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CES 2017: LG's super-thin TV lies flat against the wall - BBC News
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2017-01-05
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The BBC takes a first look at LG's "wallpaper TV", which protrudes just a few millimetres beyond the surface it is hung upon.
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LG has unveiled a TV that hugs the wall, protruding just a few millimetres beyond the surface it is hung on.
The firm says the design prevents the screen "casting a single shadow" - but owners will have to pay a high premium for the privilege.
Dave Lee reports from the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
See all our CES 2017 coverage
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38514090
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Harry Arter: Non-league player 'ashamed' over tweets to Bournemouth midfielder - BBC Sport
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2017-01-05
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The non-league player sacked after abusing Harry Arter over the death of his baby daughter says he feels ashamed of his actions.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
The non-league player sacked after abusing Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter on Twitter has said he is ashamed of his actions.
Bournemouth lost a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Arsenal in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Hitchin Town player Alfie Barker, 18, later posted: "Big hype just for a disappointment like the nine months leading up to your child's birth."
Arter and his partner Rachel's baby daughter Renee was stillborn in December 2015.
Barker earlier made an apology for his "disgraceful comments" and said he would accept any punishment given to him.
He initially claimed his account, which has now been deleted, had been hacked, before apologising.
'I'm just so sorry'
Barker, who takes medication to combat the symptoms of ADHD and a mild form of autism, told Stevenage-based newspaper The Comet he was "distraught" at upsetting Arter and his own family, including his aunt who had suffered two miscarriages in the last five years.
"I was watching Arsenal at home and I was hyper. At 3-0 down they weren't playing well and I was annoyed," he said.
"I'd had a couple of beers and was frustrated at the way the team was playing and I just lashed out. I have no idea why I focused on Harry Arter and his family and I am so, so sorry for what I have done.
"It was a moment of madness. It's the worst thing I've ever done in my life, but it is so out of character. I honestly don't know why I did it.
"I also completely understand why Hitchin Town took the action they did and I completely agree they did the right thing."
Seventh-tier Hitchin issued a statement saying: "In the light of the player's irresponsible and anti-social behaviour, we are terminating Alfie Barker's registration and relationship with the club with immediate effect."
Speaking to BBC Sport before the statement was released, Hitchin boss Mark Burke said: "I've seen the tweets and I'm disgusted with them. They're vile and I can't condone them in any way."
Bournemouth have referred the matter to the Football Association, who have contacted Barker for observations in relation to postings on social media.
Barker has seven days from Thursday, 5 January to respond to the FA's request.
Outcomes of previous FA investigations into inappropriate comments on social media have ranged from warnings and fines to bans.
Codicote FC, where Barker is on loan, said: "We have no choice but to terminate our relationship with him.
"We would like to make it clear that Codicote FC cannot and will not tolerate this behaviour; we have a responsibility to our community, supporters and the football family to stamp this behaviour out."
Barker was also subject to an approach by Stotfold with a view to him signing for the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division side.
But Stotfold chairman Phil Pateman told the Press Association: "This was prior to grotesque comments made by Barker in regard to the tragic loss of Harry Arter's daughter Renee.
"As a result of those comments Stotfold FC have, with immediate effect, withdrawn our interest in the player."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38507682
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Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Chelsea - BBC Sport
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2017-01-05
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A Dele Alli double halts leaders Chelsea's Premier League winning streak and takes Tottenham up to third.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Tottenham ended Chelsea's attempt to make Premier League history with a 14th successive victory as the title pacesetters were well beaten at White Hart Lane.
Spurs moved up to third place as headers from Dele Alli either side of half-time made the difference to leave Chelsea five points ahead of Liverpool in second place.
Alli rose to meet Christian Eriksen's cross in first-half stoppage time and the same pair combined to put the game out of Chelsea's reach in the 54th minute.
Eden Hazard had Chelsea's two best chances in each half but Spurs closed out the victory in comfort to put north London rivals Arsenal out of the top four and leave themselves seven points off the top after their fifth successive league win.
Read more: Spurs can challenge for title - Conte
Tottenham's season was at a tipping point after a disappointing Champions League exit at the group stage and the poor performance in defeat at Manchester United in early December - but they have responded magnificently.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are gathering impressive momentum, illustrated by the manner in which they overcame a Chelsea side that was starting to carry an air of impregnability.
The 4-1 wins at Southampton and Watford served as a warning that Spurs were approaching the sort of form that carried them close to the title last season and this performance confirmed their growing confidence and stature.
Spurs have recaptured their intensity and energy and when this is bolted on to the quality provided here by the likes of Alli and Eriksen, it makes them a formidable prospect.
Manchester City had already found Spurs too hot to handle at White Hart Lane this season - and Chelsea suffered a similar fate.
Alli endured a quiet start to the season, perhaps in the aftermath of England's debacle at Euro 2016 - but the 20-year-old is firing on cylinders now.
Alli's headed double here made it seven goals his last four games, the third time in succession he has scored twice in a game after doing the same at Southampton and Watford.
Pochettino said before the game that he regarded Alli as "the most important player to emerge in English football in recent years".
And here the £5m signing from MK Dons backed up his manager's confident words with a consummate all-round display crowned by the two towering headers which proved decisive.
Alli received a standing ovation when he was replaced in the closing minutes after showing the quality that will make him an integral part of the future of both Spurs and England.
Chelsea's perfectionist manager Antonio Conte and his players will be bitterly disappointed they could not achieve Premier League history with a 14th successive win that would have matched the mark set across the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons by Arsenal.
However they remain in prime position in the title race.
They still have a healthy five-point lead over Liverpool in second place and have come a long way since their last Premier League defeat at Arsenal on 24 September, a 3-0 loss that left them eight points adrift of then-leaders Manchester City in eighth place.
Conte has transformed the mood around the team and the club and while their superb run may be at an end, this is a team fully equipped to go the distance in the title race.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: "It is a massive victory, a very important three points to reduce the gap at the top of the table. It was a very tough game, we were playing one of the best teams in Europe, so the value of the victory is massive.
"It makes us very proud and we showed character and were competitive. It is one step forward for the team and is important to keep going. Football is about belief.
"We have shown we can challenge for the big things. We are in a good position, Chelsea is in a very good position, but we are fighting to get points and to reduce the gap above us."
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte: "I saw a game with a great balance. It is not easy to play against Tottenham. But we played with a good personality to create the chances to score a goal, but we could not take them.
"It is strange for us to concede these goals because we are defending well, and they are in a crucial moment. At the end of the first half and then in the second half after we miss the chances to score, but this can happen.
"We must work hard and be pleased with our position in the table, but know this league is tough until the end for the Champions League, for the title."
• None Chelsea have not won at White Hart Lane since a 4-2 victory in October 2012 (drawing two and losing two since).
• None Tottenham are unbeaten at White Hart Lane this season, winning eight and drawing two; their longest unbeaten start to a Premier League season at home since 2000-01 (13 games).
• None Spurs haven't lost a Premier League London derby at White Hart Lane under Mauricio Pochettino (winning eight and drawing four).
• None Tottenham scored with their only two shots on target in this match.
• None Dele Alli has equalled his 2015-16 goal tally (10). He has managed to do this in 19 appearances this season, compared to 33 last season.
• None Spurs have never lost a Premier League match that Alli has scored in (16 games - winning 12, drawing four).
• None The only midfielders to reach 20 Premier League goals quicker than Alli (52 games) are Rafael van der Vaart (44) and Matt Le Tissier (50)
• None Only Mesut Ozil (22) has more Premier League assists since the start of 2015-16 than Christian Eriksen (20).
• None This was only the fourth occasion this season in the Premier League where Diego Costa has failed to produce a goal or an assist.
Tottenham play Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Sunday before resuming their league campaign at home to West Brom on Saturday 14 January.
Chelsea take on Peterborough in the FA Cup on Sunday before travelling to defending Premier League champions Leicester six days later.
• None Attempt missed. David Luiz (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by César Azpilicueta with a cross.
• None Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Moussa Sissoko replaces Dele Alli because of an injury.
• None Attempt blocked. Diego Costa (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Cesc Fàbregas.
• None Offside, Chelsea. Cesc Fàbregas tries a through ball, but Diego Costa is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left from a direct free kick.
• None Offside, Chelsea. Eden Hazard tries a through ball, but Pedro is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38447903
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Chilean family rescue humpback whale caught in fishing net - BBC News
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2017-01-05
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A family in Chile has saved a humpback whale which became entangled in an industrial fishing net.
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A family in Chile has saved a humpback whale which became entangled in an industrial fishing net.
Juan Menares Henriquez and his family were boating near Antofagasta when they spotted the whale in distress.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38514255
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Reality Check: Can 200,000 starter homes be built by 2020? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Can the government hit the target of building 200,000 starter homes in the next three years?
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UK Politics
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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.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38500137
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Online career tips: How to get the job you want - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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How do you go about making sure that your online professional profile is helping rather than hindering your career?
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Business
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jess Ratty talks about how she built her LinkedIn profile
"I've gone from being a 16-year-old waitress to being a business owner and senior executive, and I couldn't have done that without my online network."
Jess Ratty is a woman with a mission. She wants us all to get better at promoting ourselves professionally online - and creating our own career opportunities along the way.
Given that changing jobs can be one of the hardest things we do, many of us might welcome anything that makes switching jobs easier.
According to a survey by Hired, eight in 10 of us say we find changing jobs stressful - and more stressful than moving house, planning a wedding or even having root canal work.
When it comes to job-hunting, Jess says the key is not to let your stress stop you from taking action: "Don't fret about things so much, or worry about how you might come across."
It's something she has put into practice in her own career.
Now a senior executive at Crowdfunder, the UK's biggest crowd-funding platform which raises funds from small investors, Jess says she's come a long way since dropping out of school.
She started work at the Eden Project in Cornwall as a waitress, and says it was her colleagues who helped her realise she "could maybe start achieving great things myself."
So she set about creating an online professional profile as a shop window for herself - and says having an active online presence has been crucial for her career.
Being creative with your online profile helps you stand out from the crowd, says Jess
"Crowdfunder found me through LinkedIn and went on to offer me a job."
Crowdfunder's Dawn Bebe, who recruited Jess, says what's important for her when recruiting someone "is getting a sense of what they are like and what they are passionate about".
Jess's experience is increasingly common, says Darain Faraz of LinkedIn.
"A lot of the time, most people aren't looking for work, they are what we call passive candidates. But LinkedIn can help jobs look for you."
Yet this only works if you have a complete profile, and sadly us Brits are not very good at self-promotion.
We're more likely to share food pictures on our social media channels than our work successes or announcements of a new job.
Even if you're not looking for a job "promoting yourself professionally" will put you on firms' radars, says LinkedIn's Darain Faraz
"People do make judgements based on our online profiles," says Darain.
And be assured, recruiters will also check your Twitter activity and Facebook profile as well: "Make sure that how you position yourself online is how you want to be seen," he adds.
"You don't want your Saturday night becoming your Monday morning."
Even if you're not looking for work it makes sense to keep you online profile updated, say recruiters
The mistake many of us make is to only use professional networking sites when we're looking for a new role, says Darain.
But what recruiters want to see is a track record, so that they can judge whether or not we are right for a job.
"One of the first things we do is check [online] for potential candidates in the right geographical area who have the skills and interests that we think would work for us," says Crowdfunder's Dawn Bebe.
The jobs recruitment sector has changed markedly in the past few years, with a vast amount of job searching and head-hunting now done online with sites such as Monster, Reed, Viadeo and Xing.
LinkedIn has about 400 million members worldwide (in the UK it has 20 million members - some 60% of Britain's working population and students) and last year Microsoft paid over $26bn (£18bn) for LinkedIn.
Now Facebook, with more than a billion monthly active users, has launched Workplace; it's a platform designed to help workers talk to each other, in-house.
Could Facebook come to challenge LinkedIn?
While it is currently for use within firms, given Facebook's size it has the potential to be a serious rival to LinkedIn.
Jess has her own tip for young professionals.
"You need to be creative and inventive with your online profile if you want to stand out," she says.
"You need to be consistent if you are using it to develop your career."
If you are thinking about potential downsides " you'll probably avoid them anyway," says Jess
Jess says she always wanted to make her career in her home county - Cornwall.
Besides working for Crowdfunder, she and her partner have now set up the Cornwall Camper Company, hiring out restored VW campervans to holidaymakers.
She points out that thanks to online networking sites, "you can make a big impact wherever you are".
But she also has this important piece of advice. Merely being online is no substitute for professional knowledge and commitment, she cautions: "You've got to know your stuff."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37047456
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British Grand Prix: Silverstone race 'under threat because of costs' - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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The future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is reportedly under threat because of the financial risk of staging it.
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Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
The future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone could be under threat because of the "potentially ruinous risk" of staging the loss-making race.
Circuit owner the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is considering giving notice to exercise a contract-break clause at the end of 2019.
A letter written by BRDC chairman John Grant - seen by ITV News - says a decision will be made by "mid-year".
The BRDC's contract with Formula 1 runs until 2026.
Silverstone first hosted the British Grand Prix in 1950 and has been the event's permanent home since 1987.
Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone told ITV News: "If they want to activate a break clause, there is nothing we can do.
"Two other tracks have contacted us and we are keen to keep a British Grand Prix, there is no doubt about it, we want to have one."
Three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart added: "I think it's a credible threat, not impossible for it to happen. I would be very sad if it did.
"There's no other race track that would be able to host the British Grand Prix."
For anyone who has followed Formula 1 for the last decade or two, another story questioning the future of the British Grand Prix is about as surprising as cold weather in winter.
There is no doubt the British Racing Drivers' Club mean it when they say they are considering activating a break clause.
But, equally, there is no doubt that it fundamentally amounts to posturing - Silverstone does not want to lose the British Grand Prix any more than do the 140,000 fans who went there to watch it last year.
The issue is the cost of the 17-year contract - £12m in 2010; a 5% annual escalator means the race will cost nearly £17m this year and more than £26m by 2027.
This is small by comparison with Russia, which pays $50m (£40.3m) a year. It's not that far out of line with the new deal signed by Italy for €68m (£58m) over 2017-19, which averages out at £19.3m a year. But Silverstone - almost alone among grands prix - receives no government funding of any kind.
No other circuit in Britain is even remotely close to being able to replace it - so ignore any suggestions from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to that end.
The solution lies in new F1 owner Liberty Media, which has made it abundantly clear it wants to retain and nurture the historic European races, home of the sport's core audience, as a bedrock of its new-look F1.
Liberty will complete its takeover deal before the end of the first quarter of this year. So expect some time between then and this year's British Grand Prix on 16 July a compromise deal that revises the terms of the contract and secures the race's future.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38526002
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Tattingstone suitcase murder: Police appeal over Bernard Oliver death - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A 17-year-old boy whose dismembered body parts were found in suitcases disappeared 50 years ago.
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The murder of a 17-year-old boy whose dismembered body parts were found in suitcases in 1967 continues to be reviewed by cold case detectives, police said.
The body of Bernard Oliver, from Muswell Hill, north London, was found dumped on farmland in Tattingstone, near Ipswich.
He went missing on 6 January 1967 and was found 10 days later. No one has ever been charged over the murder.
Det Ch Insp Caroline Millar, of Suffolk Police, said: ""Using advances in forensic science such as DNA familial profiling and the experience of current and retired senior detectives, the team are looking for any development that could help with the investigation into the murder of Bernard Oliver, including new information from the public.
"Even with the passage of 50 years, it is never too late for people to come forward with any information they think may help this inquiry."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38527821
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CES 2017: AmpMe app offers free alternative to wireless speakers - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A free app synchs smartphones so they play music in unison, creating a free alternative to expensive wireless sound systems.
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A start-up is promoting a free app that syncs smartphones so they play music in unison, at the CES tech show.
AmpMe is being pitched as a free alternative to Sonos and other brands of wireless speakers.
Chris Foxx tied out the tech in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526187
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One man's search for diamonds - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Photographing the men who sieve for diamonds in Sierra Leone
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In Pictures
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During its 11-year-long civil war, Sierra Leone became famous for blood diamonds.
Rebel and government groups fought brutally over diamond-rich territory in the north of the country and funded themselves by selling the stones to international buyers.
Fourteen years after the conflict ended, diamond mining operations are still under way in the northern district of Kono.
A South African company, Koidu Holdings, runs a large mine that uses sophisticated machinery to blast through kimberlite and identify diamond-dense areas in the deep earth.
One of these miners, Philo, has worked in Kono for the past 23 years, but was driven out during the conflict and lived in Guinea as a refugee.
When the war simmered down in December 2000, he returned home and started diamond mining again a year later.
Many artisanal miners will admit that they have not found a diamond in months and are desperately poor.
Yet in a country where there is 70% youth unemployment, mining at least provides some form of livelihood.
Most men mine in a team of three.
One of them dives to scoop a bucket of mud and grit from the riverbed, while another man holds him down so he does not drift with the tide.
The third collects the bucket and empties it into a mound.
Once there is enough, the sifting begins.
The three men swap roles regularly, to avoid getting too cold.
Philo complains of chills when he gets out of the water and sucks a packet of cheap rum to warm up, saying: "This work is tough and physically straining - if I had the qualifications or opportunity to do another job then I would at once."
The swampy area around the river has been dug out by artisanal miners, who are dotted all over, urgently scooping mud and sifting through it.
At last, after three hours of sifting, Philo is thrilled to have found a tiny diamond.
Some miners are able to invest in what is known as a "rocker".
They use a power hose to squirt water through a layer of mud piled on to fine mesh.
Once the mud is cleared they are more likely to spot a glinting diamond.
However, Philo does not have this luxury.
"We are not able to afford this kind of machinery, we have to manage with just a bucket, spade and shaker [sieve]," he says.
In the local market each shaker sells for 25,000 Leones (about £3.50).
Soon after Philo has discovered a diamond, he packs up early and heads into town with his team.
He is happy, saying: "This was a very good day, we hadn't seen a diamond for nearly a month."
On the way to his house, he bumps into his elder brother outside a shop.
They greet each other in front of the rocky kimberlite mountain that has been created by Koidu Holdings' blasts.
Philo says that he is jealous of their machinery and wealth, especially as diamonds in shallow ground are running out.
Back home, Philo relaxes in his room with his uncle.
During the conflict his mother was shot and killed by rebels, just outside the room in which he is now sitting.
His whole house was burned down and had to be rebuilt.
The following day Philo heads into Koidu town to sell his diamond in an office just off the high street.
The going rate is $3,200 (£2,520) for a carat that is 40% pure, and much less for gems of lower purity.
Philo obtains only $35 (about £28) for his find, but he is pleased as it is more than he had expected.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38302289
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Kyle Edmund beaten by Stan Wawrinka in Brisbane International quarter-finals - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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British number two Kyle Edmund is out of the Brisbane International after losing to world number four Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
British number two Kyle Edmund is out of the Brisbane International after losing to world number four Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
The world number 45 took the first set but lost 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 against the reigning US Open champion.
Edmund, 21, impressed but Wawrinka broke serve at 3-2 in the second set and twice in the decider to win in two hours 36 minutes.
The Swiss 31-year-old will play third seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals.
Canadian top seed and defending champion Milos Raonic beat 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal 4-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the last four.
The world number three will play Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Austrian Dominic Thiem.
British number four Aljaz Bedene was also knocked at the quarter-final stage of the Chennai Open in India on Friday.
The world number 101 lost 6-3 6-0 to French fifth seed Benoit Paire.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38527669
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CCTV shows Turkey bomb blast - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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CCTV obtained from a police officer shows the deadly car bomb attack a courthouse in the Turkish city of Izmir.
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Two attackers, a policeman and a court worker have been killed in a car bomb and gun assault on a courthouse in the Turkish city of Izmir, state media say.
Officials blamed Kurdish militants for the attack. A third attacker is reportedly still being sought.
CCTV obtained from a police officer shows the moment of the blast, as seen on two separate cameras.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38524050
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Premiership: Newcastle Falcons 24-22 Bath - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Newcastle produce a superb late comeback to stun Bath and condemn the visitors to their third straight Premiership loss.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Newcastle produced a superb late comeback at Kingston Park to stun Bath and condemn the visitors to their third straight Premiership defeat.
The Falcons trailed 22-10 in the final 10 minutes, but forwards Mark Wilson and Ben Harris both bundled over after relentless pressure.
Second-half tries from George Ford and two from Semesa Rokoduguni built a lead for Bath before the late drama.
The much-improved Falcons have now won six Premiership matches this season, one more than the whole of last campaign, and move up to sixth, while Bath stay fourth.
Bath looked edgy once again following back-to-back league defeats against fellow play-off chasers Exeter and leaders Wasps.
A torrid first half started with Fiji wing Goneva being given too much space to race in under the posts, followed by England fly-half Ford missing two relatively simple penalties.
Ford, who failed to land another crucial penalty and conversion after the break, did start a clinical first 20 minutes of the second half when he strolled in to score as Bath were camped in front of the try-line.
Wing Rokoduguni produced two pieces of individual brilliance to help stretch Bath's lead to 12 points - first dotting down while being tackled by Goneva and then showing his pace after latching onto the returning Anthony Watson's pass.
But the visitors could not hold onto the advantage as big flanker Wilson was pushed over and replacement prop Harris touched down in almost identical circumstances, with Joel Hodgson coolly converting both.
Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards: "The boys had belief and really stuck at it.
"We went 12 points down and just went for it. They showed a lot of courage to do that and come back against a side like Bath.
"The crowd were outstanding, especially that last five minutes, the players came in afterwards and said the crowd carried them through."
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder: "I'm very disappointed that we couldn't close out the game.
"We had a terrible first half. We were lucky we came away with anything at half-time.
"We didn't do the basics very well under pressure and that's not acceptable. The last two games we've had control and let it slip and it's just not good enough."
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38500627
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One man's mission to walk the Great Wall of China with a drone - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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How one man celebrated his 30-year Great Wall obsession by filming the entire network by drone.
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China
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William Lindesay has been obsessed with the Great Wall of China since seeing it in a school atlas as a child in England, and last year embarked on an epic journey to fulfil a lifelong ambition - to film the wall in its entirety from the air. He told the BBC's Anna Jones about this quest.
"The Great Wall is an amazing sight, and it deserves to be seen in its best light," says William from his home in Beijing.
Unable to shake his childhood fascination, he moved to China from Wallasey on Merseyside in 1986 "for the wall", and has since researched it extensively, writing several books and gaining an OBE for his work.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The wall as filmed from the air by the Lindesays
The wall most tourists see today is in places like Badaling or Jinshangling, an easy day trip from Beijing, where the stones and towers have been repeatedly restored, not always sympathetically.
"But there's more to the wall than that," says William, who trained as a geographer.
"Before the tourist wall that people flock to, there were many other 'Great Walls of China'."
Few tourists see more of the wall than the manicured sections near Beijing
Sprawled across northern China and into Mongolia, the creation of these various walls spanned centuries and ruling dynasties. The oldest parts date back more than 2,000 years.
In some places towering stone and in others heaped-up earth, the walls have variously served as highways, defensive fortresses, a communication network and even a fence to contain migrating animals.
"Over the past 30 years I've been looking at all of these walls, as far as possible," says William. "My travels have taken me all over northern China, even as far as Mongolia."
In the 1990s, he and his wife, Wu Qi, bought a farmhouse at the foot of the wall, and would spend most weekends there exploring it.
William Lindesay has been exploring the wall since the mid-1980s
William and Wu Qi have brought their sons up in the shadow of the Great Wall
Photography has always been important, says William, whether the images were "just beautiful or whether the architecture, the design features had a meaning that I wanted to explain in my writing".
But in 2016 his sons, Jim and Tommy, had a suggestion for seeing the wall in a whole new way, and began, as they put it, pestering him to buy them a drone.
"I was very concerned they'd come back from the first trip without the drone," says William. He eventually caved, and the results, coupled with some self-taught editing flair from his sons, have been "out of this world".
"Over the years, publishers and filmmakers have come to me and said, let's do the Great Wall from the air," he says.
"My typical reply was that unless you've got millions and millions of dollars, and high-level contacts with the government and the armed forces, who control the skies, then forget it.
"In this way drone technology is a godsend."
So armed with their drone and with a travel agency sponsor, the family spent a total of 60 days tracing the walls in 2016, celebrating William's 60th birthday and his 30th year of living in China "for the wall".
They began in July at the Old Dragon's Head, the point where the Ming dynasty-era Great Wall meets the sea in the east, and followed it westwards, branching off to explore the older Zhao wall, dating back to 300BC, then hundreds of kilometres further west, the Han dynasty wall.
The Zhao wall in Inner Mongolia bears little relation to most people's image of the Great Wall
William and his sons spent weeks camping in Mongolia to trace the wall
That was followed in August by a flight to Ulan Bator in Mongolia, from where they camped in the wild while tracing what is marked on old maps as the Wall of Genghis Khan.
William calculates the entire journey to have been some 15,000km (9,320 miles) and says flying the drone over these remote areas gave a whole new perspective on the ruins.
"When you go to Mongolia, you find a wall that doesn't actually excite you. You can barely see it in the broad light of day.
"Very early in the morning, just before sundown, if you're lucky you get low angle sunlight, you can see the shadow of this structure not snaking, but streaking straight across the steppe."
But from the air it becomes "a phenomenal sight... with the empty steppeland, golden sunlight and the mound underlined by very very dark shadow".
Items discarded around the wall, like this 16th Century rock bomb, give a clue to the people who built it
"In my mind of all the shots that the boys took of the Great Wall from the air, that is the most surprising, because it just looks so amazing, the wall in that completely empty landscape, you feel as though you're on the very edge of Central Asia."
William is also clearly fascinated by the role the wall has played in the history of the Chinese people. Seeing it from the air, he says, helps an observer get in to the mind of its creators.
"We see the twists and turns, and we ask, why did it twist and turn there? Why did they route it along there, and not along there?"
"The land beside the wall where the builders established their camps, their villages, where they sourced all their building materials - I view this as the Great Wall's historical landscape."
Beyond the romance of travel and photography, this contrast of old and new underlines the other reason for their trip.
"There's a lot of hullabaloo always about how long the Great Wall is, and stories about the wall getting shorter because it's getting damaged," says William.
"So I'll be looking at the footage and, trying to work out how close things are getting to the wall.
"There are laws and regulations made in the last 10 years to protect the Great Wall landscape, and I'm going to be be interested to see how the reality matches up."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38127250
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Bangalore sex attacks: CCTV captures horror on 1 January - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Police in Bangalore say there were no mass sex attacks on 1 January - but what does footage show?
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Police in southern India say there is no evidence of mass sex attacks during new year celebrations in central Bangalore, despite a number of women telling the media they had been assaulted by groups of men.
CCTV footage of one violent attack in the early hours of 1 January elsewhere in the city has come to light, with four men arrested over the incident.
Filmed and edited by Jaltson AC. Produced by Yogita Limaye and Shalu Yadav
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-38521725
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CES 2017: Danny’s amazing earbud adventure - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A UK entrepreneur brings his earbuds that auto-translate languages to CES - but will he stand out from the crowd?
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Technology
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It sounds like a game-changing innovation: earbuds that auto-translate other languages. But what was supposed to be their big coming out week isn't going quite as planned.
If you're a tech company wanting to grab the world's attention this week, then Las Vegas could be the worst place to be.
Why? Well in the biggest CES yet with nearly 4,000 exhibitors you really have to shout very loud to be heard above the hubbub.
If you're a giant company like Sony or Samsung, you pour your marketing millions into spectacular press conferences and ridiculously lavish show floor exhibits where visitors have to wade through deep pile carpet while being deafened by loud music and shouty demos.
So, to arrive here as a one-man start-up with an innovative idea and try to get some attention requires both courage and optimism. Luckily Danny Manu has both in spades.
When I met this young man from Manchester on the Las Vegas strip, he was desperately tired. His cheap flight from the UK had been delayed by eight hours on a Miami stopover - so he'd dashed from the airport to his AirBnB to drop his luggage, then came straight on to see me.
"I've not slept for 24 hours but I'm still moving and looking forward to it," he says.
Danny's product is called Clik and he bills it as the world's first truly wireless earbuds with live translation. The idea is that you speak in one language and another person hears what you say in their own tongue, either via their own earbuds or via the MyManu smartphone app that Danny has already developed.
Smart wireless earbuds and instant translation are ideas which giants like Apple and Google are addressing with vast investments - so it seems ridiculously ambitious for a one-man band to take them on.
He has already had a few setbacks. He'd hoped to have a working model ready for CES, but says delays in manufacturing in China mean the earbuds won't be ready for a few weeks.
Instead, he demonstrates the system on a set of ear headphones, getting me to say Bonjour into an iPad which then comes out of his headphones as Hello.
We struggle with bad connectivity - often an issue when thousands are using the mobile networks at once - but Danny is hoping for a smoother demo in any of 37 languages when his stand is set up at the show.
It has been an extraordinary journey to get this far. He's been working on the idea for four years while holding down a full time job as an engineer at a major aerospace company. He tells me that when he went to China to sign a deal with Foxconn to manufacture his product he could only take three days leave, so spent just one day in Shenzhen - to the amazement of his hosts - then got back on the plane.
He has funded Clik from his own savings and a crowdfunding campaign and exhibiting at CES is costing him a tidy sum. So, is it worth it?
"I've had so many emails from companies that wanted to see the product," he says.
"That's the main reason I've come to CES."
He is also hoping to link up with distributors, manufacturers and other possible business partners.
Let's be honest, the odds aren't great on Danny Manu beating the tech giants to launch a product that could transform the way we interact with people who speak a different language. In fact, he might be better to head to the roulette tables and pick a number to put his life savings on.
But this brave young British entrepreneur, with the courage to stake everything on an innovation he believes could change the world, is just what CES should be all about.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38514399
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M62 police shooting: Funeral held for Yassar Yaqub - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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The funeral of Yassar Yaqub, 28, from Huddersfield, who was shot dead by police on a motorway slip road has been held.
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The funeral of Yassar Yaqub, 28, from Huddersfield, who was shot dead by police on a motorway slip road has been held.
Mr Yaqub was shot in a car stopped near junction 24 of the M62 as part of an operation on Monday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38528578
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West Ham v Man City: Sergio Aguero's cheeky flick gives Man City big lead - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Sergio Aguero turns home Yaya Toure's shot with a cheeky flick for Manchester City's fourth goal against West Ham in their FA Cup third-round tie at London Stadium.
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Sergio Aguero turns home Yaya Toure's shot with a cheeky flick for Manchester City's fourth goal against West Ham in their FA Cup third-round tie at London Stadium.
Available to UK users only.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38536416
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CES 2017: Intel reveals credit card-sized modular computer - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Intel reveals a handheld computer that can operate as a PC or act as the brains of other equipment.
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Intel has revealed a computer that is roughly the size of a credit card.
The Compute Card can operate as a PC or act as the brains of other electronics.
The US tech firm gave BBC Click's Spencer Kelly an exclusive first look before its official launch.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38515472
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Search on to find friend for Scotland's only elephant - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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The home of Scotland's only elephant launches a search for a friend after the death of her companion.
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Tayside and Central Scotland
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Scotland's only elephant is in search of a new companion
The home of Scotland's only elephant has launched a search to find her a friend after the death of her long-term companion.
Mondula, known as Mondy, has been on her own at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling since neighbour Toto died aged 46 last March.
The park is now in contact with zoos across Europe to find company for the "cheeky and clever" 46-year-old.
Mondy and Toto lived together for almost 20 years.
Blair Drummond Safari Park education officer Katie Macfarlane said that, despite not being the closest of friends, Mondy was affected by Toto's death.
She told the BBC Scotland news website: "For a few days she was quite sad and upset and you could tell she was wondering what had happened.
"In the family groups in the wild it has been seen that they mourn each other, but Toto and Mondy weren't related.
So, there were was a bond in the sense that they are very intelligent animals, but it wasn't a family bond."
Mondy has been at the park since 1998
Mondy and Toto were together for almost 20 years
The keepers have been working with Mondy every day through training to keep her stimulated following the loss of Toto.
Miss Macfarlane said: "In the first wee while she was a bit upset and she lost a bit of weight but she's doing really well now."
Any potential new companion will need to be an older African elephant which recognises Mondy's dominant nature.
Miss Macfarlane said: "It's her house, she's lived here for 20-odd years, so you've got to make sure that they're going to let her be the boss to a certain extent.
"The keepers would never want her to be on her own for the rest of her retirement, so it was always a thought from day one.
"But it takes time. You can't just throw elephants together and expect them to be friends."
Any potential new companion will need to recognise Mondy's dominant nature
Toto died after collapsing at the park last year
Mondy's new companion will be introduced to her gradually, with the pair initially being kept in separate enclosures.
Miss Macfarlane said the keepers were now trying "really hard" to find a new friend for Mondy.
She said: "The elephant building that we currently have was built in 2013 and was specifically designed as a retirement home almost.
"We work constantly with a lot of zoos through breeding programmes and the park managers are in touch with all the zoos that have African elephants in Europe.
"We said since we lost Toto that it wouldn't be immediate and it wouldn't be healthy for Mondy for it to be immediate.
"We have to give her a bit of time to get used to the new situation."
The Princess Royal opened a new elephant home at the park in 2013
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-38530025
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West Ham United 0-5 Manchester City - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup sees Manchester City thrash Premier League rivals West Ham 5-0 in the third round.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup ended triumphantly as his Manchester City side thrashed Premier League rivals West Ham in the third round.
City led 3-0 at the break, Yaya Toure starting the rout by firing a debatable penalty into the bottom left corner.
Havard Nordtveit bundled Bacary Sagna's teasing cross into his own net, just 146 seconds before David Silva's composed tap-in.
Shortly after the restart, Sergio Aguero cheekily diverted in Toure's shot to become the third-highest goalscorer in City's history.
And John Stones headed in his first Blues goal as the visitors comfortably saw the game out in a rapidly emptying London Stadium.
Following Friday's opening third-round tie, City are the first team in the pot for Monday's draw, which is live on BBC Two and online at 19:00 GMT.
Watch all the FA Cup goals and read the reaction
Guardiola has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks thanks to a combination of City's faltering form and his tetchy interviews.
But his team responded with a devastating performance against the hapless Hammers.
West Ham could not cope with the pace, power and precision of the visitors.
Toure whipped in the spot-kick after Pablo Zabaleta fell over Angelo Ogbonna's standing leg before Nordtveit and Silva ensured City scored three first-half goals for the first time under their Spanish manager.
The Blues were relentless as they condemned West Ham to their heaviest FA Cup home defeat.
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola has regularly been forced into defending his footballing philosophy in recent months but performances like this justify his perseverance.
"West Ham could not live with their passing, their movement, their one-touch football," former England striker Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day.
Hammers manager Slaven Bilic claimed ahead of the game that City "were not that confident anymore" after Guardiola's methods had been questioned following his team's mixed form in the past couple of months.
How wrong the Croat was.
But that, in part, was down to his team's inability - or refusal - to put the away side under any serious pressure when they were in possession.
Sign up for the 2017 FA People's Cup and take your chance to win tickets to the FA Cup final and achieve national five-a-side glory.
The Hammers failed to press the visitors in their own half, allowing Toure - who had more touches and made more passes than anyone else in his 78 minutes on the pitch - to dictate from his holding midfield role.
However, it could all have been very different had Sofiane Feghouli not spurned a golden chance to pull the Hammers level at 1-1.
The Algeria winger - only playing after his red card against Manchester United was rescinded - sidefooted wide of a gaping goal just seconds after Toure's penalty.
And that proved the catalyst for the Hammers' collapse.
"The way West Ham's heads went down is alarming. Alarming for the fans and for the manager. It was embarrassing," Shearer added.
The Hammers have struggled for consistency in front of goal this season, scoring just 23 times in their 20 Premier League matches - four of which were netted against Swansea on Boxing Day.
Regular injuries to Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew have not helped matters, nor has on-loan Juventus forward Simone Zaza's inability to find his feet - or the net - in England.
No wonder they have targeted an attacker in this transfer window, already having bids turned down for Sunderland's Jermain Defoe and Hull City's Robert Snodgrass.
This was another toothless performance. And, like the humiliating 5-1 defeat against Arsenal last month, they were worryingly disorganised and open at the back.
With some home fans leaving after City's third goal and those left at the final whistle jeering his team, could Hammers hero Bilic be starting to come under pressure?
What they said
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "We were able to keep the ball more than the last games. We created more chances. Before the penalty we had three or four clear chances. After the second and third goal it was easy in the second half.
"It's important to win away but it's not easy. I'd like to involve the fans and make them believe we are good. We are the good guys - we run a lot and fight."
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "The penalty was the turning point because we looked good until then. It was maybe a soft one.
"We had a great chance to equalise but we didn't. We made mistakes after the goal and started to chase the ball. Quickly it was 3-0 and game over.
"It's a very bad day for us. It wasn't good enough.
"What disappointed me the most is that we started to chase them all over the pitch and then conceded two more and it was all over."
• None The Hammers suffered their worst home defeat in FA Cup history, having never previously lost by a five-goal margin
• None Only once have West Ham suffered a bigger FA Cup defeat - 6-0 against Manchester United in January 2003
• None Sergio Aguero has been involved in 12 goals in 11 FA Cup appearances for Manchester City (10 goals, two assists)
• None West Ham have shipped three or more goals in a game on eight occasions this season - twice as many as they did in the whole of 2015-16
• None John Stones scored his first club goal since April 2015 (for Everton against Manchester United in the Premier League)
Back to the Premier League for both clubs next weekend.
West Ham, who are 13th in the top flight, host London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while fourth-placed City go to Everton on Sunday (13:30 GMT).
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt blocked. Nolito (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Nolito.
• None Goal! West Ham United 0, Manchester City 5. John Stones (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Nolito with a cross following a corner.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Bacary Sagna (Manchester City) because of an injury.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Bacary Sagna tries a through ball, but Pablo Zabaleta is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38465098
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2017 tech trends: 'A major bank will fail' - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Cybersecurity promises to be major tech theme for 2017, but what are the others?
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Business
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Could a bank go under following a major hacking theft in 2017?
If 2016 seemed politically tumultuous, 2017 promises to be equally tumultuous on the technology front.
The pace of change is accelerating at a dizzying rate, with profound implications for the way we work, play and communicate.
So what are the big technology trends to watch out for in 2017?
Cybersecurity will undoubtedly be the dominant theme of 2017, as all tech innovations could be undermined by data thefts, fraud and cyber propaganda.
Forget Kim Kardashian, it's hacking that could break the internet - and much more besides.
As accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election continue to reverberate around the world, hackers - whether private or state-sponsored - would seem to be getting the upper hand.
Prof Richard Benham, chairman of the National Cyber Management Centre, gives a dire warning: "A major bank will fail as a result of a cyber-attack in 2017 leading to a loss of confidence and a run on that bank."
In November last year, hackers stole £2.5m from 9,000 Tesco Bank customers in a raid the UK's Financial Conduct Authority described as "unprecedented".
Last year Tesco Bank seemed to be offering free cash withdrawals to hackers, too
And the more connected the world becomes - think connected cars, smart homes, sensor-laden cities - the more opportunities for hackers to break into the system and wreak havoc.
"The internet of things (IoT) and industrial internet of things (IIoT) will play a larger role in targeted attacks in 2017," says Raimund Genes, chief technology officer at cybersecurity company Trend Micro.
"These attacks will capitalise upon the growing acceptance of connected devices by exploiting vulnerabilities and unsecured systems to disrupt business processes, as we saw with Mirai."
The firm also predicts that throughout 2017 criminals will continue renting out their ransomware infrastructures - the tools that enable hackers to break in to your system, encrypt all your data, then demand a ransom to decrypt it.
Hackers can achieve the same result by knocking out your website or factory control systems in a DDoS [distributed denial of service] attack - flooding your computer servers with so many requests that they cease functioning.
And hackers are not just interested in stealing data and making money from it, warns Jason Hart, chief technology officer in charge of data protection at Gemalto, a digital security company.
Are hackers beginning to get the upper hand?
"It's scary, but data integrity attacks have the power to bring down an entire company and beyond; entire stock markets could be poisoned and collapsed by faulty data.
"The power grid and other IoT systems, from traffic lights to the water supply, could be severely disrupted if the data they run on were to be altered," he says.
As well as poorly secured devices, gullible humans will continue to be targeted, with so-called "business email compromise" fraud continuing to reap rich rewards for criminals, experts predict.
Simply tricking employees in to transferring funds to criminals' bank accounts is lo-tech but surprisingly effective, with Trend Micro reporting that the average payout in the US was $140,000 (£114,000) last year.
"Cybercriminals are targeting human vulnerabilities," says Prof Benham. "Millions is being spent on technology, but nothing on awareness training."
AI was the buzzword of 2016 and looks set to dominate 2017 as well - for better or worse.
Enabling machines to learn, adapt to new circumstances and make decisions for themselves, rather than simply obeying pre-programmed instructions or algorithms, seems to present as many disadvantages as advantages.
The pessimists envisage self-programming machines running amok and breaking free of human control, with potentially apocalyptic consequences.
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But optimists believe that applying a more restrictive, less autonomous form of machine learning to the wealth of data we are now generating and storing in the cloud could help identify correlations and patterns that were impossible for humans to see before.
And as more devices and sensors become connected, we will learn even more about the world around us. This ability to make sense of all this data could help us cure disease, tackle climate change, grow food more efficiently and generally run our lives in a much smarter, more sustainable way, proponents believe.
Lots was made of customer service chatbots last year, sometimes described erroneously as AI in action, but most of these were actually pretty dumb, merely guessing the most likely answer to fit the question.
Real AI, underpinned by natural language processing, neural networks and machine learning, will understand how humans think, talk, and categorise concepts, making it smarter and easier to interact with.
And the more people who use it, the more data it will have to learn from and the better it will become.
So we are likely to see a proliferation of smarter virtual assistants, such as Amazon's Alexa, Google's Assistant, Microsoft's Cortana, Apple's Siri, and newcomers like Viv.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Olly the robot develops a different personality to suit each of its users
Businesses will use their own versions of these AI assistants to make sense of all the data they now have to cope with.
"With AI we have the opportunity to build decision-support systems that see, hear, understand and collaborate with us to help make decisions faster, more relevant and better informed," says Gayle Sheppard, general manager of Saffron Technology, an Intel-owned cognitive computing firm.
Of course, these always-on listening devices connected to the cloud pose another potential security threat, not to mention privacy concerns over what happens to all the data they're hoovering up.
And another worry about AI is that hackers will have access to it as well - it's a cybersecurity arms race.
"AI will power malware, and will use data from the target to send phishing emails that replicate human mannerisms and content," warns Andy Powell, head of cybersecurity at Capgemini UK, an IT consultancy.
"Seeming more lifelike, these AI powered attacks will resonate with the target better than ever before, meaning they'll be more likely to fall victim."
There's simply no escaping the cybersecurity issue in 2017.
While Pokemon Go showed how augmented or mixed reality tech could take the mobile gaming world by storm, 2017 is likely to see more businesses adopting the technology, too.
The marketing opportunities are obvious, with companies like BMW linking up with Accenture and Google Tango to create an app that lets customers visualise what various car models would look like in real-world situations.
Augmented reality applications should grow in popularity this year
Lots of other retailers will be using it to enhance their marketing.
But there are plenty of industrial and educational applications, too, with smart glasses and head-up displays enabling workers to follow instructions, read manuals and navigate workplaces more efficiently.
Virtual reality is still primarily for gaming, but when lighter, faster headsets are combined with haptic technologies, training and teaching applications will become more viable, too.
As AI increasingly takes over from call centre and customer service staff, and automation continues its takeover of manufacturing, the big question is what new jobs there will be for all these redundant workers.
We've already seen how the effects of globalisation and automation have stirred up voters in the US and potentially across Europe this year.
If robots are going to take many of our jobs, what are we going to do instead?
Could there be a new Luddite revolution brewing? After all, who benefits most from cheaper production? It's certainly not the poor.
"We're going to start confronting some hard truths about technology and the labour force," says Tien Tzuo, founder of subscription technology platform Zuora.
"We're going to have to figure out how to create jobs for people in this new economy, and if there literally are going to be fewer jobs, then we'll need to establish some sort of living standard or basic income for people."
So 2017 could also be the year the world is forced to deal - finally - with the tangible impacts of technology upon human society.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38517517
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Quiz of the week's news - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The BBC's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions.
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Magazine
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It's the weekly news quiz - have you been paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past seven days?
If you missed this week's quiz on famous resignations, try it here
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38522106
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CES 2017: The jacket that lets you stash 42 gadgets - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A gadget-friendly jacket shown off at CES has 42 secret pockets.
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Technology
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Scotte Vest doesn't advise using all 42 pockets at once
As I swim in the ocean of shiny new tech that surrounds me at CES, I find myself wondering where on earth I would put all this stuff if I had to take it with me.
One firm I met there thinks it has the answer - in the form of a jacket with 42 secret pockets, each tailored for a specific device.
Scotte Vest's $150 (£120) sleeveless gilet is an Aladdin's cave of pockets: it includes a laptop-sized space on the back, somewhere to store a tablet in each of the front panels, an inside breast pocket for smartphones made out of touchscreen-friendly material and a channel for headphone cables or chargers.
It also contains a sunglasses pouch with attached cleaning cloth.
However, the firm does not recommend using all 42 pockets at once.
"It is having a pocket for what you need at the moment," said spokesman Luke Lappala.
"If style isn't necessarily your number one priority, you could fit everything you ever need in there."
I can vouch for that, after stashing my 11in (28cm) laptop, charging cable and plug, smartphone, tablet, radio equipment, battery power bar and notebook in a single Scotte Vest garment.
I didn't look or feel particularly elegant, and the weight of the laptop alone almost tipped me over twice - but once the load had settled onto my shoulders I began to feel like I was wearing a backpack rather than a gilet.
It was surprisingly difficult to get everything back out again after this little experiment. I could feel the charger about my person but it took me a while to locate the pocket it was in. Helpfully, each garment comes with a small fabric map setting out the location of all the pockets.
The idea was born in the year 2000 when chief executive Scott Jordan almost damaged his ears in an airport after getting a headphone cable tangled on a doorknob, Mr Lappala told me.
It was inspired by the traditional fisherman's vest.
The laptop pocket is on the back of the coat, making it feel like a backpack
Scotte Vest claims to have sold more than 10 million garments so far, ranging from trench coats to shorts, all with varying tallies of pockets.
It is great for travellers, said Mr Lappala. And drone pilots.
The firm even has a rival in the form of the J25 made by AyeGear - although as its name suggests, that one has a mere 25 storage areas.
I can't believe I've come to Las Vegas to write about pockets.
Read all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38527350
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Rail fares: Who are the season ticket winners and losers? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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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.
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England
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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.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38497987
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The Last Shadow Puppets beat David Bowie to win album art prize - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A record cover featuring a 1969 image of Tina Turner beats David Bowie's final release to a prize for the year's best album artwork.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Everything You've Come to Expect came top of the poll while Blackstar (right) came second
A record cover featuring a 1969 image of Tina Turner has beaten David Bowie's final release Blackstar to a prize for the year's best album artwork.
The Last Shadow Puppets' Everything You've Come to Expect was selected from 50 entrants in the annual awards.
Mark Pritchard's photo landscapes for his Under the Sun record came third, according to a public vote.
Now in its 11th year, the prize is organised by Art Vinyl, a company that promotes record covers as art.
The announcement follows news that vinyl sales topped three million last year - the highest UK total in 25 years.
The Last Shadow Puppets was formed by Miles Kane (left) of The Rascals and Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner
Illustrator Matthew Cooper used a photo of Turner taken by Vogue's Jack Robinson to decorate the cover for the Last Shadow Puppets' second album.
"The idea was to move the artwork on from the '60s feel of the first Last Shadow Puppets album artwork, so here is Tina on the very cusp of the 1970s," he explained.
The original black-and-white image was given a gold tint "to create an identifiable colour scheme and a warmer, more contemporary feel."
Blackstar was released shortly before Bowie's death in January last year at the age of 69.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38519733
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Denny Solomona: Castleford Tigers to seek £500,000 compensation - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Castleford Tigers will claim they should receive £500,000 in compensation after winger Denny Solomona walked out on the club to join Sale Sharks.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby League
Castleford Tigers will claim they should receive £500,000 in compensation after winger Denny Solomona left to join Sale Sharks in December.
Solomona, 23, is alleged to have demanded his wages were doubled before his controversial rugby code switch.
Court papers seen by the BBC claim Sale had been agitating for Solomona to move since last summer, and that they acted with the player and agent Andy Clarke.
The papers also allege Sale knew he was under contract until November 2018.
• None The legal case that could impact rugby as Bosman did football
And they claim that Sale and the agent entered into a "cynical calculation" that they would be better off if the player breached his contract rather than negotiate a transfer fee.
The court papers include an email that Castleford say was sent by Sale's director of rugby Steve Diamond to the Tigers chief executive Steve Gill in which an offer of £50,000 compensation was made.
An earlier offer of £150,000 rising to £200,000 had been withdrawn.
In the email, it is claimed, Diamond writes: "…legal advice has been sourced and we are confident that when he walks away he will be free to play rugby union.
"I… do not want to get the lawyers involved, it isn't our style and it will be a distraction as well as expensive to go through the courts for the next two years.
"The club are prepared to pay £50,000 immediately and you will release Denny from his contract at the end of September after your last match.
"Hopefully you will see the sense in a quick, quiet deal."
Castleford are taking legal action against Solomona, his agent and the Sale club.
It is understood that the claim was only issued in the High Court of Justice in Leeds last month.
At the time of writing, attempts to contact Sale for comment had been unsuccessful but director of rugby Diamond has previously denied that the club, the player or the agent have done anything wrong.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38525994
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Football sex abuse: Junior clubs must get coaches cleared or face suspension - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Junior football clubs in England face immediate suspension from the Football Association if their coaches are not cleared to work with children.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Junior football clubs in England face suspension from the Football Association if their coaches have not been cleared to work with children.
The warning, in a letter to clubs from the FA, follows allegations of historical child abuse in the sport.
It is FA policy that all coaches of youth teams must have an FA accepted in-date criminal records check (CRC).
The FA says while 99.7% of clubs have been compliant, there are more than 2,500 coaches without an in-date CRC.
There are also nearly 5,000 youth teams without a named coach.
FA chairman Greg Clarke has written to clubs demanding they update their information on the FA's Whole Game System (WGS) by midnight on 15 January.
Failure to do so will mean "clubs will face suspension from all football activity without further notice", the FA says.
Furthermore, a club's affiliation will be removed as of midnight on 28 February if they remain non-compliant with the requirement that their coaches having an in-date CRC.
The letter warns clubs that if they "have a coach who is not compliant with this, you must not allow them to coach, train, supervise or assist at matches with any youth teams, until this requirement is met".
It continues: "This is an essential aspect of any club's responsibilities when working with U18s and, as a club, you are responsible for ensuring that no-one coaches, or has unsupervised access to children, until they have an FA accepted check."
The spotlight has fallen on abuse in football since a number of former footballers came forward publicly to tell their stories.
Police said in December there are 429 potential victims linked to football, some as young as four at the time of the alleged offence, and 148 clubs are now involved, with 155 potential suspects identified.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38537776
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Golden Globes hopes for Manchester by the Sea - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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How luck led Casey Affleck to his Golden Globe nominated role in Manchester by the Sea.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Manchester by the Sea has won 70 awards including being named best film of 2016 at the US National Board of Review's awards
Golden Globe nominated actor Casey Affleck says that he "got lucky" to get his part in drama Manchester by the Sea - after replacing his friend Matt Damon at the last minute.
Damon, the star of the Bourne franchise, was originally going to direct and star in the film, which is nominated for five Golden Globe awards.
But scheduling meant he had to pull out of both roles, remaining as a producer.
Affleck believes that "there aren't many parts like this".
And that's even for male actors at the height of their career.
"It's so exhilarating and fun to get a part like this," he explains.
"You get to do what you thought you'd do when you first started being an actor. The reality is, you end up doing so much stuff you thought you'd never have to do, and would never want to do again."
Affleck plays Boston janitor Lee, who, having suffered painful tragedy in his own life, has to return to his home town of Manchester by the Sea to take care of his teenage nephew, following the death of his brother.
Director Kenneth Lonergan has been nominated for two Oscars for writing Gangs of New York and You Can Count on Me
The film was written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, who was nominated for an Oscar for his writing on Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York.
"The truth is there's so much media out there, so much TV, and there's a lot of material written for comedies and dramas, but there are very few things that have been brewing for years in the way Kenny writes things," the actor claims.
"It's the antithesis of what our culture has come to be, I mean our Western pop culture of churning it out and gobbling it up. There are also a lot of great actors out there, and sometimes those scripts go to other people. I got lucky."
Affleck, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for his role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, grew up in the Massachusetts area where the film is set, along with his brother Ben and neighbour, Matt Damon.
Affleck says he was "aware of the project for some time" and knew Damon was working on it.
"When they asked me to do the part I said, 'Sure, that might mean we never get it made, but I'm honoured that you asked.' It was very clear to me that it was the kind of movie I would love even if no-one else did."
However, not only did the film receive glowing reviews after its debut at the Sundance Film Festival last year, but Affleck is the favourite to receive the Globe for best actor in a drama.
The film is also nominated for best screenplay, best director, best motion picture drama, and his co-star Michelle Williams is up for best supporting actress.
She plays Affleck's ex-wife, and confesses that she "burst into tears" when she got the role.
Casey Affleck won best actor at the Critics' Choice Awards and director Kenneth Lonergan won best original screenplay (tied with Damien Chazelle for La La Land) while Lucas Hedges won best young actor
"I'd wanted to work with Kenny for so long," she says. "Casey and I had actually read for a play with him years ago. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time. Just knowing that it was finally going to happen, that we were all going to work together - I got a little tearful, yes.
"It felt like a momentous occasion when you want something and it comes true, even when you have to wait a long time.
"Casey and Kenny are good men and more than anything I am really happy to see their toil and efforts come good at this end because they deserve it. Casey looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders when we were making it."
The drama is a study in grief, and how the three main characters, played by Williams, Affleck and Lucas Hedges as Lee's nephew Patrick, deal with their losses.
Affleck agrees that "there were bright spots in the experience" and "a lot of light in the film", but admits it was a "demanding role".
"Talking about acting sounds so precious and pretentious, it's almost unbearable, but there was a lot required emotionally - showing up there, and being able to be very upset and sad and tortured, yet contain it all, and keep it tight."
Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck have both been nominated for Golden Globes
Kenneth Lonergan has received critical praise for not providing a so-called "Hollywood answer" to suffering, calling such stories "dishonest fantasies".
"Nobody needs me to tell anyone that real life can be difficult enough without watching something that tells you that everything will be OK, and in time you will understand about the circle of life and all this palaver," he says. "But to see my own experience reflected back at me helps me and makes me feel less alone. The sentimental approach which is so common is a cheat."
However, Michelle Williams believes that Manchester by the Sea does offer "a glimmer of hope" in its portrayal of bereavement.
"I think ultimately one of the things the movie is about is endurance. After hard times, you have to find ways to cleave to life and to people, even when you feel there isn't any hope. There's always a glimmer, I think that's what the movie offers, a glimmer of hope."
Manchester by the Sea is released in the UK on 13 January. The Golden Globes take place on 8 January.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38466808
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What does the future hold for Guantanamo? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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After President Obama failed to close the detention facility, what will President Trump do?
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US & Canada
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is it like inside Guantanamo Bay?
These are uncertain times at Guantanamo Bay. Not only for the detainees but also those who guard them. After eight years in which President Obama has tried - and failed - to close the detention facility, what will President Trump mean for its future?
The first detainees arrived at Camp X-Ray 15 years ago in the early months of what was then called the "War on Terror". I first visited a few weeks later and watched the men in orange jumpsuits in steel cages in the hot Cuban sun.
Guantanamo had been chosen partly because it was not US soil and so avoided coming under regular US law. The camp then had a thrown together feel - the Bush administration was improvising and no-one was sure how long it would last.
The orange jumpsuits worn by detainees became notorious
The next time I visited - two years later - Camp X-Ray had been replaced by the more permanent structure of Camp Delta. Guantanamo was here to stay.
Its numbers grew - around 700 at its peak. But on his second day in office eight years ago President Obama promised to close the facility and the pace of transfers increased.
On my visit a few weeks ago, I found much of the Camp eerily empty, a lone iguana roaming around the barbed wire. But closing Guantanamo was a promise President Obama could not keep, partly because Congress blocked the transfer of any detainees to the US.
Fewer than 60 men are now left. There are 20 currently cleared for release and the Obama administration is trying to transfer some of these out before its term ends.
But on 3 January, President-elect Trump made his views clear in a tweet.
"There should be no further releases," he wrote. "These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back on to the battlefield."
Most of the remaining detainees are held now in Camp Six.
Inside a cell in Camp Six at Guantanamo Bay
The uncertainty hanging over the base was clear as we toured the detention block. We were able to watch and film detainees in the communal areas of their cell block through one-way glass, an unsettling procedure.
The detainees are not supposed to know we are there but clearly they realised as one put up a hand-painted sign showing a question mark with a padlock underneath.
They followed the election result like everyone else and Col Steve Gabavics, Commander of the Joint Detention Force, told me: "They were all watching TV - their behaviour was pretty much the same as any other night.
"We didn't notice any significant negative response. No-one came to us angry, no-one protested. They were simply interested to see what was going to happen."
Colonel Steve Gabavics said they noticed no reaction to Donald Trump's election victory
One difference from my early visits is just how much more controlled - even mundane - the interaction between detainees and guards is now compared to the early days.
The attacks of 2001 were still raw and there was a tension and sense of underlying aggression on both sides. Now, the atmosphere is much more controlled.
Detainees tap on a window to summon a guard when they have a message to pass and the guard proceeds through a door into a cage-like structure inside the cell-block where they can communicate with a detainee.
During our visit in December, officials say that the detainees were "compliant".
But what does the arrival of President Trump mean?
"You know the detainees have questions - are the transfers going to stop when the new president takes office on 20 January? We don't know, they don't know. Their lawyers may speculate, but no-one knows," says Rear Adm Peter Clarke, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
He did say - before Donald Trump's latest tweet - that "some of them may act up" if they realise they are not going to be transferred.
Somewhere else on the base, which sprawls across an otherwise isolated tip of Cuba, is Camp Seven. Its precise location is secret - leading to much speculation from visiting reporters.
This is where so-called high value detainees are being held - men like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks who is going through the long slow process of a military commission - a form of trial.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and sent to the US detention centre in Cuba in 2006
Might it be not only that transfers out are stopped, but that current detainees find they have some company?
"We are going to load it up with bad dudes," Mr Trump said in the campaign trail in February last year.
Camp Five was built to hold detainees but now sits empty. What if President Trump decides he wants to not just stop people leaving but send in new detainees?
The maximum capacity of Camp Six is around 175 detainees. Camp Five could hold 80 - it has been part-converted to a new medical facility. That means potentially Guantanamo could accommodate more than 100 extra detainees pretty much immediately. More than that would require construction work.
Officials say it is a "reasonable assumption" that they would want to segregate new detainees who would be more likely to be members of so-called Islamic State rather than al-Qaeda.
"We are prepared to receive some if that was required in the short term," Col Gabavics told us.
The Obama administration's push to close Guantanamo also meant there was a reluctance to capture more detainees in counter-terrorism operations around the world, some former officials say.
They believe that a policy of "take no prisoners" created an incentive to kill rather than capture, with the administration increasing the pace and the geographical spread of drone strikes which - on occasion - might mean useful intelligence gleaned from interrogation or captured material might be lost.
Rear Adm Peter Clarke said he is confident he will not be asked to torture detainees
Mr Trump has also said that he would consider returning to the practice of waterboarding detainees. Could that take place at Guantanamo? Rear Adm Clarke said he was "confident" that there will be no torture at Guantanamo.
"Whatever orders we receive, by the time they come to me from US Southern Command, I am confident those orders will be legal orders that I will be ready to carry out," he said.
In the 15 years since Guantanamo was opened, the contours of America's war on terror have changed.
New enemies have emerged and the question of what to do with those America is fighting - where to put them, how to treat them and even whether to kill or capture them - will now be for a new president to decide.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38509031
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Three Kings parade in Madrid - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Excited children lined the streets of Madrid to watch the annual parade on the eve of Epiphany.
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Excited children lined the streets of Madrid to watch the annual parade on the eve of Epiphany.
The Day of the Kings is a more important celebration than Christmas for many families, and some wait until then to open their presents said to have been brought by the wise men.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38526831
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Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier: Hardliner or deal maker? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Who is Michel Barnier? Nicholas Watt has an in-depth profile of the EU's chief Brexit negotiator.
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UK Politics
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Just over half a century ago Britain's place as an estranged member of the European family was cemented by a Frenchman when President Charles De Gaulle vetoed the UK's attempts to join the EEC.
Britain eventually joined the club. Now, as it leaves the EU, a political descendant of the wartime Free French leader will play the decisive role in deciding the nature of the UK's future relationship with the EU.
Michel Barnier, the former French foreign minister who is the EU's chief negotiator on Brexit, has spent the last few months on a Grand Tour of Europe to agree a common front once the formal talks start in the spring.
So just who is Michel Barnier? Is he a European federalist out to punish Britain or is he more of a deal maker who will work hard to avoid a so-called train crash Brexit in which the UK falls out of the EU in a disorderly fashion?
The Barnier story begins in his backyard in the French Alps where he organised the 1992 Winter Olympic Games - one of his proudest achievements.
To the Paris elite the Olympics marked Barnier out as something of provincial figure who is guilty of a grave offence for a senior French public official; he failed to attend the elite Ecole nationale d'administration.
Baroness Bowles, the former Liberal Democrat MEP who knows Barnier from her time as chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs committee, says he was known as the "ski instructor".
Lord Patten of Barnes, the former Tory chairman, who knew Barnier from his time as France's junior European commissioner, did not see him as a top flight politician.
"He's not a joke. He's not a second rater - he'd be perfectly plausible, given our national differences, in a British cabinet in a sort of job like minister of transport," he said.
"I'm not being too condescending but I don't think he'd be home secretary or foreign secretary."
As someone who was shunned by the gilded elite of Paris, Barnier potentially has common ground with his UK counterpart, David Davis, whose friends feel he was patronised by former PM David Cameron's circle.
But friends of Barnier suggest they were hardly soulmates when they both served as Europe minister because Davis opposed the EU's social chapter.
As Europe minister, Barnier showed that he hailed from the Gaullist tradition in France which is suspicious of the Anglo-Saxon world view.
But he is no diehard Gaullist and bears no ill will to Britain, according to an old ally.
Michel Dantin, who is now an MEP, told Newsnight: "Michel Barnier is a Gaullist, a social Gaullist. His idea of Europe is a Europe of nations and not a federation.
"I think that in the forthcoming negotiations he will respect the British nation because he is aware of history and his approach is to respect others."
Barnier's Brussels breakthrough came in 2010 when he landed one of the biggest jobs in the European Commission - as internal market commissioner.
This gave him oversight of the City of London, prompting howls of outrage that a Frenchman would undermine a key part of the UK economy.
Lord King of Lothbury, the former governor of the Bank of England, raised his voice in a meeting with Barnier in his office in 2011 after he put forward proposals to regulate banks.
King told Barnier that his ideas on the amount of equity finance banks should issue and the amount of liquidity the banks should hold ran were inconsistent with the proposals of the Basel committee.
Bank sources said that King did not believe Barnier was hostile to the City; he was simply wedded to the idea of pan-European regulation.
Mark Hoban, City minister at the time, saw a more pragmatic figure who underwent a learning curve.
"Certainly I found him, at the beginnings of my dealings with him in the aftermath of the crisis, very keen to talk about the failure of Anglo Saxon capitalism because he knew that played well in continental Europe," he said.
"Two years later, as I was leaving the Treasury, [I found him] more attuned to jobs and growth."
Barnier's track record in Brussels made him the natural choice as the chief Brexit negotiator.
Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, believes Barnier will be guided entirely by maintaining the sanctity of the European project.
"Crucially he's of the project. He's a true believer in the religion of building a united states of Europe and so he's the man they're going to trust."
Jonathan Faull, who has just retired after 38 years of service in the European Commission where he worked with Barnier, says he will not set out to punish Britain. But he will have red lines.
"Mr Barnier will want to be constructive I have no doubt," said Faull.
"He will want to secure the best possible deal for the 27 states of the EU, a deal which maintains their integrity and their fundamental principles governing their internal market."
In private, Davis believes there are two Michel Barniers. One is the hardliner who vented frustration over Britain's approach at an informal meeting last year.
But the Brexit secretary is expecting to meet a flexible deal maker once the formal negotiations are under way this spring.
Dantin, one of Barnier's oldest political allies, warns Davis to work hard on building a relationship with him.
"If we want the negotiations to succeed it is necessary to have confidence between the two main negotiators," he said.
"If the negotiations go wrong the EU will not have much to lose but the UK will have much to lose. That is because the UK is effectively the supplicant."
The future of Britain's scratchy relationship with the EU will, in the initial negotiations, rest in the hands of two political outsiders.
Perhaps they will find common ground over their shared love of outdoors sport, though the silver haired and suave Frenchman would probably never be seen dead hiking across mountains in the style of his British counterpart.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38526355
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Om Puri 'relished being on set' - Director Gurinder Chadha - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Actor Om Puri, who has died aged 66, 'relished being on set' says British film director Gurinder Chadha.
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Veteran Indian actor Om Puri, star of British hit East is East, has died aged 66, after suffering a heart attack.
Film Director Gurinder Chadha, who is behind films such as Bhaji on the Beach and Bend it Like it Beckham, has been working with Om Puri on her upcoming film Viceroy's House.
She told the BBC how Puri loved being on set.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38528162
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CES 2017: Car-makers choose virtual assistants - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Car brands from around the world reveal deals with three tech giants to bring virtual assistants to new cars.
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Technology
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Hyundai has teamed up with Google to allow users of Google Home to lock their cars remotely, among other features
Four leading car brands have announced deals with three tech giants to add virtual assistants to new cars.
Microsoft's Cortana netted two of the deals, the others went to Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant.
The announcements were made at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
One analyst said there would be a "battle of the giants" over the adoption of virtual assistants in 2017, since they can be built in to a variety of appliances.
Nissan and BMW have opted to work with Microsoft to bring Cortana to selected vehicles in the near future.
Ford, however, has struck a deal with Amazon meaning its assistant, Alexa, will feature in some of its cars.
And Hyundai and Daimler have said they will make their cars partly voice-operable with Google Assistant.
Ford has warned customers not to be distracted while driving and talking to Alexa
Apple's Siri assistant is already available in certain cars as well - via the firm's CarPlay software. Many brands - including BMW, Nissan, Hyundai and Ford - have produced models that support it.
Car-makers are interested in bringing such functionality to their vehicles as a means of making them easier to interact with - and to connect home appliances to drivers while they are on the road.
With Alexa, Ford plans to give drivers the ability to close net-connected garage doors, or to play an audiobook, picking up from wherever they had previously left off.
In Hyundai's case, Google Assistant will integrate with the firm's Blue Link software. Drivers will be able to start the car, adjust air conditioning, lock the doors or send destination details to the vehicle by voice alone.
A sample command given by the firm was: "OK Google, tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees."
The tech giants are vying for a place not just in your home - but also your car
BMW discussed a handful of ways drivers might use its digital platform, BMW Connected, and Cortana in future cars - including booking restaurant tables.
"BMW Connected can provide a reminder en-route of an upcoming appointment for which no location has yet been fixed," the company said.
"And Cortana can be used to make a suitable restaurant recommendation and reserve a table."
Toyota also announced a futuristic concept car at CES, the Concept-i. It features its own digital assistant, named Yui.
"It's really going to be a battle of the giants, starting in 2017," said Adam Simon, a tech analyst at Context.
"In exactly the same way that Amazon is doing a great job at the moment of building an ecosystem in the home, there'll be an ecosystem in the car," he told the BBC.
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has said he believes digital assistants will change the web
Some car manufacturers, including Ford, are already warning drivers not to be distracted when using such products.
Last year, researchers at the University of Sussex found that using a hands-free device while driving was as distracting as picking up a phone.
"In the very long play we can see vehicles becoming a real entertainment space - an extension of people's lounges," said Jack Wetherill, a tech analyst at Futuresource.
"The real endgame is we all put our feet up and watch movies, the digital assistant does the driving."
In the short-term, he said that Amazon was likely hoping to encourage more purchases of entertainment content from its online store - such content could then be listened to in the car or watched by passengers.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526807
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The lost sounds of Stonehenge - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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There are many questions surrounding the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, might sound be part of the solution?
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Entertainment & Arts
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There are many questions surrounding the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge but might sound help in the search for answers?
Thomas Hardy said it had a strange "musical hum". Tess of the d'Urvbervilles ends at Stonehenge and features the "sound". Modern-day druids also say they experience something special when they gather at Stonehenge and play instruments within the stone circle.
However, Stonehenge is a ruin. Whatever sound it originally had 3,000 years ago has been lost but now, using technology created for video games and architects, Dr Rupert Till of the University of Huddersfield has - with the help of some ancient instruments - created a virtual sound tour of Stonehenge as it would have sounded with all the stones in place.
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Arriving at 07:00 on a decidedly chilly January morning, I was sceptical. Dr Till had arrived with a horn, a drum and some sticks to try to show me that, even in its partially deconstructed state, there was still a distinctive echo.
Perhaps it's the mystique of the stones but it's easy to hear something. However, sound is always going to bounce off huge standing stones: how can we say that was in any way meaningful for people 3,000 years ago?
Dr Till says there's a great deal of evidence that ancient people were intrigued and drawn to places that had a distinctive sound and Stonehenge had a "strange acoustic". Even today, the wind or drumming can, he says, help generate a 47hz bass note.
He first got a taste of what the circle might do to sound when he visited a concrete replica of the original intact Stonehenge in Maryhill in the US state of Washington.
He has now developed an app which will help people blot out the sounds - including those made by tourists, and cars on the nearby A303 - and go back to the soundscape of 3,000 years ago.
He's used instruments that were used at the time, such as bone flutes and animal horns, to give people a sense of what music would have sounded like within the reverberation of the intact stone circle and says the site has some of the characteristics you might expect of a rock concert venue.
Dr Till explains that there's there's strong evidence that people several thousand years ago had an interest in acoustic environments. He's worked on caves in Spain in which instruments have been found deep underground.
The echoes of the tunnels and cave systems may have had a special meaning for people. There are also, what appears to be, human markings on certain "musical" stalactites. Strike the stalactites in the right way and they give off a deep resonant note and can be played like a huge vertical xylophone.
Virtual reality allows new ways to examine Stonehenge's history
Stonehenge is a magnet for strange theories but this reflects a wider movement within archaeology to try to recreate the past with the rapidly growing technology of virtual reality (VR). Dr Aaron Watson is a research archaeologist and specialises in visualising the past.
VR, he says, opens up a new way of researching history.
"The material record can't give us all the answers," he explains.
"The moment we start creating a virtual reality world it begins to ask questions, especially about people. What were they wearing, what were their postures, were they highly coloured, tattooed? As soon as we create the immersive experience it demands those answers.
"It gives a new sensory experience to looking at the past that might take us beyond what we describe in books."
• None How hard was it to build Stonehenge?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38530755
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Johanna Konta knocked out in Shenzen Open semi-finals by Katerina Siniakova - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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British number one Johanna Konta is knocked out of the Shenzhen Open in the semi-finals by world number 52 Katerina Siniakova.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Johanna Konta suffered a shock defeat in the Shenzhen Open semi-finals, losing in three sets to world number 52 Katerina Siniakova.
The British number one lost 1-6 6-4 6-4 to her 20-year-old opponent in China.
Third seed Konta - the world number 10 - was the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw.
"I'm happy I got to play four really great matches in the first week of the season. I feel very fortunate to have gotten that time on court," said Konta.
The Briton won the opening set in just 22 minutes and led 4-2 in the decider, but Siniakova won four successive games to reach her third WTA final.
Konta said: "I think she definitely started slower, and me, quite well. But all credit to her, she really raised her level in the next two sets.
"She was going for every single shot and played quite freely, so it was a difficult match for me to do what I would have liked."
Czech Republic's Siniakova, who beat second seed Simona Halep in the second round, will play American Alison Riske in Saturday's final.
World number 39 Riske reached the final for the second year in a row by beating Camila Giorgi 6-3 6-3.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38527660
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Bradford Bulls: Rugby Football League wants three years' support for club - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Owners of a new Bradford rugby league club will be required to financially support the club for three years, according to the RFL.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby League
The owners of a new Bradford rugby league club will need to financially support the side for three years, says the Rugby Football League.
Bradford Bulls were liquidated on Tuesday after administrators were unable to find a suitable buyer.
The governing body has received 10 expressions of interest and has set a deadline of Monday, 9 January.
Bidders are more likely to succeed if they promise to honour season tickets and rugby league debts, says the RFL.
The RFL Board, which is independent, will make a final decision within a couple of weeks. If an agreement is reached, the new side would play their first competitive game against Hull KR on Sunday, 5 February.
The new club would also start with a 12-point deduction. Central funding in the first year would also be limited to £150,000, the lowest of any Championship side.
A document sent by the RFL to all interested parties says that directors and shareholders of any new club would be held personally liable if it fails.
Potential new owners would have to provide proof of funds and show relevant experience of running a club before they are considered, as well passing a fit and proper persons test.
The RFL has also asked for information on potential player recruitment plans and the development of the academy.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38528436
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After Brexit: What happens next for the UK's farmers? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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From the environment to subsidies, trade tariffs to animal welfare, farming has the most to lose - and gain - from Brexit.
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Business
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Farming has the most to gain - and lose from Brexit
Of all UK industries, farming could lose or gain the most from Brexit.
At worst Brexit could devastate the farming sector; on average 60% of farm incomes come in the form of EU subsidies.
The report by Informa Agribusiness Intelligence estimates that without subsidies 90% of farms would collapse and land prices would crash.
So far no one has said the subsidies will be taken away, or even that they will shrink.
Indeed, the government has promised to match them up until 2020.
But beyond that it has promised nothing.
Some argue that without any subsidies at all, nine in 10 farms would collapse as businesses
This week has seen a flurry of activity as the farming industry tries to grapple with what comes next.
MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee warned on Tuesday of the dangers of Brexit to farming. Its report, the Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum, says:
Meanwhile farmers gathered at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) this week to listen to the Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom, but there were precious few details on what would happen once EU subsidies go.
"We will be consulting in the near future on exactly the shape of future farm and agriculture support," said Ms Leadsom. "I will be committed to supporting farming in both the short and longer term."
Andrea Leadsom gave few details on what would happen to farming after the UK leaves the EU
Also at the OFC was George Eustice, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, who was a little more detailed.
"I want to support agriculture to where it becomes more profitable, more vibrant, so we see expanding food production in this country, where we are supporting farmers to deliver eco-system services.
"So that rather than telling them 'here's a subsidy now here's a list of environmental demands', we should be saying to farmers you have a role to play to enhance our agricultural environment, and we are going to reward you for those services that you offer."
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) started in 1962 as the first members of what is now the EU emerged from over a decade of food shortages during and after World War Two.
Its emphasis was on production and food security but as farmers were paid for whatever they produced, they over-produced leading to food "mountains".
A reform process, including the "greening" of the CAP which emphasised environmental practices, has resulted in farmers mostly being paid depending on how much land they own - but some wealthy UK landowners now receive subsidies of up to £3m a year.
For instance, the Newmarket farm of Khalid Abdullah al Saud, billionaire owner of the legendary horse Frankel, receives £400,000 a year. Lord Iveagh who lives on the 22,486-acre Elveden Estate in Suffolk, receives over £900,000.
Yet working out what to replace EU subsidies with is raising passions.
Many farmers see opportunities once the UK is no longer in the Common Agricultural Policy
At the same conference the journalist and environmental activist George Monbiot had a run-in with the deputy head of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Minette Batters over the role of farmers after Brexit.
Mr Monbiot believes farming subsidies should be replaced by a fund to alleviate rural poverty, an environmental fund and help for new entrants into the sector.
When he asked Ms Batters if she was happy to see subsidies paid to wealthy farmers. Ms Batters hesitated and then said: "It depends on what they do with it," adding "I can't emphasise it enough, farmers embrace the environment".
An aghast-looking Mr Monbiot replied saying "Farmers, have, more than any other group been responsible for the environmental degradation of the countryside."
A few hundred yards down the road, another conference was going on. This was the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC), set up 10 years ago to give an alternative view on farming.
While the OFC is all suits, largely men, and a large NFU presence, the ORFC is more woolly jumpers, more women, more beards and more delegates, many of them young.
If there is no free trade agreement with the EU Britain would rely on trading rules laid down by the World Trade Organisation
The two are not absolutely opposed to each other - coming together this year for the first time to jointly discuss the weighty subject of cheese and how to produce it.
And the feeling at both conferences is that, despite uncertainties, everyone sees huge opportunities once the UK is no longer in the Common Agricultural Policy.
And, of course, everyone is pushing their own agenda.
Guy Watson, the founder of the country's largest organic retailer, Riverford Organic Farmers, bravely told a gathering of livestock farmers that "there is no getting away from it, we have to eat less meat"
David Baldock, a senior fellow at the Institute for European Environmental Policy said: "It's really not the end of the world to think that we are going to produce slightly less and better."
Surprisingly neither were shouted down and there were even suggestions from the audience that VAT ought to be levied on meat.
While most of the lobby groups have a view on reforming subsidies, they are less clear about the problem of trade.
90% of UK exports in beef and lamb go to the EU
If there is no free trade agreement with the EU, Britain would rely on trading rules laid down by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which could be very uncomfortable for farmers having to pay taxes, or tariffs, to sell into the single market.
Calum Kerr, MSP and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman for the SNP, said 90% of beef and lamb exports, and 70% of pork exports go to the EU.
"WTO rules would look at a minimum tariff into the EU of 20%. On red meat which ... is critically important [economic] modelling suggests anywhere between 50% and.... a 76% increase in costs into the EU market.
"That's why we believe we should remain a part of the EU market."
The NFU's Ms Batters said: "We have to do a deal with Europe and it is a deal that will shape our landscape for generations to come."
Nearly every farmer believes Brexit offers an opportunity to change the system, but exactly how is a matter for debate
As for competing with countries outside the EU, Ms Leadsom promised she wouldn't lower environmental and animal welfare standards to clinch free trade deals.
Ms Batters, herself a beef farmer, said: "The problem is that getting free trade deals in agriculture is notoriously difficult.
"Take Argentina. Michael Gove says he wants to do a deal with the South American countries. "But they have a completely different system of rearing beef, using a degree of genetically modified products.
"I simply can't compete with that."
Nearly everyone believes Brexit offers an opportunity to change the system, but no one can agree how.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38510423
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Man Utd: No acceptable bids for Morgan Schneiderlin or Memphis Depay - Mourinho - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho says Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay will not be selected while their futures remain unresolved.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United duo Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay will not be selected while their futures remain unresolved, manager Jose Mourinho says.
Everton hope to conclude a deal for Schneiderlin, 27, but United are yet to receive an acceptable bid for the midfielder, according to Mourinho.
"I will allow both of them to leave - if the right offer comes. Until this moment, no," said Mourinho.
"We don't have any offer that is close to the quality of the players we have."
The Red Devils host Reading in the FA Cup third round on Saturday and Mourinho said that "in normal conditions" the two players would have been named in his squad.
"But they aren't because we are waiting for something that a couple of weeks ago looked like 100% and at the moment looks like 0%," he added.
West Brom have had an offer of £15m for Schneiderlin rejected, while Everton boss Ronald Koeman reportedly hopes to sign the France international in time for their Premier League match with Manchester City on 15 January.
BBC Sport understands more than five clubs retain an interest in the former Southampton midfielder and suggestions Everton have arranged a medical for the player are inaccurate.
Everton are also interested in former PSV Eindhoven winger Depay, 22, as are a number of clubs across Europe.
'No need for another defender'
With Eric Bailly now on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast, United will have only three regular central defenders for up to eight matches.
The club were heavily linked with a £40m move for Benfica's Swedish international Victor Lindelof but sources told BBC Sport in December that no bid would be made in in January.
Southampton's Jose Fonte was reported to be a United target in the summer and asked for a transfer on Thursday.
The form of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo is the major reason why Mourinho is not interested in reinforcing his squad and, with Chris Smalling back after injury and Daley Blind and Michael Carrick both having experience in the role should the need arise, the United manager has indicated he wants to stick with his current group.
"While I wait for Bailly, I hope the other three [Jones, Rojo, Smalling] can control the situation," said Mourinho.
"I am going to try to rest one for every game. If I rest one against West Ham, I will rest another against Hull [in the EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday] and try to make a rotation between these three. We have Daley Blind as a fourth and also Michael Carrick."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38532747
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Mexico and Mr Trump: What will happen to trade ties? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Caroline Bayley reports on the impact the Nafta trade deal has had in Mexico, and what its potential demise under US President-elect Trump would mean for the country.
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Business
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Donald Trump is not popular in Mexico
Mexico is being blamed by President-elect Donald Trump for taking jobs from the US.
He's been putting pressure on US companies not to move jobs south, and this week Ford announced it was investing in its factory in Michigan rather than building a new plant in Mexico.
During his election campaign, Mr Trump threatened to rip up Nafta, the free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, which has been in place for 23 years.
But what impact has Nafta had in Mexico, and what would its potential demise mean for the country?
In a leafy square in Mexico City on a warm December evening a group of excited children are hitting a brightly coloured pinata stuffed with sweets. A fellow passer-by explains to me that pinatas are a Mexican tradition, particularly at Christmas and birthdays.
However, Mexicans also like pinatas "in the shape of everything we want to hit", he says. "The latest trend is Donald Trump pinatas," he adds.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A look back at some of the things Donald Trump has said about Mexicans
Mr Trump is not popular in Mexico. He was incredibly rude about Mexicans during his election campaign, and at a time when the world seems to be turning away from free trade he threatened to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) between the US, Mexico and Canada.
The important thing about Nafta is that companies importing and exporting between the three countries pay no tariffs. Mr Trump believes it's been bad for the US as cheaper Mexican labour has meant some US manufacturers have moved production across the border, resulting in job losses at home.
Nafta was implemented in 1994 and over the past 23 years Mexico has grown as a manufacturing hub. Today the United States and Mexico trade over $500bn (£400bn) in goods and services a year, equal to about $1.5bn a day. Mexico is the US's second-biggest export market, and the US is Mexico's largest.
Thierry Legros says without Nafta his farming business would be under threat
Red Sun Farms, a large vegetable-growing firm in central Mexico, depends on the free trade agreement. Its managing director, Thierry Legros, shows me into a vast greenhouse, 200m long, with row upon row of tomato plants. The company also grows peppers and exports 90% of its crop to the US and Canada.
So what would it mean if Mr Trump repealed the Nafta agreement completely with its tariff-free trading? "We might need to close the whole company," Thierry tells me. "It would be around 3,000 direct jobs, so with all the indirect that's quite a lot, probably double that."
Outside Thierry's office three flags flutter in the wind - one for each Nafta country.
The three Nafta flags at Red Sun Farms reflect the company's integration within the free trade area
Red Sun Farms even owns a farm in the US and sends Mexican workers over there. However, there's a stark wage differential, with pay significantly higher in the US.
"Right now with the exchange rate that's huge," Thierry explains, "it's about one to eight, one to 10."
These Red Sun Farms workers in Mexico earn far less than their counterparts in the US
As well as enabling Mexico to export freely, Nafta also opened the door to US imports, giving Mexican consumers much greater choice.
"It was an achievement, it was against history," says economic consultant Luis de la Calle, who was one of the negotiators of the free trade agreement.
"Most Mexicans thought that it was impossible or not convenient to have a strategic association with the US, and many people in the US never thought that Mexico could be their partner."
You can listen to In Business: Mexico and Mr Trump on BBC Radio 4 at 20:30 GMT on Thursday, 5 January and at 21:30 GMT on Sunday, 8 January.
Increased demand, as a result of free trade, forced Mexican manufacturers to improve quality.
Luis de la Calle says that before Nafta Mexico had three producers of TV sets, and the quality was "awful". But today, Mexico is "the largest manufacturer of TV sets in the world". They are exported and are "high quality, completely different from the protected market we had before".
The instantly recognisable VW Beetles are manufactured in Puebla, Mexico
Mexico is now a centre of manufacturing for overseas companies, such as the motor industry. General Motors and Ford both have factories in Mexico as well as the US.
But Donald Trump has put public pressure on US companies not to move production, and has threatened to impose import duties on cars coming in from Mexico. It's a sensitive subject and the American carmakers refused to be interviewed.
Donald Trump had this message for the car industry earlier this week
However, in the city of Puebla, a two-hour drive from the capital, the German car manufacturer Volkswagen is the biggest employer with 14,000 staff. It's the only place in the world where VW produces its famous Beetle, and as you enter the site you're greeted by a display of Beetles suspended in the air like a piece of installation art. The Golf and Jetta models are also produced here.
Thomas Karig from VW Mexico was tight-lipped about whether the firm had come under any pressure about jobs
Like the US carmakers, Volkswagen's Mexican production is integrated with its US plant. "We use a lot of parts coming from the US for assembly here in Mexico in Puebla, and our colleagues in Chattanooga in Tennessee - they use a lot of parts coming from Mexico," explains Thomas Karig from Volkswagen Mexico.
This integration is possible because there are no tariffs to pay each time components are sent from one Nafta country to another. But when I ask whether Volkswagen has come under pressure from Mr Trump about keeping jobs in the US, the atmosphere cools and there is a curt "no comment".
The Nafta agreement has not benefited everyone in Mexico though. Some small farmers were unable to compete with US agricultural imports and big Mexican rivals.
According to a study by the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, from 1991 to 2007 some 4.9 million family farmers were displaced. Some found work with big exporting agricultural companies, but there was still a net loss of 1.9 million jobs.
Three of Aurelio's children are illegal migrants in the US
An hour's drive from Puebla I meet Aurelio, whose family has farmed a tiny patch of land since 1925. Deep in the dry countryside he raises a few cows.
Job opportunities are scarce and three of his five children have migrated illegally to the US where they have found work painting cars. But Donald Trump has said he wants to deport illegal immigrants. Aurelio takes out his mobile phone and calls one of his sons in the US. Is his son worried about this, I ask.
His son says that if there is a chance of being deported they will have to look elsewhere, but adds: "Mexico is a tough choice because of lack of opportunities, violence, high taxes and the economic situation, so it wouldn't be easy."
President Obama has deported at least 2.4 million illegal immigrants so this isn't a new policy. And according to the Pew Research Center, by 2014 more Mexican immigrants returned to Mexico than migrated to the US.
Luis de la Calle says both the US and Mexico benefit from Nafta
Mr de la Calle acknowledges that the free trade agreement has split the country. He says there are two types of regions in Mexico.
"[There are] parts of the south of Mexico that are disconnected from international trade, that are lagging behind, where Nafta had little impact. Rates of growth are low, there is little investment, and you don't see large manufacturing operations."
In contrast to this, he says: "There are 16 or 17 other states that grow very fast, you see a lot of dynamism." These he describes as "Nafta states" with exporting businesses.
However, he dismisses Mr Trump's criticism of Mexico. "He says [Nafta's] been great for Mexico, actually his whole argument is that Mexico is doing so well. It's flattering."
He also claims that the US is benefiting from its close manufacturing links with Mexico.
However, when I ask who would come off worst if Nafta were repealed, the US or Mexico, he answers, "Mexico because we are smaller, but the US would lose quite a bit as well."
Donald Trump wasn't the first US presidential candidate to criticise Nafta. Hillary Clinton and even Barack Obama did so on their campaign trails.
But abandoning it completely? The US may find it has too much to lose and perhaps Mr Trump has realised that too.
In Business: Mexico and Mr Trump is on BBC Radio 4 at 20:30 GMT on Thursday, 5 January and at 21:30 GMT on Sunday, 8 January.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38507482
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US torture victim's family thanks police - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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The family of a man in Chicago whose torture was broadcast on Facebook thanks community and police.
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The family of a man whose torture was broadcast on Facebook have thanked the community and local police for their response.
They have asked for privacy from the public as they "cope and heal".
Four people have been charged with hate crimes in relation to the Chicago assault, that police say lasted two days.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38535446
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CES 2017: Sony chief pledges to detangle confusing TV tech - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Sony's chief executive says his firm must do more to help customers understand 4K, HDR, OLED and other TV terms.
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Sony's chief executive says his firm must do more to help consumers get to grips with a mass of TV tech acronyms.
Kazuo Hirai made the pledge the day after announcing the firm's first 4K OLED screen, which he said supported two kinds of HDR.
Rory Cellan-Jones has more from the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526893
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The mother, the medium and the murder that changed the law - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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It was a murder which enthralled a nation, saw police turn to the supernatural and helped change the very law itself.
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Nottingham
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Mona Tinsley's face smiled out of countless newspaper articles and police leaflets
It is 80 years since the murder of 10-year-old Mona Tinsley, a case which was by turns grisly, seedy and bizarre. It enthralled a nation and helped change the age-old principle that a murder could not be proved without a body.
"Oh it couldn't possibly be him," said Lilian Tinsley to the assembled police.
Officers had a lead in the disappearance of Mona, her slight but sprightly 10-year-old daughter, but needed help.
Just hours after she vanished after leaving her Newark-on-Trent school on 5 January 1937, a witness identified a man seen nearby as a former lodger from the Tinsleys' home.
Local historian Chris Hobbs said: "The reaction of Lilian and her husband Wilfred, when questioned, was odd. They seemed evasive.
The house at the centre of the case has changed little on the outside
"When pressed by officers, Mrs Tinsley admitted they briefly had a lodger, known to the children as 'Uncle Fred'.
"Eventually she gave a name, Frederick Hudson, and, seemingly with great reluctance, the fact he was a friend of her sister Edith Grimes in Sheffield.
"Why would the parents be like this with the safety of their daughter at stake?" Mr Hobbs queried.
A possible, and murky, answer would emerge.
Mrs Grimes gave them a slightly different name - Frederick Nodder - but insisted she had not seen him for months. This turned out to be a blatant lie.
Officers quickly found a neighbour who had seen Nodder in Sheffield just after Christmas, driving a lorry marked 'Retford', a market town in Nottinghamshire.
This led them to a haulage firm which provided an address in the nearby hamlet of Hayton. It was only a day since Mona had disappeared.
British justice was haunted by the wrongful execution of three people in 1660
Legal historian Benjamin Darlow says: "This principle dates back to the case of William Harrison in 1660, known as the Campden Wonder. Mr Harrison disappeared from near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, in 1660 and two men and a woman were found guilty and hanged for the crime.
"In 1662, Mr Harrison turned up with a story about being kidnapped. This had a dramatic impact on English criminal law and the 'no body, no murder' principle survived for the next 294 years.
"The Mona Tinsley case was part of an important narrative in the 20th Century which built up to the abolition of the principle in English Law in 1954.
"It was perhaps the most high-profile and widely reported case in this timeline.
"There is no longer a 'no body, no murder' principle in English criminal law.
"A murder conviction can be based on circumstantial evidence if it is compelling and convincing enough.
"While the principle is gone, it is still very difficult to prove murder without a body, unless there is alternative strong evidence pointing to the murderer."
Confronted outside his rented house, Nodder, 50, denied any involvement but a girl was seen at the house at about noon that day, just a few hours before.
A search found a child's drawings as well as fingerprints on crockery. Nodder was arrested.
Witnesses placed him on a bus from Newark to Retford on Tuesday afternoon. He was accompanied by a girl.
Faced by this evidence, Nodder asked to see Mrs Grimes, insisting this would lead to Mona being found "alive and well".
Nodder's house (centre, between trees) was a short distance from the Chesterfield canal
Mr Hobbs said: "It came out that Mrs Grimes had in fact seen Nodder on a weekly basis since he left Sheffield. She knew full well where Nodder lived but did not tell police.
"Newspaper reports describe them as being "friendly" but it is striking how both she and Mrs Tinsley tried to deflect attention away from Nodder.
"It seems likely Mrs Grimes was having an affair with him but it is surprising both she and Mona's own mother were prepared to obstruct the police investigation.
"Had it delayed the search by vital hours?"
Hundreds of people turned out to search fields and help police drag local rivers
But when they met, Nodder offered only a statement insisting he had sent Mona to Sheffield to see Mrs Grimes.
Nobody believed a word of Nodder's new statement - but the lack of a corpse hampered the investigation.
After searches of the house, garden, nearby countryside and the ominously close Chesterfield canal, and just beyond it the River Idle, fat with winter rain, no new trace of the girl was uncovered.
On 10 January 1937 Nodder was charged, but only with abduction.
Divining, or dowsing, claims the twitching of sticks can locate lost objects or water sources
The desperate search for Mona used many conventional methods - but also some more bizarre efforts.
Diviners - who search for an item with the aid of sticks or rods and mysterious intuition - featured prominently in the hunt for the girl, often seeming to direct the efforts of police.
Most prominent was James Clarke of Melton Mowbray, who, carrying one of Mona's shoes and guided by whalebone sticks, focused on a gravel pit. On 14 January he told the Nottingham Post, "Never was I more confident of success. I am so confident that if I was younger I would dig myself."
The pit was cleared. Nothing was found.
Several mediums featured in the case. The Daily Mirror tested three - gaining access to both the Tinsley family and Nodder's house - but was given vague or conflicting answers.
Estelle Roberts, one of the most famous psychics of the 1930s, later claimed to have been chauffeured to the the crime scene by police and told them Mona was in the river.
Whatever she revealed to officers at the time, it was not enough to find the little girl.
The case made national headlines. The Daily Express offered a £250 reward to find Mona, a different editor was threatened with jail for contempt for publishing a photo of Nodder.
Press and public queued to get into hearings. It was reported some were "laughing and joking as they pushed and struggled to their places" and were told off by court officials.
Nodder stood trial in Birmingham just two months later.
Efforts to solve the mystery even featured in upmarket picture magazine The Sphere
His defence argued hard Mona might still be found alive and well and no-one should speculate on her fate. Nodder did not give evidence.
The jury took 16 minutes to convict him. He was jailed for seven years.
Clearly frustrated by what he felt was a killer getting away lightly, Judge Mr Justice Rigby Swift said: "You have been, most properly in my opinion, convicted by the jury of a dreadful crime.
"What you did with that little girl, what became of her, only you know. It may be that time will reveal the dreadful secret which you carry in your breast."
The searches had been exhaustive. Hundreds of volunteers had combed the countryside, leaflets had been handed out, an appeal broadcast on radio. The canal had been drained for five miles, the river dredged.
As it stood, Nodder just had to bide his time.
Nodder was described as unkempt but seemed to have been trusted by the Tinsley children
But his luck ran out on 6 June. A family boating on the River Idle, a few miles downstream of Hayton, spotted a suspicious object under the water.
When police arrived they found it was a body snagged in a drain.
It was taken to a nearby pub where Wilfred Tinsley identified his daughter by her clothes.
Injuries to her neck showed Mona had been strangled with a cord. Nodder was charged with murder.
Nodder was hanged at Lincoln Prison still maintaining his innocence
The law moved with vengeful speed. In November, the second time in a year, he stood trial. This time he gave evidence - still insisting he had put Mona on a bus for Sheffield.
A two-day trial saw his defence, which claimed nothing directly proved he had killed Mona and no motive was established, briskly dismissed.
Sentencing Nodder to death, Mr Justice Mcnaughton remarked: "Justice has slowly but surely overtaken you".
On 30 December 1937, Frederick Nodder was hanged in Lincoln Prison.
After the noose had done its work and the Tinsleys were left to grieve, the echo of the murder carried on. Its twists and revelations helped usher in a new way of seeking justice for the dead.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-37577247
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West Ham v Man City: Yaya Toure penalty gives City the lead - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Yaya Toure's penalty gives Manchester City the lead after West Ham's Angelo Ogbonna fouls Pablo Zabaleta in their FA Cup third-round tie at London Stadium.
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Yaya Toure's penalty gives Manchester City the lead after West Ham's Angelo Ogbonna fouls Pablo Zabaleta in their FA Cup third-round tie at London Stadium.
Available to UK users only.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38536410
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Jermain Defoe: Sunderland striker not for sale, says David Moyes - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Sunderland boss David Moyes says Jermain Defoe is not for sale amid speculation about the veteran striker's future.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Sunderland boss David Moyes says Jermain Defoe is not for sale amid speculation about the veteran striker's future.
The club rejected a £6m bid from West Ham for the 34-year-old on Wednesday and the Hammers were reportedly willing to double their bid .
"We have said Jermain is not for sale and he is not for sale. West Ham made a bid and we rejected it," Moyes said.
Defoe is Sunderland's top scorer with 11 goals in 21 appearances this season.
He signed a one-year contract extension in June which runs until 2019.
• None Listen: Defoe would much rather be at West Ham - Sutton
"We have never asked for a second bid, we have never put a price on him, not at any time," continued Moyes.
"He's really important to us. Everybody knows that and the club has already come out and said that.
"There has been very little said from Sunderland. The talking has all come from other people, not from here."
Moyes also confirmed Defoe would be involved "in some way" when Sunderland host Burnley in the FA Cup on Saturday.
The England striker joined Sunderland in January 2015 and has scored 33 goals in 74 games including more than 50% of the team's 19 league goals this season.
He started his senior career with West Ham before moving to Tottenham in 2004.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38529279
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Dan Roan looks ahead to sports news in 2017 - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Dan Roan looks at the key events and topics that will dominate sport in 2017, and asks if it will be as intriguing and controversial as ever.
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After an unforgettable and relentless year for sports news, what does 2017 hold in store? Plenty, as sports editor Dan Roan explains:
There's no football World Cup, and it may not be an Olympic year, but expect 2017 to revive fond memories of the London Games, with a host of major sports events on the horizon.
Buoyed by Britain's remarkable success in Rio last year, track and field will take centre stage, first at the World ParaAthletics Championships, and then the IAAF World Championships, both held at London's former Olympic Stadium. It is the first time the two events have been held in the same city, and the same summer.
It promises to be a fitting send-off for triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt, racing competitively for the final time before he retires, and also for double Olympic champion Mo Farah, who says he will focus on the marathon after the worlds.
With Jessica Ennis-Hill already having retired however, it will be interesting to see whether a new generation of British talent - led by Scotland's Laura Muir - can make their mark, (and whether Russia will be allowed to compete at all after recent claims of state-sponsored doping).
With the world's best team lying in wait, the British and Irish Lions trip to New Zealand is arguably the biggest and most anticipated rugby tour ever, and certain to add even more spice to this year's Six Nations.
With England unbeaten under Eddie Jones and Ireland having recently won against the All Blacks for the first time, coach Warren Gatland can select a strong squad to seriously challenge the hosts. But it will be far from easy.
The ultimate rugby challenge awaits against a team that continues to come as close as any in sport to perfection. If there is one place above all others to be covering sport this year, it is Auckland on 24 June for the first Test of what should be a titanic series.
Having come third in the 2015 World Cup, England's women footballers will have high hopes in the biggest Euros staged to date, with 16 participants vying for glory in the Netherlands.
A mouth-watering opening tie against Scotland in Utrecht on 19 July should ensure significant interest in a competition that is expected to give another major boost to the women's game.
This summer will also see England host the women's cricket World Cup, and Ireland stage the rugby union World Cup, with England confident of retaining the title they won three years ago.
The last time England turned up in Australia for the Ashes, they were humiliated, with batsman Jonathan Trott leaving a shambolic tour early, Graeme Swann retiring mid-series, and Kevin Pietersen playing his last Test before being banished.
This time, with the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes now firmly established among the world's finest cricketers, they should fare significantly better that the 5-0 whitewash they endured in 2013-14. By the time the series starts in November, Australia will have also hosted rugby league's World Cup, with England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all involved.
Elsewhere, in football it will be fascinating to see who prevails in the Premier League, with the 'big six' clubs having restored the natural order after the Leicester City 'miracle' last season. And there is the climax to qualification for the 2018 World Cup to look forward to as well.
The incredible spending potential of China's clubs will no doubt continue the power shift in football's transfer market, along with more Chinese investment in English clubs.
It is also a big year for sailing, with Sir Ben Ainslie aiming to bring the America's Cup to Britain for the first time.
Lewis Hamilton is favourite to claim a fourth world title as F1 prepares for life without last year's winner Nico Rosberg, and with Liberty Media hoping to complete their multi-billion dollar takeover of the motorsport series, expect change away from the the track too, with much interest in the next move of F1's 86-year-old commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
In tennis, world number one Andy Murray will attempt to win the Australian Open for the first time, and cycling's Chris Froome will target a fourth Tour de France victory, while Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz and Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko are the highlights of a bumper year in boxing.
And perhaps we will finally discover if the prospect of a mega-fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and retired unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather is anything more than just talk.
Doping was the longest-running and biggest single issue in sports news last year, with claims of Russian state-sponsored cheating laid bare in two damning reports by Professor Richard McLaren, the build-up to the Rio Games overshadowed by the scandal, and the suspension of tennis star Maria Sharapova.
In 2017, sports' leaders will be under mounting pressure to finally decide how to regain trust in the world's anti-doping regime. When the two International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissions have concluded their work, the organisation must punish Russia.
With more positive results from the re-testing of Russian samples from London 2012 and Sochi 2014 expected over the coming weeks, and with the country already having been stripped of the bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships in March, should it also be banned from the winter Games next year?
Russia has now admitted some doping took place, but continues to contest any government involvement, and there are serious doubts that it can persuade athletics' governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), to lift its suspension of the country's track and field athletes in time for the World Championships.
The long-anticipated reform of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) must also be decided. Will it be granted the autonomy, additional resources, and sanctioning power that many in the anti-doping community are demanding?
These are the difficult questions international sport must wrestle with over the coming months as it tries to recover from the worst doping scandal in history.
There could be more bad news on the way however, with reports that the names of athletes who had bags of blood confiscated as part of Operation Puerto in Spain may be revealed. And could the Fancy Bears hackers cause more mayhem with further revelations?
For the Football Association, Clive Sheldon QC has become a very important man.
The barrister is heading up the governing body's review into allegations of child sexual abuse, and the FA is under mounting pressure to make the findings public, and then to act on them decisively and appropriately.
With hundreds of victims coming forward, more than 155 suspects identified, and 148 clubs involved - so far - the scale of the scandal is breathtaking.
British football seeks answers to the worst crisis in its history
With the possibility of more suspensions of officials, along with the prospect of further criminal charges, and compensation claims, this story will extend well beyond 2017 as British football seeks answers to the worst crisis in its history.
Current footballers may have been slow to publicly back the Offside Trust - set up to support the victims of abuse - but the issue of child protection in sport is here to stay.
After the most turbulent year in its history, cycling is braced for the conclusion of two separate investigations.
UK Sport will shortly announce the findings of an independent review into whether there was a culture of bullying and sexism at governing body British Cycling after a series of allegations from former riders and employees.
Meanwhile, after being questioned by MPs over the circumstances surrounding a medical package delivered to his former rider Sir Bradley Wiggins, the future of one of the country's leading sports coaches - Team Sky supremo Sir Dave Brailsford - will hinge on the outcome of a UK Anti-Doping investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport.
Wiggins recently announced his retirement. But with the parliamentary committee considering calling more witnesses, do not expect the controversy over his use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) before major races to go away.
Wiggins' TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body the UCI.
The pressure is still on the country's most decorated Olympian - and its most successful sport. The British President of the UCI, Brian Cookson, will seek re-election, while British Cycling must appoint a new chief executive.
The countdown to what has the potential to be the most controversial World Cup to date has begun.
Organisers of Russia 2018 have already had to defend themselves against accusations of corruption in the bidding process, racist behaviour, and, since those chaotic scenes at last year's Euros in France, a new generation of hooligans.
The recent state-sponsored doping scandal has only intensified calls for Russia to be stripped of football's showpiece event. Lots will be at stake this summer when the nation hosts the Confederations Cup - the traditional dress-rehearsal for the World Cup.
For three cities, the clock is ticking down to Wednesday, 13 September.
That is when, in Lima, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will gather amid the usual fanfare, and vote to decide the hosts of the 33rd Olympiad in 2024. Before then, expect eight months of presentations, inspection visits and relentless lobbying.
The race is seen as a straight fight between what appear to be two 'safe' candidate cities; Los Angeles and Paris, both bidding to stage the Games for a third time. But the IOC is under serious pressure over the budget-busting costs and questionable legacy benefits of their showpiece event.
So how better to prove that President Thomas Bach's 'Agenda 2020' reforms - designed to bring about cheaper, more sustainable Games - are actually working, than to award them to a more modest bid, from a smaller city, like dark horses Budapest?
Paris remains the favourite, but with US network NBC paying the IOC billions in broadcast rights, and with the next three Olympics all heading to Asian time zones (especially unfavourable to American TV audiences), LA's supporters are growing increasingly confident that it is their turn.
Will a Donald Trump administration harm the US city's chances? Could the possible election of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election in April have a similar impact on Paris? All will be revealed in Peru.
The integrity of sport will continue to be a priority for politicians in 2017, with the government committed to a review of the UK Anti-Doping Agency.
Also expect significant interest in whether the government's latest sports strategy - intended to tackle inactivity - especially among the poor and children - is making any progress.
By April, all sports that want to receive public funding must also show they are taking steps to comply with a new governance code, designed to improve decision-making, transparency and diversity on boards.
Sports that controversially lost out in UK Sport's recent divvy-up of National Lottery elite performance funding will have their appeals heard. And with football's abuse scandal emphasising the importance of child protection, Baroness Grey-Thompson's review into sports' duty of care towards athletes will also take on extra significance.
With the election of a new president, 2016 was a year of relative calm for Fifa as football's world governing body tried to move on from the scandal that shook it to the core.
But later this year, the long-awaited trial of defendants in the wide-ranging corruption case, led by the FBI, begins in New York.
There will be other issues of course; from the threat of terrorism, to safe-standing in football, concussion in rugby, mechanical doping in cycling, tax evasion and the rise of e-sports. The sports news agenda in 2017 could be as intriguing, controversial and scandalous as ever.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/38529033
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Pep Guardiola: First FA Cup tie with Manchester City will be 'special' - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Pep Guardiola is looking forward to a "special" first FA Cup game in charge of Manchester City in Friday's third-round tie at West Ham.
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Last updated on .From the section FA Cup
Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
Pep Guardiola says he is looking forward to a "special" first FA Cup game in charge of Manchester City in their third-round tie at West Ham.
City face the Hammers at London Stadium on Friday night, live on BBC One.
"The cup is special because the lower team can beat the big teams, which is why it is fascinating," said Guardiola.
"I'm looking forward to it, but of course it's a Premier League game so it will be tough. We were unlucky in the draw."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said the tie is a "big game" for both sides and the fans.
"They will put out a very strong team because it is a big chance for them to get a trophy," he added.
The game at London Stadium is the first of 32 third-round ties across four days this weekend.
BBC One also has live coverage of Tottenham v Aston Villa on Sunday (16:00 GMT) while 5 live Sport's Mark Chapman presents Saturday's show from Sutton United ahead of their tie with AFC Wimbledon.
City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was uncertain in the air in the 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday, failing to deal with a corner that led to Ben Mee's goal for the visitors.
It was the latest in a series of mistakes by Bravo, but Guardiola said the Chilean - who could come up against West Ham's powerful striker Andy Carroll on Friday - is adapting to the physical nature of English football.
"I see many goalkeepers who had the same problems as Claudio with these balls and when they fight for them, it's not only Claudio Bravo," said the Spaniard.
"He's intelligent enough, he has experience enough, he was nominated one of the five best keepers in the world, he has experience in Europe, all around the world, in South America, where the intensity of the games is so tough.
"He realised immediately with these sort of balls into the box he had to be careful because it's special.
"It's not necessary to read the newspapers or the comments of the coach saying, 'Go there, be careful here, it's quite different'. He realised already."
'Pep knew what he was in for'
Guardiola also insisted he is not ready to quit management, after he had said he was "arriving at the end" of his career following the Burnley match - when he also gave a testy post-match interview to BBC Sport.
When asked about Guardiola's conduct, Bilic said: "I saw his interview but maybe he was just tired after a couple of games in three days.
"Maybe after the great start they made some fans or pundits expected them to cruise in the league, especially with Guardiola.
"But it is never easy in any league, especially here. They are not struggling but for their standards, to be however many points from the top is probably not what they expected.
"He's never worked in a smaller club, he's never fought against relegation or mid-table or anything different than 'we have to win the league'.
"Is it Barcelona, is it Bayern, is it Man City? It's the same. He knew the intensity of the English league, he was well prepared for a difficult season. He didn't expect anything less than he is getting or has faced so far."
Guardiola has said he will play a full-strength side on Friday, while midfielder Soufiane Feghouli is available for West Ham after his red card against Manchester United on Saturday was rescinded.
Bilic also confirmed on-loan striker Simone Zaza will not play for West Ham again to avoid having to pay a £17.1m permanent-deal fee to parent club Juventus, which would have been triggered after 15 first-team appearances.
Zaza was signed on a season-long loan in August for a initial fee of £4.2m but has not scored in the 11 games he has featured in and has not played in the league since November.
Sign up for the 2017 FA People's Cup and take your chance to win tickets to the FA Cup final in May and achieve national five-a-side glory.
"He is still our player until he goes somewhere but mainly because of the situation with his contract he is finished here," said Bilic.
"Unfortunately we had to judge him on six, seven, eight games which is not a big pattern to judge a player in general.
"He is definitely a good player but like many times in football, it just didn't happen."
Sign up for the FA People's Cup is under way - head to bbc.co.uk/getinspired to get involved.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38525445
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The straight A student who dropped out of university - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A promising student has gone viral with a Facebook post that dismisses higher education as "a scam".
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BBC Trending
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Billy Willson received a 4.0 grade point average, the equivalent to straight As, for his first semester at Kansas State University. He decided that it would also be his last.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Willson uploaded a photograph of himself standing outside the university's sign, holding his middle finger up to it. In the accompanying text he wrote:
"YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED. You may not see it today or tomorrow, but you will see it some day," he wrote.
"You are being put thousands into debt to learn things you will never even use. Wasting 4 years of your life to be stuck at a paycheck that grows slower than the rate of inflation. Paying $200 for a $6 textbook."
Billy and his girlfriend Brittany Quinn at a Kansas State University football game
His post, which has been shared more than 10,000 times in little more than a fortnight and has provoked a vigorous debate in the comments, appears to have struck a chord with other young adults who are wondering if pursuing higher education is worth the time and money.
Willson, who was on an Architectural Engineering undergraduate course told BBC Trending that the "cost of inflation is relatively small compared to the cost of college over the last 30 or so years. I mean, it really is ridiculous how the cost of college has gone up."
He's backed up by data. According to the US Department of Education the average annual increase in college tuition in the United States, between 1980-2014, grew by nearly 260% compared to the nearly 120% increase in all consumer items.
In 1980, the average cost of tuition, room and board, and fees for a four-year course was over $9,000. That cost now is more than $23,000 for state colleges. If you want to go private it's more than $30,000.
A similar hike in tuition fees has also been seen in England. In 2012, the government backed initiatives from some universities to charge more than the £9,000 tuition fee limit.
In the post Willson also cited higher education debt as a reason to leave university and enter the work place. Students in the United States are estimated to be in around over $1.2 trillion of loan debt with 7 million borrowers in default.
Willson says that when he first told his parents that he was leaving university, they were "very upset" but are now supportive of his decision. So were dozens of others of people who commented on Facebook.
Trey Foshee wrote: "Years and money wasted. Very much agree. I have two degrees that I would sell back right now if they'd let me."
Others, like Blair Brown, agreed with Willson also pointed out that some professions do require a university degree.
"Being an engineer, scientist, or computer technician could be learned rather quickly through apprenticeships, independent study, and hands-on experience. Human nature is to learn by doing, not learning to do. As for more professional careers such as medical doctors and lawyers, university study is admittedly necessary," Brown commented.
Not everyone was supportive however, a comment on The Collegian, Kansas State's student newspaper accused Willson of adding to stereotypes about his generation:
"First of all, thanks for continuing to destroy the millennial reputation with your entitled, everything-should-be-easy, get-me-rich-fast mentality... You have completely just destroyed your reputation. When you fall hard and fast...you are going to need a real, big kid job and guess what? Something called Google exists and even my grandma can dig up dirt on you."
Willson, who told Trending that he is currently employed for a trade show sales team and his employers did Google him and they saw the funny side. He adds that he hopes enough work experience will allow him to be employed by an architectural engineering team in the future.
He doesn't think university will play any part in that future.
"They would have to make a massive change to the system before I would consider that and I don't think they'll do that while I'm still young enough to want to go"
A shocking, graphic video showing torture and racial abuse led far-right activists to link the perpetrators to the Black Lives Matter movement. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38512064
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CES 2017: Samsung and LG TVs battle to blend in - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Samsung and LG launch TVs that aim to better blend in to consumers' living rooms at the CES tech show.
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Technology
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. LG unveiled its "wallpaper TV' at the CES tech show in Las Vegas
South Korean tech giants LG and Samsung have launched TVs that aim to better blend in to consumers' living rooms.
LG showed off a set that can be fitted almost flat against a wall while Samsung teased a new kind of TV - designed to look like a painting - that displays art when not in use.
Samsung also unveiled a flagship set boasting greater brightness levels than before.
Others, including Sony, also revealed new models.
Samsung's flagship 75in (190cm) QLED 4K TV features the latest version of its quantum dot technology - tiny particles that emit different colours of light. These now feature a metal material that the firm says allows for better colour reproduction.
Samsung has decided to stick with a curved display for its high-end models - despite criticism from some experts that viewing angles suffer with such designs.
Samsung's quantum dots are tiny particles that emit light of different colours
The QLED TV can achieve HDR (high dynamic range) brightness of between 1,500 and 2,000 nits - one nit equalling the light from a candle.
"It's insanely bright," said Jack Wetherill, a tech analyst at Futuresource.
"That is pretty power hungry one would imagine, but if they're going down the route of getting as good a picture as they can out of it, then fair enough."
This sets it apart from other set makers who use another premium TV screen technology, OLED (organic light-emitting diode).
Such screens use a carbon-based film allowing the panel to emit its own light, rather than being backlit - this enables the ultra thin designs.
Quantum dot TVs might not be able to display the deepest blacks possible with OLED, but they are generally brighter.
LG's newest TV sticks out just 3.85mm from a wall when mounted against it
LG's new OLED 4K TV was as thin as last year's - just 2.57mm thick - and will be available in 65 and 77in models.
But the firm has now designed a new mount that uses magnets so the set can be fixed flat against a wall, which the firm says means it doesn't cast "a single shadow".
LG also announced its latest TVs would support four HDR formats - including Hybrid Log-Gamma jointly developed by the BBC and the Japanese broadcaster NHK. This will allow sport and other live broadcasts to be shown in the format.
Many experts agree that HDR makes a huge difference to the TV picture, making it seem richer and allowing for higher levels of contrast between light and dark tones.
"It is more vibrant, the colours are more distinctive," said Mr Wetherill.
"It does bring a much more impressive and immersive experience - no question about that."
It is not yet clear which format will become popular with content-makers, so LG's inclusion of all four should ensure it does not become obsolete if and when a winner emerges.
The Samsung Lifestyle TV could be mistaken for a painting
Samsung also showed off images of its new Lifestyle TV, which it described as "a beautiful, always-on, truly smart display that transforms the TV to art".
It comes in a wooden frame, in an attempt to look like a painting.
Sony also announced a new 4K OLED TV - its first - the latest in its Bravia range.
As well as an HDR processor that can upscale standard dynamic range content to "near 4K HDR quality", the set has also dispensed with in-built speakers.
Instead, it emits sound via vibrations produced on the surface of the screen itself.
The new Bravia TV doesn't have speakers - the screen vibrates instead, which emits sounds
This wasn't demonstrated at the press conference, noted Mr Wetherill, but it was, he said, "an interesting concept".
Panasonic did not discuss its OLED TV plans at its press conference, though it is possible a prototype will be on the CES trade show floor.
At last year's consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin, the company had said it would release details of the TV during the winter.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38514171
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Jill Saward, sexual assault campaigner, dies aged 51 - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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June Kelly looks back at the life and legacy of sexual assault campaigner Jill Saward, who has died at the age of 51 after suffering a stroke.
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Jill Saward, who became a sexual assault campaigner after she was raped during a burglary at her father's vicarage in 1986, has died after suffering a stroke.
June Kelly looks back at her life and legacy.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38525269
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The Bank's 'Michael Fish' moment - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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As the Bank of England's chief economist admits economists were wrong ahead of the financial crisis and post the Brexit vote - he says it's time for a better understanding of what economic data are telling us.
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Business
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BBC weather presenter Michael Fish reading the signs available to him
"The only function of economic forecasting," JK Galbraith once said, "is to make astrology look respectable."
With disarming honesty, the Bank of England's chief economist, Andrew Haldane, has admitted that criticisms that economic forecasts had been wrong before the financial crisis and wrong about the immediate impact of a Brexit vote were a "fair cop".
The profession, he said, was facing a crisis of confidence.
Mr Haldane went on to describe the failure to understand the impact of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 as the profession's "Michael Fish moment" - when the weather forecaster suggested in 1987 there wasn't a hurricane on the way before record high winds devastated large parts of the south east of England.
To be clear, Mr Haldane was talking about economists as a whole - not just the Bank - and said he still fundamentally agreed with the Bank's central forecast - made last November - that 2017 and 2018 could see a "material" slowdown in economic activity and a significant rise in inflation.
The Bank was right to suggest that sterling would fall in value following a Brexit vote.
But, consumer confidence has held up far more robustly than expected and, yet again, it is clear that while economic models can make reasoned judgements about the future, those judgements can prove erroneous.
Particularly when they attempt to account for "shock" events - the financial crisis (when forecasts undercooked the effects) or the vote to leave the European Union (when models over-cooked the short term effects and failed to account for "dynamic" policy responses such as the Bank itself cutting interest rates to new record lows).
Mr Haldane said that economists could learn from meteorologists, who now use much more data to understand how weather patterns develop.
Meteorology is, of course, a science.
Economics is a study, ultimately, of human behaviour - what millions, billions, of people may or may not do, given a certain set of circumstances.
Making judgements on that is always going to be a tricky, imprecise business.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38528544
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Mother's quest to find missing daughter in Ghost Ship ashes - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A mother details her bid to trace her missing daughter after a California warehouse fire that killed 36.
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US & Canada
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When a fire at an underground music event in California killed 36, families whose adult children had been missing for months or years were among those who feared the worst. Daleen Berry explains why she went looking for her daughter at the Ghost Ship.
I had moved across the country to find my daughter, Trista, but the deadly warehouse fire in Oakland in December forced me to take the first step, the one I had been dreading.
After hearing that people actually lived in the warehouse of artists' studios and performance spaces known as the Ghost Ship, I needed to see for myself, to ensure Trista - the name I'll call her to protect her privacy - was not among the dead.
At the scene many had gathered to grieve and pay their respects. There were also people like me, who had lost touch with their loved ones for weeks, months, or even years, and were fearful they were inside when the fire started.
I took the advice of an officer and drove to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, where they had set up a makeshift family assistance centre to provide emotional support and privacy for the family members. We waited for updates from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and found comfort in a safe place, together.
On one wall inside the centre were three lists: the confirmed dead, those who had been located and were safe, and those still reported as missing. On that last list were about 150 names.
I knew then I was far from alone. Somehow, it made it easier to speak the words I'd refused to let myself believe: "My daughter is missing."
Unlike TV, where missing people are portrayed as victims of sexual trafficking or serial murderers, most adults disappear for far less sinister reasons. As of late December, the California justice department had 20,470 reports of missing persons in the state.
Of those, 7,854 are like my daughter, classified as "voluntary missing adults".
More than 8,000 are runaways.
Another 1,060 people were taken by a family member, while 764 disappeared under suspicious circumstances and 114 went missing during a catastrophe.
At just 51, stranger abduction cases number the lowest.
The 48 hours in the family assistance centre were among the most painful in my life, as I struggled to answer one question after another.
When did you last hear from your daughter?
Do you have a preferred funeral home?
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Oakland residents held a vigil for victims of the fire
A few months earlier I had packed up everything I owned, leaving behind family and friends to follow Trista's path west. I didn't tell them the real reason I was leaving - I wouldn't rest until I knew where Trista was.
A kind and caring free spirit, Trista had gravitated to places like the Ghost Ship in the past. I knew that she might have lived there because this was her community: musicians, artists and other creative people.
When I went to work for a small start-up in Oakland in 2009, she lived with me, then later followed me back to West Virginia.
From there she travelled to Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, meeting up with fellow musicians. She was content to live in her own world, collecting items cast to the kerb and transforming them into beautiful works of art.
But by 2014, while I was put the finishing touches on a true crime book about a missing daughter, Trista was becoming increasingly distant and withdrawn.
By then, my daughter's temporary forays into seclusion had become legendary.
I had been trying to understand them for 10 years because, at times weeks or even months would pass without so much as a word.
But I always knew she would reach out to someone - my sister, her brother, my mother.
Trista terminated all but two ties in February 2015, when she returned to the Bay Area.
By June 2016, the last time I heard from her, she severed the rest.
I called her brother in San Francisco: he hadn't heard from her in a year.
She changed her cell phone number. All of my emails to her bounced back.
"The email account that you tried to reach does not exist," Google repeatedly told me.
This wasn't my first trip to Oakland to look for Trista. I drove there one month before the fire. I needed to check out our old neighbourhood in case my daughter had returned. She hadn't.
Some of the victims of the fire were LGBT or made outcasts in other ways; people who believed their families had given up on them - or vice versa.
But families like mine with missing children don't give up. We may stumble around, accidentally making matters worse.
But it is never intentional. I met a few other parents whose children died in the fire.
They didn't leave until the last handful of charred ashes was carried from the scene - when they knew for sure their child was truly, finally gone.
A day after the fire, I finally forced myself to open the laptop Trista left behind in West Virginia a year earlier.
I spent hours reaching out to her friends, fellow musicians, and a previous employer.
They hadn't heard from her in years. No one knew anything.
It was like Trista had closed the door on her old life, never to reopen it again.
But I couldn't just wait for a phone call telling me if my daughter was dead or alive. I had to know myself, so I drove to Oakland from Sacramento.
And waited, for as long as it took.
After spending two days at the family services centre, I stumbled into my hotel room, still struggling with the enormity of it all. What will I do if they find her? What if they don't?
The following morning, one of the mental health professionals on hand to help the families guided me down a corridor and into an office.
There, two women greeted me from the state justice department's missing persons unit.
"We've located 1,000 people since 2001," they said.
"Even a few live Jane Does," they added hopefully.
They asked more questions. I signed more paperwork. Then, after careful instructions, a gloved hand gave me what looked like a pink and white emery board.
I opened my mouth, did as they directed, and handed over my saliva - my DNA - and the only link to my daughter.
I just wanted to find Trista. Beg for her forgiveness. Tell her I was sorry - for me, for my mistakes, and for not understanding her well enough. For my family, who did likewise, and in whose heart she still holds a sacred place.
Given that all 36 victims of the Ghost Ship fire have been identified, I have to believe Trista is still alive. Still out there, somewhere.
Like the 150 or so other worried mothers of those on the missing list, I have but one thought: I love you.
Or - at the very least - phone home.
Daleen Berry is a New York Times bestselling writer and author of several books, including Shatter the Silence and Pretty Little Killers.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37481071
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Om Puri: A clip from British film East is East - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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This video has been removed for rights reasons.
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This video has been removed for rights reasons.
The Indian actor Om Puri has died at the age of 66.
He was known for his roles in films in India, Pakistan, Britain and Hollywood.
Reports suggest he suffered a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai.
Om Puri found international fame for his roles in films such as East is East - about a Pakistani immigrant struggling to adjust to life in the north of England.
This clip contains some strong language.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38528575
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BBC Sound Of 2017 winner: Ray BLK - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Ray BLK, the Sound Of 2017 winner, explains how her south London neighbourhood shaped her music
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It helped her deal with growing up in a tough south London neighbourhood.
And that "hood" has shaped the music she has created so far.
She says 2016 was a whirlwind of a year - and it looks like 2017 could follow suit with Ray BLK named the winner of BBC Sound of 2017.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38499321
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CES 2017: The hi-tech exercise bike for three-year-olds - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Fisher-Price has unveiled a "smart" exercise bicycle for three-year-olds that tries to educate them as they work out.
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Fisher-Price has created an exercise bicycle for three-year-olds, which it has put on show at the CES tech expo in Las Vegas.
The Smart Cycle plugs into a TV, so that the youngsters can be shown educational games as they build up a sweat.
But the BBC's Chris Foxx wondered if parents should be encouraging their children to be spend even more time in front of a screen.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526192
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Tesco shrugs off pyjama complaint - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Tesco says shoppers wearing nightclothes in its stores is "not a big issue" after one customer objected.
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Business
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Tesco has said shoppers wearing nightclothes in its stores is "not a big issue", after one customer asked it to refuse to serve such people.
A customer at the Salford store posted his request on Tesco's Facebook page alongside a picture of two women wearing pyjamas and dressing gowns.
Chris Cooke said he had seen shoppers dressed similarly on "a regular basis".
Tesco said it did not have a dress code and staff used "common sense" in talking to customers about the issue.
Mr Cook's post, which he has since taken down, said: "Dear Tesco, please can you put a rule in place that people like this will not be served in your stores."
He added that it was "disgusting" and went on: "Who doesn't have time to get changed into clothes to go shopping?"
Tesco's customer services team responded with a post saying that "many of our customers have told us that they feel uncomfortable when they see other shoppers wearing unsuitable clothing in our stores and we do try to find a balance that everyone is happy with".
However, a Tesco spokesperson told the BBC: "In general, it's not a big issue "
The Facebook complaint had "generated a lot of discussion "and a lot of people were commenting on that one post, he added.
He said there was no ban on nightwear in its stores and nothing had changed as a result of the Facebook complaint.
"We do not have a formal dress code in our stores and colleagues use their common sense and discretion when speaking to customers about this issue."
In 2010, a Tesco store in Cardiff asked customers not to shop in their pyjamas or barefoot.
Notices were put up in the chain's supermarket in St Mellons saying: "Footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38529285
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Ant and Dec board game makers apologise over errors - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway board game is found to have multiple errors.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Ant & Dec have hosted Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV since 2002
The makers of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway board game have apologised after it was found to have several errors.
The game features cards with a series of quiz questions, but some of the answers given are incorrect.
One answer claims the moon is 225 miles away from the earth - instead of about 238,900 miles.
Manufacturers Paul Lamond Games said they "unreservedly apologise" and added replacement cards would be issued.
It is understood at least six of the 50 answers in one round of the game - which costs £19.99 - are incorrect.
One answer placed Stonehenge in Somerset instead of Wiltshire and a maths question suggested two cubed was bigger than three squared.
It also said Albert Einstein died in 1949 instead of 1955 and gave the number of Coronation Street episodes to date as 8,000, when the actual figure is more than 9,000.
One customer who bought the game told The Sun: "I couldn't believe it, the answers are so ridiculous... [but] the kids won't accept the game could possibly be wrong."
A representative for Paul Lamond Games told the BBC: "We have been made aware of some mistakes with the answers to the questions within the first production run of this game."
"These have now been corrected and we would like to unreservedly apologise for these errors.
"Any affected customer can email us stating their name and full address and we will send out a replacement set of corrected cards free of charge."
The company's email address is available on their official website.
Ant & Dec - whose full names are Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - have hosted Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV since 2002, although the show took a four-year break from 2009.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38529009
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Psychiatric patient Oliver Lang speaks about his delayed discharge - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Psychiatric patient Oliver Lang tells the BBC how he spent two months longer than necessary in a psychiatric unit.
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Oliver Lang, from Norfolk, spent two months longer than necessary in a psychiatric unit. The 27-year-old, who has Asperger's syndrome, was initially detained under the Mental Health Act.
But weeks after he was told he could leave, he remained in the unit while two separate mental trusts argued over who should pay for his care.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38528573
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Terminally-ill man seeks law change over assisted suicide - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Motor neurone disease patient Noel Conway wants a review of the law so he can end his life when his condition deteriorates.
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Motor neurone disease patient Noel Conway is seeking a review of the law on assisted suicide. The terminally-ill man wants to have medical assistance to end his life when his condition deteriorates to a point that he feels is insufferable.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38532004
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#Awkward Kingston Police burglary letter gets mixed response - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A police force's open letter to a suspected burglar - which included emojis and hashtags - has met with a mixed response online.
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London
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A police force's open letter to a suspected burglar - which included emojis and hashtags - has met with a mixed response online.
Kingston Police tweeted the note addressed to Tracey Dyke, who is suspected of multiple burglaries, accusing her of "blanking" them.
Some users applauded the "novel" social media appeal, while others accused the Met of "public shaming".
Police said Ms Dyke was a suspect in crimes involving "vulnerable victims".
Officers posted the appeal, featuring a photograph of Ms Dyke, and the caption: "Please stop ignoring us Tracey".
In a two-page letter appealing for her to contact detectives, they wrote: "We have come round to see you a number of times recently but it looks like you'd rather not speak to us, which is very disappointing.
"We have a slight suspicion that you might be blanking us #Awkward. You don't text, you don't call back and haven't accepted our friend request."
They added: "We won't stand for this and want to have a discussion with you at our custody suite."
Met Police borough commander Nick Downing congratulated Kingston Police on its "very innovative" appeal.
"Sure the brilliant communities of #Kingston will help track this suspect down," he wrote.
But others were less impressed with the tone of the letter, and accused the force of being "unprofessional" by using hashtags and emoji.
Christina wrote: "This reads like what a school teacher types up on a newsletter to try and be hip and cool but just comes across as awkward".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38522326
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Manor Racing enter administration and are on brink of collapse - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Manor Racing enter administration after talks with potential buyers falter and will collapse without new investment.
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Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Manor Racing have gone into administration and will collapse without new investment.
Staff were informed of the development on Friday by chief executive officer Thomas Mayer, a source told BBC Sport.
Administrators FRP said there was "a very limited window of opportunity" to save the team before the start of the 2017 season in Australia on 26 March.
FRP said it was "assessing options" and that the process affected Manor's operating company Just Racing Services.
Manor Grand Prix Racing, which owns the rights to the team's participation in F1, is not in administration.
Team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick said in a note to staff: "It was imperative that the team finish in 10th place or better in 2016."
Manor, who finished 11th and last in the championship last season, have been in talks with new investors but so far no deal has been concluded.
Administrator Geoff Rowley said: "The team has made significant progress since the start of 2015, but the position remains that operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment.
"The senior management team has worked tirelessly to bring new investment, but regrettably has been unable to do so within the time available.
"Therefore, they have been left with no alternative but to place [Manor Racing] into administration."
A source said several buyers had been lined up over the past few weeks and two had gone as far as conducting a due diligence process.
But none of them provided the funds necessary to buy the team, nor was there any proof they had the money to run it.
Fitzpatrick, the boss of the energy company Ovo, decided to put the team into administration on Thursday night.
FRP were also appointed the last time the team were in administration over the winter of 2014/15, after they collapsed with debts of £35m.
At the time, they were known as Marussia, and were reconstituted under their original name of Manor when Fitzpatrick bought them at the 11th hour just before the 2015 season.
Manor, who are based in Banbury in Oxfordshire, suffered a blow at the end of last season when Sauber moved ahead of them into 10th place in the constructors' championship thanks to the ninth place achieved by Felipe Nasr at the penultimate race of the year in Brazil.
"For much of the season we were on track," said Fitzpatrick.
"But the dramatic race in Brazil ended our hopes of [finishing 10th] and ultimately brought into doubt the team's ability to race in 2017.
"We made a huge amount of progress on and off track but ultimately it was not enough."
That cost Manor in the region of £10m in prize money - income they needed to survive into the new season - and the loss of it has made potential drivers and their backers reluctant to commit funds to the team, sources said.
Fitzpatrick said at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi that the loss of income was "not a deal-breaker" in the talks he was having with new investors.
But there had been no further news from the team until Friday's development.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38530855
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CES 2017: Solos smartglasses help cyclists get fitter - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Cyclists are being targeted with a new pair of smartglasses that display training data to help them get increase their performance.
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A specialised type of smartglasses designed to help cyclists get fitter is on show at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Smartglasses as a category have failed to make much impact to date, but Solos believes there is untapped demand for its product, as Chris Foxx reports.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526185
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Bob, aged 95: Loneliness ruined my New Year's Eve - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Bob Lowe, who is 95, says spending New Year's Eve alone was miserable.
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We are all living longer. The number of people over 85 has increased by nearly a third over the past 10 years. A report from the Academy of Medical Science concluded that while our life expectancy is increasing, our healthy life is not increasing at the same rate.
Bob Lowe is 95. He lives in Barton on Sea in Hampshire and told the Today programme the only thing he wants to see is Crossrail opening. He describes the loneliness of his New Year's Eve.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38516764
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CES 2017: Razer gaming laptop has not one but three screens - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Gaming PC maker Razer unveils a concept laptop with three screens at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
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Technology
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Razer claims its three-screened concept laptop is a world first
Gaming PC maker Razer has unveiled a concept laptop with three 4K screens at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
The firm claims Project Valerie is the world's first portable laptop of its kind.
Two additional screens slide out from the central display via an automatic mechanism.
One analyst praised the design, noting that gamers were increasingly splashing out on high-end laptops.
All three screens are 17in (43cm) in size.
When folded up and closed, the laptop is 1.5in thick. Razer said this was comparable to many standard gaming laptops, which tend to be chunkier than home and office devices.
"We thought, 'This is crazy, can we do this?'," a company spokesman told the BBC.
"The answer was: 'Yeah, we are crazy enough, we can do it'."
Project Valerie is still a prototype and Razer has not yet published a possible release date or price.
Project Valerie has special hinges that automatically deploy its two additional screens
Gamers commonly used more than one monitor these days, said gaming analyst Jonathan Wagstaff at Context.
"Although it is unusual, it doesn't surprise me," he told the BBC.
"It is something people will buy - I think it will sell."
He added that increasing numbers of gamers - particularly those who travel to e-sports tournaments - are in the market for portable computers with high specs.
But Mr Wagstaff added that industry data he had reviewed suggested widening interest in such machines from architectural and graphic design firms, as well.
"That is interesting, that is traditionally the territory of Apple's products," he said.
Project Valerie was just one of several gaming laptops shown off at CES.
Consumer electronics giant Samsung also launched its first gaming laptop - called Samsung Notebook Odyssey - in 17in and 15in models.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526705
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Qatar Open: Sir Andy Murray reaches semi-final after Nicolas Almagro win - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Sir Andy Murray reaches the last four of the Qatar Open with a hard-fought victory over Spain's Nicolas Almagro.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Sir Andy Murray progressed to the Qatar Open semi-finals by beating Spain's Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7-4) 7-5.
The top seed was broken in his opening service game by 31-year-old Almagro, ranked 44th in the world, but recovered to take the first set tie-break.
The pair exchanged breaks early in the second set before the Briton prevailed.
Murray will face third seed Tomas Berdych in the semis and, if he progresses, could meet Novak Djokovic in Saturday's final.
Djokovic, whom Murray replaced as world number one in November, beat veteran Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3 in their quarter-final to book a meeting with Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the last four.
Elsewhere, Britain's Aljaz Bedene beat Slovakia's Martin Klizan to reach the quarter-finals of the Chennai Open in India.
And Australia's Nick Kyrgios was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Jack Sock at the mixed teams Hopman Cup, in the tie between Australia and the United States.
Kyrigos was defeated in under an hour and later pulled out of the mixed doubles event with a knee problem.
His injury comes less than two weeks before the Australian Open - the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38524526
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John Mikel Obi: Chelsea midfielder makes Chinese Super League move - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Midfielder John Mikel Obi leaves Chelsea after a decade to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
The 29-year-old Nigerian has played 372 times for Chelsea since joining in 2006 but has not featured this season.
He said it had been "an honour" to play for the Stamford Bridge club but it was time to "seek a new challenge".
Mikel has won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.
"I haven't featured as much this season as I would have liked and I still have many years in the game ahead of me," Mikel wrote on Twitter in a message to Chelsea fans .
"With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge.
"I'm delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA FC at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off, and I look forward to helping Tianjin TEDA FC continue to grow.
"To play in the Premier League is every professional player's ambition.
"But to play for Chelsea, to become part of the Chelsea family to work with some of the best managers and players in the world, has truly been an honour.
Mikel is the second Chelsea player to move to the Chinese Super League in recent weeks following Oscar's transfer to Shanghai SIPG.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38528144
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Taiwan politician's funeral features 50 pole dancers - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A Taiwanese politician is sent off in style with 50 pole dancers performing at his funeral.
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Asia
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The convoy of 50 jeeps with pole dancers brought traffic in Chiayi city to a standstill
A Taiwanese funeral featuring 50 pole dancers has become the talk of the Chinese internet this week.
Videos of the funeral procession, which took place on Tuesday, have been circulating online showing skimpily-clad women gyrating on top of jeeps in the southern city of Chiayi.
The funeral was for local politician Tung Hsiang, who died last month.
His family said they wanted to honour Mr Tung, who loved "having a lively fun time", local media reported.
The procession, featuring the convoy of colourful jeeps blasting loud music, brought traffic to a standstill in the city centre.
It also had a drumming troupe, a marching band, performers dressed as deities and giant puppets.
The dancers were part of huge funeral procession for local councillor Tung Hsiang
Mr Tung, a local councillor, was a well-known figure in the city and was active in politics for decades.
He died from an unspecified illness at the age of 76 in December.
"He told us he wanted this through a dream two days before the funeral," his brother Tung Mao-hsiung told Taiwanese broadcaster CTS.
Since Tuesday, videos of the procession have been circulating on Chinese media and social network Weibo, generating much interest.
"Now this is what I call a funeral!" said one user, while another wrote: "Looks like when it comes to funeral matters, Taiwan still comes first."
Others praised Mr Tung and his family for providing an entertaining afternoon for the city's residents. "This is what it means to be the 'people's councillor'!" said one netizen.
Another person joked: "The city's residents are asking: please die one more time!"
But hiring dancers and even strippers for funerals is not that unusual in parts of Taiwanese society, in which some practise a folk religion that believes in "entertaining" spirits.
One expert wrote that the practice combined old customs of using professional female wailers at funerals and holding processions for religious holidays with a desire to celebrate the deceased with a big, bustling public event.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38528122
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Newspaper headlines: 'Michael Fish' moment, Brexit ambassador, Jill Saward and penguin walk - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The economy is brought sharply into focus on the front pages, with the newspapers picking up on a reference to Michael Fish's infamous hurricane weather forecast.
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The Papers
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Nearly 30 years after that famous broadcast in which he dismissed reports that a hurricane was about to batter the south of England, former BBC weatherman Michael Fish is being compared with the failures of economic forecasters.
The admission by a top Bank of England official that economists failed to predict the 2008 financial crisis and were wrong about their dire warnings over the post-Brexit economy, make the lead for the Times, Telegraph and Guardian.
They highlight the comment by the Bank's chief economist, Andy Haldane, that the shortcomings were a "Michael Fish moment" for the profession.
The Guardian says Mr Haldane is known to be concerned about mounting criticism of experts and the potential for the Bank's forecasts to be dismissed by politicians if errors persist.
According to the lead in the Financial Times, the appointment of Sir Tim Barrow as Britain's ambassador to the EU following the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers was "vigorously opposed" by the top official at the Brexit ministry.
Several unnamed officials have told the paper that Olly Robbins, permanent secretary at the department, wanted to take control of negotiations with Brussels, and suggested downgrading the job of UK ambassador to a director-general, with a reporting line to Mr Robbins.
But, the paper goes on, the Foreign Office sees it as a vital diplomatic post and moved to block Mr Robbins.
The Department for Brexit tells the paper the claims are "fundamentally untrue."
For its main story, the Mail says senior civil servants have made an extraordinary demand for extra cash to deal with Brexit.
According to the paper, the Whitehall mandarins and diplomats say the vote to leave the EU has left them facing "unsustainable" pressure.
It says the First Division Association - a union representing elite civil servants earning up to £208,000 - has called for an end to the system that limits increases to 10% for officials who win promotion and a lifting of the 1% pay cap.
The Mail also gives over much of its front page to a tribute to Jill Saward, the woman raped at an Ealing vicarage in 1986 who went on to campaign for the police and courts to treat victims better.
She died on Thursday at the age of 51. The paper thinks it is a disgrace that she never received an honour.
Ealing rape victim Jill Saward waived her right to anonymity
"Doesn't it say it all about our rotten honours system that while vapid celebrities and self-serving mandarins are showered with gongs, a woman of grit and integrity who immeasurably improved the lives of countless others got nothing?" it asks.
The Mirror says she was inspiring, courageous and remarkable.
Finally, there is some timely advice on how to avoid falling on icy surfaces - march like a penguin.
According to the Times, penguins may look silly as they waddle around on their stubby legs but their walk is the ideal way to stay safe in cold weather.
No slips: Penguins appear to push their centre of gravity forward
A German study has found that penguins manage to stay upright by leaning forward so the centre of gravity lies on their front leg, whereas we usually split our weight between two legs - causing them to lose balance on slippery surfaces.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38526284
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Washington Post Express 'embarrassment' over gender symbol mix-up - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Washington Post Express accidentally publishes a male symbol on its front cover promoting a story on women's rights.
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US & Canada
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The Washington Post Express "erroneously published" the front cover on the left, featuring the male symbol, instead of the front cover on the right with a female symbol.
The Washington Post Express has apologised for an "embarrassing" mix-up on its front cover.
Leading with an article about a 150,000 strong women's rights march, the Express accidentally used a male symbol instead of a female symbol.
Social media users were quick to spot the mistake.
The paper - a free daily newspaper published by the Washington Post - was quick to apologise on its Twitter account.
One commentator referred to the blunder as a "record for largest typo".
"We made a mistake on our cover this morning and we're very embarrassed," the statement from the Washington Post Express read.
"We erroneously used a male symbol instead of a female symbol."
It also released an image of how the cover should have appeared.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38518943
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Productivity gap yawns across the UK - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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There are mammoth variations in the rate of productivity across the UK - the Office for National Statistics is trying to understand why.
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Business
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Tower Hamlets - which includes Canary Wharf - is the most productive part of the UK
Productivity, or more precisely the lack of productivity, is one of the great puzzles of the British economy at the moment.
Productivity growth since the credit crunch has been dreadful and that matters, because unless we make more and work more efficiently we cannot pay ourselves more.
In an attempt to understand what is going wrong, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is bringing all its productivity statistics together and conducting new research. It throws up some interesting details and possible explanations about what is going wrong.
Output per hour worked increased by 0.4% in the three months to September last year, that is an improvement but according to (ONS) economist Richard Heys: "It is still weak compared to that experienced in the recent past."
Part of the reason for low productivity lies in Britain's regions. While London and south-eastern England have productivity well above the national average and equal to the levels seen in rival economies like France and Germany, the rest of the country lags behind.
Tower Hamlets, which includes the financial district of Canary Wharf, is the most productive part of the country, a huge 79% more productive than average.
Powys in central Wales is the least productive and, overall, Wales and Northern Ireland have productivity levels 19% below the national average.
The only towns in the country that have above average productivity are London, Aberdeen (centre of the off-shore oil industry) and Bristol (a high tech and aviation industry hub).
The Bristol area is one of the most productive in the country
The least productive city is Sheffield, once home to a huge steel industry but now lagging well behind; Sheffield is 19% less productive than the national average.
This part of the productivity puzzle is perhaps the best understood. The most productive industry is finance and that is concentrated in London, while many regions suffer from poor infrastructure and communications and have never recovered from the loss of major parts of their economy in previous decades: mining, heavy engineering, ship building and many more.
Perhaps more interesting, is new research by the ONS into the efficiency of family-owned and run manufacturing firms.
That found well-structured management practices were better among larger businesses, multinationals and family-owned businesses that were not managed by members of the owning families. To put it bluntly the management of family-run firms (which make up more than half of all manufacturing companies) is awful.
Even a small improvement in management would see a huge boost in productivity in such businesses.
At first sight this might seem strange, but there is a fairly obvious explanation.
What are the odds that the best-qualified and most competent person in the world to run a business just happens to be the son or daughter of the current boss?
As one economist has put it, this is like selecting the children of previous gold medallists to be members of the country's next Olympic team, rather than picking the best athletes.
There is also the issue of how such companies will attract top staff if they know nepotism means they will never make it to the top, which helps explain why the handling of promotions was one of the issues most associated with productivity.
Solving the productivity gap in the UK will not be an easy job, certainly better regional policies would help, but just convincing family- run firms to appoint competent outsiders to run their business would also have a huge effect.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38528549
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Chicago attack condemned by Black Lives Matter campaigners - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Four black people have been charged over the live-streamed torture of a white man. It comes as supporters of campaign group Black Lives Matter say it has been unfairly linked to the attack.
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Four black people face hate crime and kidnapping charges for the Facebook Live-aired torture of a mentally disabled white man.
In the video, the assailants can be heard making derogatory statements against white people and Donald Trump.
Student Shelby, a supporter of Black Lives Matter, told World Have Your Say the social campaign group is being unfairly linked to the attack.
Listen to World Have Your Say on the BBC iPlayer.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38524551
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Qatar Open: Sir Andy Murray to face Novak Djokovic in final - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Sir Andy Murray is to meet Novak Djokovic in the Qatar Open final after the world number one beat Tomas Berdych in the semis.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Sir Andy Murray will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the Qatar Open final on Saturday after beating third seed Tomas Berdych in the semis.
Murray won 6-3 6-4 against Czech Berdych, who needed treatment on an ankle injury after the first set.
It will be the 19th ATP final meeting between Murray and the man he replaced as world number one in November.
Second seed Djokovic survived five match points on his way to beating Fernando Verdasco in his semi-final.
Murray, who won the tournament in 2008 and 2009, has now recorded 28 consecutive victories in ATP Tour matches.
"I want to try and keep it going - I feel a little bit like this year's a fresh start," he told Eurosport.
"It's been the perfect week to get ready for the Australian Open."
Earlier, Serb Djokovic made only one unforced error in the decider to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 after Spaniard Verdasco, ranked 42nd in the world, controlled the first two sets.
"It's definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played," Djokovic said. "I haven't saved five match points many times. He should have finished it off."
You can follow live coverage of the Qatar Open final in Doha between Murray and Djokovic on the BBC Sport website from 15:00 GMT.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38535586
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Om Puri: The actor who never got his due - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Film writer Aseem Chhabra on how Indian film actor Om Puri never got the recognition he deserved.
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India
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Om Puri was known for his gritty performances
One of India's finest actors, Om Puri, died in Mumbai on Friday, aged 66. Film writer Aseem Chhabra believes he never got the recognition he deserved.
In one scene he spoke in a delightful Punjabi accented English and cautiously suggested to Charlie Wilson, a Congressman from Texas played by Tom Hanks, that covert aid to the mujahideen, fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, should pass through the hands of the Pakistani government.
I wanted to write something on this terrific actor, one of the few from India who straddled so many film spaces - from Bollywood to Indian art house indies, British Asian immigrant stories and big Hollywood productions.
But the publicists for the film and even the studio Universal Pictures informed me that they had no images of Puri.
Sadly this amazing actor had left no impression on the publicists who were mostly focused on promoting Hanks and his co-star Julia Roberts.
Puri acted in over 300 film projects in India and abroad, and yet he did not get the kind of recognition that he surely deserved.
He won two National Awards in India in the acting category (Arohan, 1982 and Ardh Satya, 1983), and was recognised at a number of film festivals, including a lifetime achievement medal at the prestigious Telluride Film Festival.
Director Roland Joffé cast Puri in a supporting role in City of Joy
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Om Puri found international fame for his roles in films such as East is East
He was even nominated for a Bafta film award in 2000 for playing the lead in Ayub Khan Din's autobiographical British film East is East.
But unfortunately in the last decade or so Puri, the actor, was largely forgotten in the West and even in India.
He did play one last big role in the West - that of an Indian chef in a remote French town in The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), opposite a feisty Helen Mirren.
It was a rare moment when Puri was suddenly, albeit briefly, the focus of a film produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.
While promoting that film, Puri told me that Hindi cinema mostly concentrated on younger, good-looking actors. And the industry had relegated him to roles of the father of a lead actor or a police officer. He was rarely offered meaty roles, he complained.
He was always hungry for more challenging work and recognition.
In another interview while promoting East is East (1999), Puri told me that his big regret was that he would never get the kind of roles given to Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.
But Om Puri was as great an actor as Hoffman and De Niro.
In fact, one can say he was even better, given the number of films he acted in and the range of his performances.
Puri (left extreme)'s comic timing was perfect in Jaane Bhi Do Yaro
Puri was one of the most versatile Indian actors
His comic timing was perfect and we can see that in the cult classic indie Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) and later on in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool - a modern-day take on Macbeth, where Puri played one of the witches, along with his colleague and friend Naseeruddin Shah.
Also in the same time period he played a sleazy photographer in Shyam Benegal's Mandi (1983).
He was the voice of an angry, frustrated cop in Ardh Satya (1983), but was equally charming and seductive with his co-star, the late Smita Patil. And in Aakrosh (1980) he was the oppressed peasant who barely uttered a word.
Puri became one of the first Indian actors of his generation to crossover to the West with his work in British films - East is East, its less successful sequel West is West (2010), the rarely seen Brothers in Trouble (1995), the Hanif Kureishi scripted My Son the Fanatic (1997), and the mini-series White Teeth (2002), based on Zadie Smith's bestseller novel.
That was a time when nearly every Indian or Pakistani role in a British production was offered to Puri.
Hollywood came calling as well.
Mike Nichols also cast him in an important role in Wolf (1994) where Puri shared screen time with Jack Nicholson. And earlier Roland Joffé cast him in a supporting role in City of Joy (1992).
Om Puri acted in the TV series Jewel in the Crown
In 1994, Ismail Merchant cast Puri as a hapless college professor who sets out to interview an ageing and overweight Urdu poet (Shashi Kapoor) in In Custody, based on Anita Desai's Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel.
Puri was perfect in the film, displaying his frustration as he observed the decline of Urdu language and poetry.
But it is the sad reality of the film business, that talented men and women find it harder to get juicy roles as they get older. And Puri had to face that fact.
Om Puri died too soon. But he has left a huge body of work reflecting his four decades as a film actor. He should get the most attention that a master actor of his stature deserves.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-38527144
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Is your child a cyberbully and if so, what should you do? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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What should you do if you find out your child has been bullying others online?
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Technology
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One in five teens claims to have been cyberbullied but few admit to being the bully
Parents worry about their children being bullied online, but what if it is your child who is doing the bullying?
That was the question posed by a BBC reader, following a report on how children struggle to cope online.
There is plenty of information about how to deal with cyberbullies, but far less about what to do if you find out that your own child is the source.
The BBC took advice from experts and a mother who found out her daughter had been cyberbullying her school friends.
Nicola Jenkins found out that her 12-year-old daughter was posting unpleasant comments online from her teacher
Few parents would want to admit that their child was a bully but Nicola Jenkins has gone on record with her story. You can watch her tell it here.
"Nobody thinks that their own child is saying unkind things to other children, do they? I let them go on all the social media sites and trusted the children to use it appropriately.
"Our form tutor phoned me up during school hours one day to tell me that there'd been some messages sent between my daughter and two other friends that weren't very nice. One of the children in particular was very upset about some of the things that had been said to her.
"Her friend's mum spoke to me about it and showed me the messages that had been sent. When I approached my daughter about it, she denied that there had been anything going on. It took a while to get it out of her, but I was angry with her once I actually found out that she had been sending these messages.
"I spoke to her teacher and to the other parents, and between us we spoke to the children to let them know that they can't be saying unkind things and to just make them aware that whatever they do is recorded and can be kept. And they all did learn a lesson from it.
"I removed all the social media websites from her so she wasn't able to access them for a while and then monitored her input and what she's been saying to people.
"But it did make me feel angry and quite ashamed that my daughter could be saying things like that to her friends, but she has grown up a bit since then and she's learnt her lesson.
"You want to trust your children, but they can get themselves into situations that they can't get out of.
"And as they get older, they look at different things. I know my son looks at totally different things to what my daughter does, so it's just being aware of what they are accessing and make sure that they are happy for you to look at what they are looking at as well."
There is plenty of advice for parents on coping with cyberbullying but less on what to do if your child is the bully
According to not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters, one in five 13-18 year olds claim to have experienced cyberbullying but there are few statistics on how many children are bullying.
Carolyn Bunting, general manager of Internet Matters, offers the following advice:
"First, sit down with them and try to establish the facts around the incident with an open mind. As parents, we can sometimes have a blind spot when it comes to the behaviour of our own children - so try not to be on the defensive. Talk about areas that may be causing them distress or anger and leading them to express these feelings online.
"Make clear the distinction between uploading and sharing content because it's funny or might get lots of 'likes', versus the potential to cause offence or hurt. Tell them: this is serious. It's vital they understand that bullying others online is unacceptable behaviour. As well as potentially losing friends, it could get them into trouble with their school or the police.
"If your child was cyberbullying in retaliation, you should tell them that two wrongs cannot make a right and it will only encourage further bullying behaviour. Stay calm when discussing it with your child and try to talk with other adults to work through any emotions you have about the situation.
"Taking away devices can be counterproductive. It could make the situation worse and encourage them to find other ways to get online. Instead, think about restricting access and take away some privileges if they don't stop the behaviour.
"As a role model, show your child that taking responsibility for your own actions is the right thing to do. Above all, help your child learn from what has happened. Think about what you could do differently as a parent or as a family and share your learning with other parents and carers."
Twitter's image has been tarnished by trolls
Many critics blame social media for not doing enough to deal with cyberbullying. Abuse is prolific on Twitter and it has pledged to do more, including improving tools that allow users to mute, block and report so-called trolls.
Sinead McSweeney, vice-president of public policy at Twitter, explained why the issue is close to her heart:
"As a mother of a seven-year-old boy, I've always tried to strike the right balance between promoting internet safety and encouraging the type of exploration, learning and creativity that the internet can unlock."
She offered the following advice:
"If you find that your child is participating in this type of behaviour, a good first step is to understand the nature of the type of material they're creating, who is the target, and try to ascertain their motivations.
"If the bullying is taking place on a social media platform, make sure to explain to them why the behaviour is inappropriate and harmful, and to supervise the deletion of the bullying content they have created. If it continues, it may be worth seeking additional advice from a teacher or trusted confidant."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38529437
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Handwritten Diana letters sell for £15,100 at auction - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Six handwritten letters from Princess Diana sell for £15,100 at auction.
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UK
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Six handwritten letters from Princess Diana have sold for £15,100 at auction.
One candid letter from Diana to ex-Buckingham Palace steward Cyril Dickman, revealed Prince Harry was "constantly in trouble at school".
Another note described how young Prince William "swamped" his baby brother with "an endless supply of hugs and kisses".
The letters form part of about 40 lots from Mr Dickman's former estate, which sold for £55,000 in total - exceeding the estimate price of £13,000.
Cheffins, a Cambridgeshire auction house, said the lots were "a unique collection of royal memorabilia".
Bidders from as far away as Australia, Japan and the US were trying to purchase the items.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Auctioneer tells the BBC that the bidding was "extraordinary... [it] never seemed to stop"
In a letter on headed Kensington Palace paper dated 20 September 1984, Diana thanked Mr Dickman for "such a lovely card" following the birth of her youngest son, Harry.
She wrote: "William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!"
"The reaction to one tiny person's birth has totally overwhelmed us and I can hardly breathe for the mass of flowers that are arriving here!"
That letter sold for £3,200, having had an estimated auction price of £400-600.
In another, dated 17 October 1992, Diana says how both young princes "are well and enjoying boarding school a lot, although Harry is constantly in trouble!".
This sold for £2,400 - after an estimate of £600-900.
The items were being sold by the family of the late Mr Dickman, who was head palace steward for more than 50 years.
Described by Cheffins as "a favourite of every member of the Royal Family", he received handwritten notes from other senior royals dating back more than 30 years.
The collection sold at auction also included letters, cards and photographs from Prince Charles and Princess Margaret, and Maundy money.
In one letter from the Queen written on Windsor Castle headed paper, she thanks Mr Dickman for his "thoughts and sympathy" following the death of the Queen Mother.
More than a dozen Christmas cards, including some from the Queen, Princess Diana and the Prince of Wales, were bought for £2,200.
Unopened boxed wedding cake from the Queen's marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 also sold for a few hundred pounds.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38508089
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CES 2017: Minister hits back at tech show chief's attack - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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The UK digital and culture minister says the CES tech show's chief was wrong to claim the government is doing too little to support its start-ups at the event.
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The UK's digital and culture minister says the CES tech show's chief was wrong to claim the government is doing too little to support its start-ups at the Las Vegas event.
Matt Hancock was responding to criticism that his team's efforts were a "source of embarrassment" when compared to France and other countries'.
He spoke to Rory Cellan-Jones at the trade show.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38528392
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How Japan has almost eradicated gun crime - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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Japan has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world, and the rules around ownership are very strict.
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Magazine
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Shotguns and air rifles are the only firearms you can legally buy in Japan
Japan has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world. In 2014 there were just six gun deaths, compared to 33,599 in the US.
If you want to buy a gun in Japan you need patience and determination. You have to attend an all-day class, take a written exam and pass a shooting-range test with a mark of at least 95%.
There are also mental health and drugs tests. Your criminal record is checked and police look for links to extremist groups. Then they check your relatives too - and even your work colleagues. And as well as having the power to deny gun licences, police also have sweeping powers to search and seize weapons.
That's not all. Handguns are banned outright. Only shotguns and air rifles are allowed.
The law restricts the number of gun shops. In most of Japan's 40 or so prefectures there can be no more than three, and you can only buy fresh cartridges by returning the spent cartridges you bought on your last visit.
A photo posed by models - even Japanese gangsters rarely use guns these days
Police must be notified where the gun and the ammunition are stored - and they must be stored separately under lock and key. Police will also inspect guns once a year. And after three years your licence runs out, at which point you have to attend the course and pass the tests again.
This helps explain why mass shootings in Japan are extremely rare. When mass killings occur, the killer most often wields a knife.
In a world where a lot is going wrong there is also a lot going right. So what if you could build a country with policies that actually worked, by homing in ideas around the world that have been truly successful?
The current gun control law was introduced in 1958, but the idea behind the policy dates back centuries.
"Ever since guns entered the country, Japan has always had strict gun laws," says Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence and the author of Gun Baby Gun.
"They are the first nation to impose gun laws in the whole world and I think it laid down a bedrock saying that guns really don't play a part in civilian society."
People were being rewarded for giving up firearms as far back as 1685, a policy Overton describes as "perhaps the first ever gun buyback initiative".
"The moment you have guns in society, you will have gun violence but I think it's about the quantity," says Overton. "If you have very few guns in society, you will almost inevitably have low levels of violence."
Japanese police officers rarely use guns and put much greater emphasis on martial arts - all are expected to become a black belt in judo. They spend more time practising kendo (fighting with bamboo swords) than learning how to use firearms.
"The response to violence is never violence, it's always to de-escalate it. Only six shots were fired by Japanese police nationwide [in 2015]," says journalist Anthony Berteaux. "What most Japanese police will do is get huge futons and essentially roll up a person who is being violent or drunk into a little burrito and carry them back to the station to calm them down."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Japanese police practise martial arts every week and avoid using weapons whenever they can
Overton contrasts this with the American model, which he says has been "to militarise the police".
"If you have too many police pulling out guns at the first instance of crime, you lead to a miniature arms race between police and criminals," he says.
To underline the taboo attached to inappropriate use of weapons, an officer who used his gun to kill himself was charged posthumously with a criminal offence. He carried out the act while on duty - policemen never carry weapons off-duty, leaving them at the station when they finish their shift.
The care police take with firearms is mirrored in the self-defence forces.
Journalist Jake Adelstein once attended a shooting practice, which ended with the gathering up of the bullet casings - and there was great concern when one turned out to be missing.
"One bullet shell was unaccounted for - one shell had fallen behind one of the targets - and nobody was allowed to leave the facilities until they found the shell," he says.
There is no clamour in Japan for gun regulations to be relaxed, says Berteaux. "A lot of it stems from this post-war sentiment of pacifism that the war was horrible and we can never have that again," he explains.
There are a limited number of longstanding rifle owners in Japan - when they die their heirs must hand the rifles in
"People assume that peace is always going to exist and when you have a culture like that you don't really feel the need to arm yourself or have an object that disrupts that peace."
In fact, moves to expand the role of Japan's self-defence forces in foreign peacekeeping operations have caused concern in some quarters.
"It is unknown territory," says political science professor Koichi Nakano. "Maybe the government will try to normalise occasional death in the self-defence force and perhaps even try to glorify the exercise of weapons?"
According to Iain Overton, the "almost taboo level of rejection" of guns in Japan means that the country is "edging towards a perfect place" - though he points out that Iceland also achieves a very low rate of gun crime, despite a much higher level of gun ownership.
Henrietta Moore of the Institute for Global Prosperity at University College London applauds the Japanese for not viewing gun ownership as "a civil liberty", and rejecting the idea of firearms as "something you use to defend your property against others".
But for Japanese gangsters the tight gun control laws are a problem. Yakuza gun crime has sharply declined in the last 15 years, but those who continue to carry firearms have to find ingenious ways of smuggling them into the country.
"The criminals pack the guns inside of a tuna so it looks like a frozen tuna," says retired police officer Tahei Ogawa. "But we have discovered cases where they have actually hidden a gun inside."
Join the conversation - find the BBC World Service on Facebook and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38365729
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Ed Sheeran lyric 'driving at 90' prompts Suffolk Police plea - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A new song by Ed Sheeran which features the lyrics "driving at 90" prompts police to say, "please slow down".
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Suffolk
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Ed Sheeran describes "driving at 90" in his new song Castle on the Hill
A new song by Ed Sheeran which features the lyrics "driving at 90" has prompted a safety warning by police.
Castle on the Hill, released on Friday, has been described as a "love song for Suffolk".
In addition to describing the Framlingham area where he grew up, Sheeran sings "driving at 90 down those country lanes".
Sgt Chris Harris, from Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing, responded by tweeting "please slow down".
The new singles are the first to be released since he announced in December 2015 that he would be taking a break from music "to travel the world".
They are taken from his forthcoming album, which is called ÷ (Divide).
Police respond to Sheeran's new song by urging drivers to slow down
On the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Sheeran said he wrote Shape of You with the singer Rihanna in mind.
While in his homage to growing up in Suffolk, Castle on the Hill, he says he "can't wait to go home".
Sgt Harris said: "Know you want to go home but please slow down on Suffolk roads."
And warned to "drive to arrive".
Sheeran is not the first singer to reference excessive speed in his lyrics.
In Crosstown Traffic, Jimi Hendrix sang "ninety miles an hour, girl, is the speed I drive".
The BBC has approached Sheeran's representatives for a comment.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38532571
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Jill Saward: How Ealing vicarage case changed treatment of rape victims - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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The impact of the Ealing vicarage rape case can be felt by victims of sexual assaults 30 years later.
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UK
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In 1986 Jill Saward, who has died aged 51, was raped after a gang of burglars broke into the Ealing vicarage where she lived.
Her father, Michael - the vicar of St Mary's, Ealing - and her boyfriend were beaten with cricket bats by the men, who demanded money and jewellery.
It was a sexual attack that shocked the nation, became headline news and was subsequently labelled the "Ealing vicarage rape".
The media coverage of the case and the sentencing of the men who attacked Ms Saward - who later became Jill Drake - led to a public outcry about how rape victims were treated.
Ringleader Robert Horscroft, then 34, who did not take part in the rape, was sentenced to 14 years in jail for his part in the burglary.
Martin McCall, then 22, was given five years for rape and a further five for burglary, while Christopher Byrne, who was also 22, was given three years for his part in the sexual assault and five for the burglary.
During sentencing, Old Bailey Judge Sir John Leonard said the trauma suffered by Ms Saward was "not so very great".
Ms Saward's case affected the way rape victims were treated and is still being felt 30 years later.
The public backlash against the media coverage and subsequent sentencing helped bring about changes to the way sexual assault cases were viewed.
In particular, there was uproar at how one of the defendants had been given a longer sentence for the burglary than the attack.
Several MPs, including Neil Kinnock, criticised the prison terms handed down - saying they were too lenient.
The then-Labour leader said during a Commons debate in 1987: "While it is necessary for judges to remain detached in the name of the law, sometimes they show an insensitivity to the suffering of victims which is difficult to comprehend."
And Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister at the time, expressed her "deep concern" over the crime of rape following concerns about the case.
Ms Saward's case also sparked fierce criticisms about press coverage of rape cases after Ms Saward's ordeal became front page news.
While newspapers did not name Ms Saward as the victim, several of them published details which led her to be easily identifiable.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jill Saward, who was gang raped in 1986, says her attackers got the same sentence as for aggravated burglary
The Sun newspaper printed the location of the attack and a photograph of Ms Saward with her eyes blacked out in the days following the rape.
When investigated, the publication relied on the defence that media identification of a victim was only banned after a defendant was charged, which was the case at the time.
Speaking in 1987 Ms Saward, who was an identical twin, demanded a change in the law to prevent this from happening.
According to the Guardian, she said: "Unless this is done, others may find themselves identifiable by a process of deduction from third parties known to be involved as victims of a crime as I was.
"This was very distressing both to myself and my family, and the manner in which some newspapers conveyed this information was highly insensitive and offensive."
The law was changed a year later to allow for the right to appeal against lenient sentences and to close a loophole which allowed media identification of a rape victim before a defendant was charged.
The Press Council also published guidelines on how rape cases were reported to prevent victims' anonymity being breached through jigsaw identification.
The notorious case put the laws on rape under the spotlight and led to calls by women's groups and politicians to call for changes to the way the crimes were viewed.
These included making rape within marriage a criminal offence, making oral and anal intercourse classified as rape and tougher sentencing for rapists - all of which have been achieved.
In 1990, Ms Saward broke new ground when she became the first rape victim in the UK to waive her right to anonymity.
She co-wrote a book, Rape: My Story, which explored her ordeal and she went on to become a fierce campaigner for the rights of sexual assault victims.
Her decision to speak publicly was driven by a desire to change attitudes towards victims and strengthen the support they receive.
Ms Saward launched a help group for those who had experienced sex crimes and regularly appeared in the media to highlight issues faced by victims.
Her commitment to the cause also saw her become a sexual assault case worker and she subsequently provided training to police forces across the country.
Over the years, further changes have been made to the way sexual assault cases are handled - taking into account the way victims were treated.
These include a ban on allowing an alleged rapist to cross-examine victims while representing themselves in court and restrictions on what evidence can be heard about a victim's sexual behaviour.
New guidelines were published on the sentencing of sex offenders in England and Wales in 2013 which gave a greater emphasis on the impact on the victim - something Ms Saward had long campaigned for.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: "So long we've felt left out of the system or surplus to requirement, so to actually see victims' needs and what's happened to victims being put at the forefront of this is really, really good."
Ms Saward never gave up on her fight for victims' rights, and in 2015 she spoke out against calls to give those accused of sex crimes anonymity.
In 1998, she came face-to-face with a member of the gang who devastated her life, but did not rape her, and told him: "You don't need to say sorry."
But she also spoke about forgiveness and said in a BBC interview: "I believe forgiveness gives you freedom. Freedom to move on without being held back by the past."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38516389
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China's Great Wall filmed by drone - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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How drone photography shed new light on the Great Wall of China for one British obsessive.
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British geographer, conservationist and author William Lindesay has had a lifelong obsession with the Great Wall of China.
Three decades ago, he left his home on Merseyside to live near the wall so he might better be able to study it.
In 2016 he and his family travelled 15,000km (9,320 miles) around the wall network, filming it from the air with a drone.
Mr Lindesay and his sons, Jim and Thomas, spoke to the BBC about their epic journey and how they shot it.
Read their full story here: One man's mission to walk Great Wall
Footage by James and Thomas Lindesay at Depictograph.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38325450
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Cowboy lassoes runaway calf on highway - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A Tennessee cowboy named David Bevill has lassoed a runaway calf on a highway from the bonnet of a sheriff's car.
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A Tennessee cowboy named David Bevill has lassoed a runaway calf on a highway from the bonnet of a sheriff's car.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38524053
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British doctors travel to Syria with 'People's Convoy' - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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A team of British doctors has travelled to the Syria/Turkey border with a convoy filled with medical supplies in order to set up a children's hospital near Aleppo.
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A team of British doctors led by Dr Rola Hallam and journalist Paul Conroy has travelled to the Syria/Turkey border with a convoy filled with medical supplies.
Aid workers plan to use the equipment to set up a children's hospital near Aleppo.
Rola Hallam made a video blog of the journey. She arrived at the border on 23 December. The lorry arrived a few days later, on 2 January.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38528360
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What marks does Obama's presidency deserve? - BBC News
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2017-01-06
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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What is the Obama administration's legacy and will it survive Donald Trump?
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US & Canada
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It's almost time to close the book on Barack Obama's eight years as president. Before he relocates to Washington's posh Kalorama neighbourhood, however, here's a take on what he tried to do - and how well he did it.
Although there are letter grades attached to each section, these assessments are not a reflection of the wisdom of his actions, only in how well he was able to advance his agenda over the course of his presidency.
While a liberal might give his environmental policy high marks, a conservative would likely flunk him. What can't be argued, however, is that he accomplished a considerable amount during his eight years.
Going unmeasured are a number of Mr Obama's intangible or indirect accomplishments.
While the White House sported rainbow-colouring the night after gay marriage became legal nationwide, that was the result of a Supreme Court decision not presidential action. And while Mr Obama often spoke movingly about race relations in the US, particularly after the shooting at a black church in South Carolina, there was little in the way of policy elements accompanying his words.
Mr Obama does have an ample record to judge, however. Here's a look at eight key areas - along with consideration of their "Trump-ability" - how easy it will be for incoming president Donald Trump to undo what Mr Obama has accomplished.
Tell Anthony on Twitter @awzurcher how you would grade Barack Obama's presidency.
Comprehensive healthcare reform had been the Democratic Party's holy grail for decades, always seemingly just out of reach. Under Mr Obama, they finally claimed the prize.
Due to an electoral setback in the Senate before the bill's final passage, however, the massive piece of legislation was a half-baked cake, making implementation a challenge. The federal healthcare insurance marketplace website, essentially unusable for months after launch, was a very visible, politically devastating mistake.
To the surprise of Democrats, many Republican-controlled states opted not to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage for the poor. More recently, insurance premiums for exchange-based policies will increase markedly in some US states - which will be a financial blow to less affluent Americans not covered by government subsidies.
Much of the law operated as intended, however. The percentage of Americans without insurance dropped from 15.7% in 2011 to to 9.1% in 2015. More than 8.8 million Americans have signed up for coverage through the federal exchange in the current enrolment period - a record high. Insurers can't deny individuals coverage for their pre-existing medical conditions, and there are no lifetime dollar caps on coverage.
Despite its shortcomings, passage of the Affordable Care Act, in the words of Vice-President Joe Biden, was a big expletive-ing deal.
Trump-ability: Republicans have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act from the moment Mr Obama signed it into law. Mr Trump regularly condemned the programme as a failure. Now, Republicans are setting the wheels in motion to tear up the reforms "root and branch", in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's words.
Republicans will be able to shred the programme even with their slim majority in the Senate thanks to presidential authority and legislative manoeuvres.
Enacting a replacement plan, however, will be more difficult. At the moment, they seem determined to jump off the repeal bridge without figuring out exactly where they will land, but Mr Trump has cautioned his congressional colleagues to be careful with how they go about the task.
Mr Obama's administration helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement, in which the US joined 185 countries in pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It enacted a host of new regulations governing pollution from coal-fired power plants and limiting coal mining and oil and gas drilling both on federal lands and in coastal waters. Mr Obama also used his executive authority to designate 548 million acres of territory as protected habitat - more than any prior president.
The past eight years weren't without missed opportunities, however. Early in his administration, when Democrats had large majorities in Congress, the House of Representatives passed a stringent cap-and-trade programme for controlling carbon emissions. The Senate focused on financial and healthcare reform first, however, and the Democratic majority was gone before they could take action.
That may be as close as Democrats come to any sort of comprehensive environmental legislation for a great many years.
Trump-ability: US participation in the Paris accord is still uncertain given that the president-elect promised to abandon it. While the withdrawal procedure is supposed to take four years, Mr Trump's team is reportedly searching for ways to speed up the process.
Other Obama-era executive accomplishments, however, will be more difficult to roll back. Proposed regulatory changes will require an extended approval process and are sure to face a flurry of lawsuits from environmental groups. Congress could speed things up, but Democrats in the Senate have enough votes to block their efforts if they stick together.
Mr Obama made completion of two major trade agreements - the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - the cornerstone of his second term in office.
The TPP is destined for the dustbin without even consideration by the US Congress, thanks to a coalition of opposition from Democratic left and the economic nationalists who are sweeping to power with Mr Trump.
The TTIP, which is still in negotiation and attempts to reduce trade barriers between the US and the EU, is being abandoned by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Obama administration did successfully implement free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea, but they are dwarfed by the size and scope of the now-doomed regional deals.
Trump-ability: Mr Trump can and will give a death blow to any hopes Mr Obama may have had of cementing a lasting trade legacy through the TPP and TTIP. More than that, the new president is poised to roll back the trade legacies of previous presidents, as he's pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement - which was concluded under President Bill Clinton - or perhaps even withdraw from the deal entirely.
His promises to enact draconian import tariffs on some foreign goods would also run counter to US commitments to the World Trade Organization, which could undermine the entire foundation of the current global trade regime.
When Mr Obama took office, the US economy was in freefall. Unemployment had spiked to double digits, housing prices had collapsed and the financial industry teetered on the brink of collapse.
The picture eight years later is one of stability and modest growth, although critics will argue that things could be better (and blue-collar Trump voters in the industrial states seemed to agree).
Policy-wise, Mr Obama pushed through a major stimulus package and financial reform legislation early in his first term. His administration oversaw a support structure that saved General Motors from a bankruptcy that would have devastated the US auto industry.
The Home Affordable Refinance Program, run by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, allowed several million US homeowners to avoid foreclosure and refinance high-interest mortgages.
The president negotiated an agreement that rolled back many of the George W Bush era tax cuts in exchange for across-the-board spending freezes. He frequently called for a raise in the federal minimum wage, but he was unable to generate any support for such actions in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Although the stock market is reaching new highs, 2015 household income is still below what it was in 2007. Considering where his presidency started, however, the current state of economic health is perhaps the president's most noteworthy legacy.
Trump-ability: Republicans cutting taxes when they hold power is as certain as the sun rising in the east. Tax-reform, which will likely include a return to Bush-era rates along with even more substantive changes, appear all but certain for passage. Mr Obama's financial reform legislation also could be poised for weakening, as it was frequently the target of Mr Trump's anti-regulation ire.
Although conservatives liked to criticise Mr Obama's efforts to bolster US companies as "picking winners and losers", early evidence (Carrier, Ford Motors, etc) indicates that's one tradition Mr Trump appears likely to continue, albeit with a sharper edge for businesses that don't comply to his wishes.
Mr Obama will leave the White House with two prominent feathers in his foreign policy cap - the Iran nuclear deal and normalised relations with Cuba. Say what you will about the merits of the accomplishments (and many have), they represent a notable thawing in relations between the US and two long-time antagonists.
He also oversaw the drawdown of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan - fulfilling a key campaign promise.
Elsewhere, however, the president's international policy has been characterised by strained relations and festering problems. His planned "reset" of US-Russian relations upon taking office was followed by the nation's Ukrainian intervention and allegations of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
The Arab Spring uprisings that began in 2010 spread unrest throughout the Middle East, culminating in a Syrian Civil War that facilitated the rise of the so-called Islamic State and a devastating refugee crisis that has roiled European politics.
North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons programme seemingly undeterred, and Mr Obama's plans for an "Asian pivot" in US foreign policy have done little to keep Chinese regional ambitions in check.
Responsibility for this global unrest can't all be laid at Mr Obama's feet, of course, but it's a mark on his permanent record nonetheless.
Trump-ability: Mr Trump has criticised the Iranian nuclear deal, although unlike some other Republicans he hasn't vowed to abandon it entirely. He may find renegotiating the multi-party agreement more difficult than he might think. As for Cuba, he has the executive authority to roll back all of Mr Obama's diplomatic overtures to the communist island, including relaxed sanctions and travel restrictions - although he's kept his options open so far.
The president-elect also seems more likely to favour closer relations to Israel and a renewed attempt at improving relations with Russia (a re-reset). In Syria, he has criticised Mr Obama's actions but hasn't advocated a coherent counter-policy, so there's no telling how - or if - he'll change course.
One thing is for certain, however. At least rhetorically the Trump administration will be a marked departure from Mr Obama's internationalist foreign policy, which leaned heavily on co-operation and co-ordination with allies.
The long-term trend of declining crime rates continued over the past eight years, although a number of large cities have seen a recent uptick in their murder rates. While public safety was a 2016 campaign issue, much of Mr Obama's efforts while president were directed at criminal justice reform.
In 2010 he signed a law that brought the mandatory minimum prison time for crack cocaine possession - which disproportionately involves black drug offenders - more in line with powder cocaine sentences.
In January 2016, Mr Obama took a series of executive actions to limit the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons and provide greater treatment for inmates with mental health issues. He has also used his presidential power to commute the sentences of more than 1,000 non-violent drug offenders and supported a Justice Department policy that resulted in the early release of about 6,000 individuals.
Although Mr Obama has backed bipartisan sentencing reform legislation in Congress, the 2016 presidential election - and Mr Trump's tough-on-crime rhetoric - has been attributed with frustrating those efforts.
Gun control wasn't a top priority for Mr Obama when he took office, but in the early months of his second term - after the 2012 mass shooting of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut - Mr Obama made a strong push for greater restrictions on some types of military-style semi-automatic rifles and more thorough background checks for firearm purchases.
Those efforts ran head-on into the National Rifle Association's formidable lobbying power, however, and aside from a few executive actions, no new policies were enacted. In 2015, Mr Obama told the BBC that his failure in this area was his greatest frustration as president.
Trump-ability: Given that Mr Trump regularly painted a bleak picture of crime levels in the US, lamented that law enforcement was too constrained by "political correctness" and opined that prison inmates were being treated too well, it's safe to say he will pursue a decidedly different course on public safety than Mr Obama.
Sentencing reform - in limbo for the past year - will be an exceedingly low priority for Republicans in Congress now, and Mr Obama's gun-control executive actions are likely to face the chopping block.
There was a point, shortly after Mr Obama's re-election in 2012, where comprehensive immigration reform seemed inevitable.
The president and his fellow Democrats were in favour, and rattled Republicans saw granting permanent residency to some undocumented workers and streamlining the US immigration system as a means to curry favour with the growing bloc of Hispanic voters.
A grass-roots revolt within the Republican Party derailed those plans, prompting Mr Obama to take a series of executive actions providing normalised status to undocumented immigrants who entered the US as children and the immigrant families of US citizens and permanent residents. (The latter policy has since been suspended during a protracted legal battle over its constitutionality.)
While these efforts attracted widespread praise from pro-immigration activists and Hispanic groups, the Obama administration's policy of increasing removal of other undocumented immigrants has prompted some to call him the "deporter in chief".
From 2009 to 2015, the Obama administration deported more than 2.5 million people - most of whom had been convicted of some form of criminal offence or were recent arrivals.
Trump-ability: Mr Trump may very well drop the US defence of the portion of Mr Obama's immigration action that's currently under legal challenge. He could also unilaterally resume deportation of others given normalised status by Mr Obama's executive efforts, although that will be more controversial.
The president-elect has pledged to deport more than three million undocumented immigrants currently living in the US - including visitors who have overstayed their visas - although given Mr Obama's track record it may be a difference of extent, not substance.
At one point, Mr Trump was pledging to remove everyone not lawfully in the US - more than 11 million by most estimates - which would be a marked departure not just from Mr Obama's policies but those of every modern US president.
Whatever his other successes during his time in office, Mr Obama's presidency was a beating for the Democratic Party.
In 2009, when Mr Obama was swept to power, Democrats had large majorities in the US Congress and control of 29 of 50 governorships. Since then, he has seen his party's power steadily erode. The House of Representatives has been in Republican hands since 2010; the Senate since 2014. Democrats control the governor's mansion in only 16 states.
The situation is even more dire in state legislatures - the proving grounds for young politicians with national ambitions. Republicans hold sway in 32 legislatures, while Democrats have majorities in only 12 (the rest are divided).
If the party doesn't make inroads in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin by 2020, those legislatures will draw congressional district maps that make recapturing the House of Representatives a tall task for Democrats for another decade.
Mr Obama's political constituency - young voters and minorities - proved enough to win him the presidency twice, but it was a fragile coalition that could not be counted on in mid-term congressional and legislative elections or, for that matter, by Hillary Clinton last year.
While Mr Obama can boast considerable accomplishments over his eight years in office, if his party can't regain its footing after a string of devastating electoral setbacks, he won't have any legacy worth writing about before too long.
Trump-ability: Barring a major political realignment in the liberal fortress of California, things can't get much worse for Democrats at the state level. In Congress, however, Mr Trump has a decent shot at expanding the Republican Senate majority in 2018, given that Democrats have to defend 10 seats in states that Mr Trump won last year.
There's always the chance that Republicans could overreach in their efforts to enact their agenda. An economic decline or foreign policy fiasco could tank Mr Trump's approval rating and make winners of even unlikely Democrats.
The durability of Mr Trump's own political coalition of disaffected working-class whites, evangelicals and other traditional Republican voters is still an open question as well. While Republicans may feel the future belongs to them, when Mr Trump's time in the Oval Office comes to an end, there's no telling what kind of grades will his legacy receive.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38525529
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FA Cup: West Ham 0-5 Manchester City highlights - BBC Sport
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2017-01-06
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Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup ends triumphantly as Manchester City thrash Premier League rivals West Ham 5-0 in the FA Cup third round at London Stadium.
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Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup ends triumphantly as Manchester City thrash Premier League rivals West Ham 5-0 in the FA Cup third round at London Stadium.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38536413
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Pro12: Ospreys 29-7 Connacht - BBC Sport
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2017-01-07
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Ospreys climb to the top of the Pro12 with a convincing bonus-point win over reigning champions Connacht.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Ospreys climbed to the top of the Pro12 with a convincing bonus-point win over reigning champions Connacht.
The hosts made a flying start, with Dan Baker and Olly Cracknell scoring excellent team tries to give them a commanding 14-0 half-time lead.
Prop Nicky Smith powered over for a third try, before Sean O'Brien earned Connacht a late consolation score.
Even with fly-half Sam Davies in the sin-bin, Ospreys sealed the bonus point with Ashley Beck's last-minute try.
That gave Steve Tandy's men a Pro12 double over Connacht for the season, and added a final gloss to their eighth successive victory in all competitions.
Starting the game in third place and two points behind leaders Munster, Ospreys blew Connacht away with a high-octane first quarter.
The home side attacked with purpose and pace, fly-half Davies setting the tempo and the forwards carrying powerfully.
It was that combination which paved the way for the opening score, as Davies' perfectly-timed flat pass allowed flanker Cracknell to gallop deep into Connacht's half.
Ospreys maintained that momentum with a slick sequence of phases, and number eight Baker was on hand to plunge over from close range.
They had a second try with just 15 minutes gone, with Cracknell picking another fine angle and accelerating clear to touch down.
After encountering a little more Connacht resistance in the second half, Ospreys scored their third try as Smith wrestled his way over.
They were already 24-0 up when Davies was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on John Cooney, rendering O'Brien's score from a turnover a mere consolation for the visitors.
Ospreys' confounded their numerical disadvantage to score their bonus point-securing fourth try with the final play of the game, as Beck squeezed over in the corner.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38530789
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Tattingstone suitcase murder: Police appeal over Bernard Oliver death - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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A 17-year-old boy whose dismembered body parts were found in suitcases disappeared 50 years ago.
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The murder of a 17-year-old boy whose dismembered body parts were found in suitcases in 1967 continues to be reviewed by cold case detectives, police said.
The body of Bernard Oliver, from Muswell Hill, north London, was found dumped on farmland in Tattingstone, near Ipswich.
He went missing on 6 January 1967 and was found 10 days later. No one has ever been charged over the murder.
Det Ch Insp Caroline Millar, of Suffolk Police, said: ""Using advances in forensic science such as DNA familial profiling and the experience of current and retired senior detectives, the team are looking for any development that could help with the investigation into the murder of Bernard Oliver, including new information from the public.
"Even with the passage of 50 years, it is never too late for people to come forward with any information they think may help this inquiry."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38527821
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CES 2017: AmpMe app offers free alternative to wireless speakers - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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A free app synchs smartphones so they play music in unison, creating a free alternative to expensive wireless sound systems.
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A start-up is promoting a free app that syncs smartphones so they play music in unison, at the CES tech show.
AmpMe is being pitched as a free alternative to Sonos and other brands of wireless speakers.
Chris Foxx tied out the tech in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38526187
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NHS running blade fuels boy's Paralympic goal - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Ben Moore is one of the first children in England to receive a false leg for sport, on the NHS.
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Health
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At the age of 10, Ben Moore took a brave decision.
He chose to have the lower part of his right leg amputated and was fitted with an artificial limb.
Ben was born with a condition known as fibular hemimelia - giving him a foot with only three toes and a leg that failed to develop.
It left him struggling to walk and frequently in pain.
Ben was fitted with an artificial leg after his amputation - which he says was fine for walking around school, but which did not match his sporting ambitions.
Frustratingly for a boy already keen on sport in primary school, he could not keep up with his friends.
However, his prosthetist Clare Johnson recommended him to become one of the first children to be fitted with a false leg designed specifically for sport by the NHS - and now his sights are set on competing at a future Paralympics.
Ben, now 13, says: "It has turned out really well. All my PE teachers like it that I've got a prosthetic leg and that I'm still doing sport. They say I have a lot of grit and zest!"
He was fitted with his new blade just before Christmas and switches between that and his other prosthetic leg depending on what he is doing.
Ben says his blade means he can now compete on the sportsfield
"Ben has been empowered by his blade," says Clare. "We hope it will give him a level playing field so he can compete with his peers and participate in more sports with a lighter prosthetic."
Clare adds that although she was able to make an attachment for Ben's disordered right leg as he was growing up, it was not possible to include the sort of components that could give him a spring in his step.
After three weeks practising with the blade, Ben returned to Clare's treatment room at Brighton General Hospital and tried jogging, running and playing indoor tennis.
He has also just taken on his able-bodied cousin in a straight race and won.
"The blade feels good," says Ben. "The spring of it is the bit that makes me go faster."
"I wanted the blade to do more running, so I didn't have to stick with cricket and stuff like that to do with upper body. I wanted to do more things with my lower body, run faster and get a bit more speed in football."
There are about 1,500 children in England who have lost all or part of a limb and 1,100 of them either lack a leg or have one which does not work properly.
It is the first time the NHS has fitted some of them - in Brighton, North Cumbria and Luton - with false legs especially designed for sport.
Ben is one of "several hundred" children who will receive sports prostheses each year
While Ben has his blade, a child from Cumbria has been given a water limb called a "swim fin" which will make swimming with friends possible.
The £1.5m programme is intended to help what the NHS says will be "several hundred" children each year.
The cost of a blade, together with the follow-up training and assessment, is estimated at around £1,000, but it could be several times that amount in the private sector.
Clare says that by preserving the health of the children who get prostheses, the scheme could actually save money.
She says it also supports the health service's campaign to encourage healthy lifestyles among children.
"I don't like the idea that there are a lot of obese children and couch potatoes. I like to think that I have given (Ben) the blade and that he will show to other children that if he can do it, then everyone can do it. Sport is for everyone, not just a small elite."
Kathleen Moore says her son is a fighter
Ben's mother Kathleen is proud of her son's determination to play different sports, which have also included touch rugby.
"He's been up against it," she says, "but despite everything he fought back and he's a little fighter to this day. Now he's got the blade, the sky's the limit."
Don't bet against seeing Ben competing for Great Britain in a future Games.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38517649
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Premiership: Newcastle Falcons 24-22 Bath - BBC Sport
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2017-01-07
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Newcastle produce a superb late comeback to stun Bath and condemn the visitors to their third straight Premiership loss.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Newcastle produced a superb late comeback at Kingston Park to stun Bath and condemn the visitors to their third straight Premiership defeat.
The Falcons trailed 22-10 in the final 10 minutes, but forwards Mark Wilson and Ben Harris both bundled over after relentless pressure.
Second-half tries from George Ford and two from Semesa Rokoduguni built a lead for Bath before the late drama.
The much-improved Falcons have now won six Premiership matches this season, one more than the whole of last campaign, and move up to sixth, while Bath stay fourth.
Bath looked edgy once again following back-to-back league defeats against fellow play-off chasers Exeter and leaders Wasps.
A torrid first half started with Fiji wing Goneva being given too much space to race in under the posts, followed by England fly-half Ford missing two relatively simple penalties.
Ford, who failed to land another crucial penalty and conversion after the break, did start a clinical first 20 minutes of the second half when he strolled in to score as Bath were camped in front of the try-line.
Wing Rokoduguni produced two pieces of individual brilliance to help stretch Bath's lead to 12 points - first dotting down while being tackled by Goneva and then showing his pace after latching onto the returning Anthony Watson's pass.
But the visitors could not hold onto the advantage as big flanker Wilson was pushed over and replacement prop Harris touched down in almost identical circumstances, with Joel Hodgson coolly converting both.
Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards: "The boys had belief and really stuck at it.
"We went 12 points down and just went for it. They showed a lot of courage to do that and come back against a side like Bath.
"The crowd were outstanding, especially that last five minutes, the players came in afterwards and said the crowd carried them through."
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder: "I'm very disappointed that we couldn't close out the game.
"We had a terrible first half. We were lucky we came away with anything at half-time.
"We didn't do the basics very well under pressure and that's not acceptable. The last two games we've had control and let it slip and it's just not good enough."
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38500627
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FA Cup third-round: Reports and previews - BBC Sport
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2017-01-07
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Reports and team news for all the weekend's FA Cup third-round matches.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38531996
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Mystery over thank you letter's intended receivers - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A woman who received a mysterious thank you letter is trying to unite it with the intended receivers.
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London
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The erroneously-delivered envelope had a picture of kittens on it
A woman who has received a mysterious thank you letter for the third year in a row is trying to unite it with the intended receivers.
Jessica Wren, 46, from Camden, in London, found the hand-written letter on her doorstep earlier this week.
It is decorated with dolphin stickers and a cut-out image of kittens, addressed inside to Alex, Irene and Anya, signed by a child called Tabby.
Psychologist Mrs Wren said she is keen to get the letter to the right people.
"There's no surname for these people or for the girl who is writing these letters, but this time she has gone to the trouble of decorating the paper with finger painting too, so I really want it to reach the people it's meant for," Mrs Wren said.
Tabby writes: "To Alex, Irene and Anya, Happy New Year!
"Thank you very much for the lovely Frozen nightdress you gave me for Christmas - it's my first ever nightdress as I usually wear Pyjamas and I Love it!
Mrs Wren, who has lived in the same house in Mansfield Road for 10 years, has no idea who Alex, Irene or Anya might be and without a surname Google searches have turned nothing up.
She has resorted to posting a message on Facebook with the help of her children Eliza, 17 and Tash, 15.
Mrs Wren said: "It could be a godparent or maybe a relation and the sad thing is the receiver has no idea the child is writing to them, because they have the wrong address."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38535066
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Newspaper headlines: Ethiopia's 'Spice Girls' cash and NHS 'winter crisis' - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Some front pages focus on winter pressure on the NHS, while the Daily Mail leads on an Ethiopian pop group's UK funding being axed.
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The Papers
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International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced a review of the girl band's funding last month
A group described as Ethiopia's version of the Spice Girls receives front page billing in the Daily Mail - not for its latest chart-topping single, but for a decision to pull the plug on its funding from Britain's foreign aid budget.
The paper says the move by ministers is a victory for its campaign to highlight waste in the foreign aid budget at a time when social care is in crisis.
Last month, it reported that the five-piece band, Yegna, had been given a £5.2m grant as part of a three year programme aimed at empowering women in Ethiopia.
The paper has the headline: "Aid: NOW they're listening".
A number of papers lead with the pressures facing the health service in England. The Guardian highlights the warning by the British Red Cross that the NHS is facing a "humanitarian crisis" as hospitals and ambulance services struggle to keep up with rising demands.
The headline in the i is: "No room at A&E". It says overflowing casualty departments shut their doors to patients more than 140 times last month, a 68% rise on the same period the previous year.
The Daily Telegraph says NHS hospitals have been accused of trying to "spin their way out" of the growing winter crisis after a leaked memo revealed that managers were being instructed to play down the scale of the problem.
The paper has seen an NHS memo telling health officials the "most important thing" is to avoid language such as "black alert" - the phrase used to denote the most serious level of emergency.
Several leader writers and commentators take time to reflect on the Brexit negotiations ahead following the resignation of Britain's ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers.
Sir Ivan resigned from his post on Tuesday
The Guardian says the new ambassador Sir Tim Barrow faces the daunting task of stopping a tumble towards a disorderly exit.
Where once the choice seemed to be between hard and soft Brexit, the new worry is of a "train crash" Brexit - a scenario in which incompatible negotiating demands from Downing Street and the other 27 countries results in Britain walking away without a deal.
The Sun urges Britain to enter the negotiations without fearing what it calls the consequences of EU pig-headedness and be prepared to walk away rather than sign a bad deal in haste.
The Telegraph acknowledges the talks will be a painstaking, detailed task. In the Mail's view, however, Britain has an extremely strong hand as Europe's best market.
The Express vents its anger at the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, for suggesting that a soft Brexit could remove the prospect of Scottish independence for the time being. It says a Brexit without winning back control of our borders, laws, taxes and trading relationships would be a "fake" Brexit.
The Financial Times says Theresa May has had a difficult start to the New Year, with the resignation of Sir Ivan and tensions in government over her management style.
The Prime Minister gets a mixed review from Saturday's newspapers
The threat by the Conservative Party donor, Sir Andrew Cook, to withdraw financial support if Mrs May pulls Britain out of the EU's single market, is the main story for the Times.
The paper says sections of the business world are pressing ministers to pursue a "soft Brexit", allowing Britain to have access to the single market in return for some form of payment and a compromise over free movement.
The Mail takes aim at the Economist for what it calls a sneering hatchet-job in this week's issue, in which it accused the Prime Minister of indecision and muddle. The newspaper urges her to ignore the carping and get on with the job.
With a 17 point lead in the polls, it says, she has the country firmly on her side, and the prize is huge.
That prize, the Telegraph agrees, is going down in history as one of our great prime ministers if she can pull off a successful Brexit and begin to rebuild the UK's domestic institutions.
The Guardian pays tribute to Michelle Obama, following her final speech yesterday as America's First Lady before President Obama leaves office. It describes her as the most inspirational First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.
Like Mrs Roosevelt, she has proved to be not an old-fashioned helpmeet nor an ornament, but a powerful advocate of equality in her own right, the paper says.
It recalls that Mrs Obama was born into a black working-class family that encouraged and expected her to excel, amid the deep racism of 1960s Chicago. Those experiences, it says, have given her both a deep sense of what is wrong with America and of what people are capable of achieving.
The Express leads with research suggesting that an hour's snooze after lunch is good for your health. American scientists believe it can prevent your brain from ageing and help you perform better in memory tests.
Siestas are good for you, but they cannot be any longer than 60 minutes, according to researchers
They examined 3,000 adults over the age of 65 and found that those who slept in the afternoon were better able to solve simple maths problems and memorise words - and those who didn't, performed badly.
But the paper warns that the nap has to be for 60 minutes. A longer or shorter siesta won't have the same effect.
Finally, forget about camping, or glamping. The Times reports that more and more people are choosing to spend their weekend breaks "champing" - camping in churches.
Apparently, the trend grew four-fold last year and the Churches Conservation Trust, which runs the scheme, is raising the number of churches taking part from seven to 12.
The experience is basic, the paper warns, with no central heating, no showers, and no curtains. But prices start from £19 a night.
A spokeswoman tells the paper: "We didn't want people to see our churches as museum pieces. Instead, we wanted them to be living, vibrant places."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38538630
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CES 2017: VR flight kit turns slobs into Superman - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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A virtual reality contraption aims to give gamers a full-body workout while simulating the sensation of flying.
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But a start-up has created a virtual reality contraption that simulates flight while giving players a tough workout.
Chris Foxx met the firm's co-founder at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38541530
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Will snow rescue Swiss Alps after dry start to winter? - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After a difficult Christmas period and one of the driest Decembers, Swiss resorts are praying for snow.
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Europe
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Hoteliers have had a difficult Christmas period and hope for more wintry weather
Snow is finally falling across the Alps, after one of the driest Decembers on record.
In the Swiss Alps, the last time so little snow fell over the Christmas period was in 1864, according to measurements taken by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.
For mountain resorts that do up to a third of their business over Christmas and New Year, this is a worry. While this December's glorious winter sunshine certainly showed off the Alps in all their splendour, many tourists arrive expecting to be able to ski.
Christoph Marty, a snow climatologist with the institute, understands why hoteliers have been gazing anxiously at the sky. "It definitely affects business," he says. A post-Christmas survey of ski resorts and lift operators by Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger showed that 56% of them expected to make losses in December.
There has been little snow for the snow-grooming machines to work with
The last three years have been a "row of Decembers without snow", says Mr Marty. While it may be too early to confirm a pattern, even the possibility that snow will not fall until after the festive season is a concern.
So most resorts across the Alps are turning to artificial snow. Snow cannons have been used for many years to patch up vulnerable sections of a slope, but in the last decade their use has increased dramatically.
Fifty percent of Swiss slopes can now be snowed artificially. In neighbouring Austria the figure is 70%. It is, as Christoph Marty points out, an expensive business.
"We need a lot of water for artificial snow, and there is a lot of consumption of power," he says. "This is one reason why lift tickets are not cheap."
Switzerland's ski resorts have realised they cannot just rely on snow cannons
Environmentalists have been watching the increased use of artificial snow with concern.
Swiss group Pro Natura says the creation of reservoirs, simply to provide water for snow cannons, is damaging to the mountain landscape, while the energy required to power all the cannons over a season would be enough to fuel a small town.
There is one big challenge to the nightly army of snow cannons: they cannot be used unless the temperature is below freezing.
That means resorts, even if no natural snow falls, must have cold weather in November to get their slopes ready for Christmas.
For the lower resorts, and the cross-country ski runs in the valleys, this is problematic, and so some have turned to a new method: snow farming.
This involves creating tonnes of snow during the coldest months of January and February. Snow cannons are parked next to rivers in the valleys, water is pumped out of them and turned into vast mounds of snow, which is then buried in sawdust and stored, over the summer, until it is needed the following season.
Mounds of "farmed snow" have appeared beside some of the Swiss ski slopes
"Up to 30% of it melts," says Christoph Marty. Nevertheless, more and more resorts, determined to guarantee snow in December, are turning to farming.
It has, this season, made for some odd pictures: ribbons of snow on the ski slopes winding their way down through green fields.
The sport of skiing developed, of course, out of the natural winter conditions in the mountains.
But that was before winter package holidays: the first skiers, over a century ago, did not expect guaranteed snow from November to April.
Today the winter sports business is worth billions, and many mountain communities depend on it. Creating the right conditions for skiing is no longer a matter for the weather gods, it is a high-tech industry.
For anyone who still believes the snow beneath their skis simply fell from the skies, the truth is far more complicated than that.
The scenery in the Swiss Alps may be stunning this winter, but the valleys are hoping for far more snow
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38516688
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The Donald Trump tweets that say so much and reveal so little - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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James Naughtie reflects on the tweets of Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration as US president.
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US & Canada
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It is as if the campaign is still going on.
Two weeks away from his inauguration, Donald Trump seems to prefer the role of "candidate" - flaying his opponents and aiming arrows at the federal government from the enemy camp.
It is almost as if he does not want to accept fully that he is the new chief executive who will be dealing with official Washington from the moment he drives back from the Capitol as the president on 20 January.
And his weapon of choice, forged for him like a legendary warrior's sword in the furnace of the new technology, is Twitter.
No president-elect has battled like this.
Most of them go to ground, secluded with the staff who will take over the West Wing, and make their plans. Dream their dreams, you might say.
They have followed the golden rule: do not give too much away, because it will make life more difficult when the inauguration is over and the business of power begins.
The Trump Twitter account is not just a break with that pattern, but a challenge to the very idea.
His New Year tweet (one of them, I should say) wished love to everyone "including my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do".
Mr Trump wished love to everyone via Twitter at the turn of the year
The implication, of course, is that he does know what he is going to do. The trouble with his Twitter account is that it makes you wonder.
More than 34,000 tweets to nearly 19 million followers (many "enemies" among them, no doubt) and a narrative that has become a kind of stream of consciousness. They read like the unfiltered, disconnected thoughts of someone for whom patience is an ugly word.
You always have to say something, even if you say the opposite the next day. On Twitter, who cares?
Yet, the messages are powerful. One contemptuous tweet about the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives winding down the Office of Congressional Ethics led them to beat a humiliating retreat and cancel the plan.
Mr Trump's choice as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the other day: "Whatever he tweets, he is going to drive the news."
And, bizarre though it may seem, the South Korean government is poring over them. The JoongAng Daily reported that a Twitter-watching position had been set up in the foreign ministry in Seoul "because we don't yet have an insight into his foreign policies".
What insight will they get from tweets which have criticised the Central Intelligence Agency, praised Julian Assange - the Whistleblower of WikiLeaks and a bete noire to most Republicans - and praised President Putin, who gets more friendly treatment than all Democrats and some Republicans at home?
And remarkably the tweets take aim at the entire intelligence community in Washington. What precisely are the South Koreans meant to make of that?
Not too much, you may think, because who can tell how this mercurial candidate is going to be moulded into a president? We still do not know and what his Twitter account tells us - colourfully, astonishingly, sometimes hilariously - is that he is refusing to let us know.
Far from revealing what a Trump presidency is going to be like - as he says his tweets do - they have the effect of enveloping him in a thick fog.
Yes we know he will "make America great again", cut immigration, build his wall, cut taxes, be Israel's greatest ally and so on. But how he is going to build a White House team on foreign affairs and security, conduct relations with Capitol Hill, deal with allies in Nato and the rolling chaos in the Middle East, we have very little idea.
And when the first crisis arrives - as it will before long - will he be able to find the calm that he needs?
Where it all began: Trump's Twitter page in April 2009
No president-elect in modern times has said so much and revealed so little.
We know how Mr Trump feels about almost everything, but about priorities, his approach to the compromises of power, the way he will deal with the bureaucracy - in practice we know very little.
A week or two before election day in November, one of his close associates told me that, if he won, Mr Trump had agreed that in office he would relinquish control of that Twitter account, because it would be inappropriate in the White House.
The satirists' loss, certainly. But, if it happens, a step into reality, at last.
Some day he has to stop being the candidate and playing that game, even though he enjoys it so much.
So the first great test for the Trump White House team is surely getting his finger off that keyboard.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38534308
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CES 2017: Ford sticks to self-driving cars by 2021 pledge - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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Ford insists it will have a fully autonomous car, without a steering wheel, on the road by 2021, despite others' doubts.
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Ford insists it will have fully autonomous cars, without steering wheels or brake pedals, on the roads by 2021.
The firm plans to use them within an Uber-like ride-sharing service at first before considering putting them on sale.
But rival car-makers have suggested that deadline is too ambitious, as Rory Cellan Jones reports from the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38538281
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West Ham United 0-5 Manchester City - BBC Sport
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2017-01-07
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Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup sees Manchester City thrash Premier League rivals West Ham 5-0 in the third round.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup ended triumphantly as his Manchester City side thrashed Premier League rivals West Ham in the third round.
City led 3-0 at the break, Yaya Toure starting the rout by firing a debatable penalty into the bottom left corner.
Havard Nordtveit bundled Bacary Sagna's teasing cross into his own net, just 146 seconds before David Silva's composed tap-in.
Shortly after the restart, Sergio Aguero cheekily diverted in Toure's shot to become the third-highest goalscorer in City's history.
And John Stones headed in his first Blues goal as the visitors comfortably saw the game out in a rapidly emptying London Stadium.
Following Friday's opening third-round tie, City are the first team in the pot for Monday's draw, which is live on BBC Two and online at 19:00 GMT.
Watch all the FA Cup goals and read the reaction
Guardiola has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks thanks to a combination of City's faltering form and his tetchy interviews.
But his team responded with a devastating performance against the hapless Hammers.
West Ham could not cope with the pace, power and precision of the visitors.
Toure whipped in the spot-kick after Pablo Zabaleta fell over Angelo Ogbonna's standing leg before Nordtveit and Silva ensured City scored three first-half goals for the first time under their Spanish manager.
The Blues were relentless as they condemned West Ham to their heaviest FA Cup home defeat.
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola has regularly been forced into defending his footballing philosophy in recent months but performances like this justify his perseverance.
"West Ham could not live with their passing, their movement, their one-touch football," former England striker Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day.
Hammers manager Slaven Bilic claimed ahead of the game that City "were not that confident anymore" after Guardiola's methods had been questioned following his team's mixed form in the past couple of months.
How wrong the Croat was.
But that, in part, was down to his team's inability - or refusal - to put the away side under any serious pressure when they were in possession.
Sign up for the 2017 FA People's Cup and take your chance to win tickets to the FA Cup final and achieve national five-a-side glory.
The Hammers failed to press the visitors in their own half, allowing Toure - who had more touches and made more passes than anyone else in his 78 minutes on the pitch - to dictate from his holding midfield role.
However, it could all have been very different had Sofiane Feghouli not spurned a golden chance to pull the Hammers level at 1-1.
The Algeria winger - only playing after his red card against Manchester United was rescinded - sidefooted wide of a gaping goal just seconds after Toure's penalty.
And that proved the catalyst for the Hammers' collapse.
"The way West Ham's heads went down is alarming. Alarming for the fans and for the manager. It was embarrassing," Shearer added.
The Hammers have struggled for consistency in front of goal this season, scoring just 23 times in their 20 Premier League matches - four of which were netted against Swansea on Boxing Day.
Regular injuries to Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew have not helped matters, nor has on-loan Juventus forward Simone Zaza's inability to find his feet - or the net - in England.
No wonder they have targeted an attacker in this transfer window, already having bids turned down for Sunderland's Jermain Defoe and Hull City's Robert Snodgrass.
This was another toothless performance. And, like the humiliating 5-1 defeat against Arsenal last month, they were worryingly disorganised and open at the back.
With some home fans leaving after City's third goal and those left at the final whistle jeering his team, could Hammers hero Bilic be starting to come under pressure?
What they said
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "We were able to keep the ball more than the last games. We created more chances. Before the penalty we had three or four clear chances. After the second and third goal it was easy in the second half.
"It's important to win away but it's not easy. I'd like to involve the fans and make them believe we are good. We are the good guys - we run a lot and fight."
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "The penalty was the turning point because we looked good until then. It was maybe a soft one.
"We had a great chance to equalise but we didn't. We made mistakes after the goal and started to chase the ball. Quickly it was 3-0 and game over.
"It's a very bad day for us. It wasn't good enough.
"What disappointed me the most is that we started to chase them all over the pitch and then conceded two more and it was all over."
• None The Hammers suffered their worst home defeat in FA Cup history, having never previously lost by a five-goal margin
• None Only once have West Ham suffered a bigger FA Cup defeat - 6-0 against Manchester United in January 2003
• None Sergio Aguero has been involved in 12 goals in 11 FA Cup appearances for Manchester City (10 goals, two assists)
• None West Ham have shipped three or more goals in a game on eight occasions this season - twice as many as they did in the whole of 2015-16
• None John Stones scored his first club goal since April 2015 (for Everton against Manchester United in the Premier League)
Back to the Premier League for both clubs next weekend.
West Ham, who are 13th in the top flight, host London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while fourth-placed City go to Everton on Sunday (13:30 GMT).
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt blocked. Nolito (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Nolito.
• None Goal! West Ham United 0, Manchester City 5. John Stones (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Nolito with a cross following a corner.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Bacary Sagna (Manchester City) because of an injury.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Bacary Sagna tries a through ball, but Pablo Zabaleta is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38465098
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Quiz of the week's news - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The BBC's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions.
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Magazine
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It's the weekly news quiz - have you been paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past seven days?
If you missed this week's quiz on famous resignations, try it here
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38522106
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CES 2017: The jacket that lets you stash 42 gadgets - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A gadget-friendly jacket shown off at CES has 42 secret pockets.
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Technology
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Scotte Vest doesn't advise using all 42 pockets at once
As I swim in the ocean of shiny new tech that surrounds me at CES, I find myself wondering where on earth I would put all this stuff if I had to take it with me.
One firm I met there thinks it has the answer - in the form of a jacket with 42 secret pockets, each tailored for a specific device.
Scotte Vest's $150 (£120) sleeveless gilet is an Aladdin's cave of pockets: it includes a laptop-sized space on the back, somewhere to store a tablet in each of the front panels, an inside breast pocket for smartphones made out of touchscreen-friendly material and a channel for headphone cables or chargers.
It also contains a sunglasses pouch with attached cleaning cloth.
However, the firm does not recommend using all 42 pockets at once.
"It is having a pocket for what you need at the moment," said spokesman Luke Lappala.
"If style isn't necessarily your number one priority, you could fit everything you ever need in there."
I can vouch for that, after stashing my 11in (28cm) laptop, charging cable and plug, smartphone, tablet, radio equipment, battery power bar and notebook in a single Scotte Vest garment.
I didn't look or feel particularly elegant, and the weight of the laptop alone almost tipped me over twice - but once the load had settled onto my shoulders I began to feel like I was wearing a backpack rather than a gilet.
It was surprisingly difficult to get everything back out again after this little experiment. I could feel the charger about my person but it took me a while to locate the pocket it was in. Helpfully, each garment comes with a small fabric map setting out the location of all the pockets.
The idea was born in the year 2000 when chief executive Scott Jordan almost damaged his ears in an airport after getting a headphone cable tangled on a doorknob, Mr Lappala told me.
It was inspired by the traditional fisherman's vest.
The laptop pocket is on the back of the coat, making it feel like a backpack
Scotte Vest claims to have sold more than 10 million garments so far, ranging from trench coats to shorts, all with varying tallies of pockets.
It is great for travellers, said Mr Lappala. And drone pilots.
The firm even has a rival in the form of the J25 made by AyeGear - although as its name suggests, that one has a mere 25 storage areas.
I can't believe I've come to Las Vegas to write about pockets.
Read all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38527350
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Saving Sally: The little Filipino film that needed saving - BBC News
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2017-01-07
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The cult Filipino romance, with its gadgets and animated monsters, and the fans who saved it from obscurity.
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Asia
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Set in an animated Manila, 'Saving Sally' has been billed as a teenage love story
It's a tale of unrequited teenage love terrorised by giant animated monsters in the chaotic streets of Metro Manila.
Saving Sally tells the story of Marty, a young aspiring Philippines comic book artist, played by Enzo Marcos.
He falls in love with his best friend Sally, a gadget inventor - portrayed by Filipina actress Rhian Ramos - who is also the centre of Marty's universe.
The story quickly unfolds with stunning cartoons which tell the story of Marty's lonely world.
Like every love story, there are numerous complications and challenges for the hero.
Namely defending the love of his life from a beastly rival and her difficult parents, who take the form of monsters because to Marty, that is simply what they are.
"Sadly, Marty also has the innate ability to do nothing about everything despite his vivid fantasies of defending Sally from the big bad world," described the film's director Avid Liongoren.
Marty often dreams of defending Sally from the evils of her world
While it has been described as a "typical teen movie about love, monsters and gadgets", the film also touches on serious issues prevalent in Philippine society.
"On the surface, it's a fun and straightforward love story, with good laughs and visual gags that reference Filipino as well as Western pop culture," said screenwriter Charlene Sawit-Esguerra , who wrote and conceptualised the film.
"But it also touches on darker themes like physical abuse and escapism."
Saving Sally's darker themes are mixed in with the teenage love story
After an arduous 10-year journey and a series of setbacks, the team's efforts paid off. Saving Sally gained an entry into the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
The annual festival serves as an outlet to better promote local talent in the Pinoy film industry. But the MMFF sadly still could not save Sally.
The humble film was not widely shown in local cinemas.
The Philippine skyline takes centre stage in this film, which features stunning artwork
Its creators said the answer could lie in the nature of the domestic cinema industry.
Largely unregulated, Philippine cinemas have built a notorious reputation for favouring commercial successes movies like Hollywood blockbusters and "manufactured" romance dramas.
"They pick the films that they think people will watch. So it is more of a perception that since ours is a small, non-studio film, no-one would want to watch it," explained Mr Liongoren.
Ms Sawit-Esguerra said "demand" was often a deciding factor before a film could be considered for screening.
"Theatre owners here think that local audiences will only watch films starring big-names and A-list stars, produced by major studios. Saving Sally has neither," she said.
"Because of this, many cinemas don't want to take the risk and would rather see how audiences responds to our movie first."
Saving Sally earned a festival entry but was not widely screened in cinemas
To film critic Oggs Cruz, another problem with the film lay in its animation, the very thing that its makers fought so hard to create.
"While most Filipinos enjoy animated films, the animated aspect in Saving Sally doesn't favour its commercial ability," he told BBC News.
"It is an adjunct of the main characters and I don't think it has any effect in its marketability. Sadly it won't entice children or adults."
"A lot of Filipinos are proud of their heritage but ironically, they would rather watch the latest Star Wars movie than support local film festival entries.
"It's a losing situation for the film makers whose work will get pulled out for more commercially viable movies that will earn more money."
The show's creators turned to the power of social media and launched an online campaign to save Sally, calling on audiences to contact theatre owners demanding they screen the film.
"Let your voices be heard. Please help us make noise and reach out," read a Facebook post on the movie's official page which drew close to 50,000 reactions and was shared more than 10,000 times.
Thousands of curious Facebook users and fans began to show their support for the film by leaving comments and writing posts using the hashtags #ShowSavingSally and #ImSavingSally.
"It was worth the wait and our money. Great storytelling and amazing animation - good job," gushed Dicay Galvez from Makati city who shared his joy in finally being able to catch the film.
"I cannot imagine the love and passion that went into this film, it may be a typical love story but the entirety of the movie itself is a work of art," wrote Ace Antipolo in an Instagram post.
"Big movie companies in the Philippines just don't put this kind of effort anymore but the efforts of a small group of people who worked for 10 years just to complete this beautiful masterpiece will be cherished forever."
"I guess business is business but I just don't understand why some cinemas saved spots for other movies over Saving Sally. Please show it in Bacolod," said Fraire Acupan.
Given its animation-meets-real life component which plays out heavily, and its slacker hero, Saving Sally has drawn comparisons with popular 2010 geek sleeper hit Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
But will Sally see a similar indie cult following to that which Scott Pilgrim enjoyed?
Its makers said the public response "has been incredible" and fan demand played a crucial role in boosting the film.
Saving Sally was shown on around 50 screens to begin with, but was expected to close at 86 screens.
"Theatres have relented to the barrage of messages from Filipino youngsters wanting to see our film," said Mr Liongoren.
Ms Sawit-Esguerra said: "Saving Sally surpassed what it was expected to earn, according to Industry experts. It also made it to the top four of the festival films based on how it did at the Philippine box office."
She also added that they have received offers for a North American release but that has not yet been finalised.
"We've also been invited to film festivals in Portugal, Spain and Belgium," she said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38486968
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