title
stringlengths 13
112
| published_date
stringlengths 10
10
| authors
stringclasses 3
values | description
stringlengths 0
382
⌀ | section
stringlengths 2
31
⌀ | content
stringlengths 0
81.9k
| link
stringlengths 21
189
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ant & Dec: The secret of their success - BBC News
|
2017-01-27
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
What's the secret behind the unstoppable rise of these side-splitting sidekicks?
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
The pair were honoured for services to broadcasting and entertainment
The nation's favourite TV duo Ant and Dec were given the royal seal of approval today when they were awarded OBEs for services to broadcasting and entertainment by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
Earlier this week they scooped three prizes at the National Television Awards, including best TV presenter for the 16th year in a row.
But why do we love these cheeky chums so much? What's the secret behind the unstoppable rise of these side-splitting sidekicks?
The duo's first presenting job was on CBBC's The Ant & Dec show in 1995
TV producer Conor McAnally witnessed the transformation of Ant and Dec from success-hungry teenagers to grown-up lovable comrades. He saw instant potential in the two when they took on their first proper presenting gig on The Ant & Dec Show in 1995 on CBBC.
"As a producer, you're looking for that spark in a new presenter," says McAnally. "Someone who can reach through the camera and grab an audience. Presenting skills, technical skills, hitting your marks, all that sort of stuff is less important in the initial stages because all that can be trained.
"But with Ant and Dec there was a symbiosis. They were each other's genuine best friend. They each thought the other was the funniest guy in the world. They wanted to hang out all the time, even off camera. You can't fake that.
"These guys could dance, they could sing, they could act, and they could talk to the camera like it was their best friend."
They got their first break in 1989 on children's drama Byker Grove. Unusually, Dec is on the left in this picture
It's Ant and Dec's uncanny knack for talking directly to their audience that lies behind their genius. To many, it feels like watching friends rather than frontmen.
Thick Geordie accents have helped to forge this bond with viewers - in a 2010 survey by call centre managers Sitel, Geordie was found to be the UK's friendliest dialect.
"They seem so natural and so off the cuff, but most people don't know that is because they work very, very hard," McAnally continues. "Their early training as actors meant they really studied their scripts.
"Beyond that, they really go down in to the essence of the show. What's it about? What's their role in it? What are they bringing to the audience? They're both great students of entertainment television."
Behind the seemingly effortless on screen camaraderie lies an unparalleled understanding of TV expertise, believes McAnally.
"They're both really canny business guys. They understand their value. They understand the business end of television and rights and royalties and the value of the shows they've done. They're sometimes very tough negotiators."
Ant and Dec also fronted Pop Idol from 2001-03, which brought back talent shows to prime time TV
While Ant and Dec have mastered being front of the camera, they also perfected the art of being behind it.
Over the years the pals struck numerous lucrative TV rights deals through their production companies Gallowgate, which they sold in 2012, and Mitre, launched in 2013.
As rights holders for many of their productions, in 2015 they pocketed a reported £1m per episode to license Saturday Night Takeaway to US networks.
The series bombed across the pond - perhaps because its host Neil Patrick Harris couldn't recreate the Geordie duo's mischievous magic - but it didn't stop them netting a cool £15m by the time the series was axed, contributing to their total net worth of around £62m.
Ant & Dec have won the best TV presenter prize at the National Television Awards for 16 consecutive years
It's this TV prowess which has prevented Ant and Dec from becoming over saturated, despite having touched almost every audience demographic.
Today, their three biggest shows - I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain's Got Talent - each run for short bursts at a time, with gaps in between long enough to leave audiences wanting more.
Perhaps Ant and Dec's biggest appeal is that they seem at home on screen. We've watched them grow up and adapt to the challenges of 21st Century television.
"As people they became more and more confident and comfortable with being Ant and Dec," says McAnally. "When I started working with them on The Ant & Dec Show, they had been PJ and Duncan.
"It was a transition period when they went from playing characters on television to playing themselves, but they tackled that head on. Each new show brought new challenges and new opportunities to expand what they could do on screen."
Not every challenge resulted in new opportunities of course, but the pair have taken each bump on the road to stardom with grace and humility.
Most notably, their 2008 attempt to bring gameshow Wanna Bet? to US audiences was branded "unintelligible" by critics. It was cancelled after six episodes due to issues with viewers being unable to understand the duo's Geordie accents as well as the dull format.
The pair signed a new three-year deal with ITV in November
After The Ant & Dec Show, McAnally went on to produce five more shows with the pair - Ant & Dec Unzipped, Slap Bang, Friends Like These, CD:UK and SMTV. But it wasn't always plain sailing.
"There were moments where I wondered whether they would stick together. It happens a lot with duos, because working together over extended periods of time inevitably leads to conflict.
"They both had slightly different ambitions, but they both understood that their friendship was bigger than anything, and that working on their own wasn't as fun. It was a case of one plus one makes four, not two."
In November, the Geordie duo signed a new deal with ITV rumoured to be worth £40m which will see them stay exclusively with the channel for another three years. So there's no chance of them slipping off our TV screens any time soon.
McAnally concludes: "There might be better presenters out there in a technical sense, but they absolutely deserve every single award they get, because no one else has ever gotten in to the hearts of the UK population like Ant and Dec."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38770335
|
Trump and May: What gifts have US and UK leaders given? - BBC News
|
2017-01-27
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Graffiti art, barbeques and DVDs are among the gifts exchanged between UK and US leaders.
|
UK
|
The traditional exchange of gifts between the US and UK leaders has not always run smoothly - with leather jackets and trench coats among the notable rejections.
But some are the gifts that keep giving, with Queen Victoria's 1880 present - the Oval Office's Resolute desk - used by President Donald Trump on his first day in the White House.
Theresa May presented the US president with a quaich, a traditional Scottish cup of friendship, while First Lady Melania Trump received a hamper of produce from the prime minister's country residence, Chequers.
In return, the UK prime minister was given a framed picture of Abraham Lincoln swearing the Oath of Office on the same copy of the Bible used by Mr Trump at his inauguration.
Mrs Trump, meanwhile, gave a pair of silver cufflinks by New York designer David Yurman to Mrs May's husband, Philip.
But how do these gifts compare to those exchanged by leaders past?
Most presents held by UK government departments include works of art, watches, wine and jewellery.
But under the ministerial code of conduct, if government ministers want to keep a gift personally they are obliged to declare presents worth more than £140.
So while smaller gifts will remain unknown, news of some of the bigger - and stranger gifts - have been disclosed to the public.
Artist Ben Eine, who has worked with Banksy, began his career by "tagging" his name on buildings
On his first trip to Washington as prime minister in 2010, David Cameron's official gift to President Barack Obama included a painting by a graffiti artist.
The work, Twenty First Century City, by Ben Eine, was said to be one of Mr Cameron's wife Samantha's favourite artists.
Mr Obama continued the art theme by presenting the Camerons with a signed lithograph by pop artist Ed Ruscha.
The piece, Column with Speed Lines, was chosen for its red, white and blue colours matching the British and American flags.
Writing on his website, Ben Eine - who has worked with Banksy - said it had been a "weird day" because "David Cameron has given one of my paintings to President Obama in an art swap".
The Camerons gave the Obamas a table tennis table in a nod to the match the men played in 2011
The following year, Obama chose to give the Camerons a customised "one-of-a-kind" barbecue as a reminder of their time flipping burgers together in the 10 Downing Street garden during the Obamas' London visit in May 2011.
In return, the Camerons gave the president and his family a customised Dunlop table tennis table.
It's a nod to the match the two men played against school children in south London during the same 2011 trip.
Mrs Cameron also gave First Lady Michelle Obama a printed blue scarf by Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders, inspired by Victorian wallpaper.
Gordon Brown rejected the 'Camp David' jacket which was a present from George W Bush
In 2009, Mr Obama was criticised for lack of thought when he presented previous Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a set of 25 DVDs of classic US films, when Mr Brown visited Washington.
Mr Brown gave the US president a pen and holder carved from an anti-slavery ship and biographies of Winston Churchill, worth $16,510.
Perhaps Mr Obama was trying to play it safe after Mr Bush's gift the previous year, of a fur-trimmed leather bomber jacket, had been rejected by Mr Brown.
The jacket was emblazoned with the presidential logo and featured Mr Brown's name.
All gifts over a certain value have to be declared by government ministers - but Mr Brown chose not to pay for the jacket, according to reports at the time.
It is not known if Tony Blair received one of the Camp David leather bomber jackets
In 2003, a list of presents given to President George W Bush since he had taken office in 2001 included a £216 sponge bag from Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The toilet bag was believed to have been a light-hearted reference to the president's comment on first meeting Mr Blair that they had at least one thing in common - the same toothpaste.
It had "GWB" embossed in gold on the top.
Mr Blair's gift was notably cheaper than some, with Russia's Vladimir Putin presenting a £12,000 pen and Afghan President Hamid Karzai gifting a £3,000 wool and silk rug. But it was not the cheapest on the list - Morocco gave Mr Bush a £2 jar of fish bait.
"I'm sure he thought: 'What in the world is going on?' said Lyndon Johnson's personal ambassador
Lloyd Hand, who was the president's chief of protocol and personal ambassador at the time, told US National Public Radio: "President Johnson opened the box and put the coat on, and the sleeves came about halfway on his arms.
"He said 'Lloyd, see if you can catch the prime minister and tell him this is the wrong size.'
Mr Hand said he stuffed the coat back in the box and raced down the steps, out of the diplomatic entrance and to the driveway where Mr Wilson was leaving.
As the prime minister's car rolled down the driveway, Mr Hand rapped on the window.
"I'm sure he thought: 'What in the world is going on?', and I told him the story and he laughed and said, 'Of course I'll get it and I'll get the right size and get it back to him,'" he said.
The Resolute desk was moved into the Oval Office by President John F Kennedy in 1961
Considered one of the White House's "treasures" today, the president's desk in the Oval Office was a present from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880.
Known as the "Resolute desk" it was made from the oak timbers of the British ship HMS Resolute and has been used by every president since Mr Hayes, apart from Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford, according to the White House Historical Association.
It was first used in the Oval Office in 1961 at the request of President John F Kennedy.
Sir John is not the only recipient of an Akhal-Teke stallion - Russia has presented one to Bahrain
Some of the more unusual gifts showered on our UK leaders in recent years may not have come from the US, but have included Mr Blair's Segway scooter - presented by the King of Jordan, and a bronze fox from the government of Belgium.
Other presents received by Mr Blair included an electric car from the president of Ferrari and three guitars - one of them from rock star Bryan Adams.
But perhaps the stand-out gift of note is Sir John Major's "gift horse".
In 1993, then-Prime Minister Sir John was presented with a framed photograph of a horse called Maksat, a pure-bred Akhal-Teke stallion, by the President of Turkmenistan.
The only snag was that the animal was in Turkmenistan and the UK was expected to collect it.
Sir John decided he wouldn't have been able to keep the animal, so the Household Cavalry decided to take it, leading to one of the strangest assignments ever taken on by a British diplomat.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38767857
|
Mayors take stand against Trump - BBC News
|
2017-01-27
| null |
Mayors take stand against President Trump's executive order on immigration.
| null |
The mayors of New York City and Chicago say they will protect their citizens in the face of President Trump's latest executive order on immigration.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38753233
|
Reality Check: Did millions vote illegally in the US? - BBC News
|
2017-01-27
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
President Trump claims that he would have won the popular vote had it not been for fraud. Is he right?
|
US & Canada
|
The claim: Donald Trump would have won the popular vote in last year's US presidential election had it not been for people voting illegally.
Reality Check verdict: There is no evidence to support the assertion that at least 2.86 million people voted illegally.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump stands by his concerns about illegal voting.
The disclosure came after the president was reported to have claimed in a closed meeting on Monday that between three and five million unauthorised immigrants had voted for Hillary Clinton.
At the end of November, Mr Trump tweeted: "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally."
While the president won the election via the electoral college, he actually received 2.86 million fewer votes than his rival.
So his suggestion is that at least 2% of the people who voted did so illegally, assuming that they all voted for Mrs Clinton.
Non-citizens of the United States, including permanent legal residents, do not have the right to vote in presidential elections. Voter registration requires applicants to declare their citizenship status, and they could face criminal punishment if they falsely claim citizenship rights.
In addition to being registered voters, in two-thirds of states, voters are required to bring identification to the polls in order to be allowed to vote. In all states, first-time voters who register to vote by post must provide valid identification before voting.
Donald Trump and his team have referred to two studies they say show the threat posed by unauthorised voting; both have been challenged.
A 2014 study published in Electoral Studies found evidence that suggested non-citizens do vote and "can change the outcome of close races". Donald Trump referred to this study on the campaign trail in Wisconsin on 17 October.
The research has been roundly criticised by political scientists who said it misinterpreted the data. The team behind the research used data collected by the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), which is a national survey taken before and after elections. The CCES published a newsletter that disputed the findings and said "the likely percent of non-citizen voters in recent US elections is 0".
During the campaign, Mr Trump also referred to a 2012 Pew Center on the States study that found 1.8 million dead Americans were still registered. The deceased, alleged Mr Trump, were still voting. The report, however, does not make any statements about this claim.
Although it is not impossible for non-citizens to break voting laws, there is no evidence that millions of immigrants without the right to vote influenced the outcome of the popular vote.
Election officials, including those from the Republican Party, have said there was no evidence of mass electoral fraud and senior Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan have distanced themselves from the claim.
But President Trump tweeted from his personal account on Wednesday to say that he would be asking for a major investigation into voter fraud.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38744612
|
Avocado anxiety over Trump's border tax - BBC News
|
2017-01-27
| null |
The White House proposed a 20% "border tax" on Mexico and it sparked some avocado anxiety.
| null |
The White House has proposed a 20% "border tax" on Mexico as one of the ways to recoup the costs of building a US-Mexico border wall.
The wall is a campaign promise that is wildly popular among President Trump's supporters, but news of the tax sparked anxiety among some for the price of avocados and tacos.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38766675
|
Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe family 'treated like a bargaining chip' - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Political prisoner Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe released from solitary confinement
| null |
An Iranian court will hear an appeal this week over the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother accused of a plot to topple the Iranian government. Her family insist she is innocent.
After spending 10 months in solitary confinement Nazanin has now been moved to a unit for political prisoners. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe tells the Today programme that since she was moved there is "more fight in her" and she has ended her hunger strike.
But he is heavily critical of what he says is the government's lack of action in her case, calling his family a "bargaining chip in international politics".
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38487662
|
Reality Check: Can 200,000 starter homes be built by 2020? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Can the government hit the target of building 200,000 starter homes in the next three years?
|
UK Politics
|
The claim: The government will not be able to achieve the manifesto commitment to build 200,000 starter homes by 2020.
Reality Check verdict: It currently seems unlikely because money has only been set aside for 60,000 starter homes. Also, the current plan is for 22% of new developments to be starter homes, which would mean one million suitable homes being built by 2020 - that would be a significant acceleration of house building.
The government announced on Tuesday that it had given the go-ahead for the construction of thousands of starter homes.
Starter homes are new homes built for first-time buyers between 23 and 40 years old, sold at least 20% below market value. The maximum price after the discount has been applied is £250,000 outside London and £450,000 in the capital.
The Conservatives made a commitment in their manifesto for the 2015 general election to build 200,000 starter homes - the pledge to do so by 2020 was repeated in the call for expressions of interest in building starter homes that was released last March.
On BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, shadow housing minister John Healey said: "They've promised by 2020 to build 200,000 of them, which no-one believes is possible."
The document from March talked about £2.3bn of funding from the 2015 Spending Review to support up to 60,000 starter homes, which would still leave the government well short of the target.
The government is not talking a great deal about starter homes at the moment, promising more details of how it will deliver them in the housing White Paper, which is due later this month.
The funding for the programme is supposed to pay for things like local authorities making brownfield sites suitable for residential development.
At the moment, the government wants to use the planning system to get affordable housing built. Essentially, developers will have to agree that of every five homes they build, one will have to be a starter home.
In a recent consultation the government said under the new system at least 22% of all new builds would be starter homes. That means almost one million new homes would have to be built by 2020 to hit the government's 200,000 target.
In 2015, there were a total of 170,730 new homes built, which would not be enough over three years, even if all of them gave 22% as starter homes.
But perhaps the May government will drop the commitment made under David Cameron or there will be another route to the creation of starter homes in the forthcoming White Paper.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38500137
|
Video shows Cairngorm mountain rescue of missing couple - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Video is released of the mountain rescue of a couple who went missing overnight in "Arctic" weather.
| null |
Video has been released of the mountain rescue of a couple who went missing overnight in "Arctic" conditions.
The GoPro footage was shot by the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team who located the couple, both in their 50s, in the Cairngorm Plateau.
The couple are thought to be from England.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-38492670
|
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic accuses Man Utd defender Phil Jones after red card - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Manchester United's Phil Jones "made a meal" of the tackle for which Sofiane Feghouli was sent off, says West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United defender Phil Jones "made a meal" of the challenge for which West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli was controversially sent off, says Hammers boss Slaven Bilic.
West Ham played for 75 minutes with 10 men after Feghouli was shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean.
Manchester United went on to win 2-0, their sixth straight league victory.
"It was not a red card. Feghouli's foot was not high in the air, it was not deliberate," said Bilic.
Bilic said England international Jones had gone in "dangerously" on Feghouli, and said West Ham will appeal against the red card.
"It was the key decision and it killed us. It put the game in a different perspective and was totally unfair for us," he added.
"Phil made a meal of it, but you cannot blame him. Maybe he made a meal because he is the one who went dangerously and he is saving himself."
Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown said: "It is a massive mistake from Mike Dean. It is remarkable, so early in the game too.
"I don't know how he can be so certain of who is fouling who. Sofiane Feghouli is trying to make a tackle, it is more a foul from Phil Jones. The reaction from him gets the player sent off."
Fellow MOTD expert Kevin Kilbane agreed: "It's such a bad decision and the reaction from Phil Jones might have helped in getting Sofiane Feghouli sent off. Feghouli should be given a reprieve."
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho said he did not feel sorry for West Ham after Feghouli's dismissal at London Stadium.
"If you talk about decisions, we are the champions of bad decisions," added Mourinho.
The game was goalless when Feghouli became the fifth player to be sent off by Dean this season.
West Ham dug deep before substitute Juan Mata gave the visitors the lead, Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubling the advantage despite being one of three players offside.
"It was a big offside for the second goal," said Bilic. "When the players are sprinting it is hard for the referees, I am the first to say that.
"But the players were walking. They should spot this."
Manchester United are one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played one more game than the Gunners.
West Ham, meanwhile, drop from 12th to 13th in the Premier League table.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38492564
|
Joel Sartore: The man who takes studio photos of endangered species - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
American wildlife photographer, Joel Sartore, is fighting to save endangered species by making us fall in love with them.
|
Magazine
|
American wildlife photographer Joel Sartore is fighting to save endangered species by making us fall in love with them.
Joel Sartore had been a National Geographic wildlife photographer for 15 years when his wife, Kathy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. With three young children at home, he took a year off work to nurse her through radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
This pause from travelling the world to take photos gave him the chance to slow down and consider the impact of of his work.
"Magazine stories come and go," he says.
"But I had not seen the plight of endangered species getting better so I thought about what I could do to actually make a difference?"
The answer came to him while he was photographing a naked mole-rat at a children's zoo in his home town of Lincoln, Nebraska.
He decided to place the small mammal against the white background of a cutting board which he had found in the zoo's kitchen. The result was a professional studio-style portrait.
"I thought maybe if we do eye-contact, if we photograph animals where there are no distractions, all equal in size on black and white backgrounds, where a mouse is every bit as big and amazing as an elephant, then maybe we could get the public hooked into the plight of endangered species and extinction," he says.
As Sartore's wife recovered, he began to travel to other zoos in his area to take more portraits.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joel Sartore is an American photographer on a 25 year long wildlife project.
Staff co-operated by helping the photographer create sets, allocating him rooms which he could paint black or white and leaving food inside.
"Usually the animal thinks he's just coming in to get lunch, which he is, but he's also going to get his picture taken," says Sartore.
As the project grew, it caught the attention of editors at National Geographic, who commissioned Sartore to produce a few series of photographs, on amphibians for example, and America's endangered species.
The photographer began travelling the world armed with different-sized tents in which to photograph smaller animals like birds and lizards. For the larger ones, he remained reliant on the safer environment of zoos.
"This animal was the sweetest little guy. He gave us all sorts of different body languages and facial expressions during the shoot. I remember also that he was eating through most of the portrait session as well. So he may look shy, but he was actually very happy at this moment." © Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
"Most of the animals I photograph are born and raised in captivity and their keepers know the critters' moods very well," he says.
"Once in a while I'll come across an animal that's really feisty and a bit aggressive, but by and large, these shoots go as smooth as butter."
He has now photographed more than 6,000 species in 40 countries. The project has developed into The National Geographic Photo Ark, and its portraits have made it on to National Geographic Magazine covers and have been projected on to buildings - the UN Building and Empire State Building in New York and the Vatican in Rome.
An image of "Toughie" projected onto St Peter's Basilica © Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
Some of the species captured by the Photo Ark are on the verge of extinction.
This year, Sartore photographed Toughie, the world's last known living Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog.
Toughie was captured in Panama in 2005 by conservationists attempting to save as many amphibians as possible from chytrid fungus, a skin disease that can have a 100% mortality rate among frogs.
He was brought back to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Georgia where he mated with captured females, but none of his tadpoles survived and his female companions died. Sartore took Toughie's portrait shortly before he also died, in September this year.
"I try to talk about him every time I give public presentations because instead of getting depressed about him going extinct, I'm going to use his story to hopefully inspire others to care," he says.
Sartore has also photographed one of the last surviving northern white rhinos in a zoo in the Czech Republic.
"We got to her just in time," he says of the animal, who was called Nabire.
"We got a very nice portrait of her and she laid down and went to sleep at the end of the shoot because she slept a lot at the end of her life."
She died about a week later.
With her death, and the death of another northern white rhino in San Diego not long afterwards, there are only three of the species left, all living under armed-guard in Kenya. They are too old to breed, though a conservation project is attempting to create an embryo through IVF which would be implanted in the womb of a similar rhino species.
"It's not just the little things we're allowing to slip into extinction," says Sartore.
"It's the big stuff too, unfortunately."
Sartore hopes his project will eventually document 12,000 species and become a resource for future generations. He also hopes it will prevent other species from meeting the same fate as Toughie and Nola.
"At least 75-80% of the species that I've photographed could be saved from extinction, but people need to know they exist first and they need to fall in love with them and want to learn how they can help them," he says.
While there's an understanding that bigger animals, like polar bears and tigers, are under threat, Sartore says there is not enough awareness of the plight of smaller ones like rodents, toads and bats.
"The goal of Photo Ark is to celebrate all creatures great and small and to let people know that as these other species go away, so could we," he says.
"It's in humanity's interest not to throw away all of creation - to keep things around so we have a healthy planet."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37991269
|
Bacary Sagna: Man City defender must explain '10 against 12' Instagram post - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna is asked to explain his "10 against 12" Instagram post to the Football Association.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Sagna was booked in the match for an altercation with George Boyd immediately after Burnley's goal Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna has been asked by the Football Association to explain the "10 against 12" Instagram post he made after his side's 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday. City were reduced to 10 men in the 32nd minute when referee Lee Mason sent off midfielder Fernandinho. Sagna has deleted the post in question, but the FA has contacted the full-back to ask for his observations. The Frenchman has until 17:00 GMT on Friday to respond.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38498059
|
Conservatives: Brexit trouble ahead for May in 2017? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Will Theresa May be able to keep her cabinet together and get her party behind her plans for Brexit in 2017?
|
UK Politics
|
Theresa May's year ahead is likely to be dominated by the process of the UK leaving the EU
It's not hard to identify the issue that is likely to dominate 2017 for Theresa May and her Conservative government: in the absence of a bolt from the blue it will be Brexit, Brexit and more Brexit.
The prime minister's announcement at her party conference that the government would trigger Article 50 by the end of March, setting in motion the process of leaving the EU, ensured it would remain at the top of the agenda.
Mrs May has said she will set out more of the government's Brexit plans in a speech to be made in the new year.
We don't know how much detail she will give, but her audience will be expecting something beyond the gnomic utterances that "Brexit means Brexit" and that she wants a "red, white and blue Brexit".
MPs will get some sort of vote before Article 50 is triggered but the exact process won't be known until after the Supreme Court issues its judgement on whether Parliament must have a formal constitutional role.
MPs won't block Article 50 but that doesn't mean the government will have an easy ride - either in March, or further ahead.
Perhaps nobody knows this better than the Brexit Secretary David Davis.
He has worked the European beat before, as a whip during the passage through Parliament of the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s.
Then as now, a Conservative government with a small majority was faced with seeking Parliamentary approval for a controversial and difficult measure around Britain's relationship with the European Union.
That though, is where the similarity ends. While with Maastricht it was the Eurosceptics that were causing merry Hell, now it is likely to be diehard Remainers who will man any "awkward squad".
Will the Three Brexiteers all still be in cabinet by the end of 2017?
Of the "Three Brexiteers" at the top of government, Mr Davis has had the best write-ups so far for his command of the task at hand. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox have not slipped into their new roles so easily.
Theresa May's relationship with Mr Johnson will be interesting to watch throughout 2017.
She has seen fit to mock him and very publicly slap him down. It has been suggested that he is not happy about continuously being the butt of jokes, and the two of them are hardly natural bedfellows.
Perhaps that's why bookmakers make Liam Fox and him the favourites to be the first minister to leave the Cabinet.
Although Brexit will dominate, Theresa May has a broader agenda.
In education, for example, the forced "academisation" of all schools is out and grammars are back in. She has also promised to develop a new industrial strategy to create "an economy that works for everyone".
Again, her small majority in Parliament could put her at the mercy of awkward backbenchers. Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan leads a group of MPs who could be prepared to block grammar schools.
And some of the more free market-oriented Conservatives won't like policies that look like government meddling in business.
There is one way that the prime minister could take arms against a sea of troubles.
Despite saying she will stick to the planned 2020 date, the Fixed Terms Parliament Act allows for an early vote if two thirds of MPs back an early general election.
Jeremy Corbyn says that Labour would support such a move so the numbers would be there.
If Mrs May felt she was being stymied in her efforts to negotiate the best Brexit deal for Britain, she could change her mind and let the country issue its verdict.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38408200
|
Where are the black dolls in High Street stores? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
An internet search for black dolls will bring up millions of results in less than a second - but parents have discovered the toys to be increasingly hard to find on the shelves of High Street stores. Why is this?
|
Nottingham
|
While black dolls can be bought online, they are absent from the shelves of many British toy stores
An internet search for black dolls will bring up about 20 million results in less than a second - but parents have discovered the toys to be increasingly hard to find on the shelves of High Street stores. Why is this?
Three-year-old Sofia-Lily is the only mixed-race girl in her playgroup. She often points out this difference to her mother Abbey Potter, who has been trying to reassure her child, partly through dolls that look like her.
"They make her feel like it's OK to look the way she does," said Mrs Potter, who is from Nottingham.
But sourcing these toys is not straightforward.
"I have found a lot of trouble finding dolls of any other ethnicity than white," she said. "I got a Cabbage Patch doll from eBay - it took me so long to find one and I think it was from America.
"My parents go to a lot of different countries like Mexico and Jamaica and they get Sofia-Lily dolls from these places.
"On her first holiday, we went to Spain and I found these dolls that were hard-bodied and smelt like cocoa butter. The next year, we found dolls with curly and different types of hair.
"I would say to big toy manufacturers that they need to evolve and they need to produce more dolls of different varieties: race, disability, size. If they don't, it could affect our children, because they grow up having been affected by all sorts of things."
A dark-skinned doll, carried by Johnathan Thurston's daughter Frankie at last year's Australian Rugby League final, was seen as a moment of inclusion and diversity
Despite the revolution of internet shopping, some families' finances do not stretch as far as a bespoke broadband package - and on the High Street, they can find their retail options are significantly reduced.
Abbey Rose, 32, who has 11-year-old and four-year-old girls and a three-year-old boy, said a lack of black dolls could stunt a child's emotional development, leading them to be "less affectionate".
"My four-year-old daughter said she wanted a baby doll for Christmas," said the black mother-of-three from Nottingham.
"I said: 'Do you want a white or black one?' She said a white one because 'they were prettier'."
Abbey Potter, pictured with daughter Sofia-Lily, has called on toy manufacturers to "evolve" and produce more black dolls
But why are black dolls and toys absent from the shelves of many stores in the UK? Is the demand just not there?
Census data for 2011 from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a population in England and Wales of 56,075,912. About 14% of these people are from non-white backgrounds - so is that enough of a market for toy companies to make big bucks?
Given that estimated 14% equates to nearly eight million people, the answer would seemingly be yes. Additionally, this somewhat unscientific calculation is assuming white parents solely buy white dolls for their children.
While most people in England and Wales are from white backgrounds, parents believe there is more than enough demand for a greater number of black toys to feature on the shelves of high street stores
But it would appear that a lack of demand is the underlying narrative from toy firms in the UK.
An email sent in October 2015 by an executive at Zapf Creation - the firm behind the famous Baby Born and Baby Annabell dolls - said the sales of an ethnic version of its Baby Annabell went "step-by-step down" from 1998 to 2013.
The executive said at the end of 2013 it was decided that production of this doll would stop as of 2014.
"As a public limited company, we are forced to make decisions like that if business figures do not justify to keep a product in the range," the executive said.
A Zapf Creation spokeswoman told the BBC: "Whilst the black version of the Baby Annabell doll was discontinued due to lack of demand, the black version of the Baby Born Interactive doll is still in production and available to all UK toy retailers. However, some retailers take the decision not to stock all versions of the dolls and accessories due to shelf space constraints."
Lecturer Sheine Peart said white dolls and ethnic dolls should be "side by side" on the shelves
Speaking at the annual Toy Fair in London, Peter Ireland, from Bigjigs Toys Ltd, said the importance of black dolls was clear, but added a firm's ability to sell them might depend on the company's size.
"There's no reason why we shouldn't stock black dolls... we have far more white dolls in our range as the sales on these are greater than those of black dolls, but if we don't stock any then people are never going to get black dolls," he said.
"If you're [a business that is] all over the world, then you've got a bigger market, but if you're just in the UK, your market's a bit limited."
Numerous toy companies were contacted several times by the BBC. The Entertainer declined to comment, while Disney, Smyths Toys and Toys R Us failed to respond.
An organisation that represents toy manufacturers, the British Toy & Hobby Association, said in a brief statement: "Toy makers offer a diverse range of dolls, including different ethnicities."
Last year, Mattel introduced its new generation Barbies, a moment hailed by black rapper, actor and producer Queen Latifah as "the industry catching up with what the public wants".
But a walk around four major toy store departments in ethnically-diverse Nottingham - John Lewis, Toys R Us, The Entertainer and Disney - garnered a total of three types of black doll on sale.
BBC News came up short in its quest to find black toys and dolls in Nottingham's John Lewis store
A black doll by Barbie manufacturer Mattel was found inside Toys R Us
In the same store, a dark-skinned DC Super Hero Girl was found - but the vast majority of the toys were white
No black toys were found in The Entertainer store in Nottingham
One type of black doll - based on Princess Tiana in The Princess and the Frog - was on sale at the Disney store in Nottingham
BBC journalist Khia Lewis-Todd, who has made a film on this subject, said the toys currently on offer "do not support" her daughter's culture.
"Carrying out the doll test at a school and youth group in Nottingham and going to the Toy Fair opened my eyes in terms of how some children portrayed toys of ethnicity, and how some suppliers approach them," she said.
"Some suppliers believe they are important, but if something doesn't sell as well, why should they continue to make it? Some critics have argued this is putting profit over the importance of what children need to see."
Accurately representing physical features is just as important as offering dolls of different skin colours, according to the Race Equality Foundation's Jane Lane
Jane Lane, from the Race Equality Foundation, believes the issues are not solely to do with colour.
"The key issues, I think, are not only a range of skin colour differences but accurate depictions of physical features," she said. "Mouth, lip shapes, nose and eye shapes and hair texture.
"The main point about black dolls is they are, for a child, white or black, a true three-dimensional representation of real people - unlike book pictures and jigsaws.
"They need to be accurate because our society is... racist and dolls need to counter this by being positive and not stereotypical of some mythical concept."
Toy manufacturers should work closely with local communities to properly assess demand, says lecturer Sheine Peart
Sheine Peart, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, said a lack of black dolls "marginalises" black children.
"If I want to have black figures, Lego figures provide that, as do Playmobil, and I can buy a black Barbie and a black male doll called Steve - who's the equivalent of Ken," she said.
"I can buy them, but I have to hunt them out if I want to buy them as a parent. I've never seen this black Steve anywhere but I've seen Kens in the shops - it should almost be side by side.
"If there's a black child, and they see no black toys, it almost creates a colonial environment and that effectively says, 'there's no place for me'.
"It positions the black child as an outsider and not integral to society. It marginalises them. Psychologically, that probably will have some impact."
Ms Peart has called on schools across the country to help kick-start a change.
"The dolls need to be marketed more, displayed more and advertised more, and supermarkets can't put them on the shelves unless the manufacturers are producing them," she said.
"I'd like to see schools ensure they have a stock that is available and a stock that is replenished.
"I would also like to see manufacturers work with youth groups, schools and other members of community groups so they can find out [the need]. Making things happen is not just a case of money and availability, it's also a case of will."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-38065205
|
Turkey nightclub attack: 'I thought I would die' - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A woman who was in the bathroom during the Turkish nightclub attack says she feared she would die.
| null |
One of the survivors of the Istanbul nightclub attack says she feared she would "die in the bathroom".
Tuvana Tugsavul spoke to the BBC's Mark Lowen about the attack which killed 39 people.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38492668
|
What to look out for in Africa during 2017 - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
In our series of letters from African journalists, Joseph Warungu identifies key people, places and events to watch out for in Africa in 2017.
|
Africa
|
After the New Year festivities, what will 2017 hold for countries across Africa?
In our series of letters from African journalists, media and communications trainer Joseph Warungu gives a personal guide to some of the key people, places and events to watch out for in Africa in 2017.
Africa will go through six human actions this year - it will stand, kneel, squat, bow, fall and then rise again.
In the group of those who will be standing in Africa in 2017 is Donald Trump.
Yes, I know it's an act of treason to associate him with Africa.
But when he's sworn in as president, his foreign policy (or tweetplomacy) will have a bearing on our continent.
His critics warn that his isolationist stand might mean less attention will be paid to Africa.
But it could just force Africans to find solutions from within, by strengthening our institutions, improving infrastructure, governance and security and trading more amongst ourselves.
Another man who also takes office in January is Nana Akufo-Addo, the president-elect of Ghana.
Ghana's Nana Akufo-Addo (pictured in background in pink, and on T-shirt) takes over in 2017
He's tried to enter Flagstaff House (the presidential residency) through the ballot box as the New Patriotic Party candidate since 2008.
Now that he has the keys, Ghanaians will wait to see how he delivers his pledge of one district, one factory, lest he becomes one man, one term.
And then there's the state of emergency in Ethiopia, which still stands.
It was put in place last October following violent protests.
The government says the security situation has improved save for some clashes in the northern part of Amhara region.
Some 9,000 people detained under the state of emergency have been released and the government says it could lift the emergency before its six-month period is over.
There are two prominent men who will be kneeling before voters to ask for a job.
Paul Kagame has been president for the last 16 years, but Rwandans appear to want more of him and have voted to remove the term-limit barrier.
In August, Mr Kagame will therefore use his constitutional right to ask for a new employment contract.
Rwanda's Paul Kagame (L) and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta are both seeking re-election in 2017
In the same month, his Kenyan neighbour Uhuru Kenyatta will also be reapplying for his job.
Last September, while warning the main opposition leader Raila Odinga to mind his own party and leave the ruling Jubilee party alone, President Kenyatta famously said: "… as you continue to search for a seat and salivate, we are feasting on the meat".
It will be clear in August whether Kenyans will give Jubilee more time to feast or turn the party itself into mince meat.
"The Nigerian economy... enters 2017 in the squat position"
The African Union has been searching for a new Chief Executive Officer and will fill the position in January.
Three men and two women from Botswana, Kenya, Chad, Senegal and Equatorial Guinea will fight it out to replace the outgoing South African Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as Chair of the AU Commission.
Now to some situations and people who can't decide whether to stand or sit.
The Nigerian economy has caught its nastiest stomach bug in more than two decades.
And so it enters 2017 in the squat position.
A combination of factors including a crash in the global price of oil, which Nigeria relies a lot on, and a fall in the naira, the country's currency, contributed to the sizeable contraction of the economy in 2016.
The anger and frustration among the people was aptly captured by this online comment from one Nigerian in November: "We are now going into depression and deep S***! Buhari has himself to blame for unfortunately being a gentleman!"
Nigeria's economy has a lot of ground to make up
Over in The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh is no gentleman - he's chosen to squat at State House.
He lost the presidential election to Adama Barrow and publicly conceded defeat.
A little later, the thought of leaving the seat he has called his own for the last 22 years overpowered him and he changed his mind.
Africa and the world have asked him to go home, but he is defiant.
As his last day in office approaches on 19 of January, the same force he used to gain power in 1994 could be used to relieve him of his office.
There are three notable people who will be bowing out of office in 2017.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa, is coming to the end of her second and final term of office in Liberia.
One of those waiting on the touchline to join the succession race is football star George Weah.
The former AC Milan and Chelsea striker failed to score in the 2005 presidential tournament but hopes 2017 will be his year.
Angolans will have a chance to replace the only man they've known as president for nearly 40 years.
Many young Congolese are hoping President Kabila will go without a fight
Although Jose Eduardo dos Santos has announced he'll step down, his blood will still flow through the veins of power and the economy in Angola.
His daughter, Isabel, heads Sonangol, the state oil company and is considered by Forbes to be Africa's richest woman, while his son, Jose, is chairman of the country's sovereign wealth fund, Fundo Soberano de Angola.
In neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, 2017 could mark the beginning of the end for another family dynasty, which started in 1997 when Laurent Desire Kabila became president after overthrowing Mobutu Sese Seko.
Laurent Kabila's son Joseph picked up the reigns after his father's assassination in 2001, and was bent on staying in power until attempts to change the constitution to allow him a third term backfired.
Violent street protests have piled pressure on President Kabila to exit from office this year and the issue is bound to continue into the new year.
The theme of falling is alive in South Africa.
The #FeesMustFall campaign by university students sought to fight the rising cost of higher education and saw violent clashes between police and protesters, disruptions in the university calendar and the arrest of a number of students.
2017 promises more of the same because not only have the fees not fallen, some top universities have announced an 8% increase.
And then there's the question of the country's President Jacob Zuma.
Hemlines are just one of the many things that could fall in 2017
In December 2017, his tenure as leader of the governing ANC party runs out, but his term as the country's president only ends in 2019.
Allowing Mr Zuma to continue as head of state but with the ANC under someone else's leadership could create two centres of power, which could be political suicide.
So will the ANC #LetZumaFall as it did President Thabo Mbeki under similar circumstances?
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is another that could face the threat of falling in Africa if more African countries continue to withdraw from the Rome Statute.
A number of countries have notified the UN Secretary-General of their intention to withdraw, saying the ICC unfairly targets African leaders in its application of international justice.
And now to international trends where fashion, like history, has a habit of repeating itself.
A quick glance at catwalk signs for 2017 shows that the hems of women's skirts will be falling - to just below the knee.
Apparently midi-skirts elongate the figure and flatter the wearer, so this must be a good fall.
The Africa Cup of Nations tournament kicks off in mid-January in Gabon and Uganda carries the hopes of East Africa.
The region has a terrible record in continental football.
Uganda's last appearance in the finals was in 1978 when it lost to Ghana in the final.
Uganda are hoping to become the first East African winners of Afcon for 55 years
Kenya and Tanzania have never progressed beyond the group stage, so if Uganda can rise, East Africa can stand tall.
In politics, despite all manner of socio-economic challenges, the spirit of the Africans is on the rise - they've already just about removed one long-serving president from power (The Gambia, even if he is still resisting ) and in 2017 a couple more might follow (DR Congo, Angola)
When Africa stumbles, it must rise because as they say in Nigeria, the sun shines on those who stand before it shines on those who are sitting.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38458406
|
UK vinyl sales reach 25-year high - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Sales of vinyl topped three million in 2016, the highest total since 1991, music industry figures reveal.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
David Bowie was the biggest-selling artist on vinyl last year
Vinyl sales topped three million last year, the highest UK total in 25 years.
More than 3.2 million records were sold in 2016, a rise of 53% on the previous year, according to the BPI, which represents the music industry.
David Bowie's Blackstar was the most popular album on vinyl, selling more than double the number of copies of 2015's biggest-seller, Adele's 25.
The last time vinyl fared so well in the UK, in 1991, Simply Red's Stars was the year's biggest-selling record.
However, vinyl still only accounts for 2.6% of the overall music market - and while it continues to enjoy a resurgence, sales of CDs and downloads are falling rapidly.
A total of 47.3 million CDs were bought in 2016, a drop of 11.7%; while downloads plummeted by 29.6%, with just 18.1 million albums bought online.
Four years ago, when the download market was at its peak, that figure was 32.6 million. Now, consumers are increasingly turning to streaming services.
According to the BPI, there were approximately 45 billion audio streams in 2016 - the equivalent of the UK's 27 million households each listening to 1,500 songs over the course of the year.
In December, more than a billion streams were served in a single week for the first time. To put that in context, the UK is now streaming more songs in a week than it did in a month just three years ago.
Additionally, the BPI's figures do not account for music listened to on YouTube because the Official Chart Company does not collect data from Google's video streaming service.
However, it is estimated that if YouTube was included, the figure for streams accessed by music fans in the UK would double.
Drake dominated the streaming charts with his album Views and hit single One Dance
The most popular artists of 2016 were Adele and Coldplay, who outsold all their competitors, despite not releasing new material.
Adele's 25, which came out in November 2015, was the year's biggest-seller (not counting compilations), shifting 753,000 copies. Coldplay were in second place with A Head Full of Dreams, which racked up 512,000 sales.
Michael Ball and Alfie Boe released the most successful new album of the year, selling 512,000 copies of their record Together in just five weeks and topping the Christmas chart.
Their sales victory was something of a surprise, given that they went up against high-profile new releases from the likes of Robbie Williams, Emeli Sande, Little Mix and Olly Murs.
The year's biggest single was Drake's One Dance, which accumulated more than 141 million streams, while Justin Bieber's Purpose was 2016's most-streamed album.
Overall, the music market grew by 1.5% over the course of 2016, achieving an estimated retail value of £1bn.
Vinyl has now enjoyed nine consecutive years of growth since facing near extinction in 2007. Some fans prefer the "warmth" of the sound compared with digital files, while others buy LPs as souvenirs and works of art.
Last year, a BBC/ICM poll found that people who listened to music on streaming services were more likely to buy vinyl - often as a goodwill gesture to an artist they loved.
But 48% of those surveyed said they did not play the vinyl they bought - while 7% did not even own a turntable.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38487837
|
World's oldest known killer whale Granny dies - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The world's oldest known killer whale, estimated to be 105 years old, is missing and presumed dead, researchers say.
|
Science & Environment
|
J2, or Granny, in the Salish Sea in 2010
The world's oldest known killer whale, affectionately known as Granny, is missing and presumed dead, researchers say.
Estimated to be over 100 years old, the matriarch's official name was J2.
She was the focal point of a recent BBC documentary that followed biologists' study of her clan of orcas, an effort to unravel an evolutionary mystery.
Studying female orcas, which live long beyond their reproductive years, has revealed insights into the menopause.
Only three mammals are known to experience menopause - orcas, short-finned pilot whales and humans. Even our closest ape cousins, chimpanzees, do not go through it. Their fertility peters out with age and, in the wild, they seldom live beyond childbearing years.
Following Granny and other matriarch killer whales has shown their crucial role within the family group. They guide the pod as it forages, take care of other females' young calves and even feed the larger males.
These post-reproductive female leaders help their families to survive, and the advantage they offer could show what drives a species to evolve to stop reproducing.
An older female orca leads the way with her pod trailing behind
This research continues, but an icon of the most well-studied killer whale population on the planet will no longer be part of it.
Prof Darren Croft from the University of Exeter, UK, who leads this evolutionary biology research, told BBC News: "It was inevitable that this day was going to come but it is very sad news and a further blow to this population."
He explained that in her later years she had "been helping her family group to survive by sharing her knowledge of when and where to find food."
The orcas of an area known as the Salish Sea - close to Vancouver and Seattle - have been the subject of a four decades long study led by Dr Ken Balcomb from the Center for Whale Research (CWR).
Dr Balcomb started this work after a period - between 1965 and 1975 - during which killer whales were taken from the Salish Sea to supply marine parks. The predictable habits of these Southern Resident killer whales, as they are called, made them an ideal target for capture,
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How a team in the US researched an orca family tree
By observing and cataloguing the killer whales since 1976, when he first photographed Granny, Dr Balcomb exposed just how unsustainable the hunting of the whales was. He and the CWR garnered the Southern Residents protection as an endangered species.
On the centre's website, which first reported Granny's death, Dr Balcomb wrote that he last saw her on 12 October, 2016, as she swam north far ahead of the others.
"Perhaps other dedicated whale-watchers have seen her since then," he wrote, "but by year's end she is officially missing from the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and with regret we now consider her deceased."
Prof Croft added that it was "just incredible" to think of what Granny lived through over the last century and how the world and her environment had changed over that time.
"She lived through the live captures," he told BBC News, "and in recent years her world has changed dramatically with dwindling salmon stocks and increases in shipping threatening the survival of this incredible population.
"Although J2 is gone we will continue to benefit for many decades to come, from the incredible data collected on her life over the last 40 years by the Center for Whale Research."
The population of Southern Residents is now estimated to be just 78 animals, as of 31 December 2016.
Numbers of salmon, which these killer whales feed on, are dwindling in the region. This has prompted Dr Balcomb to wonder if there is a future for these animals as their food supply runs down.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The killer whales struggling to feed themselves
• None What can orcas teach us about the menopause?
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38496164
|
Mike Phelan: Hull City sack head coach after less than three months in permanent role - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Premier League strugglers Hull City sack head coach Mike Phelan less than three months after his caretaker role was made permanent.
| null |
Phelan, 54, took over as caretaker manager following Steve Bruce's departure in the summer, becoming a permanent appointment in October.
But with City in the relegation zone, picking up three points from their last nine games, the club announced they had "parted company" with Phelan.
Hull said they were already searching for a replacement, with an announcement to be made "in due course".
Phelan made a promising start to his Hull City career, winning the manager of the month award for August, but the Tigers' last league win was on 6 November, a 2-1 victory over Southampton.
Swansea's victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday night sent Hull to the bottom of the table, three points from safety.
Former Manchester United assistant Phelan was in charge of the club for just 85 days as a manager, plus 81 days as caretaker boss.
Assistant Neil McDonald, goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms and chief scout Stan Ternent have also left the club.
On Twitter, the club said: "We would like to thank Mike for his efforts both as assistant manager and head coach over the last two years."
Phelan's last game in charge was a 3-1 defeat by West Brom on New Year's Eve. City were leading 1-0 at half-time but collapsed in the second half, falling to a fifth defeat in seven games.
Hull will next play fellow strugglers Swansea in the FA Cup third round before taking on Manchester United in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals on 10 January.
It has been a tumultuous season for the club, which is up for sale. In July, Bruce left as manager after gaining promotion to the Premier League with a breakdown in his relationship with vice-chairman Ehab Allam contributing to his departure.
At the beginning of the season injuries had left the Tigers with only 13 fit senior players although Phelan, while in temporary charge, did begin the campaign with successive league wins.
Victories have been harder to come by since September, however, and with fellow strugglers Swansea and Crystal Palace sacking their managers over Christmas, Phelan paid the price as newly promoted Hull attempt to maintain their Premier League status.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes, whose team beat Watford 2-0 on Tuesday, said: "Mike got the job under difficult circumstances and I thought recent performances had markedly improved, so it showed he was having an impact.
"He's a great football guy, but that's the Premier League for you - it's ruthless and sometimes, at this time of year, owners get panicky."
The dash to avoid the drop from the Premier League has claimed another victim with Hull City's sacking of Mike Phelan.
Phelan has gone the same way as Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace and Bob Bradley at Swansea City as further evidence that patience simply does not - indeed some clubs feel it cannot - exist when the threat of relegation looms.
And yet here is a manager who took his time to accept the Hull job when contenders were hardly queuing outside the door of the KC Stadium and after being named Premier League manager of the month in August.
Phelan has also guided Hull to the EFL Cup semi-final against his former club Manchester United but this has simply not figured in the club's calculations when weighed against the fact they are bottom of the table with only 13 points from 20 games.
Phelan has hardly had massive backing in the transfer market and in many games Hull actually played well without getting points on the board. This has ultimately cost him his job.
The Tigers now need to choose carefully and see if they can find a way to back a new manager in the January market - with former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett the name being mentioned after Phelan's departure.
Premier League management is a brutal business but there must still be a large measure of sympathy for Phelan after taking on a task which plenty thought was a thankless one.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38503364
|
Umbrella sends distress alert when left behind - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
An app-connected umbrella is on show at CES that texts its owner when it has been left behind.
| null |
An app-connected umbrella for forgetful people is on display at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.
But the BBC’s Leo Kelion questioned whether the innovation justifies its price tag.
See all our CES 2017 coverage
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38473422
|
Newspaper headlines: Istanbul attack aftermath, GP surgeries in A&E and economists' Brexit concerns - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The aftermath of the Istanbul nightclub attack and a call for GP surgeries to be located in A&E departments make headlines.
|
The Papers
|
Turkish police stand guard at the scene of the Istanbul nightclub attack
The Daily Telegraph is one of a number of papers to report on the terrorist attack in Istanbul.
It says a blurry picture of the gunman, who killed 39 people, is emerging, with reports that he may be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.
Writing in the i, Patrick Cockburn says it is clear the Turkish government does not know what to do to stop such attacks.
He says they are likely to continue because so-called IS is too big and well-resourced to be eliminated.
He notes that, as in France and Germany, it is impossible to stop attacks when ordinary civilians are the targets and the killers are prepared to die.
The Times reports on a survey of doctors that suggests most believe GP surgeries should be placed in A&E departments to deal with patients who do not need emergency treatment.
The study of more than 500 doctors by the Press Association found most believed such a move was necessary to relieve the pressure on A&E.
The Daily Mail highlights official NHS figures showing that about 13% of patients who attend A&E have minor problems and are discharged without treatment.
The Financial Times says economists are more worried about the consequences of Brexit than they were a year ago, despite the economy showing little obvious damage since the vote in June to leave the EU.
The FT's annual survey of UK economists, which had 122 responses, found a large majority expect growth to slow in 2017 as higher inflation hits household incomes.
The paper notes that attacks on the profession, especially by Leave campaigners, have not led to a significant change of thinking about Brexit.
Department store Harrods is being accused of short-changing some of its staff, according to the Guardian.
The paper says a trade union is claiming the owners are keeping up to 75% of service charges in the store's cafes and restaurants.
A spokeswoman for Harrods tells the paper that service charges are shared out among staff members - but only if they accept a cut in basic pay.
The paper says it is the latest in a series of examples where high-profile hospitality firms and businesses have been found to be withholding service charges and tips from workers.
The future of village halls is under threat, warns the Daily Telegraph, because communities are struggling to find young volunteers to help run them.
It says the halls, of which there are said to be around 10,000 in Britain, are the cornerstones of many villages.
But it says younger residents often work long hours away from their village, while the newly retired often do not want to commit to the duties required.
Finally, the Daily Star is warning of bad weather, stating that its going to be the "coldest January ever".
The paper predicts temperatures will drop to -15C in parts of the country, with heavy snow expected too.
It adds that "transport chaos is almost certain".
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38492919
|
Sunderland 2-2 Liverpool - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Jermain Defoe scores two penalties as Sunderland twice come from behind to earn a point against second-placed Liverpool.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Jermain Defoe scored two penalties as Sunderland twice came from behind to earn a point against second-placed Liverpool.
The Reds took a deserved lead when Daniel Sturridge flicked in a header after Dejan Lovren's mishit shot.
Sunderland equalised six minutes later as Defoe scored from the spot following Ragnar Klavan's trip on Didier Ndong, before Sadio Mane put the visitors back ahead with a close-range finish.
However, Mane then handled in his own 18-yard box and Defoe converted the penalty to snatch an unlikely point.
• None Relive Sunderland's draw against Liverpool as it happened
• None Reaction and updates from the other Premier League matches
The result leaves Liverpool five points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, who play their game in hand on Wednesday at Tottenham (20:00 GMT kick-off).
However, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will surely see it as two points dropped after his side led twice, had 71% of the possession and had 15 shots on target.
Only an inspired performance from Black Cats keeper Vito Mannone denied Liverpool further goals, before Mane, playing his last game before representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, needlessly stuck out an arm to block Seb Larsson's free-kick, costing his side dearly.
To make things worse for Liverpool, Sturridge, who scored only his second Premier League goal of the season, limped off late on with an ankle injury after he clashed with Papy Djilobodji.
The England international was only making his fifth league start of the campaign, has also suffered calf and hip injuries this season and was limping badly at the final whistle.
Reds club captain Jordan Henderson missed the game at the Stadium of Light with a heel injury and Klopp could be without three influential players for the trip to Manchester United in 13 days' time.
In his post-match news conference Klopp said he did not believe Sturridge's injury was a serious one. "He got a knock on his right ankle, I don't think it's too bad," said the German.
Sunderland boss David Moyes described his side's performance in their 4-1 loss at Burnley on Saturday as "dire" and had demanded better.
He will surely have been delighted with the response. His team battled hard, gave everything, defended deep in numbers and showed their fighting spirit when Liverpool looked like they might run away with the match.
Sunderland remain in the bottom three, but Moyes will be encouraged by the point as the Black Cats look to extend their 10-year Premier League stay.
However, like Klopp, Moyes faces a battle to juggle his squad. Sunderland's lengthy injury list includes first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, defender Lamine Kone, midfielders Lee Cattermole and Steven Pienaar and strikers Duncan Watmore and Victor Anichebe.
Midfielders Didier Ndong (Gabon) and Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia) are also set to play at the Africa Cup of Nations in January to provide further problems for Moyes.
• None Liverpool have now lost just one of their past 18 Premier League games (won 12).
• None Moyes has only one victory from his past 17 Premier League games as a manager against Liverpool (10 defeats).
• None Jack Rodwell made his 34th start for Sunderland but is yet to be on the winning side (16 draws and 18 losses); extending the Premier League record.
• None Defoe is the fourth player to score 10 or more goals in 10 different Premier League seasons, along with Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard.
• None Sunderland are the first team to score two penalties in a Premier League game against Liverpool since West Brom in April 2011.
• None Sturridge has scored in consecutive Premier League games after a run of 12 appearances without a goal.
• None Mane has had a hand in five goals in his past seven Premier League appearances (three goals, two assists).
What they said
Sunderland manager Moyes said: "I expect them to get results, but I'm really pleased after the few days we've had. We didn't play well (against Burnley) and what they have done is show how well they can do.
"I thought we did quite well, matched Liverpool's energy for long periods of the game and deserved a draw. We had big chances as well.
"I never thought we were out of it. The important thing was to not concede a third goal. In the end we got a deserved penalty.
"Towards the end of the season we are going to have to pick up a lot of results. Today was a tough draw and we have to make sure we win at home - that's key."
Liverpool boss Klopp said: "I am not able to explain it because I don't know exactly what I saw. My team were fighting but I wasn't sure if they could do it.
"We can play better but I'm not sure if you can play better with that (two-day) break."
On Sunderland's second penalty, the German added: "There was no foul before the free-kick for the second penalty. You need a little bit of luck, but Sunderland worked hard too and maybe they deserved it."
Both sides are next in action in the third round of the FA Cup. Sunderland entertain fellow Premier League side Burnley on Saturday (15:00), one week after losing 4-1 to the Clarets in an away league match.
Liverpool take on League Two high-flyers Plymouth Argyle on 8 January (13:30), before playing at Southampton on 11 January in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final (19:45).
Sunderland next play in the Premier League on 14 January with a home game against Stoke (15:00), with Liverpool away at Manchester United at 16:00 the following day.
• None Offside, Liverpool. Lucas Leiva tries a through ball, but Divock Origi is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Alberto Moreno with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
• None Sadio Mané (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland) because of an injury.
• None Divock Origi (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt saved. Ragnar Klavan (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Alberto Moreno with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Sadio Mané.
• None Goal! Sunderland 2, Liverpool 2. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
• None Sadio Mané (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.
• None Penalty conceded by Sadio Mané (Liverpool) with a hand ball in the penalty area. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38433522
|
Why is it so hard to recycle or repair anything? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Jonty Bloom looks at why so many products these days are so short-lived.
|
Business
|
The Christmas morning excitement about presents doesn't always last the week, let alone the year
It is not much more than a week since Christmas Day but how many of those toys that you bought and were received with so much joy are still being used?
Or did you get the latest piece of technology as your Christmas present - to replace the almost identical one that you got last year?
Why is almost everything these days so short-lived?
One of the best-selling toys this Christmas was the Hatchimal, just £59.99 for a cuddly toy that you have to encourage to hatch from its own plastic egg. Call me a cynic but I don't see that being the centre of many kids' world throughout all of 2017.
How long will the Hatchimals remain a favourite?
Of course, if you are willing to spend that kind of money to give your children just what they want for Christmas, fair enough, but for environmental experts the real cost is more significant.
Such toys are often very hard to recycle, and a lot could be done to change that, says Margaret Bates, professor of sustainable waste management at Northampton University.
"Eighty per cent of waste is generated at the design stage, so if we can start thinking of the end of life when we are designing things we will get a much better recovery rate," she says.
"Just even using fewer screws or making sure that you keep materials separate, so that you can use plastic and metal but not stick them together."
This TV could be repaired if it went wrong...
The technology even exists to go much further, adds Prof Bates: "There are also some clever things that you can do like putting things in the microwave or expose them to a special light source and all the fixtures and fittings will snap off, they just fall apart."
That, of course, makes recycling much easier.
The trouble is, not many toys or presents are designed that way, even some wrapping paper is not recyclable.
...but if this X-Box controller malfunctions, you might just throw it away
The trend away from repairing, recycling or reusing seems to be getting worse but it has been going on for years, according to Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum in London.
"Ever since the 1920s and an American advertising man called Elmo Calkins, who suggested it was the duty of the consumer to use stuff up to get us out of the [Great] Depression, there has been the concept of built-in obsolescence," he says.
And that obsolescence is getting more and more built in. Some new games consoles won't work with the games people already own. Or, take the smartphone - it has replaced many products like the camera, typewriter and Dictaphone.
But those items could last for decades. Some were even passed down from one generation to the next. Now, however, people replace their phones when one part breaks or a new model is released.
The dictaphone grew a lot smaller than this 1945 model, but it has now been replaced by the smartphone
You can even see this on the High Street. TV and radio repair shops are a vanishing breed. Lawnmower maintenance ones are even rarer and camera shops are in serious decline.
But there is an exception that proves the rule - the explosion in the number of bicycle repair shops.
The reason is simple enough to understand: we are cycling more and the technology is pretty much the same as it has always been.
John Gallen should know - he repairs bikes at Cycle Surgery in central London. "Materials have changed. There are steel, carbon, aluminium, even bamboo bikes out there, but ultimately it is still the triangular frame, two wheels, handlebars and a set of pedals and off you go," he tells me.
The materials may have changed but the bicycle's shape is essentially the same as it was in the 1930s
But even that may be about to change with the new popularity of electric bikes. "We are moving down that road," says John. "The electric bikes are making their way into the market and with them you just plug the bike in to get the diagnostics."
It is possible to design and make things that last a long time, can be repaired or upgraded and then, finally, almost totally recycled, but that doesn't seem to be happening yet.
But it may be coming sooner than current trends suggest. Modern technology from toys to mobile phones and electric bikes is dependent on increasingly rare metals.
As Prof Bates explains: "There are limited amounts of those metals left, so we have to be much cleverer about how we keep them or we could be in danger of going back to the days when only very rich people had hi-tech goods, because it is so expensive to buy as those materials aren't out there."
Although you will, of course, always be able to get on your bike, so long as it is not electric. Perhaps one made from bamboo should be on your list for Santa next year?
You can hear Jonty Bloom's report on the PM programme on Tuesday, 3 January.
• None When is regifting Christmas presents ok?
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38472652
|
Man City 2-1 Burnley: Pep Guardiola's awkward post-match interview - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A tetchy Pep Guardiola engages in an awkward post-match interview with BBC Sport's Damian Johnson after Man City's 2-1 win over Burnley.
| null |
A tetchy Pep Guardiola engages in an awkward post-match interview with BBC Sport's Damian Johnson after Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
Watch highlights on Match of the Day, 22:30 GMT, on BBC One, the BBC Sport app and this website.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38490825
|
Rail fares: Who are the season ticket winners and losers? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Rail fare increases have been called a "kick in the teeth" by critics. Yet commuters using annual season tickets in some parts of England find themselves worse off than others.
|
England
|
The cost of annual season tickets has increased by 1.9%, analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found
Commuters in some parts of England will be worse off than others from rail fare rises, which were called a "kick in the teeth" by critics.
In some areas there was no increase in annual season ticket prices, despite wage growth.
Others have seen their annual fares rise despite average pay having fallen.
Across the UK rail fares of all types - from season tickets to single journeys - increased by an average of 2.3% on the first weekday of the new year.
Analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found annual season tickets had increased in cost by 1.9%, while median take-home pay had increased by 2%.
The government said wages were growing faster than regulated fares, which include season tickets.
Passengers commuting to Manchester with the most popular annual season tickets saw no increase at all, while the median take-home wage increased 2.8%.
Annual passes from East Didsbury, Macclesfield, Stockport, Altrincham, Wilmslow, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Glossop and Knutsford are all the same price as they were before the increase.
Yet commuters in Liverpool will pay 1.9% more for an annual pass. This is despite median wages having fallen, according to the Office for National Statistics.
For more stories from the BBC England Data Unit follow our Pinterest board.
Someone travelling from Runcorn to Liverpool would pay £1,532 for their annual pass, £28 more than in 2016.
In Liverpool the average full-time wage, after tax and National Insurance deductions, fell from £21,901 in 2015 to £21,634 in 2016.
The most expensive annual season ticket per mile travelled is Harlow Town to London Liverpool Street.
A commuter pays £3,496, which is £64 more than in 2016. It works out at 39p per mile travelled.
The figures are based on a Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) list of the most commonly used commuter services in six major cities. Our analysis of the figures was based on full-time workers using an annual season ticket five days a week, except on bank holidays or on 25 days of annual leave.
Lianna Etkind, public transport campaigner at the CBT, said: "Wages remain stagnant and trains continue to be hopelessly overcrowded, so commuters are rightly angry at annual fare rises when they see little or no improvement in the service they receive.
"Many commuters are now being charged at a similar level to a premium rate phone number for their season tickets and are left feeling equally as fleeced.
"It's high time the government introduced a fairer ticketing system that actively encouraged rail travel, not penalised people for choosing to take the train."
According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, about 97p in every pound paid by passengers goes back into running and improving services.
RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said: "Money from fares is helping to sustain investment in the longer, newer trains and more punctual journeys that passengers want."
The Department for Transport said it had saved commuters money by capping season ticket increases so they are in line with inflation.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Thanks to action by the government on train ticket prices, wages are growing faster than regulated fares."
Northern Rail, which runs commuter services into Manchester, confirmed it had not increased annual season ticket fares but said other prices had risen.
It declined to comment further.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38497987
|
Sofiane Feghouli: West Ham midfielder's red card rescinded - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli has the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United overturned.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
West Ham played for 75 minutes with 10 men after Sofiane Feghouli was dismissed for this challenge on Phil Jones West Ham's Sofiane Feghouli has had the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United rescinded by the Football Association. The midfielder was sent off by referee Mike Dean for a challenge on Red Devils defender Phil Jones 15 minutes into a match the Hammers lost 2-0. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said Jones "made a meal" of the tackle from the Algeria international. He will now be available for Friday's FA Cup tie against Manchester City.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38497190
|
Johanna Konta reaches last eight at Shenzhen Open in China - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
British number one Johanna Konta recovers from losing the first set to reach the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Tennis
British number one Johanna Konta recovered from a slow start to reach the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open in China.
The world number 10 lost the first set to American Vania King, ranked 77th, and trailed 3-1 in the second.
But she regained her composure to beat her opponent 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Konta, who is the third seed at the event, will face either Kristyna Pliskova or qualifier Kai-Chen Chang in the last eight.
Meanwhile, fellow Briton Naomi Broady will have to wait until Wednesday to start her campaign at the ASB Classic in Auckland because of bad weather.
Broady, who is 90th in the world, had been due to face Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, ranked 20 places above her, but persistent rain ended Tuesday's play early.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38494401
|
Mein Kampf: Is Mein Kampf really a hit with Germans? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Hitler's Mein Kampf has many readers but it is not among Germany's best-sellers.
|
Europe
|
Original editions of Mein Kampf: It urged Germans to avenge their defeat in World War One
"Mein Kampf becomes German best-seller" reads one international headline. "Hitler's Mein Kampf a hit in Germany" reads another.
The fact that the Nazi manifesto reached number one in Der Spiegel's non-fiction charts in April is cited as evidence that Adolf Hitler's propaganda is making a comeback in Germany.
But the term "best-seller" does not necessarily mean very much. A quarter of all books sold in Germany are bought in the run-up to Christmas. At other times of the year it is possible to top listings with relatively few sales.
Mein Kampf (My Struggle) is an expensive academic text, costing €58 (£49; $60), and is being bought by libraries, schools and history academics.
"This was a very special case. You can't really compare it with other books," Thomas Koch from the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association told me.
"It's the first time that an annotated version has been published. So I can imagine that was why figures were relatively high."
The plain IfZ edition of Mein Kampf: Publication has not been contested in court
Most of the book's sales were made in the first quarter of 2016, before tailing off after April. This suggests that the initial run, when the book was republished in German for the first time, was followed by market saturation.
For a German non-fiction book, sales of 85,000 are not bad. But the figures don't indicate a runaway hit.
The current biggest non-fiction seller is The Hidden Life of Trees, a book about the ecosystem of woodland, which has sold half a million copies so far.
The major hit of the last few years is a witty explanation of how the human bowel functions, by a medical student in her 20s, that sold over a million.
The top-selling non-fiction book of the past decade, by comedian Hape Kerkeling, sold five million copies. Mein Kampf on the other hand is ranked 79th for non-fiction sales on the German Amazon site, narrowly beaten by a handbook on web coding, and a long way behind a handbook explaining how to get more Twitter followers.
Nevertheless it is understandable that the publishers might be overwhelmed. IfZ, which printed the book, is a non-profit research institute, not a publishing house, and had expected lower sales of what is a dense academic text.
Prof Wirsching says publication of Mein Kampf with scholarly notes did not help neo-Nazis
And the institute believes this edition of Mein Kampf is helping to demystify, rather than empower, Hitler's legacy.
"It turned out that the fear the publication would promote Hitler's ideology, or even make it socially acceptable and give neo-Nazis a new propaganda platform, was totally unfounded," said IfZ director Andreas Wirsching.
"On the contrary, the debate about Hitler's world view and his approach to propaganda offered a chance to look at the causes and consequences of totalitarian ideologies."
• None History Extra: When Poland was torn to pieces The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38500422
|
Time-lapse footage of Beijing smog - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Time-lapse footage of smog in Beijing filmed over 20 minutes shows how fast the pollution rolls in.
| null |
Time-lapse footage of smog in Beijing filmed over a 20 minutes shows how fast the pollution rolls in.
The video was filmed by Chas Pope.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38495644
|
Turkey nightclub attack: 'I played dead' - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Francois al-Asmar says he played dead to survive the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead.
| null |
So-called Islamic State says it was behind the new year attack on a Turkish nightclub that killed 39 people.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38488572
|
Your #BackToWork tweets of sorrow - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the Christmas and new year break share their sorrow.
|
England
|
The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the festive break share their sorrow that the fun is over and normal service is forced to resume.
The sudden withdrawal from lie ins, naps and all-day snacking has hit some people - and even their pets - quite hard.
And this morning's rude awakening has proved as alarming as the need to remain conscious for the duration of a 09:00 to 17:00 shift.
The uncomfortable shift from lying horizontal on a sofa to sitting upright at a desk has proved difficult for some - with reports of email amnesia and password mind blocks.
The drastic change in diet from a constant graze on festive leftovers and tins of chocolates to a one-hour slot to fill up on "new year, new you" salads is leaving a bitter taste in many mouths.
Even animals are affected by the back to work blues - Pete the office pooch at the Dogs Trust is reluctant to get out of his bed - or his Christmas jumper.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38495874
|
Sir Bradley Wiggins to join Channel 4's The Jump - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Recently retired cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins signs up for Channel 4's winter sports show The Jump.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins is to swap two wheels for two skis after signing up to appear on Channel 4's winter sports show The Jump.
The news comes six days after the five-time Olympic champion announced his retirement from cycling.
The other contestants will include fellow Olympians Louis Smith and Jade Jones, and model Caprice Bourret.
The last series was beset by injuries to competitors including Tina Hobley, Beth Tweddle and Rebecca Adlington.
But that has not deterred Sir Bradley and the other 13 contestants from signing up this year.
The 36-year-old, who in 2012 became the first Briton to win the Tour de France, said skiing was "a big passion".
"It was a mix of that and the other committed names this year that made me want to sign up," he said.
"Major retiring Olympians such as Sir Steve Redgrave have also trod this path.
"I see this as a sporting challenge and want to go out there and win it.
Contestant and Big Brother 2010 winner Josie Gibson has already been photographed taking a tumble on the slopes.
Earlier, she tweeted: "All sinking in now that I will hopefully be flying down the slopes on @TheJumpC4 I'm not going to lie I'm so nervous."
The Jump is presented by Davina McCall. No transmission date has yet been announced.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38490980
|
Arts news in 2016: Knocking on death's door - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
BBC arts editor reflects on a year spent reporting on the deaths of so many major arts figures.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
Will Gompertz appeared with Huw Edwards on the BBC One Ten O'Clock News on the night of David Bowie's death
Each specialism within journalism has its area of breaking news.
For foreign correspondents, it tends to be a conflict or catastrophe. Politicos deal in shock resignations or revelations. For us in the arts unit, it is award ceremonies - and celebrity deaths.
An instant obit of a once great, but now late, talent is what programme editors demand from us.
And you can be as Boy Scoutish as you like in your preparations, but the artistic life - and death - isn't about pleasing the establishment: creative souls do things their own way.
So, I was not entirely awake on Monday 11 January 2016 when my phone rang around 6.55am. It was a producer at the Today programme.
Had I heard the news, he asked? M…maybe - I hedged. What news? David Bowie is dead, he said.
Oh no! Oh no for lots of reasons. Firstly, it was awful news. I loved David Bowie; couldn't imagine him dead. He was still making great records. He wasn't particularly old, and now - well - he was no longer here.
And then, oh no - I had to make sense of his incredible life, without much time to pause for thought. Six minutes later, I was on-air talking to Today's Nick Robinson.
I got home late from work that night, put Heroes on and thought… sad day, but thankfully rare - a once-a-year occasion at worst.
But three days later came another call from another producer. Had I heard the news…?
Oh dear. Alan Rickman was fine actor whom one generation fell for Truly, Madly, Deeply, in 1990, and a new generation got to know and eventually love as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
By the time news emerged of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's death on 14 March, we had already paid our tributes to Pierre Boulez, Harper Lee and Sir George Martin. All titanic figures, but at least they had led full lives.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will Gompertz looks back at the life of "trailblazer" Dame Zaha Hadid
And then on 31 March, another shock.
Dame Zaha Hadid had died. I had interviewed the Bagdad-born British architect just a few weeks before, when she appeared as hale and hearty and feisty as ever.
She was frustrated with her adopted country, rightly so. Her fellow Brits had been sniffy and slow in recognising her brilliance - and now she was gone, still in her prime, before amends could be made.
2016 was beginning to feel like a weird year. A sense compounded three weeks later with the announcement of Victoria Wood's death.
That was a blow, too. We adored her. She was great. Always funny, jokes on the money; and never mean. We need such towering talents in our lives, not scythed down by the Grim Reaper. But he wasn't done yet.
Tributes were left to Prince after his death in April
The very next day, at around 3pm our time, social media stories started bubbling up speculating that Prince had died at his Paisley Park estate. Now, come on! Don't be silly. Don't be true. Don't be dead.
At this point, articles started to appear asking if arts deaths were at an all-time high. Columnists wrote think pieces explaining to us that it was all to do with our obsession with celebrity in a post-Warholian media age.
Meanwhile, the man in charge of obituaries at the BBC noted his services had been called upon far more frequently in the first third of 2016 than in the same months of the past five years.
It had been an extraordinary period. It has been an extraordinary year - with a sting in its tail.
On 11 November at 1:15am - a call from a producer on the Today Programme. Had I heard the news?
I knew he was frail and unwell, but there is something about truly great, unique artists - which he was - that you hope can circumnavigate that realities of live and death.
That pop's longstanding poet-in-residence had succumbed while still making fine work seemed unfair, to us and to him. He knew better:
You Want it Darker by Leonard Cohen (2016)
And so we went into the festive season. Surely Death was done?
Sadly not. In fact, he indulged in a Christmas rush with many unpleasant surprises to unpack.
The news about Status Quo's Rick Parfitt broke on Christmas Eve. George Michael was found dead on Christmas Day. And then, the following day Richard Adams passed away. So did Carrie Fisher, and her mother - Debbie Reynolds - 24 hours later.
I think it is fair to say 2016 was a most unusual year.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38394697
|
Pep Guardiola: Man City manager 'arriving at end of coaching career' - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the "goodbye" to his coaching career "has already started".
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he is "arriving at the end" of his career and will not be coaching at 65.
The Spaniard was in charge at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City last summer.
"I will be at Manchester for the next three seasons, maybe more," Guardiola, 45, told NBC prior to his team's 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday.
"I will not be on the bench until I am 60 or 65 years old. I feel the process of my goodbye has already started."
Guardiola, who gave an awkward post-match interview to BBC Sport - which you can watch at the top of this page, won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona, including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.
He took a year's break before joining Bayern in 2013, leading the German team to three successive league titles but missing out on the Champions League.
Guardiola added: "I am arriving at the end of my coaching career, of this I am sure."
City were reduced to 10 men against Burnley when Fernandinho was sent off after 32 minutes, but goals from Gael Clichy and Sergio Aguero gave them the lead.
Ben Mee pulled one back for the Clarets and, despite City holding on, Guardiola cut an edgy figure following the victory.
Asked at his post-match news conference about his comments to NBC, he said City "might be one of my last teams".
After City's win over the Clarets, Guardiola was interviewed by BBC Sport's Damian Johnson. Here is the tense exchange in full:
Johnson: "What was your view of the red card for Fernandinho?"
Guardiola: "You are the journalist. Not me."
DJ: "You're the manager. I'm sure the fans would like to know."
PG: "Ask the referee - not me."
DJ: "Are you concerned that's his third red card this season? Is there a discipline problem with him?"
PG: "We will accept. Like I said before, the team with more ball possession we have always sending-off. I have to understand the rules here in England. I know you are specialist but I have to understand it."
DJ: "So the interpretation is perhaps different in England?"
PG: "Of course, yes. Around the world our keeper in the box is fouled, not here. I have to understand that. Claudio Bravo is fouled."
PG: "He is fouled. Here not - that's OK but I have to understand that."
DJ: "You don't seem that happy that you've won."
PG: "More than you would believe. More than you would believe, I am happy."
PG: "I'm so happy, believe me. I'm so happy. Happy new year."
DJ: "Are Manchester City in the title race?"
PG: "Yesterday, no. Why today are we in the title race?"
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38492059
|
Chelsea: Record-chasers looking to strengthen in January, says Antonio Conte - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he could look to strengthen his side in the January transfer window to boost their title challenge.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he might try to strengthen his side in the January transfer window to boost the Blues' Premier League title challenge.
The leaders are bidding for a record 14 straight wins in one top-flight season when they visit Tottenham on Wednesday.
Victory would see them extend their lead over Liverpool to eight points.
"There are some positions that, if we are able to find the right solution, it is important to take that solution," said Conte.
"This championship is long. Also, I know the difficulty of the market and finding the right player. But we are talking about this."
Conte's side beat Spurs 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in November as part their record-equalling run of 13 consecutive Premier League wins.
"Against Tottenham was a tough game," added Conte. "For me, Tottenham are better than last season."
The Italian also said that Diego Costa was "completely focused" after the in-form striker admitted having wanted to leave last summer.
"When Diego decided to stay, he said he wanted to fight for this club and for his shirt. I wasn't concerned. He is showing great patience in the right way, in every moment of the game."
Victory over Spurs on Wednesday would see Chelsea become the first team in history to win 14 consecutive English top-flight games in one season.
A win in their next game at Leicester would give them the outright record of 15 straight wins in English football.
So who are the other sides to rack up a run of 14 victories?
When: The Gunners collected 13 straight victories to end the 2001-02 season - the only other Premier League side to manage 13 in a row in one season - before winning the first game of the 2002-03 campaign.
Ended by: A 2-2 draw with West Ham at Upton Park on 24 August 2002.
Champions: Arsenal claimed the 2001-02 Premier League title thanks to a 1-0 victory at Manchester United during their winning run, receiving the trophy after their 13th win against Everton. They finished runners-up to United the following year.
When: Preston started their winning run on Christmas Day 1950 and went on until 27 March 1951.
Ended by: A 3-3 draw at Southampton on 31 March 1951.
Champions: Preston finished top of the table to be promoted to the First Division, then the top flight of English football.
When: After losing their first game of the season 5-1 to Manchester United, the Bristol Babe, as they were nicknamed, went on a perfect run from 9 September to 2 December 1905.
Ended by: A 1-1 draw away to Leeds City on 9 December 1905.
Champions: Despite three more draws that December, Bristol City only lost one further game all season to claim the title and promotion to the First Division.
When: A year before Bristol City matched them, Manchester United won 14 consecutive games between 15 October 1904 and 3 January 1905.
Ended by: A 1-1 draw at Bristol City on 7 January 1905.
Champions: Remarkably, United finished third and missed out on promotion to the First Division after falling behind Bolton and eventual champions Liverpool. They would be promoted in second behind Bristol City the following season.
Every side to have reached 14 straight league wins has seen the streak end with an away draw in the following game.
Chelsea could be going for their 15th win away at Leicester on 14 January - will it be the reigning champions who finally defy this year's favourites?
Talk about rarity value - we might witness something here that no team has been able to achieve in any one top-flight season since this league was first played in 1888.
And if they manage it, Chelsea will become only the fifth team to win 14 consecutive league matches at any time, in any of the divisions.
Tottenham are already one of the victims of this Chelsea winning streak, having lost at Stamford Bridge in November.
But they will have other ideas this time round, and with good reason too, after running into a rich vein of form of their own with four successive wins.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38497188
|
Myanmar police officers detained over Rohingya beatings video - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A video posted online showing Myanmar police officers beating boys from the Muslim Rohingya minority has led to several arrests, as David Campanale reports.
| null |
A video that appears to show Myanmar police officers beating members of the Muslim Rohingya minority during a security operation has emerged on Burmese social media.
The government said the incident, apparently filmed by a police officer, happened in restive Rakhine state in November and several officers had been detained.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38490957
|
Michael van Gerwen beats Gary Anderson to win PDC World Darts Championship - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Michael van Gerwen outclasses defending champion Gary Anderson to win his second PDC World Darts Championship.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Darts
Michael van Gerwen outclassed defending champion Gary Anderson to win his second PDC World Darts Championship.
The world number one won 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace in a match that contained 42 180s, a record for a single darts match.
Scotland's Anderson, winner in 2015 and 2016 broke the Van Gerwen throw to lead the favourite 2-1 after three sets.
But Van Gerwen won 12 of the next 13 legs and, despite an Anderson rally, the Dutchman hit bullseye to seal it.
Overall, Van Gerwen averaged 107.79, the best in a final since Phil Taylor beat Raymond van Barneveld in 2009.
"I feel absolutely over the moon," said the 27-year-old, who won his first title in 2014. "My average says it all.
"He put me under pressure and I missed a few doubles but I managed to come into the game.
"I've been working for this because it's the most important one. We all fight for this really hard and I'm really glad I did the right thing at the right moments because Gary is a phenomenal player."
Anderson was looking to join Taylor and Eric Bristow as only the third man to win three successive world titles in either the PDC or BDO.
His average of 104.93 was better than in his 2015 final win over Phil Taylor and 2016 defeat of Adrian Lewis.
He nailed 22 maximums to Van Gerwen's 20, but his checkout percentage of 37.78 was inferior to the number one seed's brilliant 44.26.
"It's well deserved for Michael, but I've had a good three years," said Anderson. "At 2-2 I just started to drop and got punished."
In winning a second title, Van Gerwen, who won 25 tournaments in 2016, becomes the fifth man to win multiple PDC world crowns since the organisation's first staging of its own tournament in 1994.
He first threw for the match at 6-2 up, but was interrupted by a spectator who invaded the stage and lifted the trophy.
Anderson went on to take that set, but Van Gerwen closed it out in the 10th to pick up the £350,000 prize money.
"I worked really hard for this all year through," he added. "I've got great support from my family and this means a lot to me. This feels phenomenal."
As two of the world's top four, Van Gerwen and Anderson automatically qualified for the Premier League, which begins in February, alongside Peter Wright and Lewis.
Taylor and Barneveld have been handed wildcards and are joined by James Wade, Dave Chisnall, Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/38492223
|
Sherlock beats the Queen in festive TV ratings - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Eight million people saw the return of Sherlock on BBC One - more than watched the Queen's Christmas message.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
Benedict Cumberbatch is back as Sherlock for the new three-part series
More than eight million people tuned in to see the return of Sherlock on BBC One on Sunday, overnight ratings show.
That means it was the UK's second-most watched programme of the festive period - behind the New Year's Eve fireworks, which were watched by 11.6 million.
The biggest Christmas Day audience came for the Queen's Christmas message, which was seen by 7.7 million people.
The first episode of the fourth series of Sherlock had an average audience of 8.1 million.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Benedict Cumberbatch talks about the new Sherlock series
The episode, entitled The Six Thatchers, was based on Arthur Conan Doyle's story The Adventure of the Six Napoleons and involved six smashed statues of the former UK prime minister.
It "reached new heights of action and emotion", according to The Guardian's Mark Lawson, who saw parallels between Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.
He wrote: "The episode felt very Bond overall - Holmes has never done so much running towards or away from explosions."
The Telegraph's Ben Lawrence wrote that it was "a dizzying triumph of complex plotting (although the much-talked-about demolition of six busts of Margaret Thatcher was an unnecessary piece of iconoclasticism) and beautifully choreographed action scenes".
Martin Freeman has made Watson "a nuanced, compelling character", he said, but added: "It is, of course, Cumberbatch's show and here he looked tanned and lean, ready for action but heading, ultimately, for a fall.
"Cumberbatch is an actor who invests so much in every scene that watching him is an exhilarating experience and an almost psychological exercise."
The programme's overnight ratings were slightly down compared with those for last year's New Year's Day one-off Sherlock special, which had 8.4 million.
Elsewhere in Sunday's BBC One schedule, Mrs Brown's Boys was watched by an estimated 6.7 million, while six million saw Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell's demise in EastEnders.
EastEnders narrowly lost the battle of the soaps to Coronation Street, which attracted 6.2 million on ITV.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38488141
|
Forceps removed from stomach after 18 years - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A Vietnamese man has had surgical forceps removed from his stomach after 18 years.
| null |
A Vietnamese man has had surgical forceps removed from his stomach after 18 years.
Ma Van Nhat believes the forceps were left there during surgery in 1998.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38497547
|
Trump v the car industry - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Ford's decision to cancel its $1.6bn investment in Mexico will be seen as evidence that Trump's nationalism is having the desired effect.
|
Business
|
Ford's decision to cancel a $1.6bn investment in Mexico and invest an extra $700m in Michigan will be widely seen as concrete evidence that Donald Trump's economic nationalism is having the intended effect.
Coincidentally, Ford's decision comes on the same day that the new President-elect launched an attack on General Motors for producing cars in Mexico bound for the US market.
"Build them in the USA or face big border tax" said the incoming US president on Twitter.
Cars made in Mexico can move across the border tax free thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something that Donald Trump attacked during his campaign for causing the loss of US manufacturing jobs to cheaper labour.
In fact, only a tiny fraction (2,400 out of 190,000) of the GM model he singled out, the Cruze, are made in Mexico.
But while he may have picked on the wrong model, the message was unmistakable - the President-elect's hostility to NAFTA hasn't faded post-victory.
That position - and its popularity among many US consumers - is clearly not lost on car makers. GM was quick to take to the airwaves to assure US customers that most GM cars are still made in the US and shares in the company recovered from early falls.
The Ford Focus will be made in Mexico and while Ford's boss credited the business-friendly promises of the incoming President, he insisted it was switching investment in petrol cars in Mexico to electric cars in Detroit for its own business reasons.
Shares in other targets of Mr Trumps ire, like defence contractor Lockheed Martin, did not recover so quickly and the President-elect will know his comments can cause ructions in boardrooms.
Precisely the effect he is going for - and after today, one he will feel is working a treat.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38502177
|
Sweden's best-selling car not a Volvo - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
A Volvo was not Sweden's best-selling car last year, for the first time in more than half a century.
|
Business
|
Volvo still has the largest share of the country's car market overall
Sweden's best-selling car in 2016 was not a Volvo - the first year that has happened in more than half a century.
Instead the Volkswagen Golf topped sales, according to the country's carmakers' association, although Volvo still had the largest share of the country's car market overall.
The Golf made up 5.9% of new cars bought in the country, while Volvo's V70, S90 and V90 took 5.7% together.
Volvo was last knocked off top spot in 1962 by a Volkswagen Beetle.
Despite Volvo's car business now being owned by a Chinese firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, it is still viewed as an iconic Swedish brand.
And it still sells the most cars in Sweden, with more than one in five cars (21.5%) on the country's roads, compared with Volkswagen's 15.7%.
However, Volvo's V70, the most popular car in Sweden for the past two decades, has ceased production in favour of the newer V90 model.
The Swedish carmakers' association said 2016 saw record car sales with 372,000 new registrations, up by 8% on the 2015 figure, helped by a strong economy, while truck sales were up by more than 15%.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38493295
|
Lib Dems: Bouncing back from the dead in 2017? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The Brexit vote has breathed new life into the UK's most pro-European major party, but can they capitalise on it?
|
UK Politics
|
A by-election win in Richmond Park was welcome news for the Liberal Democrats
In 2015, the Liberal Democrats had a near death experience. But 2016 was the year there were signs of life - will 2017 be their year of resurrection?
The vote to leave the EU has breathed fresh life into the UK's most pro-European major party.
Last year they had a sensational by-election victory in Richmond Park, a modest increase in national polls, and won a clutch of council seats at by-elections.
In 2017 they will be hoping to pick up more council seats and improve their national standing.
As the most full-throated advocates of the 16m people who voted Remain, they have a fresh opening.
But 2016's successes come from a low base. The party was nearly annihilated in 2015. They now have nine MPs and struggle to get airtime.
Leader Tim Farron is secure in his job, following a year in which Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens all held leadership elections. UKIP even managed two.
Prime Minister Theresa May is fairly popular with the public and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn is unpopular, polls suggest.
But Mr Farron has another problem - almost half of voters have no opinion at all. The road to a Lib Dem recovery will be a long one, if it happens at all.
The Lib Dems will be hoping to capitalise on anti-Brexit feeling
After the referendum, Guardian columnist Rafael Behr spoke of "an unrecognised state - call it Remainia - whose people were divided between the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems; like a tribe whose homeland has been partitioned by some insouciant Victorian cartographer".
The Lib Dems are hoping to win over some of these 16m lost tribesmen.
Even though most backed Remain, Conservatives MPs are now largely united behind Theresa May's "Brexit means Brexit" stance.
Labour MPs are divided. Though most backed Remain, many represent areas which voted to Leave.
They do not want to be seen as circumventing voters' wishes.
The Lib Dems have a unique approach: they want a second referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal.
At the moment, there is no demonstrable appetite to refight the battles of June and hold another EU vote.
But Mr Farron thinks that could change in 2017.
The prime minister says she will kick-start divorce proceedings by the end of March. We know few details about the deal she wants but should it disappoint, the Lib Dems hope to pounce.
Sarah Olney's stunning by-election win on 1 December in Richmond Park was the best piece of news the Lib Dems had in years. She became the ninth Lib Dem MP, and the only woman.
But this leafy south-west London seat, with more university graduates than anywhere else in Britain, is far from typical.
The national referendum result was narrow but Remain votes piled up in big cities, affluent suburbs and Scotland. The Leave vote was more evenly spread.
Although most MPs backed Remain, a large majority of constituencies voted to Leave.
A Lib Dem win in Richmond Park does not make a national Brexit backlash.
The party also picked up lots of seats at council by-elections in 2016. Further gains are likely in May's local elections. The party did terribly when the same seats were up for grabs four years ago.
Nick Clegg was punished by voters for going into coalition with the Conservatives
When the then Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg joined David Cameron in 2010 to form the country's first coalition government since World War Two, it was a bold move.
But voters brutally punished Mr Clegg for his gamble.
The party had not fallen below 17% of the vote in general elections since its formation in 1988, But it collapsed to 8% in May 2015, losing 49 of its 57 seats.
The number of Lib Dem councillors halved between 2010 and 2015.
Recently they have remained in the high single figures and low teens. One recent poll put them at dizzy heights of 14%.
After some successes in 2016, Liberal Democrats should enjoy their seasonal break.
But there are two reasons they should not get carried away.
First, they were brutally punished for going into coalition government and are now doing better, far from the levers of power.
If they form a government in the future, they may well be punished once more.
Second, the party's liberal internationalist beliefs have taken a pounding over the past two years.
Their core values are more unpopular than at any time in recent history.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38408199
|
The Jump: GB Taekwondo has 'reservations' over Jade Jones' participation - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
GB Taekwondo chiefs admit "reservations" over Olympic champion Jade Jones taking part in a Channel 4 ski jump show before the World Championships.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Sport
GB Taekwondo chiefs say they "had reservations" but "understand" double Olympic champion Jade Jones' decision to take part in Channel 4's The Jump.
The programme involves competitors learning to ski jump, and the last series saw several serious injuries.
Gymnast Louis Smith and Paralympic cyclist and athlete Kadeena Cox will also take part in the new series.
GB Taekwondo says it has has held "extensive" talks with Jones about the risks involved.
The 23-year-old from north Wales is set to compete in taekwondo's World Championships later this year.
She, Rio silver medallist Smith, and Cox, who won gold in both her disciplines at the Rio Paralympics, all receive funding from UK Sport to help them train for their respective events.
Jones will still receive her full UK Sport funding during her time on the programme, while Cox will not.
British Gymnastics has not yet responded to BBC Sport's request for a comment.
A GB Taekwondo spokesperson said: "While we had our reservations, we understand Jade's desire to try new challenges and to take part in this show. We have held extensive discussions with Jade and her management and she is aware of the risks involved.
"She has made an informed decision to take part in the show and has ensured that The Jump and its production company has all the requisite cover and medical provision is in place."
Former Olympic heptathlete Louise Hazel, who finished second in the 2015 series after retiring from athletics, told BBC Radio 5 live that she was surprised current athletes were considering taking part in the show.
"As an athlete you are always looking for the next thrill but I would advise them to withdraw," she said.
"For those athletes who have retired it is OK to take a risk, but for those still in sport this could easily turn into a career-ending injury.
"As a participant you know there is an element of risk, but there was a part of me seeking that out and it is a calculated risk. The question is whether people know the full extent of the risk before signing up."
In the show's previous editions, Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle needed surgery to have fractured vertebrae fused together after she was injured in training, while double gold medal winning swimmer Rebecca Adlington suffered a shoulder injury.
Former Holby City actress Tina Hobley sustained knee, shoulder and arm injuries and has only recently stopped using crutches and Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli broke his ankle.
In addition, athlete Linford Christie pulled a hamstring, ex-EastEnders actor Joe Swash chipped a bone in his shoulder, Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding injured a ligament and model Heather Mills hurt her knee and thumb.
Channel 4 says there has been a "thorough review of safety procedures" before this year's series.
How would injury harm the athletes' prospects?
Jones, who was named BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality 2016 after going through the year unbeaten, is scheduled to take part in the World Championships in South Korea in June, aiming to claim the only major international title that has eluded her so far.
Cox, 25, does not have a major cycling event this year, with no Para-cycling Track World Championships officially confirmed, but she would be expected to take part in the Para-Athletics World Championships in London in July.
Also among the competitors are retired Olympic cycling champion and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, former rugby players Jason Robinson and Gareth Thomas, and ex-Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/38494638
|
In pictures: London Zoo animals counted for stocktake - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Tigers, penguins and an aye-aye baby are some of the animals counted by zookeepers at London Zoo's annual stock count.
|
London
|
Tigers, penguins and a lesser-known aye-aye baby were some of the animals counted by zookeepers at London Zoo's annual stock count.
Sumatran Tiger cubs were just one of the hundreds of species counted. These two pictured, Achilles and Karis, arrived at the zoo in 2016.
In previous years, the count has taken about a week to complete.
Although it is undertaken once a year, keepers have an inventory which is updated continuously. The count is required as part of the zoo's licence.
Last year, nearly 18,500 animals were counted, including 21 red-kneed spiders and six Philippine crocodiles. There were a total of 712 species.
The results are logged into the International Species Information System (ISIS) where the data is then shared with other zoos.
Zookeeper Martin Franklin said the length of time it took to count the animals varied from department to department.
"I'm lucky in reptiles as we tend to have pretty large animals and it's a walk in the park to count them. We count them every day so we know what we've got but the point is we need to have a snapshot once a year for licensing purposes."
"It's harder for other departments so for example our insects team have a real job on their hands. They might cheat a little bit sometimes and count an entire colony as just one animal but generally speaking, everything is counted.
"Our aquarium guys have a great trick - they take photographs so they can make sure they don't double count anything."
Founded in 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, it is the oldest zoological scientific zoo in the world.
Last year saw four Humboldt penguin chicks hatched at Penguin Beach, and the zoo's first-ever aye-aye baby - a type of Lemur - arrived.
The aye-aye, called Malcolm, was born was born on 1 July, but emerged from his secluded nesting box for the first time just before Halloween.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38498269
|
Losing hope in Mae La - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Depression is all too common in refugee camps for Burmese people on the Thai border - and so, unfortunately, is suicide.
|
Magazine
|
On Thailand's border with Myanmar, also known as Burma, more than 100,000 people live in a string of refugee camps. Many fled ethnic conflict in their homeland decades ago, and have brought up their children here. Gracia Fellmeth arrived in one of the camps a year ago to study depression in women before and after childbirth.
After an hour's bus journey through forest from the town of Mae Sot, Mae La appears suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. In the morning mist, thousands of bamboo huts cling to steep limestone crags.
It is the largest of nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, and home to almost 40,000 people. Many residents have spent their entire lives in this isolated place, unable to work and dependent on outside aid. The majority are Karen, one of Myanmar's largest ethnic minorities.
It is a Wednesday morning, three months after my arrival, and the dusty waiting room is full. Pregnant women wait patiently to be seen by nurses, midwives and medics.
They will have their bellies examined, their blood pressure monitored and their blood screened.
Since my arrival, women are also offered a depression screen - a series of 10 questions to look for symptoms of depression, which is common in pregnancy.
Our first patient today is 18-year-old Myo Myo. She is nine weeks pregnant. She enters the room, smiling. Lar Paw, a Karen counsellor and midwife I am working with, explains what the interview involves. Myo Myo agrees to take part. We sit down on the bamboo floor and begin.
"In the past month, have you ever felt sad or down for long periods of time?" I ask.
"Sometimes," Myo Myo replies. "We have some family problems. And not enough money."
Gracia Fellmeth screened many young pregnant women for signs of depression
Calm and composed, she continues her story - a story by now familiar to me. She describes a happy relationship with her husband. Despite his alcohol dependency, he is good to her, she says, and she loves him. They are both happy about the pregnancy. However, there are tensions with her mother-in-law, who disapproves of Myo Myo and rebukes her for not contributing to household expenditure.
I want to know more about her symptoms. She tells us that the episodes of sadness are short-lived, occurring only once or twice a month and lasting an hour or so.
"Do you ever think about hurting yourself, or about suicide?" I probe.
"Sometimes I think about it, if we have been arguing with my mother-in-law," she admits. She has never attempted suicide though, and assures us she is not planning to.
A quarter of all women we speak to think about suicide at least occasionally. A smaller proportion - about 3% - have made attempts. We lack the resources to follow up all of these patients, so we focus only on those with pronounced thoughts of suicide or severe symptoms of depression.
Myo Myo has other symptoms, too - low energy and "thinking too much" - but they occur only once in a while and do not seem to be out of the ordinary.
We don't arrange a follow-up but we tell her to come and talk to us any time, if she wants to share her worries with anyone.
Two days later I am on the bus to Mae La when a colleague asks me: "Did you hear about the suicide? A young girl. She was pregnant."
My heart pounds. Was it someone I had interviewed? Someone we had been following up? Or worse, someone we hadn't followed up?
Lar Paw stands outside the clinic waiting for me.
"Doctor! We have a suicide. Do you remember this patient?" She hands me a file. It is Myo Myo's.
I feel shaky. I remember her, and I remember that we had not considered her to be high-risk. Among the hundreds of women we had spoken to, Myo Myo, tragically, had not stood out.
"Her husband also. They did it together," Lar Paw continues softly.
A double suicide? I couldn't think straight. We had seen Myo Myo only two days ago. How could this have happened? Had we given her the idea of taking her own life? Was this all my fault?
Later that day we go to Myo Myo's home to pay our respects. The family sits quietly. The two bodies lie in the middle of the room under a sheet, surrounded by candles. Two cups wrapped in plastic are lined with a fluorescent blue liquid - remnants of the toxic weed-killer that led the couple to their death.
We sit in silence until Myo Myo's mother-in-law stumbles in, drunk.
Myo Myo's sister-in-law shouts at her. "This is all your fault," she sobs.
Later we find out about an altercation that had taken place earlier in the week between Myo Myo's husband and his mother, during which she had slapped him in the face.
The death of this young couple left us deeply saddened, but also troubled. Should we have done more to encourage Myo Myo to put aside her thoughts of suicide? Could we have stopped her?
Had it been the impulsive act of an adolescent in response to a family feud? Had a Buddhist belief in rebirth enticed the couple to leave this world and start a new, better, life together?
We will never know. What we do know is that suicide is too common in Mae La - last year it accounted for half of all deaths among pregnant women and new mothers.
What is the explanation? There could be many factors - including chronic uncertainty, hopelessness, boredom, and the legacy of the conflict that led these families to Mae La in the first place.
The names of the people in this story have been changed
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38423451
|
London Zoo counts its animals in annual stocktake - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Staff at London Zoo have been counting the animals for its annual stocktake.
| null |
They are counting the animals one-by-one at London Zoo.
The annual stocktake is required for the zoological gardens' licence.
Last year, 18,430 were counted out of a total of 712 species.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38495250
|
Bradford Bulls: Former Super League champions liquidated - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Bradford Bulls are liquidated after the club's administrator rejects a bid to save the club.
| null |
Former Super League champions Bradford Bulls have been liquidated after the club's administrator rejected a bid to save the club.
The Bulls entered administration for a third time in four years in November.
The administrators hoped to have a deal agreed by Christmas but turned down a bid from a consortium on 29 December.
Despite the liquidation, the Rugby Football League has confirmed that a new Bradford side could compete in the second-tier Championship in 2017.
The new Bradford team would start the season, which gets under way on the first weekend of February, with a 12-point deficit.
They would also get the lowest funding of all Championship clubs from the RFL, receiving just £150,000.
The RFL said in a statement: "To clarify the next steps for all concerned, the independent RFL board has met to determine how the future of professional rugby league in Bradford can move forward in 2017.
"While a number of alternatives were considered the board were most mindful of the planning already undertaken by all other clubs in the competition structure, the season tickets already purchased and the players and staff who will now be seeking employment in and around the sport in 2017.
"Accordingly the board has agreed that the wider interests of the sport is best satisfied if it offers a place in the Championship to any new club in Bradford and that such a club start the 2017 season on minus 12 points.
"Any interested parties should contact the RFL directly."
'Everybody has been made redundant'
Bradford Bulls general manager Stuart Duffy told BBC Radio Leeds: "The Rugby Football League have said they have contingency plans in place and someone could buy the club from the liquidators but at the moment everybody has been made redundant.
"Everyone is very disappointed because we were led to believe that things would come to a successful conclusion on Tuesday. Nobody has been paid their wages for December and we had been hoping to be paid on Wednesday, so this is a bombshell.
"This is a nightmare for everybody involved."
The RFL said it intends to "offer support to all staff and players who have had their employment terminated".
Head coach Rohan Smith, who joined Bradford on a three-year contract last May, and the entire playing staff were among those made redundant.
But the Australian said he and many of the players would be willing to stay on under new owners to try to revive the club's fortunes.
"I would love the opportunity to continue on if the new owners and the new management and I have the same beliefs and can work together," said Smith.
"I imagine the vast majority of players would want to stay. Many have told me today they are not interested in going anywhere else."
How it came to this
Bradford Bulls were one of the most iconic names - and clubs - within British rugby league, having led the way when the sport switched to summer in 1996.
However, the Bulls' downfall has been swift. In March 2012 they revealed a £1m shortfall and the club was placed in administration in June. That August, Bradford Bulls Holdings Limited was sold to OK Bulls limited, a consortium led by local businessman Omar Khan.
In 2014 a second administration followed, along with a six-point penalty deduction, and they were relegated from Super League at the end of the season.
Despite reaching the Million Pound Game in 2015, the Bulls lost to Wakefield and failed to reclaim their top-tier status.
In 2016 they failed to reach 'The Qualifiers' altogether, finishing fifth in the Championship.
"It's an incredibly sad day for the sport both locally, and nationally, with the news of the Bulls' downfall. We can only hope that there's a will, and a way, to attempt to reform the club as happened in the 1960s.
"Having said that, when you consider that the recent administration is the club's third in four years, Tuesday's news may be an inevitable consequence of the instability at Odsal of late.
"There was a large window in time during which the Bulls led and everyone else tried to follow - however, the path that the club has trodden in recent years will be one that others will look to avoid.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Super League has been the poorer for the Bulls' relegation in 2014, and the sport will be the poorer for the club's demise in January 2017."
Bradford Council leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said: "This is a difficult time for Bulls employees, players and fans.
"We know the RFL worked hard to support a positive outcome which would protect the interests of rugby league football in Bradford.
"I'm glad they are now taking steps to quickly re-establish the Bulls in time for the 2017 season. Everyone, including the council, is keen to get behind a new owner who can deliver a secure future for the club."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38418199
|
Ademola Lookman: Everton close to completing £11m deal for Charlton forward - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Everton are close to completing an £11m deal for Charlton forward Ademola Lookman and will step up their pursuit of Morgan Schneiderlin.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Everton are close to completing an £11m deal for Charlton Athletic teenager Ademola Lookman - and will then intensify their interest in Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin.
Lookman, 19, is expected to have a medical at Everton shortly, after terms were agreed between the clubs.
Boss Ronald Koeman will then be keen to secure a deal for Schneiderlin, 27.
The France midfielder, who played for the Dutchman at Southampton, has been told he can leave Old Trafford.
Schneiderlin, who has also been linked with a return to France at Marseille, has failed to figure under manager Jose Mourinho.
It is understood Everton have had a £19m bid turned down but it seems certain they will return with a renewed offer closer to United's asking price.
United are keen to recoup most, if not all, of the £24m they paid Southampton in July 2015 and have also rejected an offer from West Bromwich Albion.
Koeman wants early recruits with midfielder Idrissa Gueye, arguably Everton's most influential performer this season, now away on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup Of Nations, and James McCarthy out injured.
Everton also retain an interest in another player marginalised under Mourinho at Old Trafford, Koeman's fellow Dutchman Memphis Depay.
Forward Lookman is expected to be first in at Goodison Park, with director of football Steve Walsh making his signing a priority.
Everton - with Walsh a key figure - are embarking on a policy of recruiting emerging young talent as well as established players.
The Toffees signed teenage striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Sheffield United for £1.5m in August and the England youth international started the 3-0 win against Southampton on Monday after several appearances as a substitute but was forced to go off early on with an ankle injury.
Charlton had hoped Everton would loan Lookman back to them for the rest of the season but he is seen as someone who could quickly play a part at Goodison Park.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38449936
|
Rebecca Ferguson asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The 2010 X Factor runner-up wrote she would "graciously accept" the invitation on the understanding she can sing "controversial" song Strange Fruit.
|
Newsbeat
|
Rebecca Ferguson says she's been asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.
The singer tweeted she would "graciously accept" the invitation from the American president-elect if she can perform Strange Fruit.
"[It's] a song that has huge historical importance, a song that was blacklisted in the United States," she posted.
Strange Fruit was originally recorded by Billie Holiday but was written as a poem by Abel Meeropol.
A sample from Nina Simone's 1965 rendition was used on Kanye West's Blood on the Leaves.
The words of Strange Fruit describe the lynching of African Americans in the early 20th century: "Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze".
It's been described as one of the first great protest songs.
Rebecca wrote that the song "speaks to all the disregarded and down trodden black people" in the US and if she can sing it she will "see [Mr Trump] in Washington".
The 2010 X Factor runner-up released an album covering Billie Holiday songs in 2015, although Strange Fruit does not feature on the track listing.
Warning: third party content, may contain adverts.
Reports from the US suggest America's next president is struggling to find musicians to perform at his swearing in ceremony on 20 January.
When Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009 Beyonce and Aretha Franklin performed.
Claims were made that Trump's team have considered breaking protocol and will offer an appearance fee to get an A-list performance.
One confirmed artist for the event is America's Got Talent runner-up Jackie Evancho who will sing the national anthem.
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articles/38491238
|
Crystal Palace 1-2 Swansea City - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Newly appointed Swansea boss Paul Clement watches his new side gain a dramatic win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Newly appointed Swansea boss Paul Clement watched his side gain a dramatic win against Crystal Palace to move off the bottom of the Premier League table.
Clement was appointed earlier on Tuesday, although first-team coach Alan Curtis had picked the team for the game at Selhurst Park.
Alfie Mawson headed Swansea ahead from Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick, before Wilfried Zaha volleyed an equaliser.
The result means Palace have only picked up one point in the three games since Sam Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew as manager in December.
Plenty for Clement to be encouraged with
Clement, a former Derby County boss, left his job as assistant manager at Bayern Munich to take over the Welsh side and said he was "excited" by the challenge.
He will also be delighted with and encouraged by his side's performance in a hard-fought victory.
They dominated the first half with Ki Sung-yueng shooting just wide and Fernando Llorente and Federico Fernandez heading narrowly off target before Mawson put Swansea ahead.
Clement began the game watching from the stands but later joined Curtis in the technical area to help guide Swansea to only their fourth league win of the season.
Another pleasing aspect for Clement will be the defensive performance. Centre-halves Mawson and Fernandez excelled, restricting Palace to only three shots on target.
A spectacular scissor kick from Zaha from 18 yards out looked to have denied Swansea before Rangel's first goal of the season, in the 88th minute, made it a perfect day for Clement.
The result takes Swansea above Hull up to 19th, only one point behind Crystal Palace in 17th.
This was Allardyce's first home game in charge of the Eagles and he will be disappointed with his side's efforts against a team that came into the game with one away win in the league all season.
To make things worse for Allardyce, he will be without Ivorian goalscorer Zaha and Malian second-half substitute Bakary Sako, who will both now go to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Zaha has scored four goals this season, while Sako made an impact as a second-half substitute, forcing Lukasz Fabianski to tip a free-kick over, and causing the Swansea defence problems with his power.
Palace will also be hoping that a shoulder injury to top scorer Christian Benteke is not serious after he landed badly following a clash with Fabianski.
Allardyce was unhappy at two potential penalties that his side were denied - for Fabianski's challenge on Benteke and when Rangel appeared to handle the ball.
• None Swansea ended a run of eight away Premier League games (drew one, lost seven) without a win
• None Crystal Palace have now kept only one clean sheet in their last 25 Premier League games.
• None Alfie Mawson scored his first Premier League goal for Swansea in his 10th appearance for the club.
• None Only Hull (20) have conceded more goals from set pieces than Crystal Palace (17).
• None Since August 2014, only one Premier League midfielder (Sadio Mane - 43) has had a hand in more goals than Gylfi Sigurdsson (42 - 23 goals and 19 assists).
• None Sam Allardyce has lost his first home Premier League match as a boss for the very first time - he had previously won four and drawn one.
• None Angel Rangel ended a run of 95 Premier League matches without a goal by grabbing the winner - it was his first since May 2013 against Wigan.
What they said
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce: "The lack of energy the players had showed massively. We struggled to keep up with Swansea, we hadn't recovered properly. I should have made more changes but I still don't know the squad too well.
"The second half was ours, we saw a wonder goal from Wilfried Zaha that should have got us at least a point, but we switched off and it's massively disappointing.
"You can see it with your own eyes, you don't need to be a football manager. Some people say it's rubbish but it's not, the players were trying 100% but they were not physically able to reach their usual levels. They are shattered.
"It's beyond our control, certain elements. But we can defend better for the two goals and our first-half performance was nothing like I expect to see from my team."
Swansea first-team coach Alan Curtis: "It is a terrific result for us and a huge three points. The first-half performance, we were excellent and we could have gone in with more than the one goal.
"We have been accused of lacking character but we came back and won it and we deserved it. In training you see the players have the ability, it is just the confidence that has been lacking.
"Any team under Sam Allardyce will come on strongly, they have some terrific players. We had 24 hours more rest compared to them and that may have made a difference."
On the club's new manager Paul Clement, who joined Curtis in the technical area later in the match, he added: "He came down for some moral support, he made his presence felt at half-time, but there was not too much to say. We would have surprised a lot of people with our performance today."
Paul Clement will take charge of a Swansea match for the first time when they play an FA Cup third round tie away at fellow Premier League strugglers Hull City on Saturday, 7 January (15:00 GMT). Crystal Palace are also in cup action at the same time, with an away game at League One side Bolton.
Both sides are next in Premier League action at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, 14 January. Palace play at West Ham with Swansea at home to Arsenal.
• None Angel Rangel (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Goal! Crystal Palace 1, Swansea City 2. Angel Rangel (Swansea City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Leroy Fer with a through ball.
• None Attempt blocked. Leroy Fer (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt blocked. Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kyle Naughton.
• None Fraizer Campbell (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38441016
|
Duchess of Cambridge honoured by Royal Photographic Society - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The Duchess of Cambridge accepts a lifetime honorary membership of the Royal Photographic Society.
|
UK
|
The duchess took this photo of her two children at Anmer Hall in Norfolk
The Duchess of Cambridge has accepted a lifetime honorary membership of the Royal Photographic Society for her family portraits and tour photos.
Chief executive Michael Pritchard praised the duchess for her "talent and enthusiasm" behind the lens.
Kate, 34, took the first official photograph of Princess Charlotte when her daughter was born in 2015.
She had previously published photos from her and Prince William's Asian and Pacific tour in 2012.
Since becoming a mother, the Duchess has released a number of family photos including Prince George's first day at nursery school and Princess Charlotte's first birthday.
In a picture taken by his mother, Prince George on his first day of nursery school near Sandringham in Norfolk
The palace released Kate's photo of Princess Charlotte on her first birthday
She also took this one of Charlotte learning to walk
Older shots include a photo of Mount Kinabalu, the highest point in Borneo, and a black-and-white image of an orangutan from when she travelled there with Prince William in 2012.
Mr Pritchard said the society chose to recognise Kate for her "long-standing" interest in photography and its history.
"She is latest in a long line of royal photographers and the society is pleased to recognise her talent," he said.
While on tour in 2012, Kate took a photo of an endangered Borneo Orangutan
She also captured this view of the rainforest during her and William's trip to Borneo
Kate and William visited Borneo as part of a tour of South Asia and the Pacific to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were also patrons of the 1853-founded Royal Photographic Society.
The duchess joins fellow lifetime members Annie Leibovitz, who has photographed the Queen, along with the recently-knighted war photographer Sir Don McCullin.
The Queen herself took cine films to capture family memories and royal trips.
Kate, who graduated in History of Art from the University of St Andrews, is also a patron of the Natural History Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
Her first commission was in 2008 for her parents' company, Party Pieces.
The Queen taking a cine-film in 1953 of a Royal Navy cruiser, HMS Sheffield
• None The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38494382
|
Fireworks explode after lorry overturns in China - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Fireworks explode for nearly five hours after the lorry carrying them overturns in China. The driver, who is now out of danger, was pulled from beneath the lorry and taken to hospital.
| null |
Fireworks exploded for nearly five hours after a lorry carrying them overturned and caught fire in Hunan Province, China.
The driver, who is now out of danger, was pulled from beneath the lorry and taken to hospital.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38501503
|
Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Arsenal complete a dramatic comeback at Bournemouth as they rescue a point in injury time having been 3-0 behind.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal completed a dramatic comeback at Bournemouth as they rescued a point in injury time having fallen 3-0 behind.
The Gunners looked destined for a third away league defeat in a row before a late rally that began with a diving Alexis Sanchez header and gathered momentum when a stunning Lucas Perez left-footed volley reduced the gap to a single goal.
Bournemouth went down to 10 men when Simon Francis was sent off for a challenge on Aaron Ramsey and Arsenal capitalised as Olivier Giroud headed a 92nd-minute equaliser.
The home side had overwhelmed the Gunners early on and taken the lead when Charlie Daniels cut inside Hector Bellerin and stroked a shot past on-rushing keeper Petr Cech.
Callum Wilson scored a penalty to extend Bournemouth's lead and Ryan Fraser sent a shot through Cech's legs for the Cherries' third before the hour mark.
But the hosts buckled under Arsenal's late pressure as Arsene Wenger's side moved eight points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, who play Tottenham on Wednesday.
Arsenal had produced a feeble display for 70 minutes and were second best in the face of Bournemouth's energy and desire but that all changed when Sanchez headed in at the far post following Giroud's flick-on.
The momentum of the match changed and five minutes later Giroud clipped a lovely ball to substitute Perez and he sent an angled volley inside the far post.
Francis' sending-off helped Arsenal, although Cherries boss Eddie Howe felt it was a "harsh" decision by referee Michael Oliver.
Giroud headed in from a Granit Xhaka cross as Bournemouth failed in their desperate attempts to hang on during six minutes of added time.
Arsenal have been accused of lacking the character to maintain a title challenge in recent seasons and they did little to change that perception before Sanchez's goal.
They were continually second best to the home side and frustrations rose to the surface in the first half.
Sanchez and Ramsey exchanged angry words at 2-0 down, while Giroud showed his annoyance when Shkodran Mustafi failed to find him with a pass that went harmlessly out of play.
That they regrouped in such thrilling manner was doubtless a relief but not one that entirely satisfied goalscorer Giroud.
"I'm pleased to help the team by scoring the equaliser but I'm still disappointed," said the Frenchman.
"It's nice to come back but the way we played at the end, that made me think we should have done better. At least we came back, showed great mental strength and I will take it."
On this date in 2009, boss Eddie Howe was taking caretaker charge of his first match at Bournemouth - who were then second from bottom in League Two.
Success with the Dorset side as they won promotion to League One saw Howe lured away by Burnley, before he returned in October 2012 to complete the club's transformation with two more promotions in three seasons.
It is a mark of the turnaround he has instigated that he and his side were left bitterly disappointed at failing to avenge their defeat at Emirates Stadium in November.
The Cherries' 3-1 defeat at Arsenal was harsh on them and they looked more than capable of making amends for the majority of this game as the Gunners struggled to deal with their attacking 4-4-2 formation.
Even with the Arsenal comeback under way, Howe's men had a chance to go 4-2 up when Dan Gosling turned superbly in the visitors' area only to shoot well wide of Cech's goal.
A point keeps the Cherries ninth in the table.
What they said:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "At the start we suffered from the quality of Bournemouth. One team had over three days to recover and on top of that we suffered at the back.
"It was a physical test but we came back into the game and we showed we are mentally strong. I am happy to play every day but only if our opponent has done the same."
Read more from Wenger here.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe: "It's a strange one for us. At 3-0 up you hope the game is over but you can't underestimate the quality of Arsenal and as soon as they got the first goal the game changed.
"We didn't see the game out in an effective manner from our perspective but you have to praise their resilience."
• None Arsenal came back to draw a Premier League game from three goals down for the first time.
• None Only Hull (nine) have conceded more Premier League penalties than Arsenal this season (six, level with Southampton).
• None Charlie Daniels has provided more assists than any other Premier League defender since the start of last season (eight).
• None Sanchez's goal was Arsenal's first shot on target in the match, in the 70th minute.
• None Sanchez has now matched his Premier League goal tally from last season (13 in 20 games this season, compared with 13 in 30 games last season).
It's FA Cup third-round action for both these teams in their next outings with Bournemouth at Millwall at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, 7 January and Arsenal at Preston for a 17:30 kick-off on the same day.
• None Attempt saved. Harry Arter (Bournemouth) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Adam Smith.
• None Goal! Bournemouth 3, Arsenal 3. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Granit Xhaka.
• None Attempt blocked. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Lucas Pérez.
• None Attempt missed. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
• None Attempt missed. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. Lucas Pérez (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Granit Xhaka. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38440999
|
India's double first in climate battle - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
India opens two world-leading clean energy projects - the world's biggest solar farm and a chemicals plant using CO2 to make baking soda.
|
Business
|
Two world-leading clean energy projects have opened in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
A £3m industrial plant is capturing the CO2 emissions from a coal boiler and using the CO2 to make valuable chemicals. It is a world first.
And just 100km away is the world's biggest solar farm, making power for 150,000 homes on a 10 sq km site.
The industrial plant appears especially significant as it offers a breakthrough by capturing CO2 without subsidy.
Built at a chemical plant in the port city of Tuticorin, it is projected to save 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by incorporating them into the recipes for soda ash and other chemicals.
The owner of the chemicals plant, Ramachadran Gopalan, told a BBC Radio 4 documentary: "I am a businessman. I never thought about saving the planet. I needed a reliable stream of CO2, and this was the best way of getting it."
He says his operation has now almost zero emissions. He hopes soon to install a second coal boiler to make more CO2 to synthesise fertiliser.
The chemical used in stripping the CO2 from the flue gas was invented by two young Indian chemists. They failed to raise Indian finance to develop it, but their firm, Carbonclean Solutions, working with the Institute of Chemical Technology at Mumbai and Imperial College in London, got backing from the UK's entrepreneur support scheme.
Their technique uses a form of salt to bond with CO2 molecules in the boiler chimney. The firm says it is more efficient than typical amine compounds used for the purpose.
The plant is projected to save 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year
They say it also needs less energy, produces less alkaline waste and allows the use of a cheaper form of steel - all radically reducing the cost of the whole operation.
The firm admits its technology of Carbon Capture and Utilisation won't cure climate change, but says it may provide a useful contribution by gobbling up perhaps 5-10% of the world's emissions from coal.
Lord Oxburgh, former chairman of Shell, and now director and head of the UK government's carbon capture advisory group, told the BBC: "We have to do everything we can to reduce the harmful effects of burning fossil fuels and it is great news that more ways are being found of turning at least some of the CO2 into useful products."
Meanwhile, the nearby giant Kamuthi solar plant offers a marker for India's ambition for a rapid expansion in renewables.
The world's largest solar farm at Kamuthi in southern India
It is truly enormous; from the tall observation tower, the ranks of black panels stretch almost to the horizon.
For large-scale projects, the cost of new solar power in India is now cheaper than coal and Prime Minister Modi plans to power 60 million homes from the sun by 2022.
But solar doesn't generate 24/7 on an industrial scale, so India has adopted a "more of everything" approach to energy until then.
Its recently-published National Electricity Plan projects no further additions to coal-based capacity between 2022 and 2027, and estimates that the share of clean generating capacity (including nuclear) will increase to 56.5% by the end of that period.
The firm behind the solar plant, Adani, is also looking to create Australia's biggest coal mine, which it says will provide power for up to 100 million people in India. Renewables, it says, can't answer India's vast appetite for power to lift people out of poverty.
Will India stick to its renewables promises with Donald Trump as US president?
And questions have been raised recently as to whether India will stick to its renewables promises now President-elect Donald Trump may be about to scrap climate targets for the US.
At the recent Marrakech climate conference, China, the EU and many developing countries pledged to forge ahead with emissions-cutting plans regardless of US involvement. But India offered no such guarantee.
Some environmentalists are not too worried: they think economics may drive India's clean energy revolution.
Roger Harrabin presents Climate Change: The Trump Card on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, 3 January.
Correction 8 January 2017: This article was updated to change 'Baking soda' to 'Soda ash', and to include more details from India's National Electricity Plan
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38391034
|
Chile wildfires destroy scores of homes in Valparaiso - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Hundreds of people are evacuated from Valparaiso, Chile, as forest fires set homes alight.
| null |
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the port-city of Valparaiso, Chile, after forest fires set homes alight.
The wildfires have been fanned by high temperatures and strong winds.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38493113
|
Istanbul attack: Inside Reina nightclub - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
The BBC's Mark Lowen is one of the first journalists to access the site of Istanbul's deadly New Year attack, which left 39 people dead.
| null |
The BBC's Mark Lowen is one of the first journalists to access the site of Istanbul's deadly New Year attack, which left 39 people dead.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38501613
|
The A-Z of Brexit - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
An alphabetical guide to the biggest story of the next two and a half years.
|
UK Politics
|
"Brexit means Brexit" is something we've all heard many times. But it's still not entirely clear what it actually means. If you're feeling lost, help is at hand: here's our handy guide to the A-Z of Brexit.
Known as the "exit clause", Article 50 sets out the process the UK will go through to leave the European Union.
It sets the clock ticking on negotiations, giving a deadline of two years before the UK's membership of the EU ends - unless all EU member states' leaders vote unanimously to extend that period.
It says that any deal negotiated between the UK and EU will come down to a vote of European leaders, where it will need to be passed by a qualified majority and passed by the European Parliament.
Previously tasked with cleaning up the continent's financial services, Michel Barnier is the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator.
He's a politician with a long career as an MEP, vice-president of the centre-right European People's Party, French foreign minister, and European commissioner.
Mr Barnier is also known for not being keen on giving interviews in English. At the height of the eurozone crisis he implied this policy was led by caution, saying: "One wrong word, and we could move markets."
The European Council is made up of the 28 EU heads of government, plus the European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The council doesn't make laws, but the heads of EU governments can vote on the union's political direction through a process that weights their votes according to the size of the country they represent.
Although Prime Minister Theresa May represents the UK on the council, she won't attend any meetings or votes it holds on the subject of Brexit negotiations after Article 50 is triggered.
More properly known as the Department for Exiting the European Union, DexEU is the government department responsible for the UK's negotiations with the EU.
It is led by David Davis. The department will conduct negotiations on Brexit with the EU, as well as talking to individual states about bilateral agreements after the UK leaves the EU.
Academic Sara Hagemann, who is Danish, said she had been told she could no longer advise the government on Brexit.
Leave campaigner Michael Gove made waves during the EU referendum campaign when he claimed Britain had "had enough of experts."
More recently, academics at the London School of Economics said that Foreign Office officials had told them non-UK nationals would no longer be able to brief the department on issues relating to Brexit.
The FCO insisted that it was a misunderstanding, saying "We will continue to take advice from the best and brightest minds, regardless of nationality."
Trading with other countries without customs duties, import bans or quotas is the goal of International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who has previously said that free trade "transformed the world for the better".
EU membership means the UK isn't allowed to make its own deals with other countries - deals like the Ceta free trade agreement signed between Canada and the EU after seven years of negotiations.
But opponents of free trade deals like Ceta and the proposed TTIP deal between the EU and US have claimed that the deals harm workers' rights and damage environmental safeguards.
Greenland provided the closest thing Brexit has to a precedent when it left the European Economic Community - a precursor to the EU - in 1982.
Greenlandic objections to its membership to the EEC, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, centred on the Common Fisheries Policy which allowed European trawlers to fish in its waters.
Since then, Greenland's fishermen have fared better than its fur industry, which since 2010 has been barred from selling any seal products within the EU.
The style of Brexit favoured by campaigners like Nigel Farage, "hard Brexit" would entail the UK leaving the European single market.
It would allow the British government more direct control over policies on immigration, but may mean tariffs on exports to the EU.
It's often presented as the opposite of "soft Brexit", which sees the UK remain in the EU single market - potentially having to accept EU rules like freedom of movement as a part of the deal.
Nigel Farage said 23 June should go down in history as the UK's "independence day" in commemoration of the vote to leave the EU.
But a petition calling for a national holiday on 23 June received a negative response from the government, which said it had "no current plans to create another public holiday" because of the economic cost of days off.
Former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker will be a key figure during the Article 50 negotiations with the EU.
Before the vote to leave, Mr Juncker warned the UK that "out is out", and that there would be no way back.
The European Commission is the EU body that will carry out much of the negotiating between the EU and UK, before a final deal is approved by the European Council's 27 non-UK EU leaders.
It's reported the Russian government of Vladimir Putin may stand to gain from Brexit, as the UK's decision to leave the EU could distract from its sanctions against Russia.
Former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said the UK had supported a harder line on EU-Russian relations.
Mr Plevneliev said: "If Brexit is going to be a divorce, we should stay the best possible and the closest friends."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lord Kerr says Article 50 was drawn up in the event of a coup
Ratified in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty aimed to streamline the EU's decision making process following a period of expansion that saw membership grow.
It created the post of President of the European Council (currently held by Poland's Donald Tusk) and expanded the use of the proportional qualified majority voting system that awarded votes according to the size of a member state.
The Lisbon Treaty also contains Article 50 - drafted by Scottish peer Lord Kerr - the mechanism that dictates the way in which a member state can leave the EU.
The leader of the EU's largest member state, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has said "Brexit negotiations won't be easy" but that there's no need for the EU to be "nasty" to the UK during negotiations.
German leader since 2005, Ms Merkel will face a re-election battle in 2017. Her decision to welcome more than one million refugees to Germany is likely to be a big issue in that campaign.
Norway isn't a member of the EU, but is a part of the European Economic Area, the European Free Trade Association and the Schengen Zone.
Norway has been mooted as one of the models a post-Brexit UK could emulate after a "soft Brexit", but Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the UK "wouldn't like" finding itself on the fringes of the EU after Brexit.
The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is a strident critic of many aspects of the EU. Since the UK voted to leave, he has spoken of the opportunity it presents for change, saying: "We are at a historic cultural moment. There is a possibility of a cultural counter-revolution right now."
In October Mr Orban held a referendum of his own, calling on Hungarian voters to reject the EU's refugee quotas.
A member of the European Council, Mr Orban will be one of the EU leaders voting on the UK's Brexit negotiations.
Nothing to do with the colour of your UK passport, this is the process by which London-based financial institutions can operate in the rest of the EU.
Passporting became a concern for global banks after the referendum, as they feared they could lose their rights to access the European single market.
International Trade Minister Mark Garnier suggested that such a thing could happen. When asked if passporting could end and be replaced by something else, he replied: "Exactly."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US President Barack Obama: "UK is going to be in the back of the queue"
President Barack Obama enraged Leave campaigners before the referendum with his suggestion that a post-Brexit UK would find itself at the "back of the queue" to negotiate trade deals with the US.
Boris Johnson called his intervention "hypocritical", while Tory MP Dominic Raab called him a "lame-duck president".
In-coming US president Donald Trump has been much more positive... See entry below, for T.
The Commons Library says the position of UK citizens in the EU - and vice versa - after Brexit remains uncertain.
It does, however, suggest that people already using their freedom of movement to live in other EU countries are unlikely to be affected, as it would be difficult - practically and politically - to change their residency rights retrospectively.
The UK could give up its membership of the European Union, but still have access to the single market.
This would make trading with other European countries easier, as there would be less change after Brexit.
The price would most likely be some kind of free movement agreement - meaning that EU citizens could still move to the UK to live and work, even after Brexit.
The incoming American president is a fan of Brexit, even saying in the days before his election victory over Hillary Clinton that a win for him would be "like Brexit plus-plus-plus."
He has befriended leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage - who was the first foreign politician to meet the president-elect after his win over Hillary Clinton.
Some in the UK, including Mr Farage, hope a Trump administration will move the UK to the front of the queue for trade deals with the US, heralding a new economic special relationship.
The UK's nations and regions weren't united in voting leave - Scotland, Northern Ireland and London voted to remain in the EU.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she will hold a second independence referendum if the UK goes for a hard Brexit.
In Northern Ireland there are mixed responses. Some fear the return of border controls - the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny is planning an a summit on the issue. Meanwhile, the border town of Newry has seen an influx of shoppers from the Republic, keen to take advantage of the euro's increased spending power.
Former Belgian Prime Minister and the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, has suggested he is unwilling to negotiate on the free movement of people, saying: "European values will never be up for negotiation."
He has already held a preliminary meeting with David Davis (See entry for D, above) which the two said afterwards "a good start". And he has since warned that the European Parliament would negotiate directly with the British if EU leaders "don't take the parliament's role seriously".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd sparked controversy with an announcement that firms would have to publish the percentage of overseas workers they hired - although the government later rowed back on the idea.
There is also uncertainty over what could happen to UK employment rights, as some things like agency workers' rights and limitations on working time are guaranteed by EU law.
Police figures showed a rise in religious or racially motivated hate crimes in the weeks following the EU referendum.
In response, the government launched a new hate crime action plan to combat the increase.
Or more specifically, the yeast-based spread Marmite.
The falling value of the pound after the UK voted to leave the EU led to a row between Tesco and the manufacturer, Anglo-Dutch corporation Unilever, which wanted to raise the price of Marmite and other products.
The companies resolved their differences, which came after Unilever said the weak pound made selling its wares in the UK less profitable.
The capital of Croatia, the EU's newest member state.
The Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovac expressed his concerns about the effect Brexit could have on the EU's growth plans, saying: "We also want stability in southeastern Europe and we will work so that Brexit does not have too much effect on the enlargement process."
Croatia's fellow Balkan states Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are all currently in the process of joining the EU.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37761607
|
Labour in 2017: Can Corbyn ride anti-elitism wave? - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Can Labour make Jeremy Corbyn the Left's Trump and reach out to the wider electorate in 2017?
|
UK Politics
|
Can Jeremy Corbyn reach out beyond Labour Party members?
"Our job is to make Jeremy Corbyn the Left's Donald Trump", whispered a political adviser over cold sausage rolls at Labour's annual Christmas party,
"Trump shows if we take the anti-establishment message and run with it, anything is possible".
This most unlikely of strategies, to replicate the electoral tactics of a man Mr Corbyn has called divisive and wrong, is clear.
If you have lost trust in politicians, well, don't go for fake anti-elitism. Go for the real thing. Corbyn.
The Labour leader's office are convinced that the anti-elitist wave which delivered Jeremy Corbyn the leadership twice is the same that brought President Trump and Brexit.
How do they ride that wave? Efforts will be made in the early part of the year to roll out radical retail policies on the economy and the cost of living, with an attempt at every turn to avoid the potentially sticky wicket of Brexit.
Whether he will be able to sell his message beyond Labour's 515,000 members remains to be seen but we should see a return to the campaign rallies and speaking tours that played such a part of his summer 2015 leadership bid.
Can Jeremy Corbyn ride the wave of anti-elitism that delivered Donald Trump the US presidency?
Harnessing the energy of large crowds and speaking direct through TV into the living rooms of the general public, rather like one Donald J Trump, will be just one part of a new turbo-charged media strategy.
This will be first put to the test in the Copeland by-election. The resignation of Jamie Reed, one of Mr Corbyn's most prominent critics, will mean the party having to defend a 2,500 majority in a seat which Labour has held since 1935.
It should be an easy hold for an opposition party taking on a mid-term government; after all a governing party hasn't made a by-election gain, without a defection, for 56 years.
The bookies think the Conservatives have a good chance of taking the seat, but after outperforming many people's expectations in Oldham West and Royton, it would be foolish to write Labour off six weeks before voting begins.
Andy Burnham's mayoral bid in Manchester will be among high-profile contests
Next year's set of local elections will take place on 4 May and will see elections to English, Scottish and Welsh councils, as well as the first set of elections for newly created regional mayors.
The most high-profile race for Labour will be Andy Burnham's attempt to become the first directly elected mayor of the Manchester region. But there will be more competitive elections in the West Midlands, where MEP Sion Simon faces a challenge from Andy Street - the former managing director of John Lewis - who is standing for the Conservatives.
Outside of the inaugural mayoral contests, there will be elections to 34 councils in England.
This will be a challenging environment for the Labour Party; back in 2013 the party made substantial gains and is facing elections in swathes of safe Conservative shire areas.
The 2013 vote share of 29% was actually two points behind their final general election result and a replication of this result would not be too surprising.
The danger, perhaps, would be if Labour fell into third place behind a resurgent UKIP and Conservative Party. Should that happen, then it is likely the carefully maintained silence of Mr Corbyn's opponents within the Parliamentary Labour Party will break.
Perhaps the most consequential battles will be outside national electoral contests and within the movement itself.
Len McCluskey will face re-election for general secretary of Unite in April. Few individuals have been as vital as the leader of the UK's biggest union to preserving Jeremy Corbyn's position.
Moderates are organising hard to elect Gerard Coyne, a close friend of Tom Watson, someone who, they think, could deliver thousands of votes for a moderate candidate in a future leadership contest.
Momentum, the powerful grassroots organisation that supports Mr Corbyn's leadership, will also face internal challenges in 2017.
Since the party conference in Liverpool, a bitter dispute has broken out over who should hold the reins of power.
The organisation is facing internal squabbles over its future direction with a concerted effort to remove Corbyn ally Jon Lansman from his leadership role.
Momentum tearing itself apart could seriously imperil Jeremy Corbyn's efforts to make Labour a movement. This will be, of course, with a Parliamentary party doggedly against him but maintaining a Trappist silence following Mr Corbyn's 2016 re-election as Labour leader.
In all of this the key question for Jeremy Corbyn will be whether he can translate the powerful populist movement that took him to the leadership of his party in 2015 and 2016 onto a national stage.
Polling, with Labour at its lowest ebb since the dog days of Gordon Brown's government, suggests that it is a tall order.
But if 2016 has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38408198
|
Eddie Jones open to Richard Cockerill joining England set-up - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Eddie Jones says he is open to the possibility of sacked Leicester boss Richard Cockerill joining England's coaching set-up.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Eddie Jones says he sympathises with Richard Cockerill and is open to the possibility of the sacked Leicester boss joining England's coaching set-up.
Cockerill, 46, was dismissed as Tigers' director of rugby on 2 January, with the club fifth in the Premiership.
England head coach Jones told BBC Sport that despite having a forwards coach he would "never close the door".
Jones also said Dylan Hartley would continue to captain England if he was fit enough to be selected.
Northampton hooker Hartley is serving a six-week ban for catching Leinster's Sean O'Brien with a swinging arm in a Champions Cup match in December.
Jones, 56, said last month that the 30-year-old had "let his country down" with the third red card of his career.
But the Australian said on Tuesday that Hartley was "doing everything right" to be England captain for the forthcoming Six Nations.
Cockerill had been a member of Leicester's coaching staff since 2004, taking over as head coach in 2009 and becoming director of rugby in 2010.
But following a 16-12 defeat by Saracens on New Year's Day, and with Leicester 15 points adrift of leaders Wasps, Cockerill was sacked.
Leicester won three Premiership titles under Cockerill and were twice runners-up Leicester were runners-up in the European Cup in Cockerill's first season in charge and won the LV= Cup in 2011-12
Jones said: "I have a massive amount of sympathy for Richard Cockerill.
"He is a great rugby guy, a great player for Leicester, has been a very successful director of rugby and coach.
"You don't like to see that happen to anyone but the reality of being a coach is that everyone goes through that and I am sure he will end up somewhere else.
"It has been a discussion point for the Leicester players. They are disappointed for Richard but know they have to get on with the job.
"We are very well endowed with the forwards coaches we have at the moment so we can always look at the possibility of that [getting Cockerill]."
Former England lock Steve Borthwick is currently England's forwards coach.
Hartley's dismissal in Northampton's 37-10 home defeat by Leinster had jeopardised his involvement in England's Six Nations campaign, with their opening fixture against France at Twickenham on 4 February.
However, he is eligible to play again from 23 January.
Jones added: "A prerequisite to get into the England side is to be very fit and not playing games means he needs to undergo an unbelievably stringent fitness programme over the next five or six weeks. He is doing that and is in the best position to continue as captain.
"If Dylan is right to play, he will be captain.
"Everyone makes mistakes. In the last 12 months, he has made one mistake and done a hell of a lot of good things so his batting average is pretty high. If that falls, then we need to look at things.
"We have had a number of chats, not any longer than five minutes, but plenty of information has been exchanged. He understands where he is at and what he needs to do. He will do it."
The former Australia coach said it was a "big relief" to have James Haskell back in contention after the flanker missed the autumn internationals with a toe injury.
Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi has been ruled out of England's training camp in Brighton next week after a knee injury cut short his involvement in the Tigers' defeat by Saracens.
"He was coming back into some form, getting his power back so it is enormously frustrating for him," said Jones.
Former England captain Chris Robshaw also faces a nervous wait to discover the extent of the shoulder injury sustained with Harlequins on New Year's Day, with England ordering a scan.
World Rugby has tightened the tackle law with immediate effect, clamping down on high and dangerous tackles by lowering the acceptable height of the tackle and increasing the severity of on-field punishment.
"I think it is fantastic," said Jones. "The game of rugby is such a great game and we have to keep improving it.
"Concussions is an issue that will be there more and more so the scrutiny for head injuries is nothing like it was three or five years ago.
"Over the next period of time, it is going to be quite difficult. We will then have a safer, healthier game.
"We played against Argentina with 14 men and it was a great game. We are preparing for that. The penalties over the next period of time will be harsh."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38503190
|
Gary Barlow: Don't judge talent show Let It Shine on TV ratings - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Gary Barlow says the TV ratings system "shouldn't really apply any more" as he launches a new talent show.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
Gary Barlow has been a judge on The X Factor in the past
Gary Barlow has said the success of his new BBC One talent show should not be judged on TV ratings because they are less relevant than they used to be.
Barlow is using Let It Shine, which starts on Saturday, to find the five leads for a Take That stage musical.
Let It Shine will go up against The Voice UK, which has moved to ITV.
Barlow told the BBC: "I think people are ingesting TV in a different way now. That old system of ratings shouldn't really apply any more."
Speaking on the set of the show, the Take That star added: "But I think people are still loving, downloading and buying music and listening to music more importantly.
"And I think people are ready for a new Saturday night experience."
Barlow is on the judging panel with Amber Riley, Dannii Minogue and Martin Kemp
The eight-week show will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Graham Norton, while Barlow will act as a judge alongside Dannii Minogue, Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp and Glee star Amber Riley.
The winners will tour the UK with the new musical for a year.
Audiences for TV singing contests have been in decline for a number of years. December's The X Factor final was the least watched in the show's history and lost out in the ratings to BBC One's Planet Earth II, which was shown at the same time.
The Voice UK, also had its smallest ever audience for a final last April, with 4.5 million watching, compared with 6.3 million the previous year.
The judges on The Voice will be Gavin Rossdale, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am
However, Barlow, who was a judge on The X Factor for three series, said there was demand for another TV singing show.
"I think it's incredibly exciting," he said. "It's something I haven't done before. I've done lots of things in my career. But this feels like something new.
"And I have to say I think Saturday night needs a new idea at the moment. And I think this could be it."
Let It Shine is filling the BBC One Saturday night slot that was vacated by The Voice UK's move to ITV.
ITV has reinstated Sir Tom Jones as a coach on The Voice UK, two years after he was sacked by the BBC. The BBC showed the first five series of The Voice UK. Both shows start on Saturday and their transmissions overlap for 25 minutes.
Barlow refuses to see it as any kind of singing show shoot-out.
He said: "I've got to be honest with you. It's the same with music - I don't look right or left - I just concentrate on what we are doing and try and make it the best quality it can be."
Fellow judge Dannii Minogue, whose sister Kylie was a coach on The Voice UK, believes there is enough appetite from viewers for both shows to do well.
"I think they are really different shows," she said. "The Voice has really settled into what it's doing. I think it has such a fan base.
"This one is different. We are giving them the skills which you can take on to use forever. But then also it's a 12-month gig. That's a really big job for someone. You come out of that and you can do anything you want to do."
Let It Shine editor Guy Freeman, who is also in charge of the BBC's Eurovision Song Contest coverage, insists that there are good reasons for the BBC to have replaced The Voice UK with another singing show.
"A: there's gut instinct. B: there's an awful lot of research which says that people at the beginning of a dark winter want a real treat on TV, because Christmas has finished. Everything is finished and you don't want TV to suddenly kind of desert you."
Let It Shine is on BBC One on Saturday from 19:00-20:25 GMT. The Voice UK is on ITV on the same night from 20:00 GMT.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38490975
|
Life on the world's steepest street - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Baldwin Street in New Zealand is the world's steepest residential road.
| null |
Baldwin Street in the city of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island is officially the world's steepest residential road.
At its steepest, the slope has a gradient of 35%.
So what's it like to live on a road which must strike fear into the hearts of postmen and paper boys? We went along to find out.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38461418
|
Richard Cockerill: Leicester Tigers sack director of rugby - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Leicester Tigers sack director of rugby Richard Cockerill after nearly eight years in charge.
| null |
Leicester Tigers have sacked director of rugby Richard Cockerill after nearly eight years in charge.
The 46-year-old has been on the Premiership club's coaching staff since 2004, took over as head coach in 2009 and became director of rugby in 2010.
"It is with great sadness and regret that I leave my position. I still believe that I am the right person to lead the team," Cockerill said.
Head coach Aaron Mauger will take over on an interim basis.
Leicester won three Premiership titles under Cockerill and were twice runners-up Leicester were runners-up in the European Cup in Cockerill's first season in charge and won the LV Cup in 2011-12
Tigers are fifth in the Premiership, 15 points adrift of leaders Wasps having lost five of their 12 league games so far this season. They were beaten 16-12 by Saracens on New Year's Day.
Cockerill, who has spent 23 of the last 25 years of his career with Tigers, said he "respected the board's decision" to make a change they see as being "in the best interests of the club".
He added: "This club has made me the person and the coach I am today and I will never forget what they have done for me. I will miss being part of the Tigers family."
Last month, following the 18-16 Champions Cup win over Munster, Cockerill said reports claiming he faced the sack and that described the coaching structure at Leicester Tigers as toxic were "rubbish".
• None Listen: 'Lancaster would be a very good choice for Leicester'
Former England and Tigers hooker Cockerill spent 10 years with the club as a player from 1992 before returning to Welford Road as an academy coach.
After two spells in interim charge he was appointed full-time head coach in April 2009, with Tigers winning the Premiership title and reaching the European Cup final in his first season in the role.
Leicester have never failed to reach the Premiership semi-finals under Cockerill and as well as winning the final in 2008-09, they were also victorious in 2009-10 and 2012-13.
Tigers chairman Peter Tom CBE said: "We thank Richard for his loyal and dedicated service as a player, coach and director of rugby. He has a great passion for the club and for the game of rugby, and has shared in many massive occasions with the Tigers.
"The club always has aspirations to contest the major honours in the game and that remains unchanged but the board believes this is the right time to make a change."
As a player, hooker Cockerill made 262 appearances for Tigers, winning five league titles, two domestic cups, two Heineken Cups and he also played 27 times for England.
I am not surprised. Tigers cannot stand the fact they are in fifth position and quite a bit away from the top four; they want to be top two and won't get there this season.
They haven't been there for the last three or four seasons and that is one of the reasons that Tigers have reluctantly had to say goodbye to Richard.
His record is second to none. He is man and boy with the Tigers and if you cut him in half he would be Tigers colours through and through.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38489596
|
Arnold Schwarzenegger makes debut as Celebrity Apprentice star - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his debut on US TV as the new star of The Celebrity Apprentice.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
Schwarzenegger halted his acting career in 2003 to serve two terms as governor of California
Arnold Schwarzenegger has made his debut as the new star of The Celebrity Apprentice, a role he inherited from US President-elect Donald Trump.
The veteran action star made his mark on the US TV show by replacing Trump's "You're fired" catchphrase with a more idiosyncratic "You're terminated".
Boy George, Jon Lovitz and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil are among the stars competing to raise money for charities.
Mr Trump retains an executive producer credit on the NBC series.
According to the New York Times, the real estate mogul turned TV star and politician was a "ghostly presence" that was "sorely missed".
Schwarzenegger, wrote its critic Mike Hale, exuded "robotic professionalism" but was hampered by "cautiousness and rigidity".
Boy George (fifth from right) is among the celebrities taking part in the show
The Telegraph, though, felt he was "more than qualified" to act as the "fake head of a fake business sitting in a fake boardroom".
"He may not have Trump's business experience, but as a potential boss, he's a hell of a lot more intimidating," wrote TV Line's Andy Swift.
Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, said it was "nice" to see Schwarzenegger "following Trump's lead in the nepotism department" by appointing his nephew as one of his advisors.
During Mr Trump's time on The Apprentice and its celebrity spin-off, his children Donald Jr and Ivanka frequently appeared as guest hosts and advisors.
"You're terminated" refers to Schwarzenegger's role as a killer cyborg in 1984's The Terminator and its numerous sequels.
The 69-year-old former bodybuilder halted his Hollywood career in 2003 to serve two terms as governor of California.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38495201
|
Africa Cup of Nations: Joel Matip & Allan Nyom not selected by Cameroon - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Liverpool's Joel Matip and West Brom's Allan Nyom have not been named in Cameroon's 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool defender Joel Matip and West Brom's Allan Nyom have not been named in Cameroon's 23-man squad for this month's Africa Cup of Nations.
The duo were among seven Cameroon players who said they did not want to play in the tournament, which starts in Gabon on 14 January.
They could have been banned from club football during the competition.
But a potential club versus country row has been defused by their non-selection in the final squad.
Cameroon, who are coached by Belgian Hugo Broos, have been drawn in Group A with hosts Gabon, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
Right-back Nyom told Broos he wanted to stay at West Brom to keep his place in the team.
Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe has also withdrawn from DR Congo's squad.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38499968
|
Tales from the bar - a tour of London's 'great pubs' - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Giant barrels, mosaic ceilings and ghostly visions - stories from some of London's oldest and most intriguing public houses.
|
In Pictures
|
Giant oak wine barrels sit above the bar of the Cittie of Yorke in Holborn - which is more reminiscent of a great hall in a Tudor mansion than than a traditional pub.
The jury is out as to whether or not the massive casks were ever used as genuine storage vessels - or simply part of the inn's Tudor makeover in the 1920s.
The Cittie of Yorke features in a new book, Great Pubs of London, written by George Dailey and featuring photographs taken by his daughter Charlie.
The book examines the histories of 22 pubs. Take a look at some of them here.
On a quiet street in the heart of one of London's most exclusive neighbourhoods, the Nags Head's first customers would have been staff from the mansions on neighbouring streets.
"The likelihood is that, because of its location, most of the early landlords were connected with horses, carriages and stabling," writes Dailey.
The pub's main bar - with its 150-year-old Chelsea pottery beer engine pump handles - is unusually low, with short stools in front.
This is because the floor of the bar servery is positioned midway between the main bar and the lower back bar to the rear, which was once possibly a stables or courtyard.
The Nags Head is also filled with dozens of toys, penny arcade machines, posters and photos - and the current landlord's collection of military memorabilia.
The Blackfriar - built in 1875 - stands on the site of London's Dominican friary in the parish of Ludgate.
The Dominicans are known as "the blackfriars" because of the black cloaks they wear.
In the early 20th Century the pub's interior was remodelled by the sculptor Henry Poole, who created a vision straight out of medieval England.
There is a sumptuous mosaic ceiling, with marble columns and copper clay friezes.
And black-cloaked friars can be spotted just about everywhere - all appearing to enjoy sins of overindulgence.
The interior of the French House looks more like a Parisian backstreet bar, than a traditional London pub - and it remains a favourite of artists, writers, actors and photographers,
George Dailey describes the inside as "a little tired, faintly bohemian - but with unmistakeable Gallic charm".
For most of the 20th Century the pub's official name was The York Minster.
Its metamorphosis into "The French" started in 1914, when its German owner sold the business to a Belgian - but "The French sounds more romantic", says Dailey.
The inn on this site was first built in 1520 - on the north bank of the Thames to the east of the City.
It would have been a timber structure surrounded by gardens and marshland. It was rebuilt in the 18th Century.
Regular visitors included the writers Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepys and Samuel Johnson - and the venue was known for its bare-knuckle and cock fights.
It's thought the pub's strange name derives from the fact that a collier - a ship carrying coal - from Whitby in North Yorkshire used to moor regularly beside the pub.
Initially it was just called The Prospect.
For people heading to London from the south, Borough High Street in Southwark was a terminus.
The walled City of London was only a bridge away, but it was closed at night.
Latecomers were forced to take rooms at one of the local inns - including The George.
The George became a home for political debate and gossip - and Shakespeare's plays were often performed in its courtyard.
According to Dailey: "There is no pub in London that can boast of having a completely untouched 18th Century interior - but The George comes very close."
The current building, which backs on to the shore of the Thames, dates from 1720 - built on the site of a previous pub, which burned down in 1710.
In 1865, Charles Dickens is thought to have written about The Grapes - or The Bunch of Grapes, as it was then known.
He describes "a tavern of dropsical appearance... long settled down into a state of hale infirmity. It had outlasted many a sprucer public house, indeed the whole house impended over the water but seemed to have got into the condition of a faint-hearted diver, who has paused so long on the brink, that he will never go in at all."
Although rebuilt in the 1920s, there has probably been a pub on the site of The Ship since the mid-16th Century - and in its early incarnation it was known as a haven for persecuted Catholics.
The pub is now just behind a busy underground station, but initially it would have overlooked a rough area of pasture land - Lincoln's Inn Fields.
This narrow pub on the Thames is one of the best places to watch the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - if you can find a space to stand.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the Dove was actually a licensed pub as early as 1730 - when the green fields and orchards of 18th Century Hammersmith offered tranquillity away from the City of London, which was then only a two-hour coach ride away.
With all the hallmarks of a village inn, The Flask is very close to Highgate Cemetery - the burial place of Karl Marx.
It also claims to have two ghosts - a Spanish barmaid who took her life when the landlord rejected her amorous advances, and a hapless man dressed as a cavalier who crosses the main bar and disappears into a wall.
The poets Byron, Shelley, Keats and Coleridge were regular drinkers here. Coleridge believed the clean air on the hill at Highgate was beneficial in his attempts to cure himself of opium addiction.
When the building now known as The Lamb and Flag was built, in the mid-17th Century, Covent Garden was a relatively new urban area - a smart and desirable address.
But a century later, the gentry had moved away and the area had become a red-light district. Records from 1772 show that The Lamb and Flag - or Coopers Arms as it was known then - was trading successfully, but the clientele was drawn from the lower levels of society.
A century later, and the venue was a popular location for unlicensed bare-knuckle fights.
Great Pubs of London by George Dailey is published by Prestel.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38384519
|
Qatar Open: Sir Andy Murray into second round with 25th straight win - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Sir Andy Murray extends his career-best winning streak to 25 competitive matches with a straight-set win over Jeremy Chardy at the Qatar Open.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Sir Andy Murray extended his career-best winning streak in competitive matches to 25 with a straight-set win over Jeremy Chardy in the first round of the Qatar Open.
The British world number one, 29, beat the Frenchman 6-0 7-6 (7-2).
Chardy lost the first set in 20 minutes, but offered resistance in the second, taking it into a tie-break.
Murray will play Gerald Melzer in the next round after the Austrian beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-2.
The Scot said he was "pushed to the end" by the world number 69.
"He didn't start well," said Murray, a three-time finalist in this tournament.
"It's always difficult, the first match of the year. Both of us were probably feeling a bit nervous.
"In the second set he played well. He was a lot more aggressive."
Murray looked on course for a one-sided victory when Chardy failed to hold serve in the first set.
But the Frenchman - who amassed seven double faults and 32 unforced errors in the match - broke Murray in the first game of the second set and managed to test the Briton until the tie-break.
Murray's victory extended his winning streak in ATP Tour matches to 25 - the best of his career. His previous best run of consecutive wins was 22, which was ended by Marin Cilic at the Cincinnati Masters in August.
Since then, his only loss on the ATP Tour has been a US Open quarter-final defeat by Kei Nishikori - although he was also defeated by Juan Martin del Potro in a Davis Cup match in September and by David Goffin in an exhibition tournament at the end of December.
British number four Aljaz Bedene reached the second round of the Chennai Open with a 6-3 6-3 win over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
The 27-year-old needed one hour and 15 minutes to beat the unseeded Spaniard.
Bedene, who reached round three of the French Open last year, hit seven aces against the former world number 23.
He will next play Slovakia's Martin Klizan, ranked 66 places above Bedene in the world rankings at 35.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38500073
|
Cairngorm mountain rescue couple speak about ordeal - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A couple rescued from the Cairngorm mountains after being forced to shelter down for the night have spoken about their ordeal.
| null |
A couple rescued from the Cairngorm mountains after being forced to shelter down for the night have spoken about their ordeal.
Bob and Cathy Elmer from Leicestershire, who were reported missing on Sunday, said at times the snow came up to their waists.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38501505
|
West Ham United 0-2 Manchester United - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Manchester United move level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham by beating West Ham, who had Sofiane Feghouli controversially sent off.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United moved level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham after victory at West Ham, who played for 75 minutes with 10 men following the controversial dismissal of Sofiane Feghouli.
Referee Mike Dean showed Feghouli a straight red card after the midfielder's 15th-minute challenge on Phil Jones.
Replays showed it was more of a coming together between two players committed to winning the ball than a reckless tackle meant to cause harm.
Antonio Valencia was guilty of an astonishing miss for the visitors before Juan Mata scored from 10 yards after a clever pass by fellow substitute Marcus Rashford.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of three players offside when he doubled the lead after Pedro Obiang's clearance fell to Ander Herrera.
It was Jose Mourinho's side's sixth straight Premier League win and their seventh in all competitions.
• None Relive the action from London Stadium as it happened
• None Listen: 'Man Utd are back in the title race'
Dean at the centre of controversy - again
The Hammers have beaten Bournemouth, Sunderland, Burnley and Hull at home this season, yet their hopes of claiming a first major scalp at London Stadium were undone by the fastest sending off in the Premier League this season.
There is no doubt Feghouli lost control of the ball and deserved a booking for his challenge on Jones.
But Dean, who sent off Southampton's Nathan Redmond in the 4-1 defeat by Tottenham on Wednesday, brandished a red card for the fifth time this season, much to the fury of West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.
Jones, who was clearly hurt and rolled over several times before receiving treatment, was booed by home fans for the rest of the game each time he touched the ball.
Feghouli is now set to miss his side's FA Cup third-round home tie against Manchester City on Friday, while Hammers supporters showed their anger at the official by chanting 'Mike Dean - it's all about you'.
In the second half, Dean kept his cards in his pocket after Cheikhou Kouyate's reckless challenge on Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This was far from vintage Manchester United, yet Mourinho's team started 2017 as they finished 2016 - with three points.
They are now unbeaten in their past 13 games in all competitions, while they have taken 25 points from the last 33 on offer.
Valencia will surely be haunted by his 36th-minute miss. It was a brilliant save by Darren Randolph to deny him from close range, but the Ecuador international should have buried the chance, as should Jesse Lingard, who hit the post with the follow-up.
Mourinho's decisions to bring on Mata at the start of the second half and Rashford before the hour mark proved decisive.
The pair combined to break West Ham's spirited resistance - the busy and menacing Rashford evading a couple of challenges before cutting back for Spaniard Mata to find the net.
The 19-year-old England striker hit the post before Ibrahimovic, standing in an offside position, scored a controversial second to complete West Ham's misery.
Beaten by Leicester City on Saturday, it has been a 48 hours to forget for West Ham in terms of results.
However, they dug deep, displayed a steely resolve - and might even have got something from the game despite the visitors' extra-man advantage.
David de Gea twice saved well from Manuel Lanzini, before Michail Antonio's glancing header flashed agonisingly wide as the Hammers threatened.
And shortly before Mata broke the deadlock, Antonio found himself clean through after Lanzini's perfectly weighted pass, only for De Gea to block his effort.
'We are champions of bad decisions'
West Ham boss Bilic: "I was pleased with the performance, we fought hard and gave everything. I told my players that if we did this we will be all right in the table.
"Ten men against a team like this is very hard - but we had chances.
"I am disappointed with the result and frustrated by how we lost it, but I am proud of my players."
Manchester United manager Mourinho: "It was hard for us to think well with one more man - and it was very hard for them physically.
"I was happy with my choices in Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford, they gave us what we needed. Rashford is very professional and very mature. He is a Manchester United player with Manchester United DNA.
"I don't feel sorry for West Ham - I didn't watch the decisions. I think if you talk about decisions, we are the champions of bad decisions."
• None Manchester United are now 13 games unbeaten in all competitions - longest run since March 2013 (18 games).
• None Ibrahimovic has already scored more goals in all competitions than Manchester United's top scorer last season (Martial, 17).
• None This is Mourinho's longest winning run in all competitions (seven) since January 2014 when in charge of Chelsea.
• None West Ham have lost consecutive Premier League games without scoring for the first time under Bilic.
• None Since the start of last season, no team has been shown more Premier League red cards than the Hammers (eight - level with Southampton).
• None Mata has been involved in 40 Premier League goals (25 goals, 15 assists) since his Manchester United debut. Only Wayne Rooney with 46 - 29 goals and 17 assists - has a better record in that time.
• None Dean has shown 14 red cards in the Premier League since the start of last season - at least six more than any other referee.
West Ham are back in action on Friday when they host fellow Premier League side Manchester City in the FA Cup third round (19:55 GMT kick-off).
Manchester United start their defence of the famous trophy at home against Championship club Reading - managed by former Old Trafford defender Jaap Stam - on Saturday (12:30).
• None Håvard Nordtveit (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Ander Herrera (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
• None Attempt blocked. Andy Carroll (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Michail Antonio with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marcos Rojo.
• None Goal! West Ham United 0, Manchester United 2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ander Herrera.
• None Attempt blocked. Ander Herrera (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Paul Pogba.
• None Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38433519
|
Stargazers spot glowing Venus and Moon - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Clear skies allow for the spotting of the planet, despite it being 25 million miles away
|
UK
|
Susan Snow took this snap from her garden in Bishop's Cleeve, just north of Cheltenham
Stargazers have had their heads turned by the sight of the bright Moon and the planet Venus on Monday night.
Clear skies gave people across the UK a great view of the planet sitting below a crescent Moon.
Keen snappers got their cameras out to record the moment and took to social media to share the images.
And some were hoping to see Mars and even Neptune if the skies remained clear.
Sarah Mills got this picture in Cumbria, near to Cartmel
Kay Koyama-Gore captured the skyline over the water of Leith
During January, Venus will reach its peak height above the horizon, according to the Beckstrom Observatory.
It will also see the distance between Mars and Venus get smaller as Venus gets higher each night.
Derek Tracy took this picture of the London view
Joanna Noble got this dusky shot in Kingswinford in the West Midlands
Professor Brian Cox took to Twitter to answer people's questions about the appearance of the planet, calling it "very beautiful."
Brian Barlow was distracted from the football in Manchester by the night sky
Andy Holland caught this shot above Finsbury Park in London
But stargazers were advised to look again in the morning before the sun comes up, as they may also be able to spot Jupiter.
And Albany Cope pictured the sky in Wiltshire to show the Moon and Venus
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38492551
|
Swansea City: Paul Clement confirmed as third boss of the season - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Premier League bottom club Swansea City appoint ex-Derby County manager Paul Clement as their third boss of the season.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Paul Clement has been confirmed as head coach of Swansea City.
The 44-year-old becomes the Swans' third boss of the season after joining from Bayern Munich, where he was assistant to Carlo Ancelotti.
Clement agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal to replace Bob Bradley, who had been in charge since Francesco Guidolin's departure in October.
The former Derby County manager takes over with Swansea bottom of the Premier League.
• None Can Clement turn it around at Swansea?
Clement, who has also been Ancelotti's assistant boss at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid, will be at Selhurst Park for the Swans' game against Crystal Palace on Tuesday, although first-team coach Alan Curtis will select the team.
Last season he was in charge of Championship side Derby but was sacked by the club in February 2016 after a run of seven league games without a win.
Nigel Gibbs has been appointed assistant coach, with Karl Halabi named head of physical performance, with both arriving from Tottenham Hotspur.
Bradley was sacked following a spell of seven defeats in 11 games, and Clement emerged as the frontrunner to replace the American.
Former Manchester United assistant Ryan Giggs, Wales boss Chris Coleman and former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett had also been linked with the job.
The Swans are four points adrift at the bottom of the table and have lost their last four games, including Saturday's 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.
"I could have stayed at Bayern as an assistant, but I've chosen to come into a very challenging situation. It excites me to do that and that's the attitude I want the players to have," said Clement on Swansea's website.
"It's a big task, but I think it can be done.
"We are looking at the potential of adding to the squad in the transfer window. I've discussed that with the owners already.
"But before that I quickly need to look at the players already here and get them playing up to or close to their potential - and get some good results."
"Paul has not only worked with some of Europe's biggest football clubs, but also the very best players in the world," said Swans chairman Huw Jenkins.
"Swansea City's strength over many years had been the quality of the football coached on the training field. That has always been at the forefront of our success.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Paul can not only help us regain that footballing belief, but also restore some much-needed pride back into the football club."
"Given the club's desperate plight, Clement needs to hit the ground running and the American investors simply have to provide funds for him to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window.
"The club's fans will surely judge whether Clement is an appointment with one eye on Championship football next season by how much commitment the owners show to giving the new man a fighting chance of saving the club from relegation."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38492260
|
Rory Cellan-Jones becomes video game character - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
| null |
A video games developer digitises BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones to appear in its next blockbuster game.
| null |
One of the UK's leading independent video game companies has digitised BBC's technology correspondent for a forthcoming blockbuster.
Rebellion shared a first look at what it had done with Rory Cellan-Jones' features for Sniper Elite 4.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38403943
|
Jack Laugher: Olympic diving champion furious after diving coach quits GB role - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-03
| null |
Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher criticises British Diving after his coach quits for a new role with Australia.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Diving
Olympic champion Jack Laugher has blamed British Diving after his coach quit his role to join Australia's team.
Adrian Hinchliffe guided Laugher and Chris Mears to Team GB's first ever Olympic diving gold in Rio.
He is employed by Leeds City Council and worked for British Diving as a consultant but wanted to make a full-time switch to prepare for Tokyo 2020.
However, British Diving failed to make an offer and Hinchliffe has joined Australia Diving as head coach.
"He's achieved things as a coach that no-one in this country has ever done before and it's a massive insult to me and to Ady," Laugher told BBC Look North.
"British Diving and the national performance director [Alexei Evangulov] have really overlooked how much of a key part he is.
"To have someone like Ady say 'sack this I'm leaving', well it should never have got to this point."
In a statement, British Swimming, of which British Diving is a part, said: "British Diving is obviously disappointed with Ady's decision to move on to work in Australia, as he has done great things for the sport.
"We were aware that he wanted to work with the sport full-time and we were in the process of beginning discussions but unfortunately timescales didn't allow these to conclude.
"We'd like to thank him for all of his hard work and dedication, and we wish him well for the future in Australia."
In addition to Laugher and Mears, Olympic bronze medallist Daniel Goodfellow, Commonwealth champion Rebecca Gallantree and world junior medallists Lois Toulson and Katherine Torrance are all based at the City of Leeds set-up.
Like Hinchliffe, Plymouth Diving's head coach Andy Banks has enjoyed success - initially with Tom Daley and more recently with the likes of Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow - and is also employed by the local council.
Tom Daley's current coach, Jane Figueredo - who heads Dive London at the 2012 Olympic Aquatics Centre - is employed by British Diving on a full-time contract.
As a result of the squad's successes in Rio and potential for medals in Tokyo, British Diving was awarded a funding increase - from £7.5m to £8.8m - by UK Sport heading into the next Games.
"After the Games it's really tough for sports not knowing what they'll receive, but ours actually went up, but unfortunately we haven't seen that money travel to the coaching staff which is a real shame," Mears told the BBC.
Hinchliffe feels he was left with "no option" but to accept the role with the Australian Diving team.
"To really help those like Jack and Chris as well as the other superstars we had out in Rio keep improving, I needed to be in a full-time role," said Hinchliffe.
"Coaches tend to be humble by their nature - it's the athletes who go up on the podium - but it's such an important role.
"British sport is so successful at the moment and we need to examine all of the components behind that, but in my particular case I just don't think that's happened."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/diving/38502681
|
Call the Midwife is top Christmas Day show but ratings fall - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Call the Midwife was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day - but audiences fell to their lowest level on record.
|
Entertainment & Arts
|
The Christmas special saw the team of midwives relocate to South Africa
Call the Midwife was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day - but audiences on 25 December fell to their lowest level on record, figures show.
The historical drama attracted an audience of 9.2 million.
It is the smallest number of viewers for Christmas Day's top show since the current ratings system began in 1981.
Mrs Brown's Boys got nine million viewers, the Strictly Come Dancing special had 8.9 million and The Great Christmas Bake Off had 8.2 million.
Data from those watching on-demand services on smartphones and computers is not included in the figures, from research body Barb.
Call the Midwife fans saw the nuns and nurses from Nonnatus House travel to South Africa in a bid to prevent a hospital from closing down.
Heidi Thomas, creator and writer of the Call the Midwife, said: "We are always so proud to be part of BBC One's Christmas Day schedule, and absolutely delighted that so many people joined us.
"At this special time of year it really feels as though the cast, crew and audience of Call The Midwife are one big family, and we can't wait to share series six with everyone."
The new series returns to BBC One later this month.
The Queen's Christmas Message was in the top 10
BBC One had eight of the 10 most-watched programmes on 25 December, while ITV had two.
The other top 10 programmes for Christmas Day were Doctor Who, EastEnders, The Queen's Christmas Message and Disney film Frozen.
Audiences for Christmas Day - which traditionally attracts big audiences - have been falling in recent years with the introduction of catch-up and on-demand services.
No programme has attracted more than 20 million viewers since 2001, and the figure of 15 million has not been achieved since 2008.
Call The Midwife's 9.2 million is just over half the number who watched Wallace And Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death in 2008 (16.2 million).
The single biggest Christmas Day TV audience was recorded in 1989 when 21.8 million watched the UK premiere of the film Crocodile Dundee.
The average Christmas Day audience this decade is 11.1 million. In the 1980s, it was 18.5 million.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38498985
|
House price predictions for 2017 - BBC News
|
2017-01-03
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Experts give their predictions for the UK housing market in 2017 and look back at some of the key issues for property buyers and sellers over the last 12 months.
|
Business
|
Radstock Street is being marketed as "desirable lateral living"
Buyers of a four-bedroom family home in London need deep pockets - but perhaps not as cavernous as a year ago.
Asking prices in the capital for these top-of-the-ladder properties fell by 8.7% over the past year, according to search site Rightmove. House prices grew much faster in eastern England and the West Midlands than in London, according to Zoopla.
London's annual house price growth for 2016 (3.7%) was below the UK average of 4.5% for the first time since 2008, the Nationwide Building Society says.
So has the London bubble burst? Are bargains to be had? Well, these things are relative.
One new development in Radstock Street in Battersea will see eight large apartments go on the market in February for £3.65m each.
For most people around the UK, that is an eye-watering price for a three-bedroom property. Yet, the developers say these homes will be attractive to downsizers - people aged in their 50s and 60s already owning a home in central London.
The idea of downsizing to a £3m-plus home might make those eyes water a little more, but Louisa Brodie, head of search at Banda Property, says these apartments are "realistically priced".
"They have car parking, a porter, and are brand new. Properties like this are rare to find, and areas like this have a unique selling point," she says. "London is still one of the most desirable places to live, anywhere."
This is surely a sign that London property has been decoupled from the rest of the country for many years.
Despite the drop in activity in London, the average house price in the capital is still £474,000, more than double the typical price of £217,000 in the UK as a whole, according to the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The slowdown in central London is the result of the most significant change in the housing market in 2016 - a stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let and second homes.
Since April, anyone buying a home that is not their main residence has had to pay a 3% stamp duty surcharge. This meant that, for second homes or buy-to-let properties, the rate for properties priced at more than £1.5m reaches 15%.
The surcharge led to a burst of activity in March followed by a steep drop in transactions in April - a "hangover" that still persists, according to Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
In Scotland, the equivalent tax - the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) - was also up-rated.
The new surcharge, alongside a rise in normal stamp duty costs for £1m-plus homes since 2014, had a bigger impact on the market than the Brexit vote in June, according to experts.
Ray Boulger, of John Charcol mortgage brokers, says it led to many at the expensive end of the market choosing to extend their homes rather than move. This made it more difficult to create chains lower down the market.
Ed Stansfield, chief property economist at Capital Economics, says the housing market recovered "remarkably quickly" after cooling immediately after the UK's vote to leave the EU.
He says a "degree of nerves" surrounding the economy and potential buyers' caution over stretching too far financially had kept a lid on house prices.
Another major factor in the market over the last 12 months, according to the experts, is a lack of homes going on to the market. This supply squeeze has meant that, despite all the other pressures on affordability, prices continued to increase.
The constraint on supply proved to be more problematic than expected, according to Mr Rubinsohn of Rics, whose prediction of a 6% rise in house prices for 2016 looks to be the most accurate.
This trend will continue, he says, spelling more difficulties for first-time buyers whose incomes may fall in real terms. Many will continue to rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad for help with raising a mortgage deposit, while others will look to the government's Help to Buy projects to find somewhere affordable.
Others see first-time buyers as key to the buoyancy of the housing market.
"First-time buyers still underpin the wider market. So long as the government continues to support them either directly via Help to Buy or by further tax changes then the market should not plunge but this is not completely in the gift of politicians who frankly have more pressing matters to attend to," says property buying agent Henry Pryor.
"Like last year if you already own a home then you are probably better off than someone who doesn't. If you don't, then it seems unlikely that 2017 will see a swift solution emerge."
The experts have a relatively wide spread of predictions for 2017 - from price falls overall to rises matching or outstripping the general level of inflation.
Martin Ellis, housing economist at mortgage lender the Halifax, is offering a hedge-your-bets prediction of between a 1% and 4% rise.
"The relatively wide range for the forecast reflects the higher-than-normal degree of uncertainty regarding the prospects for the UK economy next year," he says.
Given that a buying a home is the biggest financial transaction of most people's lives, they - and their mortgage lender - will want some certainty over their job and income before taking the plunge.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38389967
|
Yemen conflict: The front line battle for capital Sanaa - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
The BBC's Nawal Al-Maghafi visits the front line of the army's battle for the capital of Yemen.
| null |
The BBC's Nawal Al-Maghafi has been granted access to the front line of the Yemen army's battle for the capital Sanaa, which has been controlled by Houthi rebel fighters since 2015.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38504068
|
Reality Check: Can 200,000 starter homes be built by 2020? - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Can the government hit the target of building 200,000 starter homes in the next three years?
|
UK Politics
|
The claim: The government will not be able to achieve the manifesto commitment to build 200,000 starter homes by 2020.
Reality Check verdict: It currently seems unlikely because money has only been set aside for 60,000 starter homes. Also, the current plan is for 22% of new developments to be starter homes, which would mean one million suitable homes being built by 2020 - that would be a significant acceleration of house building.
The government announced on Tuesday that it had given the go-ahead for the construction of thousands of starter homes.
Starter homes are new homes built for first-time buyers between 23 and 40 years old, sold at least 20% below market value. The maximum price after the discount has been applied is £250,000 outside London and £450,000 in the capital.
The Conservatives made a commitment in their manifesto for the 2015 general election to build 200,000 starter homes - the pledge to do so by 2020 was repeated in the call for expressions of interest in building starter homes that was released last March.
On BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, shadow housing minister John Healey said: "They've promised by 2020 to build 200,000 of them, which no-one believes is possible."
The document from March talked about £2.3bn of funding from the 2015 Spending Review to support up to 60,000 starter homes, which would still leave the government well short of the target.
The government is not talking a great deal about starter homes at the moment, promising more details of how it will deliver them in the housing White Paper, which is due later this month.
The funding for the programme is supposed to pay for things like local authorities making brownfield sites suitable for residential development.
At the moment, the government wants to use the planning system to get affordable housing built. Essentially, developers will have to agree that of every five homes they build, one will have to be a starter home.
In a recent consultation the government said under the new system at least 22% of all new builds would be starter homes. That means almost one million new homes would have to be built by 2020 to hit the government's 200,000 target.
In 2015, there were a total of 170,730 new homes built, which would not be enough over three years, even if all of them gave 22% as starter homes.
But perhaps the May government will drop the commitment made under David Cameron or there will be another route to the creation of starter homes in the forthcoming White Paper.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38500137
|
CES 2017: Smart hairbrush listens for breaking hair - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Beauty giant L'Oreal unveils a smart hairbrush at the CES tech show, which is packed with a microphone and other sensors.
|
Technology
|
The L'Oreal brush uses acoustic sensors to listen for breaking hair
Beauty giant L'Oreal has unveiled a smart hairbrush packed with sensors to help consumers improve their brushing technique.
The Hair Coach, which will retail at just under $200 (£160), contains a microphone, gyroscope and accelerometer among other sensors.
It also vibrates if you brush too hard.
The brush is one of a handful of new beauty gadgets that have been announced at this year's CES tech show in Las Vegas.
The brush's in-built microphone records the sounds of breaking hair. The firm says the other sensors are used to build up a profile of the way the owner looks after their hair.
The brush then shares the data via wi-fi or Bluetooth to an app.
The software uses the information to assess hair quality and monitor the effects of different routines - as well as recommending products.
"You'd be surprised by how many women around the world are concerned about hair breakage," Guive Balooch, global vice president of L'Oreals' research and innovation technology incubator told the BBC.
"One of the biggest challenges when brushing your hair is making sure you don't brush too hard and break the fibres.
"That can lead to damage of hair that doesn't look good for consumers."
Three skin-analysing gadgets were also announced at CES
Other gadgets vying to become part of tech savvy beauty routines at CES include:
"I am sure there are people who care about their hair quality that much - if you think that a good hair straightener costs around $90, $200 does not seem that bad," said tech analyst Caroline Milanesi of Creative Strategies.
"That said, I feel we will have a lot of things that companies will add sensors to just because they can."
Health and beauty tech is generally acknowledged as an as-yet unproven gadget category, but many brands are now developing devices with the hope of snagging an early corner of the market.
L'Oreal's Hair Coach has been developed over the last 18 months as a partnership between its brand Kerastase and Withings, which is owned by former smartphone maker Nokia.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
The brush is battery-powered with disposable batteries and has no charging port.
"There is limited real estate on the bathroom in terms of charging stations," said Mr Balooch.
He added that the device is water resistant but not fully waterproof and will be marketed as a luxury product when it launches later this year.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38503932
|
Zambia women's 'day off for periods' sparks debate - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
A law that gives women in Zambia the right to take a day off work if they're on their period is finally being discussed openly.
|
Africa
|
Ndekela Mazimba, who works in PR, says Mother's Day helps her manage her period pain
Discussing female menstruation publicly is something of a taboo in Zambia.
This is no doubt why a provision in the country's labour law that allows female workers to take off one day a month is known as Mother's Day, even though it applies to all women, whether or not they have children.
The legal definition is not precise - women can take the day when they want and do not have to provide any medical justification, leading some to question the provision.
"I think it's a good law because women go through a lot when they are on their menses [periods]," says Ndekela Mazimba, who works in public relations.
Ms Mazimba is neither married nor does she have children but she takes her Mother's Day every month because of her gruelling period pains.
"You might find that on the first day of your menses, you'll have stomach cramps - really bad stomach cramps. You can take whatever painkillers but end up in bed the whole day.
Mutinta Musokotwane-Chikopela says there are already too many holidays in Zambia
"And sometimes, you find that someone is irritable before her menses start, but as they progress, it gets better. So, in my case, it's just the first day to help when the symptoms are really bad."
Women in Zambia do not need to make prior arrangements to be absent from work, but can simply call in on the day to say they are taking Mother's Day.
An employer who denies female employees this entitlement can be prosecuted.
Ms Mazimba's boss, Justin Mukosa, supports the law and says he understands the pressure women face in juggling careers and family responsibilities.
A married man himself, he says the measure can have a positive impact on women's work:
"Productivity is not only about the person being in the office. It should basically hinge on the output of that person."
But he admits there are problems with the current system in terms of losing staff at short notice and also the temptation for people to play the system:
"It could be abused in the context that maybe an individual might have some personal plans they wish to attend to so she takes Mother's Day on the day.
Ndekela Mazimba's (R) boss Justin Mukosa (L) is supportive of the law
Not everyone is so supportive of Mother's Day, and there are many women among the critics.
Mutinta Musokotwane-Chikopela is married and has three children.
She has a full-time marketing job but never takes Mother's Day, arguing that it encourages laziness in working women.
"I don't believe in it and I don't take it. Menses are a normal thing in a woman's body; it's like being pregnant or childbirth," she says.
"I think women take advantage of that, especially that there's no way of proving that you are on your menses or not."
Ms Chikopela says the provision should have been made more clear in the law.
"The problem in Zambia is that we have too many holidays - including a holiday for national prayers. So I guess Mother's Day makes those that love holidays happy."
Women in Zambia are traditionally the primary care-givers in the family
The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the umbrella body representing the country's workers, is also a supporter of the law.
But the entitlement "would have to be forfeited" if a woman were to take it on a day that she was not on her period, says Catherine Chinunda, national trustee at ZCTU.
"We have been educating women about Mother's Day, telling them that on that day, they are supposed to rest and not even go shopping or do other jobs because that is wrong," she says.
The law itself provides no guidance about what is allowed and it would appear that very few, if any, employers have internal policy guidance in that respect.
She dismisses the idea that men should also get a day off every month, as has been suggested by some:
"Men sometimes go to drink and miss work…. they don't know how it feels to be on menses."
But while praising the concept of Mother's Day, some argue that the reality is bad for business.
"Your superiors may have planned work for you to do and when you suddenly stay away from work, it means work will suffer, says Harrington Chibanda, head of the Zambia Federation of Employers.
Lawyer Linda Kasonde says the law recognises the important role Zambian women play in society
"Imagine a company that has a number of employees and six or seven take Mother's Day on the same day. What will happen to productivity?" he asks.
Labour Minister Joyce Nonde-Simukoko, a former trade union activist, tells me that Mother's Day was initially informally observed in the 1990s before eventually being brought into law.
But she has stern words for anyone thinking of using the entitlement to bunk off work:
"If you absent yourself yet you are found in a disco house, then it will not be taken as Mother's Day.
"You shouldn't even leave town, be found doing your hair or shopping. You can be fired. For example, somebody was found farming after taking Mother's Day and she was fired."
One of the problems with the law is that it does not make this explicit, leading to confusion among employers and employees alike.
But perhaps even more than the practical benefits, it is the intention and the spirit of the legislation that many Zambians support.
"The reason why mother's day is important within the Zambian context is that it recognises that women are the primary care-givers in our society - regardless of whether they are married or not."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38490513
|
Mike Phelan: Hull City sack head coach after less than three months in permanent role - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Premier League strugglers Hull City sack head coach Mike Phelan less than three months after his caretaker role was made permanent.
| null |
Phelan, 54, took over as caretaker manager following Steve Bruce's departure in the summer, becoming a permanent appointment in October.
But with City in the relegation zone, picking up three points from their last nine games, the club announced they had "parted company" with Phelan.
Hull said they were already searching for a replacement, with an announcement to be made "in due course".
Phelan made a promising start to his Hull City career, winning the manager of the month award for August, but the Tigers' last league win was on 6 November, a 2-1 victory over Southampton.
Swansea's victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday night sent Hull to the bottom of the table, three points from safety.
Former Manchester United assistant Phelan was in charge of the club for just 85 days as a manager, plus 81 days as caretaker boss.
Assistant Neil McDonald, goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms and chief scout Stan Ternent have also left the club.
On Twitter, the club said: "We would like to thank Mike for his efforts both as assistant manager and head coach over the last two years."
Phelan's last game in charge was a 3-1 defeat by West Brom on New Year's Eve. City were leading 1-0 at half-time but collapsed in the second half, falling to a fifth defeat in seven games.
Hull will next play fellow strugglers Swansea in the FA Cup third round before taking on Manchester United in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals on 10 January.
It has been a tumultuous season for the club, which is up for sale. In July, Bruce left as manager after gaining promotion to the Premier League with a breakdown in his relationship with vice-chairman Ehab Allam contributing to his departure.
At the beginning of the season injuries had left the Tigers with only 13 fit senior players although Phelan, while in temporary charge, did begin the campaign with successive league wins.
Victories have been harder to come by since September, however, and with fellow strugglers Swansea and Crystal Palace sacking their managers over Christmas, Phelan paid the price as newly promoted Hull attempt to maintain their Premier League status.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes, whose team beat Watford 2-0 on Tuesday, said: "Mike got the job under difficult circumstances and I thought recent performances had markedly improved, so it showed he was having an impact.
"He's a great football guy, but that's the Premier League for you - it's ruthless and sometimes, at this time of year, owners get panicky."
The dash to avoid the drop from the Premier League has claimed another victim with Hull City's sacking of Mike Phelan.
Phelan has gone the same way as Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace and Bob Bradley at Swansea City as further evidence that patience simply does not - indeed some clubs feel it cannot - exist when the threat of relegation looms.
And yet here is a manager who took his time to accept the Hull job when contenders were hardly queuing outside the door of the KC Stadium and after being named Premier League manager of the month in August.
Phelan has also guided Hull to the EFL Cup semi-final against his former club Manchester United but this has simply not figured in the club's calculations when weighed against the fact they are bottom of the table with only 13 points from 20 games.
Phelan has hardly had massive backing in the transfer market and in many games Hull actually played well without getting points on the board. This has ultimately cost him his job.
The Tigers now need to choose carefully and see if they can find a way to back a new manager in the January market - with former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett the name being mentioned after Phelan's departure.
Premier League management is a brutal business but there must still be a large measure of sympathy for Phelan after taking on a task which plenty thought was a thankless one.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38503364
|
Exec pay under fire on 'Fatcat Wednesday' - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Execs will have earned more by midday on January 4, than ordinary workers earn in the entire year, says the High Pay Centre think tank.
| null |
Execs will have earned more by midday on January 4, than ordinary workers earn in the entire year, says the High Pay Centre think tank.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38512258
|
Cuba says 'yes' to English as tourism flourishes - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Cubans are increasingly learning English as tourism flourishes on the Communist-run island.
|
Latin America & Caribbean
|
As Cuba slowly opens up its economy to the rest of the world, more and more Cubans are learning English. The Cuban government has made proficiency in English a requirement for all high school and university students. As Will Grant reports from Havana, that approach differs from the Cold War, when Russian was the preferred foreign language.
At the annual Havana Jazz Festival, the audience members, much like the music, were a mix of international and Cuban.
Sitting on plastic chairs at the open-air venue, visitors from the United States, Europe and China mingled with local jazz aficionados.
On stage, a saxophonist who lives in Denmark was reunited with some old Cuban friends.
At such an international event, the common language is generally English.
Many Cubans are already learning the language themselves, and if not, they are trying to make sure their children are.
Morning assembly at Jesus Suarez Gayol Secondary School on the outskirts of Havana begins with the school's anthem.
Secondary school pupils are expected to reach a certain standard in English
The school is named after one of the guerrillas who fought alongside Ernesto "Che" Guevara but these teenagers are growing up in an increasingly different Cuba to the one Jesus Suarez did.
For a start, a certain proficiency in English is now a requirement for all secondary school children and university graduates.
During the Cold War, students could choose between learning English and Russian but Cuba's educational authorities told the BBC they now consider English a necessary skill for all of the nation's youth.
"As an international language, English has always had a place in our curriculum," says Director of Secondary Education Zoe de la Red Iturria.
"But we are now rolling out new techniques to evolve our learning of the English language," she adds.
Zoe de la Red Iturria wants to modernise English-language learning in Cuba
But language-teaching methods remain quite traditional, relying heavily on textbooks, parrot-fashion repetition and with only very limited Internet access.
Olga Perez, national adviser for English teaching in Cuba, says the authorities are hoping to tackle that last issue.
"It would be very good for us if we had the internet in the schools. And we hope that in the future, we'll not only have the internet, we're also dreaming of installing language laboratories in every school."
And it is not just in the classrooms that English can be heard more frequently but on the streets of Havana, too.
In what was a record year for tourism to Cuba, many Cubans have tried to teach themselves English without the help of any formal classes.
Darvis Luis sells second-hand books and posters to tourists. He says he learnt English entirely through computer games, music videos and rock songs.
"I have to make conversation because I need to make money to eat," he says in easy-flowing, fast English.
"I have to learn how to speak with them and I have to get better and better. I tell them a story because books aren't so easy to sell. So you have to make them believe in what you're saying."
Darvis Luis taught himself English to be able to better sells his second-hand books to tourists
Resources for Anglophiles and budding English-language students like Darvis Luis are limited in Cuba.
One place they can go is Cuba Libro, the island's only English-language bookstore.
Nestled in the leafy Havana district of Vedado, it is the brainchild of US healthcare journalist and long-time Havana resident Conner Gorry.
Ms Gorry says that after some initial misgivings, local residents "welcomed us with open arms" once they saw "the free cultural programming, high-quality literature and community outreach" on offer.
"Literature is not subversive," she says. "A Cuban government-run publishing house just published George Orwell's 1984 and that's available in state-run bookstores."
"With increased tourism and increased business connections to the wider world, the Cubans are encouraging people to learn English. So we've become a resource," she adds.
In the past months, as well as the jazz festival, Havana has hosted the annual film festival and the international ballet festival.
The Latin American Film Festival has drawn Cubans and tourists to Havana
It is at events like these that the thaw in relations with the US seems clearer than ever.
The decision by the Obama Administration and the Castro government to rebuild their diplomatic ties has undeniably brought Cubans and Americans closer together.
It has also brought about some potentially lasting collaboration in science and the arts.
There are people on both sides who fear those steps could soon be reversed, especially in light of comments made to that effect by President-elect Donald Trump.
For now though, the young students at Jesus Suarez are just keen to keep improving their ability to communicate with the rest of the world.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38467299
|
Sir Ivan's resignation sign of greater Whitehall strain - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
What does the resignation of the UK's ambassador to the EU say about the Brexit process?
|
UK Politics
|
For one minister - an enthusiast for Brexit - it was very simple: "You're either on board, or you're not. He wasn't. We move on." The minister sounded rather cheerful.
So, Sir Ivan Rogers had gone because his face didn't fit. Now the way was clear for a true believer in the opportunities opened up by the vote to leave the EU.
If only winning a good deal for Britain in its divorce from the European Union, and eventually on the terms of trade for the UK outside the EU, was half so simple.
But the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers has revealed more than the difficulty and complexity of Britain's EU divorce. It has highlighted wider strains in Whitehall between some mandarins and some ministers, up to and including Theresa May.
Mandarins and ambassadors perennially advise more junior mandarins on the importance of speaking truth to power. On this occasion, Sir Ivan's leaked farewell memo can fairly be read as a protest and a warning. Concern is growing among some high-ranking officials that ministers don't understand or won't admit the scale of the task they're facing.
That concern broke surface last week, when the head of the top civil servants' trade union, the FDA, suggested ministers lacked the courage to own up to the difficulties of Brexit for fear of displaying political weakness.
Dave Penman's particular worry, as the nearest thing mandarins have to a shop steward, was that ministers might leave the government machine unable to cope adequately with the day-to-day business of government.
Of course, trade unions tend to demand more resources on behalf of their members. It's their job.
But it was an unusually political contribution from an organisation which represents the most exalted, and rigidly non-political, beings in Whitehall.
By extension, if the complaint is justified, refusing to recognise the scale and complexities of Brexit might jeopardise the success of the mission itself.
Theresa May has promised to give a major speech on Brexit
The mere suggestion that senior officials might lack commitment to the task of making Brexit work as a result of political prejudice makes officials bristle. They insist they don't take sides - they take orders and try to make them work.
For their part, Brexit enthusiasts insist Britain's future outside the EU is assured, if only all concerned would recognise the strength of the UK's position as a strategic and trading power.
Their conviction is strengthened by a sense that the scepticism they detect in Whitehall and elsewhere is not merely faint-hearted or unpatriotic but also undermining to the prospects of eventual success.
No-one can say Brexit is coming off the rails. It hasn't even started.
But as if preparing to face 27 other European states, the European Parliament and the European Commission wasn't daunting enough a task to begin with, confidence in Whitehall and Westminster about the negotiations and life after Brexit is being undermined by tension between the people who run the government machine and their new political masters - and by old rivalries between Remainers and Brexiteers, even though that civil war was fought, and lost and won half a year ago.
In Downing Street the driving motivation is not ideological passion. Theresa May stood on the Remain side in the June referendum, admittedly with no great display of enthusiasm. Her prime concern now is making the plan work.
The prime minister is a pragmatist. The trouble with that, just now, is there's no clear sense of what the plan is.
We are promised a major speech by the prime minister in coming weeks, giving more detail of the plan for Brexit.
Who knows? It may even relieve some of the steady pressure on her and her ministers for more clarity.
Given the fact Mrs May and her team above all want to keep their cards closed, and their options open, I'll believe it when I see it.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38509459
|
Veganuary: Is following a vegan diet for a month worth it? - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
A record number of people have signed up for Veganuary - swerving meat and dairy for January - but does it do any good?
|
UK
|
The Veganuary campaign, encouraging people to try a vegan diet for the month most commonly associated with resolution and change, is under way, with a record 50,000 people signed up.
But can forgoing meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey for 31 days do any good?
The adverts are on display, supporters on board and partner restaurants are promoting their meat and dairy-free dishes.
Campaign organisers say following a vegan diet, even for such a short spell, can bring benefits.
It promotes the animal rights argument - that sentient animals should not be eaten or used in food production. And environmental grounds - warning about the pollution caused by raising animals and as a by-product of agriculture.
But it also says a balanced vegan diet can provide the nutrition people need in concord with health benefits - catchy at a time of year when people look to make up for festive excesses.
Veganuary spokeswoman Clea Grady told the BBC she feels "brilliant - better than I ever have" as a result of trying, and staying with, a vegan diet.
The charity says the change can lessen obesity, cut blood pressure, and lower the levels of type 2 diabetes.
"More than 75 per cent of people who have tried going vegan for a month report an improvement in their health.
"They said they slept better and they lost an average of 6lbs as a result of their changed diet," the Veganuary website says.
There is a lot to be said for "strict dietary changes" says Lucy Jones, consultant dietician and spokeswoman for the BDA, the Association of UK Dieticians.
"If people follow a restricted diet, they think about what they're eating - you can no longer pop into the office and eat a biscuit or a cake."
They tend to "plan their meals in advance, prepare and cook from scratch".
"It is certainly possible to have an awful diet. But, as a vegan, you tend to have more plant proteins, beans and pulses and more fruit and vegetables," she says.
"We have to be cautious about what you can achieve. But having a month where you are eating more fruit, vegetables and nuts can't be a bad thing."
Proponents say it's a time for change
Veganuary can lead to changed eating habits throughout the year.
Will all those greens and pulses have an impact on pounds and pressures?
"The impact on blood sugars is fairly immediate, cholesterol takes a few weeks and blood pressure takes longer, and comes with the weight loss," says Lucy.
All burgers, and all dinners, are not created equal
There's a bias in play after years of being told meat, eggs and animal fats are bad for us, she says.
"There is a world of difference between hamburgers and hot dogs, fried eggs and pasteurised milk, versus grass-fed organic meat, pastured poultry, poached organic eggs and raw, or at least organic, dairy," she says, touching on the continuing debate about the benefit of organic foods.
"Vegan is a plant-based diet with high vegetables but also large amounts of cereal grains (both refined and unrefined) and legumes, both of which are low in bio-available nutrients and high in anti-nutrients such as phytate.
"On the other hand wholefood animal produce such as organic meats, fish and shellfish and eggs are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat," she explains.
Vegans can run low on minerals and vitamins like B12, iron, zinc, D and calcium - in fact the Veganuary website points towards supplementing B12 to ensure it's covered.
And, whereas some studies show vegans and vegetarians living longer, she says, they often include people who pursue other healthy lifestyle traits, like exercise and not drinking alcohol, comparing them with the junk food-lovers.
In January, both experts observe that anyone going from Christmas excess to a vegan diet plus exercise will feel different.
But Kahler warns they can become nutrient-deficient down the line.
"People use the words 'balance' and 'in moderation' as a cover to incorporate whatever they want in their diet. Moderation isn't the key to health," she says.
"Setting boundaries is the key along with an understanding that there are certain 'foods' - like fizzy drinks and doughnuts - that we consume which simply should not be labelled with the word 'food'".
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38506418
|
The spy with no name - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
In 1977 a woman thought she had finally tracked down the son she had abandoned as a baby. What followed was an extraordinary tale of deception and heartbreak.
|
Magazine
|
In 1977, Johanna van Haarlem finally tracked down the son, Erwin, she had abandoned as a baby 33 years earlier. She immediately travelled to London to meet him. What followed, writes Jeff Maysh, is an unbelievable story of deception and heartbreak.
It was a cold Saturday morning in April 1988 when a van full of detectives arrived outside the North London home of Erwin van Haarlem. The self-employed art dealer, 44, lived alone in sleepy Friern Barnet, a smattering of brick homes beside the grim North Circular ring road.
The Dutchman's apartment building on Silver Birch Close had become the centre of an investigation led by the British intelligence agency MI5. It suspected that Van Haarlem - whom neighbours described as an "oddball" - was not in the art business at all, but a sinister foreign agent.
Inside, Van Haarlem was hunched over a radio in his kitchen. He was still wearing his pyjamas, but his hair was parted neatly to one side. He was tuned in, as he was every morning, to a mysterious "number station". In his earpiece, a female voice recited numbers in Czech, followed by the blip-bleep of Morse code.
At 09:15 detectives from Special Branch, the anti-terror unit of London's Metropolitan Police, crashed into his apartment. Van Haarlem tried to lower his radio's antenna. It jammed. When he pulled open a drawer and grabbed a kitchen knife, an officer tackled him, and yelled: "Enough! It is over! It is over!"
Hidden among his easels and paintings, detectives discovered tiny codebooks concealed in a bar of soap, strange chemicals, and car magazines later found to contain messages written in invisible ink. Investigators suspected Van Haarlem was not really from the Netherlands, but was a spy for the UK's Cold War adversary, the Soviet Union.
Under a bright spotlight at a police station in Central London, Van Haarlem protested his innocence. Then, 10 days later, things turned really strange: a visitor arrived claiming to be the prisoner's mother. Johanna van Haarlem was a Dutch woman in her early sixties, who peered at detectives from behind huge glasses. Her son was no spy, she insisted, but an honest Dutchman - the child she had abandoned in 1944 and rediscovered 11 years earlier. The baffled detectives allowed her to visit their suspect.
"Tell me, I'm hearing all these strange stories," she said. "You're not really a spy, are you?"
"We have a saying that where you see the smoke, there will be a fire," Van Haarlem told her. "But this time it is not true. Too much of the smoke and no fire. I did absolutely nothing that could harm England."
Johanna sighed with relief. "But why? Why all of this, then?" she said.
"Don't ask me. Ask them."
And then he noticed a tiny red spot on her forearm. The DNA blood test results from the Home Office laboratory indicated, with near certainty, that they were not related. Johanna van Haarlem broke down in tears as her world collapsed.
Johanna van Haarlem was 52 on her first visit to London to meet Erwin
On 6 February 1989, at London's Old Bailey, prosecutor Roy Amlot told a jury that the defendant had stolen her son's identity.
"You may think that if he knew all along, it was a cruel thing to do to her," he said.
The trial captivated the press. The Daily Express described Van Haarlem as "an old-fashioned... slick-suited spy who inhabited a world of dead letterboxes and secret codes". Exotic beauties came forward to kiss-and-tell about their love affairs with the spy. But the most wounded victim stood in the witness box, the tragic Dutchwoman, Johanna van Haarlem.
On 4 March 1989, at 11:45, the judge sentenced Erwin van Haarlem to 10 years in prison for espionage. "He is probably the first person to be tried at the Old Bailey under an alias," one senior Scotland Yard officer told a reporter. The "spy with no name", as the newspapermen called him, would take his secrets with him to his cell.
After months of negotiation and false starts, I met Erwin van Haarlem on a spring day in Prague, in 2016. Although he had lived quietly as a free man for the past 23 years, spies famously do not talk. Introduced to me by the Czech crime journalist, Jaroslav Kmenta, Van Haarlem arrived at a restaurant near the city's Old Town Square, wearing a smart blue blazer. After carefully checking my identification he began, in accented English, to tell me his story.
It began on 23 August 1944, when he was born Vaclav Jelinek in Modrany, a small village near Prague. His father had owned a small bakery there, selling biscuits and ice creams, until the Communists took power. Young Jelinek enlisted in mandatory military service, and, as the Cold War intensified, he graduated to a position in the Czechoslovak Ministry of the Interior. He dreamed of military valour and excitement. But what he got was mind-numbing shifts and grunt work.
One day his superiors caught him studying German vocabulary instead of guarding a checkpoint in the snow. They marched him to an upstairs office where he expected disciplinary action. Instead he was introduced to two members of Statni bezpecnost - the Czechoslovak secret State police. The StB was a shadowy spy agency that reported directly to the Soviets.
The StB agents had studied his file and learned that Jelinek was defiant, a womaniser, highly intelligent, prone to violence, patriotic, and a risk-taker. In other words, perfect spy material. After careful training, they decided he was ready to begin an undercover mission abroad, spying on the West.
The StB searched through its files of missing persons and assigned Jelinek a false identity - that of a Dutch boy, abandoned at an orphanage in Holesovice, Prague, at the end of World War Two. The child had been born just one day before Jelinek.
"Your new name," they told him, "is Erwin van Haarlem."
He applied for a Dutch passport, and arrived in London by train in June 1975. To the boy from Prague, it was an alien city swarming with traffic, fashion, and danger. He took a job at the 24th-floor Roof restaurant at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, Mayfair, hoping to spy on the Royals down the road at Buckingham Palace.
At night, he exchanged coded messages with his home country via radio. One of his first ideas was to try planting listening devices in the Queen's furniture, he recalls, though he and his bosses realised it was technically unrealistic.
His secret career was running smoothly until late 1977, when he received a disturbing message from Prague: "YOUR MOTHER IS TRYING TO FIND YOU IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA WITH THE HELP OF THE RED CROSS. SHOULD THE RED CROSS FIND YOU, A MEETING IS TO BE AGREED WITH."
He read the message over and over again. In October of that year, Van Haarlem received a handwritten letter from Johanna van Haarlem. The Dutch embassy had given her his address, she wrote. She was thrilled to find him. As he had been ordered, the spy politely replied in November, enclosing some photographs. He began the letter: "Dear mother". When he sent a cordial invitation to visit him in London, she left immediately.
Johanna woke up early on 1 January 1978, in a West London hotel. Her stomach was knotted with nerves. She stepped on to the street littered with the detritus of New Year's Eve. It was her plan to arrive early and check out her son's address. But on the opposite side of the street a familiar-looking young man walked past.
"Are you Mrs van Haarlem?" the spy said, stopping in his tracks.
"Hello Mother, it's your son."
They embraced in the middle of the street. Johanna stepped back to look at him. Tears were rolling down her face.
"Your father did not have such dark hair," said Johanna, studying him. Then she commented that he was shorter than his father.
Inside his apartment a champagne cork popped as Johanna breathlessly told him her life story. The bottle had frozen in the refrigerator but Van Haarlem managed to pour a couple of glasses.
She had grown up in The Hague, in Holland, and was an 18-year-old virgin when she met his father on a train, in November 1943. Gregor Kulig was a Nazi. He was blue-eyed, 23, and Polish. Handsome. At a party four weeks later, she said, he raped her.
And when her father discovered she was pregnant, he exploded. "You are a sinner!" he told her. He ordered her to take the child to a distant town and give him away.
Full of sadness and desperation, in autumn 1944 Johanna travelled to Czechoslovakia by train. After a brief effort to survive there as a single mother, she walked into an orphanage in Holesovice, Prague. Sobbing, she kissed baby Erwin goodbye, and returned to Holland alone.
Her father - a Jew who had joined the National Socialist Movement to protect his family - destroyed the adoption papers and banned her from ever speaking about her son.
Over the years, dozens of letters arrived from the orphanage asking Johanna to take back her child. They went unanswered. But every year on his birthday, Johanna silently remembered her missing son, his name she could not even speak: Erwin van Haarlem.
Now she had found him. As they finished their champagne, he took her hand in his.
"You have to believe it," he told her. "I am your son."
Shortly after their emotional "reunion", Johanna invited Erwin to meet the Van Haarlem family in Holland. When the spy arrived at her bungalow in early 1978, one-by-one he shook hands with the whole family. They studied him like a specimen in a zoo. Johanna's niece approached Van Haarlem, and seemed to scan him from head to toe. Did she know?
"He has the nice Van Haarlem legs," she told the crowd, approvingly.
Back in London, having a Dutch, Jewish mother only improved Van Haarlem's cover. His main task, the spy told me, was to gather information about Refuseniks, the Jews held in the Soviet Union despite their requests to emigrate, who had become political pawns in Cold War peace talks. He also gained prize information about underwater sonar chains, which alerted Nato to Soviet submarine movements.
British defence journalist Kim Sengupta later described Van Haarlem in this era as "a brilliantly successful deep penetration agent", who, over the years, visited the Polaris submarine base at the British Admiralty's Underwater Research Unit, as well as "a string of sensitive military installations".
For these fantastic intelligence scores, Van Haarlem received a medal from the Soviet Union at a private party held in his honour in Prague.
"He moved a lot," Johanna later told a Dutch radio station. "From that small apartment I visited the first time to bigger, fancier places… I had no idea why he moved so much. He was doing better and better, you could tell by his clothes, shoes and houses that he was going in the right direction."
Erwin showered Johanna with presents including a Wedgwood vase, a gold and sapphire ring, and a gold coin. But at heart he was tiring of this relationship with his "fake" mother. In his mind she was a Nazi, a fascist, and a collaborator with foreign soldiers. He recalls travelling to Holland to introduce a girlfriend to Johanna - keeping up appearances.
Inside the Dutch restaurant, folk music played and locals danced. Johanna got carried away, he said. A local man whirled her around the dance floor, and suddenly the spy saw her as a young girl, dancing with the Nazi soldiers.
A blind rage swept over him like a fire. "She is at that again," he thought. "She never changes. She is 60!" One of the men held Johanna close, and gave a friend a suggestive wink. It nearly tipped van Haarlem over the edge.
Some time later, back in London, Van Haarlem's telephone shrieked. The blissful silence in his apartment was shattered. He sat up in bed and checked the time. It was 03:00.
"Dear son, I could not help it, I had to hear your voice." Johanna was slurring. Van Haarlem guessed she had been drinking. "I will sell my house and come to London," she said. "We will live together."
"I absolutely understand why you are so upset, Mum," he said. "Of course it would be wonderful to live together, especially since our fate prevented us doing so in the past. Mum, you know what? Let's go to bed now and think about it overnight. I will call you tomorrow."
He slammed down the phone but could not drift back to sleep. He was growing increasingly concerned about her behaviour. He simply couldn't afford her to be a liability. His life depended on it. But there was little he could do - he was stuck with her.
On her next visit, mother and son were driving through Golders Green in North London when Van Haarlem forgot to give the right of way to another car. The other driver slammed on his brakes to avoid a crash.
"Sorry, friend!" said Erwin pleasantly, with a wave of his hand.
Johanna snapped. "Why are you apologising?" she shouted. "You are so yielding, so soft! A typical Slav!"
Van Haarlem was shocked. "He had the right of way," he said.
"Right of way! Right of way!" she parroted.
Gripping the wheel, the spy fumed. "You'll pay with interest for that," he thought. But he would never get the chance.
One afternoon in autumn 1986 Van Haarlem noticed two cars driving closely behind him, pulling manoeuvres he recognised from his spy training.
"They must be tailing someone," he thought. Then the penny dropped: "They are tailing you! You stupid ass!"
He had by now quit his job at the Hilton - after rising from a lowly waiter to assistant purchase manager. He had set up himself up as a freelance artist and art dealer, and paid cash for the unassuming flat in Friern Barnet.
It should have been the last place anyone would look for a foreign spy, but it soon became a hotbed of chicanery. There was the technician who came to "fix" his telephone, the new postmen, and the dedicated window cleaners who washed his windows not weekly, but seemingly daily.
Van Haarlem was not the only one who noticed peculiar goings-on.
Mrs Saint, 61, who co-ordinated the local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, said she telephoned the police in November 1987 to report strange noises and a "Morse code" interference which affected her television reception every night at 21:20.
Soon afterwards, in April 1988, that mysterious van parked outside Van Haarlem's apartment.
Johanna van Haarlem heard about the arrest on BBC radio. Then investigators arrived at her home and asked her to testify against the spy at his trial.
"When we finally made eye contact I felt hurt. I didn't see any sign of remorse, not a wink, no warmth, nothing," she said of the trial. A part of her was in denial, continuing to look in vain for a son's affection. "He showed me coldness," she said, "and looked at me like this was the end."
Van Haarlem was sent to Parkhurst prison on the Isle of Wight. After five years, the end of the Cold War, and a hunger strike, he was released and deported to what had by then become the Czech Republic.
I asked if he ever felt any compassion for Johanna.
"I had no pity whatsoever," he said.
"She was rather dominant and I had to put up with her. Sometimes I had enough of her," he added, describing many real mother-son relationships.
During the five years he spent in a prison cell, he went on, one thing about his case remained a puzzle. It was a statement that Johanna made about how she found him. "Without being asked," he told me, "she said only on her own, from her own will, she started the whole action, trying to find me."
From her own will. It was a funny thing to say, he thought.
Was it a coincidence that Johanna's motherly instincts awakened just months after his application for a Dutch passport? Who else might have inspired her to track down her son, and why? We may never know, as Johanna van Haarlem died in 2004. However, the spy has his own theory.
"We thought she was under the guidance of MI5 or the Dutch security service," he said.
Could Johanna also have been a spy? Though it seems unlikely, in this world of disguise and deception, anything is possible.
Adapted from The Spy With No Name by @JeffMaysh (Amazon Kindle Singles), published today.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38261956
|
Syncing feeling lifts music industry - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Bands used to be accused of "selling out" if a TV programme or commercial used their music, but now "sync licensing" is a big earner for them.
|
Business
|
Sting's campaign for his Desert Rose single relied heavily on "sync licensing"
It seems quaint to recall that bands used to be accused of "selling out" if a TV programme or commercial used their music.
Nowadays, rock and pop artists of all kinds have become reconciled to that particular way of doing what the Clash used to call "turning rebellion into money".
So when did it all change? Well, one of the big turning points came when Sting not only allowed a carmaker to use one of his songs in an advert, but even appeared in it too.
In the year 2000, Sting was having trouble selling his Brand New Day album, while radio stations were shunning its second single Desert Rose, a duet with Algerian rai music artist Cheb Mami.
Then, in a landmark for what is now known as "sync licensing", the singer and his manager, Miles Copeland, had a brainwave.
The video for the song showed Sting travelling in a brand new Jaguar S-Type car. So why not approach Jaguar's advertising agency and offer them the chance to make a commercial based on the video?
The Jaguar S-Type was in production from 1999 to 2009
"He was actually in the commercial," says Matt Bristow, who is business affairs manager at independent UK record label Cherry Red. "If you had gone back to Sting in the 80s and said, 'Would you fancy being in a car commercial?', he would probably have said no."
After that, the single reached the top 20 in 10 countries, including the UK and the US. And since then, sync deals placing music tracks in TV commercials, TV series, films and even video games have become steadily more important as a revenue earner for the music industry.
With record companies unable to sell physical copies of their releases in the same quantities that they used to, they have sought other sources of revenue, and sync licensing is now one of the key ones.
As a result, previously obscure job categories have come to the fore as the industry rebalances to reflect this. The 21st Century has seen the rise of music supervisors, people who oversee the process of finding the right song for a scene and making sure the right people get paid for it.
These are the gatekeepers who decide which tunes you will be hearing in that latest hit TV show, the essential liaison between the creative types who make the programme and the business people who control ownership of the music.
Cherry Red, like other record companies, fosters relationships with music supervisors and does whatever it can to make them aware of the music it has to offer.
The Netflix series Stranger Things features one of Cherry Red's tracks
"If you go back a decade or more, I think certainly the bigger artists were not very receptive to these kinds of licences," says Mr Bristow. "When a thriving physical market was still with us, there was a view that you were selling out if you did that.
"But that's changed. There's more awareness of the importance of maximising your income.
"The door has definitely been opened. Artists at all levels are more receptive to doing these kinds of deals than in the past."
Cherry Red's most notable success in sync licensing to date has been placing a song on the soundtrack on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, which successfully applied to use the track Green Desert by German electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream.
"The approach came from Nora Felder, who is well known in the music sync world as a passionate music supervisor," says Mr Bristow.
"We didn't haggle over the fee," he adds. "Obviously I can't tell you what it was, but it was comfortably in the ballpark of what that sort of deal would be."
In this case, approval was required from the recording artists. Since Tangerine Dream's frontman Edgar Froese died in 2015, his widow Bianca was the one who gave it the green light.
But the deal was not sealed until the final cut of the scene using the music had been signed off by the show's creators, at which point Cherry Red was able to invoice them for the money.
Tangerine Dream's Edgar Froese died in 2015 at the age of 70
"That's really great for us, it's like having a calling card when we go and see other music supervisors," says Mr Bristow. "When we say we've got a track on Stranger Things, they immediately know what we're talking about."
When music supervisors are seeking to obtain permission to use a track, they need to clear two different sets of rights: the rights to use the actual recorded piece of music, known as the "master rights", and the rights to use the written composition, or the "publishing rights".
"It's very attractive in the sync world when you control both rights and they can just clear with you," says Mr Bristow. "It's a one-stop shop when you control both rights."
When Cherry Red signs a new artist these days, the label is seeking to acquire both master and publishing rights.
However, music publishers and record companies have different priorities and it can be hard for one firm to give equal weight to both.
As a result, musicians have traditionally been reluctant to put all their eggs in one basket, so that's another way in which the industry is having to change.
"It's an old adage that you don't put your masters and publishing in the same place. It's historically the unwritten rule in the artists' community," says Mr Bristow.
At present, Cherry Red controls the master rights of about 50,000 tracks and the publishing rights of about 16,000. The major labels - Universal, Sony and Warner - own far more tracks, especially the well-known big hits that are sought after by advertising agencies.
But as an indie label, Mr Bristow says, Cherry Red can be "flexible on price" and sometimes benefits when the song that the ad agency wanted to use turns out to be too expensive.
"When the music supervisor has been given a big-name track and they just can't clear it for the budget, they're looking for something that sounds similar," he says.
Mr Bristow says the amount of money coming in from sync licensing is set to grow. "It's still pretty small overall, but it's increasing, the opportunities are increasing.
"The more depth and breadth in catalogue you have, the more opportunities there are in the sync world."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38341251
|
The ex-CIA agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Ex-CIA agent John Nixon describes how he interrogated former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after his capture.
|
US & Canada
|
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. John Nixon says Saddam Hussein was the most secretive man he has ever met
When former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, the CIA required a specialist who could identify and interrogate him for information. That person was John Nixon.
Mr Nixon had studied Saddam Hussein since joining the CIA in 1998. His role was to gather insight into leaders around the world, analysing "what made them tick," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"When a crisis hits, policy makers come to us with the questions about who these people are, what they want, why are they doing this."
He had been in Iraq when the ousted leader was discovered by US troops in a small, underground hole next to farm buildings near his hometown of Tikrit.
When the news of Hussein's discovery came through, the US needed him to be identified - a task presented to Mr Nixon.
There had been rumours at the time that Saddam Hussein had numerous body doubles, but Mr Nixon - who left the CIA in 2011 - says "there was no doubt in my mind as soon as I saw him, that it was him".
The "spider hole" where Saddam Hussein was hiding when he was captured
"When I started talking to him, he gave me the same look he had on a book that had sat on my desk for years. Surreal doesn't come close."
Mr Nixon took on the role of interrogator and was the first person to question Saddam Hussein at length, doing so across a number of days.
"I had to keep pinching myself that I was questioning the most wanted man in the world. It seemed ludicrous," he says.
Mr Nixon, author of Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein, describes the former leader as a "mass of contradictions".
He saw "the human side" of Saddam Hussein, he says, in great contrast to the depiction presented by US media.
"He was one of the most charismatic individuals I've ever encountered. When he wanted to be he could be charming, nice, funny and polite."
But he could also switch to a much darker side. Mr Nixon describes him as rude, arrogant, nasty and mean-spirited - and scary when he lost his temper.
"There were two or three occasions when my questioning got on his bad side," Mr Nixon says.
Hussein had been unrestrained as he sat in the small, dingy room in which he was interrogated, sitting on a metal, foldable chair.
Only Mr Nixon, a polygrapher and an interpreter were also present in the room.
Nevertheless, Mr Nixon says the former leader - as a narcissist - "liked the interaction he got by talking to me".
At the end of the first session, in which Mr Nixon tried to establish a rapport with Saddam Hussein in the hope he would cooperate, Saddam said he had enjoyed the conversation.
"He had been in hiding for months and hadn't had many conversations," Mr Nixon says.
It was a positive start, but the next day Mr Nixon says Saddam Hussein "came back more suspicious".
"He is one of the most suspicious men I've ever met - every question I asked him he had one for me."
Mr Nixon admits the CIA had little to offer Hussein in the way of an incentive to speak.
"We had to appeal to sense of history and the prospect of him getting his views heard on record, and by the highest of powers in the world."
In 2006, Saddam Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging
There were certain subject areas he was required to cover by the CIA, but otherwise he was left to his own devices.
"I knew I had to try and get answers.
"Working for the agency, you are taught how to debrief sources and make them into potential assets.
"But you have to be very careful as you don't want to risk not being able to extract the most information possible by going at a topic in the wrong way."
The most important subject area was that of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
The US and UK had used allegations of Iraqi WMDs as a key reason for going to war.
Mr Nixon says "it was all the White House wanted to know", but - from his conversations with Saddam Hussein, his advisers and subsequent research to verify or dismiss his claims - he came to the conclusion that the former Iraqi leader had stopped the country's nuclear weapons program years before and had not intended to restart it.
It was a view that led him and his colleagues to be seen as "failures".
He was not invited to debrief President George W Bush until five years later, in 2008, following separate findings on Saddam Hussein from the FBI.
Mr Nixon is particularly scathing of President Bush, saying - as one of few people that have shaken the hands of both him and Saddam Hussein - he would rather spend time with the latter.
President Bush, he says, was "isolated from reality", with advisers that would "rally around him regardless and nod in agreement".
"I used to think what we said at the CIA mattered and the president would listen, but it doesn't matter what we say, politics trumps intelligence."
Mr Nixon says he is "ashamed" of what has happened in Iraq since the ousting of Saddam Hussein.
He says the Bush administration gave no thought as to what events might take place after Saddam's removal, and - in light of the rise of extremist groups such as the so-called "Islamic State" - believes the region would have been better off had he remained in place.
Such claims have been dismissed by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who led the country at the time of the invasion.
The BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
• None Blair: World better because of Iraq War
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38497767
|
Sofiane Feghouli: West Ham midfielder's red card rescinded - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-04
| null |
West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli has the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United overturned.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
West Ham played for 75 minutes with 10 men after Sofiane Feghouli was dismissed for this challenge on Phil Jones West Ham's Sofiane Feghouli has had the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United rescinded by the Football Association. The midfielder was sent off by referee Mike Dean for a challenge on Red Devils defender Phil Jones 15 minutes into a match the Hammers lost 2-0. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said Jones "made a meal" of the tackle from the Algeria international. He will now be available for Friday's FA Cup tie against Manchester City.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38497190
|
Rail fares: Who are the season ticket winners and losers? - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Rail fare increases have been called a "kick in the teeth" by critics. Yet commuters using annual season tickets in some parts of England find themselves worse off than others.
|
England
|
The cost of annual season tickets has increased by 1.9%, analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found
Commuters in some parts of England will be worse off than others from rail fare rises, which were called a "kick in the teeth" by critics.
In some areas there was no increase in annual season ticket prices, despite wage growth.
Others have seen their annual fares rise despite average pay having fallen.
Across the UK rail fares of all types - from season tickets to single journeys - increased by an average of 2.3% on the first weekday of the new year.
Analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found annual season tickets had increased in cost by 1.9%, while median take-home pay had increased by 2%.
The government said wages were growing faster than regulated fares, which include season tickets.
Passengers commuting to Manchester with the most popular annual season tickets saw no increase at all, while the median take-home wage increased 2.8%.
Annual passes from East Didsbury, Macclesfield, Stockport, Altrincham, Wilmslow, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Glossop and Knutsford are all the same price as they were before the increase.
Yet commuters in Liverpool will pay 1.9% more for an annual pass. This is despite median wages having fallen, according to the Office for National Statistics.
For more stories from the BBC England Data Unit follow our Pinterest board.
Someone travelling from Runcorn to Liverpool would pay £1,532 for their annual pass, £28 more than in 2016.
In Liverpool the average full-time wage, after tax and National Insurance deductions, fell from £21,901 in 2015 to £21,634 in 2016.
The most expensive annual season ticket per mile travelled is Harlow Town to London Liverpool Street.
A commuter pays £3,496, which is £64 more than in 2016. It works out at 39p per mile travelled.
The figures are based on a Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) list of the most commonly used commuter services in six major cities. Our analysis of the figures was based on full-time workers using an annual season ticket five days a week, except on bank holidays or on 25 days of annual leave.
Lianna Etkind, public transport campaigner at the CBT, said: "Wages remain stagnant and trains continue to be hopelessly overcrowded, so commuters are rightly angry at annual fare rises when they see little or no improvement in the service they receive.
"Many commuters are now being charged at a similar level to a premium rate phone number for their season tickets and are left feeling equally as fleeced.
"It's high time the government introduced a fairer ticketing system that actively encouraged rail travel, not penalised people for choosing to take the train."
According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, about 97p in every pound paid by passengers goes back into running and improving services.
RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said: "Money from fares is helping to sustain investment in the longer, newer trains and more punctual journeys that passengers want."
The Department for Transport said it had saved commuters money by capping season ticket increases so they are in line with inflation.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Thanks to action by the government on train ticket prices, wages are growing faster than regulated fares."
Northern Rail, which runs commuter services into Manchester, confirmed it had not increased annual season ticket fares but said other prices had risen.
It declined to comment further.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38497987
|
Mein Kampf: Is Mein Kampf really a hit with Germans? - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Hitler's Mein Kampf has many readers but it is not among Germany's best-sellers.
|
Europe
|
Original editions of Mein Kampf: It urged Germans to avenge their defeat in World War One
"Mein Kampf becomes German best-seller" reads one international headline. "Hitler's Mein Kampf a hit in Germany" reads another.
The fact that the Nazi manifesto reached number one in Der Spiegel's non-fiction charts in April is cited as evidence that Adolf Hitler's propaganda is making a comeback in Germany.
But the term "best-seller" does not necessarily mean very much. A quarter of all books sold in Germany are bought in the run-up to Christmas. At other times of the year it is possible to top listings with relatively few sales.
Mein Kampf (My Struggle) is an expensive academic text, costing €58 (£49; $60), and is being bought by libraries, schools and history academics.
"This was a very special case. You can't really compare it with other books," Thomas Koch from the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association told me.
"It's the first time that an annotated version has been published. So I can imagine that was why figures were relatively high."
The plain IfZ edition of Mein Kampf: Publication has not been contested in court
Most of the book's sales were made in the first quarter of 2016, before tailing off after April. This suggests that the initial run, when the book was republished in German for the first time, was followed by market saturation.
For a German non-fiction book, sales of 85,000 are not bad. But the figures don't indicate a runaway hit.
The current biggest non-fiction seller is The Hidden Life of Trees, a book about the ecosystem of woodland, which has sold half a million copies so far.
The major hit of the last few years is a witty explanation of how the human bowel functions, by a medical student in her 20s, that sold over a million.
The top-selling non-fiction book of the past decade, by comedian Hape Kerkeling, sold five million copies. Mein Kampf on the other hand is ranked 79th for non-fiction sales on the German Amazon site, narrowly beaten by a handbook on web coding, and a long way behind a handbook explaining how to get more Twitter followers.
Nevertheless it is understandable that the publishers might be overwhelmed. IfZ, which printed the book, is a non-profit research institute, not a publishing house, and had expected lower sales of what is a dense academic text.
Prof Wirsching says publication of Mein Kampf with scholarly notes did not help neo-Nazis
And the institute believes this edition of Mein Kampf is helping to demystify, rather than empower, Hitler's legacy.
"It turned out that the fear the publication would promote Hitler's ideology, or even make it socially acceptable and give neo-Nazis a new propaganda platform, was totally unfounded," said IfZ director Andreas Wirsching.
"On the contrary, the debate about Hitler's world view and his approach to propaganda offered a chance to look at the causes and consequences of totalitarian ideologies."
• None History Extra: When Poland was torn to pieces The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38500422
|
Your #BackToWork tweets of sorrow - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the Christmas and new year break share their sorrow.
|
England
|
The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the festive break share their sorrow that the fun is over and normal service is forced to resume.
The sudden withdrawal from lie ins, naps and all-day snacking has hit some people - and even their pets - quite hard.
And this morning's rude awakening has proved as alarming as the need to remain conscious for the duration of a 09:00 to 17:00 shift.
The uncomfortable shift from lying horizontal on a sofa to sitting upright at a desk has proved difficult for some - with reports of email amnesia and password mind blocks.
The drastic change in diet from a constant graze on festive leftovers and tins of chocolates to a one-hour slot to fill up on "new year, new you" salads is leaving a bitter taste in many mouths.
Even animals are affected by the back to work blues - Pete the office pooch at the Dogs Trust is reluctant to get out of his bed - or his Christmas jumper.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38495874
|
Chicago zoo welcomes baby orangutan - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
A two-week-old baby orangutan makes its public debut at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
| null |
A two-week-old baby orangutan has made its public debut at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
The Bornean orangutan was born on 20 December and was described as "significant to the zoo population" by the Chicago Zoological Society.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38504396
|
Bournemouth to appeal against Simon Francis red card in Arsenal draw - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Bournemouth are appealing against Simon Francis' red card in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal on Tuesday.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Football
Bournemouth are appealing against Simon Francis' red card in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal on Tuesday.
Defender Francis, 31, was dismissed for a challenge on midfielder Aaron Ramsey as the Gunners came from 3-0 down to rescue a point at the Vitality Stadium.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe said it was a "harsh" decision by referee Michael Oliver to send off Francis, before Olivier Giroud equalised in added time.
"It was a foul but I don't think it was a sending-off," said Howe.
The club expect to hear the outcome of their appeal by the end of the week.
If the appeal is unsuccessful, Francis will miss Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with Millwall as well as Premier League games against Hull City and Watford.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38508038
|
The guide dog that spies on people who ignore its owner - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
The guide dog filming evidence for its blind owner of the discrimination he may unknowingly face.
|
Disability
|
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Amit Patel's guide dog, Kika, carries a camera which records the discrimination he can't see
Unable to see the world around him, Amit Patel fitted his guide dog with a camera and set about recording evidence of the discrimination he faced but could not see.
"The city is a scary place. It's like someone put you in the middle of Trafalgar Square, turned you in a circle and said 'find your way home'."
That is Amit Patel's new reality after he lost his sight unexpectedly in 2012, 18 months after he got married.
He now relies on guide dog Kika to get him around the once familiar streets of London.
But the footage captured by his canine guide hasn't always shown a city willing to help him.
"The video came out of necessity," Patel says. "Kika was getting hit by peoples' bags and she was getting a lot of abuse. A woman stopped me one day and had a go at me for holding everyone up and said I should apologise, which was a real shock."
The former doctor found a solution - attach a GoPro to Kika's harness and film every journey. Patel's wife, Seema, can then review the footage if it is felt there was something amiss about that day.
And when alterations were made to a London train station the camera came into its own.
"I asked for help and no one came," Patel recounts. "The video shows lots of staff standing around me and this one guy looking over many times.
"Eventually when the staff member actually came to me the first thing he said was 'sorry I didn't see you' and that really bugged me. He wouldn't say that to someone who wasn't visually impaired.
"It really makes me angry. It's the fact that someone is fobbing me off."
An image from Kika's footage of the Network Rail incident in London
The footage was sent to Network Rail giving Patel the "valuable evidence" needed to lodge a formal complaint about an incident he couldn't see.
"It made me feel vulnerable but having the footage was a godsend," he says.
"Having the camera, having the voice, having the actual scenario played out in real time it actually gives me something to go back to the company and say 'this is what happened to me and it needs to be sorted'."
The video had an impact and Network Rail investigated before giving further training to its staff.
Kika's camera captures an image of Amit on the London Underground
"While in this instance the event and associated disruption was not organised by or held at the station itself, we do recognise that the station can be a complicated place to navigate," a spokesman says.
"That is why we have hired many extra staff to look after passengers."
For newly blind Patel, standing alone for several minutes can feel like hours.
"One of the things I noticed with losing my sight is how lonely it is. If I'm travelling by public transport I will be the scared little boy sat in the corner. You can't listen to music because you're listening out for dangers or to station announcements."
Patel says it is only since he lost his sight that he has become aware of the discrimination visually impaired people can face.
Patel learned he had keratoconus - a condition which changes the shape of the cornea - in the final year of medical school.
Lenses to push the corneas back into shape stopped working and six cornea transplants were rejected by his body until he was told "no more".
It was a series of burst blood vessels which caused the unexpected loss of sight within 48 hours.
Patel says: "I woke up every morning thinking I'd get my sight back. For about six months I was quite shut off, depressed and I would go to the bathroom and have a cry.
"The one thing that stayed in my mind was that I would never see my loved ones. It was holding on to the last memories I had."
"There are taxi drivers who will see you and won't stop. You phone the company and they say they didn't see you, but you look at the footage and see them having looked at you and driving right past."
Other incidents he says highlight a lack of thought - especially on London's Underground.
"People assume, because I have a guide dog, I can walk around them but they make us walk near the tracks or I can say to Kika 'find me a seat' and I'll put my hand down on one and someone will sit on it and refuse to get up."
The loss of his sight led Patel to change his life dramatically. The former University College Hospital doctor moved to New Eltham in south London so his wife didn't have to travel so far for work and wouldn't spend so much time away from him.
The view of New Eltham High Street from Kika's camera
Patel says he had assumed, as a doctor, he would know where to get support, but he found that wasn't the case and he became frustrated at the simple mistakes he made - miscalculations led to stair falls and fingers were burnt from trying to find out how full his coffee cup was.
Beyond the major life changes there were more subtle experiences too.
"Your balance goes awry. I felt like I walked on a cloud sometimes, and if I find a pair of shoes I'll buy three pairs because a change in grip makes a real difference.
"My hearing's increased and my sense of smell, and the way I touch things."
There have also been more unexpected side effects.
The camera has given Amit the confidence to go out alone with Kika and his baby son
"I have small pixels of light coming into my eyes and my brain interprets that as images. It'll put four pixels together and build a photo - so you may be sitting on the couch while thinking a car's coming towards you."
Patel now supports people who have lost their sight unexpectedly and gives talks to community organisations using the GoPro footage to demonstrate what Kika sees.
Despite all the challenges he has faced, including coming to terms with never seeing his baby son, Patel has accepted his new world.
"My life at the moment is so much more vivid, it's more colourful than it was when I had sight.
"It still fills me with dread leaving the house, because I have no control and am completely reliant on Kika, but we're out all of the time - any excuse."
For more follow on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to the weekly podcast.
Join the BBC Stories conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-38027203
|
Pete Reed: Olympic champion announces plans to chase fourth Olympic gold - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Three-time Olympic champion Pete Reed ends his brief break from the sport to compete for a fourth Olympic rowing gold.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Rowing
Three-time Olympic champion Pete Reed has announced his rowing comeback as he aims for a fourth Olympic gold medal.
Reed, 35, returned to his job in the Navy following last summer's Rio Olympics, where he won gold in the men's eight.
But the Briton, who also won Olympic gold in Beijing and London, now plans to compete at Tokyo 2020, when he will be 39.
"I felt I had more to give, more to do. It feels natural," he told BBC Sport.
In Rio, Reed was part of Britain's eight-man crew which won gold to regain the Olympic title for the first time since 2000. He had won his first two Olympic golds in the men's four in Beijing and London.
Should the former Oxford Blue, already one of the most decorated rowers in British history, secure a fourth Olympic gold he will join the list of greats such as Sir Ben Ainslie, Sir Mo Farah and Sir Matthew Pinsent.
"I'm really pushing the ages of what rowers are capable of," added Reed, also a winner of five World Championships golds and three silvers.
"I've seen great stuff before - Dame Katherine Grainger, Greg Searle and people like Sir Steve Redgrave, who was 38 when he won gold in Sydney, so it's definitely possible.
"The most important thing is that I'm hungry to train, I want to be here."
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rowing/38511984
|
Forceps removed from stomach after 18 years - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
A Vietnamese man has had surgical forceps removed from his stomach after 18 years.
| null |
A Vietnamese man has had surgical forceps removed from his stomach after 18 years.
Ma Van Nhat believes the forceps were left there during surgery in 1998.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38497547
|
Donald Campbell: 'Hero' remembered 50 years after death - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Hundreds gather at Coniston Water to remember "hero" and record-breaker Donald Campbell 50 years after his death.
| null |
Hundreds have gathered at Coniston Water to remember "hero" and record-breaker Donald Campbell 50 years after his death.
Campbell died at 08:51 GMT on 4 January 1967 while trying to break his own water speed record in Bluebird.
His daughter Gina said she was "humbled" his achievements were still recognised half a century on from his death.
She and former friends and colleagues took to the water as part of several days of events to mark the anniversary.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-38511908
|
The slow death of Myanmar's typewriter industry - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
Myanmar is one of the few places where many still rely on typewriters - but as change creeps in, numbers are dwindling.
| null |
With the dawn of the computer age the typewriter has disappeared into obscurity in most parts of the world, but in Myanmar many people still rely on typewriters to make a living.
In a country where electricity is still unstable and computers remain prohibitively expensive for many, typewriters are seen less as a product of a bygone era and more as a necessity.
However, as change creeps into the country their numbers are dwindling and the few who have stuck with them are struggling to survive.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38452242
|
Trump v the car industry - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
Ford's decision to cancel its $1.6bn investment in Mexico will be seen as evidence that Trump's nationalism is having the desired effect.
|
Business
|
Ford's decision to cancel a $1.6bn investment in Mexico and invest an extra $700m in Michigan will be widely seen as concrete evidence that Donald Trump's economic nationalism is having the intended effect.
Coincidentally, Ford's decision comes on the same day that the new President-elect launched an attack on General Motors for producing cars in Mexico bound for the US market.
"Build them in the USA or face big border tax" said the incoming US president on Twitter.
Cars made in Mexico can move across the border tax free thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something that Donald Trump attacked during his campaign for causing the loss of US manufacturing jobs to cheaper labour.
In fact, only a tiny fraction (2,400 out of 190,000) of the GM model he singled out, the Cruze, are made in Mexico.
But while he may have picked on the wrong model, the message was unmistakable - the President-elect's hostility to NAFTA hasn't faded post-victory.
That position - and its popularity among many US consumers - is clearly not lost on car makers. GM was quick to take to the airwaves to assure US customers that most GM cars are still made in the US and shares in the company recovered from early falls.
The Ford Focus will be made in Mexico and while Ford's boss credited the business-friendly promises of the incoming President, he insisted it was switching investment in petrol cars in Mexico to electric cars in Detroit for its own business reasons.
Shares in other targets of Mr Trumps ire, like defence contractor Lockheed Martin, did not recover so quickly and the President-elect will know his comments can cause ructions in boardrooms.
Precisely the effect he is going for - and after today, one he will feel is working a treat.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38502177
|
Police hunt $6m jewellery heist suspects - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
| null |
CCTV footage shows two men alleged to have stolen $6m (£4.9m) of jewellery from a wholesalers in New York.
| null |
CCTV footage shows two men alleged to have stolen $6m (£4.9m) of jewellery from a wholesalers in New York.
Police said they were still searching for the pair and a third man in connection with the robbery at the Gregg Ruth jewellery company.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38501506
|
Terrorism 'first-aid training needed' - BBC News
|
2017-01-04
|
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
|
People are being urged to learn lifesaving skills in case they are caught up in a terror attack.
|
Health
|
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CitizenAID aims to help the public save lives before the professionals arrive
People need to learn lifesaving skills in case they are caught up in a terror attack in the UK, a team of senior military and civilian medics has said.
They say people need to know how to help each other because it could take some time before it is deemed safe for paramedics to arrive on the scene.
The idea is supported by counter-terrorism police. Security services say a UK terror attack is highly likely.
Although an individual's chance of being caught up in an incident is small, Brig Tim Hodgetts and Prof Sir Keith Porter, co-developers of CitizenAID, say it is a good idea for people to have a plan and the knowledge and skills to help each other.
Their app, pocket book and website suggest how best to deal with injuries in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting or bombing incident.
The system includes instructions on how to treat severe bleeding - one of the major causes of death in these scenarios.
It guides people through packing, putting pressure on and elevating a wound, and how to use a tourniquet safely, for example.
The programme also explains how to prioritise those who need treatment first and what to tell the emergency services once they arrive.
CitizenAID is not a government initiative but its developers say it builds on national advice from national counter-terrorism police to:
The system describes how to make a tourniquet out of a scarf to help stop bleeding
The CitizenAID system says people should follow these steps and then go one step further. It suggests once people are safe, they should start treating casualties.
Ch Insp Richard Harding, head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the BBC: "One of the challenges we have is that when a serious incident, particularly a terrorist incident occurs, the first responders from a police perspective to a terrorist incident will inevitably be trying to deal with the people causing the threat.
"They won't have time to deal with the people who are injured and that gap is vital to saving people's lives.
"So we are really interested in the concept of CitizenAID. It allows the public and people involved in very rare incidents like this to help themselves and help others and their loved ones survive the situation."
According to its founders, CitizenAID builds on lessons learnt on the battlefield.
Sir Keith Porter, professor of clinical traumatology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, told the BBC: "I have treated hundreds of soldiers whose lives have been saved by simply the applications of tourniquets when they have been shot or blown up. Teaching individual soldiers these skills has saved lives.
"And I think it is essential we train the public in those skills and that is exactly what CitizenAID does."
Brig Tim Hodgetts, medical director of the Defence Medical Services, told the BBC; "We don't know when the next incident will be that will involve blasts or gunshots so we need a critical mass of the general public to learn these first aid skills.
"They are the people who are always going to be at the scene. They are the ones who are going to make a difference."
He added: "I think we are doing the opposite of scaring the public, we are empowering the public.
''By giving them a step-by-step system we take away the anxiety because the decisions are already made and the right decisions in the right order can save lives."
The app is free to download and the pocketbook costs £1.99 to order.
Sue Killen, of St John Ambulance, added "First aid can be the difference between life and death. Knowing basic first aid in a terror attack or in an everyday emergency at home or in the community, will give you more confidence to deal with a crisis.
"First aid is easy to learn and our first aid techniques cover a wide range of injuries that could occur in a terrorist incident including severe bleeding, crush injuries and shock.
"We encourage anyone who would like to learn first aid to go to our website to view our first aid videos, download our app or attend a first aid course."
What do you think? Join the conversation on Facebook.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38495234
|
The Jump: GB Taekwondo has 'reservations' over Jade Jones' participation - BBC Sport
|
2017-01-04
| null |
GB Taekwondo chiefs admit "reservations" over Olympic champion Jade Jones taking part in a Channel 4 ski jump show before the World Championships.
| null |
Last updated on .From the section Sport
GB Taekwondo chiefs say they "had reservations" but "understand" double Olympic champion Jade Jones' decision to take part in Channel 4's The Jump.
The programme involves competitors learning to ski jump, and the last series saw several serious injuries.
Gymnast Louis Smith and Paralympic cyclist and athlete Kadeena Cox will also take part in the new series.
GB Taekwondo says it has has held "extensive" talks with Jones about the risks involved.
The 23-year-old from north Wales is set to compete in taekwondo's World Championships later this year.
She, Rio silver medallist Smith, and Cox, who won gold in both her disciplines at the Rio Paralympics, all receive funding from UK Sport to help them train for their respective events.
Jones will still receive her full UK Sport funding during her time on the programme, while Cox will not.
British Gymnastics has not yet responded to BBC Sport's request for a comment.
A GB Taekwondo spokesperson said: "While we had our reservations, we understand Jade's desire to try new challenges and to take part in this show. We have held extensive discussions with Jade and her management and she is aware of the risks involved.
"She has made an informed decision to take part in the show and has ensured that The Jump and its production company has all the requisite cover and medical provision is in place."
Former Olympic heptathlete Louise Hazel, who finished second in the 2015 series after retiring from athletics, told BBC Radio 5 live that she was surprised current athletes were considering taking part in the show.
"As an athlete you are always looking for the next thrill but I would advise them to withdraw," she said.
"For those athletes who have retired it is OK to take a risk, but for those still in sport this could easily turn into a career-ending injury.
"As a participant you know there is an element of risk, but there was a part of me seeking that out and it is a calculated risk. The question is whether people know the full extent of the risk before signing up."
In the show's previous editions, Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle needed surgery to have fractured vertebrae fused together after she was injured in training, while double gold medal winning swimmer Rebecca Adlington suffered a shoulder injury.
Former Holby City actress Tina Hobley sustained knee, shoulder and arm injuries and has only recently stopped using crutches and Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli broke his ankle.
In addition, athlete Linford Christie pulled a hamstring, ex-EastEnders actor Joe Swash chipped a bone in his shoulder, Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding injured a ligament and model Heather Mills hurt her knee and thumb.
Channel 4 says there has been a "thorough review of safety procedures" before this year's series.
How would injury harm the athletes' prospects?
Jones, who was named BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality 2016 after going through the year unbeaten, is scheduled to take part in the World Championships in South Korea in June, aiming to claim the only major international title that has eluded her so far.
Cox, 25, does not have a major cycling event this year, with no Para-cycling Track World Championships officially confirmed, but she would be expected to take part in the Para-Athletics World Championships in London in July.
Also among the competitors are retired Olympic cycling champion and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, former rugby players Jason Robinson and Gareth Thomas, and ex-Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler.
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/38494638
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.