr Neame and is hanging in the refurbished Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, which reopened on Friday to coincide with Hull becoming UK City of Culture.
It is a return to the limelight for one of Britain's first modern celebrities, whose career took the firework trajectory that has been followed by many celebrities over the decades since.
Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, Close beat 15,000 other hopefuls to the beauty contest title, which was awarded by nine famous artists on the Daily Mirror's Beauty Adjudication Committee (yes, really).
She became an instant star and there was "an overwhelming rush for copies" of a special commemorative edition of the paper that featured Close in "a variety of charming poses".
The portrait now has a prominent spot in Hull's Ferens gallery
Just as she charmed the Beauty Adjudication Committee, Close also caught the eye of society photographer Elwin Neame, who had photographed the finalists.
Two years later, her picture filled the Daily Mirror front page again - this time in her wedding dress.
Inside, the paper reported how a large crowd had gathered outside the church where she had married Elwin Neame, and how she had been accompanied by a "best girl", as opposed to a best man.
In her film debut two years later, directed by her husband and filmed in their house, she played a model posing as figures from famous paintings.
She went on to star in a long list of films that decade and set up her own production company, which was not uncommon for a successful actress in the silent era.
Gareth Neame (right) with Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes and actress Elizabeth McGovern
"It's a well-trodden path, to have gone from being a model to an actress, and she went to America to be in the movies before Hollywood was even invented," Gareth Neame explains.
"She went to America in about 1917 and went to Jacksonville in Florida, which was one of the centres of film-making back then, and she was in a company of actors along with Oliver Hardy."
After that, Close's films included the 1923 French epic La Roue, of which Jean Cocteau said: "There is cinema before and after La Roue, as there is painting before and after Picasso."
Gareth Neame says: "I've got it on DVD so I'm able to watch my great-grandmother as a young woman as the lead in a silent movie. She was a reputable actress with some career."
But her life took a tragic turn the same year when Elwin Neame was killed in a motorcycle accident. "It must have been quite a tough life, having lost her husband so young," Gareth Neame says.
"My grandfather [Ronald] was at boarding school, but just one year in, at the age of 14, he had to be pulled out because there wasn't the money to pay the fees any more."
Gareth Neame is the son of Christopher Neame (left) and grandson of Ronald Neame (centre)
Meanwhile, with the arrival of talking movies, Close's acting roles were drying up. "Like the film The Artist, about the end of the silent film era, I think she was one of the people that fell foul of that.
"I'm not sure her accent quite fitted in with American audiences, and when talking pictures came in, that was really the end of her career."
She did pantomime and minor films, but had fallen off the radar by the end of the 1920s. If there was a Celebrity Big Brother in 1931, she would surely have done it.
Gareth Neame was a toddler when Close died in 1968. "I never knew the lady, but she was quite a big figure in the family by all accounts.
"Like a lot of people in showbusiness, as she got older she was probably slightly curmudgeonly and thought 'it's not the way that it used to be'.
"It must have been very interesting to have been this very beautiful young starlet and very famous, and then talking pictures come along and your career starts to fade."
Her career may have faded, but the family dynasty she and Elwin Neame launched is still going strong.
Ronald Neame went into the family business, and went on to direct The Poseidon Adventure and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (with an Oscar-winning turn by future Downton Abbey star Dame Maggie Smith) and co-write Brief Encounter.
Ronald's son Christopher Neame was a Bafta-nominated writer and producer, meaning Gareth is the fourth generation to have success in the TV and film industries.
His father and grandfather knew about the portrait of Ivy Close, but did not know where it had ended up after being shown at the Royal Academy.
An online art database, ArtUK, meant Gareth Neame could track it down easily. He got in touch with the Ferens curator, who told him it had not been exhibited for several years because it needed restoration - and pointed him in the direction of their Adopt A Painting scheme.
"It's very nice to be able to make a charitable gift for something that brings back a piece of art into public view, and because of my family association with it," he says.
But restoring the painting is not the only way he has kept her memory alive. "I put a little reference to her when we made Downton Abbey," he reveals.
"We had a scene where a couple of the servants went to the pictures and they were coming back from having seen a film that Ivy Close was in. It was a little in-joke for me."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38597069 |
Jeremy Bowen: A walk through Aleppo - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen shares his images - and thoughts - from a journey through ruins of Syria's Aleppo. | Middle East | The BBC's Jeremy Bowen walked through the streets of Aleppo from the Umayyad Mosque to city's 13th century Citadel. He said: "Before the war it was a favourite outing for Aleppo's people and their many visitors. On a cold day in winter, in the sixth year of the war, it was bleak and sad." These images were originally posted by Jeremy on Twitter @BowenBBC | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38624237 |
Diego Costa: Chelsea boss Antonio Conte unsure when striker will return - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he is unsure when Diego Costa will return from injury after he was left out of the squad that beat Leicester. | null | Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he is unsure when Diego Costa will return from injury after leaving him out for Saturday's 3-0 win at Leicester.
Costa had a dispute with a coach over his fitness and Conte said the 28-year-old Spain striker complained of a back problem on Tuesday.
There were also reports he is the subject of an offer to move to China.
"I don't know how long it will take, I don't have his pain," said Conte. "We'll see about this next week."
Costa has been integral to the Premier League leaders this season, having scored 14 goals and provided five assists.
BBC Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright said: "For Costa to come out at this stage when they need him so much feels very strange. He's scored 14 goals this season - you need someone like that in this team. It seems like it's derailed what's going on."
When asked if a move to China would surprise him, Wright said: "Absolutely not. Costa doesn't seem like the sort of person who cares what people think. Whatever happens - if it's his back it's very hard to detect - something has turned him."
Italian Conte, 47, was repeatedly questioned about the rumours surrounding the player after watching his side move seven points clear at the top of the table.
Asked whether Costa has a future at Stamford Bridge, he said: "I can't be concerned about this because today my players produced a great performance and showed spirit. I can't be concerned with nothing."
The former Juventus and Italy boss was then asked once more whether the Brazil-born forward would feature again for the Blues and responded with: "Why not?"
He added: "There are lot of 'if' questions - I don't like to answer these types of questions."
On reports of interest from China, Conte told BBC Sport: "I don't know and the club doesn't know anything about the reports of Costa to China. The truth is what I told you before."
Left-back Marcos Alonso, who scored twice against Leicester, said: "You guys [journalists] made up the story. Diego wasn't feeling well because of his back. He's very happy and will have a great season at Chelsea."
Analysis: 'If you get £60m, then let him go'
Why shouldn't Diego Costa go to China? There is no loyalty from clubs in football.
He's already defected from Brazil, his native country, to play for Spain and has no real affinity with England and the Premier League. I'm sure he likes London but he doesn't have any real affinity here.
Brazilians move around all the time; they will go wherever the money is.
• None Hear more from Mills on BBC Radio 5 live
Well done Conte. If you get £60m, then let him go.
He's at his peak, the team is built around him totally. He is a top, top player, but if he wants to go to China and be bored 18 hours a day, good luck to him. If he went - and I don't think he will - they don't win the league.
Conte is reasserting himself. Costa has football utopia at the moment - top of the league, top of the scoring charts, what is wrong in his life? He will come back quietly with an apology.
I don't think it will derail Chelsea. He is a quality player who they can't do without, People tell me he goes off on one like this, but he will see sense.
It is a very difficult dressing room at Chelsea and the manager has done very well this season. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38625228 |
Obituary: Lord Snowdon - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Talented photographer and campaigner for the disabled whose marriage to Princess Margaret captivated the media. | UK | Lord Snowdon was a talented film maker and photographer whose marriage to Princess Margaret fed the gossip columns for over a decade.
His career was punctuated by lurid tales of extra-marital affairs, alcohol and drugs, but throughout it all he maintained a close contact with the Royal Family.
His body of photographic work featured the cream of British society, although he was usually dismissive about his work.
He was most proud of the stunning aviary he helped design for London Zoo.
He was born Anthony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones on 7 March 1930, into a family of minor gentry.
His father, Ronald, was a barrister while his mother, society beauty Anne Messel, later became Countess of Rosse, following her divorce from his father.
In his teens, he contracted polio and had to lie flat on his back for a year. It left him with a permanent limp.
But visits by such luminaries as Noel Coward and Marlene Dietrich, arranged by his uncle, the theatre designer Oliver Messel, helped alleviate the boredom.
The start of what was to prove a stormy marriage
He was educated at Eton, where his passion for photography began. He went on to Jesus College, Cambridge, and was cox of the victorious eight in the 1950 Boat Race.
He never completed his course on architecture, and at 21 took up photography as a career, setting up a studio of his own in London.
It was his flair for taking less formal photographs that earned him the commission, in 1956, for the 21st birthday pictures of the Duke of Kent.
Later he was invited to Buckingham Palace to photograph the Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal Family, including Princess Margaret.
Unlike some photographers, he did not set out to create a rapport with his subjects.
"I don't want people to feel at ease," he once said. "You want a bit of an edge."
His engagement to Princess Margaret was announced in 1960.
At the time there had been no recent precedent for anyone so near to the throne marrying outside the ranks of royalty or the British peerage.
The wedding took place on 6 May 1960, and after a honeymoon tour of the Caribbean in the royal yacht Britannia, the young couple moved into Kensington Palace.
Early in 1961 Armstrong-Jones was raised to the peerage as Lord Snowdon, and he took his seat in the House of Lords a year later. A son, David, Viscount Linley, was born in 1961, and their daughter, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, three years later.
In 1963 the Queen made him Constable of Caernarvon Castle, and as such he took a leading part in the arrangements for the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969.
He was scathing about the ceremonial surrounding the event, claiming that most of the procedures used were "completely bogus".
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon went to Jamaica together in 1962, when the princess represented the Queen at the independence celebrations, and they made an official visit to the United States in 1964.
In the early years of their marriage, he and Princess Margaret were treated almost as Hollywood stars. The press relished incidents in which the Snowdons donned leather jackets and raced motorbikes along London's North Circular Road.
They consorted with celebrities of the day, and provided a marked contrast to the more conservative Queen and Prince Philip.
But the marriage quickly experienced the sort of difficulties that were destined to plague royal relationships over the following 20 years.
He had a flair for informal photography
Snowdon's womanising was part of the reason for the break-up. A natural charmer, he had a string of relationships throughout his life and seemed incapable of remaining faithful.
One close friend was quoted in a biography of the earl as saying: "If it moves, he'll have it."
Margaret's own predilection for late-night partying, and the desire of both of them to be the centre of attention, also fuelled the breakdown.
By then, Snowdon had embarked on a varied professional career - acting as adviser to the Council of Industrial Design, and working for various publications, including the Sunday Times.
The aviary he helped design for London Zoo opened in 1964. It was regarded as cutting-edge in its use of new materials, providing the maximum amount of space for birds to fly.
He helped to make several television documentaries. The first, Don't Count the Candles, from 1968, was about old age and won seven international awards.
In 1975 he directed two programmes in BBC television's Explorers series, and in 1981 he presented two programmes on photography, Snowdon on Camera, for which he was nominated for a Bafta Award.
The aviary at London zoo was regarded as a triumph of design
It was during a debate on the mobility of people with physical disabilities that he had made his maiden speech in the Lords in April 1974.
In March 1976, it was finally announced that he and Princess Margaret would live apart.
When Margaret had a relationship with Roddy Llewellyn, Snowdon was able to play the part, though not very convincingly, of the cuckolded husband, and the divorce became final in 1978.
Snowdon always refused to speak about the marriage but he regularly saw the children and continued to photograph the Royal Family.
In December 1978, he was married again, to Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, a researcher on a BBC television series on which he was working. They had a daughter, Frances, the following July.
In June 1980 Snowdon started an award scheme for disabled students. The money for it came from the reproduction fees he had received over 20 years from his royal photographs.
The following year the Snowdon Council was formed, of which he was president. It comprised 12 members co-ordinating a dozen different bodies concerned with helping disabled people.
Also in 1981 a compromise was reached in his long-running row with Lord Aberconway, president of the Royal Horticultural Society, who had said that disabled visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show were not encouraged.
His subjects were often the rich and famous
It was agreed that guide dogs would be admitted, and a special garden was created for those with disabilities.
While married to Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, Snowdon had a long affair with journalist Ann Hills, who took her own life in 1996.
Two years later, at the age of 68, he fathered a son, Jasper, with 33-year-old Melanie Cable-Alexander, a journalist on Country Life.
This proved the final straw for Lucy, and the couple divorced.
By then Snowdon had lost his seat in the Lords, following Labour's clear-out of hereditary peers. Instead, he took a life peerage as Baron Armstrong-Jones to enable him to remain in the House.
Despite an increasing disability as a result of his childhood polio, Lord Snowdon travelled widely, doing work for the theatre and fashion houses as well as portraits and travelogues.
A friend once said of him, "It's impossible to imagine a gentler, more cultured man."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11483331 |
VW papers shed light on emissions scandal - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | VW has been fined $4.3bn by US authorities and agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges, so just what do documents released this week reveal about the emissions rigging scandal? | Business | US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch said VW denied and then lied in a bid to cover up its actions
"Volkswagen obfuscated, they denied, and they ultimately lied."
These were the words of the US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, as she set out how the German carmaker would be punished for attempting to hoodwink the US authorities over the emissions produced by its diesel cars.
It has been a tough week for Volkswagen.
It has been fined $4.3bn, agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges - and six executives are facing charges. One of them, Oliver Schmidt, has spent the past few days in a Miami jail. Others may yet find themselves in the firing line.
But because of this, we now have a very clear idea not only of what Volkswagen was doing wrong, and how it went about it, but also the measures that were taken to conceal that wrongdoing.
As part of its plea bargain with the US authorities Volkswagen signed up to an agreed "Statement of Facts". It draws heavily on the results of an investigation by the law firm Jones Day, commissioned by VW itself.
The FBI makes further detailed allegations in its criminal complaint against Oliver Schmidt. These have not yet been tested or admitted.
According to these documents, the seeds of the scandal were sown in 2006, when VW were designing a new diesel engine for the US market.
Supervisors in the engine department realised they had a problem. They could not design an engine that would meet tough emissions standards due to enter into force in 2007, and at the same time give customers the performance that they wanted.
Their solution was to ask their engineers to design engine management software which would turn on emissions controls when the car was being tested, and turn them off when it was being driven on the road.
This 'defeat device' software was able to recognise the standard testing procedure. It was based on a program developed by VW's subsidiary Audi, which engineers had specifically stated should "absolutely not be used" in the US.
Not everyone was happy about this, it seems. Engineers "raised objections to the propriety of the defeat device" in late 2006.
In response, a manager decided that production should continue, still using the device. He also "instructed those in attendance, in sum and substance, not to get caught".
A similar row broke out the following year, and again, the decision was taken to press on regardless.
Subsequently, the use of the defeat device appears to have become routine.
The Statement of Facts describes how the software was refined and improved over time.
A spate of breakdowns was blamed on the cars remaining in 'test' mode while being driven on the road. Supervisors worked with engineers to solve the problem, and "encouraged the further concealment of the software".
The engineers were also told to destroy documents relating to the issue.
The deception came to a head when, in 2014, the California Air Resources Board approached the company to find out why tests had shown that its cars were emitting up to 40 times the permissible amount of nitrogen oxides when driven on the road.
VW supervisors "determined not to disclose to US regulators that the tested vehicle models operated with a defeat device". Instead they "decided to pursue a strategy of concealing the defeat device… while appearing to cooperate".
The FBI claims in its criminal complaint against Mr Schmidt - who was a head of compliance at VW's US division from 2012 to 2015 - that the deception eventually went to the very top of the company.
Citing "co-operative witnesses" and allegedly corroborating documentation, it claims that the company's executive management in Wolfsburg were briefed on the issue in July 2015. Rather than tell its staff to come clean about the defeat device, it says, "VW executive management authorized its continued concealment".
There is, however, no mention of this meeting in the statement agreed by Volkswagen.
Ultimately, Volkswagen's wrongdoing was confirmed to the authorities by a single employee acting "in direct contravention of instructions from supervisors at VW". But the deception did not end there.
The Statement of Facts explains how VW staff were warned by an in-house lawyer that the authorities were about to circulate a so-called "hold notice", obliging them to retain and preserve documents under their control.
Engineers were told to "check their documents", which several of those present "understood to mean that they should delete their documents".
The message was repeated at a number of subsequent meetings, one of them attended by 30-40 people and ultimately thousands of documents were deleted.
When the scandal at Volkswagen first came to light, the company's former US chief executive, Michael Horn blamed "a couple of software engineers". It is now clear that many more people were involved, at least some of them in positions of authority, and deliberate attempts were made to cover up wrongdoing.
It is not hard, then, to see why the US authorities have taken such a tough line with the company. But some questions remain unanswered.
We still don't know for certain, for example, whether people at board level knew what was going on.
It's also unclear why the same software that was fitted illegally to 600,000 US vehicles was also present on millions of others sold around the world, including eight million in Europe.
VW continues to maintain that the systems didn't actually break European law - though it is in the process of repairing those vehicles all the same. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38603723 |
HGV crash spills 12,000 litres of paint on M606 motorway - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Part of the motorway will need resurfacing after the paint spill across the carriageway. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
About 12,000 litres of paint have been spilt over a motorway following an HGV crash in Bradford.
The white paint pooled across the M606 southbound after 12 containers fell off the lorry on Friday night.
The motorway is shut from Staygate to the Euroway industrial estate while a clean-up operation gets under way.
West Yorkshire Police said it was trying to establish what caused the crash. Highways England said the road needed to be resurfaced.
The white paint has pooled across the carriageway after 12 containers fell off the lorry
The paint was said to be hazardous and motorists were advised to find alternative routes
Nigel Fawcett-Jones, from the force, said: "One of the challenges is that it's hazardous to the environment and they can't just flush it down the drain.
"So they are trying their best to find a method to get it off the carriageway and dispose of it in a safe and appropriate manner."
Motorists have been urged to avoid the area.
• None The strangest spillages on our roads
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-38621659 |
Newspaper headlines: Theresa May's Brexit battle plan - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May's Brexit plan "could see the UK quit the EU single market" claim many of the front pages. | The Papers | Theresa May's Brexit plan "could see the UK quit the EU single market", according to many of Sunday's front pages.
"May's big gamble on a clean Brexit," is the main headline in the Sunday Telegraph, which reports the content of the prime minister's much-anticipated speech this week is being "closely guarded" by Number 10.
But citing "numerous government sources", the paper says the prime minister is expected to indicate she is prepared to take Britain out of the single market and the customs union.
"She's gone for the full works," a source tells the Sunday Telegraph. "People will know that when she said 'Brexit means Brexit', she really meant it."
The Sunday Times believes Mrs May will try to reassure voters who backed the Remain side, by suggesting that she could strike a transitional deal on Brexit, avoiding "a cliff-edge" for British business.
The Sunday People highlights what it says will be an appeal to everyone to unite behind Mrs May's vision for leaving the EU.
"The victors in the EU referendum have a responsibility to act magnanimously," the paper quotes pre-released extracts from the speech as saying. "The losers have a responsibility to respect the result."
The NHS winter crisis features in some of Sunday's newspapers
The winter crisis in the NHS receives further coverage with the Observer reporting that "a large number of hospitals across the UK" have been cancelling some cancer operations since the start of this year.
The Mail on Sunday leads with the results of a Survation poll, which found that more than three-quarters of 12,000 people surveyed believed money from the foreign aid budget should be diverted to the NHS.
The Sunday Times leads with a suggestion that Donald Trump is planning to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin, within weeks of becoming US President.
It says he hopes to emulate Ronald Reagan's Cold-War deal-making with Mikhail Gorbachev.
On its front page, the Observer carries a claim by the former Foreign Office minister, Chris Bryant, who says he's "certain" Russia is targeting senior British politicians, to try to find out potentially compromising details about their private lives.
On the letters page of the Sunday Telegraph, 50 Conservative MPs urge the government to bring in tougher strike laws. They want walkouts on "critical public infrastructure", such as train and bus services, to be banned unless a judge decides the action is proportionate.
The Sun on Sunday reports that the rail company Southern is preparing to recruit 200 part-time drivers to keep trains running during strikes.
First it was "trousergate", in which Theresa May's "high-end" wardrobe choices caused a storm, now she is to grace the pages of the world's most influential fashion bible. This is according to the Mail on Sunday, which reveals that the prime minister has posed for the renowned photographer, Annie Leibovitz, in a fashion shoot for American Vogue.
The Sun on Sunday says the aim is to make the Theresa May appear "more personable" to British voters.
But the Mail on Sunday takes a different view and says it is part of a Downing Street strategy to cosy up to the new administration in the White House, after being "wrong-footed" by the presidential election result.
"Theresa knows she needs to raise her profile in the US," a source tells the paper. "The Vogue shoot will form a central part of Operation Trump." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38626281 |
Hull tidal barrier lowered in sped-up video - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A 45-minute video of the Hull tidal barrier going down, sped up to 45 seconds. | null | A 45-minute video of the barrier going down, sped up to 45 seconds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38617337 |
Manchester United v Liverpool: Jose Mourinho answers reporter's phone - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho answers a reporter's phone in the middle of his news conference previewing Sunday's match against Liverpool. | null | Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho answers a reporter's phone in the middle of his news conference previewing Sunday's match against Liverpool. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38609575 |
Women's March on Washington: The 'pussyhats' explained - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A group of LA knitters is helping prepare for a demonstration in Washington next week, triggered by language used in the US election campaign. | null | A group of LA knitters is helping prepare for a demonstration in Washington next week, triggered by language used in the US election campaign. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38625901 |
Lawro's Premier League predictions v UFC star Michael Bisping - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson takes on UFC star Michael Bisping in this weekend's Premier League fixtures. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson will be making a prediction for all 380 Premier League games this season against a variety of guests.
Lawro's opponent for this week's Premier League fixtures is UFC star Michael Bisping.
Englishman Bisping, who is also starring in new action film xXx: Return of Xander Cage, is a Manchester United fan - and unsurprisingly backs them to beat old foes Liverpool.
You can make your Premier League predictions now, compare them with those of Lawro and other fans, and try to take your team to the top of the leaderboard by playing the BBC Sport Predictor game.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
On FA Cup third-round weekend, Lawro got nine correct results, including three perfect scores from the 32 ties for a total of 180 points.
He was up against a trio of YouTubers - Manchester City fan Alex from Blue Moon Rising TV, Tottenham supporter Barnaby from Spurred On and Arsenal fan Reev.
Alex came out on top, with 14 correct predictions, including three perfect scores.
Those scores do not count towards Lawro's total for the season from Premier League fixtures or appear on the guest leaderboard.
All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless otherwise stated. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38555870 |
Ed Sheeran takes top two chart positions - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ed Sheeran makes chart history with his comeback singles, smashing streaming records in the process. | Entertainment & Arts | Sheeran is due to release his third album, ÷, on 6 March
Ed Sheeran's new singles Shape of You and Castle On The Hill have entered the UK singles chart at number one and number two respectively.
The Official Charts Company says it is the first time in history an artist has taken the top two chart positions with brand new songs.
The singer said he was "incredibly chuffed" by the success.
"Both tracks mean a huge amount to me so it really is amazing to see them go to the top of the chart together."
Sheeran's comeback follows a "gap year" where he removed himself from social media, making space to write his third album, ÷ (Divide).
Fans were clearly hungry for new material, as the star set several streaming records over the course of the week.
Shape Of You's bouncy, uptempo pop was the bigger hit, notching up 13.4 million streams - smashing the record Drake set last summer, when One Dance was streamed 8.9 million in a single week.
Castle On The Hill, built around a chiming, U2-style guitar riff, also beat Drake's tally, with 11.07 million streams.
On Spotify, Sheeran also broke a global streaming record held by One Direction, whose single Drag Me Down racked up 4.76m streams in one day in August 2015.
Shape Of You was streamed 6.13 million times when it was released last Friday, increasing to 7.24 million streams on Monday.
The remarkable performance of his singles ends Clean Bandit's nine-week run at number one.
Their single, Rockabye, drops to number four, while Rag 'N' Bone Man's Human is at three.
There are also new entries for Sean Paul and Dua Lipa's No Lie at 28 and Snakehips' Don't Leave, featuring Danish singer MØ, at 33.
In the album chart, Little Mix held on to the top spot for a fifth week with their album Glory Days.
It is now the most successful album by a girl band since the Spice Girls' Spice spent 15 weeks at number one in 1996.
Meanwhile, David Bowie's Blackstar made a reappearance in the top 40, exactly a year after his death, while his Legacy compilation jumped from 18 to number five.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
• None Ed Sheeran is back with two new songs
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38609564 |
Quiz of the week's news - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions. | Magazine | It's the weekly news quiz - have you been paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past seven days?
If you missed last week's 7 days quiz, try it here
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38599215 |
Conversations with a hacker: What Guccifer 2.0 told me - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Who is behind the persona that US spy chiefs say is at the heart of the Russian hacking allegations? | BBC Trending | US intelligence agencies dispute that Guccifer 2.0 is just one individual
Who or what is Guccifer 2.0? US intelligence agencies believe the mysterious hacker persona was central to efforts to interfere with last year's American election and responsible for distributing hacked documents that embarrassed the Democratic Party. But now Guccifer 2.0 has broken a two-month silence to deny any connection to Russia. In the run up to Donald Trump's victory, BBC Trending's Mike Wendling struck up an online dialogue with Guccifer 2.0 to try to probe the hacker's motives.
It turned out that talking to one of the world's most notorious hackers was easier than you might think. Just send him a tweet.
In the summer of 2016 the hacker, going by the name Guccifer 2.0, leaked a trove of documents from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to Wikileaks, which then made the material public.
The revelations were embarrassing for the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign, and resulted in the resignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz.
Although Guccifer 2.0 took his name from a Romanian hacker - the original Guccifer hacked emails belonging to American and Romanian officials, and is currently in prison - suspicion immediately fell on Russia.
Metadata attached to the leaked documents was in Russian not Romanian. Analysts determined that Guccifer 2.0 had used a Russian server. A host of security experts traced the leak to Russian intelligence.
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a journalist with Vice's Motherboard, chatted with the hacker in Romanian in the days after the DNC hack. The problem was, Guccifer didn't seem to speak the language very well.
"He did answer some questions in Romanian," but the answers were very basic, Franceschi-Bicchierai told BBC Trending.
"I showed those answers to people who did speak Romanian and they all agreed he wasn't a Romanian speaker," Franceschi-Bicchierai says. "We later put the conversation to linguists and not everyone agreed that he was a Russian speaker but he was definitely not a native Romanian speaker."
Listen to more on this story on BBC Trending radio on the BBC World Service.
During our exchanges in October - and until the present day - Guccifer 2.0 continued to deny having anything to do with Russia.
He also claimed to have more incriminating documents on Hillary Clinton - documents which he urged me to publish.
The information was sent to me via encrypted email. But despite the cloak-and-dagger presentation, the material was ultimately disappointing - a mishmash of old stories, publically available documents which were rather dull, and others which were obvious forgeries.
I asked him about his motivations. He said he believed that people have the right to know what's going on in the election process.
Trying to get friendly journalists to write sympathetic stories is a common tactic of Russia's online intelligence operations, says Lee Foster of FireEye, one of the big computer security firms which has been looking into the Guccifer 2.0 hacks.
"This is actually something that we've coined 'direct advocacy'," Foster says. "These false hactivists reach out to journalists but also other individuals, security blogs, and so on to get them to publicise the activity that they've been engaged in and sometimes even to spin particular narratives around those leaks as well."
Foster says he's highly confident that the Russian authorities are behind the Guccifer persona. For its part, Moscow denies being behind the leaks, and Julian Assange of Wikileaks says Russia wasn't the source of the leaked DNC emails.
After that, he stopped responding to my messages.
In the run-up to the US election in November, Guccifer warned that the Democrats would attempt to rig the vote. But after Donald Trump's victory, he went silent.
Last week US intelligence chiefs released a declassified version of a report which has been presented to President Obama and President-Elect Trump.
One of the report's key judgements read: "We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks."
It added: "Guccifer 2.0, who claimed to be an independent Romanian hacker, made multiple contradictory statements and false claims about his likely Russian identity throughout the election. Press reporting suggests more than one person claiming to be Guccifer 2.0 interacted with journalists."
So could there be several people involved in operating the Guccifer 2.0 persona? Lee Foster from FireEye believes so.
"It may be one person who actually looks after the twitter account or it may be part of a team," he told Trending. "But what we certainly can say based on the scale of the activity that we're seeing - that encompasses everything from this initial breach all the way through to the creation of these fake personas to push the information through to the trolling activity trying to push narratives around these leaks - this is not a one person effort. There's quite clearly a concerted and very well resourced and frankly sophisticated operation that is making all of this stuff come together."
Late on Thursday, Guccifer broke his two-month silence to respond to the US intelligence agencies report. "Here I am again, my friends!" he announced on his blog.
"I'd like to make it clear enough that these accusations are unfounded," the hacker wrote. "I have totally no relation to the Russian government. I'd like to tell you once again I was acting in accordance with my personal political views and beliefs."
Several observers noted that Guccifer's English had markedly improved.
Donald Trump has promised a full report on hacking within 90 days of taking office.
Lee Foster from FireEye says we shouldn't get too hung up on the Guccifer 2.0 brand.
"What doesn't really matter here is the personas themselves. What matters is to what extent does type of activity continue and potentially expand as well. We're already on the trolling side seeing a redirection towards European elections coming up, particularly France and Germany in 2017," he says.
After the report, and his blog re-emergence, I tried once more to contact Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter.
Next story: 'Why I dropped the case against the man who groped me'
Samya Gupta, a 21-year-old law student from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was napping on a seat near the back of a bus when she felt something on her breasts. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38610402 |
Osi Umenyiora's NFL prediction excuse - 'The Russians hacked my brain' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | BBC's NFL pundit Osi Umenyiora comes up with a novel excuse on why he got his NFL Wild Card Weekend predictions so wrong. | null | BBC's NFL pundit Osi Umenyiora comes up with a novel excuse on why he got his NFL Wild Card Weekend predictions so wrong. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/38623211 |
Swansea City 0-4 Arsenal - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Arsenal return to the top four with victory at Swansea, consigning Paul Clement to defeat in his first Premier League game in charge. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal returned to the top four with a handsome victory at Swansea City, consigning Paul Clement to a demoralising defeat in his first Premier League game in charge of the hosts.
Having initially been frustrated by their opponents, the Gunners led at half-time thanks to Olivier Giroud's powerful, close-range finish.
Alex Iwobi's strike looped in via a big deflection off Jack Cork to double their advantage, and Kyle Naughton scored a second Swansea own goal when he turned another Iwobi shot into his own net.
Alexis Sanchez completed the rout to lift Arsenal up to third in the table, while Hull's win over Bournemouth means Swansea return to the bottom of the table.
Despite some encouraging signs early in the game, this was a stark reminder to former Bayern Munich assistant manager Clement of the enormous task he faces to steer the Swans to safety.
By contrast, the ruthless nature of Arsenal's display - particularly in an extremely one-sided second half - will surely give Arsene Wenger renewed hope of mounting a serious title challenge.
• None Reaction from all of Saturday's Premier League matches
The Gunners' bid for a first title since 2004 had stuttered lately, largely due to an away record of one point from their past three Premier League matches on the road.
Although they started slowly against the high-pressing Swans, the visitors settled thanks to a goal from an increasingly reliable source.
Giroud started this game with 12 goals from his past 17 shots on target, and the France striker was clinical with his first effort on this occasion, seizing on Mesut Ozil's blocked header and firing the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.
Arsenal took control from that point and a period of concerted pressure early in the second half saw the floodgates open.
There was an element of luck about the second and third goals, but they were no more than the Gunners deserved for their dominance of possession and inventive use of it around the Swansea penalty area.
The irrepressible Sanchez finally got in on the act after 73 minutes, volleying in from close range to score his 21st goal in 32 Premier League appearances.
There was a certain symmetry to Clement's first league game in charge, coming as it did against an Arsenal side who had beaten Swansea 3-2 at the start of his predecessor Bob Bradley's short tenure.
One of Clement's priorities is to improve the Swans' defence - the most porous in the top flight - and the way his players shackled Arsenal early on with their high pressing was encouraging.
But after falling behind, the home side simply collapsed.
They were slack in their marking and slow to react to the Gunners' movement, summed up by the space in which Sanchez found himself in the Swansea box when he scored the fourth.
Swansea find themselves back at the bottom of the table and with a tough run of fixtures to come - Liverpool and Manchester City are two of their next three opponents.
The threat of relegation is as startling a reality as ever.
'They had problems containing us'
Swansea boss Paul Clement: "It is very disappointing. The first half we were in the game and looked solid defensively, even though we did not do enough offensively. We got caught on the counter for the first goal.
"We had a big claim for a penalty. Looking back on it, it is a penalty. In the second half, we started poorly and then it was an uphill struggle after the first own goal. Arsenal showed how much quality they have offensively."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "The first half was very intense physically, they gave a lot in the first half and then our pace took over. They had problems containing us.
"In the second half, you could see we could create chances. Our transition and accuracy of passing was very good. We were fortunate with the goals, but the chances were there."
Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy: "Arsenal have missed Mesut Ozil for a few games but he made a big difference against Swansea. Ozil was exceptional in crucial areas of the pitch.
"He makes the right decisions nine times out of 10. Ozil gives that extra quality and class in final third. Arsenal are a better team when he is in it. Alexis Sanchez and Ozil together make Arsenal an exceptional and dangerous team.
"Paul Clement will be on training pitch as long as he can. He is a workaholic. He will be quite savvy in the transfer market. He will improve Swansea but whether it will be enough, we'll have to wait and see."
Ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright on Swansea's penalty appeal: "Swans boss Paul Clement said he thought it was a penalty. I didn't think it was. Ki Sung-yueng was searching for the (Laurent Koscielny's) foot and I think he kicks the foot. Those have been given."
On Sanchez's reaction to being taken off: "He is disappointed. He doesn't want to be taken off. He's so integral to Arsenal. If Sanchez is not there, there is massive problem."
It does not get any easier for Swansea as they travel to Liverpool next Saturday (kick-off 12:30 GMT), while Arsenal host Burnley on Sunday, 22 January (kick-off 14:15).
Sanchez central to Arsenal - stats of the day
• None Arsenal have scored 27 goals away from home in the Premier League this season, at least five more than any other side.
• None The Gunners have scored four or more goals in four away Premier League games this season, their most in a single campaign since 2002-03.
• None Giroud has scored in each of his past nine starts, netting 11 goals in total.
• None Sanchez has been involved in more goals (21) than any other Premier League player this season (14 goals, seven assists).
• None Swansea became the first team to score two own goals in a Premier League match since QPR against Liverpool in October 2014.
• None The Swans have conceded four or more goals in three of their past five Premier League home games, having only let in four or more in three of their previous 62 league games at the Liberty Stadium.
• None Attempt missed. Borja Bastón (Swansea City) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Oliver McBurnie with a cross.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) because of an injury.
• None Attempt blocked. Wayne Routledge (Swansea City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Oliver McBurnie.
• None Attempt saved. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Aaron Ramsey.
• None Attempt blocked. Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• None Attempt saved. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Borja Bastón.
• None Offside, Swansea City. Oliver McBurnie tries a through ball, but Borja Bastón is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
• None Leroy Fer (Swansea City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38539469 |
Diego Costa: Chelsea striker is dropped after dispute over fitness with coach - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Diego Costa is left out of the Chelsea squad for Saturday's Premier League game against Leicester following a dispute over his fitness. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Striker Diego Costa has been left out of the Chelsea squad to face Leicester on Saturday after a dispute with a coach over his fitness.
The Spain international has not trained for three days and has not travelled for the Premier League leaders' match with the champions (17:30 GMT).
The news comes amid reports he is the subject of an offer to move to China that would be worth £30m a year.
Costa, 28, has scored 14 goals and provided five assists this season.
It is understood Blues owner Roman Abramovich is not interested in releasing him from his contract, which expires in 2019, and would not entertain the idea of being forced to do so.
• None Podcast: Is Costa about to derail Chelsea's season?
Speaking in early January, Costa admitted he wanted to leave Chelsea last summer, but said he was now happy to stay.
Chelsea had been hopeful of agreeing a contract extension with the Brazil-born forward, but the dispute with fitness coach Julio Tous raises new doubts.
Costa joined the Blues for £32m in 2014, and was understood to be close to a return to former club Atletico Madrid after a difficult 2015-16 campaign.
"Did I want to go? Yes, yes, I was about to leave," he said earlier this month. "But not because of Chelsea.
"There was one thing I wanted to change for family reasons but it wasn't to be, and I continue to be happy here."
Shortly afterwards, manager Antonio Conte said he believed the striker was now "completely focused" on "fighting for this club and for his shirt".
He added: "When Diego decided to stay, I wasn't concerned. He is showing great patience in the right way, in every moment of the game."
Midfielders Jon Mikel Obi and Oscar recently left Chelsea for Chinese clubs - Tianjin TEDA and Shanghai SIPG respectively - while ex-Manchester City and United striker Carlos Tevez joined Shanghai Shenhua from Boca Juniors in a deal reportedly worth £310,000 a week.
'Costa has no affinity with England' - analysis
Why shouldn't Diego Costa go to China? There is no loyalty from clubs in football.
He's already defected from Brazil, his native country, to play for Spain and has no real affinity with England and the Premier League. I'm sure he likes London but he doesn't have any real affinity here.
Brazilians move around all the time; they will go wherever the money is.
This is how the Premier League started, paying huge money for foreign stars and now China is trying wrestle the Premier League away from England.
In general, how many England players have gone abroad in the past? We like our creature comforts. Brazilians are quite happy to up and leave.
Diego Costa has got no loyalty or affinity with England and the Premier League and you can't blame him - everybody would do the same thing.
Everything has been smooth sailing for Chelsea up to now. Imagine the faces of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham. This is what they have been waiting for.
Another bid from the Chinese market seems to be rocking the boat of another top club. It's a huge problem.
When these situations arise, the players are probably thinking they'll go and do two years and then come back and play in the Premier League. Financially, they're not just supporting their immediate family, they are supporting their whole family… aunts, uncles and cousins.
I'd still give Chelsea a good chance of winning the title even if they lost him. With the lead they now have, I think they can cope if they replace him.
You don't want to keep players at your club who don't want to be there. Yes, Costa has been a huge part of Chelsea's success but he's not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Diego Costa is a problem for any defender. He is strong, quick and doesn't stop running. He sets the tone for all the other Chelsea players.
It's frightening the way the Chinese market is acting right now.
• None In Short - Costa 'wouldn't think twice about leaving for China' | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38617783 |
Dakar Rally: Sam Sunderland becomes first British rider to win famous race - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Sam Sunderland becomes the first British rider to win the Dakar Rally with victory in the motorbikes classification. | null | Last updated on .From the section Motorsport
Sam Sunderland became the first British competitor to win the Dakar Rally when he took victory in the motorbikes classification on Saturday.
The 27-year-old, from Dorset, came home 32 minutes ahead of nearest competitor Matthias Walkner of Austria after the final stage in Argentina.
The KTM rider, who is based in Dubai, took the lead after stage five of 12.
The 38th edition of the rally began in Asuncion, Paraguay and ran through Bolivia and Argentina.
In 2014, Sunderland became the first British rider to win a stage of Dakar since John Deacon in 1998.
This was his third attempt at winning the rally, having been forced to retire in 2012 and 2014 with mechanical problems. The 2016 winner, Toby Price of Australia, pulled out of this year's race during the fourth stage.
"When I crossed the line I felt all the emotion hit me. The weight on my shoulders of the race over the last week, leading the rally, has been really heavy," said Sunderland.
"It's been difficult, especially in some of the moments with navigation mistakes or when things get stressful, to stay calm. But we're here, we did it, and I couldn't be any happier.''
Sunderland secured victory after safely navigating the final special stage, a 40-mile race into the Argentine town of Rio Cuarto.
It is the 16th year in a row that KTM have won the motorbike title.
French driver Stephane Peterhansel held off the challenge of compatriot Sebastien Loeb to win his seventh cars title. He has also won the bikes title six times. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/38622085 |
Cromer Pier battered by North Sea coastal surge - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | Norfolk pier battered by North Sea during coastal surge | null | A Norfolk pier has been battered by waves as the North Sea surge hit the coast.
Cromer Pier felt the full force as choppy seas breached the sea wall, battering the structure.
Many parts of the eastern coastline were affected, but Friday night's surge was not as bad as expected after the wind changed direction. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-38622619 |
Faraday Future's cash flow woe - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Faraday Future, the car company hoping to out-do Tesla, responds to reports its finances are dire. | Technology | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Faraday Future, the company hoping to beat Tesla in the electric car game, had to halt building its factory in order to afford its glitzy CES press event, the firm told the BBC.
The company broke ground on its enormous plant in the Nevada desert in April last year - but work halted in October amid reports the company was in dire financial straits.
Speaking on the record for the first time about the firm’s money woes, Faraday Future’s senior vice president of research and design, Nick Sampson, acknowledged the company was facing "challenges".
"Clearly something like [CES] requires funding and some resources," Mr Sampson told me.
"We are resource-limited at times. [It's] just a matter of keeping the cash flow balance between the different projects we’re trying to do."
No date has been set for work on the site to recommence.
"Things like [CES] have to take priority at this point in time. We’ll be starting again [on the factory] very shortly," he said.
The company was spinning several financial plates, he argued.
"The challenge of building a new company is that it’s not just doing the engineering and R&D work, we’ve got manufacturing to keep aligned, we’ve also got the whole sales and marketing, branding and imaging.
"It’s a matter of keeping the whole programme aligned."
Faraday Future’s launch was arguably the most extravagant press event at this year’s CES, taking place in a huge venue away from the famous Las Vegas strip. It was attended by the mayor of North Las Vegas, John Lee.
The $1bn plant is being subsidised by around $320m of taxpayer’s money, a deal which has attracted intense criticism, though Mr Lee has insisted the public will not be left out of pocket should Faraday Future pull out of the project.
Faraday Future's contractor, AECOM, has stopped work on the factory but said it is still committed to the project
Little is known about the finances of Faraday Future, other than that its biggest backer is the founder and chief executive of China’s LeEco - a company also embroiled in legal difficulties owing to what suppliers claim are unpaid bills.
Another problem facing Faraday Future, as well as the stalled factory construction, is that several suppliers have begun taking legal action against the firm. Futuris, a company which specialises in luxury car interiors, is suing the firm for breach of contract, demanding immediate payment of more than $10m.
According to a recent report published by Buzzfeed, Faraday Future owes more than $300m.
"We’ve gone from nothing to where we are today in just over two years," he said.
"Matching the speed of development and building with the inflow of cash doesn’t always match.
"Many companies have had this - Apple and Steve Jobs didn’t always have it easy in its early days. That’s one of the hurdles that we have to get over."
That kind of comparison - to technology pioneers - is something Faraday Future does often.
An impression of how Faraday Future wants its factory to eventually look
During its CES presentation, it brought up a timeline of milestones including the invention of the lightbulb and the creation of the world wide web. Faraday Future placed itself at the end of this timeline.
"That to me was stepping too far," remarked Tim Stevens, editor at large of motoring news site Roadshow.
If the company does manage to put its first vehicle into production, Mr Stevens said he still had reason to be cautious.
"I’m expecting this car to be in the range of $150,000, maybe $200,000. Far more expensive even than a Tesla Model X.
"That’s a big ask - if they are talking a low-number, high-margin car, they’ve still got to have a production down pat, and the reliability down pat too. Those are things it's taken Tesla a long time to figure out."
Where Faraday Future doesn’t appear to be struggling is with the car itself. The FF91, shown off for the first time at CES, goes like a rocket - 0-60mph (97km/h) in an alleged 2.39 seconds. Faster, it said, than a Tesla Model S (though Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, disputes the claim).
A test drive also demonstrated the car’s ability to park itself completely autonomously. The company hopes drivers will one day be able to leave their car at the side of the road and ask it to drive off and park using a mobile app - like a robot valet.
The FF91 impressed car buffs - the company has promised it will be ready by 2018
However, the technology won’t be a part of daily life any time soon. It will be valet parking "approved by Faraday Future", a test driver told me - a process that will mean adoption across the world will likely be painstakingly slow.
But when it comes to hurdles to leap over, autonomous parking is well down the priority list.
Right now, Faraday Future is a company seemingly operating on a thread.
It is right to acknowledge that getting into the car industry as a brand new player is extremely difficult - which is why so few companies attempt it, and even fewer succeed.
Even behemoths like Apple and Google owner Alphabet have turned their focus more to providing software for established car makers, rather than begin manufacturing themselves.
At CES 2016, when Faraday Future launched a concept car so outlandish it instantly became known as the Batmobile, the company insisted it would defy its critics by 2017.
Has it done that? Partly - there is a car, and it’s rapid.
But building on that achievement and turning it into a mass-produced vehicle and a viable business? By next year?
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38621065 |
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 West Bromwich Albion - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Harry Kane hits a hat-trick as Tottenham beat West Brom in dominant fashion to move second in the Premier League. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Harry Kane struck a hat-trick as Tottenham moved second in the Premier League table with a display of total dominance against West Brom at White Hart Lane.
Spurs equalled their club record of six straight Premier League wins with ease as they set about dismantling their visitors, amassing 10 shots and 78% possession by half-time.
Kane smartly lifted Christian Eriksen's neat through ball in off the upright, before Eriksen's own effort went in via Gareth McAuley.
England striker Kane - who became a father this week - was a continued threat and he turned in Kyle Walker's low cross, before completing his treble with a low finish across Ben Foster.
There was one black mark for Spurs in the form of an injury to Jan Vertonghen, which boss Mauricio Pochettino said "looks bad".
But his side are now showing real momentum and they simply outclassed Tony Pulis' Baggies, who stay eighth.
Mauricio Pochettino's nine changes from the FA Cup win at Aston Villa returned Spurs to the line-up that beat league leaders Chelsea just under two weeks ago.
Understandable, then, that his side bristled with energy and confidence. Eriksen and Dele Alli bounced around in midfield; Kyle Walker and Danny Rose constantly stayed advanced from full-back.
The high positions Walker and Rose took up saw West Brom's wide men Nacer Chadli and Matt Phillips pinned back, ensuring the away side could not escape in the early exchanges.
It broke the Baggies, who should have been more than two down at the break with Kane only finding the net once from seven first-half shots. The England striker was brilliantly denied on three occasions by Foster - who made eight saves in all.
Even against a side set up to frustrate them, Pochettino's men never looked like they would be short of answers as they scored four goals for the third time in four league games.
There will be concern, however, over the injury to Vertonghen. He looked distraught after rolling his ankle in the second half and would appear a major doubt to face Manchester City next week.
"The week has been a whirlwind having a little daughter - to finish it off like this is the best way possible," said Kane afterwards.
The 23-year-old called Tottenham's collective display "outstanding", and his own efforts were just that.
But Kane's life is certainly made easier by the creative work on the flanks of Walker and Rose, and the guile and endless support running from Alli and Eriksen.
Eriksen's impact can tend to be slightly overlooked, given the the focus on England internationals Kane and Alli, but the Dane has now created 59 chances this season - 29 more than his next most prolific team-mate.
Kane was clearly in the mood to make use of this impressive support, and might easily have scored more than three - he ended the day with 11 shots.
But there is no doubting that his ability to make space in the box offers those around him a perfect target, and he now has 62 Premier League goals - reaching 60 faster than any Spurs player has done before.
Pulis admitted his side simply "weren't on it" at White Hart Lane and referenced the gap in class and points between seventh place in the Premier League and the top six.
The harsh truth is Kane alone bettered the entire West Brom team for touches in the opposition area.
"We need to improve and we are trying very, very hard behind the scenes to do that," said Pulis afterwards.
January signings seem inevitable then, not that there is need for panic with such a solid top-half position.
Pulis stressed that striker Saido Berahino - linked with Stoke - does not need to be sold in order for him to recruit. But expect the Baggies to make signings, with left-back perhaps one area of concern as once again Chris Brunt was forced to fill in at White Hart Lane.
Penalty-box Harry - The stats you need
• None Kane has now scored 94% of his Premier League goals for Tottenham inside the box (58 of 62).
• None The defeat for West Brom marks their joint-heaviest Premier League defeat under Tony Pulis (along with 4-0 v Manchester City in October 2016).
• None The Baggies conceded more than twice in a Premier League away game for the first time since 16 January last year - 364 days ago (3-0 v Southampton).
• None The past 10 Premier League goals scored by Tottenham players have been netted by Harry Kane or Dele Alli (five each).
• None No player has scored more Premier League hat-tricks for Tottenham than Harry Kane (three, level with Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe).
• None Only Kevin de Bruyne (nine) has provided more assists than Christian Eriksen in the Premier League this season.
'The biggest gap to seventh' - What the managers said
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: "It was a great performance. We are showing a good maturity. The team learned a lot from last season and we [have] very good momentum. If you want to fight and challenge for big things we need to follow performances like Chelsea with this one."
West Brom manager Tony Pulis: "We just weren't on it. Spurs were very good. You have to be on it against these teams. We were miles off it and it's disappointing. They have real quality. The top six in the Premier League this year, it could be the biggest gap ever to seventh, that's how far ahead of the rest of us they are."
Tottenham travel to Manchester City in a key game at the top of the table for the day's late kick-off on Saturday. West Brom host Sunderland at 15:00 GMT.
• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 4, West Bromwich Albion 0. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Dele Alli.
• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 3, West Bromwich Albion 0. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kyle Walker.
• None Attempt blocked. Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38539373 |
Seaside towns 'battered' by tidal surge - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | People along England's east coast have been bracing themselves for a storm surge. | null | People along England's east coast have been bracing themselves for a storm surge and the possibility of severe flooding.
The Environment Agency has issued 17 warnings of danger to life. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38616790 |
How Antarctic bases went from wooden huts to sci-fi chic - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | For decades Antarctica hosted only the simplest huts as human shelters - but architecture in the coldest, driest, windiest continent is getting snazzier. | Magazine | How do you build in the most isolated place on Earth? For decades Antarctica - the only continent with no indigenous population - hosted only the simplest huts as human shelters. But, as Matthew Teller finds out, architecture in the coldest, driest, windiest reaches of our planet is getting snazzier.
It's an eye-popping, futuristic design - a dark, sleek building, low and long, that is destined to be a temporary waterfront home for up to 65 people at a time.
The price tag is a hefty $100m (£80m). And while a Chinese company is building it, it's not in China, and almost no-one will ever see it.
After the original burned down in 2012, the Brazilian navy launched an architectural competition for a replacement design - won by a local firm - and then awarded the building tender to a Chinese defence and engineering contractor, CEIEC. It's due to be completed in 2018.
The upper block will contain cabins, dining and living space; the lower block will house laboratories and operational areas
Located on a small island just off the coast of Antarctica, it lies almost 1,000km (600 miles) south of the tip of South America. No scheduled air routes come close and it's way off any shipping lanes.
And even if you could reach it yourself, like all Antarctic research stations Comandante Ferraz will be closed to the public. Virtually nobody other than the crews posted there will ever see it in the flesh. So why, you may ask, spend so much on architectural style? Wouldn't a dull but functional building do just as well?
Brazil is not alone in paying for eye-catching design, though.
In 2013, India unveiled its Bharati station, with a similar modernist design.
Designed by bof arkitekten, Bharati overlooks the sea and is used to study polar marine life
It was made from 134 prefabricated shipping containers, for ease of transport and construction, but you would never guess it from the outside.
And the following year, South Korea opened its Jang Bogo station - a grand, triple-winged module lifted on steel-reinforced blocks, capable of supporting a crew of 60.
Jang Bogo's aerodynamic triple-arm design is said to provide resistance to the elements
What is the explanation for this architectural flamboyance?
"Antarctic stations have become the equivalent of embassies on the ice," says Prof Anne-Marie Brady, editor-in-chief of the Polar Journal and author of China as a Polar Great Power.
"They are showcases for a nation's interests in Antarctica - status symbols."
Those interests could be purely scientific. But a moratorium on mineral prospecting becomes easier to review in just over 40 years' time, and every Antarctic player also wants to be ready to take advantage, should anything change.
Planting a dramatic building on the ice has become the modern equivalent of explorers of old planting a flag.
It wasn't always like this.
In March 1903, the 33 men of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition landed on the outlying South Orkney Islands and built a dry-stone shack.
Expedition leader William Bruce grandly named it Omond House, after the Edinburgh meteorologist, Robert Traill Omond. It was Antarctica's first permanent building, and is maintained today by the Argentine government as part of its Orcadas base.
For years afterwards, throughout the heroic age of polar exploration headed by Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton and Mawson, nothing much fancier than wooden huts went up on the white continent.
US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Shackleton's hut in November
Then came a - relative - building boom, spurred by the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58, a global project for co-operation in science. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which resulted from the IGY, suspended all territorial claims, but that led many countries to set about consolidating their presence in other ways, such as construction.
The treaty's clause giving countries conducting "substantial research activity" in Antarctica a vote in meetings to determine the continent's future was another incentive to maintain a physical presence.
The US's sprawling McMurdo research station dates from this period. Powered from 1962 to 1972 by a nuclear reactor, it is the biggest settlement on the continent, housing a summer population of about 1,200.
The McMurdo station has a harbour, landing strips on sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad
The McMurdo coffee house serves hot drinks to workers and is attached to a small cinema - the chapel of the snows, a non-denominational Christian church, is nearby
For years, though, what with the huge technical and logistical difficulties in building anything in Antarctica, architectural glamour stayed off the list of priorities.
The UK's Halley station was just "a few wooden huts inside giant steel tubes" when meteorologist Peter Gibbs arrived in 1980. It lay buried beneath 15m (50ft) of snow.
"It was like living in a submarine, clambering up and down ladders to get in and out," Gibbs remembers.
Built in 1973, Halley III was abandoned in 1983 because of access and ventilation problems
Antarctica as a whole has so little precipitation it is classified as a desert, but snow does fall near the coasts, and in the interior low temperatures mean fallen snow accumulates faster than it can melt. Polar winds blow this snow around the continent, so that any object standing proud of the flat surface quickly gains a downwind "tail" of blown snow. Snow accumulation can swamp and crush buildings with ease.
The first Halley station, built in 1956, was abandoned 12 years later, when it too had become "like a submarine", as Gibbs puts it.
The version he worked in, Halley III, was built in 1973 and lasted only 10 years. Until Halley VI arrived in 2013, all were defeated by snow accumulation, and by the moving ice shelf on which they stood. At Halley's location the ice slides around 1.5m (5ft) a day towards the sea, but to maintain accuracy the station's scientific measurements have to be made at the same place year by year.
Designed by Hugh Broughton Architects and Aecom, Halley VI's red module contains the communal areas
Halley VI, however, is Antarctica's first relocatable research station. Its eight connected pods - like giant, colourful train carriages, which can be isolated to limit the spread of fire - sit on hydraulic legs mounted on huge, 8m-long skis. This means that the pods can be detached from each other, dragged by bulldozers to a new location, and the whole station reassembled.
That design is being put to good use, as Halley is currently being moved to avoid a chasm that is opening up in the ice nearby.
And Halley VI is both glamorous and comfortable.
Unlike earlier Halley stations, each bedroom now has a window to the outside
Its bijou bedrooms feel like a classy budget hotel. Interiors are fitted in vivid reds, blues and greens to compensate for the lack of colour outside. Halley's pool table and sofas sit beneath the only double-height internal space in Antarctica, stylishly lit - outside the months of winter darkness, anyway - by tall, semi-opaque windows. Beside the drinks bar climbs a spiral staircase, clad in aromatic Lebanese cedar veneer, chosen to stimulate an often-overlooked sense in the almost completely smell-free Antarctic environment.
"All the newest bases look good as well as do the science - it's a reflection of the priorities of our era," says Anne-Marie Brady.
South Africa was one of the first countries to solve the problem of snow accumulation with its SANAE IV base, which opened in 1997. It was designed with stilt-like legs, which let snow blow under the building.
Germany applied the same concept to its Neumayer III base, which opened in 2009, with an extra refinement. Sixteen hydraulic pillars allow the entire two-storey structure to be raised every year by around a metre. The foot of each pillar is then lifted and replaced on a new firm base of packed snow.
Neumayer III always stands 6m above the ice - up to 50 people live there during the summer and nine in the winter
Like the UK's Halley base, Concordia, an Italian and French research facility is used by the European Space Agency to study the physical and psychological effects of isolation - the nearest people are stationed 600 km (370 miles) away
Another element of Antarctic architecture that has become critical is energy efficiency. Most stations run on polar diesel, which is expensive, polluting and difficult to transport. Belgium's Princess Elisabeth station, an aerodynamic pod raised on steel legs, is the first with zero emissions.
Since its inauguration in 2009 it has run entirely on solar and wind energy, and - even here - has no heating. The station's layered design means interior temperatures are maintained from waste heat generated by electrical systems and human activity, and dense wall insulation reduces heat loss to almost zero.
The Princess Elisabeth station has nine wind turbines
Photovoltaic solar panels also provide electricity, while thermal solar panels melt snow and heat water for bathrooms and kitchens
If the Princess Elisabeth station looks like something out of a Bond movie, China's latest Antarctic station Taishan - its fourth - has been likened to a flying saucer. It was rush-built in 45 days in 2013-14, and is intended to last only a few years.
A model of the Taishan research centre - China's fourth in Antarctica
"China will probably start building a fifth station this year," says Anne-Marie Brady.
Like all the rest, few people will ever see it.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38574003 |
US troops welcomed by Poland - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A deployment of 3,000 US soldiers is welcomed by Poland's prime minister and local residents. | null | A deployment of 3,000 US soldiers has been welcomed by Poland's prime minister and local residents.
The move was a response to concerns over a more aggressive Russia, but Moscow said the troops would destabilise Europe. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38624809 |
Mastermind: Wales rugby legend Adam Jones appears on BBC quiz show - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Watch Wales rugby legend Adam Jones take his place in the famous black chair as he appears on the classic BBC quiz show, Mastermind. | null | Watch Wales rugby legend Adam Jones take his place in the famous black chair as he appears on the classic BBC quiz show, Mastermind. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38625711 |
Nick Blackwell: Trainer Liam Wilkins has licence withdrawn after sparring session - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Trainer Liam Wilkins has his licence withdrawn after overseeing a sparring session that left Nick Blackwell in hospital. | null | Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Trainer Liam Wilkins has had his licence withdrawn after overseeing the sparring session that left retired boxer Nick Blackwell in hospital.
Hasan Karkardi has been suspended for six months for sparring with Blackwell, who was left requiring surgery to reduce swelling on his brain.
The British Boxing Board of Control said Wilkins' conduct was "detrimental to the interests of boxing".
Blackwell, 26, retired after suffering a bleed on the skull in March.
He spent a week in an induced coma after losing his British middleweight title fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
Despite Blackwell not having a licence to fight, and despite him being advised not to return to the ring, he sparred with Karkardi, 29, on 22 November at a boxing club in Devizes, Wiltshire.
On Wednesday, a family member told BBC Sport Blackwell is still unable to walk, and a year away from making a full recovery. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/38617033 |
US boot brand recalls shoe that leaves swastika imprints - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A Reddit post went viral after showing a shoe imprint that leaves behind the Nazi symbol. | US & Canada | A California shoe company has recalled a boot after a customer discovered the sole left tiny swastika prints behind.
The boot went viral after a Reddit user posted a picture showing the shoe's tread and its swastika imprints.
Conal International Trading Co, the City of Industry company that manufactures the boot, has since issued a public apology and pulled the shoe.
The company said it was "no way intentional" and an "obvious mistake" made by manufacturers in China.
"We will not be selling any of our boots with the misprint to anyone," the company said in a statement.
"We would never create a design to promote hate. We don't promote hate at our company."
The Reddit user's post has been viewed more than two million times, sending social media into a flurry.
"There was an angle I didn't get to see when ordering my new work boots," the Reddit user wrote.
"The soles don't look that much like swastikas, but the prints are unmistakable," a Reddit user wrote. "And whoever made the soles would have understood that."
Amazon, where the Polar Fox military combat boots were sold before the company pulled the listing, was inundated with reviews cracking Nazi jokes, calling the boot "heily recommended" and rating the pair a "nein out of 10".
Another Amazon user quipped: "Good for marching into Poland, but not so good for much else".
The listing was removed from Amazon on Thursday.
The boots also gained the attention of the popular neo-Nazi website, Daily Stormer, where they were called a "must have", the Washington Post reported.
German weekly magazine Stern also pointed out the boot's name, Polar Fox, shares a name with a World War Two military operation.
Polarfuchs, or Polar Fox, was an operation in which German and Finnish soldiers captured Salla, Finland from the Soviet Union. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38614276 |
'Why I dropped the case against the man who groped me' - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | One woman's story of why confronting India's 'Eve teasers' is not always straightforward. | BBC Trending | Samya Gupta, a 21-year-old law student from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was napping on a seat near the back of a bus when she felt something on her breasts.
It was the hands of a man sitting in the row behind her.
"The moment I realised (what was happening), I stood up from my seat, yelled and asked for his ID proof," Gupta wrote in a widely-shared Facebook post.
She went on to detail how she not only confronted her alleged molester, but got the bus to take a detour so he could be taken into police custody.
Gupta ended her account with a series of hashtags including #TooHorrifiedToLetItGo. But the social media users who have expressed admiration for Gupta's stand, may be disappointed by what has happened since.
In her post Gupta wrote that when she challenged the man, who she says was in his 40s, he apologised. There were around 30 other passengers on the bus and they reportedly vocalised their support for Gupta. But they also advised her to not pursue the matter, she said.
"My co-passengers asked me to accept it, and let it go," Gupta wrote, "But I decided otherwise. I decided to not let it go. I decided to not let an audacious eve-teaser to go free merely by apologising."
In her post she said that she chose to speak up because she didn't want the alleged aggressor to feel confident enough in the future to escalate his behaviour to a more violent assault - "to convert into a rapist".
"Eve teasing" is a common term used in some South Asian countries to refer to a wide variety of behaviour including molestation. According to Sameera Khan, the co-author of 'Why Loiter? Women & Risk on Mumbai Streets' it includes "flashing or any verbal/physical sexual street harassment that falls short of rape."
"It's an archaic term," says Khan, "The 'Eve' part comes from the Old Testament and describing harassment as 'teasing' makes it sound almost like a mild romantic overture that should be tolerated - which of course it should not."
Gupta told BBC Trending that she persuaded the bus driver to divert the bus to the nearest local police station. The passengers, who had surrounded the man who had allegedly been groping Gupta, then escorted them both into the building. There Gupta filed a harassment complaint against the man whose name has not emerged in the media and was not named in Gupta's post.
"The process of filing a complaint was lengthy and laborious," Gupta added.
She says that she was informed she would have to provide her statement in Hindi, a language she says she doesn't know to write well.
"This made me wonder what happens to illiterate women in India who muster up the courage to go to the police," she told Trending, "I'm a law student and even I found the process tedious and challenging."
Gupta wrote in her Facebook post that her problems didn't end when she left the police station. She claimed that when she took another bus several acquaintances of the alleged harasser approached her and told her to drop her complaint. She added that they questioned her character, accusing her of "goofing around with various guys every now and then, therefore my allegations have no sense of veracity".
A court date was set for a hearing for the harassment charge. But before it arrived Gupta withdrew her charge.
Speaking to Trending, she cited a couple of reasons for dropping the case.
One, she said, was due to "complacency with paperwork" which she claimed resulted in her mobile number becoming available to man's family. As a result, Gupta told Trending, she received calls pressuring her to drop the case because the accused man was a father of two.
Similarly, she said, her own family also advised her to drop the case.
"They felt Eve teasing wasn't serious enough an incident to merit going through with a court trial," Gupta told Trending.
She added: "I am a student and I don't earn my own money. I come a family with no background with the law. Going to the police station was a big deal for them. I dropped the charge because it seemed like too much pressure on my family."
Local police have defended the handling of the case. Inspector Shiv Mangal Singh told BBC Trending that officers had followed protocol.
"Then the girl, Samya Gupta and her father, came to the police station and told us to drop the case. In terms of the accuser's family getting her phone number, that didn't happen at our end, it may be an administration issue with the lawyers. Similarly, they were people available to translate and write the document in Hindi for her."
Inspector Singh said that even after the case had been dropped, the man still spent several more days in custody, because the statute under which he was arrested requires suspects to remain in custody for 14 days without the prospect of bail.
He added: "We take Eve-teasing seriously and have set up a Whatsapp number where women can send complaints about Eve-teasing."
Eve-teasing, is not specifically classified as an offence specific in Indian law. However sections of the Indian Penal code are said to cover offences comprising sexually intimidating behaviour. This includes Section 354 which is defined as "assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty" and Section 509 which allows for up to three years imprisonment for on "word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman."
A shocking, graphic video showing torture and racial abuse led far-right activists to link the perpetrators to the Black Lives Matter movement. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38584835 |
Russia and the art of 'kompromat' - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Russia denies collecting scandalous material on the US president-elect - but what is 'kompromat'? | Europe | Mr Trump scorned as "fake news" claims that Russia holds compromising material about his private life
Every Russian knows what "kompromat" means. Now, thanks to a graphic section of the unverified intelligence dossier on Donald Trump, the rest of the world does, too.
Since the allegations were made public, the US president-elect has denied claims that he cavorted in Russia with prostitutes - and Russian officials have denied claims that they filmed it.
This week, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin told me that "the Kremlin does not collect kompromat".
But someone in Russia clearly does. And the sensational results periodically surface, either via the compliant state media or via the internet.
Last spring was a case in point.
A state-controlled TV channel, NTV, ran footage of former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov in bed with his personal assistant, Natalia Pelevina. Not only was the material cringe-worthily intimate, it also revealed the couple bad-mouthing other members of Russia's notoriously divided opposition.
The tape helped divide them even further.
"It was shot inside a private apartment by the [Russian security service] FSB, there is no doubt about it," Ms Pelevina told the BBC, referring to what happened as an "obvious smear campaign".
Grainy video footage showed Mr Kasyanov with his personal assistant in a bedroom
There is no evidence that America's president-elect was ever caught in a similar way. But Ms Pelevina argues that her own experience suggests that such an idea is not implausible.
"I would not rule out that the Russian FSB has something against Donald Trump. Because they collect those materials not just against enemies; they collect against so-called friends. Just in case it will come in handy one day," she said.
Some argue that the FSB had no reason to ensnare Mr Trump before his presidential ambitions were public.
"What would have been the point?" Frederick Forsyth, a spy author who worked for MI6 for 20 years, asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday.
"I don't think there's any indication that the man who was host of the game show Apprentice and builder of hotels was ever going to be anything important in the political world," he said.
But a former Russian intelligence agent dismissed that logic.
"Donald Trump was never just anyone. He was always a well-known businessman, not just a tourist," the former operative, who asked not to be named, pointed out.
"You call it 'kompromat', but it's just information. Everyone does it. You British gathered it on [Mikhail] Gorbachev, we gathered it on [Margaret] Thatcher. So theoretically, yes, it's possible," he said.
If Russian agents did gather such information, he said, then it would be no surprise that it got out.
"You can't be surprised by anything anymore, after Edward Snowden and after Wikileaks," the ex-agent said.
That is one reason why many Russians are unfazed by the allegations. Another is that they have seen it all before.
The most notorious victim of kompromat was Yury Skuratov. The then-prosecutor general was investigating claims of corruption in the Kremlin in the late 1990s when Russian TV aired a video entitled Three in a Bed.
The grainy footage, which ended his career, showed a man resembling Mr Skuratov in bed with two women. The tape's authenticity was confirmed publicly by none other than Mr Putin, then head of the FSB.
Prosecutor General Skuratov was sacked in 2000 after a video appeared to show him with prostitutes
Then there was Mumu. In 2010, the part-time model befriended opposition activists and journalists and lured them back to her flat. Their sexual activities and drug-taking were all captured on hidden cameras. The films were then posted on the internet.
And the technique has been turned on foreign targets, too.
The British deputy consul-general in Yekaterinburg was forced to step down in 2009 after footage allegedly showing his own sexual encounter with two prostitutes was made public.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment at the time, only stating that it expected "high levels of personal and professional integrity" from its staff.
The list goes on and the FSB is always cited as the prime suspect.
The big difference with the claims of kompromat against Mr Trump is, of course, that his alleged video tape has not been made public. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38613979 |
Australian Open: Andy Murray spurred on by world number one status - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Britain's Andy Murray says he needs to continue to improve if he is to remain world number one. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live commentary every day on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra plus TV highlights on BBC Two from 21 January; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website. Play begins at 00:00 GMT
Britain's Andy Murray says he needs to continue to improve if he is to remain world number one.
The 29-year-old Wimbledon champion replaced Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings at the end of 2016.
Murray returns to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open in Melbourne next week, where he has been runner-up on five occasions.
"The reality is, in sport, that things obviously keep moving on, the game will get better," the Scot said.
"I'll obviously get older, the young guys will continue to improve, and also Novak, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafa Nadal and all the guys at the top are still going to be wanting to get there.
"I need to continue to improve. I for sure need to keep working hard.''
Murray's first-round match against unseeded Ukrainain Illya Marchenko is scheduled third on Monday on Rod Laver Arena, following Simona Halep v Shelby Rogers and Kateryna Kozlova v Venus Williams.
Murray's successful 2016 - in which he also became Wimbledon champion for the second time and defended his Olympic title - ended with him being awarded a knighthood in the Queen's New Year Honours list.
But he says he has not been treated any differently by his fellow competitors.
"It kind of happened for me right at the end of the year, so I haven't been on the Tour much as the number one player," said Murray.
"So I haven't noticed it yet. I don't know if that will come over time, if I'm able to stay there or not."
Murray was also asked about Michael Downey's resignation as chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association after only three years in the role.
He said it was "disappointing" and another example of short-term thinking at the top of British tennis.
"I think for a system that - maybe everyone would say - has not really worked for quite a long time, for change to happen you need someone, or a team, in there that's going to be in it for the long haul and not just a few years," he added.
'I'm clearly the underdog,' says Federer
Despite winning 17 Grand Slam titles, including four in Australia, Roger Federer said he was "clearly an underdog" in Melbourne.
"Yeah, why not for a change? I mean, I prefer to be the favourite. Underdog is OK," said Federer, who could meet Murray in the quarter-finals should they both progress.
The 35-year-old, who is returning from a six-month knee injury lay-off, is seeded 17th and will play veteran Austrian Jurgen Melzer, 35, who came through qualifying.
Federer v Melzer is the final match of day one on Rod Laver Arena.
Second seed Djokovic starts the defence of his Australian Open title against former world number seven Fernando Verdasco of Spain, but will do so without the guidance of former coach Boris Becker, with whom he split late last year.
Djokovic, 29, would not be drawn on comments made by the German, in which he said the Serb had dropped his intensity in training which had contributed to a loss of form.
"We've had amazing success. It's all I can say. I don't want to go back and comment on anything," said Djokovic, who is looking for record seventh Australian Open crown.
"I kept a very friendly relationship with Boris. We just went separate ways." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38621679 |
European Champions Cup: Racing 92 34-3 Leicester - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Leicester's hopes of reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals end with an error-strewn loss at Racing 92. | null | Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Leicester's hopes of reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals ended with an error-strewn loss at Racing 92.
Racing, the 2016 runners-up, had been winless in this year's campaign but led through tries from Xavier Chauveau, Marc Andreu and Gerbrandt Grobler.
A penalty try and Andreu's second after the break, along with nine points from the boot of Dan Carter, consigned the Tigers to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Leicester's European season will conclude against Glasgow on Saturday.
The Scottish club could still progress from Pool 1 should they win at Welford Road, with Munster already assured of their place in the last eight.
Aaron Mauger has now lost both of his games in charge of Tigers since becoming interim director of rugby following Richard Cockerill's sacking.
And there were few positives to take from a careless performance against a team that are struggling in the bottom half of the French league.
Chauveau set Racing on their way with a finish after the hosts' pack had pinned Leicester on their own line and Andreu ran in under the posts when he picked up Matt Smith's stray pass.
Freddie Burns' penalty gave Tigers their only points of the match but the visitors' night was summed up when Mathew Tait fumbled Carter's missed penalty and knocked on behind his own posts - handing Racing a penalty scrum that allowed Grobler to sneak over.
Tigers continued to wither under the power of the Parisian club's pack and Will Evans conceded a penalty try when he tackled a driving maul - the flanker was sin-binned for his contribution.
With Racing losing Antonie Claassen to a yellow card, Dan Cole thought he had scored for Leicester, but the television match official was unable to determine if the ball had been touched down.
And the Premiership side's misery was compounded late on when Andreu finished a slick move in the corner.
Leicester director of rugby Aaron Mauger: "It was frustrating and disappointing. We just didn't front up.
"Everything we talked about in the week in terms of preparation we just didn't do.
"We talked about winning the collisions and getting quick ball but I thought Racing were very good in that area. We weren't very good there and in defence we let them open up channels.
"With guys like Dan Carter in the team, they're too good."
Replacements: Afatia for Ben Arous (62), Chat for Lacombe (56), Tameifuna for Ducalcon (62), Williams for Van Der Merwe (54), Missoup for Fa'aso'o (71).
Replacements: Roberts for Smith (62), Kitto for Burns (72), Harrison for B. Youngs (72), Bateman for Genge (77), Cilliers for Cole (66), Fitzgerald for Slater (41), Hamilton for Evans (55).
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38577186 |
Nottingham Forest sack manager Philippe Montanier - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Championship side Nottingham Forest, who had a takeover fall though, sack manager Philippe Montanier. | null | Struggling Championship side Nottingham Forest have sacked manager Philippe Montanier after less than seven months in charge.
The 52-year-old leaves after the proposed sale of the club from Fawaz Al Hasawi to a United States-based consortium collapsed on Friday.
Forest are three points above the relegation zone in 20th after Saturday's goalless draw at Birmingham.
The Reds have taken just two points from a possible 21 since 11 December.
Frenchman Montanier, who took over at the City Ground in June, having left his job as boss of Rennes in January 2016, is the seventh permanent manager to depart the City Ground since the Al Hasawi family's takeover in July 2012.
His exit comes three months after Forest's director of football Pedro Pereira left his role at the club - a post the Portuguese held for four months.
Montanier's position had been under scrutiny for a number of weeks with the prospective takeover of the two-time former European Cup holders seemingly nearing a conclusion and expected to prompt changes.
The collapse of the takeover and the Reds' first point away from home for six weeks, ending a five-game losing run in all competitions, was not enough to save his job.
The goalless draw at St Andrew's was just the second clean sheet in 30 matches in all competitions this season, as the Reds have the worst defensive record of any Championship club apart from bottom side Rotherham.
However, only five teams, including the league's top two sides, have scored more goals in 25 league games this term.
Montanier, who previously managed Real Sociedad, Boulogne and Valenciennes, was unable to strengthen his squad in January with the Championship club only coming out of their transfer embargo on Friday, following a delay in submitting audited accounts.
Captain Henri Lansbury has also been absent from the side recently through injury and while there is uncertainly about his future, with Derby County, Aston Villa and Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic having all been linked with a move for the midfielder.
Following Saturday's draw at Birmingham, in what was his last news conference as boss, Montanier remained focused on trying to build the squad, while admitting he was also under pressure.
"The role of the head coach or manager is always in danger. It is part of my job," he said.
"I have told the owners that the most important thing is the team and the club, not my position. I am not selfish, I am always focused on the team.
"We now have to plan quickly to strengthen the squad. Decisions have to be taken now, instead of two or three days before the deadline.
"It is difficult because we do not have any money but I need to know exactly what I can plan and decide. I have targets but I do not know my budget. I need to have a meeting with the chairman for some advice on what we can do together."
Gary Brazil, Forest's academy manager, has been put in temporary charge while the East Midlands club looks for a new boss.
Forest are fourth from bottom, he hasn't been great, there have been too many defeats and too many goals against - it hasn't been a good season.
This team today against Birmingham got a decent point, but would you bank on it saving Forest? You probably wouldn't and it is a squad that isn't particularly united.
It has been a mish-mash of a season so far.
Next week it's at home to Bristol City, who have lost again today and are on a real downward curve at the moment. It is a real winnable game, but likewise they will be thinking 'we need a result and where better to go is Forest who can't win a game?' It is a huge game for both clubs - next week is vital. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38585962 |
Aston Martin DB4 GT production to resume at Newport Pagnell - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | Production of the iconic model is to begin again after a decade-long gap. | null | Production of the Aston Martin DB4 GT is to resume at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, after a decade-long gap.
BBC reporter Mike Cartwright went along to see the plant. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38618338 |
Is it OK to watch porn in public? - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How would you feel if the person sitting next to you on the bus was watching porn - and what would you do about it? | Magazine | It's no secret that lots of people watch pornography on the internet. It's usually something done behind closed doors - but how would you feel about someone watching porn in public? The BBC's Siobhann Tighe describes a troubling experience on a London bus.
It had been a long day at work. I got on the bus at 7.30 in the evening and it was cold and drizzly. All the passengers were wrapped up in thick coats, hoods and hats.
Inside, the bus was softly lit and I was expecting to zone out on my way back home: just let the day go and switch off.
I sat on the lower deck beside a complete stranger and didn't give it a second thought. I was just relieved to get a seat. As we meandered through the London traffic, my gaze was drawn to my neighbour's phone. I wasn't being nosy but in the dim light of the bus, the brightness of his mobile caught my attention even though he was slanting it slightly away from me.
Although I didn't mean to or want to, I found myself looking over towards his mobile a few times and then it suddenly occurred to me what was going on. The man beside me was watching porn.
Once I realised, although I genuinely didn't mean to, my eyes kept on being pulled back to it. I couldn't quite believe it. First he was watching animated porn, with the two naked characters in lurid colours repeating their movements over and over again. Then he started watching a film, which seemed to begin in a petrol station with a large woman in a low-cut yellow top and blonde hair peering into the driver's window.
I didn't hear any sound, apart from a brief few seconds when my fellow passenger pulled the headphone jack out of his mobile, and then reinserted it.
The man didn't seem to notice my glances towards his phone, maybe because his hood was hampering his peripheral vision. He seemed oblivious to me and others around him, who admittedly wouldn't have been able to see what I saw.
We eventually arrived at his bus stop and because he had the window seat and I had the aisle, he made a motion that he needed to get out, and he muttered a "thank you" as he squeezed past me. I watched him get off and walk down the street.
I felt uncomfortable and annoyed, but I didn't do anything about it. I didn't say anything to him and neither did he pick up on any of my glances or quizzical looks. His eyes didn't meet mine so I couldn't even communicate my feelings non-verbally and it didn't occur to me to tell the driver. Even if I wanted to, it would have been difficult to get to the front of the bus because it was packed.
But when I got off, questions flooded into my mind about what I had just experienced. What if a child saw that? Are there any laws about looking at porn in public spaces? If there are laws, how easy are they to enforce? Why did this passenger feel public transport was an appropriate place to watch porn, and should I be worried from a safety point of view?
As a journalist, I also looked at it from his point of view, even though he made me feel uncomfortable. I asked myself: is he within his rights to look at porn on his private device wherever he is? Do civil liberties in our society grant him that freedom?
But in my heart, I was offended.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From disgust to it's ok, Woman's Hour took to the streets to find out what you think of it.
When I mentioned it to friends, everyone seemed to have a story of their own, or an opinion.
"It happened to me when I was with my son having a coffee at a Swiss airport," one said. "Two Italian guys were sitting next to me. I said something because I felt safe and I sensed there'd be support if an argument ensued." It worked, and they politely switched the laptop off.
It certainly got everyone talking, but like me, no-one was sure where the law stood.
According to Prof Clare McGlynn from Durham University who specialises in the law around porn, there's little to stop someone viewing pornographic material in public - on public transport, in a library, in a park or a cafe, for example.
"It's like reading a book," she says. "They are viewing lawful material which is freely available, and restricting people's access to it presents other challenges."
In Prof McGlynn's view, the law would only prevent it if the porn viewer is harassing someone or causing a disturbance.
So, what do you do? Prof McGlynn describes it as a dilemma.
"It's like someone shouting at you, calling to you to 'Cheer up, love!'" says Prof McGlynn. "Do you confront it, or do you put your head down and walk along?"
But when I contacted Transport for London, they appeared to take the case very seriously.
"If someone has made you feel uncomfortable, for example by viewing pornographic material, please tell the police or a member of our staff," I was told.
A member of staff said passengers should report incidents like to this to the bus driver, who would tell the control centre, and the information would then be passed to the police for them to investigate.
In Prof McGlynn's view, there is not much the police could do. On the other hand, James Turner QC contacted the BBC to say that there is a law - the Indecent Displays (Control) Act - which might form the basis for a prosecution.
Five years ago, in the US, the executive director of a group called Morality in the Media had an experience similar to mine on an aeroplane. As a result, the group - now called the National Center On Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) - campaigned to get the major US airlines to stop passengers watching porn.
"All of them except for one agreed to improve their policies to prohibit passengers from viewing this material during flights and agreed to better train their flight attendants on what to do," Haley Halverson of NCOSE told me.
Buses don't have flight attendants, though. Nor do trains. And even if police wanted to investigate incidents of porn-watching on public transport, passengers can get off whenever they like.
How would officers catch them and question them then?
Siobhann Tighe and Prof Clare McGlynn spoke to Jenni Murray on Woman's Hour, on BBC Radio 4. Listen to the discussion here.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38611265 |
Other colour-casting controversies - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | Sky has pulled a TV programme about Michael Jackson - it's not the first casting controversy. | null | Sky has said it will not air a TV programme about Michael Jackson after his daughter said she was "incredibly offended" by the portrayal of him, slated to be by Joseph Fiennes.
It's not the first casting controversy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38618631 |
Trudeau reaffirms support for immigration and Canadian Muslims - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | Speaking about the difference between US and Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly reaffirms his support for feminism, immigration and Muslim nationals. | null | Speaking about the differences between US and Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has emphatically reaffirmed his support for feminism, immigration and Muslim nationals. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38616652 |
Stolen baby found 18 years on - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A girl stolen as a newborn from a hospital in Florida has been found alive, 18 years on. | null | A girl stolen as a newborn from a hospital in Florida has been found alive, 18 years on.
The woman who raised Kamiyah Mobley has been charged with kidnapping. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38622076 |
Police bodycam captures hammer attack - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A man has been sentenced to life in prison for a hammer attack on police in Crawley, captured on bodycam. | null | A man has been sentenced to life in prison for a hammer attack on two police officers in Crawley, captured on bodycam.
Two tasers failed to contain Jamshid Piruz, 34, who was hiding in a bin area. One of the officers received minor injuries to his neck. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38621999 |
Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Marcos Alonso scores twice as Chelsea beat Leicester to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Marcos Alonso scored twice as Chelsea beat Leicester to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, despite Diego Costa's absence.
The Blues were without their top scorer after a training ground dispute over his fitness, amid reports he has been offered a lucrative move to China.
That saga did not affect them at the King Power Stadium, however, with Eden Hazard setting up Alonso to fire home after only six minutes.
The Spanish wing-back added his second early in the second half when his shot from the edge of the area was deflected in.
Pedro made sure of the points with a deft header from Willian's cross.
Leicester, lining up in a new-look 3-5-2 formation, struggled to find a way back into the game.
Ahmed Musa had tested Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois before his side fell behind, but the defending champions did not manage another shot on target.
Chelsea show they can win without Costa
Before kick-off, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had played down any row involving Costa, claiming he was not in his squad because of a back injury.
Whatever the truth behind Costa's absence, the Blues showed again that they can win without the Spain striker, who has scored 14 goals and provided five assists for them this season.
Chelsea initially had to work harder for the points than they did when Costa was suspended in their 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on 26 December - the only other league game he has missed in 2016-17.
Again they used Hazard to lead the line rather than turn to £33m summer signing Michy Batshuayi, who was left on the bench and still awaits his first league start.
Alonso, rather than Hazard, will get the headlines on this occasion, but Chelsea's dominant performance was further evidence it will be hard to dislodge them from top spot.
This was Chelsea's 12th clean sheet in 21 games and, even without Costa's belligerent presence up front, they remain difficult to break down and dangerous when they come forward.
Conte's side had seen their 13-game winning streak ended by Tottenham in their previous Premier League game, but that remains their only defeat since the end of September.
Spurs' emphatic win over West Brom earlier on Saturday had reduced the Blues' lead to four points, but if Chelsea are feeling any pressure in the title race they did not show it here.
Their form is becoming ominous for the chasing pack, and Liverpool - their nearest rivals before the weekend - can ill afford to lose any more ground when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri, named Fifa's coach of the year this week, attempted to match Chelsea's formation by playing with wing-backs of his own - but his experiment did not pay off.
Albrighton and Ben Chilwell failed to make the same impact as their opposite numbers, Alonso and Victor Moses, and the Foxes struggled to create chances.
England striker Jamie Vardy was back from suspension to lead their attack, but he made little impression apart from playing one dangerous cross and did not manage a single shot.
Leicester are still six points above the relegation zone despite this defeat but, with Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amarty away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Ranieri must find a better blend with the players still at his disposal.
Chelsea host struggling Hull on Sunday, 22 January (16:30 GMT kick-off). Leicester travel to Southampton for a 12:00 kick-off on the same day, hoping for their first away win of a disappointing domestic season.
Chelsea make another fast start - the stats you need
• None Chelsea have scored five goals in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League matches so far this season - a division high.
• None The Blues have already picked up more points this season (52) than they managed in the whole of 2015-16 (50).
• None The Foxes' two defeats in their past three home league games is as many as they lost in their previous 30.
• None This was Leicester's heaviest Premier League home defeat since September 2015 (2-5 v Arsenal).
• None Pedro has been directly involved in more Premier League goals this season than the whole of last season (10 - five goals, five assists).
• None Attempt missed. Christian Fuchs (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Daniel Drinkwater.
• None Attempt saved. Christian Fuchs (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Ben Chilwell with a headed pass.
• None Attempt missed. Demarai Gray (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
• None Attempt missed. Ben Chilwell (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Daniel Drinkwater.
• None Demarai Gray (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38539716 |
Rare Trump whisky sold for £6,000 at auction - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A rare bottle of whisky signed by US president elect Donald Trump sells for £6,000 at an auction in Glasgow. | Scotland | A rare bottle of whisky signed by US president elect Donald Trump has sold for £6,000 at auction in Glasgow.
The 26-year-old GlenDronach single malt whisky was bottled in 2012 to mark the opening of Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.
A Canadian bidder paid more than twice the estimated price to secure the bottle at the auction of rare whiskies.
A bottle of 52-year-old Macallan 1950 fetched £10,000, while a bottle of the Black Bowmore went for £5,200.
Laurie Black, whisky expert at McTear's auctioneers, said: "There was a huge amount of interest in the bottle and we were delighted with the final price, which was several times more than previous Trump bottles have sold for.
"The GlenDronach is a stunning whisky in its own right, however, the Trump connection gave this particular bottle a presidential boost."
• None Trump whisky going under the hammer | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38616674 |
Newspaper headlines: PM calls for seven-day GPs and stolen baby found - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May's demand for GP surgeries to open seven days a week features on Saturday's front pages. | The Papers | Theresa May's plan to make GPs in England open their surgeries seven days a week features on several of Saturday's front pages.
The Daily Mail says the "personal intervention" by the prime minister comes as "thousands" of surgeries close early on weekday afternoons, "while others take a three-hour lunch break".
According to the Daily Telegraph, access to a major package of government funding will be "contingent" on GPs being able to demonstrate they are offering appointments when patients want them.
The Times warns that many GPs "are likely to be incensed" by the plan, after years of claiming there are too few of them to cope with an ageing population.
The Conservative chair of the Commons Health Select Committee has said the Tories "risk losing the trust of voters" on the NHS in an interview with the newspaper.
Dr Sarah Wollaston, who was a GP before entering parliament, says the system is "underfunded", and warns that "relentless" pressures on staff are contributing to what she describes as a "human crisis".
She denies that GPs are lazy, claiming she has never encountered one who plays golf during the day, and instead argues that the key to dealing with problems in the NHS is to increase funding for social care.
The Guardian reports that Michel Barnier is "backing away from his hardline approach" to Brexit
The lead story in the Guardian details how the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said he wants a "special" relationship with the City of London to continue to give EU countries easy access to the financial centre after Britain leaves.
The paper says it has seen unpublished minutes that hint at "unease" about the costs of Brexit on the rest of the EU, and give the "first signs" that Mr Barnier is "backing away from his hardline approach".
The European Commission has insisted the minutes "do not correctly reflect" what was said, but a source has described them to the Guardian as "more or less accurate".
Tristram Hunt's decision to quit as the Labour MP for Stoke Central is widely seen as bad news for Jeremy Corbyn in Saturday's newspapers.
The Daily Express claims Labour will need a "miracle" to retain the seat in a by-election.
For the Times, the resignation underlines Labour's "poor leadership and dearth of talent", while the Sun believes life is "too short" to spend a decade in "impotent opposition".
Only the Daily Mail is critical of Mr Hunt, arguing that his new job as director of the Victoria and Albert Museum means he joins "multitudes of like-thinking left-wing luvvies" running "almost every public body in the country".
Lord Snowdon features on several front pages following his death aged 86
Photographs of Lord Snowdon are printed on several front pages, including the Daily Express which claims the Queen has been "left saddened" by the death of her former brother-in-law at the age of 86.
The Daily Telegraph notes that he was seen as "one of the country's foremost photographers, but became known for his many affairs", a fact which prompts The Sun to describe him as "the romping rock'n'roll royal rebel".
The Daily Mirror highlights some of his "iconic" images, including photographs of David Bowie and Sir Richard Branson, and praises his portraits of the royal family for capturing "a more human side". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38618639 |
Sydney International: Dan Evans loses singles final and Jamie Murray beaten in doubles - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Dan Evans loses his first ATP Tour final as fellow Briton Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares are beaten in the doubles in Sydney. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Dan Evans lost in his first ATP Tour final, while fellow Briton Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares were beaten in the doubles in Sydney.
Evans, 26, led 4-2 in the first-set tie-break but eventually lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.
However, he is already guaranteed to climb to a new career-high ranking just outside the top 50.
Murray and Brazilian Soares were beaten 6-3 7-5 by Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.
World number 34 Muller was the highest-ranked player on the tour to have never won a singles title, and the 33-year-old was visibly emotional after beating Evans and ending his 16-year wait for a trophy.
"It just means so much to win for the first time in front of my boys and my wife," he said. "It's been a great ride so far. What a night."
Elsewhere, American world number 23 Jack Sock won the Auckland Classic with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory over Portugal's Joao Sousa.
Sock's success comes after he was forced to retire because of illness in last year's final against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens beat Romanian third seed Monica Niculescu to win the Hobart International for her first WTA title.
The 21-year-old, ranked 127 in the world, lost nine of her first 10 points before taking control to beat world number 40 Niculescu 6-3 6-1.
The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open in Melbourne, begins on Monday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38621421 |
10 things we didn't know last week - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Holding your baby on your left side may help you bond, and more news nuggets. | Magazine | 1. Holding your baby on your left side might help you bond.
2. You can't block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook.
3. In 2022, you'll be able to look to the sky and watch two stars colliding 1,800 years ago.
4. For some years before he died, David Bowie had been working on a musical about aliens, mariachi bands and an imaginary collection of unreleased Bob Dylan songs.
5. White rhinos return to the same communal spot to poo - allowing them to pick up information about each other from the dung.
6. All electric trains in the Netherlands are powered entirely by wind energy.
7. About 70,000 retired Britons use Spain's health system, while only 81 Spanish pensioners are registered as covered by the NHS.
8. A Trump-branded apartment block in New Jersey was marketed to Chinese investors with the theme from The Sopranos.
9. Fund managers from poor backgrounds deliver better investment returns than those born rich.
10. Local anaesthetic has no effect on some people - and no-one knows why.
Seen a thing? Tell the Magazine on Twitter using the hashtag #thingididntknowlastweek
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38594859 |
The NHS is making people sick, GP tells BBC - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | Doctors tell of their "guilt" and "distress" over the care they can provide amid pressures on the NHS. | null | Doctors have told BBC Newsnight that the NHS "is making people sick".
It comes after the prime minister said she wanted to help reduce pressures on hospitals by extending GP surgeries' hours. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38622003 |
Yip Pin Xiu: Singapore's all-conquering Paralympian - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Three gold medals, two world records and one Lego figurine makes Yip Pin Xiu a woman to watch in 2017. | Asia | Three gold medals, two world records and one Lego figurine under her belt. But what's next for Singapore Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu? The BBC's Heather Chen profiles the young athlete, as part of a series on the Asian women likely to make the news in 2017.
Swimmer Joseph Schooling may have delivered Singapore its first-ever Olympic gold medal but Yip Pin Xiu remains the country's most decorated athlete. With her 2016 and 2008 wins in Rio and Beijing, Yip now has more gold medals to her name than any other Singaporean Olympian or Paralympian.
But setting her sights on too much and not having enough time is often a problem for the busy 24-year-old, who's just returned from Europe, where she spent Christmas with her boyfriend and family.
School has started and Yip is back home. The swimmer is currently studying for her degree in political science at the Singapore Management University, which recently set up a sports scholarship in her name.
It's evident that Yip's heart is still in the pool. She says she is "in a hurry" to graduate so she can resume full-time training and even though she is training up to five times a week, Yip wants to dedicate more hours to it.
"Training isn't as intensive for me now as it normally is in the lead-up to major games," she said.
But balancing commitments is no easy feat, let alone for a three-time Paralympic champion.
"Juggling school and training takes up a lot of my time. And the only travelling I'll be doing for the rest of the year will be for competitions, not holidays," she says.
But it's not impossible for her. "Since young, I've learnt to manage my time. It's difficult but I can do it."
The youngest of three children, Yip was born with muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that slowly breaks down the muscles.
When she turned 11, she lost her ability to walk and had to rely on a wheelchair. By age 12, she ventured into the world of competitive swimming.
Yip also suffers from a nerve condition that affects her eyesight. But she remains infectiously optimistic about her life.
"Things are so good and I'm really happy," she said with a smile.
On that, she recalled her biggest highlight of 2016: winning at the Rio Paralympics.
"My teammates and I were overwhelmed. The recognition we received was a lot higher compared to what we ever had," she said.
"I will always remember how good it felt to return home to Singapore, to see all the support for Paralympians."
Yip is known in the sporting world for her signature back stroke swim
Rio may have been just the beginning for Yip Pin Xiu but there is still more to come. All eyes will be on her during her next major swim at the ASEAN Para Games scheduled to take place in September.
"My biggest competitor is myself and I want to be even better than that," Yip said.
She is also gearing for Tokyo 2020, which she says will be "a very exciting and vibrant event".
But does she have her sights set on a fourth gold? She had this to say:
"Committing myself to the next Paralympics can be scary and after three medals, I don't know what else could be better.
But there's a high possibility that I will go on for more years of training and competition. If I see a potential, I'll keep going."
'Paralympians need the same kind of support like any other athlete'
With those milestones some time away, can Yip count on the celebratory spirit and support of 2016?
"I wouldn't say that support for Paralympic athletes is dying down. Attention has diminished but that's only natural," she enthused.
"A lot of people still step forward to lend their support and offer their help and assistance."
Yip and her fellow Paralympian Theresa Goh were immortalised as Lego figurines
Yip has found tremendous support in her fellow Paralympian Theresa Goh, who herself has racked up world records and medals.
Beyond the headlines, both girls enjoy an endearing friendship often documented on their social media accounts. In 2016, toy maker Lego cemented the duo's star status with their very own figurines.
"We know we have a bond and we don't have to verbally remind each other of our support," she said.
"I can tell Theresa anything. It's nice having someone to talk to, who wouldn't judge you for anything and just listen."
Over the years, Yip has made various contributions to public debate in Singapore about the treatment and recognition of its disabled athletes.
"I want the world to know that being a disabled athlete is not that different from being an able-bodied one," she said.
"We put in the same number of hours and we need support like any other athlete. I would like people to look beyond the disability and see the individual instead."
She regularly takes time out from her busy schedule to lend her support to events that raise awareness of disabled sport.
"I want our community to go beyond their limits and not believe the negativity."
And water presents her with more challenges she wants to conquer in the coming year. Could scuba diving be on the cards for the world champion?
Will Singapore's champion swimmer soon take up a new water sport?
"I love swimming but strangely, I've never dived before. Diving is interesting and I wouldn't mind learning as I love nature and being in the water so it would be quite an experience."
But she has some concerns because in the water, Yip does not have the ability to kick her legs and so channels her strength into her arms.
"Divers propel themselves in the water using flippers so I don't know how I'd do it," she admitted.
"There are special programmes in Singapore that offer disabled people a chance to dive so I know it isn't impossible, I just need to find the time."
The coming year could see her shattering even more barriers. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38504257 |
Masters 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan wants to win with the style of Lionel Messi - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Reigning Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan says entertaining fans is more important than titles and he wants to be the Lionel Messi of snooker. | null | Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Reigning Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan says entertaining fans is more important than titles and he wants to be the Lionel Messi of snooker.
World number 13 O'Sullivan begins his quest for a record-breaking seventh Masters crown against China's Liang Wenbo in the first round on Sunday.
But the 41-year-old told BBC Sport: "I want to try to win playing an exciting, aggressive and attacking game.
"It is OK to win, but I want to win with style."
O'Sullivan said he wanted fans to be able to say he doesn't just win, but he "delivers entertainment as well".
"I think I have done that over the over the last five or six years," he added.
"I have put on some magnificent performances - performances I am very proud of.
"Sometimes people say you can't play like that and win. Well, Michael van Gerwen has proved you can, Lionel Messi proves you can, Tiger Woods does, Roger Federer does. I want to try to be one of them."
Victory for O'Sullivan at Alexandra Palace would move the 28-time ranking event winner clear of Stephen Hendry and see him retain the title he won by thrashing Barry Hawkins 10-1 in 2016.
"I still want to win tournaments - but for me it is about people coming to watch, people switching on their televisions wanting to see good entertainment," he said.
"It would be great to get another Masters, not because it's the seventh, but because it's the Masters. I don't think 'I've got to break the record', I just want to win another Masters.
"I want to win another Worlds and another Welsh and China Open. I just want to win more tournaments."
'I might not play again'
Although he dominated a one-sided final against Hawkins last season, O'Sullivan said a back injury meant he struggled and feared for his career.
"I slipped a disc and I couldn't get in the right position for my shots," he said. "Fortunately I overcame that a couple of weeks after the Masters and it is not a problem now.
"But it was really hard mentally. I was struggling because I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play properly again because of my back.
"Winning the tournament is the main goal and that was a great box ticked, but my performance wasn't great. I have played a lot better and lost tournaments. I think I got a bit lucky in some ways."
This time around he is far happier with his fitness - and his form - after a difficult start to the season.
"The first two months of the season were difficult because I didn't really practise going into the season," the Essex man said. "I didn't really play for three months.
"I lost matches early on and it wasn't losing the matches that bothered me, it was how I was playing. I was struggling and getting to the last 16 was a good result."
O'Sullivan reached finals at the European Open final in Romania as well as the Champion of Champions event in Coventry, before losing a high-quality UK Championship final to world number one Mark Selby.
"From mid-November to mid-December I had a really good month where I was happy with my form and I was enjoying it," he said.
The invitation tournament is one of snooker's triple crown events and features the world's top 16 players competing for a top prize of £200,000.
"Sometimes it's the easiest one to win because you are playing against the best players," said O'Sullivan.
"You know what they will do and what they will bring to the table; you know their what their best game is like, what their worst game is like and what their middle game is like. You know everything about their games.
"The tougher matches are sometimes guys that you don't know; you don't know their strengths and weaknesses.
"With the Masters you know what you are getting involved in."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/38608159 |
Can Paris summit save fading two-state solution? - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A major Middle East summit in Paris aims to rescue the two-state solution, but risks setting it further back, says Yolande Knell. | Middle East | The fate of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues between the two sides
For many, the holy city of Jerusalem is meant to be a shared capital for Israel and the Palestinians - two peoples in two nations, living peacefully, side-by-side.
At least that is the dream of the so-called "two-state solution" to end a decades-old conflict.
The idea has been set out in UN resolutions going back to the mid-'70s, driving diplomatic efforts that culminated in the breakthrough 1993 Oslo Accords.
But after many rounds of failed peace talks, it looks increasingly in jeopardy.
A summit taking place in Paris on Sunday is expected to try to signal to Israel and the next US president that establishing a Palestinian state is the only path to peace.
Palestinians say Israel must freeze settlement activity before talks can resume
France will host more than 70 countries and world powers for the conference, but there will be no Israelis or Palestinians present.
Well-informed sources confirm reports of a draft statement asking both sides "to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution".
It will also affirm that the international community "will not recognise" changes to Israel's pre-1967 lines unless they are agreed with the Palestinians.
It will make clear "a negotiated solution" is "the only way to achieve enduring peace".
The Palestinians welcome the French initiative but it is rejected by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It's a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices to adopt additional anti-Israeli stances," he said this week. "This pushes peace backwards."
The conference follows last month's UN Security Council resolution which called on Israel to stop settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel says many international forums are historically biased against it
Over 600,000 Israelis live in these areas which were captured in the 1967 Middle East war. They are seen as illegal under international law, but Israel disagrees.
This week, US President Barack Obama returned to the subject of settlements in an interview with Israel's Channel Two.
"The facts on the ground are making it almost impossible - at least very difficult, and if this trend line continues, impossible - to create a contiguous, functioning, Palestinian state," he said.
"If that's the case, then what you're embracing is a vision of Greater Israel in which an occupation continues indefinitely."
The timing of the talks in Paris - just days before Donald Trump moves into the White House - appear very deliberate.
He has not yet spelt out his vision for the Middle East but has shown strong backing for the Israeli far-right.
He has nominated a lawyer, David Friedman, who is an outspoken critic of the two-state solution and supporter of settlements, to be his ambassador to Israel.
Mr Trump has also promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Palestinians say relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem will kill prospects for peace
Like other countries, the US currently keeps its embassy in Tel Aviv, as it does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
"This is very dangerous what President-elect Trump wants to do," Palestinian official, Mohammed Shtayyeh tells me. "It is American recognition that Jerusalem is part of the State of Israel."
"We would consider this American move as an end to the peace process, an end to the two states and really putting the whole region into chaos."
A poll conducted last year suggests that a slight majority of Palestinians - 51% - and Israelis - 59% - still support the two-state solution. However there is high mutual mistrust.
In recent days, Israeli officials have urged world leaders to refocus their attention on ways to tackle terrorism following a truck ramming by a Palestinian that killed four young soldiers in Jerusalem.
They argue that the very Palestinian leaders with whom they are supposed to be seeking peace have incited an upsurge in attacks, mostly stabbings, since October 2015.
Some 40 Israelis have been killed and more than 230 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli security forces. Israel says most of those Palestinians were involved in attacks. Others were killed in clashes with troops.
Palestinian leaders blame the violence on a younger generation's anger at the failure of talks to end Israel's occupation and deliver on promises of an independent state. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38608995 |
Barack Obama legacy: The president and the tale of US jobs - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How US job creation tells the story of outgoing US President Barack Obama's economic legacy. | Business | Economists and economics reporters do like their charts and graphs.
And if they were all forced to pick just one with which to tell the story of the Obama presidency, many would plump for the bar chart of "non-farm payrolls".
The non-farm payrolls report is simply the official measure of how many jobs the US economy has added (or lost) in the previous month.
The release of this job tally, which happens at the same time, on the same day (the first Friday) of every single month, is one of the constants in the working life of a Wall Street economist or reporter.
Many feel they measure out their lives with non-farm payroll reports.
But you can reasonably measure out the Obama presidency with them as well.
Take a look at the chart.
On it you can see that from the first such report after entering the White House, President Obama learned that the US economy had just shed 800,000 jobs in one month.
No other figure so clearly illustrates that Mr Obama started his presidency with an economy that wasn't just weak, it was on the verge of collapse.
A recession of a severity not seen since the 1930s was under way.
The most pressing question for the new president was what, if anything, could be done to stabilise the economy so that it could create jobs once more.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. ’Yes we did’: Obama on Iran, Cuba and healthcare achievements
The chart shows us what happened.
By early 2010 the monthly tally shows the US was adding jobs again
And albeit with further dips later that year, it has done so ever since.
The last non-farm payrolls report of the Obama era showed that in December 2016 the US economy added 156,000 jobs.
It was also the 75th consecutive month of job growth.
There has never been such a long period of job creation.
The official unemployment rate in the US is now 4.7%. For many economists that represents "full employment".
But the chart doesn't tell us WHY the job market bottomed out and started its long expansion.
For an explanation of that you might start with one word: Detroit
Detroit, or rather the US car industry with which the city is synonymous, was seemingly in its death throes in January 2009.
The recession and financial crisis had hit General Motors, Chrysler and Ford particularly hard.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US "car tsar" Steve Rattner discusses President Obama's economic legacy with the BBC's Michelle Fleury
Already heavily indebted, by the turn of the Obama administration it looked like they would simply run out of cash and cease operations within weeks.
President Obama's decision to bail out General Motors and Chrysler with bridging loans and managed bankruptcies (Ford managed to turn itself around without government money) was deeply controversial.
But look again at the chart.
If the auto industry had in fact collapsed, we would probably need to spread something like a million more job losses across those bars for 2009-10.
Beyond the number of jobs directly or indirectly lost, it's hard to calculate the ultimate economic effects of a disintegration of the US auto industry.
But it seems safe to say that America would look very different indeed without the auto bailout.
There was also Mr Obama's stimulus package - or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to give it its official name.
This was a package of government spending which Congress passed, at the new president's behest, within weeks of his taking office.
There have been 75 consecutive months of job growth in the US
It too met fierce criticism and its impact has long been disputed.
Still, more than one analysis has estimated that through 2010 it created or saved more than 2 million jobs.
Taking those away would also dramatically alter the non-farm payrolls chart.
At least it would for the beginning of Mr Obama's presidency.
But after the first two years of his administration the politics of job creation, like everything else, changed.
The Republican Party's capture of the House of Representatives in November 2010 deprived the president of most of his influence on the writing of new laws.
He lost his grasp of one of the main levers of economic control and never regained it.
The Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in November 2010
That means that so much of the long period of job growth, from 2011 to the present, has unfolded with little input from the White House.
Of course the president always has large powers, whoever controls Congress, but they tend to be in the administration of business regulations and in trade relations.
Attributing the creation of jobs to those functions of government is even more speculative than attributing them to new laws.
Still, if presidents cannot write laws, their veto power means laws can hardly ever be passed without them.
It is a feature of the notorious political "gridlock" that has characterised much of the Obama era.
The president and the Republican Congress have been in a perpetual stand-off over so many issues at the heart of the economy.
The result is that many economic problems have gone unaddressed.
Yet it also means that politicians, and their insistence on change and reform, have been kept on the sidelines, leaving the economy to develop without them.
In the absence of major external shocks, perhaps the consistent job growth the US has enjoyed for more than six years should be attributed, not to the name and the politics of the president but to things more fundamental to the US and its brand of capitalism.
It seems appropriate that after the steep steps down, then up, in the first 18 months of the non-farm payrolls bar chart, what the Obama presidency looks like is then a consistent series of bars, representing steady if undramatic job growth, month after month after month. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38581768 |
US truck driver slides down icy road - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | A US truck driver slides his jack-knifed vehicle down an icy road after his brakes locked. | null | A US truck driver has been forced to slide his jack-knifed vehicle down an icy mountain road after his trailer's brakes locked.
California Highway Patrol officers closed the road and escorted the truck down, making it to a safe place 20 minutes later. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38622002 |
Manchester United v Liverpool: Jose Mourinho & Jurgen Klopp preview the game - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp look ahead to Manchester United against Liverpool, with Klopp expecting a "real fight". | null | Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp look ahead to Manchester United's Premier League match against Liverpool this weekend, with Klopp expecting a "real fight". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38610019 |
Will Catalonia try to secede from Spain this year? - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Independence-minded Catalans play a game of political chicken with Spanish authorities. | Europe | If the stand-off between the Spanish state and the north-eastern region of Catalonia has been intense for the past five years, 2017 looks set to be explosive.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont set the tone in a New Year message, saying a planned referendum would go ahead by September. That would defy the Spanish government's warning that any vote organised by Catalonia's regional authorities would be illegal.
"If 50% plus one vote 'yes', we will declare independence without hesitation," he said.
Tensions between supporters of independence and Spanish authorities are likely to rise when three senior Catalan ex-officials, including former president Artur Mas, go on trial accused of criminal disobedience for organising a wildcat poll in November 2014.
Spain's conservative prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, says he is willing to negotiate possible alterations to the relationship between the national and Catalan administrations, but will not discuss changes to Spain's constitution.
Artur Mas has spearheaded the Catalan campaign for independence
So Madrid says there will be no referendum. Barcelona insists there will be a vote and it will be binding.
"If we have 50% turnout and a majority in favour of independence, this will be legitimate. Then Madrid will have to ask itself if it is going to impose its laws by force, if the Catalan people choose their future peacefully and democratically," says Joan Maria Pique, the Catalan government's director of international communications.
The image of tanks rolling north across the Ebro river belongs to Spain's tragic civil war of the 1930s. But how would Madrid react if Catalonia made a unilateral declaration of independence?
When Spain's defence minister until last November, Pedro Morenes, was asked what the army would do in such a scenario, he avoided giving a direct answer: "If everyone does what they are legally bound to do, that situation will not be necessary."
Like other regions in Spain, Catalonia already has the power to run its educational and healthcare systems, as well as limited freedoms in the area of taxation. But Spanish constitutional experts offer little encouragement to supporters of independence for Catalonia.
"If the Catalan government does not negotiate the calling of a referendum with the state, it is not legally possible, because this power is held by the central state," explains Javier Garcia Roca, professor of constitutional law at Madrid's Complutense University.
Spain's constitutional court agrees. It outlawed the unofficial vote held in November 2014, and that ruling led to former Catalan President Mas and two of his ministers facing trial this year. If found guilty, Mr Mas could be barred from public office for a decade.
Surveys suggest a referendum vote on secession would be close
Many Catalan towns and villages have gone ahead and declared independence in a symbolic but defiant fashion.
A picturesque Costa Brava fishing village, El Port de la Selva, declared itself "morally excluded" from Spain's constitutional order in July 2010. Earlier Spain's top court had ruled that large chunks of the Catalan autonomy statute, approved by both the Spanish and Catalan parliaments, were unconstitutional.
The number of rebel municipalities has gone on growing.
One estimate from a pro-sovereignty association suggests 787 of the region's 947 town and city halls have declared support for "decoupling from the Spanish state".
Several local politicians and hundreds of councils are being investigated for offences deriving from symbolic disobedience of Spanish laws.
The constitutional court has also quashed several attempts by the Catalan parliament to vote into existence "instruments of state" for a future independent country, including a tax agency and a social security department that would form the basis of a new welfare system.
It has also annulled laws against fracking, gender inequality and banks which keep empty homes on their books. In 2010 the court sparked outrage by removing the preferential status of the Catalan language and quashing another dozen articles.
Catalan spokesman Joan Maria Pique accuses the Spanish government of "exercising juridical violence by violating the independence of the courts".
"The constitution lays down the principle of unity of the state and nation, which are described as 'indivisible'," argues Prof Garcia Roca. "It is a rigid document and the possibilities for imagination and constitutional engineering are therefore not the same for Catalonia as for Scotland."
Solar panels at a Barcelona cemetery: It is one of the most developed regions in Spain
And yet much of Catalonia believes that it has already triggered what pro-independence circles describe as "decoupling" from the Spanish state, backed by a majority of the Catalan parliament and the region's local councils.
A recent poll published by Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico, not seen as backing independence, suggested that 85% of Catalans wanted a referendum, which all surveys predict would be extremely tight.
So while the Madrid government insists any vote will have no validity, the game of political chicken goes on.
Court orders have been served on councillors in Catalonia who refuse to acknowledge Spanish national holidays, remove flags or bow to other constitutional requirements, or who burn images of Spain's King Felipe.
Meanwhile, the tension continues to rise. Something will have to give.
11 September 2012: Barcelona's police estimate at 1.5 million the number of people attending the Diada march for independence
20 September 2012: Prime Minister Rajoy rebuffs Catalonia bid to cease being net contributor to the Spanish state
9 November 2014: Catalan authorities hold consultation on secession - more than 80% vote in favour, but turnout is only 40%
27 September 2015: In regional elections presented as independence plebiscite, pro-sovereignty forces win majority of seats with 48% of popular vote | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38582121 |
Can music festivals save Australia's failing towns? - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How Elvis, ABBA and Bob Marley are helping revive the fortunes of small outback towns in Australia. | Australia | Parkes' Elvis parade has grown from modest beginnings in 1993
They are unlikely saviours but Elvis Presley, ABBA and Bob Marley are helping to revive the fortunes of small outback towns in Australia.
Their enduring music, fashion and legend have spawned festivals that are reversing the demoralising effects of drought and economic decline.
The most glittering takes place this week in Parkes, a farming community 350km (217 miles) west of Sydney, named after Sir Henry Parkes, one of the founding fathers of modern Australia, who was born half a world away in Coventry.
Parkes is being transformed by more than 20,000 Elvis loyalists in a motley collection of flared jumpsuits, a galaxy of sequins, jet-black wigs and sideburns, along with cockpit aviator sunglasses.
There is a legion of buskers, look-a-like contests, a street parade, displays of Elvis artefacts and an Elvis-themed Gospel Service, which has become so popular it has outgrown its previous home in a supermarket car park and now takes place in a local park.
The headline acts are international tribute artists Pete Storm from the UK and the American entertainer Jake Rowley.
Parkes Mayor Ken Keith says everyone in the town embraces the festival
The real King - who would have celebrated his 82nd birthday last week- may never have travelled to Australia, but 40 years after his death, his appeal remains as magnetic as ever.
"I remember when he died the world just went crazy. It was a pretty devastating time," said Sheridan Woodcroft from Melbourne, as she boarded the Elvis Express, a special train service from Sydney to Parkes. "He just had the X-factor. He was so charismatic, he was gorgeous."
Australia's biggest Elvis festival was borne out of economic necessity.
Back in the early 1990s, mid-summer trade in baking-hot Parkes was sluggish but Bob Steel, 75, and his wife Anne, owners of the Gracelands restaurant, had a plan.
"It was a pretty slack time. I went to a hoteliers' meeting and they were all having their grizzle about quiet times. I said, well, Elvis's birthday is in January and we could have a birthday party," Mr Steel told the BBC.
Parkes' Elvis festival now generates about A$13m (US$9.6m) each year
And they did. In January 1993, 190 people attended the inaugural event in the Steels' restaurant.
From simple beginnings, the festival now generates about A$13m (US$9.7m, £7.9m) each year.
"It's a tremendous economic benefit and it has really revived a town that was struggling. [Parkes] is now a place that people have heard about, they stop there when they are travelling through," said John Connell from the University of Sydney, who has written a book about the festival.
His co-author Chris Gibson, a professor of geography at the University of Wollongong, explained that they had researched how various carnivals - from those celebrating scones and pumpkins to music and art - can benefit small country towns in Australia.
Academics Chris Gibson (l) and John Connell (r) say music festivals can reinvent fading towns
"There's a spirit of quirky eclecticism and larrikin [boisterous or maverick] humour in country Australia that comes out at these sorts of festivals. They can reinvent the story of a place, really," said Professor Gibson, dressed in a purple Elvis costume at Sydney's Central Station.
"Although there are still jobs in agriculture, it is a fading industry, whereas the future is really about tourism, music, creativity and culture," he added.
Kandos, in the Mudgee winemaking district of New South Wales, hosts a Bob Marley festival, while since 2012 fans of ABBA have headed to the town of Trundle for its annual homage to Sweden's finest.
Elvis tribute singer John Collins says Parkes' Elvis festival is on many people's bucket list
Elsewhere the tasty Food (Food of Orange District) jamboree draws large crowds, while the Tamworth Country Music Festival is arguably one of Australia's premier music events.
So is Parkes worried it could lose its lustre because of the competition in other parts of New South Wales and beyond?
Ken Keith, who is his ninth year as mayor and probably the only public official in Australia who turns up for work in a blue jumpsuit, is not concerned.
"Why other people haven't been able to replicate it or steal the concept from us is just the friendly nature of the town, where people are made to feel welcome," he explained.
This week Parkes is turning on not only a warm reception, but one that is roasting hot, with temperatures expected to climb to the high 30s Celsius.
Simone Collison (far r) and friends joined fellow fans for the Elvis express train from Sydney
Also celebrating a quarter of a century as an Elvis tribute singer is John Collins, who, as a marriage celebrant, officiates at Elvis-themed weddings all over Australia.
"The Parkes Elvis festival is something everyone has to put on their bucket list. You've got to go at least once. One of the entertainers last year nearly cried when he had to go home. He didn't want it to finish," he said.
As the Elvis Express prepared to roll out of Sydney - on what is quite likely to be Australia's most high-spirited rail journey - Simone Collison from Menangle had gathered with her friends for the trip.
They all wore matching black and white spotted outfits with pink tops and sunglasses. Asked why a singer who died so long ago still had so many devoted fans, she said simply: "Everyone still loves him. That will never die."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38595133 |
SpaceX rocket successfully lifts off - BBC News | 2017-01-14 | null | SpaceX successfully launches a rocket, its first mission since an explosion in September. | null | The SpaceX company has successfully launched a rocket, its first mission since one of its vehicles exploded in September.
The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the California coast. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38624812 |
Football Focus - BBC Sport | 2017-01-14 | null | Dan Walker and guests look ahead to the weekend's football action, which includes a clash between Liverpool and Man City. | null | Dan Walker and guests look ahead to the weekend's football action, which includes a clash between Liverpool and Man City.
This is a live BBC One stream, due to start at 11:30 GMT
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/19362047 |
Oxford Castle mugshots show 'victims of their time' - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The National Archives has made available early photos of Oxford Castle's inmates, many of whom were children. | Oxford | "You’d think she was just playing with the pram," says Becky Attrill, duty manager at the castle. "They say she tried to deny her crime but she was probably terrified. She was sentenced to seven day’s hard labour in 1870 and is our youngest prisoner [on record]. She probably worked in the prison's laundry, and when she was released the judge said her father had to start sending her to school, so it was probably the best thing that ever happened to her." Julie-Ann is pictured here with 12-year-old Sarah Church who was jailed for stealing a sable muff. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-38281339 |
Everton 4-0 Manchester City - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Everton stun Manchester City with a superb performance at Goodison Park to leave Pep Guardiola's side 10 points off top spot. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Everton produced a brilliant performance to stun Manchester City, whose Premier League title hopes are now over according to manager Pep Guardiola.
The Toffees willingly soaked up 71% of City possession but restricted Guardiola's side to few chances and scored with four of just six attempts at goal.
Romelu Lukaku coolly side-footed in a Kevin Mirallas cut-back and the Belgium internationals combined again after the break, Mirallas drilling Lukaku's through-ball across the keeper.
Tom Davies sent Goodison Park into raptures on just his second league start by dinking a third over Claudio Bravo and £11m debutant Ademola Lookman fired between the legs of the keeper in injury time.
Goals from the two teenagers left Everton boss Ronald Koeman visibly elated, while Guardiola cut a frustrated figure, remonstrating with the fourth official late on in what is his heaviest ever league defeat as a manager.
City lacked cutting edge throughout, though had Davies not headed a looping Bacary Sagna header off the line before half-time, they may not have gone on to suffer a fifth league defeat of the season.
They stay fifth, 10 points off leaders Chelsea, while Everton remain seventh.
• None Analysis: Why defending is not Pep's only problem
Brilliant Everton - Koeman gets it right
What a difference a week makes. After FA Cup defeat to Leicester last weekend an angry Koeman demanded the club's hierarchy "opened its eyes".
The £24m signing of Morgan Schneiderlin lifted some gloom but the roars for his 65th-minute appearance from the bench were dwarfed by the noise in injury time when Lookman, newly arrived from Charlton, made his mark.
Koeman was bold in starting with Davies and 20-year-old defender Mason Holgate, but pragmatic in his game plan. City have had over 50% of the ball in every league outing this season but Everton sat and soaked up possession comfortably.
Leighton Baines slid in to deny Raheem Sterling an opening early on and, Davies' header off the line apart, the home goal never looked under serious threat.
The Toffees ran further and produced more sprints than the visitors, while with the ball they were direct, springing attacks through Lukaku, who proved a handful for City's ragged back four.
Davies ran further than anyone on the pitch and released Mirallas in the build-up to the opening goal, before being involved in the second and cleverly chipping in the third after a driving run from his own half.
Schneiderlin could threaten the 18-year-old's place but Koeman will welcome such a selection dilemma.
The Dutchman knows his team are far from a finished article but this win showed all they could be.
• None Listen: 'City don't have an outstanding goalkeeper at the moment'
"It looks like the title challenge is beyond City," BBC Radio 5 live pundit Kevin Kilbane said at the end of match where the visitors' soft centre was all too apparent and clinically exploited.
After 10 games of the season Guardiola's side topped the table on 23 points, but 11 matches later he now says they are too far adrift.
The warning signs were there in those opening 10 games, where City kept two only clean sheets.
Their defensive predicament has continued and at Goodison Everton's direct balls repeatedly took the City midfield out of the game, exposing a back four which seemed to have little understanding as a unit.
Vincent Kompany's persistent injuries have created a hole in the heart of defence that John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi have been unable to fill with authority, while in central midfield, Pablo Zabaleta's performance was robust but his quality on the ball is no substitute for the silky Ilkay Gundogan.
Zabaleta had played 30 passes by the time he went off on the hour, 40 fewer than Yaya Toure.
Individual mistakes also proved costly. Toure took a heavy touch for Everton's killer second goal, while Gael Clichy sloppily lost possession for the first.
City have now conceded more goals than any other in the top seven, while goalkeeper Bravo has been beaten by 14 of the last 22 shots on target.
'Perfect Everton' - What the managers said
Everton boss Ronald Koeman: "We scored at the right time in the first half and then to score straight after half-time made it very difficult for them.
"I think it is a big compliment to Everton today - the organisation defensively. It makes the final result and the way we played perfect.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "In so many games we create enough chances to but when they arrive they score and the second time they arrive they score.
"That for the mind of the players is tough, mentally tough and that is why we have to keep going be strong and work harder."
Lookman follows Eto'o at Everton - the key stats
• None This was Everton's biggest ever Premier League win over Man City.
• None Everton scored with all four of their shots on target.
• None In four of their last seven Premier League games, Manchester City have conceded with the first shot they've faced.
• None Romelu Lukaku has been involved in eight goals in his last nine home Premier League games (five goals, three assists).
• None The first shot of the game came in the 25th minute, the second-longest wait for the opening shot of a Premier League game this season after Watford versus Middlesbrough on January 14th (26th minute).
• None Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman became the 16th and 17th different teenagers to score a Premier League goal for Everton; the joint-most in the competition with Arsenal.
• None Lookman was the first Toffees player to score on their Premier League debut since Samuel Eto'o in August 2014 against Chelsea.
Manchester City host second-placed Tottenham in a 17:30 GMT kick-off on Saturday, shortly after Everton seek just a second away win in eight matches when they play at Crystal Palace at 15:00 GMT.
• None Goal! Everton 4, Manchester City 0. Ademola Lookman (Everton) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Seamus Coleman.
• None Attempt blocked. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Silva.
• None Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt blocked. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ross Barkley.
• None Offside, Everton. Ashley Williams tries a through ball, but Romelu Lukaku is caught offside.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne tries a through ball, but Kelechi Iheanacho is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left misses to the right. Assisted by Ross Barkley. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38545988 |
Australian Open: Johanna Konta plays down expectations despite Sydney win - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Johanna Konta says it is "not a given" she will go all the way at the Australian Open, despite winning the warm-up tournament. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra plus TV highlights on BBC Two from 21 Jan; live text on selected matches on BBC Sport website
British number one Johanna Konta says it is "not a given" that she will be a contender for the Australian Open title despite winning the warm-up tournament.
Konta, who broke into the world's top 10 last year, beat Agnieszka Radwanska to win her second WTA trophy at the Sydney International on Friday.
The 25-year-old begins her campaign against Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens on Tuesday (midnight on Monday in the UK).
"I'm very pleased with the level I played," said Konta of her Sydney win.
"But we all know that it's not a given. It doesn't decide how you will do in the next event.
"I'm taking it as a positive from the week itself, but I'm looking to again work hard here and really try to do the best that I can."
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
Sydney-born Konta reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open last year - the furthest she has ever progressed in a Grand Slam.
And despite enjoying her most successful season to date, she chose to split with coach Esteban Carril in December after two-and-a-half years together.
Konta is now working under Belgian Wim Fissette, who has previously coached former world number one Kim Clijsters and two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka.
"My previous situation came to a natural end so I was in the market. It came together nicely for us," Konta told BBC Radio 5 live.
"We're doing some great work together. I'm really enjoying learning from him. He's a coach who's been on tour for some time and has worked with some of the best players.
"I'm trying to be a sponge and trying to absorb all the information he's passing on."
Sue Barker, who reached the semi-finals of the women's singles at the Australian Open in 1975 and 1977, believes Johanna Konta is good enough to win this year's competition.
"Last year's Australian Open was her big breakthrough tournament," Barker told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme.
"We had been seeing her get better and better but at the Australian Open she started to believe in herself. She has not sat back and has improved week after week.
"I watched her final against Radwanska in Sydney last week and it was the best I've seen her play. She looked incredible and doesn't have a weakness.
"She is hitting the ball so hard and she is not just a top-10 player, she is a Grand Slam contender."
Konta will return to ninth in the world rankings on Monday following her win in Sydney and Barker thinks Konta can beat the best players.
"Johanna is seeded ninth so has not got the protection of being in the top eight but there is not one person that's just so outstanding in the women's game," added Barker.
"Angelique Kerber is a solid world number one but she is beatable and Johanna has the game to beat her. She certainly has a chance to win it." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38628097 |
Diego Costa: Chelsea boss Antonio Conte unsure when striker will return - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he is unsure when Diego Costa will return from injury after he was left out of the squad that beat Leicester. | null | Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he is unsure when Diego Costa will return from injury after leaving him out for Saturday's 3-0 win at Leicester.
Costa had a dispute with a coach over his fitness and Conte said the 28-year-old Spain striker complained of a back problem on Tuesday.
There were also reports he is the subject of an offer to move to China.
"I don't know how long it will take, I don't have his pain," said Conte. "We'll see about this next week."
Costa has been integral to the Premier League leaders this season, having scored 14 goals and provided five assists.
BBC Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright said: "For Costa to come out at this stage when they need him so much feels very strange. He's scored 14 goals this season - you need someone like that in this team. It seems like it's derailed what's going on."
When asked if a move to China would surprise him, Wright said: "Absolutely not. Costa doesn't seem like the sort of person who cares what people think. Whatever happens - if it's his back it's very hard to detect - something has turned him."
Italian Conte, 47, was repeatedly questioned about the rumours surrounding the player after watching his side move seven points clear at the top of the table.
Asked whether Costa has a future at Stamford Bridge, he said: "I can't be concerned about this because today my players produced a great performance and showed spirit. I can't be concerned with nothing."
The former Juventus and Italy boss was then asked once more whether the Brazil-born forward would feature again for the Blues and responded with: "Why not?"
He added: "There are lot of 'if' questions - I don't like to answer these types of questions."
On reports of interest from China, Conte told BBC Sport: "I don't know and the club doesn't know anything about the reports of Costa to China. The truth is what I told you before."
Left-back Marcos Alonso, who scored twice against Leicester, said: "You guys [journalists] made up the story. Diego wasn't feeling well because of his back. He's very happy and will have a great season at Chelsea."
Analysis: 'If you get £60m, then let him go'
Why shouldn't Diego Costa go to China? There is no loyalty from clubs in football.
He's already defected from Brazil, his native country, to play for Spain and has no real affinity with England and the Premier League. I'm sure he likes London but he doesn't have any real affinity here.
Brazilians move around all the time; they will go wherever the money is.
• None Hear more from Mills on BBC Radio 5 live
Well done Conte. If you get £60m, then let him go.
He's at his peak, the team is built around him totally. He is a top, top player, but if he wants to go to China and be bored 18 hours a day, good luck to him. If he went - and I don't think he will - they don't win the league.
Conte is reasserting himself. Costa has football utopia at the moment - top of the league, top of the scoring charts, what is wrong in his life? He will come back quietly with an apology.
I don't think it will derail Chelsea. He is a quality player who they can't do without, People tell me he goes off on one like this, but he will see sense.
It is a very difficult dressing room at Chelsea and the manager has done very well this season. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38625228 |
India v England: Beating India is not impossible - Morgan - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | England captain Eoin Morgan says their near-win in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 is a "great confidence booster" for the upcoming one-day series in India. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England captain Eoin Morgan says their experience at the 2016 World Twenty20 is a "great confidence booster" for the upcoming one-day series in India.
The hosts have won 12 of their last 14 home ODI series' but Morgan says England remain "very optimistic" they can compete on Indian pitches.
Morgan led England to the final of the World T20 in similar conditions.
"The challenge of winning in India is huge but not impossible," he said ahead of Sunday's first ODI (08:00 GMT).
"There's a fine balance between playing positive cricket and playing smart cricket and we don't want to fall short.
"We want to fall on the brave side of things as we have done in the last couple of years."
The tourists were were beaten 4-0 in the recent Test series.
The batting line-up for Sunday's ODI in Pune is expected to include Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Morgan and Jos Buttler.
Root has joined up with the squad in India having missed the two warm-up matches to be present at the birth of his first child.
Morgan has already declared that the new father will play in the first game, saying he looks in good enough form, despite a lack of preparation.
"Joe could be out for three or four months and it wouldn't bother me throwing him back into the side," said the captain.
"He has been an integral part of our success over the last couple of years and to have him back so soon after the great news that he has become a father, I think is great news for the team."
New India ODI captain Virat Kohli, who took over from MS Dhoni after resigning his captaincy, believes that England's commitment to attack could be their downfall.
In his first pre-match news conference, he suggested the visitors may have accelerated their tactics too much to have sustainable success.
"They seem to be quite fearless, which is always a good thing in the shorter format of the game, but I've always felt that to be a consistent performer in the ODI format, you need to understand strike rotation as well," he said.
"We already have plans in place in terms of how we counter what they're going to come up with." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38621634 |
Man City have problems in attack as well as defence - Phil Neville - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Man City have problems going forward as well as at the back, says Match of the Day 2 pundit Phil Neville. | null | It is too easy to score goals against Manchester City, but that is not Pep Guardiola's only problem at the moment.
As we saw in Sunday's 4-0 defeat by Everton, who scored with every shot they had on target, teams do not need to create many chances to get past City.
That is a criticism of their back four and their goalkeeper, but another reason they have fallen off the pace in the title race is their lack of threat going forward.
It was not difficult for Everton to defend against them at Goodison Park. Yes, City had a penalty shout and a couple of half-chances in the first half but at the moment, if you get back into shape against them and close off the gaps, then it is also easy to keep them out.
City's tempo when they come forward is not always quick enough. They are pretty predictable in attack and, in the Premier League, they are finding it hard to score goals against well-organised defences.
That means more pressure is being heaped on their own back four. Against Everton, they could not cope.
Stones not to blame for City's struggles
It would be very easy to come out after watching City lose 4-0 and say they were wide open at the back, and John Stones had a nightmare on his return to his old club.
But Stones was probably the best player in City's back four - it is the others who let him down, massively.
If you look at the four goals that City conceded against Everton, Nicolas Otamendi and Gael Clichy both make errors that lead to three of them. Stones was not at fault for any of them.
Everton scored their first, second and fourth goals because either Otamendi or Clichy got their basic defensive positioning and decision making wrong.
That is not down to Guardiola's system or the way he sets his team up, it comes down to the mentality of his players, and them being alert and aware of danger - I am talking about things like their reaction time, staying in line with the rest of their back-four and staying with runners from the opposition team.
For example, with Everton's fourth goal, Stones will get criticised because his clearance was charged down and led to Ademola Lookman scoring.
But Otamendi was on his heels and not even thinking about defending when Stones went over to the left to clear. Yes, the ball dropped nicely for Lookman but Otamendi should have been ready for that.
The fact he wasn't is not down to Stones, but he seems to be getting the blame.
It seems to happen a lot. Stones has got unbelievable ability but he seems to have been carrying the can all season whenever City have conceded goals, no matter what their other defenders do.
That is partly because he is a £50m signing and an England international, and partly because of the way he tries to play as a skilful centre-half - which is the way Guardiola wants him to play.
Goals are going in easily against Bravo
Stones aside, it seems to me there are fundamental problems with City's defence.
Claudio Bravo is one of them - it looks like people are playing City and thinking if they hit the target, they will score.
To win the league title, you need a goalkeeper who will make important saves. Look at all the champions over the last 10 or 20 years and you will find keepers who are worth around nine to 12 points a season to them with the stops they make.
• None Listen: The Times' Henry Winter on why City are missing Joe Hart
That is not the case with Bravo at City. I saw him play in Spain when I was with Valencia last season and he is a fantastic keeper but the goals are going in very easily against him at the moment.
It is not even as if they are all going into the corners of the net - Bravo is being beaten in the central areas of his goal too.
He is definitely struggling in English football, with the speed, the intensity and the physicality of our game, and teams are 100% targeting him.
His confidence has taken a hit, which is inevitable, and it obviously does not help when you concede with the first shot you face in a game, which is what happened at Everton.
As a defender, when your keeper is letting in a lot of the shots you face - in Bravo's case, 14 of the last 22 shots on target over City's last eight games - then you lose a bit of confidence in him too.
How does Bravo's shot-save ratio compare to goalkeepers at the other top-six clubs?
The whole back-four are aware that, if you make a mistake, it will end up in a goal. You have no margin for error, and it makes people nervous.
It is the complete opposite to the confidence you feel when you have got a reliable keeper behind you, who you know can make saves that will get you out of trouble.
What next? City will not just roll over
This City team looks like it is a work in progress for Pep, because City are nowhere near where he wants them to be.
I don't think they can win the Premier League this season, but they will still be there or thereabouts in the top four. They are not just going to roll over.
City got badly beaten by Leicester in December and responded with an important win over Arsenal in their next game.
They will have to show a similar spirit, and put in an improved display, when they play Tottenham next weekend.
It is another massive game for them, but they are capable of coming back this time too. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38632357 |
Winter freeze claiming lives across Europe - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | Dozens of migrants die in the extreme cold weather sweeping across Europe. | null | Dozens of migrants have died in the extreme cold weather across Europe, with many said to be refusing shelter due to the risk of deportation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38627667 |
India v England: Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav lead stunning chase - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | A Virat Kohli masterclass helps India complete the highest successful chase in an ODI against England and seal a three-wicket win in Pune. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
A Virat Kohli masterclass helped India complete the highest successful chase in a one-day international against England and seal a three-wicket win.
Chasing 351, India were reduced to 63-4 in Pune before Kohli, who made 122, and Kedar Jadhav (120) shared 200.
India completed the joint-fourth best run chase of all time in 48.1 overs.
Ben Stokes earlier struck a 40-ball 62 as England took 105 from their final eight overs, but they still went behind in the three-match series.
It is a demoralising result, coming after a 4-0 defeat in the Test series, and extends England's dismal record in India to only three wins in 24 ODIs.
Though England racked up their highest score against India, they could arguably have had even more - Jason Roy and Joe Root failed to make really big scores after good starts - and were taught a lesson by chasing specialist Kohli, who somehow overshadowed Jadhav's 65-ball century.
King Kohli does it again
Kohli is peerless in the history of ODIs when it comes to run chases. His 17th second-innings ton matches the record of Sachin Tendulkar, in 136 fewer knocks, while his average when India successfully pursue a score is 90.90.
This, though, in his first match since being appointed one-day captain, was perhaps his greatest effort, guiding India to their joint-second-highest chase.
When England's pace bowlers ran through the top order, he looked to be playing a lone hand, with effortless drives on both sides of the wicket and breathless running.
Later, in the company of Jadhav, he found ways to hit some extraordinary sixes over the leg side, the fourth of his five maximums overall bringing up his 27th ODI century.
The biggest surprise was that he did not complete the job, miscuing a Stokes slower ball to David Willey at cover and sending a raucous and partisan Pune silent.
For all of Kohli's brilliance, this game would not have been won without the efforts of Jadhav, a 31-year-old playing only his 13th ODI, on his home ground.
The right-hander's counter-attacking reversed the momentum and he actually contributed 102 of the 200 runs he shared with the skipper for the fifth wicket.
They rendered the England attack impotent, only Chris Woakes went for an economy rate of under 6.7 an over, with Adil Rashid and Stokes particularly wayward.
Favouring the leg side, Jadav's hundred was the sixth fastest by an India batsman in ODIs, but after Kohli fell he struggled with cramp and pulled Jake Ball to deep square leg.
However, a nerveless Hardik Pandya made an unbeaten 40 and Ravichandran Ashwin's six off Moeen Ali sealed only the second chase in excess of 350 to be completed inside 49 overs.
'England have got to set their targets higher'
"We have just seen the definition of intimidatory batting, the way the batters from both sides demolished the attacks.
"350 should be enough but I've always worried about England's bowling in one-day cricket unless the ball does something. Adil Rashid lacks confidence under pressure. Chris Woakes bowled a superb opening spell but it was almost a licence to print runs on this pitch.
"England have got to set their targets higher - they've got to get to 370, 380 to feel confident of winning."
• None India pulled off the joint-fourth-highest run chase of all time, their joint second best and the largest by anyone against England.
• None This is the second-fastest successful chase of a total of more than 350 in ODI history.
• None Since the beginning of 2016, Virat Kohli has played 11 ODI innings, scoring four hundreds and four half-centuries, averaging 95.66 with a strike-rate of 102.01.
• None Ben Stokes' 33-ball fifty beat the 35-ball efforts of Andrew Flintoff and Owais Shah to become the fastest by an England batsman against India.
• None The 105 added by England in the final eight overs of the innings is their second highest in an away ODI.
• None Joe Root has passed 50 in six of his past eight ODI innings and has made nine 50-plus scores in his past 15 innings.
On a brilliant batting surface surrounded by short boundaries, England should have been ahead of their 244-5 when Root fell in the 42nd over.
Roy in particular wasted the opportunity of a big score when he ran past the left-arm spin of the excellent Ravindra Jadeja to be stumped for 73, while Root holed out for a relatively pedestrian 95-ball 78 as he looked to accelerate.
It was left to Stokes to propel England with some wonderful hitting, helped by some woeful India death bowling that was littered with full-tosses.
He struck five sixes - two over long-on, two over long-off and one extraordinary ramp over third man off a pacey Umesh Yadav beamer.
The left-hander's 33-ball half-century was the fastest by an England batsman against India and, overall, he took 50 runs from the last 23 balls he faced.
Even after the late onslaught, and the four early wickets, India showed that it still was not enough.
'They will press the panic button' - what they said
India captain Virat Kohli: "This one is going to take a while to sink in, conceding 350 runs and being 63-4.
"What a special innings from Jadhav, and Hardik finishing really well at the end with Ashwin. That's a very special win for us.
"The moment he came to the crease, Jadhav started hitting the ball really well and I said, 'if we get to 150 here, they will press the panic button - watch'.
"It was a very, very special partnership that I'll remember for a long time."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "We had the runs on the board. We wanted to bowl first to see what a good score was. You post 350 and you think you're in the game, especially after taking four early wickets, but credit to Virat and Kedar - they didn't give us a chance.
"We didn't play at out best today, we thought we were in the game for most of it so all is not lost.
"The batters did well but we had a tricky period between 35 and 40 overs after we lost Buttler's wicket, but Stokes did well to come in and get us in to the game. Ideally we would have upped the momentum a little earlier." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38628237 |
James DeGale v Badou Jack unification title fight ends in a majority draw in New York - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | The super-middleweight unification fight between Great Britain's James DeGale and Sweden's Badou Jack ends in a majority draw. | null | Last updated on .From the section Boxing
The super-middleweight unification fight between Great Britain's James DeGale and Sweden's Badou Jack ended in a controversial majority draw.
Jack was knocked down in the first round but ended strongly and floored DeGale in the last round in New York.
One of the judges gave the decision to DeGale by 114-112, but the other two scored it 113-113, meaning both fighters retain their world titles.
Floyd Mayweather, who promotes Jack, called the decision "bad for boxing".
DeGale, 30, suffered damage to his ear drum and teeth during the contest but wanted a rematch with the 33-year-old.
"I thought I'd done enough but it was the knockdown," DeGale told Sky Sports.
"I've had 25 fights, I'm going to get better and I want the rematch.
"I'm glad I'm still the champion and I'm coming home with the title but I'm so upset that I didn't come with the WBC belt. The main thing is I didn't lose, I'm still the champion and I can move forward."
DeGale has now won 23 times, drawn once and lost once as a professional, while Jack failed to win for only the fourth time in his 24-fight career.
The British fighter was making the third defence of his IBF belt and made a bright start, knocking Jack down with a straight left inside the opening three minutes.
But Jack got back into the contest and had success with a number of body shots in the sixth round, and dislodged DeGale's gumshield with an uppercut in the eighth round, which later led to DeGale losing one of his front teeth.
DeGale landed some punches in the 10th, but was floored by a short uppercut in the final round, which ultimately cost him the victory.
Former five-weight world champion Mayweather said Jack would not fight DeGale again and would move up a weight instead.
"We don't need to figure it out, I'm the promoter this is my fighter," Mayweather said. "Badou Jack has got too big for 168lbs. We have plans after this fight to move up to light-heavyweight.
"This [result] is bad for boxing when it's all said and done, this is really bad for boxing." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/38627317 |
VW papers shed light on emissions scandal - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | VW has been fined $4.3bn by US authorities and agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges, so just what do documents released this week reveal about the emissions rigging scandal? | Business | US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch said VW denied and then lied in a bid to cover up its actions
"Volkswagen obfuscated, they denied, and they ultimately lied."
These were the words of the US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, as she set out how the German carmaker would be punished for attempting to hoodwink the US authorities over the emissions produced by its diesel cars.
It has been a tough week for Volkswagen.
It has been fined $4.3bn, agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges - and six executives are facing charges. One of them, Oliver Schmidt, has spent the past few days in a Miami jail. Others may yet find themselves in the firing line.
But because of this, we now have a very clear idea not only of what Volkswagen was doing wrong, and how it went about it, but also the measures that were taken to conceal that wrongdoing.
As part of its plea bargain with the US authorities Volkswagen signed up to an agreed "Statement of Facts". It draws heavily on the results of an investigation by the law firm Jones Day, commissioned by VW itself.
The FBI makes further detailed allegations in its criminal complaint against Oliver Schmidt. These have not yet been tested or admitted.
According to these documents, the seeds of the scandal were sown in 2006, when VW were designing a new diesel engine for the US market.
Supervisors in the engine department realised they had a problem. They could not design an engine that would meet tough emissions standards due to enter into force in 2007, and at the same time give customers the performance that they wanted.
Their solution was to ask their engineers to design engine management software which would turn on emissions controls when the car was being tested, and turn them off when it was being driven on the road.
This 'defeat device' software was able to recognise the standard testing procedure. It was based on a program developed by VW's subsidiary Audi, which engineers had specifically stated should "absolutely not be used" in the US.
Not everyone was happy about this, it seems. Engineers "raised objections to the propriety of the defeat device" in late 2006.
In response, a manager decided that production should continue, still using the device. He also "instructed those in attendance, in sum and substance, not to get caught".
A similar row broke out the following year, and again, the decision was taken to press on regardless.
Subsequently, the use of the defeat device appears to have become routine.
The Statement of Facts describes how the software was refined and improved over time.
A spate of breakdowns was blamed on the cars remaining in 'test' mode while being driven on the road. Supervisors worked with engineers to solve the problem, and "encouraged the further concealment of the software".
The engineers were also told to destroy documents relating to the issue.
The deception came to a head when, in 2014, the California Air Resources Board approached the company to find out why tests had shown that its cars were emitting up to 40 times the permissible amount of nitrogen oxides when driven on the road.
VW supervisors "determined not to disclose to US regulators that the tested vehicle models operated with a defeat device". Instead they "decided to pursue a strategy of concealing the defeat device… while appearing to cooperate".
The FBI claims in its criminal complaint against Mr Schmidt - who was a head of compliance at VW's US division from 2012 to 2015 - that the deception eventually went to the very top of the company.
Citing "co-operative witnesses" and allegedly corroborating documentation, it claims that the company's executive management in Wolfsburg were briefed on the issue in July 2015. Rather than tell its staff to come clean about the defeat device, it says, "VW executive management authorized its continued concealment".
There is, however, no mention of this meeting in the statement agreed by Volkswagen.
Ultimately, Volkswagen's wrongdoing was confirmed to the authorities by a single employee acting "in direct contravention of instructions from supervisors at VW". But the deception did not end there.
The Statement of Facts explains how VW staff were warned by an in-house lawyer that the authorities were about to circulate a so-called "hold notice", obliging them to retain and preserve documents under their control.
Engineers were told to "check their documents", which several of those present "understood to mean that they should delete their documents".
The message was repeated at a number of subsequent meetings, one of them attended by 30-40 people and ultimately thousands of documents were deleted.
When the scandal at Volkswagen first came to light, the company's former US chief executive, Michael Horn blamed "a couple of software engineers". It is now clear that many more people were involved, at least some of them in positions of authority, and deliberate attempts were made to cover up wrongdoing.
It is not hard, then, to see why the US authorities have taken such a tough line with the company. But some questions remain unanswered.
We still don't know for certain, for example, whether people at board level knew what was going on.
It's also unclear why the same software that was fitted illegally to 600,000 US vehicles was also present on millions of others sold around the world, including eight million in Europe.
VW continues to maintain that the systems didn't actually break European law - though it is in the process of repairing those vehicles all the same. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38603723 |
Jeremy Bowen: A walk through Aleppo - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen shares his images - and thoughts - from a journey through ruins of Syria's Aleppo. | Middle East | The BBC's Jeremy Bowen walked through the streets of Aleppo from the Umayyad Mosque to city's 13th century Citadel. He said: "Before the war it was a favourite outing for Aleppo's people and their many visitors. On a cold day in winter, in the sixth year of the war, it was bleak and sad." These images were originally posted by Jeremy on Twitter @BowenBBC | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38624237 |
HGV crash spills 12,000 litres of paint on M606 motorway - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Part of the motorway will need resurfacing after the paint spill across the carriageway. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
About 12,000 litres of paint have been spilt over a motorway following an HGV crash in Bradford.
The white paint pooled across the M606 southbound after 12 containers fell off the lorry on Friday night.
The motorway is shut from Staygate to the Euroway industrial estate while a clean-up operation gets under way.
West Yorkshire Police said it was trying to establish what caused the crash. Highways England said the road needed to be resurfaced.
The white paint has pooled across the carriageway after 12 containers fell off the lorry
The paint was said to be hazardous and motorists were advised to find alternative routes
Nigel Fawcett-Jones, from the force, said: "One of the challenges is that it's hazardous to the environment and they can't just flush it down the drain.
"So they are trying their best to find a method to get it off the carriageway and dispose of it in a safe and appropriate manner."
Motorists have been urged to avoid the area.
• None The strangest spillages on our roads
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-38621659 |
Beijing: The city where you can't escape smog - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | China's capital is notorious for its chronic pollution. Even indoors it's a struggle to find clean air, says John Sudworth. | Magazine | China's capital is notorious for its chronic pollution. Even indoors it's a struggle to find clean air, says John Sudworth.
Having already taped most of my windows shut, I have now started on the air conditioning vents. The aim is simple - to close off every access point through which the toxic outside air leaks into our Beijing home.
Even our double-glazing doesn't keep out the smog. The most dangerous constituent, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter - or PM2.5 as it's known - finds a way through the tiniest of gaps where the windows close.
So the only solution there is duct tape.
It's like a re-enactment of a 1970s government information film on surviving a nuclear holocaust. Only it's not radiation we're trying to keep at bay, but the fallout from fossil fuels.
The most useful device in our armoury is our PM2.5 monitor. We have two, one upstairs and one downstairs, which we glance at frequently, and it was their arrival that prompted the frenzy of taping and draught-excluding that continues to this day.
When I first arrived in China, five years ago, there was no way of monitoring the quality of air in our home. Like everyone else, we left it to blind faith that our air purifiers were doing the trick.
It now transpires they weren't. Even now on highly polluted days, we struggle to get our PM2.5 count much below 25 micrograms per cubic meter, the World Health Organization's maximum standard for safe air.
And that's with multiple purifiers running at full tilt, large box-like machines that sit in the corner of every room - two in some - the combined noise output of which is akin to living in the engine room of an aircraft carrier.
Shoppers look at air purifiers in Beijing
China's air pollution problem is now so bad that its effects are measured in more than a million premature deaths a year and markedly reduced life expectancy - an average of more than five years or so - in the worst-affected regions.
Over the past few weeks, a period of particularly acute and prolonged air pollution, the average air quality in Beijing has been well above 200 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic metre - many times the maximum safe limit.
During the worst of it, it's been like living under house arrest, our children confined to the small, deafening but breathable indoor space of our home for days on end.
And across China, the smog becomes a dominant topic on social media, with the population tracking the foulness of the air via mobile phone apps.
One group of Beijing mothers, armed with their own PM2.5 counters, have even been roaming the city in search of shopping malls or cafes with filtered air - and then sharing their discoveries online.
Of course, humanity's dependence on oil and coal long predate China's economic rise. But China offers a vision of environmental degradation far in excess of the pea-souper fogs of 1950s London or Manchester.
For much of the past month the cloud of toxic air hanging over this country has extended for thousands of miles, a giant, continent-sized cocktail of soot from coal fired power stations and car exhausts, smothering the lives and filling the lungs of hundreds of millions of people.
While growing awareness means that more of them are now taking action to protect their health, many others are either not fully informed about the danger or don't have the means to do much about it.
A set of new filters for a single air purifier can cost £100 ($120) or more and needs changing every six months or so.
It is, of course, not a problem only of China's making. The smartphones, computers, TV screens, jeans and shoes that have been pouring out of its factories over the past few decades are cheap, in part at least, precisely because they're made without environmental safeguards.
The interests of the rich world and an unaccountable Chinese Communist elite have neatly dovetailed. The West gets its cheap consumer desirables and China gets rich without the inconvenience of the independent scrutiny, regulation or democratic oversight of other markets.
The true cost is measured by the numbers on my pollution monitors, and it is one being borne disproportionately by ordinary Chinese people.
Following a crackdown on a rare protest against pollution in the central city of Chengdu recently, one blogger dared to speak out in favour of the protesters. The police, he suggested, should bear in mind that the elites, whose interests they protect, have sent their families to breathe clean air overseas.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38587580 |
Newspaper headlines: Theresa May's Brexit battle plan - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May's Brexit plan "could see the UK quit the EU single market" claim many of the front pages. | The Papers | Theresa May's Brexit plan "could see the UK quit the EU single market", according to many of Sunday's front pages.
"May's big gamble on a clean Brexit," is the main headline in the Sunday Telegraph, which reports the content of the prime minister's much-anticipated speech this week is being "closely guarded" by Number 10.
But citing "numerous government sources", the paper says the prime minister is expected to indicate she is prepared to take Britain out of the single market and the customs union.
"She's gone for the full works," a source tells the Sunday Telegraph. "People will know that when she said 'Brexit means Brexit', she really meant it."
The Sunday Times believes Mrs May will try to reassure voters who backed the Remain side, by suggesting that she could strike a transitional deal on Brexit, avoiding "a cliff-edge" for British business.
The Sunday People highlights what it says will be an appeal to everyone to unite behind Mrs May's vision for leaving the EU.
"The victors in the EU referendum have a responsibility to act magnanimously," the paper quotes pre-released extracts from the speech as saying. "The losers have a responsibility to respect the result."
The NHS winter crisis features in some of Sunday's newspapers
The winter crisis in the NHS receives further coverage with the Observer reporting that "a large number of hospitals across the UK" have been cancelling some cancer operations since the start of this year.
The Mail on Sunday leads with the results of a Survation poll, which found that more than three-quarters of 12,000 people surveyed believed money from the foreign aid budget should be diverted to the NHS.
The Sunday Times leads with a suggestion that Donald Trump is planning to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin, within weeks of becoming US President.
It says he hopes to emulate Ronald Reagan's Cold-War deal-making with Mikhail Gorbachev.
On its front page, the Observer carries a claim by the former Foreign Office minister, Chris Bryant, who says he's "certain" Russia is targeting senior British politicians, to try to find out potentially compromising details about their private lives.
On the letters page of the Sunday Telegraph, 50 Conservative MPs urge the government to bring in tougher strike laws. They want walkouts on "critical public infrastructure", such as train and bus services, to be banned unless a judge decides the action is proportionate.
The Sun on Sunday reports that the rail company Southern is preparing to recruit 200 part-time drivers to keep trains running during strikes.
First it was "trousergate", in which Theresa May's "high-end" wardrobe choices caused a storm, now she is to grace the pages of the world's most influential fashion bible. This is according to the Mail on Sunday, which reveals that the prime minister has posed for the renowned photographer, Annie Leibovitz, in a fashion shoot for American Vogue.
The Sun on Sunday says the aim is to make the Theresa May appear "more personable" to British voters.
But the Mail on Sunday takes a different view and says it is part of a Downing Street strategy to cosy up to the new administration in the White House, after being "wrong-footed" by the presidential election result.
"Theresa knows she needs to raise her profile in the US," a source tells the paper. "The Vogue shoot will form a central part of Operation Trump." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38626281 |
Oxford University rejection letter turned into art - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A student who was rejected from Oxford University turns her letter into a piece of abstract art. | Oxford | Claudia Vulliamy had applied to Wadham College at Oxford University to study Classics; upon receiving her rejection letter she turned it into a piece of art
A piece of abstract art made from a student's rejection letter from Oxford University has gone viral on Twitter.
Claudia Vulliamy, from London, applied to study classics in September at Wadham College.
But when the 18-year-old received her rejection letter, she "thought it would be funny" to use it to create a piece of artwork.
A picture of the piece published on Twitter has been retweeted 48,000 times.
Her mother Louisa Saunders said: "Between that time [she told me she had been rejected] and when I got back from work, she had made this artwork.
"I thought it was very funny and very spirited, and obviously I was glad she wasn't feeling to sad about it."
The picture has been liked on Twitter 153,000 times and has sparked a lot of reactions from students who were rejected from Oxbridge.
Miss Vulliamy said there wasn't a message behind the artwork initially.
She added: "I just thought I had this letter, it's not often that you get a letter dedicated to you from Oxford.
"It's very meaningful, so I thought it would be funny if I made it into something."
Louisa Saunders, left, said she was amazed by the response to her daughter's artwork on social media
Ms Saunders said some people on social media were comparing the painting to works by Piet Mondrian.
The student, who has been accepted to Durham University, said: "In retrospect I quite like how it is interpreted as Oxbridge doesn't determine everything, I like that it's cheered people up.
"I hadn't set my heart on Oxford I'm happy I got an offer from Durham."
• None Will more schools select by ability?
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-38629172 |
Sports hall roof collapses during match in Czech Republic - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | A sports hall roof collapses during a floorball game in the Czech Republic city of Ceska Trebova. | null | A sports hall roof collapsed on Saturday evening during a floorball game in the Czech Republic city of Ceska Trebova.
No one was injured by the failure, though two people were hurt escaping the collapsing building. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38632441 |
Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores a late equaliser as Manchester United earn a draw against rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late equaliser earned Manchester United a point they fully deserved after a typically thunderous encounter with Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Liverpool led through James Milner's 27th-minute penalty, awarded after Paul Pogba inexplicably handled a corner as he went up to challenge Dejan Lovren.
Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was Liverpool's hero with superb first-half saves from Ibrahimovic's free-kick and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, as Jurgen Klopp's side put up stern resistance and threatened on the break.
It looked like the visitors were going to hold on and move back to second in the Premier League, but United finally forced the goal they merited when Antonio Valencia reacted first when substitute Marouane Fellaini's header came back off the post, crossing for Ibrahimovic to head home off the bar.
Liverpool are now in third place, seven points adrift of top-flight leaders Chelsea, while United - whose nine-match winning run in all competitions came to an end - are now 12 points off the top.
Reds boss Klopp had no hesitation in restoring Mignolet in goal, despite the midweek heroics of Loris Karius in defeat in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg at Southampton.
Klopp has decided, for now at least, that the Belgium international is his first choice - and Mignolet demonstrated exactly why on Sunday.
Mignolet's decision-making has often been questioned, but he has always been capable of making outstanding saves. And so it proved in this draw.
He rescued Liverpool twice in the first half with a brilliant reflex save from Ibrahimovic's fierce free-kick and a decisive advance from goal to make a one-handed block from Mkhitaryan.
Klopp has had to make big decisions with his keepers this season - and this one was fully justified by Mignolet.
Ibrahimovic may be 35 and in the twilight of a wonderful career - but he is the new talisman of Manchester United and the leader of Mourinho's team.
This may not have been the former Sweden striker's best performance of the season but he was still the man who made the difference and produced the decisive contribution when United needed him.
Ibrahimovic brings a winner's mentality to Old Trafford and it showed when he raced back to the centre circle after his 19th goal of a stellar season, finger pointing to the skies before whirling his arms around demanding more noise and support from United's fans in the closing moments.
He has now scored 14 goals in his first 20 Premier League games since joining last summer - the same total as Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, former Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, and ex-Coventry City forward Micky Quinn.
Pogba's Manchester United career has been a slow-burner - but he has come into his own throughout United's recent run of victories.
This, however, will be a game he will surely want to forget as quickly as possible as the £89m man endured a nightmare from first to last.
Pogba revealed his own emoji before the game, but he will have wanted to keep his profile as low as possible after needlessly conceding a penalty and missing a clear chance when he raced through earlier in the first half.
The 23-year-old France midfielder is a player of undoubted quality but this was not his finest 90 minutes.
This was a match short on high quality but one that still had plenty of action and incident to keep the capacity Old Trafford crowd occupied to the final whistle.
Liverpool - who, despite keeper Mignolet's fine work, had opportunities themselves in the second half, especially when Roberto Firmino forced a save from David de Gea - even had a chance to win the game after Ibrahimovic's late leveller.
Georginio Wijnaldum missed that good chance, so honours were even in a game that had plenty of talking points.
Referee Michael Oliver was a central figure in two second-half incidents that could have brought red cards from the official.
United substitute Wayne Rooney was lucky to escape serious punishment for an ugly challenge on James Milner that left his former England team-mate requiring lengthy treatment.
And Firmino was also arguably fortunate to receive only a yellow card for a two-handed shove on Ander Herrera, referee Oliver perhaps taking his frustration into account because he was reacting to being crudely dragged back by the shirt by the United midfield man as he tried to break free.
Oliver will also have noted the extremely theatrical reaction from Herrera as he fell to the ground, an incident which brought the two managers together on the touchline. This may well have helped him come to his decision.
Some will accuse Oliver of leniency but both Jose Mourinho and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp appeared to feel he had handled the incidents sensibly - other officials may not have reacted in the same fashion.
What they said:
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "I didn't think the game had super quality. We didn't reflect the qualities we have and Liverpool have - but it was very emotional, intense, aggressive. We fought until the last second.
"They were clever. They took their time, they know how to play football and control the emotions of the game. They knew they would be in trouble in the final few minutes.
"We were the team that attacked and Liverpool were the team that defended - let's see if the critics are fair. I enjoyed it but I will obviously be disappointed we didn't get the three points."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: "In the end period of the game when United started playing long balls after 80 minutes of high intense football it is really hard.
"I hoped we would have a bit of luck, unfortunately not but all good. Tomorrow I can enjoy the result, but tonight only the performance.
"It is so intense. They play long balls, it was a wild game. There was a lot of action in the last few minutes. We were here to win the game, which is why we we are not 100% satisfied."
• None Only Dwight Yorke and Ruud van Nistelrooy (15) scored more goals for Manchester United in their first 20 Premier League games than Ibrahimovic's 14.
• None Liverpool have scored six penalties at Old Trafford - the most by a team on an opposition ground in the Premier League.
• None Milner has scored his past 10 penalties in the Premier League, including all seven for Liverpool.
• None The former England international has lost none of the 46 top-flight games in which he has scored (37 wins), equalling the record held by ex-Aston Villa forward Darius Vassell.
• None Wayne Rooney became the 17th outfield player to play 450 Premier League games.
• None Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has lost just one of his seven matches against a side managed by Jose Mourinho, winning three.
• None This is the first time since the 1987-88 season that both league games between these sides ended as a draw.
Liverpool are in FA Cup action when they travel to League Two side Plymouth Argyle for a third-round replay at 19:45 GMT on Wednesday. Their next league game is at home against Swansea at 12:30 on Saturday, with Manchester United visiting Stoke City at 15:00 on the same day.
• None Attempt blocked. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Emre Can.
• None Ander Herrera (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Offside, Manchester United. Paul Pogba tries a through ball, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic is caught offside.
• None Emre Can (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
• None Attempt blocked. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
• None Goal! Manchester United 1, Liverpool 1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) header from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Antonio Valencia.
• None Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) hits the right post with a header from very close range. Assisted by Wayne Rooney with a cross.
• None Offside, Manchester United. Juan Mata tries a through ball, but Wayne Rooney is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38545987 |
Pep Guardiola: Man City too far behind Chelsea after Everton loss - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Boss Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are too far behind to challenge Premier League leaders Chelsea after a 4-0 loss at Everton. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester City are out of the Premier League title race after a 4-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
City are now 10 points behind leaders Chelsea after defeat on Merseyside - the heaviest league loss in Guardiola's managerial career.
Asked if the gap was too great, he said: "Yes. Ten is a lot of points."
Guardiola, 45, has told his players to unite "in the bad moments" and "forget the table" until the end of the season.
He added: "At the end of the season, we are going to evaluate our level and how our performance was, how the coach was, how the players were. After that we are going to decide."
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss insisted he was "so happy in Manchester" despite his side sitting fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.
• None Analysis: Why defending is not Pep's only problem
• None Listen: 'City don't have an outstanding goalkeeper at the moment'
Guardiola watched City dominate possession on Merseyside but concede four from the six shots they faced.
Only five teams have a lower haul than their four clean sheets in the league - BBC Radio 5 live pundit Robbie Savage said City "cannot defend" and questioned if Guardiola would now change his style.
City are the only team in the Premier League to have over 50% of possession in every game this season but they have now conceded from the first shot they have faced in four of their last seven games.
Guardiola added: "I said to the players be positive because you made some fantastic things during the season and for many reasons we didn't get what I think we deserved.
"In the bad moments we have to be close. It's awful for my players. We created chances but don't score and when they have a chance, they punish us."
Everton scored with their first two shots through Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas, with Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman completing the rout.
Stones in the spotlight - again
Lookman's goal came after a John Stones clearance was charged down, throwing the young defender again under the spotlight.
It was Stones' first visit to Goodison Park since leaving Everton for City in a £47.5m deal last summer.
The 22-year-old has been criticised for making too many mistakes, and former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville believes he is being unfairly singled out.
However, fellow pundit Alan Shearer told Match of the Day 2: "John Stones did have a nightmare. He is 22 now, he has played nearly 100 Premier League games and everyone keeps saying to me and to the rest of the football world, that he is going to be a top player.
"If I'm a centre forward, a young guy and I keep on missing chances, I don't expect to be in the team. Eventually you are going to get left out. I keep seeing Stones making mistakes too often, too many times."
City's next outing is a home encounter with second-placed Tottenham, who are on a run of six league wins. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38631162 |
Women's March on Washington: The 'pussyhats' explained - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | A group of LA knitters is helping prepare for a demonstration in Washington next week, triggered by language used in the US election campaign. | null | A group of LA knitters is helping prepare for a demonstration in Washington next week, triggered by language used in the US election campaign. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38625901 |
A big stop for America's big top - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | The "Greatest Show on Earth", the Ringling Bros circus, will cease to be in May. | null | The "Greatest Show on Earth", the Ringling Bros circus, will cease to be in May. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38628964 |
Conversations with a hacker: What Guccifer 2.0 told me - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Who is behind the persona that US spy chiefs say is at the heart of the Russian hacking allegations? | BBC Trending | US intelligence agencies dispute that Guccifer 2.0 is just one individual
Who or what is Guccifer 2.0? US intelligence agencies believe the mysterious hacker persona was central to efforts to interfere with last year's American election and responsible for distributing hacked documents that embarrassed the Democratic Party. But now Guccifer 2.0 has broken a two-month silence to deny any connection to Russia. In the run up to Donald Trump's victory, BBC Trending's Mike Wendling struck up an online dialogue with Guccifer 2.0 to try to probe the hacker's motives.
It turned out that talking to one of the world's most notorious hackers was easier than you might think. Just send him a tweet.
In the summer of 2016 the hacker, going by the name Guccifer 2.0, leaked a trove of documents from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to Wikileaks, which then made the material public.
The revelations were embarrassing for the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign, and resulted in the resignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz.
Although Guccifer 2.0 took his name from a Romanian hacker - the original Guccifer hacked emails belonging to American and Romanian officials, and is currently in prison - suspicion immediately fell on Russia.
Metadata attached to the leaked documents was in Russian not Romanian. Analysts determined that Guccifer 2.0 had used a Russian server. A host of security experts traced the leak to Russian intelligence.
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a journalist with Vice's Motherboard, chatted with the hacker in Romanian in the days after the DNC hack. The problem was, Guccifer didn't seem to speak the language very well.
"He did answer some questions in Romanian," but the answers were very basic, Franceschi-Bicchierai told BBC Trending.
"I showed those answers to people who did speak Romanian and they all agreed he wasn't a Romanian speaker," Franceschi-Bicchierai says. "We later put the conversation to linguists and not everyone agreed that he was a Russian speaker but he was definitely not a native Romanian speaker."
Listen to more on this story on BBC Trending radio on the BBC World Service.
During our exchanges in October - and until the present day - Guccifer 2.0 continued to deny having anything to do with Russia.
He also claimed to have more incriminating documents on Hillary Clinton - documents which he urged me to publish.
The information was sent to me via encrypted email. But despite the cloak-and-dagger presentation, the material was ultimately disappointing - a mishmash of old stories, publically available documents which were rather dull, and others which were obvious forgeries.
I asked him about his motivations. He said he believed that people have the right to know what's going on in the election process.
Trying to get friendly journalists to write sympathetic stories is a common tactic of Russia's online intelligence operations, says Lee Foster of FireEye, one of the big computer security firms which has been looking into the Guccifer 2.0 hacks.
"This is actually something that we've coined 'direct advocacy'," Foster says. "These false hactivists reach out to journalists but also other individuals, security blogs, and so on to get them to publicise the activity that they've been engaged in and sometimes even to spin particular narratives around those leaks as well."
Foster says he's highly confident that the Russian authorities are behind the Guccifer persona. For its part, Moscow denies being behind the leaks, and Julian Assange of Wikileaks says Russia wasn't the source of the leaked DNC emails.
After that, he stopped responding to my messages.
In the run-up to the US election in November, Guccifer warned that the Democrats would attempt to rig the vote. But after Donald Trump's victory, he went silent.
Last week US intelligence chiefs released a declassified version of a report which has been presented to President Obama and President-Elect Trump.
One of the report's key judgements read: "We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks."
It added: "Guccifer 2.0, who claimed to be an independent Romanian hacker, made multiple contradictory statements and false claims about his likely Russian identity throughout the election. Press reporting suggests more than one person claiming to be Guccifer 2.0 interacted with journalists."
So could there be several people involved in operating the Guccifer 2.0 persona? Lee Foster from FireEye believes so.
"It may be one person who actually looks after the twitter account or it may be part of a team," he told Trending. "But what we certainly can say based on the scale of the activity that we're seeing - that encompasses everything from this initial breach all the way through to the creation of these fake personas to push the information through to the trolling activity trying to push narratives around these leaks - this is not a one person effort. There's quite clearly a concerted and very well resourced and frankly sophisticated operation that is making all of this stuff come together."
Late on Thursday, Guccifer broke his two-month silence to respond to the US intelligence agencies report. "Here I am again, my friends!" he announced on his blog.
"I'd like to make it clear enough that these accusations are unfounded," the hacker wrote. "I have totally no relation to the Russian government. I'd like to tell you once again I was acting in accordance with my personal political views and beliefs."
Several observers noted that Guccifer's English had markedly improved.
Donald Trump has promised a full report on hacking within 90 days of taking office.
Lee Foster from FireEye says we shouldn't get too hung up on the Guccifer 2.0 brand.
"What doesn't really matter here is the personas themselves. What matters is to what extent does type of activity continue and potentially expand as well. We're already on the trolling side seeing a redirection towards European elections coming up, particularly France and Germany in 2017," he says.
After the report, and his blog re-emergence, I tried once more to contact Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter.
Next story: 'Why I dropped the case against the man who groped me'
Samya Gupta, a 21-year-old law student from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was napping on a seat near the back of a bus when she felt something on her breasts. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38610402 |
Morse code torch signal helps man who broke his leg - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The army reservist used his torch to signal for help to his wife. | Dorset | Army reservist Tim Robinson used a miniature torch to signal to his wife
An army reservist who broke his leg on a Dorset beach used Morse code with his torch to signal for help.
Sgt Tim Robinson was walking under Golden Cap, east of Lyme Regis, when he slipped on some seaweed.
As it was getting dark, Sgt Robinson, who was visiting from Derbyshire, used his torch to signal "SOS" in Morse code to his wife, more than a mile away.
The 54-year-old reservist, who has done three tours in the Middle East was taken to Dorset County Hospital.
Sgt Robinson was walking on his own on the Jurassic Coast when he slipped, fell and broke his leg on Saturday 7 January.
He was two miles away from the nearest town and did not have a mobile phone on him.
He said: "I stepped on some seaweed and slipped, then my leg snapped.
"I fell backwards and I heard it go with a large crack, my foot was at a 45 degree angle.
Sgt Robinson was walking near Seatown in Dorset when he broke his leg
"[There's a] moment of disbelief and denial, and then you pull yourself together and think, 'what have I got with me and what am I going to do?'."
He staggered and crawled for about two hours before he took out his miniature torch and began signalling towards his hotel, where he hoped his wife would be looking for him.
The reservist regimentally signalled the SOS Morse code and then swung the torch over his head - a technique army officers use to signal helicopters. He then crawled 50 yards.
He repeated the process three times before his wife found him by following the signals. She then called the emergency services.
He was taken by lifeboat to Lyme Regis before being transferred by ambulance to hospital.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-38629170 |
Timothy Spall on playing Holocaust denier David Irving - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | Denial is a film about the renegade British historian David Irving, accused of denying the Holocaust. | null | Denial is a film about the renegade British historian David Irving, accused of denying the Holocaust.
Timothy Spall spoke to Andrew Marr about the challenges of playing the role: "He is isolated in his views so that does have its effect on you". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38627875 |
Corbyn: 'Chancellor's threats risk trade war with Europe' - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | Jeremy Corbyn says that comments by the chancellor that corporation tax could be cut could be a "recipe for a trade war with Europe." | null | Jeremy Corbyn has said comments by the Chancellor Philip Hammond on Brexit were the wrong approach, and suggestions that corporation tax could be cut could be a "recipe for some kind of trade war with Europe". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38627671 |
US troops welcomed by Poland - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | A deployment of 3,000 US soldiers is welcomed by Poland's prime minister and local residents. | null | A deployment of 3,000 US soldiers has been welcomed by Poland's prime minister and local residents.
The move was a response to concerns over a more aggressive Russia, but Moscow said the troops would destabilise Europe. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38624809 |
Britain's first beauty queen Ivy Close is back in the frame - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ivy Close, Britain's first beauty queen, had a spectacular rise and fall. Now she's back in the limelight. | Entertainment & Arts | Sir Arthur Hacker's portrait of Ivy Close was on the front page of the Daily Mirror in 1908
Ivy Close won Britain's first national beauty contest, was a trailblazing actress and the matriarch of one of Britain's most illustrious showbusiness dynasties. She faded into obscurity - but her great-grandson, who created Downton Abbey, has put her back in the spotlight.
When 17-year-old Ivy Close charmed the country in the first nationwide beauty competition, the press swooned over her "exquisite loveliness".
Part of her prize - along with a new Rover motorcar - was to have her portrait exhibited at the Royal Academy in London.
That picture, showing Close with rosy cheeks and wispy curls, also took up the entire front page of the Daily Mirror - which had run the contest - on 4 May 1908.
Ivy Close beat 15,000 other entrants to win the Daily Mirror's beauty contest
"She's effectively the first British beauty queen," says her great-grandson Gareth Neame, a Bafta-winning TV producer who came up with the concept for Downton and made The Hollow Crown and Hotel Babylon.
"And there was then a competition between the winner in Britain and the winner in the US, and she ended up winning that one. So I often say she was effectively the first ever Miss World."
The portrait, by Sir Arthur Hacker, has now been restored thanks to a donation from Mr Neame and is hanging in the refurbished Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, which reopened on Friday to coincide with Hull becoming UK City of Culture.
It is a return to the limelight for one of Britain's first modern celebrities, whose career took the firework trajectory that has been followed by many celebrities over the decades since.
Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, Close beat 15,000 other hopefuls to the beauty contest title, which was awarded by nine famous artists on the Daily Mirror's Beauty Adjudication Committee (yes, really).
She became an instant star and there was "an overwhelming rush for copies" of a special commemorative edition of the paper that featured Close in "a variety of charming poses".
The portrait now has a prominent spot in Hull's Ferens gallery
Just as she charmed the Beauty Adjudication Committee, Close also caught the eye of society photographer Elwin Neame, who had photographed the finalists.
Two years later, her picture filled the Daily Mirror front page again - this time in her wedding dress.
Inside, the paper reported how a large crowd had gathered outside the church where she had married Elwin Neame, and how she had been accompanied by a "best girl", as opposed to a best man.
In her film debut two years later, directed by her husband and filmed in their house, she played a model posing as figures from famous paintings.
She went on to star in a long list of films that decade and set up her own production company, which was not uncommon for a successful actress in the silent era.
Gareth Neame (right) with Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes and actress Elizabeth McGovern
"It's a well-trodden path, to have gone from being a model to an actress, and she went to America to be in the movies before Hollywood was even invented," Gareth Neame explains.
"She went to America in about 1917 and went to Jacksonville in Florida, which was one of the centres of film-making back then, and she was in a company of actors along with Oliver Hardy."
After that, Close's films included the 1923 French epic La Roue, of which Jean Cocteau said: "There is cinema before and after La Roue, as there is painting before and after Picasso."
Gareth Neame says: "I've got it on DVD so I'm able to watch my great-grandmother as a young woman as the lead in a silent movie. She was a reputable actress with some career."
But her life took a tragic turn the same year when Elwin Neame was killed in a motorcycle accident. "It must have been quite a tough life, having lost her husband so young," Gareth Neame says.
"My grandfather [Ronald] was at boarding school, but just one year in, at the age of 14, he had to be pulled out because there wasn't the money to pay the fees any more."
Gareth Neame is the son of Christopher Neame (left) and grandson of Ronald Neame (centre)
Meanwhile, with the arrival of talking movies, Close's acting roles were drying up. "Like the film The Artist, about the end of the silent film era, I think she was one of the people that fell foul of that.
"I'm not sure her accent quite fitted in with American audiences, and when talking pictures came in, that was really the end of her career."
She did pantomime and minor films, but had fallen off the radar by the end of the 1920s. If there was a Celebrity Big Brother in 1931, she would surely have done it.
Gareth Neame was a toddler when Close died in 1968. "I never knew the lady, but she was quite a big figure in the family by all accounts.
"Like a lot of people in showbusiness, as she got older she was probably slightly curmudgeonly and thought 'it's not the way that it used to be'.
"It must have been very interesting to have been this very beautiful young starlet and very famous, and then talking pictures come along and your career starts to fade."
Her career may have faded, but the family dynasty she and Elwin Neame launched is still going strong.
Ronald Neame went into the family business, and went on to direct The Poseidon Adventure and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (with an Oscar-winning turn by future Downton Abbey star Dame Maggie Smith) and co-write Brief Encounter.
Ronald's son Christopher Neame was a Bafta-nominated writer and producer, meaning Gareth is the fourth generation to have success in the TV and film industries.
His father and grandfather knew about the portrait of Ivy Close, but did not know where it had ended up after being shown at the Royal Academy.
An online art database, ArtUK, meant Gareth Neame could track it down easily. He got in touch with the Ferens curator, who told him it had not been exhibited for several years because it needed restoration - and pointed him in the direction of their Adopt A Painting scheme.
"It's very nice to be able to make a charitable gift for something that brings back a piece of art into public view, and because of my family association with it," he says.
But restoring the painting is not the only way he has kept her memory alive. "I put a little reference to her when we made Downton Abbey," he reveals.
"We had a scene where a couple of the servants went to the pictures and they were coming back from having seen a film that Ivy Close was in. It was a little in-joke for me."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38597069 |
The yoga classes helping prisoners in South Africa - BBC News | 2017-01-15 | null | Why the South African jail where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned is holding yoga classes for inmates. | null | How yoga is helping prisoners tackle stress at one of the most notorious prisons in South Africa. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38607987 |
Mastermind: Wales rugby legend Adam Jones appears on BBC quiz show - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Watch Wales rugby legend Adam Jones take his place in the famous black chair as he appears on the classic BBC quiz show, Mastermind. | null | Watch Wales rugby legend Adam Jones take his place in the famous black chair as he appears on the classic BBC quiz show, Mastermind. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38625711 |
Australian Open 2017: Andy Murray & Johanna Konta lead British challenge - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Andy Murray and Johanna Konta could both win the Australian Open, but the British supporting cast is not here to make up the numbers. | null | Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra plus TV highlights on BBC Two from 21 Jan; live text on selected matches on BBC Sport website.
Andy Murray says it feels no different to enter the Australian Open as the world number one. A few players do now address him as 'Sir' - but that, he says, is with tongue firmly in cheek.
The challenge, though, remains as tough as ever. Murray has lost five finals in Melbourne in the past seven years, while Novak Djokovic - now the number two - has won the title six times in all.
Murray struck an important blow by beating his lifelong rival at the World Tour Finals to end 2016 at the top of the rankings; but earlier this month, the Serb hit back to win the Qatar Open in Doha and halt Murray's winning streak at 28 in a match of nearly three hours.
Murray is expecting another gruelling clash should they meet in the final here in Melbourne on 29 January.
"The way that we both play, we can't just hit through each other in one shot," the Scot said.
• None How to follow the Australian Open on the BBC
"It takes a few big shots to win points, so if we're playing well they tend to be long, physical matches.
"Doha was good because I was able to see how well I recovered from it: first week of the year, you can be a bit stiff and sore. I pulled up pretty well, so it was positive."
Much may depend on the energy they expend in the early rounds of the competition. The draw does not appear to leave either at a significant advantage, so at 29, Murray has as good a chance as ever of winning his first Australian Open title.
In the women's draw, there is a real opportunity for a top-20 player without a Grand Slam title to break their duck at this Australian Open. Britain's Johanna Konta is as well equipped as any.
The 25-year-old, who will be ninth in Monday's world rankings, is on a high after winning her second WTA title in Sydney on Friday, but it does mean she has had little time to rest before a challenging first week.
Her draw appears brutal (although she will not thank you for telling her, as she prefers not to look beyond the first match).
If Konta can beat 2013 Wimbledon semi-finalist Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium in the first round, she might then have to face the aggressive talent of Japanese 19-year-old Naomi Osaka in the second round and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the third.
Konta's decision at the end of last season to part company with coach Esteban Carril, so soon after the sudden death of her mental coach Juan Coto, was a big surprise.
The WTA's most improved player of 2016 was 150 in the world when she started working with Carril, but my understanding is the two were unable to agree financial terms for the year ahead.
It is a sign of Konta's standing in the game that she has been able to attract one of the best in the business as a replacement. Wim Fissette is just 36 - but already has a sparkling CV.
The Belgian was coach to Kim Clijsters when she won three of her Grand Slam titles, and has also coached Sabine Lisicki and Simona Halep to Grand Slam finals. A flourishing partnership with Victoria Azarenka only ended when the Belarusian announced she was taking a break from the sport because she was pregnant.
Konta and Fissette agreed to work together after a trial week at Patrick Mouratoglou's Academy in Nice in the week before Christmas. Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, rates Fissette highly.
"He's worked with some of the best players on tour so he has the experience and I think he's still fresh," he said.
"He's young, so he still has the motivation which is something very important because when you get older, a lot of guys don't want to travel that much. He's one of the best on tour, so I think it's a good pick."
Supporting cast no longer just make up the numbers
At last year's US Open, Dan Evans made the third round, and fellow Briton Kyle Edmund the fourth.
Edmund, 22, is now a top-50 player, and Evans just a single place adrift after he appeared in his maiden ATP final in Sydney on Saturday.
Evans' creative talents have long been on show, but his consistency is now far greater and even in the defeat by Luxembourg's Gilles Muller the 5ft 9in player showed his serve can still pack a punch.
All of the 26-year-old's matches bar the final in Sydney went to three sets, so sustaining his form in the opening week in Melbourne will be tough - especially with a Monday start.
Evans, who faces Argentina's Facundo Bagnis in the first round, says it is positive that the matches are coming thick and fast and he was grateful for the private jet laid on by Tennis Australia for the journey to Melbourne on Saturday night.
Edmund, meanwhile, has developed the useful knack of halving his world ranking on an annual basis. Every year, the challenge gets tougher, but he now stands at 46 in the world and in Brisbane earlier this month featured in his fifth ATP quarter-final since the start of last year.
His forehand is one of the most powerful in the world, his net game much improved, and the physical problems which have undermined him in five-set matches hopefully now a thing of the past.
Cramp proved his undoing in the first round of last year's Australian Open, and Edmund will once again have to deal with temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius for his first-round match against Colombia's Santiago Giraldo on Tuesday.
It was not a year to remember in 2016 for Aljaz Bedene, who nearly decided to walk away from the sport last summer. His love of tennis deserted him - something he relates directly to the International Tennis Federation's rejection of his appeal against his ineligibility to play Davis Cup for Great Britain.
"I honestly didn't want to play tennis, I didn't want to think about tennis," Slovenian-born Bedene, 27, said.
With his love of the game seemingly restored, Bedene faces Victor Estrella Burgos in the opening round. There is no finer example of the perils of retiring too young than the man from the Dominican Republic, who cracked the top 100 for the first time at the age of 33.
Watson and Broady hope to upset their hosts
The other two British players in the draw face seeded Australians in the opening round.
Heather Watson, 24, has fallen to 75 in the world after a promising start to last year, but will be in the Margaret Court Arena for her match against Sam Stosur.
Australia's highest women's seed is the 2011 US Open champion, but has a poor record in Melbourne where in 15 years she has reached the fourth round just twice.
Naomi Broady, 26, takes on an Australian who made a name for herself here last year. Daria Gavrilova beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova en route to the fourth round in the first Australian Open she had contested since switching nationalities from Russia.
Broady, at 95 in the world, is competing in her first main draw in Melbourne and can never be discounted given the potency of her serve.
The one high profile name missing from the main draw is Laura Robson, whose defeat in the first round of qualifying was her seventh in a row. In truth, it was a hugely erratic performance undermined by a chronic loss of confidence.
Robson is still only 22, though, and working seriously for the first time with a sports psychologist. A run of Challenger tournaments in France and Germany will provide a better clue to what 2017 holds in store - and whether she will be part of the debate once the French Open rolls around in four months' time. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38615193 |
Man Utd v Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp expects Old Trafford 'fight' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expects a "fight" in Sunday's "special" Premier League trip to rivals Manchester United. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, text commentary on the BBC Sport website, highlights on MOTD 2 at 22:00 on BBC Two (22:30 in Northern Ireland)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his team are preparing for a "fight" in Sunday's "special" Premier League game at rivals Manchester United.
The Reds go to Old Trafford fourth in the table and without a win in three matches, while Jose Mourinho's sixth-placed United side are unbeaten in 15.
Asked about the game's significance, Klopp said: "I hear it when I talk to different people.
"It's very, very big - but my players know their responsibilities."
Liverpool are eight points behind leaders Chelsea after Saturday's fixtures and their most recent match was a 1-0 defeat by Southampton in their EFL Cup semi-final first leg, which Klopp said they should have lost by more.
"Because of our last game it is like, 'oh my God, and now it's Manchester United' - but we will be competitive," added the 49-year-old German.
"There is a moment when you realise this is really different, but we will realise too that we are Liverpool, so let's show this.
"Everyone who wants to see a real fight for a result, yeah, watch it. It is a special game."
• None 'A strut and a swagger' - why Pogba is looking like the real deal
In-form United are five points behind Liverpool and last time out beat Hull 2-0 - their ninth victory in a row - in the other EFL Cup semi-final first leg.
"Nobody is nervous, everybody wants to play," said Mourinho.
"I am sure Jurgen is the same and Liverpool's players are the same, so let's make a big match. It is three points, plus the emotional side of it."
The 53-year-old Portuguese recently asked United fans to be more vocal at Old Trafford, and he repeated the sentiment when explaining his take on one of British football's most iconic fixtures.
"The fans understand the feeling better than I do - but I've been here for a few months and I understand the dimension of this rivalry," he said.
"Now it is just a question of them trying to give us extra in a match that for them means a little bit more. They have to make us feel that feeling."
Manchester United and Liverpool will be looking to their game-changing players to shape the latest episode of this fierce rivalry.
United manager Mourinho will want Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to demonstrate once more the partnership - helped by the stabilising midfield influence of Michael Carrick - that they have shown so far this season while Liverpool counterpart Klopp will hope fit-again Phillipe Coutinho can give side his that extra dimension.
Two players who will also have a significant influence on who comes out on top will be United's Carrick and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who Klopp will hope is available to start after a heel injury.
Liverpool look more vulnerable without Henderson, who has grown into a mature and outstanding midfield anchor this season.
The likes of Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Coutinho will splash colours on the canvas - but the importance of more understated players like Carrick and Henderson cannot be underestimated on Sunday.
Manchester United got a 0-0 draw at Anfield in October in a game that was basically a Jose Mourinho masterpiece. His gameplan was to restrict Liverpool to relatively few chances - and it worked.
United will be far more ambitious in attack at Old Trafford, however, and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has some big decisions to make over the fitness of some of his players.
This is a massive game for both teams and I think it will end up with a point apiece.
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European Champions Cup: Racing 92 34-3 Leicester - BBC Sport | 2017-01-15 | null | Leicester's hopes of reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals end with an error-strewn loss at Racing 92. | null | Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Leicester's hopes of reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals ended with an error-strewn loss at Racing 92.
Racing, the 2016 runners-up, had been winless in this year's campaign but led through tries from Xavier Chauveau, Marc Andreu and Gerbrandt Grobler.
A penalty try and Andreu's second after the break, along with nine points from the boot of Dan Carter, consigned the Tigers to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Leicester's European season will conclude against Glasgow on Saturday.
The Scottish club could still progress from Pool 1 should they win at Welford Road, with Munster already assured of their place in the last eight.
Aaron Mauger has now lost both of his games in charge of Tigers since becoming interim director of rugby following Richard Cockerill's sacking.
And there were few positives to take from a careless performance against a team that are struggling in the bottom half of the French league.
Chauveau set Racing on their way with a finish after the hosts' pack had pinned Leicester on their own line and Andreu ran in under the posts when he picked up Matt Smith's stray pass.
Freddie Burns' penalty gave Tigers their only points of the match but the visitors' night was summed up when Mathew Tait fumbled Carter's missed penalty and knocked on behind his own posts - handing Racing a penalty scrum that allowed Grobler to sneak over.
Tigers continued to wither under the power of the Parisian club's pack and Will Evans conceded a penalty try when he tackled a driving maul - the flanker was sin-binned for his contribution.
With Racing losing Antonie Claassen to a yellow card, Dan Cole thought he had scored for Leicester, but the television match official was unable to determine if the ball had been touched down.
And the Premiership side's misery was compounded late on when Andreu finished a slick move in the corner.
Leicester director of rugby Aaron Mauger: "It was frustrating and disappointing. We just didn't front up.
"Everything we talked about in the week in terms of preparation we just didn't do.
"We talked about winning the collisions and getting quick ball but I thought Racing were very good in that area. We weren't very good there and in defence we let them open up channels.
"With guys like Dan Carter in the team, they're too good."
Replacements: Afatia for Ben Arous (62), Chat for Lacombe (56), Tameifuna for Ducalcon (62), Williams for Van Der Merwe (54), Missoup for Fa'aso'o (71).
Replacements: Roberts for Smith (62), Kitto for Burns (72), Harrison for B. Youngs (72), Bateman for Genge (77), Cilliers for Cole (66), Fitzgerald for Slater (41), Hamilton for Evans (55).
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