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Oscars 2017: Best actress nominees - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A look at the best actress nominees for the 89th Academy Awards on 26 February 2017. | Entertainment & Arts | Find out more about the nominees for the 89th Academy Awards, which will take place on 26 February 2017.
The character: Michele Leblanc, the head of a video game company, who is raped in her home.
The critics said: "Huppert gives a performance of imperious fury, holding the audience at bay, almost goading us to disown her. Audaciously, Elle presents her not so much as a victim but as the casualty of a world she is very much a part of; maybe (still more troublingly) an accessory to." [The Guardian]
The character: Mildred Loving, whose interracial marriage to Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton), led to the couple's arrest and banishment from the US state of Virginia in the 1950s.
The critics said: "When her expressive eyes, usually downcast, rise up to confront a world that needs changing, it's impossible not to be moved. The stabbing simplicity of Negga's acting is breathtaking." [Rolling Stone]
The character: Jackie Kennedy, whose husband President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Oscar record: Portman won best actress for Black Swan in 2011 and was nominated for best supporting actress for Closer in 2005.
The critics said: "Portman's intricate performance... may just trump her Oscar-winning turn in Black Swan as the most high-wire feat she's ever pulled off." [Variety]
The character: Mia Dolan, an aspiring actress working in a Los Angeles coffee shop.
Oscar record: Nominated for best supporting actress for Birdman in 2015.
The critics said: "This is a career-best moment for Stone, who is grounded and spunky as the scrappy aspiring actress, then graceful and poised as Mia continues her journey." [Cinema Blend]
The character: Streep plays Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having an awful singing voice.
Oscar record: Streep has 19 previous Oscar nominations and has won three times - twice as best actress, for The Iron Lady (2012) and Sophie's Choice (1983), and once as best supporting actress, in Kramer vs Kramer (1980).
The critics said: "Ms Streep is a delight, hilarious when she's singing and convincingly on edge at all times." New York Times
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-38536718 | |
Oscars winners 2017: The full list - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | All the winners at this year's Academy Awards. | Entertainment & Arts | The full list of winners at the 89th Academy Awards.
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-38716725 | |
Nicola Adams: Could two-time Olympic champion headline Las Vegas? - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Two-time Olympic champion Nicola Adams has turned professional and will make her debut on 8 April, but how far could she go? | null | Two-time Olympic champion Nicola Adams has turned professional and will make her debut on 8 April, but how far could she go? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/38721406 | |
'Help me find my birth family' - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How a 19-year-old Swiss man's appeal for information on his birth family led to a huge response. | Europe | Marco has this image of his mother, who has been missing since 2000
For one young Swiss man looking for his birth family, official channels had turned up nothing. So Marco Hauenstein, 19, turned to Facebook to try to find out more - not anticipating how widely his post would be shared.
Marco did not have an easy start in life, as the very few facts he knows about his birth mother indicate.
Gina Barbara Hauenstein was a drug addict, and during the 1990s spent time, Marco believes, in Zurich's then notorious Platzspitz open drugs scene, where addicts bought heroin in a city centre park, and injected it openly.
When Marco was born in 1997, he was already addicted too, and had to spend the first months of his life in hospital withdrawing and recovering.
Although his mother visited him from time to time, he never lived with her. About his father, he knows nothing: on his birth certificate, the space for the father's name has been left blank.
In 2000, Gina Hauenstein disappeared. Despite a police search both within Switzerland and across Europe, no trace of her has ever been found, and she remains listed as a missing person.
Marco meanwhile lived with a foster family. He describes his childhood as happy, but he admits questions about his birth family were "always on my mind".
When he turned 16, Marco left his foster family. There had been disagreements, not unusual between parents and teenagers, but Marco says his relationship with his foster family is good, and has improved since he began to live independently.
At the same time, he started to look for his birth family, and in particular for his mother. "I really wanted to know, for myself, who was my family, who I belonged to," he explained.
"So, when I was 16, I started to call town record offices, and I contacted the police. But without success."
Marco Hauenstein's search has drawn in many social media users, including journalists
Talking to Marco, it is not entirely clear why this more traditional search for family members was unsuccessful. Switzerland is a small country, Marco was never adopted, he knew his birth name, his mother's name and, it seems, the town she came from, where her parents (his grandparents) still apparently lived.
Perhaps the idea of a Facebook appeal seemed the most logical, or the fastest, way to reach out. And posting messages on social media might understandably be easier for a teenager than cold-calling official figures in local government or the police.
But the simple message which appeared on Facebook just three weeks ago has had consequences Marco - who uses the name Marco Julius Schelling on Facebook - did not expect. His message was shared and re-shared across Switzerland and Germany many thousands of times, and soon the media took an interest in his story too.
My name is Marco Hauenstein, and I was born on 17.06.1997 in the Aargau/Zurich region. After going through drug withdrawal as a newborn for 3-6 months I grew up with the Jung family, and later with the Schelling family.
After searching for many years without success, I'm turning to you. I'm looking for my birth parents / grandparents!
When I meet him in Zurich, he seems rather overwhelmed by the attention. He is accompanied by a camera crew from a local television station, and during our conversation he fields calls from a German channel, and a Swiss newspaper. At the same time new responses to his Facebook appeal are appearing on his phone every couple of minutes.
"I've had thousands and thousands of messages," he says. "I really didn't expect this."
Marco Hauenstein as a baby, with his birth mother
But his Facebook search has had some initial success. An aunt, a half-sister of his mother, has reached out to him, he says, and he has talked to her by phone.
"It was very emotional, we didn't talk much, it was just, 'Hello, so good to talk to you after all these years'." The plan is "that we will meet tomorrow… I think we will meet tomorrow".
Marco has also received information relating to his grandmother, an uncle, and even, he says, some hints about the identity of his father. But he seems reluctant to share too much detail. When our interview finishes, he is met by yet another television crew.
Messages for Marco keep pouring in
The next day, I get a message from Marco. The planned meeting with his aunt has not taken place, he says, because "I could not reach her".
It is clear the social media attention, and then the interest shown by the mainstream media, have caused problems.
Adopted or foster children hoping to meet their birth families, or birth parents looking for their children, are generally advised to proceed using an intermediary, to communicate in confidence, and to arrange a face-to-face meeting only when all sides are really ready for it.
The advent of sites like Facebook has changed that. Social services report growing numbers of cases in which adopted or fostered children, or parents who have given their children up or had them taken into care, have been tracked down and contacted out of the blue. The brutal reality is that these contacts are not always welcome: not everyone wants a reunion.
Tracing relatives is difficult for Marco despite the power of social media
But for Marco, the hopes for a happy ending seem at least partially fulfilled. One day after the failed meeting with his aunt, another short post appears on his Facebook page: "On Friday I was able to meet my grandmother and my uncle," he writes. "It was a very moving moment, at last I have got a part of my family back!"
His aunt, he continues, "needs more time" before agreeing to meet him.
Time will tell if the reunion brings Marco the sense of completeness he feels he needs. His mother remains the key person he wants to find. But there has been no trace of her for 17 years. No one, not the police, the local authorities, nor Marco's new-found relatives, has any clue where she might be.
Marco is not deterred. His search, via Facebook, continues.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38717880 | |
London pollution: 'Very high' air pollution warning alert - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | A "very high" air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time under a new alert system. | null | Pollution alert warnings are being issued to the public at bus stops, tube stations and on roadside signs, under the new system set up by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Many Londoners, however, are going about their daily business undeterred. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38737820 | |
Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United making progress under Jose Mourinho - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Manchester United are making progress under Jose Mourinho and are "unlucky" not to be challenging league leaders Chelsea, says Sir Alex Ferguson. | null | Manchester United are making progress under Jose Mourinho and are "unlucky" not to be challenging Chelsea, says their former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson, 75, stepped down in 2013 but retains close ties to Old Trafford and attends most games.
"I think he has done a great job," said the Scot in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.
Ferguson also explained why he thinks Wayne Rooney's United goalscoring record will never be broken.
'Without those draws, they'd be challenging Chelsea'
Jose Mourinho became Manchester United's third manager since Ferguson retired when he replaced Louis van Gaal in May.
Although he won his opening three games in charge, Mourinho's team collected just six points from their next seven Premier League matches.
There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control
They have been sixth after every round of matches since the end of October and stayed in that position after the 1-1 draw at Stoke on 21 January, when Rooney scored an injury-time equaliser to become United's record goalscorer, with 250.
Nevertheless, Ferguson can see signs of progress under the Portuguese. And though Chelsea are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League - and 14 points ahead of the Old Trafford club - he believes his former side are "unlucky" not to be up there with them.
"You can see he has got to grips with the club," he said.
"The team is playing really well and he has been very unlucky. He has had six 1-1 draws and in every game he has battered the opposition.
"If they hadn't had all these draws, they would be there challenging Chelsea. That is the unfortunate part but he is going to have to live with that."
'The team is mirroring its manager'
Mourinho has been sent to the stands twice this season, against Burnley and West Ham, as his side struggled to overcome supposedly inferior opposition at Old Trafford.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager seems far more relaxed now though.
United go to Hull on Thursday for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final unbeaten in 17 games. That run encompassed nine successive wins, including a 2-0 triumph in the first leg at Old Trafford, their longest-winning sequence since Ferguson called time on his illustrious career.
Ferguson said: "I was a little bit different from Jose in the respect that I wanted to build the football club and wanted young players to be part of that.
"Nonetheless, the first team weren't doing great and you have to find solutions to correct that. I think Jose is finding solutions now. There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control.
"That is the obvious observation I am making of the team now. The team is mirroring its manager.
"On Saturday at Stoke, they played to the last kick of the ball. They never gave in and got their rewards to take something from the game with that great Rooney goal.
"And did you see what he did? Ran to the halfway line. No celebration. Pointed to the ball as if to say 'get it, we are going to win this'. That is exactly the spirit Jose has created."
Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 249 Manchester United goals had stood for 44 years until Rooney went past it at the Britannia Stadium.
Charlton amassed his tally in 758 appearances for the club. Rooney, 31, has gone one better in 546 games since moving from Everton for £27m as an 18-year-old in 2004.
With the chance to score even more this season and a contract that runs to 2018 if the Liverpool-born player remains at Old Trafford until its conclusion, Rooney has set a record that is unlikely ever to be beaten, according to Ferguson.
"In the present-day game, it is difficult to see any club having players who can stay with them for 10 years.
"Jose has mentioned Marcus Rashford and there is an opportunity for that young lad, if he stays at United, and develops his potential the way that Wayne has. But it is a very big target to hit.
"Bobby Charlton's record was quite substantial. I couldn't think anybody would beat that. It is an achievement par excellence."
It is nearly four years now since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager of Manchester United, yet the ease with which he skipped from room to room to conduct interviews at a Cheshire hotel on Tuesday suggests that, at 75, he remains as enthusiastic for life as ever.
There is no longer the same hint of menace about him if the questions are not to his satisfaction, although I suspect if I had strayed off topic, I might have got a mild blast of the famous hair dryer.
But Ferguson remains engaging company. Far different to the combustible figure who dominated the touchline and harangued anyone who got in his - and United's - way.
These days a funny story usually close at hand. Today, it concerned the mother of Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, who, Ferguson recalled, pleaded with him over the phone not to take away "my boy" as negotiations over Rooney's £27m move from Everton drew to a close in 2004. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38735437 | |
Nicole Cooke 'sceptical' of Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Ex-Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says she is "sceptical" of Team Sky's drug-free credentials and Sir Bradley Wiggins' therapeutic use exemptions. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
Ex-Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says she is "sceptical" of Team Sky's drug-free credentials and Sir Bradley Wiggins' therapeutic use exemptions.
Wiggins was granted three TUEs to take anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 and 2012 Tour de France and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
"Taking TUEs just before major events raises questions for me," Cooke said.
Cooke also told MPs British Cycling is run "by men for men" and its attempts to stop doping are "ineffective".
Wiggins' TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body the UCI, and there is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or his former employers Team Sky have broken any rules.
Cooke, 33, made the claims in evidence submitted to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.
The committee is examining doping in sport and Tuesday's session was held to discuss issues raised at a previous hearing involving British Cycling and Team Sky in December.
In a wide-ranging testimony, Cooke provided examples of sexism she had encountered in her 13-year career, stating British Cycling shows "discrimination and favouritism" because it is "answerable to itself".
The Welsh former world and Commonwealth cycling champion added that the fight against doping is "the wrong people fighting the wrong war, in the wrong way, with the wrong tools".
"While there is still a way to go, British Cycling is absolutely committed to resolving the historic gender imbalance in our sport," said the governing body in a statement.
British Cycling is the subject of an investigation by UK Anti-Doping into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport and is also awaiting the findings of an independent review into an alleged bullying culture.
Five-time Olympic champion Wiggins was granted a TUE to treat asthma and allergies, which was revealed when hacking group Fancy Bears released athletes' medical files stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Cooke compared her use of the steroid triamcinolone with that of Wiggins, stating she was granted a TUE for injections of the drug to treat a career-threatening knee injury as an alternative to surgery.
She said she did not race again until "long after the performance-enhancing effects had worn off", and she added that Wiggins appeared to use the "same steroid before his main goals of the season".
Cooke added she found the chronology of Wiggins' TUEs "disturbing" and that it made her "sceptical" of what Team Sky have done.
The team was launched in 2010 with a zero-tolerance approach towards doping in cycling.
Cooke on the package delivered to Wiggins
An inquiry by Ukad was launched following a Daily Mail allegation that a medical package was delivered to Wiggins on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.
Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford told MPs in December that the package contained legal decongestant Fluimucil, but MP Damian Collins, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, says British Cycling have been unable to provide paperwork to prove the contents of the medical package.
"I find the stance of being the cleanest team, yet Dave Brailsford not being able to say what a rider took, definitely makes it hard to back up that claim," Cooke added.
She also raised concerns as to why Simon Cope, who was British Cycling women's coach at the time, was chosen to courier the package to Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman in France.
"I do find it very surprising that Simon Cope transported something internationally without knowing what was in it," Cooke told MPs.
She also alleged that Cope, a former team-mate of Wiggins at the Linda McCartney professional team, "spent some weeks riding a moped in front of Wiggins as part of a training regimen" as an example of how resources were "stripped out of the women's program to augment the men's program".
'They did nothing for women'
When asked by MPs if sexism was culturally embedded in British Cycling, Cooke said: "Yes I do".
She claimed that during her career, the governing body showed only "transient" support for female road riders.
As part of her written evidence and appearance via video-link from Paris, Cooke cited numerous examples of "discrimination and favouritism" shown by British Cycling.
She said the prize for the women's 2006 British Championships was a "tiny fraction" of the men's race, despite Cooke having just won the Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale - the women's equivalent of the Tour de France.
The 2008 road race world champion added she had to take her own skin suit to the event in Italy after British Cycling had forgotten to organise one, having to then sew a Team Sky logo onto it at the behest of Brailsford.
"The facts are they did nothing for the women," said Cooke.
An independent review into the culture of British Cycling began after its former technical director Shane Sutton was accused of using offensive and discriminatory language towards cyclist Jess Varnish.
Despite being cleared of eight of the nine charges against him, the Australian was found guilty of using sexist language in October but denies any wrongdoing and said he would appeal the ruling.
What has the response been?
In her written evidence, Cooke said she had "no faith in the actions in support of investigations conducted by Ukad or the testing they conduct, both completed at significant expense to the public purse".
In response, Ukad said: "There should be no doubt about the determination of this organisation to protect clean sport; our staff passionately believe in protecting everyone's right to clean, fair and honest competition.
Regarding Cooke's accusations of sexism, British Cycling said in a statement: "There is always more that can be done and we strive to make continual improvements to ensure that cycling is reaching out to women and girls of all ages and abilities."
Meanwhile, UK Sport has launched an independent review to investigate some of the issues raised by Cooke.
"UK Sport takes its responsibilities as an investor of public funds and a champion of equality in sport very seriously," said a spokesman.
"On matters raised relating to the governance of the national governing body, UK Sport and Sport England have recently published a new code for sports governance which raises the bar for the requirements around governance that all sports bodies who receive public funding will need to address and comply to." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/38728410 | |
The NHS mental health chief who had a nervous breakdown - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A social media post written by a former NHS director of mental health about her own depression has gone viral | BBC Trending | "Perhaps not the most flattering photo of me, but I'm sharing this awful picture and my story to help increase understanding of the impact of mental illness and to celebrate my recovery."
"As I have worked in mental health services for 29 years, one would think I would be immune to mental illness."
In a LinkedIn post that has been shared more than 5,000 times, Mandy Stevens shared a photo of herself, red-eyed with matted hair, in the midst of a depressive episode that resulted in her being hospitalised. She wrote the post on the day she was discharged from a 12 week stay on the inpatient ward at the City and Hackney Centre for Mental Health in London.
One thing that struck many people who read Stevens' post on the online professional network was her unique vantage point - she has been both an employee and patient of the UK's National Health Service mental health programme.
Stevens began her career in the NHS as a mental health nurse. After 15 years she became a hospital manager, and then a director.
Although she has suffered episodes of "mild to moderate" depression, she managed it through counselling and very few of her family and friends knew about it.
"There is a huge amount of stigma around mental illness," Stevens told BBC Trending, "and for the past 29 years I have worked in Mental Health Services and seen the negative effect this stigma has on people who use our services. From personal embarrassment, family embarrassment, not accepting diagnoses or treatment, not wanting to attend mental health community services in case they are recognised. There is also stigma amongst family, friends and colleagues, including whispered rumours and avoidance."
Then in November, things changed, and her depression became serious enough to warrant hospitalisation.
"When I was very, very depressed, anxious and suicidal I was so ill I was almost monosyllabic, I could hardy walk properly, I couldn't shower or dress properly. Eating and all the things that we take for granted were a huge struggle. I spent most of every day in bed, crying and wanting to be dead. I was absolutely terrible. So frightening and awful."
"The absolutely wonderful nurses on Gardner ward at City & Hackney Centre for Mental Health were amazing," Stevens says.
"They would come and see me very regularly throughout the day, spend time with me, encourage and support me, listen to me crying and talking and throwing up a huge amount of emotion. The staff nurses and the healthcare assistants were wonderful, accessible and compassionate 24/7. I am so proud of my profession."
Whilst in hospital and after she was over the worst Stevens says she felt a bit like an "undercover cop" as she observed how the ward was run.
"Without exception the staff treated all of the patients with dignity and respect."
When asked what she thinks of the state of the NHS right now, Stevens says, "Very difficult for me to answer this question now… I can only talk about my particular experience as a patient in an 'Outstanding Trust' - which has been a great experience."
"I am, of course, aware that not everyone is as lucky as me to receive this type of care. Unfortunately, mental health services are always seen as the 'Cinderella services' with lower levels of funding and cuts."
Analysis by the King's Fund think tank says 40% of the 58 mental health trusts in the UK saw budgets cut in 2015-16. It found six of them had seen budgets cut three years in a row. An NHS spokeswoman told the BBC that mental health services were "wider" than trusts, and care was funded in other ways.
Steven adds that help is there.
"There is a huge range of accessible services across the country. Your GP is usually the best place to start as they can signpost you to local services and, if necessary, they can refer you to formal mental health services, but there are also a wide variety of other services around run by volunteers," she says.
"My first message is to reach out to people. Speak to your close family and friends about your mental health, and start opening conversations about it. Don't say 'I'm okay' when you're not okay"
Next story: Trolls try to trigger seizures - is it assault?
Can sending a flashing animated picture constitute a physical assault against someone with epilepsy? 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-38720826 | |
Sean Spicer: Who is President Trump's spin doctor? - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | New White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has warned that the media will be held "accountable". | US & Canada | In a 2014 lecture to students at his former high school, Sean Spicer outlined a set of 17 "rules for life" that they would be wise to follow.
Rule number 16, he told the students at Portsmouth Abbey in Rhode Island: "Follow your mom's advice: It's not what you say, but how you say it. The tone and tenor of your words count."
The now White House press secretary also told students that they should be true to themselves. Rule number eight, was relevant here, he said. "Trust your gut. If it does not feel right, use caution."
With that guidance in mind, Mr Spicer's bellicose press conference with the White House press corps on Saturday suggests that the new presidential spokesman will not sugar-coat his words over the next four years.
While the press secretary-journalist relationship is naturally an adversarial one, Mr Spicer has, in his first few days in the role, already cast himself as being in open conflict with much of the mainstream media, pledging to "hold the press accountable".
This, it appears, is the frontline of a strategy that White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus described as a will to "fight back tooth and nail every day" at supposed media efforts to "delegitimise" the president.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sean Spicer, White House press secretary said "no-one had numbers" for the inauguration
Mr Spicer, 45, is not a new hand at managing negative press coverage.
He previously served as spokesman and chief strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and has long criticised coverage of his party and Mr Trump.
He took the post of communications director at the RNC in 2011, a time when it "was deep in debt and had a badly tarnished brand", according to the Republican Party website.
He is said to have helped turn around its fortunes by boosting the social media team, leading rapid response efforts to combat attacks, setting up an in-house video and production team and expanding the use of surrogates - people who can publicly appear on behalf of candidates, defend them and boost their appeal.
Mr Spicer has not shied away from criticising Mr Trump in the past. In July 2015, speaking on behalf of the RNC after Mr Trump questioned Republican Senator John McCain's status as a war hero, he said that there was "no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honourably".
Mr Spicer claimed President Trump's inauguration was the "largest inaugural crowd ever"
He also described Mr Trump's June 2015 comments about Mexican immigrants being rapists and criminals as not being "helpful to the cause".
Before joining the RNC, he worked as Assistant US Trade Representative for Media and Public Affairs in the George W. Bush administration: a role that involved promoting the kind of free trade that his boss now fiercely criticises as being unfair for the American worker.
Still, Mr Spicer was loyal to Mr Trump on the campaign trail even as the path-breaking candidate split the party and many Republican luminaries distanced themselves from him.
The broad-shouldered, compulsively gum-chewing Republican ("Two and a half packs by noon," he told the Washington Post) is a long-time member of the US Navy Reserve.
He received a Masters degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport in 2012 and is known to be fierce, and deeply competitive.
One editor who has been blasted many times by Mr Spicer told the Post that her young child recognises his voice on the phone and bursts into tears.
His wife Rebecca is the chief of communications at the National Beer Wholesalers Association and previously worked in the Bush White House after a career in television news.
As press secretary, Mr Spicer will serve as President Trump's most visible spokesman, and is expected to hold daily televised media briefings, though he has spoken of his desire to shake up the way White House media is managed.
While he has said that Mr Trump will do press conferences, he also wants to utilise technology to "have a conversation with the American people and not just limit it through the filter of the mainstream media".
He has also described White House press briefings as having become "somewhat of a spectacle". Many would use that word to describe the first under the Trump administration. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38711850 | |
Bernie Ecclestone: Why F1's titanic leader was loved and loathed - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Bye, bye, Bernie. F1's revolutionary, roguish leader has finally vacated the throne he created - so how will he be remembered? | null | Bernie Ecclestone stands a little under 5ft 3in tall but for 40 years has wielded a giant influence in Formula 1 with canniness, wit and not a little menace.
At times, Ecclestone has had close to absolute power. So the end of his reign following the takeover of the sport by US giant Liberty Media represents a seismic change.
Ecclestone, now 86, is a tactician of remarkable skill, and a deal-maker extraordinaire who used chutzpah and brinksmanship to turn F1 into one of the world's biggest sports, form relationships with world leaders such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and make himself and many of F1's participants multi-millionaires.
In a remarkable four decades, Ecclestone revolutionised the sport:
• None He bought the Brabham team and won two world titles, including a historic first with a turbo engine in 1983.
• None Turned F1 into the biggest annual sporting event in the world, outstripped only by the Olympics and the World Cup.
• None Controversially took the commercial rights away from the teams and made himself a billionaire.
• None Fought off a criminal prosecution for blackmail that arose from a complicated series of sales of those rights.
• None Carved a notorious reputation for making controversial statements, including saying Adolf Hitler was "able to get things done" and likening women to "domestic appliances".
But what made him mind-bendingly - some would say obscenely - rich is what brought him down in the end.
Selling on the commercial rights to F1 is the source of Ecclestone's vast wealth. But it was never about the money, per se - it was about the deal. And now the deal has done him in.
Restructuring the finances of the sport in the first years of this decade, Ecclestone also reorganised its decision-making process.
He did it to increase his power, but the structure he set up inadvertently neutered him and gave the big teams - particularly Mercedes and Ferrari - power to block him. This has led to log-jam.
The latest company to buy the sport - USA's Liberty Media - has looked at this, at a skewed prize-money structure, at a policy that is threatening to price out much-loved historic races in favour of characterless new ones in countries with questionable regimes, at a refusal to engage with digital media, and several other issues, and decided to ease him out.
Ecclestone is held in genuinely high regard within F1 for everything he has achieved but, outside a handful of acolytes, few will be genuinely sorry to see him go.
There has been a feeling for some years that he is a man out of time, that the sport needed to move on. In truth, this has contributed to the stalemate in F1 - people were simply waiting him out.
Many believe his departure will be good for the sport. However, it will certainly make F1 less colourful, and it is hard to imagine seeing the like of him again.
Where did he come from?
Ecclestone's involvement in F1 started in the late 1950s. After a brief driving career in lower categories, he emerged as a manager for the British F1 driver Stuart Lewis-Evans but then disappeared from racing when Lewis-Evans was killed in a fiery crash at the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix.
He appeared again in the late 1960s, again as a manager, this time to the Austrian Jochen Rindt. He was already very rich.
What had the fortune come from? "Property," Ecclestone says. All manner of rumours have abounded, including that he was involved in organising the Great Train Robbery, when £2.6m was stolen from a Royal Mail train in Buckinghamshire in 1963.
"Nah," Ecclestone once said. "There wasn't enough money on that train. I could have done something better than that."
Rindt became F1's first and so far only posthumous world champion after he was killed at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix. But this time Ecclestone did not retreat.
Within a couple of years, he bought Brabham from its founder, the three-time world champion Sir Jack Brabham, and began establishing his power base.
How did he become omnipotent?
Back then, circuit deals and television rights were operated on a somewhat haphazard, piecemeal basis. Ecclestone offered to look after them on the teams' behalf and wasted little time in building his influence.
He persuaded television companies to buy F1 as a package, rather than pay for individual races. That guaranteed vastly increased exposure, and the sport's popularity grew increasingly quickly.
The vast growth of F1 from what it was then to what it is today arguably started in earnest after the 1976 season, when a championship battle between the playboy Englishman James Hunt and the ascetic Austrian Niki Lauda caught the public's imagination.
By the 1980s, F1 was becoming a global sport, more and more races were being shown live, and a generation of charismatic stars enhanced its appeal - Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and, most of all, Ayrton Senna.
Ironically, Senna's death in 1994 only increased its reach and shortly after that the sport started on the route that has led to Ecclestone's departure.
The beginning of the end
Controversially, in the mid-1990s, Ecclestone struck a deal with his long-time friend and ally Max Mosley, who was then the president of governing body the FIA. It saw his own company become the rights holder of F1, taking over from the teams' collective body that Ecclestone previously ran.
This led to a furious row with some of the teams - particularly McLaren, Williams and Tyrrell - who claimed what Ecclestone was doing was illegal and that he was effectively robbing them.
But the complainants were eventually bought off. Ecclestone then set about monetising his new asset.
In 2000, Mosley granted Ecclestone the commercial rights to F1 until the end of 2110 for a one-off fee of $360m. Even then, many were shocked by the relatively paltry amount of money that changed hands to secure such a lucrative and lengthy deal.
This led to a dizzying series of sales as the rights transferred through various institutions. A German cable TV company bought them, and then collapsed, which led to its creditors - banks - taking its assets. In 2006, the German bank BayernLB sold its 47.2% stake in F1 to an investment company called CVC Capital Partners.
CVC ran the sport for 10 years, employing Ecclestone as chief executive and empowering him to carry on as before, before selling to Liberty last September, in the deal completed on Monday.
But the sale from BayernLB to CVC is what ultimately led to the court cases on bribery charges that Ecclestone fought and survived a couple of years ago - and which he ended by paying the German courts $100m to end the case, without a presumption of guilt or innocence.
It did not escape notice that a man charged with bribery had paid - perfectly legally under German law - to end a criminal trial.
What is he like?
Despite his diminutive stature, Ecclestone is a forbidding character. Stories abound in F1 of real and threatened menace.
A conversation with him is akin to juggling sand - he ducks and dodges and avoids questions with obfuscation, distraction and quick wit, a dizzying mix of truths, half-truths and fallacies.
He is approachable but apart, engaging but unknowable. After a verbal sparring match, he will sometimes reach up and chillingly pat you on the cheek, not unlike a mafia don in the movies.
For years, the more unsavoury aspects of Ecclestone's stewardship were glossed over or laughed off - largely because he was making those he was working for so much money.
But in recent years, the tone in F1 has changed as more and more people began to feel he was past his sell-by date.
He was a reluctant embracer of the internet age, and rejected entreaties to try to use it to extend F1's reach.
His argument was that he saw no way to make money out of it; others argued that his modus operandi of pursuing only the deal, the bottom line, and disregarding its potential longer-term effects was doing more harm than good.
His simple model - sell television rights and races to the highest bidder no matter who it was; squeeze the highest price possible out of continuing partners - created an annual global revenue in the region of $1.5bn (£1.2bn).
Yet he became increasingly haphazard and intransigent in his decision-making, coming up with unpopular ideas such as a double-points finale in 2014 or the fiasco over the change to the qualifying format at the start of 2016 - to try to spice up the sport.
He was responding to declining audiences, but seemed to ignore the fact they were dropping largely because of his switch away from free-to-air towards pay television in key markets, and the questionable effect on the racing of gimmicks such as the DRS overtaking aid and tyres on which drivers could not push flat out.
The declining audiences have led to a crisis of confidence within the sport, the response to which is a new set of rules for 2017 that mean faster, more dramatic-looking cars. But already there are concerns that these may not have the desired effect.
But while the problems are real, the fact remains that F1 has just changed hands in a deal that values it at $8bn (£6.4bn).
And that is almost entirely down to Ecclestone and what he has built with his remarkable personality, vision and drive.
Controversial he certainly was; past his best he may have been. But for all his faults, Bernie Ecclestone is a unique and titanic figure who turned what was essentially a niche activity into a glittering global enterprise that to many represents an intoxicating mix of glamour, danger and raw, unmatched drama.
Gone from power he may be, but he will never be forgotten. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38721123 | |
Anti-Trump rant woman removed from Alaska Airlines plane - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | A passenger is removed from an Alaska Airlines flight for berating the President Trump supporter seated next to her. | null | A woman has been removed from an Alaska Airlines flight after berating the President Trump supporter seated next to her.
Scott Koteskey - the man she confronted - filmed the incident and uploaded it to Facebook.
The airline told the BBC the woman had insulted other passengers before boarding the plane, and that it stood by the employee who decided to remove her. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38723929 | |
Australian Open: Johanna Konta beats Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Britain's Johanna Konta beats Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-4 to set up an Australian Open quarter-final against Serena Williams. | null | Britain's Johanna Konta produces a terrific performance to beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-4 and set up an Australian Open quarter-final against Serena Williams. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38725228 | |
Reality Check: Is North of England getting a big boost? - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Is the government announcing a fresh cash boost for the North of England? | Business | The claim: The government is announcing a cash boost for the North of England.
Reality Check verdict: The money has already been announced twice.
Prime Minister Theresa May is to continue former chancellor George Osborne's plans to create a Northern Powerhouse.
On Monday, she held a cabinet meeting in Daresbury in Cheshire, where she unveiled her new, more interventionist industrial strategy.
Details on where exactly the Northern Powerhouse cash will be spent are new, but the £556m total is not.
Last March, George Osborne said a total of £1.8bn would be awarded in a round of "growth deal" funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England.
LEPs combine businesses, councils and other bodies to decide regional spending priorities, on things like city centre regeneration projects and innovation funds for businesses.
It is part of a wider scheme aimed at boosting the post-Brexit UK economy and creating jobs, with a particular focus on investment in science, research and innovation.
Mr Osborne's replacement, Philip Hammond, announced in November that £556m of this pot would go to the North of England. It was announced again in the Autumn Statement later that month.
As well as the North's share, Mr Hammond allocated £492m to London and the South East, £392m to the Midlands, and smaller amounts to other regions.
Northern leaders say their cities are stuck with weak economies because of underinvestment, while the South East takes the lion's share of public cash.
The government says the Northern Powerhouse will go some way to rectifying the imbalance. In this case the North of England is getting 13% more than London and the South East.
But other areas of government spending favour London over the North.
The capital will receive six times more money on transport spending per person over the next five years, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38723772 | |
Oscar nominations 2017: How diverse is this year's line-up? - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of the last two years, 2017 promises to be a more diverse affair. | Entertainment & Arts | Dev Patel is nominated for Lion and Viola Davis is nominated for Fences
After the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of the last two years, 2017 promises to be a more diverse affair.
In the acting categories there are a total of seven nominees from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Denzel Washington is nominated as best actor for Fences and Ruth Negga as best actress for Loving.
Moonlight's Mahershala Ali and Lion's Dev Patel are up for best supporting actor.
The supporting actress category includes Viola Davis for Fences, Naomie Harris for Moonlight and Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures.
Three of the nine films up for best picture - Fences, Hidden Figures and Moonlight - feature predominantly black casts.
In the directing category, Moonlight's Barry Jenkins is only the fourth black best director nominee in Oscar history.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This year, non-white actors have received seven Oscar nominations
The first was John Singleton, nominated in 1992 for Boyz n the Hood. He was followed by Lee Daniels, for Precious in 2010, and 12 Years a Slave's Steve McQueen in 2014. McQueen's film won best picture but he lost the best director prize to Gravity's Alfonso Cuaron.
In the documentary feature category, Ava DuVernay's 13th is up against I Am Not Your Negro from Raoul Peck and Ezra Edelman's OJ: Made In America. (With a running time of seven hours and 47 minutes, OJ is the longest film ever nominated for an Academy Award.)
The two-year diversity drought in the acting categories inspired the #OscarsSoWhite backlash on social media.
Of course, most of this year's nominated films were already in production well before that furore erupted.
Moonlight's Jenkins has told the BBC his film was not a response to the #OscarsSoWhite criticism, having conceived the project "at least three-and-a-half years ago".
But the outcry did lead the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, to take steps to make its membership more diverse.
Has that made a difference this year? Hollywood Reporter's Oscars guru Scott Feinberg thinks not.
"The Academy may claim that this is the result of it flooding its organization with an unprecedented number of diverse new members this year, but I maintain that these nominees, up against the same competition, would have been nominated in either of the last two years," he writes in his Oscars analysis.
In June 2016, the Academy invited almost 700 new members to join, with a focus on women and ethnic minorities.
One of those new members is British film director Amma Asante, whose film about an interracial marriage A United Kingdom opened the London Film Festival.
She told me last year that the organisers of the Oscars needed to keep up the momentum on its actions to improve diversity.
"I don't know the change happens overnight," she said.
"I'm interested to see what will happen in two Oscars' time."
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-38730038 | |
Ryan Mason: Hull City midfielder making 'excellent progress' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason is making "excellent progress" after fracturing his skull during Sunday's game at Chelsea. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason is making "excellent progress" after fracturing his skull during Sunday's game at Chelsea, his club says.
The England international, 25, clashed heads with Blues defender Gary Cahill 13 minutes into the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
He was taken to St Mary's Hospital in London, where he had surgery.
Hull's statement said Mason would "continue to be closely monitored by staff" at the hospital.
It added: "There will be no further updates from the club until there are any changes in Ryan's condition."
Hull fans are being encouraged to show support for Mason by taking part in a minute's applause during Thursday's EFL Cup semi-final against Manchester United at the KCOM Stadium.
The club wants fans to applaud in the 25th minute to represent the number of Mason's shirt.
His team-mates will warm up on the pitch before the game wearing T-shirts with 'Mason 25' on.
The club said on Monday that Mason was conscious and talking and had been visited by captain Michael Dawson, club doctor Mark Waller, head of medical Rob Price and club secretary Matt Wild.
Cahill, Chelsea captain John Terry and assistant manager Steve Holland had visited on Sunday to check on Mason's well-being, and spent time with his family.
Mason, Hull's record signing, fractured his skull as he attempted to head the ball clear of his own box following a cross from Pedro.
He got to the ball a split second before Cahill, who was already committed to his attempted header, and the pair collided.
Mason joined Hull from Tottenham last August for a club-record undisclosed fee. He has scored one goal in 16 Premier League appearances for the Tigers.
Prior to his move, he made 53 top-flight appearances for Tottenham, and had loan spells at Yeovil, Doncaster, Millwall, Lorient and Swindon.
Hull lost Sunday's game 2-0 as goals from Diego Costa and Cahill gave Chelsea a victory that took them eight points clear at the top. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38734842 | |
Carl Frampton ready to conquer Leo Santa Cruz for the second time in Las Vegas - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | Carl Frampton plans to emphasise his growing status in boxing by beating Leo Santa Cruz for a second time this weekend says BBC Sport NI's Thomas Kane. | null | Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app
Recently Carl Frampton joked that when he had Julius Caesar's words tattooed on his chest at 18-years-old, he hadn't achieved much. How times have changed.
As he approaches his 30th birthday, the Belfast man is already a history maker, a role model, and one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
He won almost every individual award in the sport for his performances in 2016. Ring Magazine, ESPN and USA Today were just some of the bodies that named him fighter of the year.
Frampton upsets the odds in New York
Frampton and his manager Barry McGuigan have always said: "To make it in boxing, you need to make it in America."
Before his July showdown with Leo Santa Cruz, nearly every US boxing pundit backed the Mexican to continue his undefeated career.
However, it was the Belfast fighter who left with the WBA world featherweight title having almost certainly booked his spot in the sport's Hall of Fame following a stunning victory.
Two rounds in, after Frampton had almost knocked down Santa Cruz with a clubbing blow, a group of the American reporters turned round to me ringside, and screamed: "Who the hell is this kid? He is the real deal."
They were marvelling at his performance against a three-weight world champion, who is a big star Stateside.
The USA had fallen in love with Carl Frampton. It is easy to see why.
In politics and public office, analysts refer to the "likeability factor". Some have it, some don't. Frampton simply oozes it.
It hasn't been sculpted, or manufactured. He is one of the most genuine, decent, honest and grounded sportsmen I have ever met.
He is a proud Belfast boy who has fanatical supporters willing to travel anywhere to watch him fight.
The day after his victory over Santa Cruz, he booked out a Manhattan bar and invited all his fans, by way of saying thank you.
It was an incredibly classy move from the 29-year-old, as he was intending to hold the event regardless of how he fared the previous night.
He didn't have to do it, but wanted to give fans an opportunity to chat with him, get something signed, or take a selfie.
It wasn't a PR stunt, it was Carl being Carl, pint in hand, having the craic and taking time to chat to each and every person.
The supporters appreciated it - a free drink is always nice - but after many of them had shelled out a lot of money to head to the Big Apple, getting an opportunity to chat with the main man was the icing on the cake following an unforgettable weekend.
Fast forward a few months, and Santa Cruz wants revenge. He says that he may even consider quitting boxing should he lose the rematch on Saturday at the MGM Grand.
Make no mistake, this is a career-defining fight for the Californian-based Mexican. But the same can be said about Frampton.
He is entering the last three or four years of his career and wants to make the most of them.
Frampton doesn't want to ride off into the sunset. He wants to go out swinging.
His legacy, that's what it is all about now. He wants every fight to be a big fight. No messing about.
He isn't a man to look too far ahead, but he feels like a new man at featherweight - stronger, more powerful, capable of anything - something that his sparring partners would back up.
He has history in his sights. Becoming Ireland's first three-weight world champion is achievable.
Beating Santa Cruz could set up a summer showdown at Windsor Park against Welshman Lee Selby and the chance to unify two divisions in under two years.
Frampton joins champions who have fought in Vegas
Santa Cruz will want to quash that dream, or at least stall it.
The two fighters are family men, fathers and husbands first, boxers second. Their perspective on life is refreshing in high-end sport, as is their respect for each others' abilities.
There is no need to trash talk, or disrespect one another; this fight sells itself.
The MGM in Vegas has hosted some of the biggest bouts in the sports history, and this has all the makings of a classic. All great sportsmen need a rival and, as Frampton says, maybe Santa Cruz will be his "dance partner".
People of a certain generation know where they were when McGuigan defeated Eusebio Pedroza in 1985. It was an iconic moment watched by 20 million people, while half of Ireland claims to have been at Loftus Road.
In years to come, will 28 January 2017 become just as memorable?
If so, the Belfast fighter really will have conquered the boxing world and lived up to that teenage tattoo. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/38735706 | |
John Humphrys' tribute to the 1990s film Trainspotting - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | John Humphrys pays tribute to Trainspotting with his own version of Ewan McGregor's famous 'Choose Life' monologue | null | The sequel to Trainspotting is in cinemas this week. "T2" updates Ewan McGregor's famous "Choose Life" monologue from the first film in which he rails against the trappings of modern life.
In honour of the 1990s film, the Today programme decided to run its own tribute to that iconic monologue. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38731511 | |
Brexit: Supreme Court's Lord Neuberger announces decision - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | Lord Neuberger says Parliament must vote on whether the government can start Brexit. | null | Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger says Parliament must vote on whether the government can start Brexit.
"The government cannot trigger Article 50 without an Act of Parliament authorised by law," he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38729019 | |
Australian Open 2017: Johanna Konta 'prepared' for Serena Williams quarter-final - BBC Sport | 2017-01-24 | null | British number one Johanna Konta believes she has done everything she can to be ready for her first meeting with Serena Williams. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Williams v Konta coverage: Wednesday, 02:00 GMT: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website. Wednesday, 16:45 GMT: TV highlights on BBC Two.
British number one Johanna Konta believes she has done everything she can to be ready for her first meeting with 22-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams at the Australian Open.
Konta, 25, will face second seed Williams in the quarter-finals at around 02:00 GMT on Wednesday.
"I've played quite a few Grand Slam champions and former world number ones," said world number nine Konta.
"So I've prepared myself as much as possible for a competitor like Serena."
• None Confident Konta 'can improve in every aspect'
Konta beat Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-4 to reach the last eight without dropping a set.
She has a 2-1 winning record over Serena's sister Venus - a seven-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one - including a first-round victory at last year's Australian Open.
It will be Konta's second quarter-final at a Grand Slam, after reaching the semi-final in Melbourne last year, compared to 35-year-old Serena's 47th.
"I've been fortunate enough that I've played her sister a few times and I think she's just as incredible," said Konta.
"I was thinking I'd love the opportunity to be on court with her before she retires. But I doubt she's talking retirement.
"She will be playing until the very last ball she can physically hit. Hopefully it won't be the last time I play her before she retires."
Serena, in pursuit of her seventh Australian Open title, had only played two matches between the end of the US Open in August and her first-round victory in Melbourne.
Konta, meanwhile, remained busy on tour and took her world ranking from 49 at the end of 2015 to a career-high of nine.
"I watch her game a lot. She's been doing really, really well, She has a very attacking game and I look forward to it," said Serena.
"I have absolutely nothing to lose in this tournament. Everything here is a bonus for me. Obviously I am here to win, and hopefully I can play better."
"The game is there for Konta. It's all about the head now.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
"It's a big ask when you've never played Serena Williams to beat her at a Grand Slam quarter-final but you never know. She's got the game to beat anyone.
"She needs to follow her game plan, believe in it and commit on every shot. If you have doubts then Serena eats you alive."
"I think Serena's looked great. There can't be any of these second-gear starts she had a few years ago.
"The match against Konta is another level. It will help Konta that she hasn't played her - there is no scar tissue.
"Serena wins her matches often in the first 15 seconds she strolls on to the court, but that's not going to happen with Jo." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38716313 | |
Oscars 2017: Best actor nominees - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A look at the best actor nominees for the 89th Academy Awards on 26 February 2017. | Entertainment & Arts | Find out about the best actor nominees for the 89th Academy Awards, which will take place on 26 February 2017.
Nominated for: Manchester by the Sea
The character: Lee Chandler, an odd job man near Boston, who has a painful past and who suddenly finds himself with extra responsibilities.
Oscar record: A best supporting actor nomination for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2008.
The critics said: "Barricaded inside the shell that's become of him, Lee peers at the world through guarded eyes, only just summoning the basic drive to get up every morning, shuffle out, and carry on his tasks. He's played by Casey Affleck, in a clenched and riveting performance which fulfils all the promise he's ever shown, and then some." [Daily Telegraph]
The character: Desmond Doss, a World War Two medic who became the first conscientious objector to win the prestigious US Medal of Honor.
The critics said: "He's found a great fit for his talents in Hacksaw Ridge, which asks him to be a sweet Virginia boy courting a sweet nurse... and then a shell-shocked but determined man of valour in a lunar hellscape. Gosh, do we root for this kid." [Vanity Fair]
The character: Sebastian Wilder, a jazz pianist chasing his dreams in Hollywood.
Oscar record: Best actor nomination for Half Nelson in 2007.
The critics said: "Mr Gosling's performance is understated, with a tinge of touching earnestness, but it's also witty and commandingly smart. What's more, he does Seb's fluent piano playing without benefit of doubles on screen or on the sound track, an achievement I found astonishing." [The Wall Street Journal]
The character: Ben Cash, a hippy father who has raised his children in a remote home, far from the pressures of modern life.
Oscar record: One previous nomination for best actor, for Eastern Promises (2008).
The critics said: "The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant and impatient but also warm, loving and caring. He's a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and an angry defender of his wife's final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes and more with subtlety and grace." [The Wrap]
The character: Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh sanitation worker and former professional baseball player.
Oscar record: Two Oscar wins - best supporting actor for Glory (1990) and best actor for Training Day (2002). He also has a best supporting actor nomination for Cry Freedom (1988) and three best actor nominations for Malcolm X (1993), The Hurricane (2000) and Flight (2012).
The critics said: "While Denzel Washington's direction might leave a little to be desired, his acting has never been more relentless and fierce." [Cinema Blend]
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38528729 | |
A trip through an underwater museum - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | Exhibits about climate change and migration are just two of 12 installations in Museo Atlantico, an underwater museum off the coast of Lanzarote. | null | Exhibits about climate change and migration are just two of 12 installations in Museo Atlantico, an underwater museum off the coast of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Jason deCaires Taylor describes the museum and how the installations have changed just one year after being placed underwater. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38733683 | |
US man hails wife's pregnancy with blue smoke explosion - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Jon Sterkel faces charges after arranging smoke from the blast to be blue, in celebration of a boy. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explosives set off by US tree surgeon Jon Sterkel to celebrate his wife's pregnancy.
A US man who celebrated news that his wife was expecting a baby boy by setting off an explosion in Nebraska is facing police action which could result in a year in jail and a fine.
Tree surgeon Jon Sterkel told the BBC he used an explosive rifle target which sent blue smoke billowing into the air.
The blast was reportedly so loud that it was heard nearly 5km (3 miles) away.
Mr Sterkel has apologised after causing a police alert. He said that he was not aware his actions were illegal.
"The explosives I bought are readily available in most department stores, and even most law enforcers I have spoken to are not aware that they are illegal," he told the BBC.
He said that he had detonated exploding targets before on his remote farmland west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, without upsetting anyone.
He said that Saturday's explosion contained blue smoke - caused by chalk powder - to tell the outside world that his wife Ashley is expecting a baby boy.
Mr Sterkel and his wife Ashley are expecting a baby boy
Mr Sterkel, 26, can be heard proclaiming "it's a boy!" on the video of the explosion which has been widely featured on numerous US websites.
But the blast was so loud that police in nearby Scottsbluff were alerted, with some residents concerned that a major disaster had taken place.
Mr Sterkel said that he immediately called the local sheriff to explain what had happened in addition to apologising for his actions.
"I would like to say sorry for all of the confusion," he said. "I am a man of character and will willingly go to court if the district attorney chooses to prosecute me.
"This was just our way of announcing what gender our baby was."
Mr Sterkel faces charges for detonating the explosive without a valid permit. There was no damage or injury but he could be punished with a prison sentence and a fine of $1,000 (£800).
Police told the Omaha World Herald that although exploding targets, which are detonated when shot with a high powered rifle, have recently become popular, people who use them need to follow the correct procedures.
Mr Sterkel told the BBC that he does not plan any more spectacular blasts once the baby, his first child, is born around 16 June.
And the baby's name? "Possibly Wesson, in honour of the rifle maker Smith and Wesson," he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38730611 | |
Oscar nominations 2017: Seven non-white actors recognised - BBC News | 2017-01-24 | null | Diversity in the 2017 Oscar nominations and how it compares to last year's crop. | null | The last two Oscars suffered a backlash due to the lack of non-white nominations.
This year's nominations in the acting categories are more diverse. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38737641 | |
Morgan Schneiderlin: Everton sign Man Utd midfielder for fee rising to £24m - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Everton confirm the signing of Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin for a fee rising to £24m. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Everton have signed Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin for a fee rising to £24m.
Schneiderlin, 27, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract to link up again with Toffees boss Ronald Koeman, whom he played for at Southampton.
The France international played 47 times for the Red Devils following his £25m move from the Saints in July 2015.
Schneiderlin, who moves for an initial £20m, said he was "hungry as ever and ready to eat football again".
He has made eight appearances since Jose Mourinho was appointed United boss in the summer, but has only played for 11 minutes in the Premier League.
Schneiderlin's last appearance for the club came in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal in November.
He said: "Everton is a big club in the history of English football. I have always loved the atmosphere in the stadium. I can't wait to play and to represent this great club.
"There is a manager in place here that I know and he can get the best out of me. I know his style and how he likes to play football. He was very good with me from the start and I enjoyed playing football under him."
Koeman demanded the club make signings this month after their FA Cup third-round defeat by Leicester.
The Toffees have already signed 19-year-old forward Ademola Lookman from Charlton for £11m and agreed a £10.4m fee with Standard Liege for Algeria forward Ishak Belfodil.
Midfielder Tom Cleverley has left to join fellow Premier League side Watford on loan for the rest of the season, with an option to buy.
Morgan Schneiderlin has struggled to adapt and stamp his personality on anything at Old Trafford. But he gets across the ground well, he can tackle and he gets up and down the pitch.
At his best he's a typical Premier League central midfield player. Everton are buying someone who you know has been able to produce the goods in the Premier League from his time at Southampton. He's not a gamble. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38586043 | |
Johanna Konta beats Eugenie Bouchard to progress to final in Sydney - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | British number one Johanna Konta reaches the final of the Sydney International with a 6-2 6-2 win over Eugenie Bouchard. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
British number one Johanna Konta reached the final of the Sydney International with a 6-2 6-2 win over Eugenie Bouchard.
Konta, the world number 10, was in impressive form as she beat the Canadian in one hour and eight minutes.
The first set was tied at 2-2 before Konta reeled off seven games in a row on the way to victory.
She will now play world number three Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Barbora Strycova 6-1 6-2, in Friday's final.
Konta, who has one tour title to her name, has played Radwanska twice before and lost each time.
The most recent of those defeats came in the China Open final last October. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38596947 | |
Graham Taylor dies at 72 - His FA Cup Story - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Former England and Watford manager Graham Taylor has died aged 72. Here he tells his story of Watford's memorable FA Cup run in 1984. | null | Former England and Watford manager Graham Taylor has died aged 72. Here he tells his story of Watford's memorable FA Cup run in 1984. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38599596 | |
India v England: Tourists lose warm-up match in Mumbai - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | England are heavily beaten by India A in their second and final warm-up match before the one-day international series begins on Sunday. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England were heavily beaten by India A in their second and final warm-up match before the one-day international series begins on Sunday.
After Jonny Bairstow made 64 and Alex Hales 51, the tourists slipped from 116-1 to 211-9 - both Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler were out first ball.
They needed last-wicket pair Adil Rashid and David Willey to reach 282.
India A coasted in the chase, Ajinkya Rahane's 91 getting them home with more than 10 overs to spare.
• None Stay or go? The decision facing Alastair Cook
This setback comes after England beat a different India A line-up by three wickets on Tuesday.
It also throws up further questions over the top-order batting.
The regular top four would comprise Hales, Jason Roy - who was unlucky to be bowled when a part of his helmet fell on to the bails - Joe Root and Morgan.
Root has not played in the warm-ups after arriving late because of the birth of his son, while captain Morgan, returning to the side after missing the tour of Bangladesh over security fears, has made only three runs in two innings.
Meanwhile, Sam Billings made 93 in the first match and Bairstow pressed his claim here.
Morgan is not the only man short of form. Moeen Ali has made just one run in his two innings and was the third of three wickets to fall in the space of eight balls.
Rashid, who shared 71 for the 10th wicket with Willey, served up a succession of short balls in seven overs of leg spin that went for 51 - and not one of England's bowlers managed an economy rate of under six.
The manner of captain Eoin Morgan and vice-captain Jos Buttler's dismissals epitomised this latest England middle-order collapse in India.
Both were caught and bowled, first ball, prodding easy catches back to the bowler, misjudging the pace of the wicket.
England will be much more pleased with their top order, however. Not only did Hales and Bairstow both reach half-centuries, but Jason Roy was looking in fine form before his unfortunate dismissal. He stood his ground for what seemed an age, unable to quite work out how the bails had been dislodged.
We're often told of how deep England bat, and this was proved by a carefree 70-run partnership between Rashid and Willey, who helped make the target more respectable. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38597815 | |
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool were lucky not to lose semi-final 3-0 at Southampton - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says his side were fortunate to come away with a 1-0 defeat at Southampton in their EFL Cup semi-final first leg. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his side were fortunate to come away with a 1-0 defeat at Southampton in their EFL Cup semi-final first leg.
The Reds were outplayed for much of the tie at St Mary's but have to now only overturn a narrow deficit in the return leg on Wednesday 25 January.
Klopp told BBC Radio 5 live: "It could and should have been 2-0, 3-0.
"The best thing for us is the result. We know that we can play better at Anfield, nothing is decided."
Nathan Redmond's first-half goal gave Southampton the win, but the former Norwich winger should have increased their lead from two good chances.
Redmond himself said after the game that he "should have scored four", after he hit the crossbar and Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius made several good saves.
Klopp added: "We cannot be happy with the performance, Southampton cannot be happy with the result. I can't remember a clear chance for us.
"We gave the ball away so easily and we needed Loris Karius to save our lives two or three times."
Liverpool lost the League Cup final to Manchester City on penalties last season, while Southampton lost their only final 3-2 to Nottingham Forest in 1979.
'Everything will be different at Anfield'
Liverpool welcomed back forward Philippe Coutinho from injury as a second-half substitute, and Klopp believes his side will put in a better performance in the second leg.
"We will strike back, we will be a different team, a different side, everything will be different at Anfield," he said.
"It's still possible to go to Wembley, and that's the target.
"We have to show a reaction - but it would be cool if we could already show a reaction at the weekend, because we probably need a better performance to get something at Old Trafford [against Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League]."
Southampton manager Claude Puel admitted his disappointment that Saints will only take a one-goal lead to Anfield.
"It's a little frustration that this win was just 1-0," said the Frenchman. "With just a little more luck we could have been further ahead.
"I think it was important to keep this result with a clean sheet, with a win, and to sustain our chances of qualifying for the final.
"It was a great performance here and I believe they had just one chance in the whole game, so it's a good performance from my players." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38591571 | |
The footballer who makes more money playing video games - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Meet the man who gave up his successful on-pitch career for a money-spinning virtual one. | Business | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Former Brazilian footballer Wendell Lira will never forget the day he beat Lionel Messi.
It was a split second in front of the goalkeeper in a match in Brazil's lower league that changed Lira's life forever.
Only 342 people were in the stadium that night for Goianesia v Atletico Goianiense, but Lira's superb goal captured on video travelled the world and became a hit, winning 2015's Fifa Puskas Award for the most beautiful goal scored in 2015.
Lira was soon hired by a bigger football club and his career seemed on the rise.
But in a turn of events he decided to retire from the sport at the age of 27, and is now playing video games instead.
Even more surprisingly, he is making more money as an e-athlete than he ever did as a real footballer.
"I always dreamed of making a living as a video game player, but I never thought it would come true. But it did," he says.
During a side event at the Fifa Award ceremony in Switzerland, footballers were challenged to play a match of EA Sports' Fifa game against the world champion.
Most players, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, declined the offer. But Lira thought he had nothing to lose. To his own surprise, he beat the world champion 6-1.
Before the award, he had become disenchanted with his own profession. Players in Brazil's top leagues can get good salaries and become millionaires if they are spotted by rich European clubs.
But in the Brazilian lower leagues life is hard.
Lira spent the last few years earning 3,000 reais ($880; £700) per month in the weeks that he could find work. Some years he spent up to seven months unemployed. He had four serious injuries in his career.
He had even retired from football and was working in his mother's restaurant when he got an invitation from Goianesia and decided to give the sport one last go.
The goal he scored for the team earned him plaudits and fame. But just a few weeks after the glitz and glamour faded, he was again playing for a small club and suffering from all the same old problems - and having trouble paying his bills.
"People think that because I was a Puskas winner I had a huge salary. It was never the case."
But his good performance in the e-sport match in Switzerland did not go unnoticed. A sports marketing firm in the southern town of Porto Alegre saw potential in Wendell Lira and offered him a five-year contract as an e-athlete.
He now makes money by playing in championships, hosting a YouTube channel with tips for players and selling sponsorship for his online programme.
His channel has almost 250,000 subscribers and millions of views, and Lira says he is making well above his old salary.
Making money playing on screen also needs hard training - something that will come as a surprise to many parents
Brazil is one of the fastest growing markets for gaming in the world. A report by the consultancy Newzoo says Latin America is the second fastest growing region in electronic game revenues, after South East Asia.
The region has 110 million gamers who spent $4.1bn in 2016 - some 20% more than the previous year.
And video games are not only an entertainment option for players - people are now watching them in stadiums and on television too.
Last year, more than 10,000 people attended the League of Legends final in a football stadium in Sao Paulo.
The country's top TV sports channel is now broadcasting some tournaments live.
Now traditional football clubs are looking for ways to cash in.
Santos, the club that made Pele famous, has recently gone into partnership with an e-sports firm to sponsor teams. It now has e-athletes playing Rainbow Six and Counter Strike.
Its marketing department fears that young audiences are flocking more to video games rather than to football clubs, and that they need to reach out to them in this new environment.
Bruno Andrade, who manages the Santos Dexterity e-sports team, says it is a hard task to run the business. Money is still scarce - funding comes through cash prizes, online channels or sponsorship.
Another challenge is to manage teenagers in a career that is not well-established yet. Santos Football Club provided its e-sports arm with a psychologist.
"Many people still don't understand that this could be a lasting career and they need professional help to guide them," says Andrade.
Some top stars in the game are playing full-time and making six-figure sums.
There are teams that train and live together under one roof.
But these are still rare cases. Most players are still struggling to make ends meet.
Wendell Lira says his routine is very hard - he trains several hours every day to win cash prizes in online tournaments and stay relevant on YouTube.
But, he says, it is still much easier than the gruelling world of football - where he had to deal with physical pain and long trips. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38262547 | |
Recruiting prawns to fight river parasite - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Making sure certain rivers are fully stocked with prawns could prove to be an important contribution to fighting schistosomiasis. | Science & Environment | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Making sure certain rivers are fully stocked with prawns could prove to be an important contribution to fighting schistosomiasis.
The parasitic worm disease is endemic in many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics. Africa is a hotspot.
But it has been shown that prawns will avidly eat the water snails that host the parasite, breaking the cycle of infection that includes people.
The impact was most eloquently demonstrated on the Senegal River.
There, the Diama Dam was built close to the estuary in 1986, blocking the ability of prawns to migrate up and down the water course, decimating their presence.
When scientists restocked the crustaceans upstream of the barrier in a controlled experiment, they saw a dramatic fall in schistosomiasis re-infection rates among the local population.
But the ecological consequences of dam construction are often complex and hard to unwrap, and the team could not therefore know for sure how applicable this approach might be to other areas.
So they did an analysis - to look at multiple dam systems worldwide to see how these mapped across decades-long records of schistosomiasis and the traditional habitat ranges of the large migratory prawn, Macrobrachium.
To be clear, no-one actually went out into the field to count prawns, but the results of the analysis were nonetheless compelling: damming was followed by greater increases in schistosomiasis in those areas where prawns had historically been present versus those zones not known to be big prawn habitats.
The inference being that the loss of the crustaceans was a major factor in the rise in infection.
“Where there were dams, schistosomiasis increased, but it increased more - at least double on average - where we expected these predators to be, traditionally - compared to those dammed watersheds where they have not been,” explained Dr Susanne Sokolow from Stanford University and UC Santa Barbara, US.
And her colleague, Prof Giulio De Leo, added: “We ended up finding that something like 280 million to 350 million people live in areas that are endemic for schistosomiasis and could potentially benefit from this type of intervention (prawn re-introduction).
“We are talking in fact about 40% of the 800 million people that are potentially at risk of schistosomiasis and this is because most of the people tend to concentrate in coastal areas where there is also historical presence of these migratory prawns that happen to be voracious predators of the snails that amplify schistosomiasis.”
Sokolow and De Leo gave details of their latest work at the recent American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
The Diama Dam allowed for the expansion of agriculture along the Senegal River
They are now working with various groups in Africa (the Upstream Alliance) to try to develop sustainable means of maintaining prawns in affected rivers.
Praziquantel: A highly effective treatment but it does not stop re-infection
This includes prawn aquaculture farms. The crustaceans are corralled in netted areas close to the river bank to keep on top of the snails and then harvested for food. Schistosomiasis cannot be caught by eating the prawns, so it is a strategy that has economic as well as a health benefits.
The team is also examining the role other predators could play, such as catfish and ducks. Both will eat freshwater snails.
Another idea is to tackle the problem at source - the dam. It should be possible to retrofit barriers with some kind of prawn bypass, akin to the “ladders” that aid salmon in other parts of the world to get to their upstream spawning grounds.
The capital investment required at existing dams could be very large, however.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Giulio De Leo: "We want to identify other candidate sites around the world"
The native African prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii is the focus of attention and biotechnology (non GM) techniques are available that allow all-male progeny to be produced in aquaculture farms.
Using only males is preferable on a few counts. They grow fast and big and consume more snails, but being male they do not need to migrate in the same way as females, which require a saline estuary for spawning - so the dam becomes less of an issue.
But prawns are not a “silver bullet”, cautions Dr Sokolow. A suite of solutions will ultimately be necessary.
“There’s a drug treatment that works very well - praziquantel. It clears the worms out of people and is 98-99% effective. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have lasting effects, so people the very next day - people living in poverty, especially, where there isn’t clean and safe water to access - are back out in the rivers and streams getting re-infected," she told BBC News.
“Clearly, there are other factors in play, such as the building up of agricultural systems that follow the construction of the dams. That increases population densities and potentially puts agrochemicals in the river that influences the system. But when you add in the loss of the prawns, the situation becomes worse; and it suggests that this tool of restoring prawns could be a big factor in helping to reduce and mitigate the impact of dams on schistosomiasis.”
It may not be just prawns - ducks and catfish may be useful tools, also | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38571937 | |
Diner leaves £1,000 tip on £79 bill - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A happy customer at an Indian restaurant in County Armagh has surprised staff by leaving a £1,000 tip on a £79 bill. | Northern Ireland | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Luna Ekush, who owns the restaurant, said the tip was "incredibly generous"
A happy diner at an Indian restaurant in Portadown has surprised staff by leaving a £1,000 tip on a £79 bill.
Chef Babu, (Shabbir Satter) of the Indian Tree in the town, said he was called over "very discreetly" by the man, who wanted to remain anonymous.
The customer was one of a group of five who dined at the restaurant last Tuesday, the Portadown Times reports.
He said he wanted to add the huge service fee in recognition of the "excellent food".
Luna Ekush, who owns the restaurant, said the tip was "incredibly generous".
"It is a very simple thing to express gratitude, but this has had such a big impact. We are still in shock," she said.
"All the staff working that night will split the money as the customer said it was for everyone.
"I don't think anyone at the restaurant has ever received such a massive tip, I definitely have not.
"I want to thank Babu for his hard work, all credit for the food must go to him." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38598004 | |
Was Buzzfeed right on Donald Trump dossier? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Buzzfeed's decision to publish the Donald Trump dossier raises many questions about modern journalism. | Entertainment & Arts | Donald Trump has criticised the decision to publish the dossier
Was Buzzfeed right to publish the Trump dossier?
That comes down to editorial judgement, which is to news what eggs are to an omelette - the essential ingredient.
That said, I opened this post with a question which I will not answer - partly because I work for the BBC and it is not my place to pass judgement on other news organisations' editorial calls and partly because those editorial calls are subjective.
But as BBC media editor, and as a former editor of The Independent who had to make thousands of these calls, often against tight deadlines and under great pressure from the subjects of our stories, I want to explore some of the considerations that we editors have to make.
Hopefully that will illuminate the hugely controversial decision made this week by Buzzfeed.
Editorial judgement is ultimately a moral activity. It is an exercise in selection - which stories, facts, claims, pictures, words, ideas to publish, and which to leave out - that relies on several smaller judgements.
These include: the importance you attach to veracity; your own political persuasion; a sense of your audience's interest and - outside the BBC and unfortunately more common now the news business model is under such strain - a consideration of the commercial implications of publishing particular things.
The rectitude of all moral activity or actions - editorial judgement included - can be analysed along three criteria:
Let's look at Buzzfeed's decision to publish the dossier in terms of intentions and consequences.
Some people will argue that - whether you agree with it or not - there is a coherent case for putting information in the public domain even if you are not 100% certain it is true.
Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief, has spoken eloquently about how, in our digital era, publishers are no longer gatekeepers of information who demand to be trusted, arguing that Buzzfeed is simply a distributor.
His second argument is that because this publication was being circulated widely among government officials, it had tremendous news value and therefore it was in the public interest to put it in the public domain with plenty of caveats so readers could make up their own minds.
I know from personal experience that, if you are a digital publisher whose content is free, you mainly make money from advertising, which is related to traffic and which you are under immense pressure to generate.
This ultimately commercial imperative can - and does - influence the editorial judgement of many publishers.
But let us be charitable to Buzzfeed and say that commercial considerations did not influence this editorial decision.
Buzzfeed has a young audience and often publishes journalism associated with the political Left, unlike Trump whose most stable constituency is older voters on the Right.
It is reasonable to conclude that one reason Buzzfeed published this dossier about Mr Trump is that it calculated it could harm someone it does not like.
So Buzzfeed, having put traffic considerations aside, and being antithetical to some of the things Mr Trump stands for, calculated that the document, which had potentially huge implications for the incoming president, deserved to be seen in its entirety by readers who want access to information.
That covers the intentions, but what of the consequences?
Huge traffic for this article must have been one consequence. Another is that Buzzfeed, as a powerful international brand, is now clearly associated with a willingness to publish information it knows could be false.
Another consequence is of course that the information contained in the dossier, some of it untrue, much of it not corroborated, is now in the public domain we call cyberspace. Perhaps citizens across the globe are digesting it to better understand the incoming president.
Finally, life has been made harder for other news organisations, such as CNN, who Trump targeted in his remarkable press conference.
They have now been conflated with Buzzfeed under Trump's pernicious umbrella term "fake news".
Buzzfeed could reasonably say it is not its job to secure access to Mr Trump for CNN - and in any case the president-elect was not exactly friendly with the mainstream media before the dossier's publication.
It will be for editors and citizens everywhere to decide, in balancing Buzzfeed's intentions with the (largely foreseeable) consequences, whether it made a correct editorial judgement.
That in turn depends on your moral position - your commitment to truth and so on.
What really interests me is that Mr Smith is saying that the digital revolution has redefined journalism, creating publishers who are prepared to put lots of information into the public domain without verifying it.
Julian Assange's Wikileaks has put huge amounts of information into the public domain
There is a difference, however, between Wikileaks, who do that sort of thing, and what most journalists understand their role to be: corroborating information before making selections as to what should be published.
In a sense, Mr Smith's position is an argument against journalism, in that being gatekeepers who curate and edit the world is precisely what many hacks believe their role to be.
Just as traditional media included many different types of publisher - tabloids v broadsheets, for example - so new, digital media include those who exhaustively check their facts and proceed with caution and those who are prepared to publish unverified allegations because they think the public should know.
The BBC is in the former camp, as my colleague Paul Wood argued in his excellent blog.
We work very hard to verify claims before publishing them: so much so that there are always big stories we know about that we cannot use, because we haven't got sufficiently solid sourcing. Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg has talked about this - and I can certainly relate to it.
Together with Mr Trump, this controversy helps to illuminate how fast the media is changing - and how it affects all our lives. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38600531 | |
Graham Taylor: Sir Elton John says former England boss was 'like a brother to me' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Singer Sir Elton John says Graham Taylor "was like a brother to me" following the former England manager's death at the age of 72. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Sir Elton John described Graham Taylor as "like a brother to me" following the former England manager's death at 72.
Sir Elton appointed Taylor as Watford manager in 1977, a year after the singer took ownership of the club.
Within five years, Taylor took the Hornets from the old Fourth Division to runners-up in the top flight, going on to reach the 1984 FA Cup final.
"We will cherish Graham and drown our sorrows in the brilliant memories he gave us," Sir Elton wrote on Instagram.
"This is a sad and dark day for Watford. The club and the town. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.
"I love you Graham. I will miss you very much."
• None Listen again to a 5 live special: Tributes to Graham Taylor
• None Archive: Taylor told me to stick to cricket - Botham
Taylor, who managed England between 1990 and 1993, died on Thursday morning following a suspected heart attack, his family said.
He was a highly successful club manager who also worked at Lincoln, Wolves and Aston Villa, guiding the latter to second place in the First Division in 1990.
After resigning as England boss in 1993 following the team's failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, he managed Watford for a further five years, between 1996 and 2001.
He retired from football in 2003, later becoming a respected BBC pundit.
Sir Elton sold his stake in Watford in 1987, the year Taylor left for Villa, but he returned again as chairman in 1997.
"I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham's passing. He was like a brother to me," he added.
"He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to uncharted territory and into Europe. We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius."
• 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)
Watford will hold a minute's applause in honour of their former manager before Saturday's home Premier League match against Middlesbrough, and their players will wear black armbands.
They will also organise additional tributes, involving officials and supporters from the club.
The club say they are "inviting supporters to tweet their tributes to the club's most successful manager by using the hashtag #thankyouGT".
The EFL said a minute's applause will be held before this weekend's fixtures, while clubs will have the option of wearing black armbands.
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke described Taylor as "a hugely popular and respected figure in the game".
He added: "He had an exceptional knowledge and a love for the game that never diminished over the years. He will be much missed by us all at Wembley and St George's Park."
Match of the Day host and former England international Gary Lineker said Taylor was "an outstanding manager, lover of football and thoroughly decent man".
He added: "He made me his England captain and I will be eternally grateful to him for giving me that honour."
Former England striker Alan Shearer, who made his international debut under Taylor in 1992, said he was "completely shocked" by the news of Taylor's death, adding he "held him in the very highest regard".
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore said: "You will struggle to find a more decent individual in football, one who cared passionately about all levels and aspects of the English game."
Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers' Association - of which Taylor was the first president, paid tribute to his "lifelong friend".
"I greatly admired Graham for his honesty, tenacity, professionalism and his capacity for innovation, which earned him richly deserved success," he said.
"Football has lost one of its greatest servants and our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Rita, his daughters Joanne and Karen, and the rest of his family."
Burnley manager Sean Dyche, who was given his first managerial job by then Watford chairman Taylor, said: "For such a legend at Watford to be helping you have that chance, and helping me along the way as a young manager, I'm absolutely devastated."
Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne said Taylor's "enthusiasm for life and football was incredible".
Professional Footballers' Association chairman Gordon Taylor said he had known Graham Taylor since they were both aged 15 at England schoolboy trials.
"He was a real quality human being. He cared about his fellow pros and the good of the game. He should be remembered as a man who added to the game, who really showed his ability as a manager," he said.
"I'm proud and privileged to have been able to call him a friend." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38600446 | |
The business of free: How to boost your chance of getting a freebie - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | 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 | |
Alastair Cook: England captain to meet Andrew Strauss on Friday - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | England captain Alastair Cook will meet director of cricket Andrew Strauss on Friday, but no decision on his future as skipper is expected to be made. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England captain Alastair Cook will meet director of cricket Andrew Strauss on Friday, but no decision on his role as skipper is expected to be made.
The 32-year-old admitted to having "questions" over his position during the 4-0 series defeat in India.
Cook and Strauss regularly meet to review each series that England play.
With England not due to play a Test until July, Cook will be given time, with no decision likely before the end of the limited-overs series in India.
• None Read more: Stay or go? The decision facing Alastair Cook...
The white-ball teams, led by Eoin Morgan, play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s, the last of which is on 1 February.
With the majority of England's management, including coach Trevor Bayliss, currently in India, some staff met via video-link on Monday.
Cook, who was appointed in 2012 and has captained in an England record 59 Tests, is thought to have already spoken informally to Strauss and indicated that he would like more time to come to a decision.
The opening batsman was sacked as one-day captain in 2015, but is unlikely to face a similar situation if he wishes to remain as Test skipper.
Speculation over how long he might remain as leader first arose before the tour of India, when Cook said he was looking forward to a time when he was no longer captain.
Though England gained a creditable draw in the first Test, their performances deteriorated.
In the fourth Test they became only the third side to lose by an innings after making 400 or more batting first, a result that sealed a series defeat and after which Cook said he thought vice-captain Joe Root was "ready" to lead.
The fifth Test saw the tourists again beaten by an innings after hitting 477 batting first, this time with India piling on 759-7, their highest Test total and the largest made by any side against England.
In the aftermath, former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott called on Cook to step aside, while ex-captain Michael Vaughan said he expected the opener to stand down.
However, he has been publically backed by Bayliss and many members of his squad, most recently opening batsman Haseeb Hameed.
If Cook resigns then Root, 26, is expected to take over. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38593155 | |
Austria teenager builds his own mini ski resort - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | A 17-year-old model maker from Austria demonstrates his very own miniature ski village. | null | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38590450 | |
Chelsea Football Club stadium plans given approval by council - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Chelsea Football Club have been given permission by the local council to build a new £500m 60,000-seat stadium. | London | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Chelsea Football Club have been given permission by the local council to build a new £500m 60,000-seat stadium.
Hammersmith and Fulham council's planning committee have backed plans to demolish the current 41,600-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium.
The plans include a walkway from the nearby District Line station.
"We are grateful that planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of our historic home," Chelsea said in a statement.
"The committee decision does not mean that work can begin on site. This is just the latest step, although a significant one, that we have to take before we can commence work, including obtaining various other permissions."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan will have the final say on whether Chelsea can build their new stadium.
The new stadium has been designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron, who were also responsible for the "Birds Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing.
The proposals could mean owner Roman Abramovich has to find a temporary home for the current Premier League leaders for up to three years, with both Twickenham Stadium and Wembley Stadium being looked at as possible options.
An artist's impression of the proposed new Stamford Bridge stadium
Chelsea might, however, struggle to use Wembley as north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur will occupy the national stadium for at least the 2017-18 football season as work finishes on Spurs' own new 61,000-capacity stadium.
Chelsea could stay at Stamford Bridge while the work takes place but this is thought to be the most expensive option.
The plans showing the outline of the new Chelsea stadium at Stamford Bridge including a new walkway to the ground from Fulham Broadway Tube station
Mr Abramovich has wanted to increase capacity at Chelsea on match days for a number of years.
He previously attempted to buy Battersea Power Station with a view to redeveloping the site into a new stadium, ultimately losing out to property developers who are currently building luxury apartments at the site.
Ten years ago Arsenal built the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium, last summer West Ham moved to the 57,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, and Spurs are currently redeveloping their White Hart Lane ground.
The current 41,663-capacity Stamford Bridge is the seventh biggest stadium used by a Premier League team, well behind Manchester United's 76,000-seater stadium at Old Trafford.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-38572335 | |
Nepotism quiz: Who had relatives in high places? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How much do you know about famous cases of nepotism? | Magazine | US Democrats say that President-elect Trump's plans to employ his son-in-law as a special adviser may be in breach of anti-nepotism laws.
History is littered with examples of people giving out - and just being accused of giving out - jobs to their nearest and dearest. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of nepotism:
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38562679 | |
Graham Taylor: Football to pay tribute to former England manager - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | 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 | |
Graham Taylor: Alan Shearer pays tribute to former England boss - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Former England captain Alan Shearer pays tribute to Graham Taylor who gave the former Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle forward his Three Lions debut. | null | Former England captain Alan Shearer pays tribute to Graham Taylor who gave the former Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle forward his Three Lions debut. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38602853 | |
Carney warns EU on risks of Brexit - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The governor of the Bank of England has moved the debate away from the risk of Brexit to the UK – arguing the rest of the EU is facing a greater threat to financial stability. | Business | Mark Carney has put his finger on one of the biggest debates developing in the City at the moment.
Brexit may hold risks for Britain - the economy and the supremacy of London as Europe's financial capital being two of them.
But the rest of the European Union also faces risks.
And, according to the governor, those risks are greater for the continent.
To be clear, Mr Carney was talking about financial stability, not economic growth - although of course the two are closely intertwined.
If financial stability is compromised, or liquidity conditions deteriorate, then economic growth is likely to be adversely affected.
In his evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, Mr Carney made three major points.
First, the UK's financial services sector provides 75% of foreign exchange trading for the EU, 75% of all hedging products (which help businesses insure against risk when making investments or buying products) and supports half of all lending.
As he said in November, the UK is Europe's "investment banker".
A sharp break in that liquidity and capacity support could be detrimental to financial stability in the EU.
Alex Brazier, the executive director for financial stability at the Bank, said that the UK exports £26bn of financial services to the EU, and imports just £3bn.
Which, he said, makes the point.
Second, as far as the UK is concerned, Brexit is no longer the biggest risk to financial stability.
Now, that may be leapt on by the Bank's critics - the governor has changed his tune, it could be said, given that before the referendum Brexit was seen as the biggest risk.
Mr Carney said the UK economy is performing better than expected
But Mr Carney made it clear - the mitigating actions the Bank has taken since the referendum (a cut in interest rates and more financial support for banks and businesses) have, according to the governor, worked.
Better economic news than many predicted has also maintained confidence - and the governor suggested that the Bank was now looking at upgrading the UK economic forecasts for 2017.
Third, transitional arrangements would be a positive help to smoothing the process of Brexit, avoiding what has been described as a "cliff edge" exit which may occur at the end of the two year Article 50 process.
Many in the City believe that given the complexities of the financial relationships between London and the rest of Europe, two years will simply not be enough time to build new regulatory and financial structures.
A period of "adaption" will be necessary.
Mr Carney's comments are likely to be welcomed in Number 10 and the Treasury.
The government believes that, whatever the present noises about the toughness of the EU position on Brexit flexibility, the role London plays in supporting the rest of the EU economy will be an important part of the negotiations.
Business leaders across the EU will want to maintain full access to UK's deep financial markets and widespread expertise.
And that will help Theresa May's push for the "closest trading relationship" with the EU, even if Britain does leave the single market as it is presently constituted.
Some believe this a forlorn hope, suggesting that political positions in the EU are hardening, not softening, towards the UK.
But, the more the warnings come from people like Mr Carney that Europe might just need the UK's financial muscle, the stronger Mrs May's negotiating hand will be. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38582690 | |
Meet the rally driver aged 72 - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | A 72-year-old rally driver is coming out of retirement. | null | A 72-year-old female rally driver is coming out of retirement to drive the original car in which she competed during the 1970 World Rally Cup. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38592903 | |
Graham Taylor obituary: Ex-England boss a fount of knowledge and a true gentleman - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Chief football writer Phil McNulty pays tribute to Graham Taylor after the former England manager's sudden death at the age of 72. | null | Graham Taylor will be remembered by many for his unfulfilling spell in charge of England - but by plenty more as an outstanding club manager at Watford and Aston Villa and one of the nicest, most genuine men in the game.
The reaction to Taylor's death on Thursday at the age of 72, and the affection expressed for him, was the true measure of his standing inside and outside football.
Born in Worksop in Nottinghamshire, Taylor was the son of a journalist and rose to prominence in the game as a manager after retiring as a player with Lincoln City in 1972. He became manager and coach at the club, winning the Fourth Division title with them before moving to Watford in 1977.
It was here, in tandem with his chairman Sir Elton John, that he produced arguably his finest work, taking the club from the Fourth Division to the top flight in the space of five exhilarating years.
• None Listen again to a 5 live special: Tributes to Graham Taylor
Taylor nurtured Watford legends such as Luther Blissett and John Barnes, remarkably finishing second behind Liverpool in their first season at that elite level and reaching the FA Cup final in 1984, where they lost 2-0 to Everton.
Not so long ago he joked with me, with his usual broad smile: "You know I have never watched any of that game from that day to this - but I don't need to see it again to know that second goal from Andy Gray was a bloody foul on our goalkeeper Steve Sherwood."
Taylor's unlikely partnership with the flamboyant rock star worked against the odds, the manager's down-to-earth approach dovetailing with his chairman's lavish lifestyle. They remained friends for life, as demonstrated by Sir Elton's heartfelt tribute.
On trips abroad when he worked as a BBC Sport pundit, Taylor would gladly tell stories of that partnership, always with a laugh and underlining the genuine affection they shared.
Taylor's brilliance inevitably attracted attention from elsewhere and, perhaps feeling he had achieved all he could at Vicarage Road, he left for Aston Villa in May 1987.
Villa were in reduced circumstances having been relegated to the second flight. Taylor soon put that right by winning promotion in his first season - and, not content with that, rebuilt the club with such success and shrewd management that he took them to second place behind Liverpool in 1990.
Taylor's methods were tried and trusted and yet he often received criticism for what his detractors perceived as "long ball" football. He, with much justification, pointed out his willingness to use wingers and flair players such as Barnes and the young Mo Johnston, whom he brought to England from Partick Thistle.
England inevitably looked in Taylor's direction after Sir Bobby Robson left following the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where his side lost to West Germany on penalties in the semi-final.
This was, without doubt, the darkest and most frustrating period of Taylor's career and is one of the reasons his other work has been so criminally underrated over the years.
Taylor took over at a tough time after the loss of England mainstays such as goalkeeper Peter Shilton and past captains such as Terry Butcher and Bryan Robson. He gave players like Alan Shearer and Martin Keown their first England caps - but he drew criticism for selecting players many simply felt were not international class, such as Carlton Palmer.
England reached Euro 92 in Sweden under Taylor but produced a series of disappointing performances, going out at the group stage after losing 2-1 to Sweden in Stockholm.
Taylor courted controversy and criticism in that decisive game by substituting England captain and main marksman Gary Lineker for Arsenal striker Alan Smith with a goal still needed - it never arrived and Lineker never played for England again. The manager was vilified and lampooned as a "turnip" in the Sun newspaper.
The campaign to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994 also ended in failure, and was brutally chronicled in the fly-on-the-wall documentary 'The Impossible Job', which gave an intimate insight into the pressures Taylor was under.
Those struggles were illustrated starkly in the game that effectively sealed his fate, the 2-0 loss to the Netherlands in Rotterdam.
He may have operated at the highest level but he never talked down to supporters and was always interested in how they viewed the game
The tortured Taylor is seen on the sidelines pleading with officials after Ronald Koeman somehow escaped a red card for a foul on England's David Platt, only to be reprieved and score the brilliant free-kick that sent the Dutch on the way to victory.
He resigned the following month and stayed out of the game until returning at Wolves in March 1994. During his spell in charge he took them into the second-tier play-offs in 1994-95, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers.
Taylor left in November 1995 before returning to revisit old glories. Sir Elton John was back at the helm at Watford so it was no surprise when he turned to Taylor to come back to Vicarage Road as general manager in February 1996.
It was once more the perfect fit and he was back as manager a year later, winning the third-tier title in 1998 before putting Watford in the Premier League at the end of the following season after a play-off final victory over Bolton.
Watford, despite an early win at Liverpool, were relegated and the following season Taylor decided to retire - only to change his mind and make a comeback at Villa in February 2002. He retired for a second and final time after they struggled the following season.
It was the end of one chapter and the start of another as Taylor became a respected pundit on BBC Radio 5 live, a role he performed with total assurance and perception.
Taylor was part of the radio team that covered England. It was a sign of the esteem in which he was held by fans as well as players that whenever he encountered supporters abroad, he was treated with complete respect.
There was barely a reference from England followers to any of his struggles in charge of the national team. To them, Taylor was a true gentleman, to be given his due not just for his work but for his warm personality and willingness to discuss football matters with anyone he met.
He may have operated at the highest level but he never talked down to supporters and was always interested in how they viewed the game.
• None Archive: Media treated me like dirt after England - Taylor
• None Archive: Taylor told me to stick to cricket - Botham
As a BBC Sport colleague, Taylor was unfailingly co-operative and the consummate professional, willing to take a call at any time, even when he was meant to be spending time with his beloved wife Rita.
And as well as a fount of knowledge and a man with strong opinions, Taylor was also an endless source of entertainment and stories, just as happy to poke fun at himself as everyone else.
Graham Taylor was a top-class manager at club level and a true gentleman inside and outside of football. He will be greatly missed and perhaps now his work in management, viewed through the prism of this sad news, will finally get the credit it fully deserves. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38596836 | |
Dimitri Payet does not want to play for West Ham, says Slaven Bilic - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | West Ham boss Slaven Bilic says Dimitri Payet needs to "change his attitude" to play again but the club is "not going to sell him". | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says forward Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the Premier League club - but they will not sell him.
The 29-year-old France international has regularly been linked with a move.
It is understood the Hammers recently turned down a £19.1m bid for Payet from his former side Marseille.
"We have said we don't want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us," Bilic said. "We are not going to sell him."
Payet joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015.
He excelled in his first season with the London club, scoring 12 goals and earning a nomination for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
In February 2016 he signed a new contract to tie him to the Hammers to the summer of 2021.
Payet has scored five goals so far this season, and the Sun reported last week that Bilic had ordered him to improve his attitude.
"I expect from him to come back and to show commitment and determination to the team like the team has shown to him," Bilic said on Thursday.
"We aren't going to sell him. It's not a money issue or anything. We want to keep our best players.
"I spoke to the chairman and this is not a money issue. We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay."
Payet was left on the bench for Friday's 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester City.
"He's probably been tapped up by some clubs or whatever," added Bilic, who also confirmed that the player is not training with the first team. "That is usual at this time of year.
"But until he changes his attitude he is out of the team and he's not going to train with us."
West Ham are 13th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone, and host Crystal Palace on Saturday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38595765 | |
Daily Politics coverage of PMQs - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | Prime Minister's Questions on the BBC's Daily Politics. | null | This video can not be played. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27901933 | |
Sir Dave Brailsford: Team Sky boss defends methods at British Cycling - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford defends his "uncompromising" methods as an investigation into British Cycling is set to be published. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford has defended his training methods as an investigation into British Cycling is set to be published.
Former technical director Shane Sutton resigned in April over claims of discrimination, which he denies.
The findings of a review into an alleged bullying culture at British Cycling are to be published soon.
"I'm uncompromising in trying to achieve success," said Brailsford. "I don't think I treated people wrongly."
He added: "I don't think I was vindictive, I don't think I was biased, I don't think I was malicious."
Australian Sutton was found guilty of using sexist language towards cyclist Jess Varnish, but cleared of eight of the nine charges against him.
However, the nature of the allegations - and wider claims about the culture at British Cycling - prompted an independent inquiry led by British Rowing chairman Annamarie Phelps.
Brailsford became British Cycling performance director in 2003 and led Team GB to two cycling gold medals at the 2004 Olympics, improving that tally to eight in both 2008 and 2012.
"We started off as a British team who were second rate, nowhere in the world, with an attitude of gallant losers," said the 52-year-old. "We thought actually 'why can't we be the best in the world?'
"And I am uncompromising, I know that. Some people can cope with that environment, and some people can't.
"When I took over at British Cycling I tried to push hard. And there were some people I felt who shouldn't be there.
"So you get people who go. I'll never make any excuses about that."
In 2014 he left British Cycling to focus on Team Sky, having combined his role with both organisations after the road outfit formed in 2009.
Team Sky, who have won four of the past five Tours de France - one victory for Bradley Wiggins and three for Chris Froome - are currently the subject of a UK Anti-Doping investigation.
Brailsford has denied wrongdoing and there is no suggestion that he, Wiggins or Froome have done anything against the rules.
"When we set out with the Tour team and said we were going to try to win the Tour people laughed, they laughed at me," he said. "That was hard. Harder than now.
"And then when we didn't do very well, that was hard. Really hard. But then you believe in something, you keep working at it and you achieve it."
2004 Olympics: two gold medals, one silver, one bronze 2008 Olympics: eight gold, four silver, two bronze 2012 Olympics: eight gold, two silver, two bronze Team Sky: four Tour de France wins in five years | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/38589587 | |
Does Catholic praise for Mary Magdalene show progress towards women priests? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Does increasing honour paid to Mary Magdalene in the Catholic Church show progress towards women priests? | UK | The emotional scene in John's Gospel in which Jesus calls to the grieving Mary Magdalene by name and she tries to touch him has inspired many artists. This is Titian's interpretation.
The gospels depict Mary Magdalene as one of Jesus' closest companions. Her emotional encounter with the risen Jesus and her supposed sinful past have fascinated Christians for centuries.
The latest of many films about her is released shortly. Its heroine, played by Rooney Mara, is billed as a young woman who joins "a radical new social movement" and "must confront the reality of Jesus' destiny and her own place within it".
There was amusement when cast members were pictured in ancient garb smoking on set.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church has enhanced the saint's status. Last year her Saint's Day (22 July) was promoted to a Feast, equal to those of most of the male Disciples.
Explaining the decision, Archbishop Arthur Roche pointed out that she had long been known as "apostle to the apostles, as she announces to the apostles what they in turn will announce to all the world."
A bizarre tradition in depictions of Mary Magdalene shows her naked, but clothed with her long red hair. Terracotta by Andrea Della Robbia of about 1590
This refers to John 20:17, in which Jesus sends her to the disciples to tell them he would ascend to God - "apostolos" in Greek means "one who is sent".
The Vatican press office said that 22 July would be "a feast, like that of the other apostles." A special prayer for use at Mass on that day says Jesus honoured her with the task of an apostle (apostolatus officio),
This has coincided with what some believe are signs of a change in Rome's attitude on the possibility of women priests.
The announcement on Mary Magdalene, and the setting up of a commission to discuss the ordination of women as deacons - not priests, but able to preside at weddings, christenings and funerals is an indication to some of change.
Tina Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Roehampton, says: "I accept that it has to be slow, it has to be sensitively done... But my own feeling is that something is happening".
What was said about the feast day was encouraging, says Pippa Bonner of the campaign group Catholic Women's Ordination. "As soon as we spotted that we shared that news around - I think that's a very, very positive step."
Pope Francis met Sweden's female archbishop, Antje Jackelen. But on his journey home he said Catholic policy forbidding women priests had not changed.
In 1994 Pope John Paul II declared "that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful." Jesus had "called only men as his Apostles", The constant practice of the Church, he stressed, "has imitated Christ in choosing only men."
In November, while returning from a visit to Sweden where he worshipped with the country's female Lutheran archbishop, Antje Jackelen, Pope Francis was asked if his Church still ruled out women priests.
"Saint Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this and it stands," he said.
Asked again if the ban was permanent, he responded: "If we read carefully the declaration by St. John Paul II, it is going in that direction."
Prof Beattie comments: "Whenever he's asked to give a reason he always references John Paul II... I'm not aware of him saying that under his own Papal authority."
Paloma Baeza played Mary Magdalene in The Passion, shown on BBC1 in 2008.
The idea that statements about Mary Magdalene and her "apostleship" contradict the rulings of John Paul II is discounted by many Catholic commentators.
"Many Catholics from the Anglican tradition will rejoice at her commemoration being raised to the dignity of a Feast, while thinking that the idea that this has any relevance to the closed question of women's ordination is entirely fanciful," says Fr Simon Chinery, spokesman for the Ordinariate set up by Pope Benedict as a home within the Catholic Church for Anglicans opposed to women bishops.
The idea of Mary Magdalene as a great sinner led to celebration of her as a great penitent, as in this haggard sculpture by Donatello (about 1455).
Austen Ivereigh, co-founder of the group Catholic Voices, says: "Declaring her day a Feast reflects a growing awareness that the role of women in the early Church was an important one, and needs to be recovered.
"But opening church leadership to women's unique gifts does not equate to opening the priesthood to women - at least that argument is not being made in any significant way in the Church at the moment,"
Arguments against women's ordination in the Church of England were ultimately unsuccessful.
But of course the Catholic Church is very different. In the CofE the argument over women's ordination went on for decades. But it was possible to say where it had got to by referring to the state of discussions in the General Synod. It could not have been stopped for good by a ruling like that of Pope John Paul.
Of all the hundreds of churches named after Mary Magdalene, the grandest is perhaps La Madeleine in Paris. Marochetti's statue on the high altar shows angels lifting her to heaven..
A change in doctrine can come as news to Catholics. And it can happen suddenly.
That was the case with Mary Magdalene herself. In the late 6th Century AD Pope Gregory I declared that she was also the woman in Luke 7:37 who "lived a sinful life", who washed Jesus's feet and dried them with her hair.
This fuelled the tradition that Mary Magdalene was not only a sinner (which Christianity says we all are) but a particularly colourful one, and inspired dozens of artistic portrayals of her ranging from ravaged penitent to borderline erotic.
But the revised Roman Calendar of 1969 simply declared that 22 July was indeed the day of Mary Magdalene, but she was not the woman in Luke 7:37. And that, after nearly 1,400 years. was that.
Is she, as the Anglican Rev Giles Fraser claims some see her, "the standard bearer for women's developing role in the Catholic church, and even... for women's ordination"?
The Church can hardly show it is moved by the late unofficial gospels - one of which talks of Jesus repeatedly kissing Mary Magdalene,; the recent crop of stories claiming she was actually married to Jesus; or the Rooney Mara film. And Pope Gregory's claims about her sinful life may be discredited. But all these things contribute to her prestige. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38528682 | |
Jeff Sessions: What he revealed about Trump's priorities - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Senator Jeff Sessions gave policy clues on law and order, immigration and civil rights under Trump. | US & Canada | During Jeff Session's first day of confirmation hearings, Democrats did not provoke any blockbuster revelations that would bring his attorney general hopes crashing down in flames.
Senators on both sides of the aisle, however, were able to draw Mr Trump's nominee out on a wide range of issues, revealing how he would go about running the Justice Department and what his priorities would be.
Here's a look at some of the more significant topics of discussion.
Last year Senator Jeff Sessions said that the FBI should have been more aggressive in investigating Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of a private email system and possible corruption in the her family's charitable foundation.
On Tuesday morning he said that because such previous comments could call into question his impartiality, he would recuse himself from any future Justice Department investigations into the former Democratic presidential nominee.
He also downplayed concerns, aired during the presidential campaign, that Mr Trump might be prone to use the powers of the presidency to punish political foes.
When California Senator Diane Feinstein asked Mr Sessions about his past opposition to the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalising abortion across the US, the nominee stood by his view that the case was a colossal mistake.
He noted, however, that the decision was the "law of the land" and that he will "respect and follow it" - a line he also used regarding the recent court decision to legalise same-sex marriage.
Mr Sessions later said that he would enforce laws guaranteeing access to abortion clinics and prohibiting protesters from disrupting their operation.
Abortion opponents have been focused less on overturning the Roe decision in recent years, however, instead opting for limiting when and where women can obtain abortions. On that topic, Mr Sessions was much more opaque.
Mr Sessions, when asked about Mr Trump's past support for temporarily closing the US border to all Muslims, said neither he nor the president-elect currently backed such a policy.
Instead, he said, the incoming administration's plan was to subject individuals from countries with ties to terrorism to "strong vetting". He did concede, however, that a new arrival's religion could be taken into consideration by US immigration officials
"Sometimes, at least not in a majority, many people do have religious views that are inimical to the public safety of the United States," he said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jeff Sessions said caricature of him as a 'Southern racist was painful'
Mr Sessions has been an advocate for voter ID laws in the past - measures that have, at times, run afoul of the federal Voting Rights Act.
When asked about a recent decision by a Texas court to strike down their strict law, the Alabama senator professed a lack of knowledge of details.
"I have publicly said I think voter ID laws properly drafted are ok," Mr Sessions said. "But as attorney general it will be my duty to study the facts and in more depth, to analyse the law, but fundamentally that can be decided by Congress, and the courts, as they interpret the existing law."
He was more forthcoming when asked about the portion of the Voting Rights Act ruled unconstitutional in 2013 by the US Supreme Court that required a number of states, mostly in the South, to receive federal clearance before taking actions affecting voting rights. He called it "intrusive".
The practice of waterboarding detainees, according to Mr Sessions on Tuesday, is "absolutely improper and illegal".
That represents a bit of a departure for the Alabama senator, who voted against the 2015 law making it illegal, and runs contrary to Mr Trump's campaign position that he backed measures "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding".
As for the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the attorney general nominee was on the same page as the president-elect.
"It's a safe place to keep prisoners," he said. "I believe it should be utilised in that fashion and have opposed the closing of it."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A Democratic critic says there's no evidence Sessions will be 'fair and humane' on immigration
Over the course of the more than six hours of testimony on Tuesday, Mr Sessions was asked about how vigorously he'd pursue a variety of Justice Department priorities. He wouldn't rule out increased enforcement of federal drug laws in states that have decriminalised marijuana and suggested he might restart a task-force charged with prosecuting violations of anti-obscenity laws.
Mr Sessions also made clear that he did not support the "prosecutorial discretion" that the Obama administration used to suspend the deportation of some groups of undocumented migrants, such as those who entered the US as children.
While he didn't directly call for reversing Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration, he said it was of "very questionable" constitutionality and that his Justice Department wouldn't object to reversing it. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38577629 | |
James DeGale v Badou Jack: Briton is ready to prove himself 'as one of world's best' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | James DeGale plans to prove he is "one of the best fighters in the world" in his unification bout with Badou Jack on Saturday. | null | Last updated on .From the section Boxing
IBF super-middleweight champion James DeGale intends to prove he is "one of the best fighters in the world" in his unification bout with WBC champion Badou Jack in New York.
The Briton, 30, fights Sweden's Jack, 34, at around 03:30 GMT on Sunday.
DeGale weighed in 1.5lb (0.68kg) inside the 12-stone (76.2kg) limit, while Jack was 0.75lb (0.34kg) inside.
"This is the moment. I can't wait to return to the UK as a unified world champion," DeGale said.
He added: "This is a great fight for boxing and it's going to raise my appeal all over the world."
DeGale, who has won 23 of his 24 professional bouts, has admitted money is another motivation for victory.
"I've worked hard all my life," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "Now I've got myself in a position where I can financially secure me and my family.
"It's time to strike while the iron's hot, get in the big fights, earn my money and run."
The 2008 Olympic gold medallist added: "It's not just about the money but I'm a prizefighter.
"I've got all the accolades now, the only thing that's missing is the millions in the bank."
His opponent Jack, who has 20 wins, two draws and one defeat on his record, has million-dollar backing behind him as he is managed by Floyd Mayweather.
DeGale has prepared for the fight with a strength and conditioning coach - the first time he has used one.
"It's because I was getting fatigued in fights," he explained.
He also said he had dreamt of fighting in New York since he was a child, watching his hero, Britain's former world featherweight champion Naseem Hamed, against Kevin Kelley.
"At the age of 10, I was thinking, 'yes, that's going to be me'," he said. "I'm living the dream." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/38604206 | |
Graham Taylor: Ex-England, Watford & Aston Villa manager dies aged 72 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Former England manager Graham Taylor, who enjoyed success as Watford and Aston Villa boss, dies at the age of 72. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Former England manager Graham Taylor has died at the age of 72.
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 managing Wolves.
He became England boss in 1990 but resigned in 1993 after the team failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
Taylor later became a renowned pundit for BBC Sport.
A family statement said: "With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack.
"The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss."
• 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: Archive interview: Graham Taylor on 'View from the Boundary'
Watford will hold a minute's applause in honour of their former manager before their home Premier League game against Middlesbrough on Saturday, and their players will wear black armbands.
The EFL said a minute's applause will be held before this weekend's league fixtures, while clubs will have the option of wearing black armbands.
Tributes have been pouring in, including from musician Sir Elton John, who owned Watford during both of Taylor's spells at the club.
"I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham's passing. He was like a brother to me," he wrote on Instagram.
"We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.
"He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to uncharted territory and into Europe. We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius."
Aston Villa said they were "deeply saddened" by the news and that Taylor would be "fondly remembered" by staff who worked with him.
"Graham will always have a place of honour in our history books for his achievements while at the helm," the club added.
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke said: "He was a hugely popular and respected figure in the game, not just in English football but international circles as well.
"I know Graham was very proud of his time as England manager and it was always great to see him at football grounds across the country.
"He had an exceptional knowledge and a love for the game that never diminished over the years. He will be much missed by us all at Wembley and St George's Park."
Match of the Day pundit and former England striker Alan Shearer was given his international debut by Taylor.
"I held him in the very, very highest regard because of what he gave to me," he told BBC Sport. "He set me on the road, as it were. I'll never ever forget that."
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the League Managers' Association website: "Graham was one of the old-school managers. He started as a very young man of 28, having suffered a career-ending injury as a player.
"He was the natural choice to become the England manager when he did and this was the pinnacle of a hugely successful career.
"I have very fond memories of Graham. He was approachable, open and honest. If he could help you in any way, he always would."
Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the LMA - of which Taylor was the first president, said: "Football has lost one of its greatest servants and our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Rita, his daughters Joanne and Karen, and the rest of his family."
Much of Taylor's work as a pundit at the BBC was carried out for BBC Radio 5 live, and controller Jonathan Wall said: "His colleagues loved working with him, and for our listeners he was a much-loved pundit. He leaves us with wonderful warm memories and so many stories. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time."
• None Archive: Media treated me like dirt after England - Taylor
• None Archive: Taylor told me to stick to cricket - Botham
Taylor started out as a player and, after coming through the youth ranks with Scunthorpe, was a defender at Grimsby and Lincoln City.
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 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)
Graham Taylor will not simply be remembered for his outstanding management at places like Watford and Aston Villa where, despite his struggles with England, he proved himself an outstanding manager.
Taylor will be remembered, by those who had dealings with him in his career as a manager and a BBC Sport pundit, as one of the nicest and most genuine men you could ever meet.
He, in many respects, was vastly underrated as a manager because of his unfulfilling spell with England, but close scrutiny of his record proved his pedigree.
Taylor took Watford from the Fourth Division to second place in the First Division, as well as the 1984 FA Cup final, before the advent of the Premier League. It was a remarkable feat.
He continued at Aston Villa, not only taking them back into the top flight but almost winning the title, finishing second to Liverpool in his third season at the club.
A spell at Wolves did not work out but he reproduced the old magic in a second spell at Watford, taking them into the Premier League, although a second stint at Villa was not so successful.
Above all, this is a loss that will be felt keenly throughout football's generations because the game has lost one its true gentlemen. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38599231 | |
Trump news conference: 10 things we learned - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Donald Trump has held his first news conference in seven months, nine days before he takes office at the White House. What did we learn? | US & Canada | Donald Trump has held his first news conference in five months, with nine days to go before he takes the oath and assumes power at the White House.
While his fury at the allegations concerning his ties to Russia made the headlines, there was plenty more covered.
His sons, Donald and Eric, will run the Trump Organization, Mr Trump said in a long-awaited announcement concerning his business interests.
His lawyer Sheri Dillon also said:
She also turned to the constitution's "emoluments clause" which bans government officials from taking money from foreign governments. People have wondered if foreign officials staying at Trump hotels would mean he was in breach. She said no.
But she said he would donate foreign payments to the Treasury anyway.
However, the head of the Office of Government Ethics launched a scathing attack on the overall Trump plan, saying it does not go far enough to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Other ethics experts seem to agree.
The BBC's Anthony Zurcher: Mr Trump has spent his entire life building his business empire, and he seems reluctant to let it go entirely, ethical concerns notwithstanding. While he says he's stepping away from the business, his decision not to relinquish ownership and his only transfer management to his children will likely not satisfy many of his critics.
The president-elect suggested the US intelligence agencies are to blame for the unsubstantiated allegations that he paid for Russian prostitutes and fostered close relations between his campaign team and the Kremlin.
"I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out there... That's something that Nazi Germany would have done."
The top US spy, James Clapper, later hit back, saying the leak was not from the US intelligence community.
AZ: Wednesday was only the latest broadside Mr Trump has fired against a US intelligence community that he believes is trying to undermine the legitimacy of the presidency. His targets feel threatened as well, so this is far from the final exchange.
He went further than he has before in identifying Russia as the culprit behind hacks of Democratic Party emails, but still carried a caveat.
"As far as hacking, I think it's Russia. But we also get hacked by other countries and other people."
AZ: While Mr Trump was finally willing to acknowledge Russian involvement in 2016 election hacking, he still couched criticism in terms of a larger problem that involves other nations, like China. Mr Trump clearly feels much more comfortable criticising China than he does Vladimir Putin and Russia.
Mr Trump said he plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as soon as his health secretary pick is confirmed.
That could be the same week, the same day or even the same hour, he said.
But it's not clear whether the Republican party will be able to rally around a new plan.
AZ: While Mr Trump has set a tight timeline for repeal and replacement of Obamacare, it will be a heavy lift for a Congress that still is uncertain on what it should do - or the political fallout it could suffer for doing it.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Donald Trump said the information was 'fake'
The man who launched his presidential campaign with the condemnation of Mexican immigrants as criminals shows no signs of wavering in his plan to build wall on the southern border.
AZ: For Mr Trump, it's not a matter of if Mexico is going to pay for the border wall (not fence, he emphasised), it's when - and he predicts it will happen in less than a year.
"There will be a major border tax on these companies that are leaving and getting away with murder. And if our politicians had what it takes, they would have done this years ago. And you'd have millions more workers right now in the United States."
AZ: Now we know a bit more about how he will try to foot the bill for the wall - through a tax, which might be easier than asking the Mexican government to cough up a cheque.
Asked about filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court, he said he has a list of 20 and will put one of them up within his first two weeks.
"It will be a decision which I very strongly believe in. I think it's one of the reasons I got elected."
AZ: While the Supreme Court wasn't a top issue for many American voters, it was likely an important factor in keeping evangelical conservatives in Mr Trump's column. His pick will likely reward their faith.
"We have to get our drug industry coming back," he said.
We need to "create new bidding procedures for the drug industry, because they're getting away with murder," he added.
After the press conference, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders expressed his full agreement.
"Pharma does get away with murder. Literally murder. People die because they can't get the prescription drugs they need."
AZ: Talking about using the power of government negotiation to reduce drug prices is a regular talking point for Democrats, but Mr Trump's interest in taking on big pharmaceutical companies probably comes as a bit of a shock to his Republican colleagues.
Mr Trump cracked a joke when he said he could not have done some of the more salacious things alleged in the intelligence dossier.
"Does anyone believe that story? I'm a germophobe, by the way."
It has long been part of media folklore that he is averse to physical contact and once passed hand-sanitiser to journalists.
AZ: Back when Mr Trump was giving regular press conferences, his answers were frequently peppered with quirky non-sequiturs or comments that would never come out of the mouth of a traditional politician. It seems like President Trump will stick to that script.
"I was in Russia years ago, with the Miss Universe contest, which did very well - Moscow, the Moscow area did very, very well.
"And I told many people, 'Be careful, because you don't wanna see yourself on television. Cameras all over the place.'"
AZ: While Mr Trump may have a soft spot for Vladimir Putin and Russia, comments like this aren't going to get him a post-election job on the Russian tourism board. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38588878 | |
Couple who faced racism celebrate 73rd wedding anniversary - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | A couple who met at a factory making Lancaster bombers in World War Two celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary. | null | A couple who met at a factory making Lancaster bombers in World War Two are celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary.
Trudy, 97, and Barclay Patoir, 96, who was an apprentice engineer in British Guiana, met when he was put to work at a factory in Speke, Merseyside.
Trudy was his assistant on the production line.
Despite opposition to the union, they married and moved to a new house on an estate in Wythenshawe, Manchester, where they have been ever since.
They have two daughters, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38578206 | |
Driving to Greece's snowed-in migrant camps - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | The BBC's Howard Johnson made a video diary of his journey to migrant camps in northern Greece. | null | As a cold snap continues to affect Greece, thousands of homeless refugees and migrants remain at risk of exposure to the bad weather.
Despite treacherous conditions our reporter Howard Johnson attempted to drive to Thessaloniki in northern Greece where some refugee camps have been inundated with snow. Here’s a video diary of his journey. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38592039 | |
'The NHS is at breaking point': Nurses share their experiences - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Nurses share their experiences of being overworked, understaffed and under huge pressure. | Health | Leading nurses say conditions in the National Health Service are the worst they have ever experienced. Below are a selection of the experiences of nurses and former nurses who got in touch to share their experience and the problems they say they face working within the NHS.
I have been a nurse for 30 years, but I am also currently due to undergo surgery, which has been cancelled three times since November 2016, so I feel I really see both sides of the impact of the cuts.
I feel the treatment the NHS is able to offer and the working conditions of staff have both gone markedly downhill since 2008, as the direct result of government cuts to both the services the NHS offers and the number of staff it employs.
I think the responsibility for the problems the NHS is currently facing rest firmly at the government's door.
Both medical and NHS trust staff are doing the best they can without the resources they desperately need.
The people I treat are often very ill by the time they reach me, as a result of huge cuts to other departments and services.
The NHS is at breaking point.
I'm 24 years old, and I've been a nurse for two years.
I should be at the start of a long and wonderful career, which was my dream for many years.
However, I am so overworked I can't continue.
I am a front-line nurse on a ward, and the other day I started work at 07:00 and left at 23:30, with only a total of 45 minutes break all day.
With an ageing nursing workforce, I'm really concerned, because if I can't do it as a 24-year-old, then I really worry about the nurses coming up for retirement.
I worked full-time for over a year at a hospital in Birmingham.
However, I recently left because the staffing compared to patient dependency (that means how poorly they are) was so bad it scared me enough to leave.
We frequently had one junior nurse in charge of the ward, and very often had one nurse take care of four high-dependency patients (patients that need one nurse between two of them).
We had to leave all admissions until the nightshift because there was no time in the day, which meant patients often being moved on to the ward as late as 03:00.
Basic nursing care was often missed due to the lack of staffing, and resources and training were almost always cancelled due to lack of staff on the ward.
And this was not a one-off, this was all the way through the hospital, all the time.
I have worked in a busy hospital in Plymouth for nearly 10 years.
I have watched and listened in despair at people haranguing the NHS and what we aren't doing, but the problem is not the hospitals.
The problem is bed-blocking because of a lack of other places for patients to go.
And that can only be addressed by the social services system.
We outsource all our social care to independent companies that ask enormous amounts for the elderly and disabled, and this is not realistic.
One of my patients some weeks ago, had been stuck on our ward for months because a suitable next step couldn't be found for him.
We need to empty our beds of people who need longer term social care, so we can treat those who are sick and then have somewhere for them to go on to after initial treatment.
We need more viable old-age homes, and more mental health facilities, because care in the community does not always work and people often simply end up back in hospital.
I was a nurse manager for many years, and I believe the root of the problem for the NHS is the year-on-year cost cutting forced on every single department by successive governments.
Whilst the government puts money into areas such as accident and emergency, it is constantly taken out again by the annual cost-cutting.
The prime minister has spoken about improving access to mental health services for young people.
When I started working in management, in Cumbria, 20 years ago, there were services for young people close to home.
There were also more beds for adult mental health patients, but annual cost-saving meant wards were closed and beds disappeared in West Cumbria, meaning that service users were admitted to Carlisle or further afield.
This meant a minimum of an 80-mile round trip for families in an area of the country where public transport is often very poor.
Maybe if the government stopped the annual cuts to budgets and bolstered the system with adequate funds, the NHS would have a chance of surviving and delivering the quality service that its staff want to deliver. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38586415 | |
Weather forecast: Icy conditions hit the UK - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | Snow, ice and high winds have affected much of the UK, causing travel problems and schools closures in some areas. | null | Snow, ice and high winds have affected much of the UK, causing travel problems and schools closures in some areas.
Louise Lear forecasts the conditions for the next 72 hours. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38592912 | |
Michael Downey: Lawn Tennis Association chief executive resigns - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Michael Downey resigns to return to his homeland and take up a similar position at Tennis Canada. | null | Britain's top tennis executive has resigned to take up a similar position in his homeland at Tennis Canada.
Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Michael Downey will serve a six-month notice period that will see him remain in place until after Wimbledon.
"I've been honoured to have led the LTA over the last three years," he said.
"I am hugely proud of the foundations the team at the LTA have laid in order to turn participation in Britain's beloved sport around. "
He added: "It's an exciting time for tennis in this country and I look forward to the next six months, maintaining the momentum we've built in our continued mission to get more people playing tennis, more often."
Three and a half years in a role such as this is often not long enough to leave much of a mark, but after an uncertain start, Michael Downey has left his imprint on British tennis.
The performance department was allowed to remain in a state of flux for far too long, but with Simon Timson now at the helm, the LTA has a man who in the same role at UK Sport oversaw Britain's stunningly successful Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.
There has been a rise in the number of people playing tennis under Downey's watch and he certainly brought a phenomenal work ethic with him. Given the salary on offer and a potentially bright future for the sport, there is sure to be a lot of interest in succeeding him. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38601762 | |
Tearful Barack Obama pays tribute to Michelle - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | President Barack Obama has paid tribute to his wife and daughters in his farewell speech in Chicago. | null | President Barack Obama has paid tribute to his wife and daughters in his farewell speech in Chicago.
The country's first black president, now 55, was first elected in 2008 and will be replaced by Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office on 20 January. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38582651 | |
BBC iPlayer - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | null | null | JavaScript seems to be disabled. Please enable JavaScript to take full advantage of iPlayer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10318089 | |
Cyprus peace talks: Can Cypriots heal their divided island? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As peace talks between Cyprus' leaders progress, can people there forget the wounds of the past? | Europe | Abdullah Cangil, who was forced to emigrate from southern Cyprus to the north, says he is happy to hand back his house
Abdullah Cangil is a 66-year-old Turkish Cypriot, living in Morphou - a border town on the divided island of Cyprus.
His three-bedroom house is surrounded by orange and lemon trees. The chirping of birds can be heard all around the garden. He says he planted the trees here himself, as he reaches to one of them to grab a few mandarins to offer me.
Mr Cangil moved to this house in 1974, after Turkey invaded Cyprus in response to a coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. This was followed by a population exchange.
Around that time, 165,000 Greek Cypriots were displaced, while about 40,000 Turkish Cypriots were uprooted in total in inter-communal violence in the 1960s and the population transfer in 1975.
Abdullah Cangil was one of those who left his house behind. After 24 years in Paphos, a southern Cyprus town, he was forced to emigrate to the north.
"A Greek Cypriot family lives in our house in Paphos and we live in a Greek Cypriot family's house here," he says. "We all see each other, we became very good friends in time."
But what if he needs to hand his current home to its previous owners?
"I never felt attached to this house. I always knew one day I would need to leave it behind. It is its real owners' right to live here," he replies.
"The future of my grandsons, that is more important than a house. Peace is more important. I don't want my children to live the wars, the troubles that we have gone through. It is much more important to have peace than to move from one house to another."
Greek Cypriots from the town of Morphou stage a protest outside the presidential palace in Nicosia
Morphou, or Guzelyurt as it is called by Turkish Cypriots, is one of the thorny issues at the peace talks under way in the Swiss town of Geneva.
Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades has warned that there can be no deal without a full return of the town, while some on the Turkish Cypriot side say that is out of the question.
Although the talks in Geneva are labelled as the most intense effort in more than a decade to reunite the divided island of Cyprus, there is slow progress and the hopes for a breakthrough are already dimming.
But the two sides - for the very first time in the long history of Cyprus negotiations - have presented their respective maps of the future internal boundaries of a federated Cyprus.
The details of the maps are yet unclear, but it is expected that the territory under Turkish Cypriot control could shrink from its current 37% to just under 30%.
The fate of Morphou remains to be seen too, as emotions still run high on both sides of the island over the matters of territorial exchange and compensation for lost property.
But that is not the only hurdle in these negotiations. The foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey and Britain, guarantor powers of Cyprus's independence, are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the security concerns within a possible deal - another challenging topic.
Turkey has about 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus. Greece and the Greek Cypriot government strongly contest their presence and demand all of them are pulled out - hardly a demand Turkey would be happy to meet.
In general, Turkish Cypriots, fearful of past experiences of being targeted by Greek Cypriot nationalists, also want Turkish guarantees to continue.
The wounds of the past are hard to heal in both communities and there is a mutual distrust of one another.
Bird droppings cover seats inside the old Nicosia airport, now located in the UN-controlled buffer zone that separates the north and south of Cyprus
One place that stands as a monument to that distrust and how to overcome it lies within the UN-controlled buffer zone that divides Cyprus along ethnic lies.
The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) located here is a bi-communal body established in 1981 with the participation of the UN.
Its aim is to recover, identify and return the remains of the people who went missing during the atrocities mainly taking place in 1963-64 and 1974.
According to a list agreed by the leaders of Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities, 2,001 people have been identified as missing persons - though it is believed that the number could be much higher.
Around 500 of them are Turkish Cypriots and the rest Greek Cypriots - 1:3 being the exact proportion of the respective communities to each other.
The first missing person was exhumed in 2007 and since then about 750 people have been identified, their remains returned to their families.
Over a thousand sites have been dug until now, and excavations are still being carried out.
The remains of 25 people have been uncovered in the past few months alone
The Committee on Missing Persons aims to return the bones of the missing to their families
Rania Michail is in the team of anthropologists digging at a previously Orthodox cemetery in Morphou.
Since they started searching this place six months ago, they have managed to excavate 25 missing people's remains, she tells me - 12 soldiers, 12 old women and 1 person's general body parts.
"Sometimes it gets difficult emotionally. Especially if we find the remains of a child," Rania says.
"The first time that I saw remains five years ago, it was the most shocking moment of my life. I was really upset. That night I could not sleep. But then I got used to it. I have excavated over 100 bodies - women, soldiers, kids - both in the north and in the south of the island."
At the CMP's headquarters in the UN-controlled buffer zone, the anthropologists study the remains carefully, trying to reconstruct them and to identify those killed.
Skulls and bones are laid on top of tables along with whatever was found lying with the remains - a pair of socks, a piece of underwear, a lighter, or a picture of a loved one.
"What we do here is very important for achieving peace in Cyprus," says Uyum Vehit, an anthropologist.
"Almost every single family has missing persons. If they don't receive the remains, and if they don't have proper graves, they can't have a closure."
Kyriacos Solomi lost his younger brother, George, in the violence
At his home on the Greek side of the "Green Line" line in Nicosia, Kyriacos Solomi, 68, still waits for the remains of his younger brother, George, who was killed on the front line 42 years ago.
"He was a very peaceful man. He liked mixing with people, enjoying life, peaceful activities. He was a nice, healthy, good-looking young man, 24 years old," he says while trying to hold back the tears when he looks at his brother's picture in his hand.
"This is a very deep wound. It may close one day but a big scar will stay there forever."
Despite having lost his brother, Mr Solomi still believes in peace - but he doubts whether it can ever be reached in Cyprus.
"There is no other way to survive on this island. We fight for peace. I know the clock cannot go back, the lives will not come back.
"But I don't think peace will come here. Maybe in the next generations, if they can change the textbooks that spread hate instead of love.
"Listen to the TV, listen to the church: they are spreading hate. I don't think we can live peacefully with hatred on this island," he says.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. For more than 40 years Cyprus has been a divided island. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38593506 | |
Newspaper headlines: 'Snow chaos' and UK role in Trump scandal - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Snowy scenes feature on most of the front pages, some of which also focus on UK links to the controversial Trump dossier. | The Papers | Christopher Steele is believed to have left his home this week
Many of the papers lead on the former MI6 officer named as the man who compiled the damaging dossier on Donald Trump leaked earlier this week.
According to the Telegraph, Britain has been dragged into the row over the dossier after it was claimed that the government gave the FBI permission to speak to Christopher Steele. It says Britain now finds itself caught in the crossfire of accusations between Russia and the US.
The Mail says Russia's relations with Britain have gone into the deep freeze as Moscow blamed MI6 for the dossier. The paper quotes a tweet from the Russian embassy in London suggesting Mr Steele was still working for MI6 and "briefing both ways" against Mr Trump and Moscow.
The Mirror's front page has a picture of a two-year-old boy lying on two chairs put together as a makeshift bed at a hospital in Hastings in East Sussex due to a lack of proper beds.
It says Jack Harwood - who had suspected meningitis - waited for five hours in A&E with his mother, as staff struggled to cope with the volume of patients. His case was put to Theresa May by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
The boy was eventually sent home after his temperature was brought down and his relieved parents were told he didn't have meningitis.
The new King of Rwanda has been proclaimed - and he lives in a terrace house on an estate in Greater Manchester.
The Guardian says it's not a typical royal residence - but the Rwandan royal family has been exiled since 1961.
The Daily Mail says Emmanuel Bushayija is thought to be the first Briton to accede as a king since George the Sixth inherited the throne following the abdication crisis in 1936. It seems Mr Bushayija has been keeping a low profile since his elevation, but neighbours tell the paper he's a lovely man and it's a great honour to live next to him.
Twenty-five years ago, the Sun portrayed Graham Taylor - then England football manager - as a turnip after the national team were knocked out during the group stages of Euro 92.
Following his death - announced yesterday - it pays tribute to him in its leader column. While it acknowledges his failings as manager, it highlights his successes at club level, describing him as a genius. He had a magnificent football brain and made a fine radio pundit, it adds. Above all - it goes on - he was just a thoroughly decent bloke.
Finally, you could save yourself as much as nine thousand pounds on a house purchase - if you don't mind living at number 13. Research by the property website, Zoopla - released to coincide with today's date, Friday the 13th - found that nearly a third of homebuyers are less likely to buy a property with this number.
But - the Mail reports - those who are not put off by it will find a house with this number typically cheaper than the average UK property. On the other hand, the most expensive door number tends to be number one - and Number 100 the next most expensive. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38605214 | |
Marks and Spencer: Good news finally? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After years of decline, Marks and Spencer has reported rising clothing sales. Has M&S cracked it? | Business | Marks and Spencer has turned out to be this year's surprise Christmas package.
In a festive season where most of our big retailers did better than expected, M&S stood out, finally shrugging off its clothing sales hoodoo.
Clothing sales have been in decline - and often sharp decline - for the past five years, with the exception of one positive quarter two years ago.
Over Christmas, however, like-for-like sales were up 2.3%, although the company was quick to point out that 1.5% of that was down to how Christmas fell, which meant there were five extra trading days compared to the relevant period a year earlier.
Even so, a 0.8% increase is not to be sneezed at, and is evidence perhaps that the back-to-basics reforms of chief executive Steve Rowe, which include hundreds of job losses at head office and the closure of most of the international stores, is having some effect.
One good quarter doesn't make a revival, but a halt to the seemingly inexorable decline will give shareholders encouragement.
Retail analysts say Mr Rowe's formula - a concentration on the basics - is a welcome contrast to the recent past, where management introduced eye-catching fashion and made mis-steps online.
The real test will be at the next quarterly update, where the calendar is against Mr Rowe - just as he benefited at Christmas, he misses out next time.
If he can turn in another positive number on clothing, there will be substance to the M&S revival.
Elsewhere, there was good news tempered with caution about the coming year.
This was best expressed at the John Lewis Partnership, which reported like for like sales growth of just under 3% at both the department store chain and the grocery business, Waitrose.
Profits for the full year are likely to be up, but Sir Charlie Mayfield, the partnership's chairman, took the unusual step of warning staff their bonuses would be smaller than last year.
The culprits? The pressure caused by a weaker pound and the need to invest heavily in new products. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38598206 | |
Arsenal: Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny & Francis Coquelin sign new deals - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Arsenal players Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin extend their deals with the club. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal players Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin have extended their contracts with the club.
The Gunners did not disclose the length of the deals for striker Giroud, 30, defender Koscielny, 31, and midfielder Coquelin, 25.
But Koscielny said on Twitter he would extend his "adventure ... until 2020".
"We are very pleased that three important members of our team have committed to us for the long term," Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said.
The French trio have become first-team regulars at the London outfit, with Giroud signing the new deal on the back of four goals in four games - including his 'scorpion' goal against Crystal Palace.
"Francis has made tremendous technical strides over the past few years because he's so focused every day," Wenger added.
"Olivier has big experience in the game now and has become a more and more complete player since joining us.
"Laurent is of course a key part of our squad and I believe one of the best defenders in the world today. So overall, this is great news for us." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38595926 | |
Premier League Show: Gary Lineker meets Mark Hughes - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Gary Lineker speaks to former-Barcelona teammate Mark Hughes about their time playing for the Catalan giants. | null | Gary Lineker speaks to former-Barcelona teammate Mark Hughes about their time playing for the Catalan giants.
Watch the full interview on The Premier League Show, Thursday 10:00 GMT, BBC Two. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38599603 | |
Southampton 1-0 Liverpool - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Nathan Redmond's first-half goal gives Southampton a narrow advantage in their EFL Cup semi-final with Liverpool. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Southampton hold a slender advantage in the EFL Cup semi-final after a fully deserved first-leg victory over Liverpool at St Mary's.
Nathan Redmond's cool finish from Jay Rodriguez's pass gave Saints a crucial lead to take to Anfield on 25 January - but Southampton can count themselves unlucky not to be in complete control of this battle for a place at Wembley.
Liverpool's much-criticised goalkeeper Loris Karius was one of very few in Jurgen Klopp's side to distinguish himself amid a shocking performance, making two fine first-half saves from goalscorer Redmond.
Karius's one-handed save from Redmond right on half-time was vital but he was helpless late on as the same player threatened once more, Liverpool enjoying more good fortune as his effort came back off the bar.
• None 'We should have lost 3-0 - Klopp'
Saints satisfied - but is there disappointment too?
Southampton's recent form has been indifferent but manager Claude Puel will have been delighted with their display at St Mary's.
After a brief early spell of Liverpool pressure, when Roberto Firmino tested Fraser Forster, Southampton were completely untroubled throughout an impressive performance.
Saints were sharp in the tackle, more assured in possession and a continual threat through Redmond and the industrious Rodriguez.
They will be left, however, with a tinge of regret despite an excellent, fully merited result that gives them real reason for optimism for the second leg at Anfield.
Karius and the woodwork kept them at bay and they had many other opportunities to produce a scoreline reflecting their superiority.
Southampton could have slammed the door on Liverpool - instead it remains ajar.
Karius has had to undergo a severe examination of his goalkeeping credentials and endure heavy public criticism in the early months of his Liverpool career.
Klopp placed great faith in the 23-year-old German, signed from his former club Mainz in a £4.75m deal this summer - eventually choosing him ahead of established first-choice Simon Mignolet.
The decision backfired and he was forced to drop Karius after two poor, error-strewn performances in the 4-3 loss at Bournemouth and the 2-2 home draw with West Ham.
Klopp has never lost belief, however, choosing Karius as his cup keeper - and he was rewarded here with an outstanding display, especially with two excellent saves from Redmond.
He is responsible for Liverpool still being in this tie after a shocking display.
What the managers said
"Liverpool had just the one chance all game. We were unlucky at the end because we know Liverpool away in the second leg will be very difficult.
"This competition is exciting, now it is important to keep the good concentration for the Premier League.
"We lost three games so it is important to have a good reaction."
"We needed Loris Karius to save our lives two or three times.
"The best thing for us is the result. We know that we can play better at Anfield - nothing is decided.
"We cannot be happy with the performance, Southampton cannot be happy with the result. It could and should have been 2-0, 3-0."
Puel in the black against Reds - the key stats
• None After losing four of their previous five matches against Liverpool (D1), Southampton are now unbeaten in their past three versus the Reds (W2 D1).
• None Claude Puel is unbeaten in four clashes with Liverpool as manager (W2 D2).
• None Liverpool have managed only two shots on target in both of their meetings with Southampton this season - only against Man City (one) have they registered fewer in a match this term.
• None Jay Rodriguez provided his first assist in all competitions for Southampton since January 2014 against Arsenal.
• None Southampton have kept more clean sheets than any other team in the EFL Cup this season (four).
You can make a strong case for Southampton winning 2-0 or even 3-0. Everyone here is happy but this is an opportunity missed.
If Southampton don't go through they will be kicking themselves.
• None Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by James Milner.
• None Attempt missed. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
• None Nathan Redmond (Southampton) hits the bar with a right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right.
• None Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Nathan Redmond.
• None Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Substitution, Southampton. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg replaces Jordy Clasie because of an injury. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38504049 | |
France elections: What makes Marine Le Pen far right? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Marine Le Pen is appealing to the French mainstream, but what policies define her as far right? | Europe | Marine Le Pen has been increasingly looking to the centre and left for votes
She described Britain's vote for Brexit as the most important event since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Donald Trump's US presidential victory as "an additional stone in the building of a new world".
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's National Front (FN), is fighting to achieve a similar earthquake in France in the presidential elections in 2017.
But with her increasing appeal to the centre and the left of French politics, how much can she really be characterised as far-right?
Marine Le Pen is the youngest daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the FN and a convicted racist, who last year repeated an old anti-Semitic slur that the Nazi gas chambers were "a detail of history".
Having grown up in a political home, accompanying him to meetings from the age of 13, Marine Le Pen was always going to struggle to shake off the far-right label.
But she did denounce her father's comments in 2015, and effectively expelled him from the party. While her father was leader, the FN was the party that wanted to deport three million foreigners, the party of Holocaust denial and xenophobia. But under Marine Le Pen the FN began to distance itself from such controversial issues.
"Damned by her father" - Marine Le Pen managed to get her far-right father off the political stage after his remarks about the Holocaust
Such efforts at detoxification have proved successful, with polls suggesting support for the FN climbing from 18% in 2010 to about 24% today.
Nonetheless, when voters are questioned they still place the FN and Ms Le Pen "way more to the right than other parties", says Nonna Mayer, expert in racism and the FN at Sciences Po university.
Where does she go from here in her pursuit of a detoxified party? The FN has traditionally been a male, blue-collar-dominated party, and the leader needs to target women, says Dr Mayer. So Ms Le Pen has softened her approach to women's rights, and even sees herself as a quasi-feminist.
In fact, Dr Mayer argues, in many respects Ms Le Pen is more socially liberal than much of the mainstream right - something that has caused divisions within her own party.
The 2017 National Front manifesto renews its commitment to a massive reduction in legal immigration. Ms Le Pen argues French citizenship should be "either inherited or merited". As for illegal immigrants, they "have no reason to stay in France, these people broke the law the minute they set foot on French soil".
But if that is a far-right stance, it is not very different from that of centre-right candidate Francois Fillon - who when first elected as the Republican candidate enjoyed a small advantage over Ms Le Pen in polls but has since been damaged by claims of improper use of state funds.
"We've got to reduce immigration to its strict minimum," he says.
In a world where the centre is shifting to the right, and the right is shifting to the centre, the lines are getting blurred.
The two are now competing for some of the same voters. While Mr Fillon is regarded as appealing more to the "respectable" middle classes, Marine Le Pen is claiming to speak for "all people", and increasingly appealing to a wider electorate, even Muslim voters in the French suburbs.
Marine Le Pen increasingly claims to speak "in the name of the people"
However, in December she upped the ante by announcing that she would end free education for the children of undocumented immigrants, though this did not appear as a pledge in the party's manifesto.
"If you come to our country, don't expect to be taken care of, to be looked after, that your children will be educated without charge," she said in a speech in Paris. And, more threateningly, "playtime is over".
Long before the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015, Marine Le Pen made a link between immigration and militant Islamism. In the immediate aftermath, she proposed to "expel foreigners who preach hatred on our soil" and to strip dual-nationality Muslims with extremist views of their French citizenship, a view traditionally associated with the far right.
In an unprecedented move, those ideas were endorsed both by Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls and by President Francois Hollande, before eventually being dropped.
Many of her views have been echoed by Francois Fillon too.
Mr Fillon, a devout Catholic, described radical Islam as a "totalitarianism like the Nazis". Catholics, Protestants and Jews "don't denounce the values of the Republic," he said, indicating that was not the case with Islam.
"The clear blue water between the FN and the other parties has been disappearing and disappearing," says James Shields, professor of French politics at Aston University.
The National Front is to the right of the Republicans on law and order issues, says Nonna Mayer.
Its 2017 election manifesto includes upping police numbers and powers and creating 40,000 new prison places.
There is no mention in this manifesto of the FN's previous pledge to restore the death penalty, an issue that divides the party's core supporters from the mainstream. Polls suggest 60% of FN voters are in favour, compared with 28% of mainstream-right and 11% of left-wing voters.
Treatment of immigrants in France is probably the standout, far-right policy of Marine Le Pen's FN. And it is central to the party's platform.
Jobs, welfare, housing, schools, or any area of public provision should go to French nationals before they get to "foreigners".
The centre of gravity of French politics may have shifted to the right. But no other party has adopted favouritism across the social services - and it could breach the law.
Marine Le Pen's niece tweets this: "Fillon is for the national birth right, for family reunion, against restoration of the borders, against national priority"
"She is upholding a policy that not only is thought by constitutional experts to be unconstitutional, but has been judged by the law to be unlawful," says Prof Shields.
In 1998, a National Front mayor, Catherine Megret, tried to implement a new policy that would give a family allowance to French or EU families, but not to other foreign families.
"Did it stand up in court? No," says Prof Shields. But, he says, so-called nativism remains central in Ms Le Pen's platform.
Marine Le Pen appeals to French voters fed up with mainstream politics, but there is nothing far right about that.
If she wins the presidency in May, she has promised an EU referendum in France within six months of taking office. And the UK's vote to leave the EU in June 2016 has provided the template.
Portraying herself as beyond the establishment, she has championed public services - for non-foreigners - and presented herself as a protector of workers and farmers in the face of "wild and anarchic globalisation".
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"She's managing to get these approval ratings by doing a Trump," says Prof Shields.
But here the lines are blurred too: left-wing parties are playing the anti-establishment, anti-globalisation card as well.
But what sets her European views apart from the rest of the French right is the company she keeps. The FN has strong ties with the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), Austria's Freedom Party (FPOe), Belgium's Flemish Interest (VB), Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Italian Northern League (LN).
They are all part of the FN-led Europe of Nations and Freedom grouping in the European Parliament and are either right-wing populist or, in the case of the FPOe, far right.
Marine Le Pen associates herself with other right-wing leaders in Europe, for example Geert Wilders of the Dutch PVV
Geert Wilders, of leader of the Dutch PVV, wants to ban the Koran. The Italian Northern League's leader Matteo Salvini is known for his praise of fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
These views are toxic to the political right in Europe, and many centre-right parties have said they will not form coalitions with them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38321401 | |
Obama surprises emotional Biden with Medal of Freedom - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | Barack Obama awards highest civilian honour to Vice-President Biden in emotional farewell surprise. | null | The medal was awarded with distinction, only the fourth time that's happened. The Vice-President was visibly moved and teared up during the citation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38601100 | |
My nightmare on the pill - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Millions of women have no problem with the pill but some find it shatters their mental health. Here The Debrief's Vicky Spratt describes years of depression, anxiety and panic. | Magazine | Millions of women rely on the contraceptive pill and many are happy with it - but some find it has a devastating effect on their mental health. Here Vicky Spratt, deputy editor of The Debrief, describes years of depression, anxiety and panic as she tried one version of the pill after another.
I sat in the GP's office with my mum and told her that I'd been having my period for three weeks. She told me that the contraceptive pill might help. She warned that it wouldn't protect me from sexually transmitted infections and told me that if I had unprotected sex I could get cervical cancer, so I'd best use it wisely. She had to say that, though I was 14 and sex was very much not on the agenda.
My prescription was printed in reception. And then, a three-month supply of the combined pill was mine. Picking up the green foil-covered packets full of tiny yellow pills felt like a rite of passage - I was a woman now. In the plastic pockets was the sugar-coated distillation of feminism, of women's liberation, of medical innovation.
This is where it all began, 14 years ago. I then played what I call pill roulette for more than a decade, trying different brands with varying degrees of success and disaster. It was around this time that I also developed anxiety, depression and serious mood swings which, on and off, have affected me throughout my adult life.
Relationships have ended and I had to take a year out from university - I thought that was just "who I was", a person ill-equipped for life, lacking self-confidence and unhappy. It wouldn't be until my early 20s, after graduating from university - when my mental health problems and behaviour could no longer be dismissed as those of a "moody teenager" - that I would seriously question whether it was linked to my use of the pill.
One day in the early hours, sitting at my laptop, unable to sleep because of a panic attack which had lasted overnight, I began to Google. I had started taking a new pill, a progestogen-only pill (POP) which had been prescribed because I was suffering from migraines, and the combined pill is not safe for people who suffer from migraines with aura.
I tapped the name of the pill + depression/anxiety into the search engine and the internet did the rest. There it was: forum threads and blog posts from people who were experiencing the same symptoms as me.
At this point I had already seen my GP several times, following the sudden onset of debilitating panic attacks, which I had never experienced before. At no point had my contraceptive pill come up in conversation, despite the fact that the attacks had started when I switched to the new contraceptive. Instead, I was prescribed a high dose of beta blockers, used to treat anxiety, and it was recommended that I should undergo cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
I lived like this for somewhere between six and eight months - I can't tell you exactly because that year of my life is a blur, recorded by my mind in fast-forward because of the constant sense of urgency and impending doom that coursed through my veins.
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The Debrief carried out an investigation, surveying 1,022 readers, aged 18-30
I wish, wholeheartedly, that I could look back on this and laugh. That's how all good stories end, isn't it? But there was then, and is now, nothing funny about what I went through. It was terrifying. I was scared. I didn't recognise myself, I didn't like myself and I couldn't live my life. I didn't know what to do, who to turn to or whether it would ever end. I was not only anxious but lethargic, I felt completely useless. I blamed myself.
At the time, convinced that I had lost my mind and feeling as though I was having an out-of-body experience, I explained to my GP that "I felt like someone else", as though my brain "had gone off and gone mouldy".
"Do you think this could have anything to do with my new pill?" I asked. I remember the look on her face, an attempt to look blank which barely concealed a desire to tell me I was ridiculous. I explained to her that I had felt awful on every single one of the six or seven pills I'd taken up until that point, with the exception of one high-oestrogen combined pill which made me feel like superwoman for a year, before it was taken away from me (partly because of the migraines and partly because of an increased risk of thrombosis with continued use).
She told me, categorically, that my new pill was not the problem.
But, disobeying both her and my therapist, I stopped taking the progestogen-only pill.
I can only describe what happened next as the gradual and creeping return of my sense of self. After three or four weeks I also stopped taking the beta blockers. To this day, I still carry them with me. They're in every handbag I own, a safety net should I fall off the enormous cliff of my own mind again. In three-and-a-half years I have never had to take them.
My problems didn't disappear overnight, of course, but I did stop having panic attacks. I haven't had one since. I feel low from time to time, anxious and stressed but it's nowhere near on the same scale as what I experienced while taking the progestogen-only pill. I felt joy again, my libido returned and I stopped feeling terrified of absolutely everything and everyone.
A year after the panic attacks subsided I sat on a faraway beach, after taking a solo long-haul flight halfway round the world. This would have been unthinkable the previous year. As I sat there, underneath a tropical electrical storm, I cried with relief. Relief that I was myself again, relief that I had control of my own mind once more and relief that I hadn't been wrong, that I knew myself better than doctors had made me feel I did.
Now 28, I no longer use hormonal contraception and with the exception of mild mood swings in the 48 hours before my period I am, touch wood, free of anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
In the years that have passed since I lost myself on the progestogen-only pill and found myself again on a South Asian beach, this issue has been gradually receiving more and more attention. Holly Grigg Spall's book, Sweetening The Pill, published in 2013, put the effects of hormonal contraception on women's mental health firmly on the agenda.
Since then a study, overseen by Prof Ojvind Lidegaard at the University of Copenhagen, found that women taking the pill - either the combined pill or the progestogen-only pill - were more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant than those not on hormonal contraception. The difference was particularly noticeable for young women aged between 15 and 19 on the combined pill.
Lidegaard was able to conduct this research because he had access to medical records for more than a million Danish women aged 15-34.
Following the publication of Prof Lidegaard's study I sent a freedom of information request to the NHS, in my capacity as a journalist at The Debrief. I knew, from the number of our readers who write to us on a near-daily basis about this issue, that significant numbers of women were suffering. I asked the NHS whether they knew how many women were taking antidepressants or beta blockers concurrently. They told me that their systems do not yet allow them to collect this data.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, says: "There is an established link between hormones and mood, both positive and negative, but for the vast majority of women, the benefits of reliable contraception and regulation of their menstrual cycle outweigh any side effects, and many women report that taking hormones actually boosts their mood.
"If a woman believes her contraception might be adversely affecting her mood, she should discuss it with a healthcare professional at her next routine appointment."
See also: How risky is the contraceptive pill?
Depression is listed as a known but rare side effect of the hormonal contraceptive pill, it's there in the small but hefty leaflet you get in the packet. The NHS website lists "mood swings" and "mood changes" but not explicitly depression, anxiety or panic attacks.
We shouldn't throw our pill packets away but neither should we accept negative side effects which impinge on our day-to-day lives. We can't make informed choices without information. We need better research into how hormonal contraception can affect women's mental health, better ways of monitoring reactions in patients, more awareness and support for those who do experience serious side effects. No woman should feel dismissed or ignored.
Vicky Spratt is deputy editor of The Debrief, a website for women in their 20s. Its investigation, Mad About The Pill, launched on Wednesday.
Listen to the discussion on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour
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• None BBC iWonder - How has the Pill changed your life- | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38575745 | |
Drone captures drifting ice on Danube river in Budapest - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | A drone captures the beauty of broken ice being carried on the Danube river in Budapest, Hungary. | null | A drone captures the beauty of broken ice being carried on the Danube river in Budapest, Hungary. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38590449 | |
Brian Fletcher: 'Unsung hero' who won Grand National three times dies aged 69 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | 'Unsung hero' Brian Fletcher, who won the Grand National three times as a jockey, dies at the age of 69. | null | Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing
Ex-jockey Brian Fletcher, who won the Grand National three times, including twice on Red Rum, has died aged 69.
Fletcher's first Grand National success came when he steered Red Alligator to victory in 1968, a year after finishing third at Aintree on the same horse.
In 1973, he won the famous race on Red Rum, repeating the feat in 1974.
Red Rum became the most successful horse to run in the National, winning for a third time with Tommy Stack in 1977, the year Fletcher retired.
Fletcher also won the Scottish National in 1974, and finished as runner-up to Josh Gifford in the jockeys' title race.
Former champion jockey Peter Scudamore said Fletcher was an "unsung hero", without whom "National Hunt racing wouldn't be where it is today".
He added: "To win the Grand National three times is an incredible achievement. It's just a shame that after he finished in racing you didn't hear a lot about him." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/38604734 | |
Newspaper headlines: Trump's 'dirty dossier' and the British spy who 'rocked' him - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | President-elect Donald Trump makes most of the front pages as he responds to controversial claims made against him in a leaked dossier. | The Papers | Pictures of a defiant Donald Trump holding forth during his news conference on Wednesday feature on many front pages.
It was, says the Guardian, a combative performance as Mr Trump unleashed a firestorm of invective against news organisations and US intelligence agencies.
The Financial Times claims his stance escalates an already tense relationship with an intelligence leadership that believes his election was abetted by a foreign power, Russia.
The Times, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror all lead on reports that a former MI6 agent who was based in Russia has gone into hiding after being named as the person behind the dossier of lurid claims about the president-elect. They say Christopher Steele is "terrified for his safety", fearing retribution from Moscow.
"Oh to be a sketchwriter in America" - declares Quentin Letts in the Mail. "Mr Trump is a politician, Jim, but not as we know it," he writes. "He doesn't do wriggling and lawyerly evasions. He doesn't do dainty detours or (ridiculous thought) charm. He just comes out and smashes his critics on the nose."
Several papers highlight what they see as a rift between Theresa May and the head of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, over funding for the health service and social care.
The Sun speaks of "open war with Number 10" after Mr Stevens fired off what it calls "a series of barbs" at the prime minister when he appeared before MPs. The paper calls it an "unhealthy spat which helps no-one" - the last thing we need, it says, is the distraction of a row as those at the top pass the buck.
The Daily Telegraph calls for the politics to be taken out of NHS funding; it argues that there must be a willingness to consider alternative ways of bringing money into the system without it being denounced as "privatising" the service.
The Telegraph reports that Lady Thatcher has taken her place in the pantheon of British greats, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
It says the former prime minister's life story attracts the third longest entry - with more space devoted to her than Sir Winston Churchill. Only Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I are given a higher word count.
According to the Daily Express, the biography - written by the historian Sir David Cannadine - concludes that: "There are times when nations may need rough treatment. And for good and for ill, Thatcher gave Britain plenty of it."
Henry VIII was well known for his lavish banquets, but now - says the Mirror - it has been revealed just how much he forked out on food and drink.
The paper reports that his annual bill for meat alone came to £3.5m in today's money - all washed down with £6m worth of beer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38591381 | |
BBC extends Queen's Club deal as Andy Murray commits to event for rest of career - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | The BBC will broadcast the Aegon Championships at Queen's until 2024 as Andy Murray commits to the event for the rest of his career. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
The BBC will continue to broadcast the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club on TV, radio and online until 2024.
The news coincides with Andy Murray's decision to commit to playing at Queen's for the rest of his career.
"To know that Andy will play at The Queen's Club for the rest of his career and that the BBC will cover it every step of the way is a huge boost," said tournament director Stephen Farrow.
I'm really happy to know that I will play at Queen's for as long as my career lasts
Murray, 29, won at Queen's last year en route to becoming the world number one.
His victory in the 2016 final against Milos Raonic was watched by 3.7m on TV, with many more listening on Radio 5 live and following online on the BBC Sport website.
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, described the tournament as "one of the most cherished events in the tennis calendar".
"It's great that the BBC will continue to bring it to audiences across all platforms until 2024," she added.
"With a British tennis player as the current world number one, there's no better time for us to reinforce our commitment to the sport."
Murray's record fifth Queen's title was just one chapter in a stellar 2016 for the Briton.
He followed it up weeks later by claiming his second Wimbledon title, while his second Olympic gold medal followed later in the summer.
He secured the year-end world number one ranking with victory at the ATP World Tour Finals before being named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a third time.
He was subsequently knighted in the the New Year Honours.
"I'm really happy to know that I will play at Queen's for as long as my career lasts," said Murray.
"My first ATP World Tour match-win came at Queen's in 2005, so for it to become by far the most successful tournament of my career is a great feeling.
"Looking at the names that have won the tournament four times, [they are] some of the best players ever. Winning it five times means a lot to me." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38588408 | |
San Escobar: Polish foreign minister's slip invents a country - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Witold Waszczykowski mocked online after telling reporters about meeting with a made-up country. | US & Canada | Witold Waszczykowski (left) met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. There are no known pictures of his meeting with officials from San Escobar.
Do you know the way to San Escobar?
Probably not, it doesn't exist, but that didn't stop Poland's foreign minister claiming to have had a productive meeting with its officials this week.
Witold Waszczykowski told reporters he met with various nations for Poland's bid to join the UN security council, "such as Belize or San Escobar".
Mr Waszczykowski has been roundly mocked on Twitter, the one place San Escobar does now exist, flag and all.
He said that he had had meetings with officials from nearly 20 countries, including some Caribbean nations "for the first time in the history of our diplomacy. For example with countries such as Belize or San Escobar".
He put the slip down to tiredness. "Unfortunately after 22 hours in planes and several connecting flights you can make a slip of the tongue," he said.
He said he had in mind Saint Kitts and Nevis, a two-island Caribbean country known in Spanish as San Cristobal y Nieves.
Twitter users responded in customary style, creating an official account and a flag for the island nation.
One tweet said that San Escobar "fully supports Poland's candidacy to the Security Council".
Another designed some currency, but added: "It's funny until you realise your only allies left are Belarus, Hungary and an imaginary nation state." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38582447 | |
Spectacular cloud photographed over Australia - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A plane passenger captures a spectacular weather formation in the skies above Australia. | Australia | The image was taken on a flight from Perth to Adelaide
A plane passenger has photographed a spectacular cloud formation in the skies above Australia.
Ilya Katsman, 22, saw the weather phenomenon from a window on a flight from Perth to Adelaide.
Neil Bennett, from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, said it was likely to be a wave cloud.
"It's like skimming a stone across a lake. The air is rising up and down in a wave motion," Mr Bennett said.
"Where it's going up you're getting the cloud, and where its going down you're getting the clear lines."
Mr Katsman said he initially thought it was a rare type of wave cloud known as the "morning glory", which occurs in the country's north.
"The cloud is definitely impressive," Mr Katsman told the BBC.
Experts say the formation is likely to be a wave cloud
"I thought it was unusual to see it so far south."
Mr Katsman's photos received wide attention after being shared on an airline's Facebook page, delighting weather enthusiasts. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38579920 | |
Australian Open: Laura Robson and Tara Moore beaten in qualifying - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | Great Britain's Laura Robson loses in straight sets in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Great Britain's Laura Robson lost in straight sets in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old former British number one, ranked 222 in the world after three years of wrist problems, lost 6-2 6-4 to Amandine Hesse of France.
"I had a weird thought just before I went on court - I thought last time I played a match here I then didn't play for 18 months," she said.
"It maybe wasn't the best thing to happen before a match and I felt flat."
She added: "I just never got going, it felt like my feet were stuck in mud."
The left-hander, who reached the main draw of the US Open in August, has now lost seven consecutive matches and will return to Europe to play on the second-tier Challenger tour.
"It doesn't take much to change it around," the former Wimbledon junior champion said.
"Before the US Open I won one match and didn't have much confidence and then as soon as you win two matches, you think 'maybe I'm not as bad as I thought'."
Robson's compatriot Tara Moore, 24, also lost to end British interest in the qualifying section of the women's draw.
Moore, the world number 165, was beaten 6-7 (7-2) 6-3 6-1 by Hungary's Dalma Galfi.
The first Grand Slam tournament of the year starts in Melbourne on Monday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38592850 | |
Rise in suspicious betting patterns in tennis a concern, says TIU report - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | null | The number of suspicious betting patterns in tennis is on the rise, says the first annual report from the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
The number of suspicious betting patterns in tennis is on the rise and is a "concern", says the first annual report published by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).
In 2016, nine players and officials were sanctioned as a result of TIU disciplinary investigations.
There were 292 alerts to the TIU last year, with eight of them from Grand Slam, ATP and WTA matches.
In 2015, there were 246 alerts to the TIU.
The TIU said alerts are not proof of corruption, but that all cases have to be investigated.
It added it will continue to review its systems to tackle corruption, "ensuring its provisions and powers are current and relevant".
For example, from 1 January 2017, a player suspected of a corruption offence will be given a provisional suspension, while previously they could continue playing until a disciplinary notice had been served.
Last year, secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis were revealed by the BBC and BuzzFeed News.
The files stated that, over the last decade, 16 players ranked in the top 50 had been repeatedly flagged to the TIU over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
On Tuesday, former Australian player Nick Lindahl was banned for seven years and fined $35,000 (£28,000) for match-fixing.
The report also adds that the abuse of players through social media is a growing concern and that the TIU will work with players to ensure cases are logged and relevant action is taken against perpetrators.
In 2015, British world number 75 Heather Watson said abuse on Twitter had "become such a usual occurrence" she has stopped reading the messages.
She had previously told the New York Times that she and her family had received death threats online.
"I think those people, they've got no life," she said. "They're just kind of cowards thinking they can say whatever they want on the internet." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38591456 | |
US snow: Oregon Zoo closes - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | 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 | |
What does post-truth mean for a philosopher? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How are philosophers meant to make sense of the post-truth world? AC Grayling says he fears the worst and blames social media. | Education & Family | AC Grayling says a post-truth world threatens the "fabric of democracy"
"Post-truth" has come to describe a type of campaigning that has turned the political world upside down.
Fuelled by emotive arguments rather than fact-checks, it was a phrase that tried to capture the gut-instinct, anti-establishment politics that swept Donald Trump and Brexit supporters to victory.
Oxford Dictionaries made it the word of the year, defining it as where "objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief".
But what does this new world mean for academics and scientists whose whole purpose is trying to establish objective facts?
AC Grayling, public thinker, master of the New College of the Humanities, and Remain campaigner, views the post-truth world with undisguised horror.
The philosopher, awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours, warns of the "corruption of intellectual integrity" and damage to "the whole fabric of democracy".
But where does he think the post-truth world has come from?
"The world changed after 2008," says Prof Grayling - politics since the financial crash has been shaped by a "toxic" growth in income inequality.
As well as the gap between rich and poor, he says a deep sense of grievance has grown among middle-income families, who have faced a long stagnation in earnings.
With a groundswell of economic resentment, he says, it is not difficult to "inflame" emotions over issues such as immigration and to cast doubt on mainstream politicians.
Another key ingredient in the post-truth culture, says Prof Grayling, has been the rise of social media.
It's not the soundbite any more, but the "i-bite", he says, where strong opinion can shout down evidence.
"The whole post-truth phenomenon is about, 'My opinion is worth more than the facts.' It's about how I feel about things.
"It's terribly narcissistic. It's been empowered by the fact that you can publish your opinion. You used to need a pot of paint and a balaclava to publish your opinion, if you couldn't get a publisher.
Prof Grayling says the idea of post-truth has its roots in the financial crash
"But all you need now is an iPhone. Everyone can publish their opinion - and if you disagree with me, it's an attack on me and not my ideas.
"The fact that you can muscle your way on to the front row and be noticed becomes a kind of celebrity."
"Fake news" on social media became part of the post-election debate in the US - and Prof Grayling warns of an online culture that can't distinguish between fact and fiction.
"Put the words 'did the' into Google and one of the first things you see is, 'Did the Holocaust happen?' and the links will take you to claims that it didn't," he says.
This process is "corrosive of our public conversation and our democracy" and he warns of a culture where a few claims on Twitter can have the same credibility as a library full of research.
Has the success of Donald Trump changed the rules of campaigning?
Appropriately for a philosopher, he identifies post-modernism and relativism as the intellectual roots "lurking in the background" of post-truth.
"Everything is relative. Stories are being made up all the time - there is no such thing as the truth. You can see how that has filtered its way indirectly into post-truth."
He says this has unintentionally "opened the door" to a type of politics untroubled by evidence.
But hasn't this always been part of the battle of ideas?
"Post-truth" was Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year for 2016
Prof Grayling tells the story of Adlai Stevenson, the unsuccessful liberal contender in the 1952 US presidential election, who was told: "Mr Stevenson, every thinking person in America is going to vote for you. And he said: 'Great, but I need a majority.'"
But the philosopher argues that there has been a significant shift beyond the boundaries of election spinning and into something fundamentally different.
He places his argument into a historical perspective, saying the international landscape is more like the volatile, intolerant era before World War Two.
"There are some really uncomfortable parallels with the 1930s," he says.
"These guys have realised you don't need facts, you just lie." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38557838 | |
Turmoil inflames tensions at top of NHS - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May dismisses talk of an NHS crisis - but the head of the service in England is worried about the future. | Health | The NHS is facing unprecedented pressures. The future of health and social care in England is a major talking point around Westminster. And at this highly sensitive moment, signs of tension between Downing Street and the leadership of NHS England are emerging.
A story in The Times newspaper suggested that aides to the prime minister were briefing against Simon Stevens. The head of NHS England, it was reported, had been seen by Number 10 as "insufficiently enthusiastic and responsive" to the problems facing the service.
It was denied by both sides but it seems clear that the relationship is not as warm as it might be.
Mr Stevens worked closely with George Osborne, the former chancellor, in launching his five-year plan for the NHS and the funding which underpinned it.
He was often in Downing Street for talks with David Cameron. But things have not been the same since the arrival of Theresa May. It took a while for her to meet Mr Stevens and she does not have the same level of interest in health as her predecessor, predictably perhaps because of the time spent on the Brexit issue.
I understand there is a reasonable working relationship though nothing like what Mr Stevens was used to under the Cameron administration. Mrs May's watering down of the obesity strategy, which NHS leaders had developed over many months, did not help matters.
Now, though, there is a distinct chill. Just a couple of hours after Mrs May defended government policy against fierce Labour attacks in the Commons, the head of NHS England made it very clear he was not impressed with the funding provided by ministers.
There was nothing in what he told MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee which he had not said before. It was the timing and the way he said it.
Mr Stevens told the committee that "like probably every part of the public service we got less than what we asked for", directly contradicting suggestions by the prime minister and the health secretary that all the funding requested by the service up to 2020 had been promised. He went on to say that spending on the NHS in England per head of population would actually fall in 2018-19.
Tensions have been reported between Simon Stevens and Theresa May
Even as Mr Stevens was providing his sobering analysis of prospects for the NHS, Downing Street had a cutting response ready for reporters. At the time the five-year spending deal was announced, according to the prime minister's spokeswoman, the NHS chief executive had said "our case for the NHS has been heard and actively supported".
Under the coalition government's controversial health reforms in 2012, NHS England gained more autonomy. The idea was that health service leaders could operate with less political interference.
But the problem is that ministers still have to go to the dispatch box in the Commons to defend the performance of the NHS even though they have less control over it. The latest developments have underlined that for Mrs May.
It suits Mr Stevens to let it be known that he did not get the money he wanted for the NHS. It suits Downing Street to suggest that NHS England has changed its tune over a financial settlement which it initially welcomed.
This might not matter much in normal times but right now divisions at the top will do nothing to help the NHS cope with its harshest ever winter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38583071 | |
Copeland by-election goes nuclear - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ross Hawkins visits Copeland ahead of the by-election. | UK Politics | A by-election will be held in Copeland later this year
Ross Hawkins visits Copeland in Cumbria where the outgoing Labour MP is yet to leave his job but campaigning to elect his replacement has already begun in earnest.
Conservatives are putting Jeremy Corbyn at the centre of their Copeland by-election campaign.
His image is all over Tory leaflets, and their logic is very simple.
Copeland relies on the nuclear industry and Jeremy Corbyn has opposed new nuclear power stations.
It means that when a by-election date is set, the contest in Cumbria could reveal a lot about how national politics will play out in the coming months.
Tories will highlight an issue that divides Mr Corbyn and his colleagues.
But amid a huge local row about hospitals, Labour may discover how much damage troubles in the NHS have done to the Conservatives.
Labour's campaign focuses on a row about local hospitals
Chat to voters in the constituency and you hear two concerns: jobs and healthcare.
In the butcher's in Whitehaven, one customer, Geoffrey Boyle, says: "This spot's dead enough already. There's hardly any life around here now. If nuclear goes, this town will be dead."
The economy revolves around Sellafield, and job numbers are set to fall there as reprocessing work ends. A new nuclear power station is proposed.
Labour backs new nuclear energy, and local politicians certainly do. But Mr Corbyn has made plain in the past that he disagrees.
A policy document for his leadership campaign in 2015 says plainly: "I am opposed to fracking and to new nuclear on the basis of the dangers posed to our ecosystems."
In a 2011 speech in the wake of the Fukushima disaster he went further, suggesting existing nuclear power stations should be decommissioned.
Sources close to Mr Corbyn say he no longer believes that's practical but Tories campaigning in Copeland have seized on his words.
The Convervatives hope to exploit Labour divisions over nuclear power
Councillor, local Labour party secretary and would-be candidate Gillian Troughton says: "Jeremy Corbyn is not the entire Labour party and Labour policy is for the green, low-carbon energy policy of which nuclear power is a key part."
UKIP, which came third here at the last election, boasts that it can take Labour votes. Fiona Mills - who has been UKIP's candidate in Carlisle - is hoping to contest Copeland. She says: "When I stood in the general election I definitely took voters away from Labour because people told me that."
But while people here are worried about nuclear jobs, many are furious about healthcare.
There is a proposal to move services, including a consultant-led maternity unit, from the hospital in Whitehaven 40 miles down a slow, twisting road to Carlisle.
Michelle, who works in the butcher's, says: "Why don't we stick a fellow in the back of an ambulance who's making these decisions and stick a monitor on him that creates the pain the same as labour and see how he feels about that?"
Labour's message is that only it will care for the local NHS.
Conservative councillor Kevin Beaty says what happens to the hospital is a decision for the local NHS and blames "a PFI in the north set up under the last Labour government that is really difficult from a financial point of view for them".
But with a decision about the hospital due in March, potentially before a by-election date, it's a clear and present danger to Tory hopes.
What happens to the hospital is a decision for the local NHS, says Tory councillor Kevin Beaty
If the Conservatives win, it will be the first time since 1982 the governing party has gained a seat in a by-election. Should that happen, Jamie Reed - the departing Labour MP - will in prompting the contest have done deeper damage to Mr Corbyn than he ever managed in many months criticising his leader. If Labour fails here blame will be piled deep at the door of the party leader.
Yet speculation about an electoral upset has raised Tory expectations in a patch that has been Labour since 1935. Merely holding on to a seat that even Margaret Thatcher couldn't seize could yet wind up feeling like a win for Labour.
If it's successful, a Labour strategy of responding to relentless attacks on Mr Corbyn with an equally relentless focus on the NHS may provide a model for the opposition in the years ahead. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38589306 | |
The art of Obama: A painting a day - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | Rob Pruitt has painted a single image for every day of Obama’s time in office. That’s nearly three thousand paintings. | null | As the presidency of Barack Obama draws to a close, so too does the work of an artist who has followed the US leader's daily life for eight years.
Rob Pruitt has painted a single image for every day of Mr Obama’s time in office. That’s nearly 3,000 paintings.
Every one of those works is now on display at the Gavin Brown gallery in New York, where the BBC caught up with Pruitt. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38575586 | |
Retail winners and losers this Christmas - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How merry a Christmas was it for the retail sector and where was the festive cheer felt the most? | Business | Now the leftovers are all curry and the tree is at the tip, it's time to digest the news from the retail sector over just how merry a Christmas it really was.
And it seems that just like Mr Scrooge, UK shoppers were persuaded to open their purses just a little wider this year.
So if you're one of those who splashed out on gin, indulged in a new jumper and pulled out all the stops for your festive feast, you are in good company.
But how and where was the festive cheer felt most? Here's our look at where the glass is half full and where half empty as we head into 2017.
It's not likely to be a dry January if you're running one of the UK's supermarkets. They have good news to toast this week.
Tesco and Morrisons, which have both had a difficult few years, have reported stronger sales. Tesco said fresh food had been "particularly popular, outperforming the market", adding that there had been a 24% increase in party food sales over Christmas, while Morrisons reported its strongest Christmas sales for seven years.
Even Sainsbury's, which saw a meagre 0.1% overall rise in sales, managed to beat analyst expectations of a 0.8% fall.
Discounters Lidl and Aldi don't report their figures in quite the same way - they do not give like-for-like sales, which strip out the effect of new store openings and are therefore a better comparison - but both reported double-digit increases in Christmas sales, reflecting brisk business.
It looks like we collectively loosened our belts at just the right time for the big food retailers. "I guess the biggest impression so far is that food retailers did better than non-food in December," says independent retail analyst Nick Bubb.
According to Kantar Worldpanel we spent almost half a billion pounds more in the final 12 weeks of 2016 compared with the year before (so no wonder we're still ploughing through the chocolate biscuits and checking out stilton soup recipes).
But putting it into context, a lot of the good results now are set against a backdrop of pretty weak performances the previous year.
If you look at the grocery sector in 2015, Tesco and Morrisons were both implementing turnaround plans, while Sainsbury's and Asda also faced sales challenges.
"Overall, food had an ok end of the year and traded ok over the course of the year but that was against very low comparitors," says Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG.
It wasn't just the food stores that have given the market cause for cheer.
High Street stalwart Marks and Spencer finally shrugged off a decline in clothing sales
Early in the month Next had everyone spooked as it reported a drop in sales in the run-up to Christmas, but plenty of other clothing retailers have reported strong results.
M&S surprised the market with sales in its clothing and homeware division up 2.3% - well above expectations for about 0.5% - while John Lewis, Debenhams, Ted Baker and online retailers Boohoo.com and Asos also reported sales growth.
Strong festive periods were also seen at Primark, JD Sports and Superdry owner Supergroup, which saw like-for-like sales up 15% over the Christmas period.
Next said it was preparing for "tougher times" in the year ahead
"The biggest loser is obviously Next so far. They've had a bit of a shocker," says Patrick O'Brien from Verdict Retail. Next saw sales of full-price items fall 0.4% and warned of a "challenging" 2017.
"Next [used to be] way ahead of the others with its online operation. But competitors have now caught up with that in terms of online and collection, with really high growth in online specialists like Boohoo," he says.
But apart from that the really surprising thing is how few bad results there have been. Partly that is because they started from a low base after the poor sales of 2015, and partly because British consumers simply held their nerve.
"Consumers have understood that prices are going up and it's been a good time to buy," says Mr O'Brien.
Paul Martin, head of UK retail at KPMG, adds: "The British defied the mood music out there and wanted to go out and treat themselves and celebrate Christmas. That's the most surprising thing in a world where negative news is easier to come by than positive."
John Lewis has warned of a "challenging" outlook and said that its staff bonus will be "significantly lower" this year
But if 2016 ended on a positive note, Paul Martin says retail is moving into a "perfect storm" in 2017.
He warns that around April to July the hedging positions retailers took against currency fluctuations will begin to run out and the full force of the pound's devaluation since the Brexit vote will start to be felt through higher prices for imported goods.
Multinationals will flex their muscles a little more over pricing imported goods for the UK market. And costs will be rising as business rates are revalued and the minimum wage rises.
Inevitably, he says, retailers will have to look at what kind of price rises their customers can bear. "We think it will be 5% to 8%. But that can vary substantially across sectors - you will find some cases where it will be 50%," he warns.
In addition to Next, other retailers including John Lewis and Sainsbury's have warned about the uncertain impact of a weaker pound.
While others have warned of price hikes, Ted Baker has said it will not raise prices this year
The boss of fashion chain Ted Baker has vowed, however, that "there won't be any price increases this year".
Chief executive Ray Kelvin told the Press Association: "We were hedged for two years and we have one year left on that. We're a public company, we don't gamble with things like this, plus we also have a big dollar income."
The consensus though, is that consumer spending will be squeezed this year, and Rachel Lund, head of retail insight and analytics at the British Retail Consortium, says that will make it harder for retailers to generate growth.
She also points to the uncertainty around what trading relationship the UK will have with the rest of the world once it leaves the EU.
"An announcement about that that doesn't seem favourable could have an impact on confidence," she says. But she adds that the mood among retailers is "not one of doom and gloom, it's caution". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38595323 | |
In pictures: Keeping the ski slopes open - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Photographer John Vink captures the work behind the scenes keeping the ski slopes open at Saint Sorlin d'Arves in France. | In Pictures | With the local economy relying on the slopes to provide income for several months each year it seems the snow cannons are here to stay, despite protests from some environmental groups. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38568738 | |
Trump 'compromising' claims: How and why did we get here? - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Paul Wood examines the background and fallout concerning the allegations about the president-elect. | US & Canada | The allegations against Donald Trump in the documents read like something from a bad film
Donald Trump has described as "fake news" allegations published in some media that his election team colluded with Russia - and that Russia held compromising material about his private life. The BBC's Paul Wood saw the allegations before the election, and reports on the fallout now they have come to light.
The significance of these allegations is that, if true, the president-elect of the United States would be vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians.
I understand the CIA believes it is credible that the Kremlin has such kompromat - or compromising material - on the next US commander in chief. At the same time a joint taskforce, which includes the CIA and the FBI, has been investigating allegations that the Russians may have sent money to Mr Trump's organisation or his election campaign.
Claims about a Russian blackmail tape were made in one of a series of reports written by a former British intelligence agent, understood to be Christopher Steele.
As a member of MI6, he had been posted to the UK's embassy in Moscow and now runs a consultancy giving advice on doing business in Russia. He spoke to a number of his old contacts in the FSB, the successor to the KGB, paying some of them for information.
They told him that Mr Trump had been filmed with a group of prostitutes in the presidential suite of Moscow's Ritz-Carlton hotel. I know this because the Washington political research company that commissioned his report showed it to me during the final week of the election campaign.
The BBC decided not to use it then, for the very good reason that without seeing the tape - if it exists - we could not know if the claims were true. The detail of the allegations were certainly lurid. The entire series of reports has now been posted by BuzzFeed.
Mr Trump's supporters say this is a politically motivated attack.
The president-elect himself, outraged, tweeted this morning: "Are we living in Nazi Germany?"
Later, at his much-awaited news conference, he was unrestrained.
"A thing like that should have never been written," he said, "and certainly should never have been released."
He said the memo was written by "sick people [who] put that crap together".
The opposition research firm that commissioned the report had worked first for an anti-Trump superpac - political action committee - during the Republican primaries.
Then during the general election, it was funded by an anonymous Democratic Party supporter. But these are not political hacks - their usual line of work is country analysis and commercial risk assessment, similar to the former MI6 agent's consultancy. He, apparently, gave his dossier to the FBI against the firm's advice.
Mr Trump was in Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Universe pageant (pictured)
And the former MI6 agent is not the only source for the claim about Russian kompromat on the president-elect. Back in August, a retired spy told me he had been informed of its existence by "the head of an East European intelligence agency".
Later, I used an intermediary to pass some questions to active duty CIA officers dealing with the case file - they would not speak to me directly. I got a message back that there was "more than one tape", "audio and video", on "more than one date", in "more than one place" - in the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow and also in St Petersburg - and that the material was "of a sexual nature".
The claims of Russian kompromat on Mr Trump were "credible", the CIA believed. That is why - according to the New York Times and Washington Post - these claims ended up on President Barack Obama's desk last week, a briefing document also given to Congressional leaders and to Mr Trump himself.
Mr Trump did visit Moscow in November 2013, the date the main tape is supposed to have been made. There is TV footage of him at the Miss Universe contest. Any visitor to a grand hotel in Moscow would be wise to assume that their room comes equipped with hidden cameras and microphones as well as a mini-bar.
At his news conference, Mr Trump said he warned his staff when they travelled: "Be very careful, because in your hotel rooms and no matter where you go you're going to probably have cameras." So the Russian security services have made obtaining kompromat an art form.
Even President Vladimir Putin says there is "kompromat" on him - though perhaps he is joking
One Russian specialist told me that Vladimir Putin himself sometimes says there is kompromat on him - though perhaps he is joking. The specialist went on to tell me that FSB officers are prone to boasting about having tapes on public figures, and to be careful of any statements they might make.
A former CIA officer told me he had spoken by phone to a serving FSB officer who talked about the tapes. He concluded: "It's hokey as hell."
Mr Trump and his supporters are right to point out that these are unsubstantiated allegations.
But it is not just sex, it is money too. The former MI6 agent's report detailed alleged attempts by the Kremlin to offer Mr Trump lucrative "sweetheart deals" in Russia that would buy his loyalty.
Mr Trump turned these down, and indeed has done little real business in Russia. But a joint intelligence and law enforcement taskforce has been looking at allegations that the Kremlin paid money to his campaign through his associates.
On 15 October, the US secret intelligence court issued a warrant to investigate two Russian banks. This news was given to me by several sources and corroborated by someone I will identify only as a senior member of the US intelligence community. He would never volunteer anything - giving up classified information would be illegal - but he would confirm or deny what I had heard from other sources.
Mr Trump says Moscow has "never tried to use leverage on me"
"I'm going to write a story that says…" I would say. "I don't have a problem with that," he would reply, if my information was accurate. He confirmed the sequence of events below.
Last April, the CIA director was shown intelligence that worried him. It was - allegedly - a tape recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into the US presidential campaign.
It was passed to the US by an intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States. The CIA cannot act domestically against American citizens so a joint counter-intelligence taskforce was created.
The taskforce included six agencies or departments of government. Dealing with the domestic, US, side of the inquiry, were the FBI, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Justice. For the foreign and intelligence aspects of the investigation, there were another three agencies: the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Agency, responsible for electronic spying.
Lawyers from the National Security Division in the Department of Justice then drew up an application. They took it to the secret US court that deals with intelligence, the Fisa court, named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They wanted permission to intercept the electronic records from two Russian banks.
Their first application, in June, was rejected outright by the judge. They returned with a more narrowly drawn order in July and were rejected again. Finally, before a new judge, the order was granted, on 15 October, three weeks before election day.
Harry Reid, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, pictured, accused the FBI of holding back information
Neither Mr Trump nor his associates are named in the Fisa order, which would only cover foreign citizens or foreign entities - in this case the Russian banks. But ultimately, the investigation is looking for transfers of money from Russia to the United States, each one, if proved, a felony offence.
A lawyer- outside the Department of Justice but familiar with the case - told me that three of Mr Trump's associates were the subject of the inquiry. "But it's clear this is about Trump," he said.
I spoke to all three of those identified by this source. All of them emphatically denied any wrongdoing. "Hogwash," said one. "Bullshit," said another. Of the two Russian banks, one denied any wrongdoing, while the other did not respond to a request for comment.
The investigation was active going into the election. During that period, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Harry Reid, wrote to the director of the FBI, accusing him of holding back "explosive information" about Mr Trump.
Mr Reid sent his letter after getting an intelligence briefing, along with other senior figures in Congress. Only eight people were present: the chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, and the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress, the "gang of eight" as they are sometimes called. Normally, senior staff attend "gang of eight" intelligence briefings, but not this time. The Congressional leaders were not even allowed to take notes.
In the letter to the FBI director, James Comey, Mr Reid said: "In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and co-ordination between Donald Trump, his top advisers, and the Russian government - a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Mr Trump praises at every opportunity.
"The public has a right to know this information. I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public. There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information."
The CIA, FBI, Justice and Treasury all refused to comment when I approached them after hearing about the Fisa warrant.
It is not clear what will happen to the inter-agency investigation under President Trump - or even if the taskforce is continuing its work now. The Russians have denied any attempt to influence the president-elect - with either money or a blackmail tape.
Hillary Clinton referred to Mr Trump as Mr Putin's "puppet" during the debates
If a tape exists, the Russians would hardly give it up, though some hope to encourage a disloyal FSB officer who might want to make some serious money. Before the election, Larry Flynt, publisher of the pornographic magazine Hustler, put up a million dollars for incriminating tape of Mr Trump. Penthouse has now followed with its own offer of a million dollars for the Ritz-Carlton tape (if it exists).
It is an extraordinary situation, 10 days before Mr Trump is sworn into office, but it was foreshadowed during the campaign.
During the final presidential debate, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump a "puppet" of Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin. "No puppet. No puppet," Mr Trump interjected, talking over Mrs Clinton. "You're the puppet. No, you're the puppet."
In a New York Times op-ed in August, the former director of the CIA, Michael Morell, wrote: "In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr Putin had recruited Mr Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation."
Agent; puppet - both terms imply some measure of influence or control by Moscow.
Michael Hayden, former head of both the CIA and the NSA, simply called Mr Trump a "polezni durak" - a useful fool.
The background to those statements was information held - at the time - within the intelligence community. Now all Americans have heard the claims. Little more than a week before his inauguration, they will have to decide if their president-elect really was being blackmailed by Moscow.
Clarification: 11 January - This article was amended to make clear that the opposition research firm which commissioned the report had first worked for an anti-Trump political action committee. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38589427 | |
Idris Elba sells Valentine date for charity - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Luther star Idris Elba puts himself up for auction as a Valentine's date to raise money for charity. | Entertainment & Arts | The winning bidder is promised "delicious conversation and great food"
Luther actor Idris Elba has put himself up for auction as a Valentine's date to raise money for charity.
In an online video, he offers bidders a "romantic evening" involving cocktails, food and "whatever your heart desires".
"I'll let you pound my yams," the 44-year-old star continues before downing a glass of champagne.
Proceeds will go to WE (Women Everywhere) Can Lead, a charity organisation "working to empower and educate girls throughout Africa".
The winner will join Elba for "a candlelit meal at one of his favourite restaurants".
Flights and accommodation at a four-star hotel are included, according to the actor's page on the Omaze website.
Interested parties have until 14 February to make a bid.
Elba also voiced Shere Khan in last year's hugely successful Jungle Book film as well as producing and starring in Beasts of No Nation (2015).
He is also set to star in The Dark Tower later this year, a fantasy western horror film based on a series of Stephen King novels.
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 Elba: I'm too old to play James Bond
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38595523 | |
Dog stuck on cliff ledge in Provo, Utah - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | 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 | |
Graham Taylor: Ex-England, Watford & Aston Villa manager dies aged 72 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-12 | 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 | |
Helicopter rescue for snowbound islanders - BBC News | 2017-01-12 | null | The Greek air force has taken six people trapped in heavy snow on Skopelos in the Aegean to the island's port. | null | The Greek air force has taken six people trapped in heavy snow on Skopelos in the Aegean Sea to the island's port.
The tourist island has been one of the hardest hit by the cold snap, leaving villages cut off and affecting power and water supplies. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38600233 | |
Reality Check: Can there be a quick UK-USA trade deal? - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Donald Trump has said he would like a quick trade deal with the UK. Is that possible? | Business | The claim: The UK and USA can quickly negotiate a trade deal
Reality Check verdict: The earliest we could possibly get a deal is 2019, when the UK leaves the EU under the government's current timetable. The complexities of the process mean a trade deal with the US could take considerably longer.
In an interview with the Times, Donald Trump has promised a quick trade deal with post-Brexit Britain.
The president-elect said: "We're going to work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly."
How quickly depends what you mean by quickly and what kind of deal you want, because EU treaties prohibit the UK from conducting formal negotiations while it is still a member of the EU.
Also, remember that this is the same Donald Trump who has attacked American companies that use NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to build cars in Mexico and sell them in the USA, and has criticised a proposed pan-Pacific trade deal as the "rape of our country".
He is also opposed to TTIP, the current talks between the USA and EU to reach a trade deal.
But given he seems all in favour of a free trade deal with the UK, how long will it take and what will it involve? Even the easiest trade deal between perfectly willing partners would take years and we won't even be able to begin formal negotiations until we leave the EU, probably in two years.
We will be able to have unofficial talks though, as the prime minister's spokesman put it on Monday: "When she [Theresa May] visits the States she can have an early discussion, but we will abide by our obligations while in the EU."
Technically therefore, the quickest we would be able to get a deal is by 2019, but it is very unlikely to be that quick, not least because the deal the UK ends up doing with the EU would have an impact on the deal it gets with the US.
The first part of any negotiations would be relatively easy.
Tariffs, which are taxes on goods entering a country, are already quite low between the USA and the EU: they average 3%.
A free-trade deal would aim to bring them all down to zero, but it is non-tariff barriers that are the real problem.
This covers everything from bank regulations and car safety standards to animal welfare and environmental protection.
The easiest deal would be for the USA to accept all our standards and regulations and for us to accept all theirs.
But this is where it can get messy.
For instance, the UK has much stricter rules on food standards, GM crops and hormones in farm animals.
Just letting American food into the UK could undermine those standards and put British farmers at a disadvantage.
Then there is the thorny issue of the NHS; do we open it up to competition from US medical companies or do we seek to protect it?
Negotiating an optout for the NHS is perfectly possible, but it would take time and America might ask for something else in return.
The EU and the USA agreed to start negotiating a trade deal in 2011, and those talks have become bogged down because of a whole host of such issues, including how to resolve disputes once a deal is signed.
The UK should be a quicker and nimbler negotiator than the EU, which has 27 governments to keep on board, but that doesn't mean the issues are any less controversial. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38639638 | |
Blue Monday: Feel-good sport videos on saddest day of year - BBC Sport | 2017-01-16 | null | Watch six feel-good sporting videos on Blue Monday, known as the saddest day of the year. | null | Watch six feel-good sporting videos on Blue Monday, known as the saddest day of the year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/38597197 | |
Cilla Black statue unveiled as Cavern Club celebrates 60 years - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Liverpool celebrates 60 years of the Cavern Club as a life-size statue of Cilla Black is unveiled outside the venue. | Liverpool | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cilla Black's son, Robert Willis, said the sculpture "captured the joy that she had"
A life-size bronze statue of Cilla Black has been unveiled outside Liverpool's Cavern Club as the venue celebrates its 60th anniversary.
The club, credited with launching the career of The Beatles, opened its doors on 16 January 1957 as a jazz cellar.
Crowds gathered in Mathew Street to see the sculpture which shows a young Cilla performing one of her early songs.
The TV celebrity and 1960s singing star, who died in 2015, started work as a cloakroom attendant at the club.
Crowds filled Matthew Street in Liverpool city centre for the celebrations
It was commissioned by Black's sons Robert, Ben and Jack Willis, who said they backed the idea after being moved by the response from the city following their mother's death.
Robert Willis said they wanted to "donate it as a small gesture of gratitude to this great city for their wonderful outpouring of love and affection for our mother", adding that he was "thrilled" with the statue.
His mother would have been "very flattered, proud and honoured", he said.
One of the sculptors, Andy Edwards from Stoke-on-Trent, said "it's the story of the birth of that period in Liverpool's musical culture" and it was important the city remembered her.
Cilla Black first worked at The Cavern as a cloakroom girl before going on to launch a hugely successful singing career of her own
The Beatles played hundreds of gigs at The Cavern Club between 1961 and 1963.
The unveiling was one of a programme of special events taking place on Monday to mark 60 years of the Cavern, which became synonymous with Merseybeat and The Beatles.
The Cavern was demolished in 1973 to make way for a shopping centre but reopened 10 years later on part of the same site using reclaimed bricks from the original building.
The Beatles played at the Cavern Club almost 300 times
Cavern director John Keats said the club had remained relevant and people were "constantly surprised at who has played [here]".
John Lennon's half sister, Julia Baird, said the role it played in the Liverpool's musical history should not be underestimated and she thought Lennon "would have loved" to be part of the celebrations.
"The Beatles didn't launch The Cavern - The Cavern launched The Beatles," she said.
The club's owner, Dave Jones, said: "This venue has to be protected for ever... it has to remain here."
The statue features images from the singer's life in the fabric of her dress
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38636662 | |
Baby born in police car outside Stoke hospital - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A baby makes a surprise arrival when she is born in a police car outside a hospital. | Stoke & Staffordshire | Darcey Carson McBride weighed 6lb 9oz (2.98kg) when she was born on Friday morning
A baby girl was born in a police car after her parents' car broke down in snow on the way to hospital.
Emily McBride and her partner Thomas Carson were on their way to Royal Stoke University Hospital when their car ground to a halt.
The couple from Stone were picked up by officers from Staffordshire Police who took them to hospital in the back of their patrol vehicle.
But before Emily could make it out of the car, she gave birth to baby Darcey.
Darcey Carson McBride was delivered by hospital staff on the back seat of the car at 08:56 GMT on Friday weighing 6lb 9oz (2.98kg).
Both were then admitted to the delivery suite.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police officers rush mum-to-be to hospital after car breaks down in snow
The police force said: "Staffordshire Police send their very best wishes to Emily, Thomas and Darcey."
Thanking the officers for getting her to hospital safely, Ms McBride said: "I'm really grateful, they (Staffordshire Police) got us there in time, if it wasn't for them, I would have been giving birth in traffic."
The couple's car broke down in the snow on Friday morning
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-38615799 | |
Premier League title race: How top six is shaping up - BBC Sport | 2017-01-16 | null | Who looks like the "full package" and who may be facing a "catastrophe"? Phil McNulty assesses how the Premier League's top six looks now. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Chelsea's Premier League title rivals thought the door had been pushed ajar after a run on 13 straight wins ended at Tottenham and the new harmony under manager Antonio Conte was disturbed by Diego Costa.
The title pacesetters would always be able to recover from a bad result - but how would they cope with the exclusion of their firebrand top scorer after a training ground bust-up and suggestions of interest from China?
Chelsea gave their answer with an impressive 3-0 win at Leicester City that, combined with the weekend's other results, put them firmly back in control of their Premier League destiny.
So, after 21 games and another weekend of significant matches, how are the top six clubs shaping up?
Conte will have demanded an instant Premier League response from his team after that 2-0 loss at White Hart Lane, which he rightly placed in context by pointing out it was inflicted by a quality side with title aspirations of their own.
The wildcard was provided by the sudden falling out with influential striker Costa that provided an unexpected backdrop to Saturday's events at the King Power Stadium and gave the first hint of dissent in Chelsea and Conte's camp this season.
In the end, the Italian boss was given the opportunity to prove the versatility and flexibility of his squad in Costa's absence as Willian, Eden Hazard and Pedro provided the attacking threat.
In the absence of any suggestion Blues owner Roman Abramovich will bow to pressure to sell in January, the priority now is to get the combustible Spain striker back on side and ensure any unrest does not spread.
If that can be done, then Chelsea can look back at a weekend where their title position was strengthened as they now stand seven points clear.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are a growing force in this title race and the 4-0 demolition of West Bromwich Albion was further evidence of their growing authority.
It was their sixth straight league win since their loss at Manchester United in December - and they have only lost two games out of 21.
Harry Kane is firing on all cylinders, shown by his hat-trick against West Brom, and with Dele Alli scoring seven goals in his past five league games Spurs are starting to look the full package.
They ran out of steam towards the end of last season, but Pochettino is a top-class operator who will surely have learned his lesson and tailored his team's intense style accordingly.
The Argentine will still hope to avoid injuries and there is a real worry over influential defender Jan Vertonghen, who Pochettino fears has suffered a "bad" ankle injury.
Next weekend's game at Manchester City will tell us even more about them.
Verdict: Flew under the radar for a while but now right at the heart of the title race.
Liverpool will be disappointed they could not hold on for victory at Manchester United on Sunday, but there is plenty of encouragement to take from their performance.
The disappointment will come because they were within six minutes of securing a win that would not only have inflicted even more damage on United, but also would have sent a strong message to those nearer the top of the table.
It is to the Reds' credit that they came so close to victory despite key men such as Philippe Coutinho still not fit enough to start, Nathaniel Clyne out with a rib injury and Joel Matip sidelined because of confusion surrounding his absence from Cameroon's Africa Cup Of Nations squad.
Manager Jurgen Klopp rightly believes they are still in a strong position but will surely be frustrated that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late goal means Chelsea stretched their advantage to seven points.
Verdict: Remain title contenders but top four would still be fine achievement.
Arsenal's win at Swansea City could not have been more convincing and they have responded well to successive losses at Everton and Manchester City, when they conceded winning positions and showed the vulnerability that has haunted them for seasons.
Even at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday they made a slow start, but it is hard to argue with a 4-0 away win.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants the Gunners to stay in the title shake-up until the closing stages - and they are certainly doing that so far.
Are they, however, potential Premier League winners? They cannot be ruled out but it is hard to see where they will pick up the points to haul in Chelsea.
Verdict: In the mix as their manager demands, but will a soft centre let them down?
Form: Two defeats in past three.
Manager Pep Guardiola effectively wrote off Manchester City's title challenge after they were giving a thorough working over and beaten 4-0 at Everton.
City now face a fight to finish in the top four with a side seemingly physically weak, riddled with defensive frailty and a goalkeeper in Claudio Bravo who hardly ever seems to save a shot. Failure to make next season's Champions League would represent a catastrophe in the Spaniard's first season.
• None MOTD2 analysis: Why defending is not Pep's only problem
And this is Guardiola's responsibility after he shipped out England keeper Joe Hart on loan to Torino. Out of the past 22 shots Bravo has faced, 14 have been goals.
Only five teams have a lower haul than City's tally of four clean sheets and they have conceded from the first shot they have faced in four of their past seven games.
The problems are there for all to see, although Guardiola has so far done little to correct the faults.
City have suffered two damaging defeats on Merseyside in recent weeks - and do not look like a side who have the slightest chance of making up a 10-point deficit on Chelsea.
Verdict: Forget the title. Manchester City are in a top-four fight now.
Manchester United are showing definite signs of improvement under manager Jose Mourinho, but like neighbours City their fight is now for the top four rather than the title.
They could have closed to within two points of Liverpool with victory at Old Trafford on Sunday, but 12 points is surely an impossible gap to breach between United and Chelsea.
United have drawn seven league games - including five at home - and the simple fact is they have squandered too many points to make up the deficit.
Mourinho is definitely moving United forward, but not fast enough to make them title contenders this season.
Verdict: Top four should be the target. The title is now out of reach. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38632129 | |
India v England: Virat Kohli thought Eoin Morgan's side would 'panic' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-16 | null | India captain Virat Kohli says he thought England would "panic" during his side's chase of 351 to win the first ODI in Pune. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
India captain Virat Kohli says he thought England would "panic" during his side's chase of 351 to win the first one-day international in Pune.
India had slipped to 63-4 but were put on the way to the joint-fourth-highest chase in ODI history by centuries from Kohli and Kedar Jadhav.
"The moment he came to the crease, Jadhav started hitting the ball really well," said Kohli.
"I said, 'if we get to 150 here, they will press the panic button - watch'."
For Kohli, 122 from 105 balls was his 17th century in the second innings of an ODI and the extension of a remarkable record in run chases.
The 28-year-old averages 90.90 when batting second in India victories and averages 95.66 overall since the beginning of 2016.
• None Listen: Kohli's stats twice as good as Tendulkar's - Vaughan
"We nearly had him caught at third man bowling a little wider," Morgan told BBC Sport. "That might have worked on a different ground and we will look at different options for the next two games."
Though England posted 350, their highest score against India and ninth best of all-time, Irishman Morgan said his side could have made even more.
"We didn't play out of or skins and still managed to post 350, that was an indication of good the wicket was and how small the ground is," he said.
"If guys go on, which we would do normally, we would have posted a bigger score."
Morgan also suggested that his bowlers must learn from the defeat for the final two matches of the series, the first of which is in Cuttack on Thursday.
"Cuttack is a bigger ground and an easier pitch to bowl on," he said.
"Here we took four early wickets, which was an incredible effort. From there, we need to be more disciplined in what we can do and stick to our guns a little longer." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38631446 | |
Australian Open 2017: Roger Federer makes winning return in Melbourne - BBC Sport | 2017-01-16 | null | Four-time champion Roger Federer advances to the second round of the Australian Open by beating Jurgen Melzer in Melbourne. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Four-time champion Roger Federer reached the Australian Open second round with a four-set victory over Austria's Jurgen Melzer in Melbourne.
The 35-year-old, appearing in his first competitive match in six months after injuring his knee, won 7-5 3-6 6-2 6-2.
World number four Stan Wawrinka needed five sets to beat Slovakia's Martin Klizan 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4.
Japan's Kei Nishikori, ranked fifth, is through after beating Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov 5-7 6-1 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-2.
The 27-year-old will next play France's Jeremy Chardy while Wawrinka, 31, will face American Steve Johnson.
Federer, who hit 19 aces in his two-hour match against Melzer, faces 20-year-old American Noah Rubin in round two.
• None World number one Murray battles into second round
• None Murray on nerves, being a Sir and what he bought his dogs for Christmas
"Any match is a good match, even if I had lost, because I'm back on the court," the 17-time Grand Slam champion said.
"Last year was tough but it is nice to be playing normal tennis again. It was a long road but I made it."
Chardy, ranked 72nd in the world, progressed when Spain's Nicolas Almagro pulled out with a calf injury four games into their match.
Almagro, 31, rebuffed suggestions he had only turned up to claim the $50,000 (£31,000) that comes with a first-round exit.
He said: "I have more than $10m. I'm not going to play for $50,000. It is not the reason."
Wawrinka and Nishikori come through lengthy tests
Wawrinka, winner in 2014, is appearing in his 12th Australian Open and has never lost in the first round.
The Swiss fought back from a break down in the final set to edge Klizan in a testing three-hour encounter during which Wawrinka climbed over the net to apologise after accidentally striking his opponent with the ball.
"I was fighting a lot and I never give up but it was most important to get through," he said.
Nishikori, who is attempting to become the first Asian man to win a Grand Slam, secured victory despite receiving medical treatment in the final set.
"It wasn't easy, especially mentally and I should have finished it in four sets," he added.
Australian Nick Kyrgios raced to victory in his opener against Portuguese Gastao Elias, who is ranked 77th in the world.
The 14th seed took only 84 minutes to win 6-1 6-2 6-2, despite an eight-minute medical timeout to treat a nosebleed in the first set.
Despite the stoppage, it took him just 19 minutes to win the first set as he powered into the second round.
"I'm getting some great treatment for it from my team and it didn't cause me any problems," Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios will next play Italy's Andreas Seppi, who beat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (3-7) 7-5.
Tenth seed Tomas Berdych, twice a semi-finalist in Melbourne, also had a comfortable passage as his Italian opponent Luca Vanni retired after losing the opening set 6-1.
Seventh seed Marin Cilic fought back from two sets down to beat world number 278 Jerzy Janowicz 4-6 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-3 in three hours and set up a meeting with Britain's Dan Evans in round two.
France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, ranked 12th in the world, advanced after a 6-1 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 victory over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38634057 | |
Sinn Féin refuses to nominate deputy first minister - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | null | Stormont faces collapse after Sinn Féin refuses to nominate deputy first minister. | null | Stormont faces collapse after Sinn Féin refuses to nominate deputy first minister.
Nominating officer Michelle O'Neill said the DUP's actions had "diminished the credibility" of the political institutions and said it was now "over to the people to have their say". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38640366 | |
Unilever boss lives by African proverb - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | null | Paul Polman, the head of Unilever, shares the business advice he wishes he had been given when he started out. | null | Paul Polman, the head of Unilever, shares the business advice he wishes he had been given when he started out.
He is attending the World Economic Forum summit of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland this week. He will be launching the Business and Sustainable Development Commission's report on global goals.
Shhh! Get all the #CEOSecrets on our website here and watch this video explaining the series.
To keep up to date with the CEO Secrets series and go behind the scenes, follow series producer Dougal Shaw on Twitter and Facebook. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38572582 | |
Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2017 season - BBC Sport | 2017-01-16 | null | Valtteri Bottas succeeds Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes, with Felipe Massa returning to Williams. | null | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Valtteri Bottas has succeeded retired world champion Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes.
The move, expected since December, also sees Brazilian Felipe Massa come out of retirement to replace the 27-year-old Finn at Williams.
It's going to take a while to understand that this is really happening
Bottas has signed a one-year deal with the option for more, while Rosberg moves into an ambassadorial role.
Mercedes' young driver Pascal Wehrlein, passed over in favour of Bottas, joins the Swiss Sauber team.
• None Bottas faces challenge of his life at Mercedes
'Valtteri fits very well in our team'
Rosberg's shock retirement, announced just five days after he wrapped up his maiden world title, was a "challenging situation for the team to handle", according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
"Sometimes in life, unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities," he added. "Nico's decision in December was a big surprise.
"But weathering the storm makes you more resilient and we see this as another opportunity for the team to grow.
"I think Valtteri fits very well in our team, as a driver he's very fast, and he has also the heart in the right place.
"He shares our values and passion, and he's modest and humble and he's hard working."
For Bottas, the move is the opportunity of a lifetime. He has been in F1 for four seasons and has shown well at Williams alongside first Pastor Maldonado and then Massa.
"It's very exciting times for me," said Bottas, whose best F1 results so far are two second places, at the British and German grands prix in 2014.
"I think it's going to take a while to understand that this is really happening.
"It's definitely another dream come true, to race in another team with such great history - especially in the recent years, which have been so impressive.
"I think with Lewis we are going to be a strong pair together. I really respect him as a driver and a person.
"I'm sure we are going to be close, and we're going to be both pushing each forward. I'm sure we can work as a team."
Wolff has said he will end his ties with the personal management of Bottas' career now the driver is under his employment.
'It felt like the right thing to do'
Massa, 35, announced his retirement at the end of last season but quit F1 only because he knew he was not wanted at Williams and there was no other good seat available to him.
A winner of 11 grands prix, he said: "Given the turn of events over the winter, I wish Valtteri all the best at Mercedes.
"In turn, when I was offered the chance to help Williams with their 2017 F1 campaign, it felt like the right thing to do."
Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "With Valtteri having a unique opportunity to join the constructors' champions, we have been working hard to ensure that an agreement could be made with Mercedes.
"Felipe has always been a much-loved member of the Williams family, and having the opportunity to work with him again is something we all look forward to.
"He was always going to race somewhere in 2017, as he has not lost that competitive spirit, and it was important that we had a strong replacement in order for us to let Valtteri go.
"Felipe rejoining us provides stability, experience and talent to help lead us forward. He is a great asset for us."
Massa, who has signed a one-year deal, is an experienced and known quantity for Williams, who needed a driver over 25 to partner the 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll as a result of their title sponsor, drinks giant Martini.
Why did Mercedes not pick Wehrlein?
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Wolff negotiated a deal to release Bottas from Williams because he believed Wehrlein was not yet ready for promotion.
He turned to Sauber, who use engines from Mercedes' rivals Ferrari, to find a seat for the German to continue his development in F1.
Wehrlein will partner Swede Marcus Ericsson in what will be his second season in the sport.
The 22-year-old drove for Manor in his debut season last year but the British team are in administration and their participation in F1 in 2017 is in serious doubt.
Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said Wehrlein had shown "talent throughout his career".
She added: "Last year, in his rookie Formula 1 season, he proved his potential by scoring one point in the Austrian Grand Prix.
"There is surely more to come from Pascal, and we want to give him the chance to further grow and learn at the pinnacle of motorsport."
Wehrlein, whose move is likely to have been facilitated by financial support from Mercedes for Sauber, added: "It is a new challenge in a new team, and I am really excited and looking forward to this new adventure.
"Our objective is to establish ourselves in the midfield and to score points on a regular basis." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38489054 | |
Is it OK to watch porn in public? - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | 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 | |
Reality Check: Will one-third of NHS beds in England be cut? - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Is it true that the government plans to cut one-third of NHS beds in England? | Health | The claim: The government plans to cut one-third of hospital beds in England.
Reality Check verdict: We do not have enough data to put a figure on the proportion of beds that will close under current plans. Only one-third of local NHS plans give any information about bed closures.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said at Prime Minister's Questions this week: "Her government is proposing, through sustainability and transformation, to cut one-third of the beds in all our hospitals in the very near future."
He was referring to the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs), which are the plans that local NHS areas have been asked to come up with to change services in order to make themselves financially sustainable.
They are part of NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens' Five Year Forward View. England has been divided into 44 areas, each of which has its own STP.
Although some of the STPs have quite precise plans, others are quite vague.
That means it is difficult to come up with a precise figure for the number of beds being closed.
In fact, according to Labour Party health researchers, only 14 of the 44 STPs mention bed closures. That is one-third of the STPs, although that might just be a coincidence.
Mr Corbyn's team has been unable to show Reality Check where he got the number that he used in Parliament.
Among the STPs with the most precise figures was Derbyshire, where 535 of 1,771 beds will be cut by 2020-21, a cut of 30%.
West, North and East Cumbria plans to reduce beds in cottage hospitals (smaller hospitals, often in rural areas) from 133 to 104, with beds at Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital going from 600 to 500. That's an 18% cut overall.
It illustrates another difficulty with these figures, which is that not all beds are the same. Having an acute bed is not the same as having a bed in a day unit or an A&E bed, for example.
Also, some of the plans involve trying to treat people in ways that do not involve using hospital beds, through the use of home treatment, for example, which makes it harder to interpret bed closure figures.
So an overall figure for bed closures would need a great deal of clarification, but it is clear that we do not yet have enough data to reach such a figure.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38613657 | |
Police inquiry over fox 'killing' footage in Warwickshire - BBC News | 2017-01-16 | null | A hunt saboteurs group has released footage it claims shows them trying to save a fox from hounds, though it died soon after. | null | A hunt saboteurs group is claiming they saw hunt hounds on top of a fox, trying to kill it.
Members of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs Group say they witnessed the incident in a driveway near Shuttington, in Warwickshire, on Saturday.
The fox was taken away from the dogs, they say, but died soon after.
Warwickshire Police said it had a received a report about the claims and is investigating.
The Atherstone Hunt has been contacted for a comment.
Some people may find the following footage distressing. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-38644682 |