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Oscars 2017: The moment La La Land producers realised they hadn't won - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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The moment when La La Land producer realised Moonlight had won the Oscar for best picture
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The moment La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz realised Moonlight had actually won the best picture Oscar.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39100758
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Garth Crooks' team of the week: Ibrahimovic, Gabbiadini, Kane, Fabregas, Kante - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Which two players are 'the coach's dream? Whose presence at Old Trafford is like that of Roy Keane? Find out in Garth's team of the week.
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Jose Mourinho won his first trophy as Manchester United manager, his side beating Southampton in a thrilling EFL Cup final.
In the Premier League, Chelsea maintained their surge to the title by beating Swansea, while Tottenham are looking to chase them down after thrashing Stoke.
At the bottom end, Crystal Palace picked up a priceless win over Middlesbrough to move out of the relegation zone, but bottom side Sunderland lost to Everton.
Do you agree with my team of the week or would you go for a different team? Why not pick your very own team of the week from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends?
Pick your Team of the Week Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
What a save from Tyrone Mings. The Bournemouth centre-half directed a sensational header towards the top corner of Ben Foster's net only for the England keeper to pull off a match-winning left-handed stop.
But how does Tony Pulis keep producing such effective teams? He always seems to leave clubs in better condition than when he arrived and currently West Brom are a pleasure to watch, which is something I can't say with all of Pulis' teams. The Baggies have 12 games left and need 10 points to achieve their best ever Premier League tally. With Foster in this form it looks like they have every chance.
It was a tremendous ball for Idrissa Gueye and Ross Barkley should have scored in the second half after another wonderful cross by Seamus Coleman. The Irishman is playing out of his skin at the moment and for my money is Everton's player of the season.
And yet I can't understand for the life of me (and I apologise to Evertonians) how Manchester United or City haven't lured him away from Goodison Park. Coleman brings a dimension to Everton very few full-backs bring to a team. The problem for the opposition is that Coleman has been doing it for some considerable time. Coleman is an infectious player and it's a joy to watch him play.
It has been a long and somewhat distinguished career for Gareth McAuley and he couldn't have spent his 500th appearance in football better than this. West Brom's 2-1 win over Bournemouth had an element of good fortune about it. The Baggies' first goal was a deflection before McAuley was handed a celebratory gift by the Cherries' unpredictable keeper Artur Boruc.
I have seen Boruc perform heroics for Bournemouth in the past and then he goes and does something that leaves you utterly puzzled. Not that McAuley wasn't grateful for the present - in fact he could have scored a second but for the intervention of the crossbar. Nevertheless, McAuley did grab his sixth league goal of the season, which is not bad for a centre-half who started his career at Linfield.
I thought that referee Martin Atkinson made absolutely the right call in giving a penalty to Hull when Michael Keane was adjudged to have raised his arm above his head and gained an advantage. At that point the game looked to be running away from Burnley. It took something a bit special to get the Clarets back into the match - but who would have thought it would have been the very man responsible for putting them behind in the first place?
Keane brought the ball down on his chest, allowed it to fall to the ground before dispatching the strike past the goalkeeper. You also have to bear in mind that all this happened in a crowded penalty area. Not only was it impressive it also was nothing less than Burnley deserved.
I have seen Patrick van Aanholt in this mood before - looking mean and searching for goals. A useful attribute to have, particularly if you are a full-back, which is precisely why Sam Allardyce brought his former player at Sunderland to Selhurst Park.
A poor signing can cripple a manager while the right one can save him. Premier League survival is by no means guaranteed for the Eagles and that is why it is imperative to have a player like Van Aanholt in your team who knows exactly what is required.
At the end of the fixture at Stamford Bridge I engaged in a debate over just how good N'Golo Kante actually was. One journalist suggested he was the best player he had ever seen without the ball at his feet, and another thought he was better than the only other Chelsea player with a similar reputation, Claude Makelele - now part of the Swansea backroom staff and arguably the best holding midfield player of his generation.
I thought Kante's performance against the Swans was as effective as any he has produced this season. The 'silent force' continues to carry Chelsea through sticky periods when they carelessly lose the ball, only for the Frenchman to win it back with the minimum of fuss. To hear Swans manager Paul Clement say that Kante had a fantastic performance said it all really.
This was by no means a stellar performance from Chelsea but it was by Cesc Fabregas. Manager Antonio Conte left out Nemanja Matic against a most impressive Swansea for the one player in his squad who is a world-class passer of the ball. Fabregas may not have the running power of Matic but he can cut a defence to ribbons with a swing of his left foot.
The Spaniard could have had a hat-trick in this game but for some poor finishing, but it didn't matter in the end. Chelsea were comfortable winners after a couple of scary moments by Swansea - notably a stonewall penalty which referee Neil Swarbrick chose to ignore at a crucial time in the match. The Blues are now 10 points clear at the top of the table having played some unconvincing football recently but what they have shown is the sort of maturity and consistency some of their competitors have lacked.
This player is the nearest thing I've seen to N'Golo Kante. His ability to cover the ground is also remarkable. There are those of us who found running, unless it was absolutely necessary, tedious, but players like Gueye and Kante see it as their life support. They are the coach's dream, particularly if the coach has little to offer the team other than effort.
Not so with Antonio Conte and especially Ronald Koeman. The Dutch insist that players in their country must know what to do with the ball when it arrives at their feet, and Gueye certainly does. What I like about Gueye is that when he wins the ball he almost without fail completes the pass, which makes winning the ball in the first place much more fun.
Against Sunderland he scored his first goal for the Toffees with a delicious strike into the roof of the net. The problem with these defensive midfield players is that when they score one, rather like tasting Champagne for the first time, they tend to want another.
To see Spurs go three goals up after just 37 minutes at White Hart Lane, even against a non-existent Stoke City, was impressive, particularly after the no-show against Gent in the Europa League a few days earlier.
In a first half where everything Harry Kane touched seemed to turn to gold, the striker's best effort, struck with the inside of this right foot, screamed past the upright. Had he scored, it would have been my goal of the season.
Equally, Stoke's first-half performance was so distressing I was beginning to wonder if their players had spent the entire week trawling the streets of the city campaigning in the Stoke central by-election. I can't recall seeing a more abject performance from a Premier League side. Woeful.
Ninety-two minutes into the game and he was still putting his body on the line for the team. His goals were brilliantly taken and he seems made for the big occasion. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the difference in the EFL Cup final between Manchester United and Southampton who, by the way, were also fantastic.
However, what this victory signified was that a manager is nothing without his star players and a benevolent chairman, a fact that will not be lost on Claudio Ranieri this week. Manchester United have seriously benefited from bringing Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford. He has almost single-handedly injected a presence into the United set-up that has not been seen since the departure of Roy Keane.
Nevertheless the reality is that Ibrahimovic is a football 'senior citizen' and cannot continue to punish himself like this indefinitely. At some stage Paul Pogba (who went AWOL again against the Saints) has to step up to the plate and start showing some true leadership, especially in the big games. Mourinho has no choice but to keep Ibrahimovic onside, at least until Pogba grows up.
It is not very often a footballer scores two goals in a cup final, one of which is worthy of winning the trophy, but leaves the arena with absolutely nothing. Well, that is the tale of Manolo Gabbiadini, who for me was sensational against Manchester United in the EFL Cup final.
In fact, Gabbiadini's evening started very badly. What should have been a perfectly good goal was disallowed by an overzealous referee's assistant. Nevertheless, everything about Gabbiadini's play was perfect. His touch and hold-up play were wonderful.
Yet it was his second goal that put Southampton level that did it for me. To turn on a sixpence, provide Chris Smalling no opportunity to intervene, and leave a world-class goalkeeper like David de Gea rooted to the spot to watch the ball roll agonisingly past was pure genius.
I have sung the praises of Gabbiadini in my team of the week before but this performance was really of the highest quality. And a tragedy in some ways that he left with nothing to show for his exploits.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39098821
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Reality Check: Is a £3.7bn cut in disabled funding planned? - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Do changes to Personal Independence Payments amount to a £3.7bn cut?
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UK Politics
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The claim: The government is planning to cut £3.7bn in funding for disabled people.
Reality Check verdict: The government is not proposing a £3.7bn cut to disability benefits but it is trying to overturn a ruling that more people should be eligible. This will not affect the claims of current claimants.
Last year, the government lost two cases in what is known as the Upper Tribunal - part of the courts system - about who should receive the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and how much they should receive.
The PIP is for people who face additional costs because of a disability or long-term illness. It has two elements: the daily living component and the mobility component.
PIP assessments are based on a system of points, which are awarded to claimants according to the seriousness of their conditions.
The number of points an applicant receives determines whether they are eligible for either element of PIP and, if so, whether at the standard or higher rate.
The tribunal's rulings covered the two elements.
The first found that some claimants who require assistance to take medication or monitor a health condition should receive more points than the assessments currently give.
The second found that claimants who suffer overwhelming psychological distress when taking journeys should receive more points.
The effect of the rulings would be to increase the number of eligible applicants and increase the number of people who qualify for the higher rates.
The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that the total cumulative cost of complying with the tribunal's decisions would be £3.7bn over the next four years.
Disabilities minister Penny Mordaunt released a written statement on Thursday 23 February explaining that the government would seek to overturn the tribunal's decisions.
That can be done using a statutory instrument that amends the Welfare Reform Act 2012.
Labour opposes the reform and will seek to block the statutory instrument in the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
If the government succeeds in getting the reform through, it will mean fewer people will receive PIPs in the future and fewer people will qualify for the higher rates. But it will not cut the awards of current claimants.
• None Benefits should be for 'really disabled'
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39106548
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The multi-millionaire who is giving his business away - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A profile of businessman John Elliott, who rather than sell his business, or allow his children to inherit it, has handed it over to a trust, to ensure that it cannot leave its base in the North East of England.
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Business
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John Elliott is a big supporter of Brexit - the UK leaving the European Union
Multi-millionaire businessman John Elliott leaves little doubt about his economic patriotism as his Jaguar car nears his factory in north-east England.
"Look at this area, it once produced the world's first locomotive steam engine, and now the Japanese, Hitachi, are producing our trains," he says dismissively as he drives.
The straight-talking 73-year-old is the founder and boss of manufacturing business Ebac.
Set up in 1972 to make dehumidifiers, in the past year it has also started producing the first British designed and built washing machine for 40 years.
Ebac is based in the County Durham town of Newton Aycliffe, just a few miles from where Mr Elliott was born, and he has ensured that it will remain that way - in perpetuity.
Instead of his two daughters inheriting the business and his £70m fortune when he dies, in 2012 he handed ownership of the company over to a trust, the Ebac Foundation.
"The trust means the company can never be sold," says Mr Elliott. "I never felt it was mine to sell."
Under the trust arrangement, Ebac must maintain all work in Newton Aycliffe, and any surplus profits are used to help community groups, such as the local football club.
Mr Elliott has ensured that Ebac will always remain in Newton Aycliffe
Mr Elliott, who still leads the company, and is one of the foundation's four current trustees, says that his children, who both work for the business, are happy with the arrangement.
He adds that he was particularly determined to ensure that Ebac could never be moved abroad.
"We could make more money if we started to make our products in Poland," he says. "But, personally, I would rather make a smaller profit and assist the UK economy than make a bigger profit and devalue the UK economy."
With more than 200 members of staff, Ebac is a sizable employer in an economically deprived area, but Mr Elliott's opinions about his workforce may raise some eyebrows.
"They are not very ambitious but they're not second-class citizens, and there are a lot of them in the UK," he says.
Mr Elliott says his employees are 'not here by force'
"They are reasonably well motivated, but they're at a low skill level."
Mr Elliott, who was against the introduction of the minimum wage because he views it as a brake on productivity, says it is wrong for generations of UK politicians to think that everyone should do well in school and get lots of qualifications.
"The wrong idea was that we should make everyone in Britain very, very clever so we wouldn't need to do any hard work," he says.
"[Instead], half the people in the UK - or thereabouts - want to work in factories like this," he says.
The business is making the first UK washing machine for 40 years
"It's their choice, they're not here by force. If they would rather do an unskilled or semi-skilled job at a lower rate of pay then that's their preference."
He adds that while the UK still has a manufacturing industry it can be proud of, he is disappointed that so much of it is now in foreign hands.
Mr Elliott himself left school at 15 with no qualifications. Looking back on this, he says: "My biggest regret? Two wasted years - I should have left at 13."
Born and raised in a coal mining village near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Mr Elliott and his two brothers were brought up by their mother and grandparents after his father died when he was six months old.
After leaving school he became an electrical engineering apprentice, going on to work for a number of local companies.
Ebac is highlighting the fact the washing machines were made in the UK
His big break came in 1972 when he was 29, a client asked him to design an industrial humidifier and he set up his own company to make it. And thus Ebac [then known as Elliott Brothers Air Control] was born.
Ebac has grown over the years, and today also makes water coolers and air-conditioning systems. Its annual turnover is more than £15m, with profits exceeding £3m.
A keen supporter of Brexit - the UK leaving the European Union - Mr Elliott says it is a massive opportunity for the country, which the UK should embrace.
"Currently we sell to France and we sell to the US," he says. "The US has tariffs and that's an inconvenience, but it's not a deal breaker.
"The way you sell stuff is to come up with things people want to buy.
Mr Elliott hopes to ramp up production of the washing machines
"People imagine the UK won't be able to sell anything anymore to Europe. No, no, no. The rest of the world trades with Europe, you just have to deal with tariffs."
Emma Roberts, head of industrial strategy at the CBI business lobby group, says it is pleasing that Ebac is focusing on "making a success of Brexit".
While Ebac's washing machines are currently only available at just 20 outlets in north-east England, Mr Elliott has plans to increase production.
He says that its £10m washing machine assembly line could produce more than 250,000 made in the UK washing machines per year.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39051964
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Oscars: Iranian winner Asghar Farhadi blasts Trump travel ban - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Director Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman won best foreign language film but he boycotted the awards.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Iranian-born US engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari read out Farhadi's statement
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has condemned President Donald Trump's "inhumane" travel ban on immigrants, as his movie, The Salesman, won the best foreign language film Oscar.
Farhadi boycotted the ceremony, with two Iranian-Americans representing him.
"Dividing the world into the US and 'our enemies' categories creates fear," his acceptance statement read.
US courts have blocked the travel ban but the Trump administration is preparing a new executive order.
The original ban temporarily prohibited the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.
One of those chosen by Farhadi to represent him, Iranian-born US engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari, read out his acceptance statement.
The statement read: "My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of the other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US.
The Salesman was shown on a screen in London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday
"Dividing the world into the US and 'our enemies' categories creates fear. A deceitful justification for aggression and war.
"Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever."
The Salesman tells the story of a married couple who are appearing in a local production of Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman and whose lives are thrown into turmoil after the wife is attacked while alone at home, sparking the husband to seek revenge.
Asghar Farhadi sent a recorded message to those watching the London screening
All six directors nominated in the best foreign language film category had signed a statement before the ceremony condemning a "climate of fascism" in the US.
Farhadi, whose movie A Separation won the same category in 2012, had organised a free screening of The Salesman in London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowds: "President Trump cannot silence me. We stand in solidarity with Asghar Farhadi, one of the world's greatest directors."
In a recorded message, Farhadi said: "Despite our different religions, cultures and nationalities, we are all citizens of the world."
Donald Trump's original executive order, signed on 27 January, said that all travellers with the nationality of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen were not permitted to enter the US for 90 days, or be issued an immigrant or non-immigrant visa.
Mr Trump said the order was not about religion, adding: "This is about terror and keeping our country safe."
The order was suspended after the Washington State attorney general argued it violated a clause in the US constitution. Subsequent rulings have rejected reinstating the order.
The Syrian cinematographer of The White Helmets, a Netflix film that won the best short documentary Oscar, was unable to attend the ceremony because he was denied entry to the US by immigration authorities.
Khaled Khateeb, who shot much of the footage of the volunteer search and rescue workers risking their lives in Syria's civil war, was prevented from flying to Los Angeles from Istanbul on Saturday.
Joanna Natasegara and Orlando von Einsiedel urged the audience to applaud the White Helmets
The Associated Press reported that US officials had found "derogatory information" - a category that could include anything from terrorist connections to passport irregularities.
Director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara read out a statement by Khateeb after accepting the award on Sunday night.
"We're so grateful that this film has highlighted our work to the world," Khateeb wrote.
"I invite anyone here who hears me to work on the side of life, to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world," he added.
The audience then gave a standing ovation as von Einsiedel made his own appeal.
"It is very easy for these guys to feel they are forgotten," he said. "This war has been going on for six years. If everyone could just stand up and remind them that we all care that this war ends as quickly as possible."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39100897
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Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Leicester produce a superb display to beat Liverpool and move out of the bottom three in their first game since the sacking of Claudio Ranieri.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Leicester produced a superb display in their first game following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri, moving out of the Premier League bottom three as two goals from Jamie Vardy and a Danny Drinkwater strike saw off Liverpool.
It was a much-improved display from the Foxes under caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare, who took over after the departure of the man who led them to last season's remarkable title triumph.
The first strike was straight from the 2015-16 playbook as Vardy collected Marc Albrighton's precise long pass before racing clear and finishing low past Simon Mignolet to score his second goal in a week.
The second was an absolute cracker from Vardy's England team-mate Drinkwater, who showed superb technique to lash home his first goal of the campaign from outside the box following a clearance from a long throw.
And Vardy sealed the win with a glancing header from Christian Fuchs' cross in the second half before Philippe Coutinho stroked home a consolation goal.
The goals were the first the Foxes have scored in the league in 2017 and ended a run of five straight top-flight defeats in spectacular fashion.
Liverpool - who would have climbed to third with a victory - have now lost five of their past seven matches in all competitions.
Ranieri's name was everywhere at the King Power - in pre-game conversations, on banners and in chants - as was his face, courtesy of paper masks worn by some Foxes supporters.
The 65-year-old Italian has left an indelible imprint on the club with last season's astonishing success.
However, the inconvenient truth for many is that he was overseeing statistically one of the worst title defences in English top-flight history - one that has left Leicester facing the prospect of become the first reigning champions to be relegated since Manchester City in 1938.
Amid suggestions the players had stopped playing for their former boss, there was an element of damned if you do win and damned if you don't in this game.
However, the need for victory was paramount and they were excellent from start to finish as Shakespeare drew a committed, energetic and ruthless display to improve his chances of steering the club to safety - and possibly succeeding Ranieri on a permanent basis.
The champions also have players in form. Vardy now has three goals in two games and Kasper Schmeichel remains an authoritative presence in goal, as he demonstrated with two big saves to deny Coutinho and Emre Can in the first half and Adam Lallana after the break.
While Leicester have embarked on a demanding February comprising five matches, Liverpool have taken to the field just twice this month and came into this game off the back of a 16-day break, during which they took a training trip to La Manga in Spain.
But instead of looking refreshed, the Reds looked rusty throughout and were simply unable to make an impression on a night when they were always likely to be second on the bill.
Just over 12 months ago, Jurgen Klopp's side were undone on this ground as a Vardy-inspired Leicester consigned them to a defeat that left them 16 points off top spot in eighth.
They are now 14 points behind leaders Chelsea in fifth but look as far away from challenging for the title as they did in 2016.
Goalscorer Coutinho was their only consistent attacking threat, while the defence continues to look shaky - especially with Lucas masquerading at centre-back - and their midfield lacked the industry and bite to compete in the absence of injured captain Jordan Henderson.
They now have a real challenge on their hands if they are to finish in the top four and seal a return to the Champions League next season.
What the managers said
Leicester caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare : "I could see in their eyes that they were up for the fight in the warm-up.
"The professionalism of the players has never been questioned by me. Having taken training with them, I know the the criticism has hurt and perhaps there was a little more fire in the belly because of that.
"They know they are guilty of underperforming - but this is only one result and we must build on that."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "The language issues become a bit harder when you lose. It's hard to find the right words.
"It's not that Leicester were over-aggressive tonight, I think we were not physical enough.
"We knew how Leicester would play, go back to their roots. We could have done much better. We let them be Leicester of last year - that's our fault.
"We should get criticised. This inconsistency makes absolutely no sense."
Ndidi does Kante impression - the stats you need to know
• None Leicester have won all six of their Premier League games in which they have scored first this season, the only 100% record in the division.
• None Four of Liverpool's five Premier League defeats this season have been against clubs who started the match in the relegation zone (also Burnley, Swansea and Hull City).
• None Vardy's goal was Leicester's first in the top flight since 31 December, ending a run of 637 minutes without finding the net in the competition.
• None Coutinho's strike was his first in 12 games for Liverpool - he last scored against Watford in November.
• None Wilfred Ndidi made 11 tackles on Monday. Only former Leicester midfielder N'Golo Kante - now at Chelsea - has made more in a Premier League match this season (14 against Liverpool in January).
• None Only in 2012, when they picked up five points, have Liverpool won fewer points from their opening seven Premier League games of a calendar year than the six they have so far in 2017 (level with 1993).
Leicester host another relegation-threatened side on Saturday when Hull visit the King Power Stadium (15:00 GMT kick-off), followed by the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Sevilla at 19:45 on 14 March.
Liverpool host Arsenal in Saturday's 17:30 kick-off and follow that up with another home game the following Sunday when Burnley travel to Anfield (16:00).
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt missed. Christian Fuchs (Leicester City) left footed shot from more than 40 yards on the left wing is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
• None Attempt saved. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne with a cross.
• None Attempt blocked. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Roberto Firmino.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Lucas Leiva (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt missed. Daniel Drinkwater (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39024318
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Oscars 2017: And the Academy Award goes to... diversity - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Was diversity the real winner on a night where an LGBTQ film won the Oscar for best picture?
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Entertainment & Arts
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Trevante Rhodes, Alex R Hibbert and Ashton Sanders share the lead role in Moonlight
You might have missed it amid all the hubbub, but a film about a gay black man just won the best picture Oscar.
Not only that, but one of Moonlight's stars - Mahershala Ali - became the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award.
And best supporting actress Viola Davis, star of Fences, made history as the first black woman to win an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony for acting.
Diversity. It's a word that gets bandied around so much, and so often, it runs the risk of becoming meaningless.
It's worth remembering, though, that only 12 months ago the #OscarsSoWhite controversy was all Hollywood was talking about.
Two years of all-white line-ups in the four acting categories stung the Academy into taking concerted measures to broaden its membership's make-up.
Viewed in that light, this year's list of award winners makes for much more encouraging reading.
Yet it wasn't just the winners who reflected the "identity rainbow" Jodie Foster spoke about at a pre-Oscars rally.
Auli'i Cravalho performed How Far I'll Go, from Disney animation Moana
From Loving's Ruth Negga to Moonlight's Naomie Harris to Lion's Dev Patel, the losers were a pretty diverse bunch too.
Auli'i Cravalho, an actress of Chinese, Irish, Native Hawaiian, Portuguese and Puerto Rican descent, sang a song on stage.
And Lion's Sunny Pawar, an eight-year-old boy who was born and raised in a Mumbai slum, got lifted aloft by Jimmy Kimmel, the ceremony's host.
Millions around the world were watching last night. President Trump, however, is not thought to be among them.
Yet that didn't spare him a ribbing from Kimmel, or from being taken to task both obliquely and directly.
Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director of best foreign film The Salesman, stayed away in protest at the Trump administration's travel ban on immigrants.
In his absence, a speech was read out that castigated the "inhumane" legislation for disrespecting his homeland and the six other countries it targeted.
There were many moments to cherish at this year's Oscars - some humorous, some moving and some downright calamitous.
Yet perhaps the most telling came when the stars of Hidden Figures arrived to announce the winner for best documentary feature.
With them came Katherine Johnson, the 98-year-old African-American woman who was one of the real-life inspirations behind the space race drama.
Could a woman born in 1918, who has lived through Jim Crow, segregation and the fight for civil rights, have ever dreamed of a day when her presence at the Oscars would generate a spontaneous standing ovation?
La La Land may have won the most awards at this year's ceremony, but diversity was surely the biggest winner of all on Hollywood's glitziest night.
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-39102693
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Brexit: Sir John Major's warning to Theresa May - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Ex-Conservative PM offers what he calls a "reality check" on Brexit.
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UK Politics
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It takes one to know one.
True, Sir John Major is not the only former Tory leader familiar with being pressured, perhaps held hostage by the Eurosceptics in his party. Or indeed, the only Conservative leader ever to have been challenged by his party's preponderance to "bang on" (to use David Cameron's phrase) about Europe.
But arguably his experiences as the leader during bruising encounters with the "bastards" mean his words of warning might hold some value for the current prime minister.
For Theresa May, also an unflashy leader who was propelled to No 10 by a surprising political moment, Europe will be defining in a way no others could even have anticipated.
In Sir John's carefully calibrated speech tonight, there are plenty of messages for her, some of which may be welcome, some not.
First off, having campaigned to stay in the European Union, with sober warnings particularly about the consequences for the Northern Irish peace process, it's no surprise that Sir John says that in his view, Brexit will be a "historic mistake".
It is notable, although again not surprising, that he cautions that the UK will be a diminished diplomatic force in the world after we walk away from the EU, with a warning too that we will be less useful to our most important ally the US as a consequence.
Also, even as the PM who lived through the Commons trauma of trying to deliver the Maastricht Treaty, it is logical that he calls for Parliament to have a full role in shaping the negotiations over our place in Europe.
What may be harder for No 10 to dismiss is Sir John's obvious political concerns about how the public are being treated in the months after the referendum decision.
Despite insisting he has no desire to be in politics now, he makes very pointed criticism of the atmosphere around the debate, warning that voters are essentially being misled saying: "People have been led to expect a future that seems to be unreal and over-optimistic.
"Obstacles are brushed aside as of no consequence, whilst opportunities are inflated beyond any reasonable expectation of delivery."
In his first public comments since the vote, the former prime minister is offering what he describes as a "reality check".
And he sounds alarm bells too about the tone of the debate, saying Brexit's "cheerleaders" have shown "contempt" to Remainers, shouting down dissent "against our traditions of tolerance".
While he is not seeking to be unhelpful to the government, Sir John plainly has doubts about Number 10's handling of the process so far - the "rosy confidence" being offered to the British people.
And in the depths of his speech there is another warning for Theresa May about the Tory MPs she has worked so hard to keep on side - "today they may be allies of the prime minister, the risk is that tomorrow they may not".
Might Theresa May face her own "bastards" one day?
In recent weeks, with Theresa May determined to keep the Tory party together, and Labour struggling to stay united, the momentum has most certainly been with those celebrating our journey toward the exit door.
Ministers, even those who were ardent Remainers, privately sound increasingly optimistic about the prospects of doing a deal. But Sir John Major is not alone in having fundamental concerns. And his voice is harder for the government to dismiss, as they did Tony Blair a couple of weeks ago.
One senior figure even told me some of the talks behind closed doors have been a shambles, and raised concern that the government, all of us, are a long way from understanding the full implications of the decision.
Yet with almost the only political pressure on her coming from the right, Theresa May has decided to emphasise the opportunity, not the risks. The government is well aware that things could go wrong, but one minister told me "we all have to discover the reality together, when the rubber hits the road".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39104962
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EFL Cup final: Does Manchester United win make season a success? - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's partnership hints at more success for Manchester United, writes Phil McNulty.
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Jose Mourinho was back doing what he does best at Wembley on Sunday - lifting silverware, as Manchester United beat Southampton in the EFL Cup final.
Mourinho claimed the season's first major trophy and ensured success just months after his appointment despite a largely disappointing United performance which was rescued by two-goal inspiration Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 35-year-old Swede and Mourinho - instrumental in bringing him to Old Trafford after the pair forged a bond at Inter Milan - are now the two central figures leading United forward.
Can Mourinho and Ibrahimovic make Man Utd great again?
Mourinho was brought into Old Trafford as the manager who is as close to a guarantee of success and trophies as it gets after a silverware-lined career at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Old Trafford's joyless existence under Louis van Gaal demanded change and Mourinho was the identikit of the sort of manager required at the 'Theatre of Dreams' - a personality who would relish its history and surroundings rather than shrink from it.
Mourinho was also available and had a third Premier League triumph on his CV only 12 months earlier at Chelsea. It meant United were prepared to set to one side his track record for short-term stays in exchange for a quick fix.
United were thoroughly unconvincing at Wembley, but Mourinho and his teams invariably find a way to win trophies. And so it proved as Ibrahimovic headed home an 87th-minute winner.
Mourinho's move to bring the Swede in on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain was strategic and wise. He is a personality of equal stature and confidence, had a point to prove having never played in England and could provide the sort of charisma that had echoes of the great Eric Cantona.
How United needed Ibrahimovic on Sunday because for long periods they were desperately average, outplayed by Southampton and had their hand held by Lady Luck throughout.
If United are to build on this first trophy of the Mourinho era, Ibrahimovic's continued presence is essential because the EFL Cup final win is only the first building block in an edifice that requires considerable renovation after the dismal post-Sir Alex Ferguson years of David Moyes and Van Gaal.
Mourinho, however, is safe hands when it comes to winning trophies and United remain in serious contention for two more in the Europa League and FA Cup. This is a good start, but the success-hungry Portuguese will want more.
United's lean years simply could not continue with Pep Guardiola arriving at Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp settling at Liverpool and Antonio Conte conducting a brilliant transformation of Mourinho's former charges Chelsea.
Mourinho won the Premier League twice, as well as the FA Cup and two League Cups, in his first spell at Chelsea. He won 124 games out of 185 in that period, a win ratio of 67%.
He won 80 out of 136 (59%) in his second stint at Stamford Bridge - winning the title again and the League Cup - while he has won 28 of 43 at United at an impressive 65%.
The statistics add up to exactly what is required at Old Trafford.
He will chase the Champions League prize either through the Premier League or the Europa League because this is vital to his future plans.
In the meantime, Ibrahimovic once again proved himself indispensable. He was the difference here. He made the decisive contribution to clinch a game United did not deserve to win.
He is head and shoulders - quite literally - above every other player at United. He has scored 26 goals this season, with Juan Mata next with nine. He has had 143 shots compared to Paul Pogba's 117, and 65 shots on target compared to Pogba's 39.
United are a long way from their former greatness - but this EFL Cup final proved conclusively that if they are going to get anywhere near that status again, Ibrahimovic is the man who is integral to Mourinho's plans, even at 35.
• None Quotes: We want Ibrahimovic to stay - Mourinho
United winning a Wembley final equates to tangible success - but successful seasons are measured in different currency in the modern era and Mourinho will need more than this to achieve full satisfaction.
Van Gaal, who led United to FA Cup success in May, was on his way out almost as soon as he placed the trophy on the same table Mourinho sat at on Sunday.
If winning the FA Cup was not enough to satisfy United's desires for success under Van Gaal then it would take a re-drawing of the boundaries to now paint the EFL Cup as fulfilling their ambitions.
There is a key difference in mood here - whereas Van Gaal's Wembley win felt like the end of a story, this victory, for all its good fortune, had the sense of new start.
Mourinho must now make this season feel like the full package of progress by leading United back into the Champions League, which is surely the minimum requirement after the world record transfer expenditure of £89m on Pogba and the Ibrahimovic coup.
And United still have an excellent chance of ensuring this season can be viewed as a success as they stand among the favourites for the Europa League, which offers a Champions League place to its winners.
Mourinho has already painted the last-16 meeting with Russians FC Rostov as a tough tie but he also has the chance to reach the top four in the Premier League, with United only two points behind Arsenal.
United have a potentially hazardous FA Cup quarter-final tie at Premier League leaders Chelsea to negotiate, but this is a season still moving on three fronts after securing that first major trophy.
The new reality is, though, that while the EFL Cup provides a trophy and satisfaction, United's season will only be a success if they conclude it back in Europe's elite competition.
What now for Wayne Rooney?
Wayne Rooney lifted the EFL Cup and demonstrated he is the consummate team player with his wild celebration of Ibrahimovic's winner - but this was still a player on the outside looking in.
The 31-year-old, who this week confirmed he was staying at United despite speculation linking him with a move to China, was denied a piece of the action by the match-winning contribution of the elder statesman who has usurped him as the team's spiritual leader.
Rooney was stripped and ready for action. With the words of Mourinho ringing in his ears and assistant manager Rui Faria showing him the diagrams United hoped would lead to a defining contribution, Ibrahimovic struck.
The United and England captain was sent back to the bench with no chance to add to his 250 goals for the club as Marouane Fellaini was called in for a late lockdown. It was a symbolic moment.
United's captain for the day, Chris Smalling, let the club's all-time record goalscorer Rooney lift the trophy and it is to his credit that there was no sense of personal denial or disappointment that he was left out then denied even the smallest part.
Rooney was delighted for his team-mates, which is a mark of his approach.
Despite this, there was no escaping the belief the guard has changed at Old Trafford. Rooney is no longer the main man - he is now well down the ranks and this was simply another piece of evidence of his declining influence and the credits rolling on a magnificent career at United.
Mourinho's downbeat demeanour was a talking point throughout the EFL Cup final as he cut an unsmiling, subdued figure who barely showed any emotion even when United scored.
He insisted afterwards he was delighted: "I am very happy. It is important for the fans, for the club and for the players. I always try to put myself in the secondary position but the reality is it is also important for me."
United's performance was not designed to lighten Mourinho's mood until the moment of victory and it is likely his behaviour was shaped by concerns about how Southampton dominated his side for long periods and troubled his defence - normally his tactical strong point - throughout.
Victory will, however, lighten his mood, bolster his already high standing with United's fans and release any personal pressure he may have been feeling.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39099043
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Oscars 2017: Sartorial protests on the Hollywood stage - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Celebrities used a variety of ways to protest against President Trump's travel ban during the ceremony.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Best actress nominee Ruth Negga wearing a blue ribbon on the red carpet in Los Angeles.
For celebrities and film-makers protesting against recent American political decisions, what bigger stage is there than an awards ceremony watched by millions around the world?
Actors and directors used the red carpet at the Oscars in Los Angeles to broadcast their views on President Trump's temporary travel ban on immigrants from seven Muslim majority countries, issued in January.
US courts have blocked the ban but the Trump administration is preparing a new executive order.
Some stars pinned their politics to their (presumably quite expensive) sleeves and dresses.
Writer and director Barry Jenkins wearing a blue ribbon as he accepts the award for best picture for Moonlight alongside actors Jaden Piner (centre) and Alex R Hibbert (right).
Blue ribbons with the initials ACLU were seen adorning the outfits of several Oscar nominees.
ACLU stands for American Civil Liberties Union - the civil rights organisation that was the first to successfully challenge President Trump's travel ban in a lawsuit brought to a federal court in New York in January.
She was nominated for best actress for playing Mildred Loving in the film Loving which explored the effects of Jim Crow - the legislation that enforced racial segregation in the United States until 1965 - on a mixed-race couple in 1950s Virginia.
Mildred Loving's marriage in 1958 to white construction worker Richard violated legal prohibitions of mixed-race marriage in the US state.
After being arrested and serving time in prison, Mildred secured the legal representation of an ACLU lawyer and their case eventually led to the Supreme Court ruling in 1967 that the prohibition of interracial marriage was unconstitutional.
Award-winning (eventually) Moonlight writer and director Barry Jenkins also wore the ribbon, as did model Karlie Kloss and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The ACLU said it was surprised that it had spawned an Oscar fashion trend.
Director Ava DuVernay took her sartorial protest to the next level by wearing a dress to celebrate the creativity of one Muslim majority country - Lebanon.
She wore an embroidered gown made by Beirut-based fashion house Ashi Studio in what she said was "a small sign of solidarity".
DuVernay directed the critically-acclaimed film Selma, which was the subject of another Oscars controversy in 2015 when the academy was criticised for failing to nominate DuVernay and the black lead actor David Oyelowo.
Ava DuVernay tweeted that she wore dress made by Ashi Studio in Lebanon.
Other stars protested with their feet.
One Iranian director condemned the travel ban as "inhumane" after he boycotted the ceremony altogether.
Asghar Farhadi, who won the award for best foreign film for a second time, sent two Iranian-American representatives to pick up his award for film The Salesmen.
They were not just any representatives - one was female Nasa scientist and Mars explorer Anousheh Ansari who read his acceptance speech.
His statement read: "My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of the other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US."
Iranian-born US engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari read out Farhadi's statement
A Syrian cinematographer behind the Oscar-winning documentary White Helmets was blocked from attending the ceremony at the last minute.
Twenty one-year-old Khaled Khatib, who filmed much of the footage in the documentary that follows the lives of civilian rescue workers called the White Helmets in Syria, had obtained a visa to enter the US but was prevented at Istanbul airport from travelling.
He still followed the Oscars though. As the ceremony unfolded, Khatib tweeted a picture of a child he said was the victim of a chlorine gas attack by Syrian government forces in a rebel-held part of the Damascus suburb of Harasta on Sunday.
State media reported that "terrorist groups" had targeted residential areas of Harasta with a number of rockets, injuring 10 people, but did not mention a chemical attack.
Trump's executive order was not the only immigration policy which sparked protests.
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, who last year appeared in American comedy show Stephen Colbert as a Hispanic man who supported the wall, spoke out against the President's plan for a border wall between the US and Mexico.
"As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, I'm against any form of wall that separates us," stated Bernal as he was presenting the award for best animated feature film.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39102279
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Craig Shakespeare: Leicester caretaker boss in frame to get job on permanent basis - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare is firmly in contention for the Leicester manager's job on a longer-term basis after Claudio Ranieri's sacking.
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Caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare is firmly in contention for the Leicester manager's job on a longer-term basis following Claudio Ranieri's sacking.
Shakespeare was Ranieri's assistant and is popular with the club's players.
The 3-1 win over Liverpool on Monday boosted his chances of being given the job until at least the end of the term.
After the win he said: "Could I do the job? I think I can. Does it faze me? No. We have to make sure the owners do what's right for the football club."
No timescale has yet been set for the appointment, but if Shakespeare remains in charge for Saturday's home match against Hull City in the Premier League - a vital game for both clubs - a return of at least four points out of six and improved performances would count in his favour.
"My remit was get them ready for Liverpool and I have done that," Shakespeare said.
"Let's see what happens. I think it might be too early to make an appointment but the club will come to me if there are any changes."
Shakespeare represents continuity, having been at the side of previous managers Nigel Pearson and Ranieri.
And, with just 12 games left this season, other candidates with higher profiles may not feel they have enough time left to arrest the slide.
Shakespeare gets on well with the players and is a highly regarded coach.
Former England coach Sam Allardyce thought enough of him to bring him into his coaching set-up with the national team, despite never having worked with him.
The Leicester hierarchy felt Shakespeare handled himself well in a difficult situation when he met the media after Ranieri's departure, showing just the right amount of steely ambition when asked if he would like the job full-time while dealing diplomatically with some tough questions.
He was also smart enough to avoid publicly shaming the players - knowing he has to work with them for at least a few more days.
What about the other candidates?
Former Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink has massive experience and would command immediate respect from the Leicester players. Money would be no object in securing Hiddink, but it is arguable whether he would want the job after working at, or near, the top of the Premier League.
Although Pearson would be a popular replacement with many senior players who worked with him until the summer of 2015, I understand it is unlikely after the circumstances that led to his departure.
Former Manchester City and Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini, meanwhile, is seen as a potentially divisive influence, at a time when a strong team spirit is vital.
Who will make the decision?
A panel of three - chief executive Susan Whelan, director of football John Rudkin, and football operations director Andrew Neville - will sift through the candidates, but the decision rests with the owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Rudkin is close to the chairman, who relies on his football knowledge, but there is no doubt who will be in charge of the appointment.
Fundamentally, it is all down to the chairman - and having surprised so many when appointing Ranieri, and been vindicated, he will back his judgement after taking the necessary soundings.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39104891
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Six Nations 2017: Italy's tactics test England - and Eddie Jones' patience - to the limit - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Italy's tactics at Twickenham tested England - and Eddie Jones' patience - to the limit, writes Tom Fordyce.
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And so another typically one-sided England v Italy match, a 23rd win for white over blue in 23 matches, as predictable a contest as there is in international sport.
Or maybe not. The scoreboard at the end might have looked familiar, and so too the championship standings: England winners 36-15, back on top of the Six Nations table, Italy with a third defeat in three, Wooden Spoon being readied once again.
Very little else was, once Italy had released their version of chaos theory upon the world.
• None Follow the Six Nations across the BBC
It was a simple idea. Do not commit anyone to the breakdown after the initial tackle. No ruck is therefore formed. The offside law is thus irrelevant, and you can stand anywhere you like - between opposition scrum-half and fly-half, between 10 and 12, maybe on both sides of the scrum-half while pulling faces, if you fancy it.
Simple, and not actually that novel. The Chiefs have done it in Super Rugby. It can happen in Sevens. Australia captain David Pocock tried something similar against Ireland last autumn, and nearly created a try from it.
England, however, were as ready for it as Don Bradman was for Bodyline, or Scott Styris in 2008 when Kevin Pietersen swapped hands on his bat handle and switch-hit him for six.
On the pitch they were first confused, then angry, and for a long period then neutered. In the stands it was more demonstrative yet. There are few sights in rugby as striking as Twickenham Man in full red-cheeked fury, and on Sunday his fury was both righteous and often misplaced.
Italy were not acting illegally. Coach Conor O'Shea had run the tactic past referee Romain Poite on Saturday, and not only been given the all-clear but a little bit of advice too: to be within the spirit of the laws as well as the wording, do not get within a metre of the nine.
Chaos is the science of surprises. England were surprised. Perhaps that was why O'Shea's opposite number Eddie Jones was still shaking afterwards.
"If you paid for a ticket you should ask for your money back," he said, eyes glinting, mouth spitting fire. "You haven't seen a game of rugby.
"If that's rugby then I'm going to retire. That's not rugby. You're looking to pass and all you can see is one of their players.
"I'm not critical of our side a bit because we didn't play rugby. We practised for a game of rugby all week and we didn't get it."
Jones compared it to cricketer Trevor Chappell's infamous underarm ball to New Zealand's Brian McKechnie in 1981 that won a one-day international match for Australia but cost them much more.
If that was inaccurate, not only because Chappell's gambit had not been discussed with the umpire but also because O'Shea's strategy ultimately ended in defeat, it was also a little sleight-of-hand of Jones' own.
England had an awful first half, their kicking from hand inaccurate, their discipline poor, their energy levels on a par with those who had enjoyed a full Sunday roast before watching from their sofas.
Centre Owen Farrell, on the occasion of his 50th cap, had arguably his least impressive game for his country. Nine penalties were conceded in the first 40 minutes alone. Had Italy kicked their penalties, the half-time deficit for the hosts could have been much worse than 10-5.
Chaos, the science of surprises. Shouldn't England have prepared for it happening, Jones was asked in his news conference?
"Prepared not to play rugby? Yeah, you're right. I should have prepared to play ten-pin bowling.
"When the nine can't pass the ball and the 10 can't see it, you can't play rugby. They brilliantly executed that game, and they got what they wanted, which was a close loss.
"I don't want to be involved in a game like that. I'd rather pick up my stumps, put them in my kit-bag and go home."
Others remembered his defence coach Paul Gustard being asked about Pocock's move against Ireland before England faced the Wallabies a week later. His response: "We are aware of it, we saw it, and we will have a plan in place."
England did not have a plan for the first 40 minutes. When they did find a solution - exploit that lack of defensive cover by sending your scrum-half sniping, by sending runners up that unguarded middle - they took a hold of the game.
International sport is about being tested. It is about being tested, and it is about coming up with the answers.
Italy have gone for chaos before, when Nick Mallett picked flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half for the corresponding fixture in 2009. Chaos was what ensued, although not of the sort Mallett had hoped for.
This time the idea came from defence coach Brendan Venter, the same maverick thinker who came up with the plan to drop-goal England out of their World Cup quarter-final against his native Springboks in 1999.
"We're not inventing anything," said O'Shea afterwards, visibly angry at Jones' response. "It's a tackle. If it's a tackle, there's no offside there. We just occupied space.
"If that is people's take after today, that is a very sad take. Just because we took people by surprise. What do you want, us to be normal? We can't be normal. We're Italy.
"Rugby is there to do things different, and challenge people's minds. And that's what we did today - we challenged people's minds."
Innovation to one, an insult to the other. If the contest on the pitch had been as relentlessly combative as the news conferences afterwards, no-one would have dared go to the bars to get in the mid-match pints, as plenty were doing during England's somnolent first half.
"[Jones] wanted 70. He wanted to 'take us to the cleaners,'" said O'Shea, referencing Jones' comments in advance of the game.
"Is that respect? I was delighted when they kicked to the posts. If you think we're going to lie down, you're wrong.
"I loved it. I loved it today. We had to give hope to people, that we weren't just here to make up the numbers. Today you could say, we had enough. We're going to fight."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39098575
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'Ready for honesty?' An anonymous message site takes off - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A new site allows users to send and receive anonymous messages from people in their social networks.
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BBC Trending
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"Are you ready for honesty? Get constructive criticism from friends and colleagues, in total anonymity."
That's the promise of a new messaging service that has exploded in popularity across the Arab world.
Sarahah is named after the Arabic word for "honesty" and allows users to send and receive messages anonymously from people in their social networks.
It was created by a Saudi programmer, Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, who says the site has garnered more than 270 million views and 20 million users in just a few weeks. Internet stats firm Alexa says the site is already one of the most popular in Egypt. It has nearly 2.5 million Egyptian users, according to Al Jazeera, along with 1.7 million in Tunisia, 1.2 million in Saudi Arabia, and sizeable followings in Syria and Kuwait.
The popularity of the site, which launched in early February, has spilled over to less anonymous social networks, where users shared screenshots from the messages they received on Sarahah. The messages include confessions of romantic attraction, scathing remarks on people's personalities, and declarations of homosexuality.
Users across the Arab world have been confessing their secrets using Sarahah
There has also been an active online debate about the site.
One Twitter user, Omar Ashraf, put the appeal of Sarahah down to hypocrisy: "We have to hide behind anonymity to be honest with each other," he tweeted.
But another tweeter, Joseph Alfred, was touched by the notes being swapped: "I wish people who have sent sincere messages could make themselves known, so we could recognise their value in our lives."
Tawfiq, the developer, said that he had the business market in mind when he first created the website. He noticed that company employees had difficulty giving their bosses feedback.
"There are several obstacles [to open discussion] such as differences in age or rank, so in some cases anonymity makes presenting criticism more comfortable," he told Al Jazeera.
Tawfiq said that though he "did not at all" expect the website to become so popular so quickly, he was happy with how things have turned out so far.
Russia's foreign ministry has launched a website to debunk fake news, but some social media users critical of the government are unimpressed by its lack of evidence. 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-39067533
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Six Nations 2017: England 36-15 Italy - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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England overcome a stern challenge from Italy to remain unbeaten in this year's Six Nations and stretch their winning run to 17 matches.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
England were given a huge scare by Italy before five second-half tries saw them extend their winning run to 17 matches.
Italy had led 10-5 at half-time, a combination of an extraordinary tactic at the breakdown and the hosts' ineptitude threatening a huge upset at Twickenham.
But two quick tries after the break from Danny Care and Elliot Daly calmed nerves, and although Michele Campagnaro's bullocking try made it 17-15 with 20 minutes remaining, another from Ben Te'o and two from replacement Jack Nowell saved England's blushes.
Those tries meant Eddie Jones' men also picked up their bonus point, which may prove critical in the final championship standings.
But this 10th successive Six Nations win felt anything but a celebration, Owen Farrell off form on the occasion of his 50th cap and Jones' replacements once again required to come to their coach's rescue.
Italy left points aplenty out on the field through missed kicks, and while a second consecutive Grand Slam remains a possibility for England, the visit of in-form Scotland in a fortnight's time now represents a serious threat.
• None Follow the Six Nations across the BBC
England had been completely thrown by Italy's novel tactic of not committing any men to the breakdown beyond the initial tackler, meaning no ruck was formed and so the offside became irrelevant.
It meant Italian defenders could stand between England's half-backs, creating initial confusion both in white-shirted ranks and in the stands.
Captain Dylan Hartley and James Haskell were both left asking referee Romain Poite to explain the laws of the game to them, the Frenchman testily telling them to ask their own coach.
And only when England began to solve that problem by putting runners up the middle did they begin to get any sort of grip on a contest they had been expected to run away with.
By the end, Jones's men were also utilising the same ploy, a strange sight on the strangest of afternoons at Twickenham.
England were not so much slow out of the blocks as asleep, repeatedly giving away penalties at the scrum and breakdown, while Farrell, Care and George Ford all kicked poorly from hand.
Had Italy kicked all their penalties - Allan missed two, and the others were sent into the corner - they could have led 12-0 after the opening quarter.
Cole's try from a rolling maul came as a relief to a somnolent crowd, but Italy continued to dominate possession and territory, even as they spurned further shots at the posts and failed to capitalise from their attacking line-outs.
But when Allan's penalty from bang in front on the stroke of half-time came back off the upright, wing Giovanbattista Venditti grabbed the loose ball and dived over, Allan's conversion making it 10-5.
Tries flow as England find a way
Jones had every reason to tear into his men at the interval, and within moments Care's quick tap penalty sent him slicing through the blue wall and into the corner.
Daly then ran on to Te'o's well-timed pass to go over in the left-hand corner, and the danger seemed over.
Yet with England spluttering again, Campagnaro ran through Ford and Mike Brown down the right to bring it back to 17-15.
A brilliant clearing kick by Carlo Canna denied Daly another, but from the subsequent line-out a driving maul sucked in the Italian defence and Nowell exploited vast open spaces on the right to dive into the corner.
Nowell then added another, punching through a weary defence, and relief mixed with the roars from the packed stands.
For the second match running it was Joe Launchbury who was offically seen as the standout performer, with the third most-carries (11), the second-most metres made (60) and the second-most lineouts won (2) on the victorious England side.
A special mention goes to Mike Brown, who made a total of 110 metres with ball in hand - 41 metres ahead of his closest competition in Italy's Edoardo Padovani.
England head coach Eddie Jones: "Congratulations to Italy, strategically they were smart today, but it's not rugby so let's be serious about it, it's not rugby today.
"I'm not happy what happened today, I don't think that's rugby. I played rugby a long time ago, I've coached rugby. I understand what Italy did and I'm not angry with what they did, but I just don't think it's rugby."
Italy coach Conor O'Shea: "We have a massive job to do but we will do it and we have to think differently like we did today.
"We didn't come here to make up numbers. But you're playing against a brilliant team who are on-form and they worked their way through it."
Paul Grayson, former England fly-half, on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra: "From an England point of view, today will feel like a loss. They were the opposite of what everyone expected.
"If they haven't seen the ugly side of Eddie Jones yet, I've got a suspicion they'll see it this week. He will have a problem with the team being nowhere near the levels he expects.
"You've got to give credit to Italy for their tactics, it certainly upset England, but they'll be disappointed about conceding so many tries late on."
Replacements: Nowell for May (56), Slade for Te'o (76), Youngs for Care (52), M. Vunipola for Marler (56), George for Hartley (56), Sinckler for Cole (72).
Replacements: Benvenuti for Bisegni (52), Canna for Allan (62), Bronzini for Gori (36), D'Apice for Gega (65), Ceccarelli for Cittadini (52), Biagi for Fuser (75), Mbanda for Favaro (58).
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39067728
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Why Moonlight shone on Oscar night - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The BBC's Lizo Mzimba suggests the reasons behind Moonlight's surprise Oscar upset.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Even if the best picture announcement had happened smoothly and to plan, Moonlight's win would still have been regarded as one of the biggest Oscar stories and upsets of recent times.
What could have helped it to victory over La La Land, the favourite heading into the ceremony? Well, there are various factors that might, just might have come into play.
Firstly, of course, Moonlight is an exceptional piece of film-making. And it may well be that its coming-of-age theme, sumptuous photography and nuanced performances simply ended up resonating more strongly with voters than any of the rival films that were also nominated for best picture.
In 2016, after two years of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy invited a large number of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds to join and take part in voting. The Academy remains overwhelmingly white and male, although slightly less so than before.
If it was a very close race, a somewhat more diverse membership may have been a factor.
Jenkins on the Moonlight set with actor Mahershala Ali
The Academy operates a preferential voting ballot. This means that one film could potentially receive the most votes as members' favourite film - which would give it victory in a first-past-the-post system of the kind employed by others, including Bafta - but still be beaten to the award by another film which had gained a significant proportion of second-favourite choices across the board.
La La Land has led the race since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival last August to rave reviews. By the time many Oscar voters saw the movie, some may have felt that after months of superlative after superlative being heaped up on it, it had been excessively hyped.
With the current political atmosphere in the United States, many Oscar voters may have thought that this was a time to honour a film that felt like a particularly important piece of work. Excellent as La La Land is, a win for the singing, dancing love letter to Los Angeles may have felt too frothy and self congratulatory.
Moonlight tells the story of a boy struggling with poverty and his sexuality in Miami
Moonlight, a film about acceptance and struggle, certainly feels like a movie that is more than a simple piece of entertainment.
The Academy has around 6,500 members, and the reasons they will have voted the way that they did, of course, could and probably did vary wildly from voter to voter.
The Academy doesn't release voting figures, so there's no way of knowing how emphatic Moonlight's victory was. It could have come down to one vote, it could have won by a landslide.
But Moonlight winning against a film that seemed to be a runaway favourite is a huge achievement. And there's no doubt that Barry Jenkins' story following a character from childhood to manhood is a more than worthy winner of cinema's biggest prize.
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-39107325
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Kim Jong-nam: What is South Korea's take on the killing? - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Speculation is rife and defectors are unnerved by the death of the North Korean in Malaysia.
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Asia
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Teams sweep Kuala Lumpur airport for VX traces after the killing
Only a few people know why VX was chosen - presumably by North Korea - as the chemical agent of Kim Jong-nam's assassination, and they're not talking.
The (perhaps unwitting) women who smeared his face with the highly toxic oil are unlikely to know much about the substance.
And the men who left the terminal in Kuala Lumpur for Dubai even as the victim staggered around seeking medical help are not about to share their secrets with anyone far from Pyongyang.
But in South Korea, there is much speculation. Was it a deliberate signal from the North that nuclear isn't the only weapon of mass destruction just over the border?
Or was it simply an effective way of killing a reclusive man in a public place?
It has certainly raised the temperature in South Korea. Monday's Joongang Daily says: "The government must take steps immediately to protect the country from chemical weapons dangers."
The editorial raises the spectre of North Korea supplying terrorists with the substance (in the same way it may have helped Pakistan with nuclear technology and Syria with missile development).
The editorial continues: "North Korea is known to have chemical weapons from 3,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes. It could threaten the world if Pyongyang sells any of these weapons to Islamic militants or other extremists to secure hard cash."
There is no doubt that the attack has sent a tremor of fear through the defector community in South Korea.
Fugitives who were previously easy to contact have gone to ground. Thae Yong-ho, the diplomat who defected from the London embassy last year, already had bodyguards as he went incognito around Seoul but they would not have been able to protect him against a seemingly innocent member of the public just coming up and smearing him with a speck of VX.
South Korean TV coverage of the killing is watched intently at a restaurant in Pyeongchang
Two years ago, the American ambassador in Seoul was lucky to survive when his face was slashed with a blade in public. How much easier it would be to kill someone with a mere trace of a chemical.
The great advantage of poisoning for the assassin is that it can be perfectly targeted and it kills with little immediate fuss. Only scientific examination afterwards reveals the cause.
Those behind Kim Jong-nam's killing watched, then left.
Alexander Litvinenko, a fugitive spy from Russia, took tea with two former KGB agents in London in 2006 and died three weeks later of poisoning by radioactive polonium-210, believed to have been administered in the cup.
The BBC producer, Georgi Markov, was murdered at a bus stop in central London in 1978 but his killer vanished in the crowd seconds after the victim felt the pin-prick from an umbrella used like a syringe to inject the fatal poison. He had been a thorn in the side of the Bulgarian communist government but so simple and bloodless was the killing that nobody was ever identified as the perpetrator.
The efficiency of poison as a means of assassination is leading North Korea watchers in South Korea to think that there was no great intention to send a signal by using VX specifically.
Koh Yu-hwan, of Dongguk University, thinks that VX was chosen because of its efficiency; North Korea - or at least leader Kim Jong-un - allegedly wanted Kim Jong-nam dead and VX offered certainty.
It also offered the possibility that the death would pass as being from natural causes, at least for the time before a serious post-mortem scientific examination could take place.
Chang Yong-seok, of Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, adds: "North Korea was already under immense pressure over its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and also its human rights issues. Things will get even more complicated for Pyongyang if its chemical weapons issues are thrown into the mix."
There are benefits and costs to Pyongyang of being caught red-handed. On the one hand, it would send a signal to dissidents that there will be no escaping the regime's ruthlessness.
On the other, it also says to North Koreans that the regime at the top is insecure and fratricidal.
News from outside does get into North Korea and the revelation that one ruling Kim was allegedly having his half-brother bumped off could scarcely strengthen the regime in the people's eyes.
There is speculation in the South about the role of the women involved
As a columnist in Daily NK puts it: "With the influx of information pouring into North Korea, more of its citizens are learning for the first time of Kim Jong-nam's existence, prompting them to speculate on the motive for the assassination."
There is some speculation in South Korea about the role of the two women suspected of carrying out the hit job. One researcher told the Associated Press news agency that the theory VX had been mixed from two innocuous chemicals into a deadly combination on the victim's face was unlikely.
The expert said that VX could be produced in this way but not reliably. It is more likely that it was applied in its deadly form by people wearing protective gloves.
"The security camera footage shows one of the women heading to the bathroom to wash her hands after attacking Kim. If she touched VX with her bare hands, she wouldn't have had the time to do even that," the researcher told AP.
If the means of murder is causing debate, the motive is not. In dynasties with hereditary rule, brothers are rivals. The plot reads like a John le Carre novel or a Shakespeare history play, where those who share blood, spill blood.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39100905
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Six Nations 2017: Italy tactic wasn't rugby, says England coach Eddie Jones - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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England coach Eddie Jones says an unexpected Italy tactic "wasn't rugby" as the Six Nations champions struggle to victory.
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Last updated on .From the section English Rugby
England coach Eddie Jones said an unexpected Italy tactic "wasn't rugby" as they frustrated the Six Nations champions before finally losing 36-15.
Italy led 10-5 at half-time as they chose not to compete at the breakdown, allowing them to step into the England line without going offside.
But the hosts found a way through with five tries in the second period.
"Well done Italy, very smart. We knew they'd come with something," Jones told BBC Radio 5 live.
"But it wasn't rugby. We haven't played a game of rugby yet.
• None Follow the Six Nations across the BBC
"I'm not critical of Italy, they did what they needed to do to stay in the game."
Italy coach Conor O'Shea defended the tactic, saying: "Everything we did was completely legal; I was incredibly proud of what the players put out there."
At one stage, England captain Dylan Hartley and team-mate James Haskell asked referee Romain Poite to clarify the law, but the Frenchman replied: "I am a referee, not a coach."
Jones added: "Did we react quick enough? It's hard when you don't play rugby, it's like playing a different game out there.
"If your half-back can't pass the ball, the game becomes difficult. It's not the way you want to play the game. We wanted to move the ball and play some good rugby.
"We scored six tries and at the end of three rounds, if we were undefeated and with a bonus points, we'd be doing handstands. So we're doing handstands."
Italy played a novel tactic of not committing any men to the breakdown beyond the initial tackler, meaning no ruck was formed and any offside became irrelevant.
Italian defenders could therefore stand between England's half-backs, creating confusion for the men in white.
"How can you have players standing in your attack line? Even when there were rucks, there were people standing in our attack line.
"You look to pass the ball and there's a blue jumper there. You look in front and there's a blue jumper there. There's blue jumpers everywhere.
"He [Poite] had a terrible day. He wasn't refereeing rugby."
Asked if rugby's laws need to change following the game, Jones said: "I don't think anyone wants to see a game like that. No-one likes to see rugby not played in its proper form so World Rugby will have to have a very close look at it.
"I don't think there was anything good in that today. It didn't improve the game."
The innovative tactics caused confusion among the spectators as well as those on the field, and former England scrum-half Matt Dawson laid the blame for a disjointed contest firmly with Italy.
The 2003 World Cup winner said on Twitter: "Well done Italy on ruining this international. Now World Rugby have to change the laws because of your inability to compete at this level."
O'Shea was not about to back down when Dawson's comment was put to him, saying: "I'd like him to sit down with World Rugby to look at some of the other games we've played this year, and if he's that good in the rules, actually make a comment after we were impacted as we were in the first game of this championship - but that's not for me to talk about now.
"We came here to have a go. If they want us to lose by 100 points, why should we? Why should we be normal? We should be ourselves. Rather than having a go, have a bit of humility and respect for guys who have very little in comparison to their counterparts.
"I was expecting this, if I'm honest."
Jones went on to compare the Italian tactic to a famous one-day international cricket match between Australia and New Zealand in 1981.
With one ball remaining, New Zealand needed a six to tie the match.
To ensure this couldn't happen, Australia's captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl the last ball underarm, a legal action at the time.
"Well, obviously they've been watching Trevor Chappell with the underarm bowl along the ground to make sure they couldn't hit a six," said Australian Jones.
England have a two-week rest before they take on Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday, 11 March, and another victory would see them equal New Zealand's world record of 18 Test matches unbeaten.
"We've got Scotland in two weeks and they've got belief and confidence," said Jones. "We are looking forward to them coming down and I'm sure they're going to play proper rugby.
"This is our next test, and I'm sure [Scotland coach] Vern Cotter won't have those tactics. He's a New Zealander. They like the breakdown and the contest.
"I feel like I haven't coached today. Let's be serious. It wasn't rugby today."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39096603
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Manchester United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he will wait and see on his future at club - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic on how his kids - and Jose Mourinho - convinced him to join Manchester United, and whether he will be staying.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he will "see what happens" about extending his stay at Manchester United - but did reveal his children pleaded with him to join the Old Trafford club last year.
Ibrahimovic, 35, left Paris St-Germain in July, signing a one-season deal with an option for a second year.
United boss Jose Mourinho believes the Swede will stay - but added: "I never beg for a player to sign a contract."
"We have another two months of the season to go," Ibrahimovic said.
"Let's see how I feel, the situation. Somebody made up a story that if we don't qualify for the Champions League I will not extend. It has nothing to do with that."
After Ibrahimovic scored the winner in Sunday's 3-2 EFL Cup final victory over Southampton, Mourinho said "the fans can go to the door of his house and stay there all night" to convince the striker to stay.
Ibrahimovic said his "special relationship" with the Portuguese, who also managed him at Inter Milan, was key to his decision to join United - but was not the only factor.
"My mind was not here, then my kids started to bump my head - even they wanted to see me play at United," he said of the months leading up to his departure from French champions PSG.
"Then Jose called. When he called, it was basically: 'Tell me what number I should wear.' My kids are satisfied with what I am doing, but this time I am the boss, not them."
• None Why Man Utd must keep Ibrahimovic - Alan Shearer
Ibrahimovic collected the 32nd trophy of his career after heading an 87th-minute winner at Wembley, having earlier given his side the lead with a brilliant 19th-minute free-kick.
Jesse Lingard put United 2-0 in front before Manolo Gabbiadini scored twice for the Saints to level, after having an 11th-minute effort contentiously ruled out for offside.
Eighteen years on from making his professional debut for Malmo, the former Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and AC Milan striker was asked whether he has thought about retirement.
"I came here when people thought it was impossible for me to do what I am able to do. It feels good. I am enjoying it," he added.
"I always want more. This is my 32nd trophy. I've been in five different countries, I've been in the best clubs in the world and I'm repeating every year what I am doing.
"I will stop on top. If I don't perform, I will not play. I will not be like others, still playing because they are who they are. I will play as long as I can bring results."
Ibrahimovic has scored 26 goals in 38 games this season and is United's top scorer. Midfielder Juan Mata is behind him in second, with nine goals.
"Zlatan won the game for us because he was outstanding," Mourinho said after Sunday's win secured his first major trophy as United boss.
"When he went to Barcelona [from Inter, in 2009], I was very sad. I know the potential. Only a silly player comes to England if he doesn't feel he can do it. Who better to know? Him. Not me or you.
"When he decided to come here it is because he feels ready. It is not my credit. It is him. Nothing for me."
Question from journalist: Is your fitness a natural fitness?
Why are you like a lion?
"I am a lion. I don't want to be a lion."
Do you mean you have the hunger of a lion?
What does that mean?
"It means I'm a lion! I never talk so much with journalists. I never stopped so long even for the French people."
You say you've got 32 medals what do you do with them?
"It is in the museum. I have a house only for the medals."
Mourinho's move to bring Ibrahimovic in on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain was strategic and wise. He is a personality of equal stature and confidence, had a point to prove having never played in England and could provide the sort of charisma that had echoes of the great Eric Cantona.
How United needed Ibrahimovic on Sunday because for long periods they were desperately average, outplayed by Southampton and had their hand held by Lady Luck throughout.
If United are to build on this first trophy of the Mourinho era, Ibrahimovic's continued presence is essential because the EFL Cup final win is only the first building block in an edifice that requires considerable renovation after the dismal post-Sir Alex Ferguson years of David Moyes and Van Gaal.
• None Ibrahimovic has scored six goals in his past five domestic cup finals (adding to four goals in four with PSG)
• None He has scored more than any Premier League player this season - 26 goals in all competitions
• None His opening goal was the first Southampton conceded in this year's EFL Cup - after 468 minutes of football
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39098913
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Oscars 2017: Emma Stone reacts to La La Land's best picture miss - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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Emma Stone says this year's Oscars have felt 'like another planet'.
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Best actress winner Emma Stone has said she feels like she is on 'another planet' after this year's Academy Awards.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39100763
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Lewis Hamilton fastest for Mercedes on first pre-season testing day - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Mercedes and Ferrari enjoy impressive starts to pre-season testing as Red Bull and McLaren hit trouble.
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Mercedes and Ferrari had impressive starts to pre-season testing as Red Bull and McLaren hit trouble.
Lewis Hamilton was fastest as Mercedes completed 152 laps with both their drivers at Circuit de Catalunya.
Hamilton was 0.113 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, which also ran reliably and used the slower medium tyre with the Mercedes on the soft.
By contrast, the mileage of Red Bull and McLaren was limited by recurring reliability problems in Barcelona.
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, a replacement for the now-retired world champion Nico Rosberg, was sixth fastest.
"It has been a good day, a positive day for the team," Hamilton said. "Lots of laps and information gained so we can try to improve the car."
Asked whether the new rules - designed to make the cars up to five seconds a lap faster and demand more of the drivers - had made a difference, he said: "The G forces are definitely higher. The load on the drivers is a considerable amount more than before. It is a lot more physical.
"I was always trying to pick up the speed through the corners and you have to drive a little bit different. It is a beast. It is so much better than last year."
And he added that the new tyres, which have been designed to allow drivers to push flat-out for much longer, seemed to be working as planned.
"Normally you have a lot of degradation in these tyres but these ones don't," he said. "But there is not a lot of performance at the beginning of the tyre. They are very consistent, hard tyres. There is not a big difference from early on to later. There is a bit of a drop-off but not massive."
Not a good start for some
The first day of pre-season testing is all about ironing out problems and beginning to understand how the cars work.
As such, no team begins by trying to set the fastest possible lap times.
At this stage, mileage is key, which is why the truncated days suffered by Red Bull and McLaren are bad news with only eight days of running before the start of the season.
Alonso suffered an oil system problem after just a single installation lap, which cost him the whole morning session.
"We are disappointed, we are sad to not be able to run," Alonso said. "We are aware of the time we lost. We have four days for each driver before the championship starts so it is not ideal. But it is the way it is and all we can do is learn from it and concentrate and try to recover the time."
Honda changed the engine for the afternoon and the double world champion from Spain was able to get out on track for a few runs with two hours of the day remaining - but still managed less than a quarter of the laps achieved by Mercedes.
Honda has fundamentally revised its engine design for this season, effectively following the same route as Mercedes have used since the start of the turbo hybrid formula in 2014, and there are clearly still issues to resolve.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said Alonso was "not very happy" about the problems.
Red Bull, who have hopes of challenging Mercedes this year, blamed problems with a sensor for Daniel Ricciardo managing only five laps in the morning.
He did a further three early in the afternoon before another lengthy visit to the pits because of a battery problem. He did finally get in some running and ended the day with 50 laps.
Ricciardo ended up with fifth fastest time and team boss Christian Horner said the problems were "not major issues".
In contrast to their rivals, Mercedes made a typically strong start to their preparations for the season.
New signing Bottas completed 79 laps - more than a grand prix distance - in the morning, ending up second fastest to Vettel at the time.
Hamilton took over in the afternoon, with Mercedes fitting a 'shark-fin' engine cover for the first time, and was quickly up to speed, completing more than 60 laps himself.
Ferrari and Williams also had good days, both completing more than 100 laps.
Vettel stuck to the 'medium' compound of tyre for most of the day before a brief run on the 'hard', so on the face of it his lap time looks impressive.
However, the German was also quickest for Ferrari on the first day of pre-season testing last season - and the Italian team ended the campaign winless for the second time in three years.
Felipe Massa, persuaded to come out of retirement to fill former team-mate Bottas' seat at Williams, was third fastest.
* time set on 'soft' tyres; all others set on medium tyres
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39103411
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Why do people swear? - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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If you see the F-word spelled out with all four letters, are you more offended than when you read F with asterisks? And if so, why?
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Magazine
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The English language contains an alphabet soup of swear words. Those of a sweary disposition can draw upon the A-word, the B-word, the C-word, the F-word, the S-word, the W-word and many more. So here's a puzzle - if you see the F-word spelled out with all four letters, are you more offended than when you read F with asterisks?
It seems many people are. But why? After all, you presumably know what F with asterisks stands for. It has the same meaning as the non-asterisked version.
The BBC tries to avoid swear words whenever possible, but on the rare occasions that they are considered integral to the story, they are used without the asterisks. Some other news outlets, such as The Times do adopt the asterisk convention and only print swear words when they are quoting other people. This reflects the view that using swear words is more offensive than merely mentioning them. The paper's journalists mention the swear words used by others, but do not use them themselves.
But to understand why the full-frontal swear word might be considered worse than its pale asterisked imitator, we first need to define what a swear word is.
By definition, swear words are offensive. If a word, over time, ceases to be offensive, then it falls out of use as a swear word. Offence alone is not enough, though, for we can offend with language without swearing. The N-word, for example, is what is called a slur: it is a derogatory term about an entire group. It is profoundly offensive, but it is not a swear word.
Philosopher Rebecca Roache says that as well as the ingredient of offence, swear words tend to have a cluster of other characteristics. We will often use swear words "to vent some emotion", she says. "If you're angry or particularly happy, swearing is a catharsis. Swearing also centres on taboos. Around the world swear words will tend to cluster around certain topics: lavatorial matters, sex, religion."
There's also a paradoxical component to swearing, says Roache. "As well as being taboo-breaking, swear words are taboo-breaking for the sake of taboo-breaking. The whole point is that you're not allowed to use them, but they exist just for that rule to be broken."
Listen to the Philosopher's Arms on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 on Monday 27 February
Words develop their power over time; it's a historical process. In the past, many swear words were linked to religion. But as countries like Britain have become increasingly secular, imprecations such as "Damn" and "Jesus Christ", have begun to lose their force. The Times leader writer, Oliver Kamm, author of Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English, says that the swearing lexicon now draws less from religion and more from body effluvia. "There's a hierarchy of effluvia, according to how disgusting we find them in public. 'Shit' is worse than 'piss' which is worse than 'fart' which is worse than 'spit' which is not a taboo word at all. It's an interesting linguistic hypothesis that the taboos relate to how disease-ridden or dangerous or disgusting we find the effluvia themselves."
The emotional release from swearing has been measured in a variety of ways. It turns out that swearing helps mitigate pain. It is easier to keep an arm in ice-cold-water for longer if you are simultaneously effing and blinding. And those who speak more than one language, report that swearing in their first language is more satisfying, carrying, as it does, a bigger emotional punch.
Catharsis aside, swearing can boast other benefits. The claim has been made that swearing is bonding: a few blue words, uttered in a good-natured way, indicates and encourages intimacy. A very recent study suggests that people who swear are perceived as more trustworthy than those who are less potty-mouthed.
But back to the conundrum. If writing F with asterisks alleviates the offence of the full word why should this be? Roache says swearing is best viewed as a breach of etiquette. It is a little like putting your shoes on a table when you are the guest in someone's house. If you know it would offend, and do it anyway, you are guilty of showing insufficient respect.
"It doesn't matter that it's a swear word. Imagine meeting someone who has a fear of crisps, and who finds references to crisps traumatic. If you carry on talking about crisps in their presence, even after discovering about their phobia, you are sending a signal that you don't respect them, you don't have any concern for their feelings."
Using the F-with-asterisks version acknowledges that we are taking the feelings of others into account. By censoring the word we show respect. It's a view shared by Oliver Kamm, who endorses his newspaper's policy on asterisking swear words. Readers cannot help, he says, finding the full word "involuntarily off-putting".
Like most people, I find exposure to too many swear words disconcerting. So I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap.
David Edmonds (@DavidEdmonds100) is the producer of The Philosopher's Arms.
The programme on swearing can be heard here
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39082467
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David Wagner and Garry Monk banned by FA after touchline altercation - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Huddersfield boss David Wagner is given a two-match touchline ban and a £6,000 fine after his altercation with Leeds counterpart Garry Monk.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Huddersfield boss David Wagner has been given a two-match touchline ban and a £6,000 fine after his altercation with Leeds counterpart Garry Monk.
Wagner sprinted to join his players in celebrating their late winner on 5 February before clashing with Monk.
He will be in the stands for the FA Cup replay at Manchester City and the home Championship game against Newcastle.
Monk has been given a one-match touchline ban and fined £3,000, while both clubs have been fined £10,000.
The Leeds boss, whose side are fourth in the Championship table, will serve his ban at Birmingham City on Friday.
In a statement, the FA said Wagner admitted breaking the rules by going onto the pitch but had "denied a further breach that his behaviour upon his return to the vicinity of the technical area amounted to improper conduct".
The Terriers held Premier League Manchester City 0-0 in the FA Cup fifth round earlier this month and travel to Etihad Stadium on Wednesday for the replay.
They are currently third in the Championship table, four points ahead of Leeds and five points behind second-placed Newcastle, who travel to leaders Brighton on Tuesday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39106444
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In pictures: Fashion at the Oscars - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Alex Eagle looks at the best dressed stars on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
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In Pictures
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Fashion expert Alex Eagle casts her eye over the best dressed stars on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
This is my standout look of the night. We've all been so excited to see Raf Simons' first work with Calvin Klein, and this white dress just perfectly encapsulates his directional take on femininity and glamour. Here his signature cool clean lines, with unexpected details like the cut out and the squared off train, are heightened by the stunning crust of sequins. And Naomie hasn't gone overboard with the details - simple hair, asymmetric crystal suede sandals, also by Calvin Klein, and Bulgari jewellery.
We often imagine that Oscar dresses should look like an old-fashioned fairy tale princess fantasy, and I love the idea that the modern fairy tale princess ideal is more pared back. Naomie looks amazing, and also entirely like herself - not over the top but incredibly glamorous.
I also love that Raf reached out to dress not just Naomi but her Moonlight co-stars, having seen the film and been blown away by it. It's a great example of fashion and Hollywood being inspired by each other.
Obviously it's great that Emma Stone won an Oscar while dressed a bit like an Oscar, but this dress is also just perfect - for her, the film she is nominated for and for the ceremony.
One of Riccardo Tisci's last designs before he stepped down from Givenchy, it exudes gilded era old-school glamour, just like La La Land, and the ombre fringing brings a playfulness that fits with Emma's whole vibe. Great jewellery too from Tiffany & Co, and a dash of politics with the addition of a gold Planned Parenthood pin.
Pharrell is a guy who is always having fun with fashion, but after years where his style has been dominated by the big hat, it was really nice to see him graduate to looking unquestionably stylish - while still pushing the envelope.
This look is head-to-toe-to-necklace Chanel - not a brand you often see men wearing on the red carpet - but entirely in keeping with Pharrell's creative energy.
Nicole looks beautiful in this Armani Privé gown - she really is the master of what works for her and always looks exquisite. The shape reminds me of the vivid yellow John Galliano for Dior dress she wore to such acclaim in 1997.
Twenty years on, she has pared back the colour, but the glamour remains high octane, with the all-over embroidery and streamlined silhouette. I love her Harry Winston jewels too.
Dev really stood out for me. I love that he's a young British guy in the definitive British brand, Burberry. And that he's been brave enough to play with the classics, with the white jacket that fit so perfectly.
It's rare that you get excited about what the guys wear as they do so often stick to a formula - either boring or a little too much creativity - so seeing Dev combining creativity with cool was great. Also, having his mum as his date was classy as anything.
I love how French Isabelle looks, while still taking the glamour of the Hollywood red carpet seriously. She often wears trouser suits and tailoring for award shows, so it's interesting that she's chosen to go down the dress route.
This is by Armani Privé, which she has worn before and obviously trusts, and which is known for playing with a more androgynous style for women. It's demure but elegant, adding drama with the sequins. But the best bit for me is how she's styled it - adding edge with the Repossi ear cuff, laid back hair, deep lipstick and dark nail varnish.
Such a wonderful moment for Davis winning her Best Supporting Actress award, and also a great moment of true, old-school Oscars glamour from her on the red carpet. Another one from Armani Privé, who were one of the most popular designers this year. While the gown is quite restrained in cut, the details bring it bang up to date - from the vivid red tone to the cutaway neckline and shoulder draping.
I love her hair too - really fresh and elegant.
Last year, Brie was a vision in blue Gucci when she won the Best Actress award. This year, she's gone a little darker and more grown up in this stunning ruffled Oscar de la Renta gown, designed by his successors Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim.
It's sleek but dramatic, without looking overdone at all. The Aquazzura shoes are a great touch, as is keeping everything else really simple - the ruffled hair and just earrings and a ring by Neil Lane.
I think she's making a statement with this ensemble, that's she's no longer an ingénue - and black velvet is a great way to say it.
I always look forward to seeing what Tom Ford wears on the red carpet, but in his absence Andrew Garfield nailed the dress code in this fantastic piece of Tom Ford tailoring.
The fabric, the texture, the cut - the combination is totally classic but feels fresh. In short, this is exactly what you want from a man in a tux.
This dress was probably the most fashion forward of the night - coming from designer of the moment Alessandro Michele at Gucci. I love the delicate champagne shade which offset the va va voom ruching and bow detail at the front. It's a great choice for a young starlet, sensual without being overtly sexy, considered without being laboured.
She's also kept everything else quite simple - aside from some staggering Cartier jewels.
It's great to see relationships between actors and designers develop. Michelle and Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton have been collaborating for years now, and the dresses she wears always seem to express their mutual understanding. This is quite a radical look - the low plunge of the neckline is a bit more revealing than what we are used to from Michelle, but it is beautifully offset by her gamine haircut and jewel-encrusted skirt.
Ghesquiere is great at forging relationships with some of the most interesting actresses - he's been working closely with Alicia Vikander for a couple of years now, and she looked great in a black lace Spanish-infused gown by him. In fact, both Michelle and Alicia prove how creative it can be to remain loyal to one designer. Neither of them ever look formulaic in Louis Vuitton - they always look like the dress has been designed specifically for them, to make them feel the most comfortable and chic. What more could you want?
Alex Eagle is owner, creative director and designer at Alex Eagle Studio
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-39099366
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Mo Farah's trainer rejects allegations he broke anti-doping rules - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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The American coach of Olympic champion Mo Farah rejects claims he may have broken anti-doping rules.
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The American coach of Olympic champion Mo Farah rejected claims he may have broken anti-doping rules to boost the performance of some of his athletes.
Alberto Salazar has been under investigation since a BBC Panorama programme in 2015 made allegations about drugs use at his US training base, and a leaked report from the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) was obtained by the Sunday Times this weekend.
"I believe in a clean sport, " he said. "I do not use supplements that are banned."
The leaked report also alleged Salazar - head coach of the world famous endurance Nike Oregon Project (NOP) - routinely gave Farah and other athletes prescription drugs with potentially harmful side-effects without a justifiable medical reason.
According to the Sunday Times, the leaked report claims Salazar used a banned method of infusing a legal supplement called L-carnitine.
"I have clearly and repeatedly refuted allegations directed against me and the Oregon Project," Salazar said.
"I believe in a clean sport and a methodical, dedicated approach to training. The Oregon Project will never permit doping and all Oregon Project athletes are required to comply with the Wada Code and IAAF rules.
"L-carnitine is a widely available, legal nutritional supplement that is not banned by Wada. Any use of L-carnitine was done so within Wada guidelines.
"In this case, to ensure my interpretation of Wada rules was correct, I also communicated in writing with Usada in advance of the use and administration of L-carnitine with Oregon Project athletes.
"I have voluntarily cooperated with Usada for years and met with them more than a year ago. The leaking of information and the litigation of false allegations in the press is disturbing, desperate and a denial of due process. I look forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion I know to be true."
Salazar and Farah deny they have ever broken anti-doping rules.
"It's deeply frustrating that I'm having to make an announcement on this subject," said 33-year-old Farah in a statement.
"I am a clean athlete who has never broken the rules in regards to substances, methods or dosages and it is upsetting that some parts of the media, despite the clear facts, continue to try to associate me with allegations of drug misuse.
"I'm unclear as to the Sunday Times' motivation towards me but I do understand that using my name and profile makes the story more interesting. It's entirely unfair to make assertions when it is clear from their own statements that I have done nothing wrong.
"As I've said many times before we all should do everything we can to have a clean sport and it is entirely right that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished."
In a statement, UK Athletics said it stood by the findings of an investigation published in 2016 that found "there was no evidence of any impropriety on the part of Mo Farah and no reason to lack confidence in his training programme".
The statement said: "Usada have not reported back to UKA on any aspect of their investigations but we remain, at all times, completely open and cooperative with them.
"L-carnitine is a legal and scientifically legitimate supplement that can be used by endurance athletes. To our knowledge, all doses administered and methods of administration have been fully in accordance with Wada-approved protocol and guidelines."
The Usada interim report was passed to the Sunday Times by the suspected Russian hacking group Fancy Bears.
The BBC has so far been unable to verify its authenticity with Usada, or establish whether any of its reported conclusions are out of date.
In a statement, Usada said it could "confirm that it has prepared a report in response to a subpoena from a state medical licensing body regarding care given by a physician to athletes associated with the Nike Oregon Project".
It said: "We understand that the licensing body is still deciding its case and as we continue to investigate whether anti-doping rules were broken, no further comment will be made at this time.
"Importantly, all athletes, coaches and others under the jurisdiction of the World Anti-Doping Code are innocent and presumed to have complied with the rules unless and until the established anti-doping process declares otherwise. It is unfair and reckless to state, infer or imply differently."
According to the Sunday Times, the leaked report claims that Salazar:
• None risked the health of his athletes, including Farah, by issuing potentially harmful prescription medicines to improve testosterone levels and boost recovery, despite no obvious medical need.
Salazar maintains that drug use has always fully complied with the Wada code and that athletes were administered with L-carnitine in "exactly the way Usada directed".
The Sunday Times claims the Usada report also reveals:
• None investigators have been impeded because Salazar and several athletes have "largely refused to permit Usada to review their medical records";
• None Farah received an infusion of the legal supplement L-carnitine in 2014, which Usada is continuing to investigate in case the method of infusion broke doping rules by going over the legal limit of 50ml.
The report, apparently written in March 2016, allegedly states: "Usada continues to investigate circumstances related to L-carnitine use" by Farah.
Farah told the Sunday Times two years ago that he had "tried a legal energy drink" containing L-carnitine but "saw no benefit" and did not continue with it.
The newspaper also claims the report says Dr John Rogers, a medic for the British athletics team, told Usada in an interview that conversations he had with Salazar at a training camp in the French Pyrenees before the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, gave him such "concern" that he wrote an email at the time to his medical colleagues at UK Athletics.
It also says Rogers told Usada that Salazar had told him about "off-label and unconventional" uses of the prescription medications calcitonin and thyroxine (hormones) and high doses of vitamin D and ferrous sulphate.
The revelations will pile more pressure on Britain's greatest ever endurance runner, who has steadfastly refused to end his association with Salazar.
It raises questions too for UKA, which gave the Briton the all-clear to continue working with Salazar after an inquiry was launched following the BBC Panorama programme.
In June 2015, in conjunction with the US website ProPublica, the BBC's Panorama programme Catch Me If You Can made a series of allegations about the methods at NOP, and included testimony from a number of former athletes and coaches, including Kara Goucher and Steve Magness.
The film alleged Salazar had a fixation on the testosterone levels of his athletes, and may have doped American Olympic medallist Galen Rupp with the banned steroid version when he was 16. The programme also alleged Salazar had conducted testosterone experiments on his sons to see how much of the drug he could apply to them before it triggered positive tests.
The film also alleged Salazar used thyroid medicine inappropriately with his athletes, and encouraged the use of prescription medication when there was no justifiable need.
Salazar denied the wrongdoing alleged in the programme, and issued a 12,000-word rebuttal.
Usada took the unusual step of confirming it had launched an investigation into NOP following the BBC and ProPublica's revelations in 2015. Earlier stories by the New York Times and the Sunday Times had also raised concerns about some of Salazar's methods.
It is not clear why the Usada report remains unpublished.
Nine months ago, amid rumours Usada had dropped an investigation into his coach, Sir Mo Farah said he felt vindicated after standing by Alberto Salazar, the man who has helped him achieve so much success. This will raise more questions over that association.
Last year Farah distanced himself from another controversial coach - Somalian Jama Aden. And he could now face renewed pressure to do something similar with a man who we now know Usada is still looking into.
This could also be awkward for Salazar's employers Nike - and for UK Athletics; not least how they came to clear Salazar in 2015 - even though it now seems one of their senior medics - Dr John Rogers - says he had raised concerns to them over the coach's methods.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39097761
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School funding plans spark passionate protests - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The biggest shake-up of school funding in England for a generation is fraught with political difficulty.
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Education & Family
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Nantwich isn't the kind of place that sees many demos.
On Monday morning, on a bitterly cold, damp day, more than 300 people gathered in the town's square to protest about school funding.
Most were parents who turned up with their children and homemade banners.
"Am I worth less?" read one damp cardboard placard clasped by a small girl.
The parents I spoke to told me they wanted an amount spent on their children's education similar to that in other areas around the country.
Until recently, many weren't aware this area was one of the lowest funded for schools.
The protest in Nantwich shows just how politically difficult it is for ministers to embark on the biggest shake-up of school funding in England for a generation.
There are limits to how much any school can gain or lose in the first couple of years - but that's barely taking the edge off the campaigns and protests bubbling up in areas such as this.
Nantwich is in the relatively affluent local authority of East Cheshire, a low-funded area where many schools hoped to do slightly better under a new formula.
As it turns out, some will get less in cash terms if the changes go ahead, because the new formula looks at deprivation at a local council area level.
Not far away is Crewe, also in East Cheshire.
It is a poor town where schools have coped with a growing number of children whose parents have moved from Poland and Slovakia.
Like other schools across England, Sir Thomas More academy in Crewe will have to find money for extra pay, pensions and national insurance costs in the next few years.
Despite school funding being at record levels, the bills are going up, so in real terms schools are feeling poorer.
Head teacher Clare Hogg, tells me the combined effect in the next couple of years of the background financial pressures and the new funding formula will be a hole in her budget of £450,000 - roughly equivalent to 11 staff.
The noise here is being echoed in some other counties, where every councillor is up for election in May and many of them are Conservative.
Cheshire East has four Conservative MPs, who are all being lobbied intensely by their local parents and schools.
As the Institute for Fiscal studies points out, this is also the first time schools in England have faced a real-terms funding squeeze for 20 years.
Whether your local school is starting from the top of the funding pile or the bottom just depends on where you live.
There is no easy solution, as it is the big cities that have received the most money over the past few decades.
That is in recognition of some of the intense poverty and social challenges that exist within them.
The new formula proposed would see cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Leeds losing, as some money is shifted towards counties such as Lincolnshire and Somerset.
London is a big loser too, but starting from some of the highest levels of funding.
The Core Cities Group, which speaks for big urban areas outside London, has already expressed concerns about the effect on schools.
But there are no local elections in the cities this year.
The political pressure from the counties may lead the government to tweak some of the finer details of the planned formula.
The Education Secretary for England, Justine Greening, has been having a series of regional meetings with MPs, so she will be in no doubt that some are unhappy.
Against the background pressures of funding per pupil going down, this was never going to be an easy ride.
And after decades of campaigning for change, the counties also fear destroying the best chance they've had of getting some redistribution of money from the cities.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39103549
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Oscars 2017: 'It's like witnessing a fire!' - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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Stars react to "the craziest Oscar moment of all time".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39104494
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England Lions: Liam Livingstone matches feat achieved by Kevin Pietersen - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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England Lions lose their second four-day match with Sri Lanka A, but Liam Livingstone matches a feat achieved by Kevin Pietersen.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England Lions lost their second four-day match with Sri Lanka A, but batsman Liam Livingstone matched a feat only Kevin Pietersen had achieved before.
Livingstone joined Pietersen as the second batsman in the 35-year history of England B, England A and England Lions cricket to score a century in each innings of a first-class match.
The Lancashire 23-year-old scored 140 not out, following a first-innings 105.
But Sri Lanka squared the two-match series with a three-wicket victory.
After Sri Lanka followed England's 353 with a score of 548, the visitors were bowled out for 284, leaving the hosts requiring 90 to win from the final day's evening session.
Malinda Pushpakumara, who took 13 wickets in the match, hit the winning runs, while Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes claimed his 10th dismissal - five in each innings - which broke the previous record for the Lions and their predecessors, set by Steve Rhodes against Transvaal in 1993.
Lions head coach Andy Flower said: "They were good dismissals - it's not like they were all straightforward nicks. A number of them were standing up to the wicket, both stumpings and catches, and Ben took one of the best catches I've seen from a wicketkeeper diving to his right - and that was in the 128th over.
"The other stand-out was Livingstone. Some of the things he's been working on in the training camps seem to have come to the fore in his play of spin. It was a really great performance on a typical sub-continental wicket."
England Lions' five-match one-day series with Sri Lanka A starts in Dambulla on Friday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39103915
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David Haye & Tony Bellew kept apart at Liverpool news conference - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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David Haye and Tony Bellew are kept apart by security guards but exchange insults at a heated Liverpool news conference.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
David Haye and Tony Bellew were physically kept apart at a heated news conference for Saturday's heavyweight bout at London's O2 Arena.
The British pair entered through separate corridors at a Liverpool hotel on Monday and were divided by security for the traditional pre-fight face-off.
Haye, 36, threw a punch at Bellew at a November media gathering and had warned they would need a barrier between them.
• None Read: Bellew v Haye - in their own words
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew will fight at heavyweight for the first time, completing a two-division jump after competing at light-heavyweight as recently as 2013.
Former WBA heavyweight champion Haye has had two routine wins since returning from over three years out of the sport.
The London fighter seemed frustrated as fans in attendance drowned out his comments with songs on Monday - and he responded by insulting those in the crowd and said Liverpudlian Bellew would "need all the support he can get".
An agitated Haye told the crowd: "Deep in all of your tiny minds you know this guy is getting drilled to the canvas pretty fast."
Bellew said: "I am going in with a man who was absolutely fantastic. When he was in his prime, an immense athlete - but the tank is very, very low and it does not last very long.
"When the gas runs out, the big fat Scouser is going to steam through him."
However, Haye's trainer, Shane McGuigan, predicted WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew would be "cannon fodder".
Haye's wins since returning - both inside two rounds - prompted Dave Coldwell, Bellew's trainer, to question if the shoulder surgery he had in 2013 could hamper him in a longer contest.
"When you've had major surgery as an athlete, you are never the same man, you have doubts in your mind," said Coldwell, who once worked for Hayemaker promotions.
"Your surgeon advised you to retire, you come back but you don't know how you will perform on the night."
Addressing his opponent, Bellew added: "I've seen people have the operations you have had. Reconstructive shoulder surgery is a big thing, your right hand becomes a looping right hand."
Bellew holds a record of 28 wins and a draw from 31 fights, with Haye boasting the same number of wins from 30 contests.
'I've never seen hatred like that'
Boxing commentator Steve Bunce on 5 live Boxing with Costello and Bunce
It was unnecessary and unedifying but it was gripping for all the wrong reasons.
In all my years covering the sport, it was the oddest press conference. I've never seen hatred like that ever in my life between two fighters.
I saw it at the Dorchester [at the first press conference in November] and it disturbed me, and I saw it again in Liverpool.
I think they are going to have to have a cordon of security people dividing them like they did when Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson fought each other.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39110172
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The Brits hurrying to become German citizens - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Brexit debate in the UK is focusing on the rights of EU migrants in the country, among them about 300,000 Germans. But how are the 100,000 Brits in Germany feeling?
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Magazine
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The Brexit debate in the UK is focusing on the rights of EU migrants in the country, among them about 300,000 Germans. Many people are worried about what will happen to them after Brexit. But how are the 100,000 Brits in Germany feeling? The BBC's Damien McGuinness says many are hurrying to apply for citizenship.
"So, when are you becoming German?" It's one of those questions that always seems to crop up when I'm chatting to British friends here in Berlin these days. Most are either applying for German citizenship or counting the days until they've spent enough time here to be eligible.
That's because no-one knows what will happen to them once Britain leaves the EU. These are not the bronzed "expats" of the tabloid imagination - living it up in the sun, glass of gin in one hand, golf club in the other. They are young freelancers worried that if they need visas their work will dry up. Or pensioners living in rented flats, surviving on fixed incomes tied to a shrinking pound.
Esme was the most organised of any of us. She made her first appointment with the German authorities the week before the referendum. She took the citizenship test, submitted all the documents, and a few weeks ago became German in a ceremony in her local town hall, in the Berlin district of Neukoelln.
What surprised her was how emotional she felt about it. About 50 people, of 22 different nationalities were being granted German citizenship: Syrians, Americans, Iraqis, Turks, Italians, French - even a few other Brits.
The local mayor gave a speech welcoming everyone, and reflected on the meaning of Heimat, or homeland. And as she quoted from the German constitution, and talked about how all people were equal, regardless of gender, origin or ethnicity, Esme felt tears in her eyes.
A cellist and a pianist played the 22 different national anthems of those present - by then, Esme was almost sobbing. And finally a singer came in to give a moving rendition of the European anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy - by which time Esme was in pieces.
Not bad for an out-and-out liberal, who's usually pretty sceptical about flag-waving.
"It was the thought of the journeys that everyone had taken to get here," Esme explained to me afterwards. "The wars that people had escaped from. And the efforts they had made to start a new life in Germany." Some people had learned, off by heart, the declaration of allegiance to the German constitution, especially for the ceremony. Esme said it put her own worries into perspective.
For Esme, and I suspect for a lot of the Brits who are now becoming German, what started out as a practical decision about visas and passports, is unexpectedly raising deeper questions about identity. Can you really be both German and British? And what does it mean to be German anyway?
Not so very long ago, saying to other Brits that you're becoming German would almost inevitably lead to some tired gag about Nazis or towels on sun loungers. And although some British headlines might still use those cliches - and you can expect a few more if Brexit talks get nasty - today, modern Germany is seen more often as a bastion of tolerant values: international, democratic and open to immigrants.
Of course, there are people outside and inside Germany who criticise Angela Merkel's decision to allow so many foreigners in. But for those new British-Germans, themselves migrants, a country that welcomes foreigners is attractive.
Two new migrants learn German in Berlin
In fact, being a German with a hyphen is a relatively new concept here. Traditionally German identity was an ethnic idea, related to bloodline rather than where you were born. So it used to feel as if Britain and America were rather better at accepting that people had layered identities - enabling you to be originally from one country, but a citizen of another.
But over the past few decades Germany has been going through a difficult, and largely successful, process of redefining what it means to be German. Angela Merkel now refers to Germany as "a country of immigration" - an unimaginable statement for a centre-right chancellor until very recently. And today 20% of Germans are described as having a migrant background.
Brexit-Britain and Trump's US, meanwhile, seem to be heading in the opposite direction. At least, that's what it looks like from here.
As for me, my own citizenship status is a bureaucratic muddle. It's no doubt my own fault for moving around too much, but growing up in a globalising world I had thought passports, borders and notions of citizenship were losing their importance.
Today though, as I scrabble together previously unheard of documents to avoid suddenly becoming an illegal alien, I can see I was wrong.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39082468
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Six Nations 2017: Jeremy Guscott on Scotland, England, Wales & Ireland - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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Scotland are not just winning, they are winning in style and with space to spare says Jeremy Guscott.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Just when you think you have the Six Nations pegged, it confounds expectations once again.
Scotland beating Wales was not a shock as such, but doing so with plenty to spare was a surprise.
Italy were expected to be fodder for Eddie Jones' England at Twickenham on Sunday, but exploited the intricacies of the laws to throw a spanner in the works as the hosts spluttered to victory.
Ireland's win over France was one for the purists, but keeps Joe Schmidt's side in contention for the title shake-up on the final day.
Two simple things impressed me most in Scotland's win over Wales.
Firstly, the mere fact that they won.
There has been a lot of talk about how this young Scotland side stacks up against the teams of the past that won Five Nations titles and Triple Crowns.
Previously, they have produced promising performances without the results. Now, though they are heading into the final two rounds still with a chance of lifting the title and completing a clean sweep of the home nations.
Secondly, was the manner in which they won.
It was not a nail-biting finish. Instead there were choruses of Flower of Scotland rolling around Murrayfield in the final 10 minutes, as the home team went away with the match.
They scored 20 unanswered points in the second half. In any hemisphere, at any level, that is a phenomenal performance.
The forwards made up for the loss of the injured Josh Strauss' heavy-duty ball carrying though sheer industry though.
John Barclay led through deed as captain and Hamish Watson was an absolute bundle of energy, while Huw Jones was elusive and quick in the centres, keeping the Wales midfield honest and allowing the wings space to score their tries.
And Stuart Hogg stood out once again.
He has superb acceleration, an eye for the gap and then the top-end speed to exploit it.
But against Wales it was his game-awareness - the ability to invariably do the right thing - that was key.
For Tommy Seymour's try he recognised that Huw Jones run had drawn the attention of the Wales defence and should be used as a decoy.
For Tim Visser's, he realised that George North was coming up fast and that he had to get that pass across his body as fast as possible.
After that win, talk inevitably turned to the Calcutta Cup match against England in a fortnight's time.
Their best chance of attacking England is out wide. The catch is that they can't go there immediately.
You have to keep the opposition defence narrow with big runners or decoy angles to create the space.
Scotland have to put together a more complete performance than they have managed yet in the tournament.
They have to play as well as they did in the first half against Ireland across a whole match. If not, they won't win.
This was an incredibly disappointing weekend for Wales.
Their performance was wonderful against England a fortnight ago, even if the result was not what they wanted.
But they backed it up with very little at Murrayfield.
By interim coach Rob Howley's own admission their title hopes have gone.
His selection for the next round against Ireland will show whether he is prioritising World Cups or saving face.
Fly-half Sam Davies came on as a replacement and is the sort of player who suits an adventurous, ambitious style.
But six minutes before he arrived on the pitch, Jamie Roberts had come on in the centres.
Roberts brings great experience and can dominate the gainline and guarantee quick ball.
But he is not the player to help Davies spread the ball wide.
We don't know if Davies could work alongside the starting midfield of Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams.
Now is the time to drop Dan Biggar and find out.
Italy's tactics - not engaging at the breakdown, not providing England with an offside line to work with and putting players into the channel between Danny Care and his runners - were really well thought out and executed.
However if Conor O'Shea's side had tried it against New Zealand, the All Blacks still would have sussed it out straight away.
Firstly because it is a tactic that their provincial Chiefs side have employed in Super Rugby , but secondly because their on-the-field problem-solving and mental agility is what sets them apart from the rest of world rugby.
A better team than England would have adapted to it a lot quicker and I think England were embarrassed by the fact that it took until the second half for them to sort it out.
We didn't get a look at what impact coach Eddie Jones' changes had.
He brought Ben Te'o into the centres, gave Danny Care a chance to start at scrum half, but they never really got a chance to implement the patterns that they had been running in training.
There were plus points. James Haskell was strong and industrious from his open-side flanker berth. Elliot Daly always seems to have time on the ball and that is a quality that sets good players apart. Second rows Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes were outstanding in their workrate.
But there were concerns as well.
Owen Farrell had an uncharacteristically poor game by his standards and Ireland and Scotland will have earmarked George Ford's fly-half channel as a potential weakness.
After France attacked him and made metres in round two and Michele Campagnaro ran through him for Italy's second try at Twickenham.
However getting heavy traffic through on collision course with Ford, with James Haskell patrolling a similar area, is harder in reality than in theory.
As tight and competitive as this Test was, it was a defensive struggle that was not easy on the eye.
France seemed to have more power, but lacked the collective team cohesion that Ireland have built over a number of years under Joe Schmidt.
Ireland did what was required to win and France, for all their power, never really threatened to wrestle the game from them.
What Schmidt will have been disappointed by is that Ireland should have made it easier.
They had a few multi-phase passages of play near the France line which they failed to convert into scores. Good teams make those count.
That is a big coaching challenge of modern rugby.
It can become so frenetic and hectic. Nobody seems to be able to take the game by the scruff of the neck, have the clarity of thought to see where the opportunity is and have the skills to seize it.
Centre Garry Ringrose looked promising again, making a few half breaks and cutting back against the drift defence.
I would like to see him in a game and a backline with more fluency though to assess his ability to straighten though a hole and turn half-breaks into full ones.
This is my third-round Lions XV, based on the form shown over the weekend.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39099083
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Oscars 2017: On the Vanity Fair red carpet - BBC News
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2017-02-27
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Vanity Fair's after party is the one to go to, and the invitees are letting their hair down before they get through the door.
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Vanity Fair's party is the one to go to after the Oscars, and the invitees are letting their hair down before they get through the door.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39103491
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England v Italy: World Rugby says it is 'too early to speculate on law changes' - BBC Sport
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2017-02-27
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It is "too early to speculate" on rule changes after Italy used controversial tactics against England, says the sport's governing body.
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Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
It is "too early to speculate" on potential rule changes after Italy used controversial tactics against England, says the sport's world governing body.
The Azzurri refused to engage in rucks as the home side won Sunday's Six Nations match 36-15 at Twickenham.
England boss Eddie Jones criticised Italy's tactics, and said law-makers should have a "very close look at it".
A spokesperson for World Rugby told the BBC it could 'clarify' the law, rather than drastically change it.
Italy's plan, masterminded by defence coach Brendan Venter, left no offside line after a tackle.
The Azzurri's half-backs then crowded an unsettled England backline.
England were 10-5 down at half-time but recovered in the second half to secure a bonus-point win.
"We challenged people's minds and a lot of credit must go to Brendan for doing what he did," said Italy head coach Conor O'Shea.
Follow the Six Nations across the BBC
How Italy's plan almost failed before it started
O'Shea has revealed Italy's plan was almost scuppered the day before the match.
He said referee Romain Poite told Italy's coaching team there had been a change in the laws during the week, which they were not aware of.
Their original idea was to target England scrum-half Danny Care directly after rejecting any notion of forming a ruck, and they worked on that in training.
But Poite told them they could no longer legally challenge the scrum-half.
"It meant we had to adapt even between Saturday's meeting and the match," said O'Shea.
Instead of chasing Care, Italy counterpart Edoardo Gori blocked his running and passing lines by standing in what would have been offside positions had any rucks formed.
O'Shea said: "There was an offside in our game against Ireland that was clarified as being onside.
"Brendan came to me and said: 'Please listen and don't think I'm mad.' We talked as a group of coaches and said: 'OK, will we go for this?'
"A lot of thought has gone into it. We didn't come up with this overnight."
O'Shea, a former director of rugby at London Irish and Harlequins, said he was "incredibly proud" of his players.
He said: "We did not come here to lose, and we are gutted to lose.
"We have to change in Italy and I am sick and tired of people having a pop and having a go. We came to win."
'Fury was righteous and often misplaced' - analysis
England were as ready for it as Don Bradman was for Bodyline, or Scott Styris in 2008 when Kevin Pietersen swapped hands on his bat handle and switch-hit him for six.
On the pitch they were first confused, then angry, and for a long period then neutered. In the stands it was more demonstrative yet.
There are few sights in rugby as striking as Twickenham Man in full red-cheeked fury, and on Sunday his fury was both righteous and often misplaced.
Coach Conor O'Shea had run the tactic past referee Romain Poite on Saturday, and not only been given the all-clear but a little bit of advice too: to be within the spirit of the laws as well as the wording, do not get within a metre of the nine.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39105862
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Louvre visitors in lockdown after attack - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Footage shows the scene outside the Louvre in the immediate aftermath of the attack and visitors inside sitting on the ground in a locked room.
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A French soldier guarding the Louvre in Paris has shot a man who tried to attack a security patrol with a machete shouting "Allahu Akbar", police say.
Visitors inside the museum were told to sit on the ground in a locked room as the area was put on lockdown.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38852723
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Hockney redesigns the Sun's logo - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Yorkshire artist has redesigned the newspaper's logo for a one-off souvenir edition
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Entertainment & Arts
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Here's an exclusive first look at David Hockney's masthead for Friday's edition of the Sun. What do you think?
Newspapers are forever doing cool stunts with their front pages and mastheads.
When he was editor of the Independent (my former parish), Simon Kelner designed several memorable front pages, often with the help of celebrities such as Bono or Tracey Emin.
In my time as editor we had the odd stunt too. They tended to be aimed at promoting charitable causes. Sometimes proceeds from the sale of the paper would go to charity.
For the Sun on Friday, this is more about boosting circulation with a souvenir edition.
For Hockney, it will help to raise awareness of his forthcoming exhibition at Tate Britain, which opens on 9 February.
For what it's worth, I think the redesigned logo is terrific. It is true to the essence of the original but takes it in a playful and childish (in the best sense of that word) direction.
Hockney was photographed for Friday's edition in his Los Angeles studio by Arthur Edwards, the Sun's celebrated royal photographer.
In my view, newspapers should do front page stunts much more often. They generally have a relationship with their readers that is sufficiently deep and trustful for them to get away with it - and they do have the habit of turning particular editions into souvenirs, which can help boost circulation and increase impact on our culture.
Indeed the Sun's front page on the birth of Prince George was, to my mind, close to genius. Of course, editors have to decide how often is too often.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38842491
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Newspaper headlines: Vegetable 'rationing' and lawyer under attack - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The papers lead on lettuce rationing in supermarkets and a lawyer being struck off for dishonesty.
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The Papers
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There is universal condemnation in Friday's papers for the lawyer struck off after he was found to have acted dishonestly in bringing murder and torture claims against British Iraq War veterans.
The Daily Telegraph thinks Phil Shiner should now be investigated by the criminal authorities "with the same vigour they showed in investigating those he falsely accused".
It says he was "on a crusade; a mission, it seemed, to tear apart the reputation of the British armed forces".
The Times says he has been made a "pariah of his profession", and calls for proper safeguards for soldiers so they cannot in future be subjected to allegations based on "cooked-up evidence".
The Daily Mail agrees, saying the "witch-hunt" extends as far as Northern Ireland, where police are investigating more than 300 killings by the Army during the Troubles.
The paper says Mr Shiner "is a stain on the legal establishment".
The Guardian has discovered that there is a ban on non-urgent surgery in West Kent until the new financial year begins, in April.
It says around 1,700 people will be affected by the decision, which has been prompted by a cash crisis.
The Royal College of Surgeons tells the paper the policy will prolong patients' suffering and may even cost more in the long term as conditions worsen.
The group which commissions treatment in the area says no patients will have operations cancelled as a result of the measures.
Rationing of a different kind is on the front page of the Daily Mail.
It says some supermarkets have begun imposing limits on the number of vegetables customers can buy due to the shortages caused by bad weather in the Mediterranean.
Iceberg lettuces are being rationed in Tesco and Morrisons, which is also capping the purchase of broccoli.
For the Guardian, it is "just the tip of the iceberg".
It says: "British shoppers have already been warned that shortages of courgettes, aubergines, salad and celery will continue until the spring - and they can expect to pay substantially higher prices for the stock that is available."
The Mirror leads with an investigation into the poaching of gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where populations have fallen by 80% in 20 years.
The paper says the animals are being shot for bush meat by militia groups and miners looking for a rare metal used in the manufacture of mobile phones and games consoles.
It is calling on the international community to act now to stop the slaughter.
The Times, meanwhile, is urging the government to bring about a housing revolution by allowing more development of the Green Belt.
It reports that a white paper on housing - due out next week - is expected to relax building height restrictions, among other measures.
However, the paper thinks the Tories should go further - and have the stomach for a fight in its heartlands, where the Green Belt is seen as sacrosanct.
Staying in the countryside, a new study about the benefits of camping is widely reported.
Apparently a night under canvas can help with insomnia by resetting the body's circadian rhythm, or internal clock, because campers are forced to adapt their sleeping patterns to the natural light.
However, the Telegraph warns there is a price to be paid for new-found health: it only works if there's strictly no peeking at the mobile phone.
Several newspapers reveal the possible secret of Donald Trump's remarkable hair.
According to the Times, it's an issue which has fascinated Americans throughout his career. Meanwhile, the new US president's head of hair is described in the Daily Express as a "gravity-defying bouffant".
Its mystery, though, may have been solved by his long-time doctor.
Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times that the president takes a prostate-related drug that stimulates hair growth.
He confirmed the president's hair was all real, but said it was helped to grow by a small dose of the drug finasteride, which lowers levels of prostate-specific antigen.
The doctor said: "He has all his hair. I have all my hair."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38850445
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Our changing attitudes to chimpanzees - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The illegal trade in chimps highlights the long, often shameful relationship between them and humans.
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Science & Environment
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The BBC's revelations about the illegal trade in baby chimpanzees triggered an outpouring of emotion on social media about the cruelty suffered by these adorable animals
And this raises questions about how our attitudes to our closest relations in the natural world have changed.
Some people who contacted me volunteered to adopt Nemley Jr, the infant rescued from traffickers after the BBC investigation.
Many expressed outrage at the wealthy buyers in China, South East Asia and the Gulf states whose demand encourages poachers to go on raids in the jungles.
There has also been a new burst of fury at celebrities posing with chimps.
More recently, Louis Tomlinson, of One Direction, was criticised for using one in a video.
And a small number on Twitter and Facebook were so disturbed by the heart-breaking scenes in our videos that they wanted to see anyone trading endangered animals immediately locked up or even killed.
What this represents is the latest episode in a long and often shameful relationship between chimps and humans.
Nemley Jr, the infant rescued from traffickers after the BBC investigation
Strange though it seems, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were able to become the first humans to walk on the Moon because of a legacy of rocket development that depended on chimpanzees.
As it happens, the BBC's coverage of chimp trafficking aired on the very anniversary of the launch of Ham the Astrochimp, the first primate to reach orbit, back in January 1961.
He had been captured in the jungles of Cameroon, strapped into a Mercury rocket and blasted into an unknown still deemed too risky for people.
He survived, but other space-faring chimps had a far tougher time.
Enos, the second Nasa chimp sent into space, was given tasks to perform - and, if he got them wrong, his feet would be given a small electric shock.
But the equipment malfunctioned, according to the account that emerged years later.
So even when Enos performed properly, by pulling the correct levers when prompted, he was still electrocuted 33 times in all.
None of this killed him, but his space capsule then landed off course.
US astronaut Alan Shepard with chimpanzee Ham, who preceded him in space
The truth was, chimps were deemed bright enough to stand in for people but were seen as expendable.
Medical researchers also used to turn to chimps and other great apes to seek answers to fundamental questions about physiology and the brain.
That work stopped in the UK many decades ago, and in several European countries more recently, but was phased out in the US only after a major scientific report in 2011 concluded there was no benefit from it.
According to Sir Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience and philosophy at the University of London and a long-time defender of the use of animals in research, discoveries in the 1950s and 60s revealed how chimp brains were "uncannily" like ours.
"The structures, the folds, the similarity was amazing," he says.
"Great apes were being used as models for humans, but the model came back to bite the researchers because of that shocking similarity
The more the brains of chimps and other great apes were seen to be like ours, the harder it became to justify conducting experiments on them, and a ban became the inevitable outcome.
British primatologist Jane Goodall is perhaps the world's leading authority on chimpanzees
Prof Blakemore lists a range of useful outcomes derived from research on chimps:
And he highlights the work on HIV - carried out under massive public pressure at the start of the Aids epidemic - as an example of an apocalyptic scenario that might conceivably justify the use of great apes in the years ahead.
"One could imagine that if the future of mankind is threatened by some terrible pathogen, then work on great apes might offer the possibility of saving the human race," he says.
Another long-standing - and popular - use of chimps has been for entertainment.
During our investigation, we heard of baby chimps performing in zoos in China.
That sounds outrageous to us now, but the same happened for decades in the UK.
Chimpanzee tea parties were a big attraction - and they were only phased out at Twycross Zoo in the 1970s.
The zoo's chimps became famous for appearing in hugely popular TV commercials for the tea brand PG Tips.
The last of the animals to feature on air, a female known as Choppers, died last year.
Sharon Redrobe, the zoo's chief executive, says a change in attitudes came as zoos faced having to cope with older chimps disturbed by their experiences and as conservation became more of a priority.
Two chimpanzees at a "tea party" at Whipsnade Zoo in April 1937
"There's been a massive sea-change in the zoo community," she says.
"In the 80s, there was a wake-up call that we needed to be part of the solution not the problem."
And, looking ahead, she says, celebrities "need to get the message that chimps don't make pets and that hugging them does them real harm".
For Will Travers, president of the Born Free Foundation, it was the growing scientific understanding of chimps - through the work of Jane Goodall and others - that turned opinion against exploiting the animals, and he gives a poignant example.
"There had been a misunderstanding that grimaces were smiles, but they were not," he says.
"We now know they represented fear. Enjoyment is the lips pressed together. This was a turning point.
"We've shot them into space, used them in experiments, dressed them up and pretended they're little humans, but the one thing we haven't done is the one thing they need: protection from us."
All eyes are now on the potential buyers of baby chimpanzees.
China, a huge market for ivory, was persuaded to introduce a ban on it last Christmas, which could help choke off demand.
The same kind of edict might help to save the chimpanzees as well.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38830223
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Pregnant Beyonce 'to perform at Grammys' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Beyonce will perform at this year's Grammys complete with that twin baby bump, according to her dad Mathew.
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Newsbeat
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Beyonce will perform at this year's Grammys complete with that twin baby bump, according to her dad Mathew.
In an interview with a US TV show, he said the star sounds "tired" because she's been working on the performance.
He also said he was "shocked" to hear her pregnancy news and only found out after she made the announcement on Instagram.
But he said he'd since had a "wonderful daughter-dad conversation" with her.
Beyonce's nominated for nine Grammys at this month's awards.
She's up for album of the year with Lemonade against Adele's 25. They're both nominated for record and song of the year too.
Her pregnancy announcement is now the most popular Instagram post of all time, with more than nine million likes.
She's also released more photos from the shoot, including ones of her under water, lying on a bed of roses and sitting on an old car.
Alongside the original picture of her bump, she wrote: "We would like to share our love and happiness.
"We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes."
After working as his daughter's manager, Mathew Knowles also called the pregnancy announcement "smart".
"I think it was a strategy. I think there's more to come," he said.
Adele, Bruno Mars, the Weeknd, Daft Punk and Alicia Keys are already confirmed to perform at the Grammys ceremony in LA on 12 February.
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articles/38851599
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Six Nations: World-beating crowds to flock to rugby showpiece - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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The Six Nations - which has the highest average attendance per match of any tournament in world sport - begins on Saturday.
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The Six Nations, which begins on Saturday, is set to be watched by the highest average attendance per match of any tournament in world sport.
Over the next seven weeks the northern hemisphere showpiece, which features England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy, will see the cream of European rugby meet across five rounds, culminating in the final set of games on 18 March.
Scotland play Ireland in the tournament's opening match in Edinburgh at 14:25 GMT, before defending champions England host France at Twickenham at 16:50 GMT, while Wales play Italy at 14:00 on Sunday in Rome.
Last year's tournament attracted an average 72,000 fans a game, leading sport's global standings above American football's NFL in second and the Fifa World Cup in third - according to statistics published by European football body Uefa.
More than a million people in total watched last season's 15 matches, with 81,916 fans packing in to see England beat Wales 25-21 at Twickenham in the best-attended game.
England secured the 2016 title with a perfect record of five wins from their five games, earning them the Grand Slam.
• None Alerts put you at centre of Six Nations
• None Who will win the 2017 Six Nations?
They are the bookies' favourites to win again but an Ireland team that claimed a famous win over world champions New Zealand in Chicago in November are serious contenders to regain the title they won in 2014 and 2015.
Wales are without head coach Warren Gatland - who has stepped away from his role for a year to coach the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in the summer - but interim replacement Rob Howley leads a team that includes the likes of barnstorming wing George North.
Scotland come into the tournament buoyed by the domestic success of a Glasgow Warriors side currently fourth in the Pro12 and into the last eight of the top-tier European Champions Cup.
France and Italy are both under relatively new leadership, with Guy Noves and Conor O'Shea taking over in January and June 2016 respectively, but the former showed signs of their old form in an improved showing in the autumn Tests, while O'Shea was the mastermind behind Harlequins' 2012 Premiership title.
One of the key factors in deciding the destination of the title may be the strength in depth of each squad.
High-profile stars such as Ireland's Johnny Sexton, Wales' Taulupe Faletau and England's Billy Vunipola will miss the start of the tournament through injury, and the physicality of the modern game means more are sure to join them on the sidelines.
For the first time bonus points will be on offer.
In addition to the four points to be gained for a win, teams can pick up a further point for scoring four or more tries or by losing by seven points or less.
Another change is that referees have been told to pay extra attention to high tackles, with more severe penalties to be handed down to players who make contact with an opponent's head, whether accidentally or recklessly.
While the chance to clinch this season's title will spur on supporters, the tournament will also be a chance to renew age-old rivalries and add another chapter the tournament's long history of famous results.
And in a competition that saw England captain Bill Beaumont carried shoulder-high from the pitch in 1980, David Sole's slow walk onto the Murrayfield turf in 1990, Scott Gibbs carving through the England defence at Wembley in 1999 or a fresh-faced Brian O'Driscoll's hat-trick against France in 2000, there is every prospect of new heroes being made.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38859441
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Six Nations 2017: Eddie Jones says England v France will be 'war' at Twickenham - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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England head coach Eddie Jones says France should expect another "war" when they visit Twickenham in Saturday's Six Nations opener.
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Last updated on .From the section English Rugby
England head coach Eddie Jones has warned France to expect another "war" when they visit Twickenham in their Six Nations opener on Saturday.
It is the 103rd meeting between the sides, with England sealing the Grand Slam with a win in Paris last March.
Elliot Daly starts on the wing for the hosts, while Maro Itoje will start a Test for the first time on the flank.
"It's always a historic game, certainly there is history between France and England," explained Jones.
The Australian said defence coach Paul Gustard is "into his history" and has made Jones aware of the conflicts between England and France dating back to 1213.
"There's been 20 wars between England and France," he added. "That's a lot of rivalry there. There is another one happening on Saturday."
However, Jones does not believe the rivalry will affect his players' professionalism.
"I coach them to be emotionally right for the game," he said. "If we need that 'let's get stuck into the French' type situation' I'll leave it to the assistant coaches to do it.
"I don't think we need that. If we need that then there's something wrong. I don't believe teams are motivated by that."
The former Australia and Japan boss has enjoyed 13 straight victories since taking charge of England, but is wary of complacency against a French side looking to improve on a fifth-placed finish in last year's tournament.
"It's always going to be there," he said. "It's not something you can get rid of, like a fungus.
"We are going to face a side that's desperate for success. They are under pressure to play with French flair.
"It's really important that we're in the game right from the start and that's in the head. We have to front up, do the business."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38851744
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Bungling burglar caught after getting stuck in a bathroom window - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Sean Crawshaw was caught dangling from the bathroom window of a home he had tried to burgle.
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Manchester
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Sean Crawshaw was cautioned by police while still dangling from the window
Police could scarcely believe their luck when they found a bungling burglar dangling out of a bathroom window.
Sean Crawshaw, 47, got stranded after trying to break in to the house in Radcliffe, Bury, Greater Manchester.
The homeowner, in her 60s, found him wedged on the windowsill about 15ft (4.5m) off the ground after returning from a trip to the shops.
The long arm of the law plucked Crawshaw to safety and he has now been jailed for the botched burglary.
The burglar hurt his ear after getting wedged in the window
Crawshaw, of James Street, Radcliffe was sentenced to two years and five months at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last month.
He had pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal after being caught in the bathroom window in Bank Street in December.
Sgt Richard Garland of Greater Manchester Police told the BBC: "It was nice of him to hang around.
"He was actually cautioned as he was in mid-air.
"We did all have a chuckle about it later but the homeowner was actually pretty shaken up about it all.
"It's not nice having someone burgle your home and then finding them still there."
It took fire crews 20 minutes to rescue Crawshaw, who hurt his ear in the raid.
GMP officers arrested him at the scene but not before they caught his embarrassing moment on camera.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38855685
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Trump travel ban: Pakistanis fear they're next - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Pakistan is not part of President Trump's executive order, but US residents are still concerned.
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US & Canada
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Aman Salman's mobile barely stops ringing these days. He runs a small travel agency in Long Island, New York, catering mostly to clients of Pakistani origin.
But since last Friday, when President Trump signed his Executive Order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, most of these calls have been to cancel tickets.
Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country, is not on Mr Trump's list. But there is huge concern and anxiety in the community that its inclusion is imminent.
"At least 95% of my Green Card holding clients, who had booked their tickets to Pakistan months in advance, have cancelled it," says Mr Salman.
He is also getting frantic calls from those already in Pakistan trying to get the earliest possible return dates, even if that means paying stiff charges to change tickets.
Mr Trump's order stops the admission of refugees from Syria indefinitely and further bans entry of all citizens from seven countries including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
A Customs and Border Protection statement clarifies that the current order doesn't apply to Green Card holders' entry to the United States, but there has been much confusion about the order, and reports of inconsistencies as to how it's being applied at airports.
Aman Salman has seen many cancellations
The visa ban for this list is in place for 90 days, but administration officials have hinted that it will be reconsidered and possibly expanded to include other countries.
The uncertainty has prompted immigration lawyers to advise their Pakistani clients to cancel their travel plans for now and for those already in Pakistan to return immediately.
Immigration attorney Rafia Zakaria says Pakistani citizens who are legal permanent residents of US or hold other US non-immigrant visas must take seriously the possibility of an imminent ban on Pakistani citizens as well.
"The text of the order says that further review is taking place, and the outcome of that is not really known to anyone," she told the BBC.
She noted that White House spokesman Sean Spicer and White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus have both implied that the ban could be expanded.
She says if the ban is expanded, the legal challenges will take a long time to be ironed out.
Khizr Khan, a Pakistani-American lawyer attacked by Donald Trump spoke against the order in front of Congress on Thursday
Mr Trump presented his "extreme vetting" plan as a way to crack down on countries that could be a source of terrorism.
Anwar Iqbal, the Washington correspondent for Pakistan's leading English newspaper, Dawn, says this has further added to the community's anxiety.
"Pakistan has been on the top of this unspecified list for years and that's a reality we can't overlook," says Mr Iqbal, referring to the list of countries where terrorism is a major concern.
The San Bernardino attack of 2015, allegedly carried out by a couple of Pakistani origin, has been used to justify the president's executive order.
All this has meant sleepless nights for many of Mr Salman's clients.
He says one lives in the US with his wife and daughter, but has a mother in Pakistan who is very ill.
"I saw a 45-year-old man crying. If he doesn't go and something happens to his mother, he'll never be able to forgive himself," says Mr Salman.
"On the other hand, if he gets stuck in Pakistan there's nobody to look after his wife and child in the US, as he is the sole breadwinner."
This is also the time when many Pakistanis look for highly sought-after bargains combining pilgrimages to holy sites in Saudi Arabia with a trip to home.
A family is reunited in Boston's Logan Airport after the father was questioned as a result of the executive order
"An excellent deal from Saudi Airlines for $895 (£710) came up last week but there are barely any takers," says Mr Salman.
Just about an hour's drive from his office is Brooklyn's Coney Island, home to thousands of Pakistani immigrants and aptly named Little Pakistan.
Thousands here were deported in the post-9/11 crackdown. Now the rumour mills are in overdrive again.
"We hear that it's going to be worse than 9/11 this time, and unlike then it will be irreversible," says Baza Roohi, who works as a tax consultant.
There are unsubstantiated talks of midnight raids on Pakistani-run businesses. People are scouring the internet and social media for information.
Ms Roohi says this is all most of her clients talk about, with even some US citizens fearing deportation.
"I know of at least one family that owns two houses, and has already put up one for sale," she says.
They want to make sure that if need be, they can leave in a hurry.
Baza Roohi sees a high level of anxiety in her clients
"There are lots of rumours," a White House spokesperson admitted to the BBC. But he noted that US officials have no plans to add more countries to the ban, saying there's "nothing imminent that I'm aware of".
According to the spokesperson, the countries that are currently mentioned in the Executive Order had not been sharing the kind of information US officials need in order to process travel documents of its citizens. But he believed officials in other countries - such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Lebanon - were at this point providing the required information.
If that changes, he said, these or other countries could be added to the list.
Pakistan has been an important non-Nato ally for the United States in the war against terrorism, but the relationship has also been marked by mutual mistrust and acrimonious finger-pointing.
There are many in Congress now who favour putting a squeeze on Pakistan because of its alleged support to militant groups who harm US interests in the region.
There's also a feeling - expressed by the new Secretary of Defence James Mattis, during his confirmation hearing - that the US needs to stay engaged with the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic country.
Some experts point to this as a sign that Pakistan may not be included in the travel ban even if the list is expanded.
But for the community in New York, that's hardly reassuring.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38847787
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Newspaper headlines: Louvre attack and MP's China cash 'link' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The attack in Paris, the funding of a shadow minister's office and energy bill price rises attract headlines on Saturday.
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The Papers
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CCTV images showing the aftermath of an attack by a man with a machete at the Louvre museum in Paris feature in many papers - with the Daily Telegraph saying troops had prevented a fresh terrorist incident.
The i reports that the man was shot several times in the stomach, after he allegedly attacked soldiers with a machete, shouting "Allahu Akbar".
The Daily Mirror reports 50 sixth formers from Surrey were held inside the museum for two hours as the authorities searched for possible bombs.
There is anger at Npower's decision to increase its energy prices by an average of more than a £100 a year for customers on its standard variable tariff.
The Daily Express describes the move as a "kick in the teeth" for families. "For too long these companies have been making huge profits while punishing their customers," it says.
The Daily Mirror comments that such a price hike demands "powerful action" and calls for the "tough regulation of companies ripping off customers".
The Times reports on its front page that the shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner is receiving money from a law firm with links to the Chinese state.
The paper says the son of the law firm's founder works in the MP's office - and that the donations partly pay his salary.
There's no suggestion of impropriety, but some Labour sources have expressed "disquiet" to the paper.
According to the Guardian, Jeremy Corbyn's team have "informally explored the idea of collaborating with the Greens and Liberal Democrats" in Stoke Central, to prevent UKIP winning the seat at the upcoming by-election.
The paper says a senior figure in the Labour leader's office has asked a go-between what it would take to persuade the other parties to "dial down" their campaigns - or even withdraw candidates.
The Daily Telegraph and Times both report on what the government may do to alleviate the housing crisis.
"Get building or lose planning" is the headline on the front of the Telegraph, which says developers will be ordered to make use of planning permission quickly - or risk losing it. The paper says ministers want to discourage firms from sitting on land earmarked for new homes.
According to the Times, local authorities will be told to target vacant properties with sharp rises in council tax, as part of a drive to bring hundreds of thousands of empty homes back into use.
Elsewhere, a police chief in Merseyside has spoken to the Guardian about the pressing need for communities in Liverpool to break the wall of silence around gang crime.
Assistant chief constable Nikki Holland urges residents to "stop tolerating" gang members in their midst and "take back control" by talking to police.
What is called the on-going "veg panic" also attracts headlines.
The Daily Mail says a growing number of supermarkets are rationing vegetables in response to crop shortages caused by adverse weather across the Mediterranean.
Some stores, it reports, have even decided to block people from buying certain products online.
"Seize a salad" is the headline in the Sun, which accuses Spanish supermarkets of "stockpiling" lettuces, while shelves across the UK are left bare.
For some columnists, the entire episode illustrates the lunacy of our consumer habits. "Humans are absurd" writes Deborah Orr in the Guardian.
"Why do we persist in flying planes full of lettuce to Britain? How can it be said to be a consumer crisis when such a piece of ridiculous foolishness goes wrong?"
Finally, the papers seem bemused by David Cameron's reappearance in the limelight - alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Sun says the former prime minister appeared in a short 10-second video posted by the actor-turned-politician on social media.
The Daily Mail says he is seen leaning into the shot and draping his arm over the star, before saying "I'll be back".
"Exactly what the former PM means is a mystery" says the paper, adding he "should probably know better than to make bold promises" only seven months after being forced to bid "hasta la vista to Number 10".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38863523
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Dubai Desert Classic: Players criticise play suspension - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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The decision to suspend play at the Dubai Desert Classic with almost half the field still to finish round two angers some players.
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Last updated on .From the section Golf
Players have criticised the European Tour's decision to suspend round two of the Dubai Desert Classic in Abu Dhabi.
Winds reached 36mph and blew trees over at Emirates Golf Club, where play has stopped until Saturday, angering some of the 64 players to finish round two.
Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman called the halt "ridiculous", while Ryder Cup player Chris Wood said the decision made the event "one sided".
Tournament director Mike Stewart said the course was "unsafe and unplayable".
Stewart added: "We had TV towers that the roofs were blown off. We had balls moving on the greens - blew into a bunker at one stage. Five trees came down."
There are 65 players, including George Coetzee of South Africa, who leads on nine under, and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, a shot behind, who have nine holes or more left to play of round two.
England's Matthew Fitzpatrick (three under par), Danny Willett (one over), Ian Poulter (three under) and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell (four under), are all yet to reach halfway in the second round.
Stewart still thinks the tournament will conclude on Sunday as round two will be completed on Saturday with the third round commencing later in the day from a two-tee start.
However, a host of early starters on Friday stressed their frustrations as those set to face the gusts later in the afternoon were spared.
Spain's Pablo Larrazabal - who ended five over after two rounds - said he was "very angry".
South African Immelman, who is set to miss the cut at four over par, wrote on social media: "Suspending play now is ridiculous, half the field played 36 holes in these conditions."
Martin Kaymer of Germany, who is tied for fifth on four under, said: "Hard to understand the difference between the morning play and now, therefore even more surprised about the decision."
Earlier on Friday, 14-time major winner Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament before the start of round two citing a back spasm.
The 41-year-old American, who only returned to action in December after 15 months out following two back operations, was five over after 18 holes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/38859242
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Davis Cup: Why competition is loved but needs to change - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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This weekend may see some dramatic tennis, but Russell Fuller explains why the 117-year-old competition needs reform.
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Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, Red Button, Connected TV and online, plus follow text updates on the BBC Sport website.
The absence of Andy Murray and Milos Raonic may not prevent a dramatic weekend from unfolding in snowy Ottawa, but after the thrills of the Australian Open, the Davis Cup is struggling to make its voice heard as it returns for another year.
Great Britain start clear favourites to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth year in a row. While Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund are both ranked in the world's top 50, Canada are unable to field any singles players in the top 100. And they are not alone.
There remains a lot of affection for the 117-year-old competition around the world. Last year's Davis Cup was staged in 58 countries and featured 618 players from 124 different nations.
On a good weekend, the atmosphere is unrivalled in tennis - just ask those lucky enough to be in Glasgow, Birmingham or at the Queen's Club for recent British ties, or in Zagreb in November where Argentina won the cup for the first time over the course of three memorable days.
And yet this week, Serbia's Novak Djokovic is the only member of the world's top 10 in action.
There is once again no Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka for Switzerland; Rafael Nadal was a late withdrawal from the Spain team; Japan's Kei Nishikori is preferring to play ATP Tour events in Buenos Aires and Rio later in the month; and last year's runners-up, Croatia, will have to do without Marin Cilic. Their number one player for the week is Franko Skugor - their fifth-best player, according to the rankings, and outside the world's top 200.
That is not part of the plan. It is unsustainable.
A package of reforms is under discussion, and will be put to the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) member nations during August's AGM in Vietnam. The problem is a lukewarm initial response from players, and an increasing lack of support from the main tours. The ATP and the WTA see the Davis Cup and the women's Fed Cup as competitors, not partners.
Reducing five-set matches to three is on the agenda, and likely to prove popular. However. that in itself is unlikely to encourage the top players to commit to playing up to four weeks of Davis Cup each year, given the first round currently follows the Australian Open and the semi-finals are the week after the US Open.
The ATP's interest is in maximising the strength of its tour: senior figures indicate privately the likelihood of a more confrontational approach in future. If the ITF were to attempt to schedule the Davis Cup in different weeks, they could expect to find ATP events - with ranking points and the potential for far greater financial rewards - running alongside them.
The formation of a 16-team Fed Cup World Group has also been proposed by the ITF. This would include a 'final four' event to avoid an extra week being added to the schedule, but there seems little desire within the ITF to budge from four weeks of Davis Cup tennis per year.
These weeks can be hugely valuable in raising revenue and increasing exposure in countries where tennis does not have a huge following. Pakistan, for example, have the chance to host Iran in Islamabad this week, while in Tunis, Tunisia take on Sweden.
Undesirable though it is for the ITF, the number of weeks of World Group tennis will need to be reduced if the Davis Cup is going to thrive. But even that is not as easy as it sounds.
An annual World Cup style tournament - or the biennial staging of the event - would significantly reduce exposure to the competition. And the establishment of a 'final four' event may not be well received by players, given their initial hostility to the ITF's proposal for fixed host cities for the final.
Andy Murray, who was elected to the ATP Player Council last year, addressed that idea during the Australian Open.
"I sat in a room with all of the guys on the player council, and nobody was for the neutral venue," the British world number one explained, wary of a potential lack of atmosphere in non-partisan cities. (The ITF, keen to promote the final much earlier than it currently can, points to away support in excess of 5,000 fans at each of the last three Davis Cup finals).
"There were many things discussed that could change the Davis Cup, we thought for the better," Murray, who inspired Great Britain to victory in the tournament in 2015, added. "None of that's been done yet.
"I do think it needs to change. If the top players aren't playing, the event loses value."
And so to this weekend. Kyle Edmund and Denis Shapovalov may yet be called upon to settle matters in a fifth and final rubber - and I am sure those in attendance will have a hugely enjoyable three days.
It is just unlikely to be a major talking point in either Canada or Britain during the Monday morning commute.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38844538
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The new property trap affecting thousands - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Buying a home can be expensive enough but some owners are facing unexpected bills to buy the freehold of their property.
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Business
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Katie Kendrick says she was originally told her home's freehold would cost between £2,000 and £4,000
When putting pen to paper to buy a new home, most people expect to know how much they will need to pay to own it outright. But thousands of families in England and Wales are discovering the new-build houses they bought are not all they seemed.
Katie Kendrick bought her new-build home from Bellway in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, three years ago for £214,000.
"It was supposed to be our forever home," she tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme, sitting in the living room of her four-bedroom house. "But it's the biggest mistake I've ever made."
Katie knew the house was leasehold - meaning she owned the property for the 150-year length of her lease agreement - but claims she was told by the sales representative that because of the long lease it was "as good as freehold"; a property owned outright.
She thought nothing of it, and says she was told she would be able to buy her freehold after two years, believing it would cost between £2,000 and £4,000.
But a year and a half later, she received a letter from Bellway saying her freehold had been sold to an investment company, which was now quoting £13,300 for her to buy it.
"At the moment I feel completely blind and in a corner and don't know which way to turn. There's legal action but that is very costly," she says.
What Bellway has done - selling a new home as leasehold, and then selling the freehold separately to an investment company without informing the family living there - is not illegal.
In England and Wales, the "right of first refusal" applies to flats, but not houses. So it was not legally obliged to tell Katie it would do this.
For an investment company, buying groups of freeholds is a safe long-term investment. Receiving regular payments for ground rents - over leases that number well over 100 years - means safe, steady incomes, to fund things like pensions.
The campaign group Leasehold Knowledge Partnership estimates this business is worth up to £500m to the developers each year.
The leasehold system has existed for a long time in England and Wales, especially in blocks of flats. Many leaseholders have long leases, for example for 999 years, and experience no problems.
But the trend for new-build houses being sold as leasehold has accelerated in recent years. While not all house builders use this model, those that do argue it helps make developments financially viable.
But nowhere on Bellway's website is this system made clear to potential buyers, and Katie feels these facts were not made clear to her. She also says the solicitor - recommended to her by Bellway - made no mention of this possibility either.
Katie says because she bought the house through the government's Help To Buy scheme, she felt she could trust the process.
Bellway has not responded to requests for comment.
Homeground - the company that now manages Katie's freehold on behalf of the investment company - said in a statement it "can usually informally negotiate a price which can often save both time and some of the professional fees".
"In the rare event we cannot agree, the leaseholder still retains the right to turn to the statutory process, which will establish the price as well as the legal fees they have to pay."
It's likely thousands of homeowners could be in a similar position to Katie. Lindsay, who lives on the same estate, bought a house from developers Taylor Wimpey.
The company did ask Lindsay if she wanted to buy her freehold - for £2,600. She declined because she was on maternity leave and felt financially it was not possible.
Two years later she asked about buying it but found it was now £32,000.
"I rang them and said, 'I'd like to buy it now.' And they said, 'It's not for sale - there's a private investor who owns it. They've got a long-term interest in your property,'" Lindsay explains.
"I turned around and said, 'I've got a long-term interest in my property. It's my family home, it's my son's inheritance, and it's not yours to just line your pockets with.'
"I feel like I've let everybody down because it wasn't right to buy it when it came. But nobody said this was a one-time offer.
"It might be legal, but it's not even questionable that it's immoral," she adds.
Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
Taylor Wimpey said as it no longer owned the freehold to Lindsay's house, it did not set the price of the freehold or benefit from the ground rent.
It added that, since the start of this year, houses on its new developments would be sold as freehold-only, except in a small number of cases where it did not own the freehold to the land.
But other developers are still selling new-build houses as leasehold.
Katie and Lindsay do have the option to negotiate with the companies who own their freeholds, but say they do not wish to go down this route. They feel the original prices should still stand.
The law does allow a leaseholder to force their freeholder to sell after two years - if both sides cannot agree a price, a tribunal will decide how much the leaseholder should pay.
However, the leaseholder can also be liable for the legal fees of both parties, meaning further expense to people like Katie and Lindsay.
A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government has told the BBC "it is unacceptable if home buyers are being exploited with unfair charges and unfavourable ground rent agreements prior to purchase.
"We are aware of this issue and will announce radical proposals to reset the housing market in our forthcoming White Paper."
Beth Rudolf, from the Conveyancing Association, says that if the developers were not clear about the leaseholds, it may be a case of misrepresentation.
"Anyone marketing a property is covered by consumer unfair trading regulations, which means that if there is anything that would affect their decision-making process, then they should be advised of that before viewing the property," she says.
Beth Rudolf believes developers should be clear about the leaseholds from the start
"It's too late when they move into the house to find that out, it's too late when they become legally liable to purchase it.
"It's too late really at the point when they've viewed it, because they've already fallen in love with it."
The fight goes on for Katie and Lindsay, who worry their homes are now "unsellable" while this shadow hangs over them.
"Hindsight's a wonderful thing," says Lindsay. "I wouldn't have done it if I had known."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38827661
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Davis Cup, Canada v Great Britain: Dan Evans beats Denis Shapovalov in opener - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Watch the best of the action as Dan Evans sees off Canada's 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov in straight sets in the Davis Cup.
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Watch the best of the action as Dan Evans sees off Canada's 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov in straight sets to win his first match as Great Britain's Davis Cup number one.
READ MORE: Evans gives Britain early lead over Canada in Davis Cup
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38863841
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How virtual reality is transforming art - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Virtual reality is offering artists the chance to express themselves in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
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Virtual reality is offering artists the chance to express themselves in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
London's Royal Academy's been showcasing the work of three pioneering artists.
The BBC's Karin Giannone went along to immerse herself in the creative possibilities of the future.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38852720
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Tiger Woods pulls out of Dubai Desert Classic after back spasm - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Tiger Woods withdraws from the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round because of a back problem.
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Last updated on .From the section Golf
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round, because of a back problem.
The 14-time major winner only returned to action in December after 15 months out following two back operations.
Woods, 41, struggled in the first round in Dubai as he shot a five-over 77.
His agent Mark Steinberg said the American suffered a back spasm on Thursday night but was told by Woods that it was not "the nerve pain that's kept him out for so long".
Steinberg explained: "He feels terrible for the tournament. He wants to be here. He can move around. He can't make a full rotation on the swing.
"The fact he feels it's not the nerve pain is very encouraging for him.
"He doesn't have the strongest back in the world so it's probably easier to spasm because of the issues he's had."
Woods had won the Dubai tournament twice before, but was 12 shots behind overnight leader Sergio Garcia after day one.
"I wasn't in pain at all. I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn't doing a very good job," Woods said after his opening round.
Woods' first return to competitive action after his lengthy lay-off came at the Hero World Challenge - an 18-man tournament in the Bahamas - in December and he finished 15th at the PGA Tour event.
Afterwards, he expressed concerns over the physical challenge of being scheduled to play four full-field tournaments over the next five weeks.
His next outing came at the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines where a first round 76 and level-par second round of 72 meant he missed the cut.
The former world number one's next two tournaments were to be the Genesis Open at Riviera from 16-19 February and the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens from 23-26 February but his participation now appears in doubt.
Woods, who has won 79 titles on the PGA Tour, has not won a tournament anywhere since 2013, while his title drought in the major championships dates back to 2008.
Meanwhile, play in Dubai was abandoned on Friday because of high winds which blew trees over and whipped sand across the course. Round two is scheduled to restart on Saturday morning.
South Africa's George Coetzee had completed eight holes of his second round as he moved into the lead on nine under, while Garcia was one shot behind having completed five holes.
Woods' latest withdrawal is a huge setback that suggests a bleak golfing future for the 14-time major champion.
This was supposed to be the comeback that signalled the end of the 41-year-old's fitness woes but, after only three unconvincing rounds at tour level, he finds himself, once again, unable to swing a club.
He looked uncomfortable while compiling a first-round 77; he moved slowly and appeared stiff but denied he was feeling any pain.
"He looks like the oldest 41-year-old man in the history of the game," former PGA Tour player Brandel Chamblee told viewers of the Golf Channel.
Was he wise to accept the reported £1m appearance fee to make the 17-hour flight from the west coast of the United States to the Middle East? It does not look the cleverest move right now.
Next he is due to play the Genesis Open, starting on 16 February. The tournament is backed by Woods' charitable foundation and he will be desperate to play but whether he is able to will tell us an awful lot about his state of fitness.
The former world number one remains the biggest draw in golf and there will be plenty fervently hoping this is only a temporary blip.
However, the hard evidence suggests otherwise and fears are growing for the future of what has been one of the greatest careers golf has ever seen.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/38852149
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Vegetable shortage: How to cope as supermarkets ration lettuces - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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With experts warning that salad shortages are the tip of the iceberg, what can leaf lovers do?
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UK
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Kale is used as an alternative to iceberg lettuce in Riverford's Caesar salad
Some supermarkets are rationing iceberg lettuces, with experts warning it could be the, er, tip of the iceberg.
Bad weather in Europe has already caused a #courgette crisis, alongside a shortage of broccoli, tomatoes, salad peppers and aubergines.
With vegetable shortages expected to continue until April, what alternatives are there for shoppers?
During the UK's winter months of December, January and February, UK farmers produce beetroot, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, fennel, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, red cabbage, swede and turnips.
We've become a "slightly strange group", expecting all-year-round produce, according to Lord Haskins, the former chairman of Northern Foods, which supplies Tesco.
"Thirty years ago you'd never have worried about buying lettuce in the middle of the winter - lettuces were things that grew in the summer and you ate them in the summer - you ate cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts in the winter," he says.
As for courgettes, they are actually "very, very out of season", says organic vegetable retailer Riverford. We have just got used to supermarkets supplying them all year round.
Eating British produce that's in season is often cheaper, as it is produced locally - and it can be healthier too.
According to food industry campaign group Love British Food, fruit and vegetables that are in season contain the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of year.
Apples, for example, are packed with vitamin C to boost our resistance to winter colds.
Beetroot is "terrific in soups" says Alexia Robinson from Love British Food
The group's Alexia Robinson recommends beetroot, kale, cabbages, broccoli and traditional root vegetables for their health-giving properties.
Riverford says a slaw made with cabbage, beetroot or swede will offer "10 times more nutrients" than an iceberg lettuce - which it says aren't known for their nutritional value.
If you are really keen on iceberg lettuces, you can probably pay a bit more for one from Peru or South Africa, says Lord Haskins.
But imported vegetables can clock up a lot of air miles before they land on your plate - making them worse for the environment.
Hatty Richards, from the Community Farm in Chew Magna, Somerset, says buying local is better.
"We have such a range on our doorsteps already, it's fresher, it's really good for the environment - it reduces air miles - and it supports local business which is crucial."
Lord Haskins agrees, and suggests your tastebuds may also be grateful:
"We all buy stuff from far parts. They don't taste nearly as good: strawberries at this time of year from Egypt don't taste anything like as good as a British strawberry in May, June, July."
Kale is a hardy winter leaf that can withstand frosty weather
A leafy salad is nice - but there are plenty of alternative dishes to try.
Riverford's Guy Watson thinks the UK's more bitter winter salad leaves and root vegetables can provide "a far superior substitute" which will easily make up for a lack of lettuce.
Vibrant winter coleslaws and cauliflower salads "bring British veg to life", he says, adding that one of the Riverford Field Kitchen's most popular winter dishes is a kale caesar salad.
Kale, which was originally used to feed cows, is a robust, hardy winder leaf that can withstand frosty weather. It can also be used in soups, stews, stir fries, gratins or just wilted with butter.
Ms Robinson suggests embracing winter comfort food with a "good old fashioned winter stew with plenty of root vegetables with tender meat".
If you're still not convinced you can do without leafy salads, try growing your own.
Those who do want to eat lettuce need not despair. According to the campaign group Eat Seasonably, lettuce, rocket and other crunchy salad leaves are some of the easiest things to grow at home, all year around - on a seed tray indoors, on your window sill or in the garden.
Spinach is easily grown, even in window boxes, says Ms Robinson
Ms Robinson says: "As well as the cress there are many great veg that can be easily grown in window boxes such as leaf lettuce, radishes, spinach, green onions and of course a good selection of herbs."
Another easy win is beetroot, Eat Seasonably says, which can be grown in a big pot. Though beetroot is harvested in October, Riverford says it can last up to four months if it's kept in a cold storage.
"Carrots are not too hard to grow either," Riverford's Emily Muddeman said, "Leeks, kale - you could plant just four or five stalks of kale and it will go on sprouting."
Any budding gardeners could start with planting onions later this month - Eat Seasonably says they are "not even slightly difficult to grow".
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38852000
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Preserving memories: Readers share their time capsule stories - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Readers share stories of their childhood time capsules and the items they buried.
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UK
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John buried a Matchbox car and a halfpenny in his time capsule
Many people around the world make time capsules with items included in them, hoping someone will find them many years later.
A Blue Peter Millennium time capsule has been accidentally dug up 33 years earlier than planned. It was buried under the Millennium Dome, now the O2 Arena, in 1998 and was not supposed to be unearthed until 2050.
We asked people to share their stories and to tell us what they included in their time capsules. Here are some of the responses we received.
John Carver, 59, buried his time capsule 51 years ago. It included many items including crayons as he thought there would not be colours in the future. He never found the capsule.
"I buried a time capsule when I was about eight. The contents included, as far as I can remember, crayons, a halfpenny and a Matchbox car.
"They were 'securely' packaged in a Marmite jar which then came with a metal lid. It was buried in the lawn of the family home, which has recently been sold, never to be seen again.
"Within a very short time the hole I had dug disappeared and I could never accurately pinpoint where it was.
"It was the family home for 56 years and over the years, I have always thought about it."
Mike Simpson and his son Thomas created a time capsule hoping that a boy from the future would find it one day and read it. The capsule included a list of Thomas's favourite things, ranging from his favourite meal to his favourite TV show, which is Doctor Who.
"Thomas was just starting to get interested in history so this was a project that helped him to understand the passage of time and consider how a house can be home to many different families over a century," Mike says.
"Eight years ago when Thomas was five we moved into our present home, which dates from the 1890s. Removing old plaster to add a damp course revealed some gaps between the Victorian bricks where mortar had crumbled.
"We created a letter to a little boy from the future, listing Thomas's name, school, favourite food, favourite TV show among other things.
Thomas pictured with his favourite items, some of which he buried in the time capsule
"We carefully folded this up and sealed it in a plastic bag with one of his school photos and a penny dated that year. This was pushed between two bricks and then plastered over.
"Hopefully decades from now someone will find a message from the past."
Aged about 10, Angus Macdonald, now 50, buried his time capsule in his parents' back garden in Singapore in 1976.
"It was a big glass jam jar, buried only about a foot down, and it contained the front page of that day's newspaper and a few other personal bits and pieces.
"I imagine it has probably been found by now and probably thrown away as junk. Or else it has broken and its contents long decomposed.
"One day, I would like to go back and see whether it is still there, but I guess it would be a bit odd to ask the current occupants of the house whether I could dig up their garden!
"I think time capsules are a great idea - but you need to do it properly, bury them in a place where they are unlikely to be discovered, set a date for opening them that is not too far away and ensure the fact of their existence is recorded somewhere, especially with family or friends."
Ray Green's staircase where he hid his time capsule
Ray Green placed a time capsule under his home's staircase in 1992. While altering the staircase of his then new house, he took photos of the construction work at the time, along with a picture of him and his wife and other items.
"In the capsule there are pictures of me and my wife, a copy of the Liverpool Echo, pictures of the construction and a letter I wrote explaining the work that was carried out.
"There was also a good luck message to anyone finding it and deciding to alter the staircase again, mainly because I had such a swine of a job doing it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38845752
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Blue Peter time capsule dug up 33 years early - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Workers at the O2 arena accidentally unearth the trove which has a wealth of late 90s memorabilia.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Blue Peter presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon bury the trove in 1998
A Blue Peter time capsule has been accidentally dug up by construction workers 33 years earlier than planned.
The Millennium Time Capsule was buried under the Millennium Dome, now the O2 Arena, in 1998.
Filled with viewers' mementos of the time, it was not supposed to be unearthed until 2050.
The O2 has said despite being damaged, the capsule's contents are safe. The BBC said the capsule will be re-buried.
A Tellytubby, Blue Peter badge and Tamagotchi were among the items buried
Former Blue Peter presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon buried the capsule in June 1998.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "Although a little earlier than anticipated, we're looking forward to sharing these memories with our viewers and making new ones as we return the capsule to the earth so that it can be reopened in 2050 as originally planned."
In a competition, viewers had been asked to submit ideas for items they would like put inside.
The winning entries included roller blade wheels, an asthma inhaler, Tellytubby dolls, a France 1998 World Cup football, a picture of a dove to symbolise peace in Northern Ireland and a Roald Dahl book.
Dawn of the Dome: Fireworks light up the sky on 1 January 2000
A spokesman for the O2 Arena said: "The team at The O2 and our contractors ISG have been searching for the Blue Peter time capsule since we started construction work in 2016.
"We found it yesterday but sadly it was accidently damaged during excavations. The capsule and its contents are safely stored in our office and we've let the team at Blue Peter know.
"We're going to work with them to either repair or replace the capsule and bury it again for the future."
The BBC said: "We are looking forward to sharing these memories with viewers and making new ones as we rebury the capsule until 2050."
A Spice Girls CD was among the other items locked away in the capsule...
...as was an insulin pen...
...and a set of British coins, in what was a pre-£2 coin era
Photos of the Oblivion ride in Alton Towers were also preserved...
....along with an asthma inhaler...
...and a picture of Princess Diana, who had died a year earlier in a road accident
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38838033
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Past the point of no-return - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After decades of debate on the EU, MPs have finally done it - we are off.
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UK Politics
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After decades of debate, years of acrimony over the issue in the Conservative Party, months of brutal brinksmanship in Westminster, and hours of debate this week, MPs have just approved the very first step in the process of Britain leaving the European Union.
There are many hurdles ahead, probably thousands of hours of debate here, years of negotiations for Theresa May with our friends and rivals around the EU, as she seeks a deal - and possibly as long as a decade of administrative adjustments, as the country extricates itself from the EU.
On a wet Wednesday, the debate didn't feel epoch-making, but think for a moment about what has just happened.
MPs, most of whom wanted to stay in the EU, have just agreed that we are off.
This time last year few in Westminster really thought that this would happen. The then prime minister's concern was persuading the rest of the EU to give him a better deal for the UK.
His close colleagues believed the chances of them losing, let alone the government dissolving over the referendum, were slim, if not quite zero.
Then tonight, his former colleagues are rubber stamping the decision of a narrow majority of the public, that changed everything in politics here for good.
This isn't even the last vote on this bill. There are several more stages, the Lords are likely to kick up rough at the start.
But after tonight, for better or worse, few will believe that our journey to the exit door can be halted.
As government ministers have said in recent days, the moment for turning back is past.
• None Trump and May 'committed' to Nato
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38830552
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Workington police blow up 'suspicious' car parked by fellow officers - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The force says it was "an internal communications error" and has apologised to the owner.
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Cumbria
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The car was parked outside Workington police station after the owner had taken ill
A police force carried out a controlled explosion on a "suspicious" car outside a station, not realising its own officers had parked it there.
A bomb squad was called after concerns about an unattended Vauxhall Corsa at Workington police station, Cumbria.
Roads around the building, in Hall Brow, were sealed off and an explosion carried out at 08:00 GMT.
The force blamed "an internal communications error" and apologised to the owner.
Cumbria Police said other officers on duty were not aware colleagues had parked the car outside the station after helping its owner, who had been taken ill.
The building was evacuated, a 100m cordon put in place and the vehicle blown up.
Insp Ashley Bennett said: "We have made contact with the owner of the vehicle, explained the situation and have apologised to him.
"The officers who dealt with this morning's incident did so with public safety in mind and followed the appropriate procedures in respect to an unoccupied suspicious vehicle.
"The constabulary will review this incident and will take on board any learning."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-38838653
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I'll dress like a woman when you act like a president, police officer tells Trump - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The US president is the focus of another social media storm over purported dress-code comments.
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US & Canada
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Police officer Elizabeth Rooney felt the comments were "misogynistic and unpresidential"
It seems President Trump has high standards when it comes to the way his staff are dressed. Looking the part is as important as acting the part when you are in the president's circle, apparently.
But his reported requirement that his female staff "should dress like women" has provoked an inevitable backlash on social media.
According to a former Trump campaign worker, quoted in a news report by Axios, the president wants the men who work for him to wear ties and the women to dress "appropriately".
Dresses are apparently preferred, but if a female staffer wears jeans, they must "look neat and orderly", the publication reported.
The internet responded in a powerful way, with many using the hashtag #DressLikeAWoman.
Elizabeth Rooney, a police officer in Worcester, Massachusetts, and army veteran, posted a photo of her in uniform.
She told the BBC: "I'll start dressing like a woman when he starts acting like a president. I felt his remarks that women should "dress like a woman" are misogynistic and unpresidential.
"Each morning when I wake up, I dress myself in pride, honour, duty and freedom."
Dr Judy Melinek tweeted "Yes I'm doing an autopsy wearing pearls."
The hashtag has already generated more than 130,000 tweets since early on Friday.
One of the first tweets was by @NJGirlSEliza whose army uniform selfie has been retweeted nearly 2,000 times.
Others followed suit by posting pictures of themselves in their own work attire or of other inspirational women.
"This is how you #DressLikeAWoman when there is hazardous waste"
Dr Rebecca Alleyne posted a photo of herself in scrubs during surgery. She told the BBC: "I believe in social media as a change agent and a photo is an efficient means for making a point. I've had a very positive reaction, only one or two negatives.
"I want women everywhere to be judged on their abilities, not on what they're wearing. I believe that, no matter who's issuing the dress code."
Dr Rebecca Alleyne in Los Angeles responded to Trump's alleged comment with this picture of her at work
There were some voices in favour of the more gender-appropriate approach, but the majority of comments appeared to mock the remarks, which have not been confirmed as coming from President Trump, which they perceived to be sexist.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Elizabeth Rooney as being a police officer in Boston.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38853350
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Davis Cup, Canada v Great Britain: Vasek Pospisil levels after Dan Evans wins opener - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Vasek Pospisil beats Kyle Edmund in the second singles match to draw Canada level at 1-1 with Britain in the Davis Cup.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Saturday's coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, Connected TV and online from 18:00, plus follow text updates on the BBC Sport website.
Kyle Edmund lost to an injured Vasek Pospisil as Great Britain and Canada ended day one of their Davis Cup World Group tie level at 1-1 in Ottawa.
Pospisil, ranked 86 places below Edmund at 133rd in the world, overcame a leg injury to level the best-of-five tie.
Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot are scheduled to face Daniel Nestor and Pospisil in Saturday's doubles contest.
The two nations are missing their leading players as world number one Andy Murray recuperates following the Australian Open, while Canada's world number four Milos Raonic is injured.
"We had a video from Andy last night and [captain] Leon [Smith] put it on the big screen," Evans said.
"I'm guessing he was watching. He said he would be. It's obviously nice he supports the team. He's a good guy to have in our corner."
Evans successfully carried the responsibility of being Britain's number one as he converted a gulf in experience over world number 234 Shapovalov into a straight-sets victory - the Briton's first win in a live Davis Cup rubber since 2013.
Shapovalov gave evidence that he has a bright future, the Wimbledon junior champion hitting plenty of flashing winners behind a swinging left-handed serve, but 39 unforced errors proved too much.
The Canadian dropped serve in a nervous opening game and again to lose the set, but he threatened more in the second and it took an ace and a deft drop volley for Evans to see off the first two break points against him.
That was as close as Shapovalov would get, however, with Evans then breaking thanks to a fantastic lob and making the decisive move at 4-3 in the third set.
"I tried to get on top early," Evans said. "That was the plan, to come out and silence him and not give him confidence. I did that and then rolled him from then on. I was happy with way I played."
Edmund, ranked 47th in the world, looked a good bet to increase Britain's lead against Pospisil, who has slipped from 25th three years ago to a lowly 133rd in the world.
The Canadian, 26, was further hampered by a left leg injury which required a medical timeout as early as the fifth game, and continued to require bouts of treatment.
It was therefore all the more remarkable that Pospisil reeled off eight of nine games following the timeout with some fine serving, while Edmund produced an error-strewn performance across the net.
The fast pace of the court allowed Pospisil to keep the points short, race through his serving games and put pressure on the increasingly vulnerable Edmund serve.
Edmund, 22, managed to get through to a tie-break in the third set but was outplayed once again, ending with eight double faults and 39 unforced errors.
"It was just not good enough, pretty dismal from my standards," the Briton said.
"Everyone can accept winning and losing but it needs to be a lot better at this level. I'm just very disappointed for myself, for the team.
"It's annoying when you have support like that and fans come out and spend money and travel and to put on a performance like that. You just really want to do well."
Captain Smith added: "The most important thing is to dust it [Edmund's defeat] off but focus now on the next matches. There's a lot of tennis to be played"
There was real composure, confidence and style in the way Evans defused the challenge of his 17-year-old opponent. Having saved the only two break points he faced midway through the second set, Evans then pounced immediately to secure the only break required to win the set.
Edmund, in contrast, put in a very ragged performance against Pospisil, who has had a miserable time in singles these past 12 months. The Canadian was in excellent form, serving 19 aces and getting the very best out of the quick court laid over the ice rink here in Ottawa.
Murray and Inglot have been warned: Pospisil will play again in Saturday's doubles, and his partner Daniel Nestor is a former Olympic champion, world number one and multiple Grand Slam champion (all in doubles).
World number two Novak Djokovic is the only member of the top 10 in action and he trailed by a set and a break against Russia's Daniil Medvedev before the 20-year-old was struck down by cramp.
Djokovic, playing for the first time since his shock second-round loss to Denis Istomin at the Australian Open, had earlier needed treatment to his right shoulder.
"The pain I had prevented me from playing the points as I wanted to," said the 12-time Grand Slam champion, who led 3-6 6-4 6-1 when Medvedev eventually retired to give Serbia a 2-0 lead.
"But it's a good victory and we are in a very good position."
The winners of the tie in Ottawa look set to face a trip to France in the quarter-finals, after Yannick Noah's side took a 2-0 lead over Japan in Tokyo.
Argentina's Davis Cup defence could be short-lived without star man Juan Martin del Potro, as they trail 2-0 to Italy in Buenos Aires.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38862964
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Frank Lampard v Steven Gerrard: Who did you say was better? - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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As Frank Lampard follows Steven Gerrard into retirement, you decide which former England midfielder was the better player.
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Ask a blue and they will tell you Lampard is a Chelsea legend, ask a red and they will say Gerrard lives on forever in Liverpool folklore.
They were arguably two of their generation's best midfielders, the trajectories of their careers and similar playing styles meaning they were forever compared.
After both brought an end to trophy-laden careers, BBC Sport looked to tackle the debate on who was better one last time - and gave you the chance to cast your vote.
And the winner is...
52% of voters thought that Steven Gerrard was better.
Though he went on to be a Chelsea legend, Lampard's Premier League life began at West Ham, making his debut as a replacement for John Moncur in a 3-2 win over Coventry in January 1996. Gerrard arrived in the top flight two years later in Liverpool colours, which he would sport for his entire career in English football.
There are 211 reasons to place Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hall of fame, the midfielder's goals making him Chelsea's all-time top scorer, while Gerrard's contribution to the Liverpool cause was often evident via heart-on-his-sleeve performances.
Neither were shy of goals or games - Lampard would go on to make 609 Premier League appearances to Gerrard's 504, scoring 177 goals to the Liverpudlian's 120.
In his most prolific season, 2009-10, Lampard scored 22 goals in 36 games as he claimed the third of three Premier League winner's medals with Chelsea. He had previously won the title in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
The closest Gerrard's Liverpool came to a league title was the season of his infamous 'slip' against Chelsea in 2013-14. That season, he weighed in with 13 goals and 13 assists from midfield.
Gerrard missed out on a Premier League crown, but the hometown hero guided his club to Champions League success in 2005, as well as two FA Cups, three League Cups, a Uefa Cup and a Uefa Super Cup. But it is Lampard who boasts the most silverware.
How much were they worth?
Football finance expert Rob Wilson says if you took both players in their prime and sold them in last month's transfer window, Lampard would attract a marginally higher fee.
But neither would match the world-record £89m Manchester United spent to re-sign Paul Pogba from Juventus.
"I wouldn't put them on the same level as what we have seen with Pogba, simply because of the marketability of Pogba and his association with Adidas," said Wilson, from Sheffield Hallam University.
"Hindsight is a perfect science. We have seen the performances they were able to generate for their respective clubs, the consistency they were able to deliver and, particularly in the case of Lampard, the goals he scored as well.
"You would be comfortably talking £50m-£60m in transfer value - Lampard would be slightly more because of the number of goals he scored from midfield.
"If we were to have seen them sold this summer or next summer, you would be talking about wage packets of £250,000 a week."
During their final seasons in England, both players were included in the Sunday Times Rich List, with Gerrard's wealth in 2015 calculated at £42m, and Lampard's at £39m.
While Lampard only once commanded a transfer fee, Chelsea signing him for £11m from West Ham in 2001, Gerrard left Anfield only when his contract expired in 2015, 18 years after signing his first professional deal.
Having first played in the same England team in 2002, Lampard and Gerrard featured 73 times together before both retired in the summer of 2014.
Despite the suggestion the duo "couldn't play together", during that time England won 63% of their games with both in the team, and 51% without.
Gerrard was the more successful of the two when playing on his own, England winning 61% of 41 games, compared with 48.5% of the 33 matches with just Lampard involved.
Lampard made his debut a year before Gerrard's first England appearance, but it was the Liverpool man who established himself first, scoring his first international goal in the 5-1 win over Germany in 2001, and captaining his country at three major tournaments.
Squeezing two of England's most glittering members of the 'golden generation' into one midfield was seen to be a problem for a string of national managers, but BBC Sport football analyst Pat Nevin believes the issue lay with the coaches rather than the players.
"The problem wasn't Gerrard or Lampard, the problem was the managers," said former Scotland international Nevin. "I don't think it was that complicated what they had to do, so that was a huge disappointment.
"Playing within a system, England tended to play 4-4-2 and teams were never stretched. There were two guys who were phenomenal at going into space and finding space, but had nowhere to run."
Who played in the better team?
Gerrard's performances in a Liverpool shirt sometimes led to the perception he had single-handedly dragged his team-mates towards glory, not least in the Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005 and the Reds' FA Cup triumph over West Ham a year later.
Lampard, meanwhile, was no doubt a great player, reaching double figures for goals in 10 successive Premier League seasons, but was his career helped by playing in world-class Chelsea teams?
In a bid to compare who played in the better side, we took the XIs that started the clubs' respective Champions League-winning finals and calculated the reported cost of each player to see how expensive the teams were to assemble.
Gerrard was part of the Liverpool side that came from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 'Miracle of Istanbul'. That team would go on to boast 635 caps between them, with Gerrard's 114 England appearances matched by Spain's Xabi Alonso, while Norway's John Arne Riise (110) and Finland's Sami Hyypia (105) also reached their centuries.
With Liverpool's success seven years earlier than Chelsea's, it is inevitable their starting XI would be cheaper than the Blues'. But at face value the Anfield outfit built their European victory for £100m less, with the side that started in Turkey costing a combined £40.35m.
Chelsea's Champions League triumph also came via a penalty shootout, the Blues beating Bayern Munich on German soil. Lampard was among the scorers from the spot after Didier Drogba's late goal levelled the game in 90 minutes.
Lampard (106) was one of four Chelsea players to win more than 100 caps for his country, with Petr Cech (Czech Republic, 124), Ashley Cole (England, 107) and Drogba (Ivory Coast, 104) contributing to a total 784 caps for the Blues.
The cost of that side? £140.1m - and that's not including Fernando Torres (£50m) and Michael Essien (£24.4m), who were on the bench in Munich.
Phil Neville, who played alongside the pair for England and against them for Manchester United and Everton, told BBC Sport they were "always driving each other on to be better".
"If Frank scored a goal, Stevie had to score a goal," he added. "It's what great players do and you see it with how Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi compete with each other. You are inspired by the biggest challenges.
"It was a strength and a weakness of why they couldn't play together, in a way.
"I think Stevie, in his club career, maybe felt a little bit on his own at times. Maybe he looked at Frank as part of a great team, winning league titles and other cups - whereas he made Liverpool a good team by his own performances."
As players of such similar style and stature in the game, leaving the Premier League for the MLS only furthered the Lampard-Gerrard debate.
Gerrard joined LA Galaxy for the 2015-16 season, while Lampard chose New York City. Over the course of two campaigns in the MLS, Gerrard made 36 appearances to Lampard's 31.
However, it was the former West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City man who turned a stuttering Stateside start around to eventually make the bigger impact for his club, scoring 15 times including his 300th career goal.
They said it...
Lampard on Gerrard: "There were many a night I can recall Stevie driving from midfield at Anfield and I tried to reverse that at Chelsea and be our driving force.
"There's a huge respect we both have for each other. We get on very well, particularly in our latter years. It's nice to come up against Stevie."
Gerrard on Lampard: "When that whistle goes and for 90 minutes when we are competing against each other it is war. We fight against each other, we always have. And when it's over there is a mutual respect there.
"I'm a huge fan of Frank. He's a phenomenal goalscorer from midfield. I play in the same position myself so I understand how difficult that is."
Following some fantastic battles on the field, will Gerrard and Lampard renew their rivalry in the technical area?
Gerrard is set to begin his coaching career at Anfield, where the Liverpool legend will work with the club's youth teams.
He was linked with the manager's job at League One side MK Dons last year but said the opportunity had come "too soon" for him.
Lampard, meanwhile, has said he will study for his coaching qualifications with the Football Association - meaning they could yet line up in opposing dugouts.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38023336
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'I have tuberculosis in my brain' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Johnny Islam took part in a pioneering scheme where his TB medicine was supervised via a smartphone.
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Health
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"Having tuberculosis in the brain is so painful. Sometimes I just wish I could cut off my head and put it to one side."
Johnny Islam, 29, is from Leyton in east London. Although having TB in the brain is rare, the disease itself is not.
Once deadly in the Victorian era - when it was known as the white plague - it is often assumed that tuberculosis has long since been eradicated.
But there are so many cases in London that the city is known as the TB capital of Western Europe.
Having the disease has changed Johnny's life. It could cause long-term damage, or even kill him.
"I'm scared to go outside, I'm scared to do things on my own because I can blackout at any time.
"It can spread to any brain cells, it can damage your memory, and I forget things all the time.
"Everyone is going to die one day. This disease could kill me, anything can happen."
The most recent data on infection rates show parts of London still have higher rates of TB than in some developing countries, such as Iraq, Libya and even Yemen.
It is a bacterial infection, which mainly affects the lungs, but can target any part of the body. It is curable in most cases.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tracking tuberculosis on the streets of London
TB in the lungs is spread through inhaling tiny droplets containing the bacteria, from the coughs or sneezes of someone infected with it.
Johnny's condition is rare and complex, and he's been taking a combination of 12 antibiotic tablets for more than a year.
He's involved in video observed treatment - which involves him recording himself taking his medicine on a smartphone, and then sending the recording on a secure server to his health care workers, so they know he's sticking to the treatment.
The first-ever trial of this method was carried out by University College London, in collaboration with University College London Hospitals. It saw patients recording themselves taking their medication daily using a dedicated smartphone.
They then employ a custom app allowing secure upload to an NHS-approved server, for remote viewing by a trained observer.
The trial's been described as a potential game-changer in the fight against tuberculosis in the UK.
The preliminary results show more than 80% of patients completed the treatment using the technology, which paves the way for it to be used in the most complicated cases, such as Johnny's.
Millions have been invested to try to eliminate TB as a public health problem.
There were 5,758 new cases of active TB in the UK, in 2015 - and almost 40% of those were in London.
Recently there's been a fall in overall cases, but those involving the most at risk and difficult to treat, such as people who are homeless, abusing drugs or in prison, are rising.
Finding active cases is the first challenge - the next is getting them to stick to the long treatment, which involves a minimum of six months on a combination of antibiotics.
Patients often stop midway, which can cause a relapse and strains of the bacteria to become resistant to drugs.
Experts hope the video-observed treatment might help with this.
Dr Alistair Story was involved in the video trial and said that if it "works for TB, it works for other conditions".
"With the emergence of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, we think this has an important role to play to prevent the spread of the disease."
Johnny is now nearing the end of his treatment.
"I have so many side-effects from all the medicines I'm taking. I've been losing my hair, and my left leg stops working sometimes.
"It's been difficult to stick to the treatment, but I hope it's worked and I can finally be TB free."
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38844102
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Beyonce celebrates motherhood with more pregnancy photos - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Beyonce posts further images of herself naked, under water and posing as a "black Venus".
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Entertainment & Arts
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Beyonce has posted the photos with text referring to Osun, an African deity of water, love and fertility
Beyonce has shared further images from an elaborate photoshoot to celebrate becoming pregnant with twins.
They show the superstar swimming under water, reclining on a bed of roses and sitting naked on a floral throne.
They have been posted on her website alongside poetic text about motherhood and ancient figures of female strength.
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, Egyptian queen Nefertiti and West African deity Osun are all mentioned and seem to have inspired some images.
Blue Ivy appears with her mum in a number of photos
One verse about motherhood refers to "black Venus", and in some of the pictures, Beyonce herself is reclining in the style of a classical goddess.
In another picture, she stands naked, cradling her belly with one hand and a breast with the other, next to the sculpted head of an Egyptian ruler.
This picture of Beyonce on top of a red car probably has a deeper meaning too
She cradles belly and breast again in another portrait, this time wearing a Statue of Liberty-style crown.
Her five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy also appears, while one image sees her atop a flower-filled red car.
Swells and stretches to protect her
Child, mother has one foot in this world
The verses and photos follow an announcement on Instagram on Wednesday, in which she and husband Jay Z said: "We would like to share our love and happiness.
"We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes."
The post has been liked 8.3 million times at the time of writing.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38845238
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Ferry port worker from Greenock wins £4.3m in lottery - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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A ferry port assistant from Greenock says he is "a bit shaken up" after winning more than £4m from Saturday night's National Lottery draw.
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A ferry port assistant from Greenock says he is "a bit shaken up" after winning more than £4m from Saturday night's National Lottery draw.
James Couper, 46, first found out that he had won during his lunch break at work the following day when a colleague read out the winning numbers.
His winning numbers were five, 21, 23, 34, 43 and 45.
Mr Couper is still deciding what to do with his winnings, but has promised his children Rachel, 20, and Daniel, 16, a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38863194
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The iceberg lettuce and broccoli crisis - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Some supermarkets are rationing the amount of iceberg lettuce and broccoli customers can buy - blaming poor growing conditions in southern Europe for a shortage in UK stores.
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Some supermarkets are rationing the amount of iceberg lettuce and broccoli customers can buy - blaming poor growing conditions in southern Europe for a shortage in UK stores.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38852721
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British Antarctic Survey's Halley base on the move - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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The British Antarctic Survey's Halley research station is towed 23km inland to avoid an icy fate.
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The British Antarctic Survey's Halley research station has been towed 23km across the Brunt Ice Shelf.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38849078
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Bob Stanley on tracing the pre-history of pop music - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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St Etienne's Bob Stanley is writing a book about pop before the Beatles. He shares his discoveries with the BBC.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Bob Stanley (left) lets his love of pop shine through in Saint Etienne, who turn 27 this year
Every time a rock star dies (and, let's face it, it's happened a lot recently) a few trusted books get grabbed off the BBC bookshelves for a hastily-written obituary.
They include classic tomes like the Guinness Book of Hit Singles and Colin Larkin's peerless Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, but they've been joined recently by Bob Stanley's Yeah Yeah Yeah.
Packed with anecdotes and insights (he describes Berlin-era David Bowie as "a silent movie ghost"), it reflects pop through the prism of the charts, rejecting the "rockist" perspective of most reference books.
"A film isn't necessarily more enjoyable if it's based on a true story," Stanley explains. "Likewise, a song isn't necessarily any better or any more heartfelt, or convincing, because it was written by the singer."
Although Yeah Yeah Yeah ends in 2000, Stanley had already come up with chapter headings for the next instalment, including the fantastic "Oops I Did It Again and Again", about the Swedish hit factory behind Britney Spears, Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.
So it's a surprise to discover his next book won't deal with grime, crunk or EDM - but big bands, ragtime and jazz.
Called Too Darn Hot: The Story of Popular Music, it's an attempt to make sense of the 50-year period between the advent of recorded music and the birth of rock and roll.
"It's the classic case of, 'if you can't find the book you want to read, write it yourself,'" explains Stanley.
"There are plenty of books on jazz or the great American songbook - but some of those genres have forceful advocates, who see their music as the music of the era and completely ignore Broadway or Hollywood musicals. So I really want to tie it all together".
Bing Crosby revolutionised the sound of recorded music, thanks to his unique microphone technique
Last time around, Stanley was immersed in the music he was describing. He started his career at the NME and Melody Maker, before forming his own group, Saint Etienne, as the physical embodiment of his pop obsession - mixing 60s girl group harmonies with elements of folk, house, dub and northern soul.
His knowledge of pop's pre-history is altogether more sketchy.
"I'm really starting from a position of knowing nothing about the music, except for the standards which everyone knows," he says. " But learning things as I'm going is fascinating and terrific."
He recently discovered how Bing Crosby's intimate, laid-back delivery on songs like White Christmas was only made possible by the advent of electric microphones (previously, singers like Al Jolson were vaudeville "belters", screaming down the rafters in order to be heard).
"Nobody could have recorded a voice that soft before the late 20s," says Stanley. "And then in the late 30s, he [Crosby] funded the Ampex tape company, gave them thousands of pounds, and made the first pre-recorded radio broadcast.
"He said it was because he got fed up of going into the studio every day and wanted to play golf. But he speeded along recording technology."
Stanley's research has received a boost from the British Library, who have awarded him a £20,000 grant and a year's residency at the Eccles Centre - which houses the library's collection of American journals, newspapers and sound recordings.
"It means I'll have access to a lot more material in Britain than I thought," says the writer, "from early music magazines with amazing names like 'Talking Machine News' to wax cylinder [recordings] and people's diaries."
The advent of jazz torpedoed the careers of music hall stars like George Robey
The book's only in the early stages, but he's already uncovered a few surprising themes... including the fact that Britain was the dominant force in pop at the start of the 20th Century.
"America at that point just didn't have the confidence or belief in its own music," he says, referencing the story of Jerome Kern, who wrote standards like Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and A Fine Romance.
"As a young songwriter, he came over to England and went to see the music halls. Then he went back to America and passed himself off as English because that was the only way he could get his songs on Broadway," Stanley says.
"That changed very quickly once jazz came in. There are lots of [British] songs about how ragtime is a joke - 'my wife ragged herself to death' - but music hall got hit really badly by ragtime and jazz.
"As soon as it has the confidence, America becomes so brash, and everyone is cowed by it that it feels like Britain's doing a lame imitation of America until the Beatles."
Technology also plays a huge role in the story - particularly with the advent of radio in the 1920s.
"It's hard to conceive how it would have felt, if you were working on a farm in Iowa, to be able to hear a live broadcast of a big band from a ballroom in New York.
"That obviously affected what music people wanted to listen to, how it was recorded, how it was broadcast.
The sound quality of early records lacked the depth and clarity of modern vinyl - as actress Gloria Swanson apparently discovered
"Something else I wasn't aware of was that record players, like in the 1990s, were consigned to the attic. The quality on radio was so much better than on the 78s [the precursor to vinyl records], which always sounded like a man shouting into a tube.
"It was only in the late 20s and early 30s, when the recording technology improved that people started getting 78s out again."
Stanley's home in North London is littered with record players - a vintage Dansette and a 1948 gramophone join his sleek, modern turntable amidst the neatly filed vinyl and scattered baby toys of his new son, Len.
He says he intends to listen to the songs he writes about in their original format, whether it be wax cylinder or shellac discs "because they would have been recorded to be played on that format.
"It's like The Who's singles in the 1960s. They were made to be played on a Dansette and that's why they sound thin and strange on a CD.
"So what I want to get across is what it was like to live through that period and how people were listening to music, and what they were listening to."
Writing the book will have to be slotted in around his other commitments, including a film about the jazz musician Basil Kirchin for Hull City of Culture and a brand new Saint Etienne album, which is due in June.
Saint Etienne are due to tour later this year
Called Home Counties, it reflects the band's experiences of growing up in Surrey and Berkshire.
The songs tackle everything from the Enfield Poltergeist (a notorious hoax that made the national press in the 1970s) to the rail drivers' union Aslef, as well as "teenage parties and deceased pets".
Stanley says he may miss a few of Saint Etienne's concerts as he finishes Too Darn Hot - grimacing he recalls flying the 1,000-page manuscript for his previous book on a tour of eastern Europe.
"I want to get this one done faster than the last, because that was five years," he says. "I've got the structure sorted out, and I'm looking forward to talking to collectors.
"It's just a question of not wanting to go too far down the rabbit hole."
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-38827272
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Rafael Benitez: Newcastle United boss remains committed to job - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez reassures fans he will remain at St James' Park to maintain a promotion bid.
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Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has reassured supporters he will remain at St James' Park to maintain the bid for an immediate Premier League return.
The Magpies boss was frustrated after Wednesday's 2-2 draw with QPR and the lack of January additions to the squad for the second half of the season.
It was reported that the Spaniard's future was uncertain at Newcastle, who are second in the Championship.
"I will not leave, I will not quit," Benitez told BBC Newcastle.
"I want to get promoted with this team and to do well. I will put all my effort into that. I say thank you to the fans, I will continue giving everything to ensure the players, staff and fans are pushing in the same direction."
Newcastle have been short of cover over the past two months because of injuries to Dwight Gayle, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Isaac Hayden and Vurnon Anita, the absence of players at the African Cup of Nations, plus the suspension of Jonjo Shelvey earlier in the season.
Benitez was keen to bring in extra depth to a squad which was strengthened in the summer with the arrival of Gayle, DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie.
Bids were made to bring Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend back to Tyneside, but those were rejected.
"The window has finished, we have to concentrate on the future," Benitez said. "We have a group of players who did very well in the first part of the season and we have to have confidence they will do well in the second part of the season."
Benitez was named Newcastle manager in March 2016 following the sacking of Steve McClaren. But the former Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Valencia boss was unable to prevent their relegation from the top flight last term.
Newcastle remain on course for promotion from the Championship with 59 points from 28 games, only one point behind leaders Brighton.
"The club, the city and the fans, we have made the same mistake in the past," Benitez added. "Everyone was blaming each other and we lost the focus.
"We have to stick together and have a target which is promotion and a target to achieve. Afterwards we can analyse the mistakes or what we have done well."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38857960
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David Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger on Snapchat - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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The former prime minister and Mr Schwarzeneggar appeared in a video on the ex-California governor's Snapchat page.
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The former prime minister and Mr Schwarzeneggar appeared in a video on the ex-California governor's Snapchat page.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-38859824
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The man with a titanium chest - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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After seven years with part of his breastbone missing, Edward Evans gets a revolutionary titanium implant.
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For seven years, part of Edward Evans's sternum was missing - the bone would normally have protected his lungs and heart.
A single blow to his chest could have killed him.
Now Edward, from the Midlands, has become the first person in the UK to get a 3D-printed titanium replacement.
His story was featured on Trust Me I'm A Doctor on BBC Two - @BBCTrustMe on Twitter
Join the conversation - find BBC Stories on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38853200
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Wada has 'full confidence' in McLaren report despite 'discrepancies' - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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The World Anti-Doping Agency says it still has "full confidence" in a report into Russian doping despite "discrepancies" in the evidence.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) says it still has "full confidence" in a report into Russian doping despite "discrepancies" in the supporting evidence.
The report claimed more than 1,000 Russians benefitted from a state-sponsored doping programme.
It heightened calls for the country to be banned from hosting major events.
But Wada's legal team has written to sports' international federations to inform them of "certain discrepancies".
The independent study, by lawyer Richard McLaren, said the doping was across 30 sports from 2011 to 2015.
When the report was unveiled in December, investigators also published a searchable database of their evidence.
• None Russian doping - how we got here
• None Life on the run for Russian whistleblower
In the letter, sent last month and obtained by BBC Sport, Wada's lawyers said: "It has come to our attention that there are, on occasion, certain discrepancies within the evidentiary summaries of athletes that potentially benefited from sample manipulation and the evidence available on the evidence disclosure package website made available by Professor McLaren."
It continued: "Due to a technical malfunction, Wada has been made aware that certain athlete code references have been misattributed by the team - e.g. we have seen situations where an athlete code reference was attributed to a certain athlete in sport X while it should have been attributed to another athlete in sport Y."
In December, McLaren described the evidence in his 144-page report as "immutable and conclusive", adding to pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban the country from major competitions. Some 1,666 pieces of proof, including emails, documents and forensic analysis of doping samples, were published.
The findings corroborated much of an initial report last year which investigated claims of elaborate sample manipulation made by Grigory Rodchenkov, a former director of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow.
McLaren did not identify athletes who have yet to be punished - referring instead to unique sets of numbers - but made the information available to the IOC and sports federations so they pursue individual cases, and decide on sanctions.
Any issues with the evidence could lead to concerns that some legal cases may be challenged by Russian athletes or authorities. Last month, 22 Russian biathletes, who had been suspected of doping following the publication of the second McLaren report, were cleared of any suspicion by the International Biathlon Union.
However, in a statement, Wada told the BBC: "The purpose of the recent correspondence was to provide clarification regarding minor logistical discrepancies that were picked up and brought to our attention. These discrepancies - which related to typos regarding names and sample numbers and a technical malfunction with the evidence disclosure package website - were swiftly resolved. As of today, Wada is unaware of any outstanding issues.
"Wada's legal team continues to work with the international federations, assisting them with analysing and interpreting the report and extensive evidence available so that doping cases can be managed in a harmonized manner.
"Wada retains full confidence in the evidence-based findings brought forward by Professor McLaren's investigation."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38852377
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Ciaran Maxwell: The Marine who turned to terror - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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How Royal Marine Ciaran Maxwell turned to terror and stored arms smuggled from the military.
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Northern Ireland
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Ciaran Maxwell was set upon and beaten unconscious as a teenager in Larne
A Royal Marine Commando from Northern Ireland has pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism linked to dissident republicanism. Ciaran Maxwell's case raises alarming questions of how he was able to penetrate the ranks of an elite British military unit and smuggle out arms.
In the early hours of a morning back in June 2002, Maxwell, then 16, was walking from his home in Larne towards the Seacourt estate, which sits on a hill overlooking the port. What happened next left the Catholic teenager "angry and traumatised", according to someone in the nationalist community who knew him.
Maxwell was struck by a bottle, fell to the ground and was set upon and beaten unconscious by a gang of loyalists armed with golf clubs and iron bars.
The unprovoked attack featured in the republican newspaper An Phoblacht, which claimed that an Army patrol arrived at the scene but did not intervene.
That cannot be substantiated, though amid escalating tension in the town, soldiers were back on the streets to support the police who dealt with nearly 300 sectarian incidents between April 2001 and March 2004.
A security source we spoke to recalled shootings, houses being burnt out and regular beatings.
This was the environment in which Maxwell - described as a "quiet republican" - became an adult.
Several residents in his home town said the mental scars of his beating never fully healed, leaving a vulnerability that others would later exploit.
The failure of police to prosecute anyone for the assault may also have caused him bitterness.
Eight years later the adventure-loving, physically fit Maxwell began the gruelling 32-week training to become a Royal Marine, writing online: "Pain is temporary, the Green Beret is forever."
In May 2011 his mother expressed her pride ahead of attending his passing out parade in England.
But all was not as it seemed. One of the men who completed training with Maxwell, and does not want to be identified, told the BBC: "He was a strange character, very reserved, didn't join in with the banter."
He described him as "shifty" and unwilling to form close relationships with others in the unit.
Before he had even completed his training, court papers show that Maxwell began "assisting another to commit an act of terrorism" although it is not clear which individual or group he was working with.
He was not the only young man from Larne being drawn into the orbit of dissident republicanism.
A friend from the Seacourt estate was jailed in 2014 after pleading guilty to possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. Niall Lehd had buried chemicals, a pipe bomb and a deactivated submachine gun in blue barrels in a field.
By 2016, despite having become a father, Maxwell had begun burying his own blue barrels full of explosive ingredients during visits to see family in Larne.
Some of the ammunition discovered
In a country park, he stockpiled chemicals which he bought online, timer units and improvised detonators. Even more alarmingly, in a remote forest he hid a handgun, ammunition, pipe bombs and Claymore anti-personnel mines he had stolen from the British military.
His behaviour was becoming increasingly reckless as he built more hides in the woods near his home in Devon where he also stashed cannabis he planned to sell in Larne.
In his work locker were bank card details stolen from fellow Marines to carry out fraud and handwritten notes on tactics used by terrorist groups.
But his plans unravelled when police uncovered the hides in Northern Ireland in one of the most significant arms finds of recent years.
Detectives traced the serial numbers on the mines across the Irish Sea to 40 Commando, the Royal Marine unit based near Taunton where Ciaran Maxwell had been quietly building a career. They also found his DNA on some of the material found in the woods.
Maxwell had endured so much to get the green beret only to trade it for terrorism. Was his a long-planned infiltration or was he dragged back by others to a past he thought he had escaped?
In his hometown few are willing to talk on the record about his case. Larne is much calmer these days but the occasional street mural and flag hint at the continuing presence of loyalist paramilitary groups such as the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defence Association.
There are concerns that dissident republicans are becoming more active in parts of Northern Ireland. Last month a police officer was shot and injured in north Belfast.
Although Maxwell had links to dissident republicans, it is not known how extensive they were. A security source told the BBC that he was "operating as a bit of a lone wolf."
Sammy Wilson, Democratic Unionist MP for East Antrim, said: "There has always been a dissident group which has been operating around Larne engaged in firebombing, that kind of activity, and it's been known that they have been trying to move into the area and recruit."
Mr Wilson is concerned that Ciaran Maxwell was able to sneak munitions out of his base and evade detection for so long.
He said: "Where it is clear that someone is vulnerable either to coercion or may well have sympathies to aid and abet terrorist groups because of their background, perhaps we should give special attention to them when they come back to their own community."
The BBC asked the Ministry of Defence about its security vetting procedures for Royal Marines but received no response.
The criminal case against Ciaran Maxwell was overwhelming, paving the way for today's guilty plea.
What is much less clear is exactly why he turned to terrorism, although his actions offer a stark reminder of the dark forces that still threaten stability in Northern Ireland.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38856986
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Six Nations 2017: The six key questions Eddie Jones is facing - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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England seem well set for the Six Nations, so what are the six questions facing coach Eddie Jones? Tom Fordyce reports.
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Eddie Jones' England appear to have minimal problems: reigning Six Nations champions, 14 wins on the spin, a summer spent whitewashing Wallabies, an autumn of being tested and pulling through every time.
And yet. As they prepare to get their title defence under way against France this Saturday, Jones has been in typically restless mood - decrying his players' global standing, downplaying the team's decorated past year, and being as likely to appear satisfied as he is to tarmac Twickenham.
These are the six key questions the old schemer knows he has to answer:
• None Daly and Launchbury in for England
• None Follow the Six Nations across the BBC
1. How does he combat complacency?
England haven't lost at home to France in the Six Nations for 12 years. They have won four of their past five meetings with Wales. Scotland last won at Twickenham when Margaret Thatcher was in her first term as prime minister; Italy, even buoyed by the charisma and drive of Conor O'Shea, have a record against the men in white of played 22, lost 22.
All of which might lead England supporters to think this championship will all come down to the final match in Dublin, and all of which means Jones - 13 matches in charge, 13 wins - is making sure his players do not fall into the same trap.
"Nothing in our team is permanent," he has said of his 100% men.
"No-one owns the jersey; no-one owns their position in the team. It's something you borrow, and something you've got to cherish."
It is why he has claimed that his squad doesn't yet contain a single player good enough to make a world XV, no matter how many caps, Premiership trophies, European Cups or French scalps there might be among the 34 names. It is why he has quoted Sir Alex Ferguson, who said that he only managed two world-class players in his 27 years at Manchester United.
No matter that Ferguson actually said there were four (Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo). It is the headline rather than the small print that matters in Jones' message. No-one is safe. Everyone can do better.
2: How does he improve leadership in the team?
Everyone can do better, including a captain who, less than a year ago, became only the second man in 19 years to lead England to a Grand Slam.
Dylan Hartley's successes in the role have bought him only the slightest insurance. With his six-week ban for an illegal tackle on Leinster's Sean O'Brien having only expired last week, he is seriously short of match time but has retained the armband for the Six Nations.
Beyond the championship, there are no guarantees. There is the pressure at hooker from the consistently excellent Jamie George, Tommy Taylor and Luke Cowan-Dickie, and there are Jones' repeated hints that his captain for the games leading up to the next World Cup may not be a 33-year-old.
Jones has talked of "leadership density" - of having eight or nine generals throughout the ranks, as the World Cup-winning side of 2003 could boast, and he may already have earmarked the man most likely to lead them all, Owen Farrell.
One of Jones' first acts as head coach was to promote Farrell from the ranks to vice-captain, a move in keeping with his decision, when in charge at Saracens, to give him a debut against Llanelli just 11 days after his 17th birthday. A greater promotion yet may come early again.
In other words: stick or twist? You might think only the bravest or most cocksure of coaches would change a winning team. The Six Nations does not tend to reward the experimental or the untested.
But what if those wins were not enough? What if the stated long-term aim of winning the World Cup in Japan in 2019 outranks this oldest of tournaments?
And so suddenly there are dilemmas everywhere. Does Jones move Farrell inside to 10, breaking up his partnership with George Ford to create fresh options at centre, or does he look at the continued injury problems of Manu Tuilagi and the international inexperience of Ben Teo'o and keep old friends together?
Mike Brown will be 34 by the time of that World Cup. Isn't Anthony Watson his natural successor at full-back, particularly bearing in mind the surfeit of options on the wing? Yet Brown is rock-solid under the high ball, beats a man every time he attacks with ball in hand and brings the grunt and aggression that Jones so appreciates in his charges.
Is this the time to let the outstanding Maro Itoje run free in the back row, leaving the second row in the combative and athletic hands of Courtney Lawes, George Kruis and Joe Launchbury? Or does the sensible coach let his superman fly where he has excelled so far in his brief international career?
James Haskell, like Brown, will be 34 by 2019 - so there is the question as to should he return to the flanks whenever fit. Jones must also consider if it realistic to expect another 30-something, Chris Robshaw, to remain a first choice when his spell out with a shoulder problem ends this spring.
England's head coach knows that to win the World Cup, he needs more than one world-class side. He may need more than two; unless injury rates dramatically and unexpectedly drop, he requires both cover and a fitting replacement for that cover, as his current problems at loosehead prop illustrate.
4. How does he manage expectation?
England expects, as another successful captain of the ship once remarked. Jones' team have set high standards over the past 12 months, beating every major rugby nation bar the one they did not meet, New Zealand.
So will supporters giddy on that long unbeaten stretch feel disappointed if England fail to win a second successive Grand Slam? If they lose to Ireland yet win the Six Nations title, is that no longer enough, despite the fact it would have been very welcome during the run of four successive second-place finishes for which they had to settle from 2012 to 2015?
And what if that remarkable run goes on? If England win every one of their matches in this Six Nations, they will break New Zealand's all-time record for most consecutive Test victories. English teams and those who cheer them have not generally reacted well to sustained success; England's cricket team won only one of their next four Test series having attained the world number one ranking in 2011, while the rugby team's World Cup and Grand Slam triumph of 2003 was followed by a third place in the 2004 Six Nations, a fourth in 2005 and another fourth in 2006.
It may be a happy problem for Jones to have, when so little was expected for so long, when the past two World Cups have seen the team fall apart and the head coach sacked. But a problem it may be, now the bar has been raised.
5. How does he improve England's attacking game?
Jones made no secret his first Six Nations campaign was about tightening the defence. England had, after all, shipped 33 points in Australia's last match at Twickenham, 28 in their last home game against Wales, and 35 on France's previous Six Nations visit. Jones also wanted to buttress a set-piece that had gone from traditional strength to Achilles heel during that World Cup disaster of 2015.
That England scored five fewer tries in the tournament last year than they had in coming second in 2015 mattered less than the bigger Slam scenario. Now, in his second, Jones wants to revitalise the offensive element of his team's make-up in the same way.
There has been the appointment of Rory Teague as full-time skills coach, but Jones understands that more developments must follow - perhaps a different balance of personnel in the backs, maybe a more expansive gameplan, almost certainly a ruthlessness when chances do appear.
The theory is unarguable. The reality - in what are likely to be cold, wet conditions, in the most ferociously competitive tournament in world rugby, when every other nation and all their support are looking forward to knocking England off their throne - may be several degrees harder.
6. How does he deal with defeat?
It will come at some stage, perhaps in Cardiff, where England have won only twice in the Six Nations in a decade, or Dublin, where they have been victorious in the tournament just once in 14 years. It may come on tour in Argentina, while Jones' best players will be absent as they join up with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand. It may happen beyond that still, should the Jones magic continue to cast its spell.
When it does, how will his side react? Will it feel worse to players and supporters because of the long unbeaten run that preceded it, and will its manner deflate some of the good feeling which Jones has created since his appointment?
Because the end is not the end. Maybe a truly world-class team never countenances defeat, but a truly world-class team also develops from one - from the lessons that reverse has taught, from the weaknesses it exposes, from the players who fall short.
As Jones said last month: "If we lose a few battles on the way, it will help us win the war."
Jones and England have been like a married couple who have enjoyed the most extraordinary start to their relationship. When the first fight happens, when the first door slams, will it strengthen the bond between them, or will they forever be looking back to when it all seemed so special, so untarnished?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38748058
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Aidy Boothroyd takes permanent charge of England Under-21 team - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Former Watford and Coventry boss Aidy Boothroyd is confirmed as manager of the England Under-21 team.
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Last updated on .From the section England
Former Watford and Coventry boss Aidy Boothroyd has been confirmed as manager of the England Under-21 team.
The Under-20 boss replaces Gareth Southgate, who vacated the role to become England manager after the departure of Sam Allardyce.
Boothroyd, 45, took charge for the U21 side's final two Euro 2017 qualifiers and secured qualification for this summer's finals in Poland.
"I've been at the FA three years; this is the logical next step," he said.
"I believe I am here on merit because I've worked in all four divisions and I've got an understanding of speaking to a League Two manager or a Premier League manager and the problems they have."
Boothroyd was in charge of Watford for three seasons from 2005, initially saving the club from relegation to the third tier before leading them to the top flight in 2006.
The Vicarage Road side finished bottom of the Premier League the following season, then failed to make an immediate return, losing in the play-off semi-finals.
Boothroyd left the following season and had a nine-month spell at Colchester and an 11-month stint at Coventry before taking charge at Northampton in 2011.
The side were bottom of League Two at the time and Boothroyd guided them to safety, and the play-offs the next season, before being sacked in 2013 with the club once again last in the fourth tier.
"You can get stuck in a job and I was very much on a hamster's wheel in my previous jobs," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"But this has reinvigorated me. I've watched games I could only have dreamed of, met people, been to World Cups and I feel like I've grown massively in the last three years."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38848691
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Six Nations 2017: Pundits pick winner and key players - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Who will be the game-changers? What new rule will have the biggest impact? And who will win? Our pundits have their say.
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We have asked four wise old heads what they expect to happen over the next seven weeks in the Six Nations.
Jeremy Guscott, Jonathan Davies, Keith Wood and Andy Nicol have 191 Test caps - including 13 for the British and Irish Lions - between them.
They will be on your televisions and radios analysing all the action from the 2017 tournament - but we've nabbed them first to find out who they expect to win, and plenty more besides.
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How do you expect your team to get on?
Former England centre Jeremy Guscott: England are the reigning Grand Slam champions and have won 13 out of 13 under Eddie Jones, but being realistic they haven't taken teams apart with amazing attack. It's been very much brutal defence that's been giving them the edge and improved fitness. They may need to produce more than that this year.
Ex-Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies: Wales will have to perform better defensively - and more importantly offensively - if they are to be contenders this year. They also need to have more variety in their game.
Keith Wood, former Ireland hooker: Ireland are looking very good at the moment. The coaching seems to be a little more flexible than it has been and the team seem more comfortable, with the current gameplan suiting the expanded squad.
Former Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol: Scotland are in pretty good shape - they are definitely improving, with a well-balanced team and good coaching. There is confidence throughout the squad after a positive autumn, as well as Glasgow qualifying for the knockout stage in Europe. My target for them is three wins.
Who will win the title?
JG: It's between England and Ireland. England have three home games (and I expect them to win all three), which gives them a slight advantage, but that is countered with having to play Ireland away. Ireland are playing at a tempo and intensity that the rest of the Six Nations haven't reached yet, and I expect them to win the championship.
JD: It's got to be Ireland. However, I don't expect them to win the Grand Slam (winning all five of their matches), so bonus points - introduced this year - will be important.
KW: I expect Ireland to win. It is the right cycle of games for them, their confidence is high and the provinces are doing well in Europe. They also have a small injury list - notwithstanding Johnny Sexton's absence from the opening weekend - and more strength in depth than before.
AN: England and Ireland start as favourites, with not much between them. They meet in the last game in Dublin with home advantage being crucial and probably the difference between the two. The style that England play and their ability to score more tries and points make them my favourites to win the Six Nations on points difference - or bonus points - but with no Grand Slam.
How will the Six Nations finish?
What new rule will have the biggest effect?
There are two main changes this year - stricter rules on high tackles and the introduction of bonus points.
The former means anyone making contact with the head of an opposition player, either recklessly or accidentally, will be punished more severely.
The introduction of bonus points brings the Six Nations in line with other competitions around the world and means sides scoring four tries, or losing by less than seven points, will earn bonus points.
JG: The new rules on high tackles will have the biggest effect. Without doubt players will be going to the bin for high tackles and that will have a bearing on results for sure.
JD: The new high tackle ruling and the way each referee interprets each incident.
KW: High tackle rule. The margin between a correct tackle and a high hit is too small.
AN: The new high tackle law could see more yellow cards, which could influence games. I'm not sure bonus points will come in to it - certainly not in first few games.
Who do you think will be the key player?
AN: England's Owen Farrell. Tactician, kicker, intense, brave, winner - there's five words I'd use to describe him.
JD: I pick Farrell too - he is key to England's game management.
KW: Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray - he leads by deed and composure.
Should the Six Nations have promotion and relegation?
The Six Nations began as a four-team competition - the Home Nations Championship - in 1883 before adding first France and then Italy - the latter in 2000.
The growth of rugby union over the past decade has seen Georgia, in particular, and a resurgent Romania become competitive at the highest level, but unable to move up from the second-tier Rugby Europe Championship because there is no promotion and relegation.
The second tier nations have called for the chance of admission to the Six Nations but the chances of that happening in the "Short to medium term" are unlikely, according to the tournament's boss John Feehan.
AN: I am not in favour of straight relegation from the Six Nations but I am in favour of a play-off between the bottom team in the Six Nations and the top nation in the Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia have earned the right to have a shot at making the top level having won the Nations Cup (the Rugby Europe Championship) in eight of the past nine years.
JG: I'm not sold on relegation yet. It may come in the future, but I've not heard enough compelling evidence to make a change yet.
JD: I think the bottom team in the Six Nations should take part in a two-game play-off against the top candidate.
KW: No, but we need to see these teams - the likes of Georgia, Romania and Russia - play tier-one teams more often.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38847806
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If I ever get pregnant, I won't be an 'expectant mother' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Freddy McConnell, a trans man who intends to have children in future, says it makes sense for medical staff to talk about "pregnant people" instead of "expectant mothers".
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Magazine
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A booklet published by the British Medical Association suggests that its staff should use the phrase "pregnant people" instead of "expectant mothers" in order to show sensitivity towards intersex men and trans men who get pregnant. The BBC's Siobhann Tighe spoke to one trans man for his view on the BMA's guidance.
It's impossible to get figures about how many trans men in the UK want to be pregnant, or go through pregnancy. The handful of gender identity clinics in the UK won't give out statistics, although one consultant psychiatrist says the figure is "tiny".
Only one transgender man in the UK, Hayden Cross, has spoken publicly about his pregnancy. Cross had hoped to freeze his eggs before completing his transition, but when the National Health Service refused to pay he decided to get pregnant with donor sperm and temporarily put gender reassignment surgery on hold.
I spoke to another trans man, Freddy McConnell, who has thought about what he might do if and when he wants his own children.
He's not ready to start a family yet, but if and when the time comes, he says carrying the baby will certainly be an option. He identifies as a gay man and has a partner who describes themselves as non-binary.
"That means that they don't identify as a male or a female - but they are on the masculine side of the spectrum," Freddy says.
Freddy, 30, made the physical transition from female to male four years ago with the help of testosterone. Even now he gets testosterone injections once every 12 weeks. He also had an operation performed in the States which removed his breasts and gave him a male, contoured chest.
But crucially he didn't have "lower" (genital) surgery, and that means that he has some options when it comes to having a family.
"I've always wanted kids and a family and I've thought about this a lot," he says.
"When trans men wants to have kids and they're on testosterone, they have to come off it. Then you'd have to wait for your menstruation cycle to kick in, and hopefully you'll be able to conceive. If you don't, it may be because you have a pre-existing fertility issue."
But stopping your testosterone is risky for a trans man because it could lead to gender dysphoria - described by the Terence Higgins Trust as an intense feeling of sadness, low mood and uncertainty.
Often this is what causes a person to transition in the first place, and for Freddy, it's a real concern.
"A lot of the changes that testosterone makes to your body are permanent. So, if you came off testosterone your voice wouldn't become high again and you wouldn't lose your facial hair," Freddy says.
"But the things that can change back once your system is running on oestrogen again is your fat distribution and muscle growth, and that could cause dysphoria and be challenging.
"If I was going to carry a baby that would worry me, because I really like the physical changes that testosterone has given me.
"It makes life a lot easier for me to be 'read' as male all the time, and I worry about losing that and the security it gives me in my identity."
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Freddy acknowledges that there aren't many people like him in the UK.
"The trans community is small, the trans male community is smaller and then the number of trans men who've had babies is vanishingly small," he says.
This means that social media sites, particularly from America or Canada, are particularly useful when it comes to getting information, providing support and sharing feelings.
"People who've been through this experience talk about feeling worried, and they're frightened that they'll be judged," says Freddy.
"And so they look to the community itself for information. That's where you know that people won't talk in a way that's disrespectful and won't be shocked, and they'll use inclusive language."
So when it comes to the BMA advice about referring to "pregnant people" instead of "expectant mothers" Freddy feels it's uncontroversial and factually correct.
"What they're saying in this document is: 'If you're talking to a trans man or an intersex man about being pregnant, don't call him an expectant mother.'
"If you call me that, it's incorrect and it's going to make me feel like you're not talking about me, you don't see me, you don't get where I'm coming from and I wonder where it is going to leave me as a patient under your care. It signals rigidity and closed-mindedness.
"But it's really important to say we're not interested in redefining motherhood, or taking away that word. We're just trying to be seen."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter
• None The transgender family where the father gave birth
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38831313
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Tube ticket office row resolved but at what cost? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After a long three years, there finally seems to be a resolution over Tube ticket office closures.
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London
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It has been three long years in the making, but today it seems as if we have a resolution to the closure of Tube ticket offices.
Both have moved on to greater things but the hangover of that announcement has lasted until today.
It was one of the most radical changes in Tube history and 953 jobs were earmarked for closure.
The bosses tried to sweeten the pill on that day by announcing the Night Tube, but it was the job losses the unions really hated.
From that day, there have been countless strikes, pickets, demonstrations, offers and counter offers over the issue of job cuts and safety.
But under the Tory mayor, Boris Johnson, the unions had given up striking as they were making very little headway.
The ticket offices shut in 2015 and the unions managed to get the number of lost staff down to 838.
In the mayoral election last year, the unions reinvigorated their campaign against the cuts and when Labour's Sadiq Khan took power he promised a review of the ticket office closures - carried out by London TravelWatch.
Countless strikes, pickets and demonstrations have been held in the last three years
It found staff were not visible enough (but didn't comment on specific numbers) and it did not say ticket offices should be re-opened.
However, crucially for the first time LU admitted they were short of staff.
That was the turning point and then it became a question of numbers.
The RMT and TSSA unions walked out on 9 January much to the annoyance of the new mayor whose promise of "zero strikes" evaporated.
This week that number rose - according to LU - to 325 with at least 200 of them being full-time.
On top of that 325 will be taken on as part of annual recruitment to match those leaving their jobs on the Tube. (The unions say 300 or so jobs are lost a year through retirement etc and there are already 70 unfilled posts.)
So, who can claim this as a victory?
Certainly the unions are delighted. They have got more staff but it is some way short of the 838 laid off.
LU said getting rid of 838 staff would save £50m a year. That saving will be reduced and now there is inevitably the question of affordability.
Transport for London (TfL) is having to make big changes and big savings and there are job losses being made elsewhere.
Conservative London Assembly member Keith Prince says: "Sadiq Khan has caved in and bought off the RMT by spending tens of millions of pounds on unnecessary jobs."
By recruiting in one area, bigger cuts will have to be made elsewhere. This though was a political and operational priority.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38861415
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'I signed £1.3bn rent contract by mistake' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Luke Mosson bought a flat for £150,000 but later realised that a clause in his contract meant the ground rent over the whole lease would cost more than £1.3bn.
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Luke Mosson bought a flat for £150,000, but later realised that a clause in his contract meant the ground rent over the whole lease would cost more than £1.3bn.
He is now negotiating with his landlord to be released from that clause.
Watch the full report on leasehold contracts here.
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38834621
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France Galop female jockey rule criticised by Turner, Gordon and Kirby - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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A new rule in France giving a weight concession to female jockeys draws criticism from across horseracing in the UK.
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Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing
A new rule in France allowing horses with female jockeys to carry less weight has been labelled "unfair", "offensive" and "patronising".
Governing body France Galop will allow 2kg (4.4lbs) less in the saddle to encourage use of female riders.
Group One-winning jockey Hayley Turner wants "more subtle" help, adding: "It seems a bit unfair on the lads."
The British Horseracing Authority noted the move "with great interest" but has "currently no plans" to do the same.
Jean-Pierre Colombu, vice president of France Galop, said the rule change provided a "real opportunity" for female riders.
There are 53 female and 354 male professional jockeys in Britain.
Around 90% of races in France will be subject to the rule change, though listed and group races will be exempt.
Apprentice and conditional jockeys in the UK are given a weight allowance, which in theory combats their inexperience by reducing the burden on a horse.
But leading male jockey Adam Kirby believes a 2kg reduction for women would be too much.
Kirby said: "It's ridiculous, isn't it? 4lbs is two lengths. I appreciate women might not be as strong as boys, but riding in races is not about strength, it's about positioning, rhythm and things like that."
In 94 years of the British flat racing Champion Apprentice title, only three female riders in Turner, Amy Ryan and Josephine Gordon - in 2016 - have won the honour.
Gordon, who turned professional in November and has eight wins this season, believes there will be a female champion jockey in the next 15 years.
She said: "I think an allowance would give a lot more females more opportunities to get rides at lower weights, but personally, I find it a bit offensive.
"Last year I had a claim and was competing against the male apprentices and I won it fair and square."
Jane Elliott, who has four wins from her last eight rides, described the French move as "a bit patronising".
"If you did get a 4lb allowance, I'd be expecting to get five rides a day in handicaps," she said. "It's such a big amount of weight to be giving jockeys."
Turner, who became the first woman to ride 100 winners in a calendar year in 2008, added: "I very much doubt it will happen in the UK. I'd be disappointed if it did, to be honest."
The BHA intends to speak to French authorities and the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) before deciding if it should "consult more widely across our sport".
The governing body claims as many women have graduated as apprentices as men in recent years.
The PJA said it was "unaware" the rule change was coming in France, adding: "The feedback we've had is that it isn't something the majority of our female members would want.
"There are plenty of female riders out there who are at least as good as their peers, and we have no doubt that such a weight allowance would put them at a significant advantage and increase their opportunities.
"Whether it is the right thing to do or is necessary is another matter, but it is important we canvass the views of our members, which we will do."
But jump jockey Lucy Alexander, the first female to become champion conditional in 2012-13, said she would "welcome" the change, adding: "The BHA should look at it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/38862543
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Can a 'superpower force field' protect us from hackers? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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As the number of cyber-attacks escalates, can a new approach to security help keep us safe?
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Business
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Can virtual software be as effective as virtual superheroes?
In the Disney Pixar animation The Incredibles, the daughter in the family of superheroes, Violet, has a particular superpower.
She can create a protective force field around herself - an impenetrable bubble. She can also make herself invisible.
Businesses trying to ward off millions of dangerous cyber-attacks in an increasingly connected world probably wish they had the same superpower.
Well, perhaps now, they do.
A cybersecurity firm called Bromium reckons its technology can protect laptop and desktop users in large organisations against malware hidden in email attachments and compromised websites.
It does this through a process called micro-virtualisation.
Every time you open a document or visit a website, Bromium creates a mini protected virtual environment for each task - like a series of Violet's bubbles.
Even if you've clicked on an email link containing a virus, there's nowhere for that malware to go because it is isolated within its bubble. It cannot infect the rest of the machine or penetrate the corporate network.
Violet's forcefield can protect anyone inside from attack. Can software do the same thing?
Bromium co-founder and president Ian Pratt, who sold his first company XenSource to Citrix for $500m (£398m) in 2007, says it has taken his firm six years to perfect the product.
"This is by far the hardest thing I've done by miles," he tells the BBC.
One helpful development was when the big computer chip designers, such as Intel and Arm, began producing chips that had virtualisation capability built in to them.
"We've created a billion virtual machines since we started - no bad stuff has ever escaped from one of them," says Mr Pratt.
The technology has proved popular with intelligence services and other government agencies, he says.
Bromium co-founder Simon Crosby says trying to detect the bad guy "always fails"
"The US intelligence services tend to compartmentalise data from secret sources using separate banks of computers. Now, using virtualisation, they can keep secret data separate and secure virtually on one computer," he says.
One computer can have 50 virtual machines (VMs) running at the same time without much loss in performance speed, he says, although a typical user will have five to 10 running concurrently.
It is this ability to create VMs instantly without much drain on the computer processor's resources that is one of the product's main advantages, he believes.
At the World Economic Forum's recent Davos summit, a cybersecurity roundtable discussion revealed that the biggest banks can now expect up to two billion cyber-attacks a year; retailers, a mere 200 million.
And recent research from IT consultancy Capgemini finds that only 21% of financial service organisations are "highly confident" they could detect a data breach.
Unfortunately, despite all the latest firewalls and antivirus software, it is we humans who are the weakest link in any organisation's security defences.
Despite all the warnings, we still click on email links and attachments, download software to enable us to watch that cute kitten video, and visit websites we probably shouldn't - even while at work.
Virtualisation is one defence against such attacks.
How many of us have visited websites we shouldn't have, even at work?
Prof Giovanni Vigna is a director of the University of California in Santa Barbara's cybersecurity centre and co-founder of malware detection company, Lastline.
He says: "Virtualisation is a very effective way of containing the effects of an attack because it isolates the bad stuff, and that's awesome," he says.
But it is not a "silver bullet", he warns.
"It won't prevent users from giving away sensitive security data in targeted spear phishing attacks," he says.
This is where staff are hoodwinked into giving away security details because hackers have collated enough personal details to make an email or document look entirely official and convincing.
This type of manipulation - called social engineering - is still "very effective", says Prof Vigna. "It's difficult to protect against human stupidity."
Bromium's Ian Pratt accepts that this is a limitation of virtualisation, but he maintains: "In 80% of cases hackers are gaining access to enterprise networks through staff clicking on dodgy links.
"Our system limits the damage that can be caused. We're trying to make these attacks far more expensive to execute."
Traditional anti-virus (AV) software works by identifying malware signatures and adding them to the huge database. Once a known signature has been detected it can then quarantine and delete the suspect program.
The problem with this approach, however, is that it's reactive and does nothing to prevent previously unknown attacks made by new forms of malware, many of which can evolve within an infected system and evade the AV software.
One cybersecurity firm trying to tackle this issue is Invincea, which describes its X product as "machine learning next-generation antivirus".
It aims to detect and stop malware without relying on signatures. It learns how suspect programs look and behave when compared to legitimate programs and other known forms of malware. And if a suspect file exceeds a risk threshold it is quarantined or deleted.
The deluxe version of Invincea's product also ensures that all links and attachments are opened in a virtual isolated environment - its own version of Violet's bubble.
"Invincea is a major competitor to Bromium," says Prof Vigna. "The advantage is that it works on CPUs [central processing units] that don't support micro-virtualisation, so it can be used in organisations with older computers."
Microsoft has also been exploring the benefits of virtualisation. Its next major Windows 10 update will enable users to run the Edge browser within a protected virtual machine environment.
Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey's computer science department thinks the tech giant could go further.
"Virtualisation is a neat idea," he says. "Lots of people are taking it very seriously. My personal suspicion is that someone like Microsoft may well try to build it into their operating system [OS] directly."
Although we have much better malware detection systems these days, we - "the squidgy bit in the chair", as Prof Woodward calls us - remain the most vulnerable point in this cybersecurity warfare.
Can we develop a version of Violet's bubble to protect us from ourselves?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38829663
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Ozzy Osbourne on fame and reality TV - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Ozzy Osbourne reflects on his fame and how reality TV affected his life.
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Ozzy Osbourne reflects on his fame and how reality TV affected his life as Black Sabbath prepare to perform their final gig.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38862780
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Is Sweden's deputy PM trolling Donald Trump in Facebook photo? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Isabella Lovin posted an image of herself signing a new law while surrounded by female colleagues.
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Europe
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Isabella Lovin's photo posted on Facebook is being compared to an image of President Trump
Sweden's deputy PM is causing a stir after posting an image appearing to parody Donald Trump's signing of an anti-abortion executive order.
Isabella Lovin, who is also the country's climate minister, published a photo that shows her signing a new law surrounded by female colleagues.
The image has drawn comparisons with Mr Trump's photo in which no women were present.
Within hours the post was shared and liked thousands of times on Facebook.
"Wonderful Picture! Hope you sent it to the man on the other side of the ocean," writes one user.
"Make the Planet Great Again!" writes another.
Facebook user Kimini Delfos said in a post that such an image should not spark the reaction that it has, suggesting that people "calm down".
"Why is it so difficult to see a picture with just women and not difficult to see a picture with only men?" she questioned.
Meanwhile, users of the social media site Twitter have praised what is being described as Ms Lovin's "dig" at the US president.
"Love how the Swedish Deputy PM is taking a dig at Donald Trump in her publicity photo for passing climate change law," writes user Ian Sinkins.
Another, Mikaela Hildebrand, writes: "@IsabellaLovin signs new the Swedish climate law & issues funniest #Trumbburn foto! Epic!"
The comparisons are being made to a photo last month of Mr Trump signing an executive order to ban federal money going to international groups which perform or provide information on abortions.
The image of Mr Trump signing the document surrounded by male colleagues was ridiculed on social media.
On Friday, while signing Sweden's new climate law, Ms Lovin urged European countries to take a leading role in tackling climate change as "the US is not there any more to lead".
The new law sets long-term goals for greenhouse gas reductions and will be legally binding for future administrations.
Ms Lovin said Sweden wanted to set an example at a time when "climate sceptics [are] really gaining power in the world again".
Mr Trump, who has previously called climate change a hoax, has raised speculation that he might pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, which aims to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and limit the increase in global temperatures.
The Swedish government, which claims to be "the first feminist government in the world", has also issued a statement affirming that gender equality is "central" to its priorities.
"Gender equality is also part of the solution to society's challenges and a matter of course in a modern welfare state - for justice and economic development," the statement reads.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38853399
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French security forces gather at Louvre after attack - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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See the scene outside the Louvre as a police spokeswoman gives further detail on what happened.
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Police in Paris say a soldier has shot and wounded a man with a knife outside the Louvre museum.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38852715
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Glasgow's Willow Tea Rooms owner wins name battle - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The woman who ran the Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street for more than 30 years has won a legal battle to keep its name.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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The woman who ran The Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street for more than 30 years has won a legal battle to keep its name.
Anne Mulhern had opposed an attempt by the Willow Tea Rooms Trust to trademark the name, which is associated with designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) told BBC Scotland that her challenge had been successful.
The Tea Rooms Trust has 28 days to appeal against the ruling.
The Sauchiehall Street building and interiors were designed by Mackintosh and built in 1903 for Kate Cranston, who ran a number of tea rooms.
Ms Mulhern, 60, transformed the Tea Rooms back to their original use in 1983 after the building had been used as a retail unit.
However, she did not own the building and it was acquired by the Willow Tea Rooms Trust in 2014.
The trust recently closed the building for a £10m two-year refurbishment.
The interior of the Willow Tea Rooms will be recreated at the Watt Brothers department store
Two waitresses in the Room de Luxe
Meanwhile, Ms Mulhern, who also operates the Willow Tea Rooms on Buchanan Street, has moved her Sauchiehall Street operation to the third floor of the Watt Bros department store.
The UK IPO said a 73-page ruling on the trademark dispute would be published next week.
It said Ms Mulhearn's opposition to the Willow Tea Rooms Trust's trademark application had been successful because she had a similar existing trademark.
She also had a "reputation among a known class of people" - meaning that tourists and locals had used her tea rooms for many years.
The Willow Tea Rooms Trust has 28 days to appeal against the ruling. If it does not the trademark will be formally refused.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38854333
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Dubai Tour: Marcel Kittel punched by Andriy Grivko during stage three - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Race leader Marcel Kittel is punched by Astana rider Andriy Grivko during stage three of the Dubai Tour.
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Last updated on .From the section Cycling
Dubai Tour leader Marcel Kittel says he will not accept an apology after Ukrainian rider Andriy Grivko punched him on the third stage of the race.
Grivko has been disqualified from the race and his Astana team apologised to Kittel and his Quick Step Floors team.
German sprinter Kittel posted a picture on Twitter with blood on his face, and wrote: "I won't accept an apology. That has nothing to do with cycling.
"What Grivko did is a shame for our beautiful sport."
The incident happened early on the 200km stage from Dubai to Al Aqah.
"When we passed a construction site, the sand began blowing and as soon as we went into the crosswinds we were fighting for position, which is always stressful, and Andriy Grivko punched me," Kittel said on his team's website.
"I get that riding in the crosswinds is always tense, but it gives him no right to act like that. He could have hurt my eye.
"In the finale, my mind wasn't 100% on the sprint, but I am happy I have no big injuries and I kept the lead."
Grivko later posted a statement on his Facebook page, in which he claimed Kittel had first pushed both himself and team-mate Dmitriy Gruzdev.
He said that created "a very tense and dangerous situation that could cause not only my fall, but a big crash in the peloton."
Grivko, who also accused Kittel of spitting at him, added: "I responded with aggressive action to aggressive action from the other side.
"Perhaps I got emotional and it has nothing to do with cycling, but in extreme situations, when exists a question of safety, it is difficult to stay calm."
Kittel had won the opening two stages but finished outside the top 10 on day three, as John Degenkolb of Trek-Segafredo took stage honours.
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) also finished outside the top 10 in an untidy sprint finish, with Aqua Blue Sport's Adam Blythe the best-placed Briton in ninth place after his team-mate Mark Christian spent most of the day in the break.
Kittel retained the overall race lead by eight seconds from Dylan Groenewegen of Team Lotto NL-Jumbo.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/38844632
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What's the hidden message behind Beyonce's pregnancy photo? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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We take a look at the possible hidden meanings behind Beyonce's pregnancy pic.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Since Beyonce announced she and husband Jay Z are expecting twins, social media has been abuzz with theories about the deeper meaning behind the record-breaking Instagram photo.
Why is she wearing a veil? Why is she kneeling? Why so many flowers?
Armchair art critics have been keen to offer up their own explanations.
"So perhaps Beyonce's having a girl & a boy, hence the pink bra & blue panties?" suggested @nicbamford on Twitter.
"She's SURROUNDED by beautiful flowers. This is her connection with life and earth. She's energised by nature" said @TheHelenOfTrill
"Pretty blatant Virgin Mary and pagan fertility imagery going on in Beyonce's pregnancy announcement" added @MildlyAmused.
Others were more confused than enlightened by the picture's composition.
Lisa McCray tweeted: "Friend. Do you legit not have stretch marks? How?"
Katie Leigh cut to the chase: "I cannot be the only one who thinks Beyonce's maternity pictures are extremely weird."
Meanwhile, the traditional press served up a more intellectual analysis of the photo.
Jay Z and Beyonce already have a daughter, Blue Ivy
The Guardian chose to interpret it on a purely artistic level, pointing out its resemblance to "late 15th century Flemish portraiture, when it was popular to depict a subject from a three-quarter angle, often in front of a landscape, and with hands clasped in front".
The background flowers, it said, are derived from "rococo influences" as is the photo's "overall celebration of love and pleasure".
Vanity Fair described the photo as "high-concept", mirroring famous historical paintings of "women of cultural importance," including Queen Elizabeth I.
Australian online pop hub Junkee hired art historian Kate Roberts to appraise the photo, comparing it to works by the great masters of the past, including Raphael, Botticelli, Reubens and Warhol.
Meanwhile, the tabloids searched for proof that Beyonce is a member of the Illuminati - the shadowy secret society believed by conspiracy theorists to be the mastermind behind global events.
"Beyonce is supposedly positioned in a pyramid shape - a key symbol for the Illuminati," said The Sun.
"Theories say the presence of a pyramid or triangle represents the top down command structure of the world."
Elle magazine suggested Beyonce's lack of clothing was a response to rumours from 2011 when she was pregnant with now five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.
It was alleged after an appearance on an Australian talk show that Beyonce's bump was fake. By stripping down to fully exposing her bump in 2017, there can be no doubt that this pregnancy is the real deal.
Whatever the deeper meaning behind Beyonce's pregnancy announcement, it has got the world talking.
Had she simply posted a shot of an ultrasound or two blue lines on a home pregnancy test kit, it perhaps wouldn't have become today's top headline.
So much of the news in 2017 has revolved around political turmoil and shifting global dynamics.
Beyonce's abstract and slightly surreal photo has provided some welcome relief, with social media users from across the spectrum briefly uniting under one sentiment - congratulations! Perhaps that is its real intention.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38847355
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Christian charity abuse claims: Daughter 'didn't see anything' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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One of the daughters of former Christian charity head John Smyth QC says having boys around the house was a normal part of her childhood, after allegations of abuse against him emerged.
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The Church of England has admitted it failed "terribly", after claims of physical abuse by a former colleague of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby were not reported to police for over 30 years.
Channel 4 News alleges 22 boys were beaten by former Christian charity head, John Smyth QC, in the 1970s.
One of his daughters told the BBC that having boys around the house was a normal part of her childhood, though she never saw any abuse.
Her interview has been voiced by an actor to protect her identity.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38847949
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Does Shiraz wine come from Iran? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Is there a link between the Iranian city of Shiraz and the wine of the same name found in supermarkets around the world?
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Middle East
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Music, poetry and wine-drinking at the court of 17th Century Persian ruler Shah Abbas
Until the Islamic revolution, Iran had a tradition of wine-making which stretched back centuries. It centred on the ancient city of Shiraz - but is there a connection between the place and the wine of the same name now produced and drunk across the world?
"I remember my father bringing in the grapes and putting them in a big clay vat," says California-based wine-maker Darioush Khaledi, recalling his childhood in pre-revolutionary Iran.
"I would climb on top and smell and enjoy the wine."
Darioush's family was from Shiraz, a fabled city in south-western Iran, whose name was once synonymous with viticulture and the poetry and culture of wine.
He remembers happy evenings when the family would gather, sipping wine from clay cups, and reciting lines from the 14th Century Persian poet Hafez.
"It wasn't just about drinking wine," he says. "It was an adventure."
The world Darioush remembers came to an end in 1979 when Iran's new Islamic rulers banned alcohol.
They shut down wineries, ripped up commercial vineyards and consigned to history a culture stretching back thousands of years.
Does this ancient jar hold the key to the provenance of Shiraz?
An ancient clay jar has pride of place at the University of Pennsylvania museum in Philadelphia in the US.
It was one of six discovered by a team of American archaeologists at a site in the Zagros mountains in northern Iran in 1968.
The jars date back to the Neolithic period more than 7,000 years ago, and provide the first scientific proof of the ancient nature of Iranian wine production.
Chemical analysis on one of them revealed that a dark stain at the bottom was actually wine residue.
"This is the oldest chemically-identified wine jar in the world," says Prof Patrick McGovern.
The first evidence of grape cultivation in Shiraz came around 2,500 BC, when vines were brought down from the mountains to the plains of south-west Iran, the professor says.
By the 14th Century, Shiraz wine was immortalised in the poetry of Hafez, whose tomb in the city is still venerated today.
"Last night, the wise tavern master deciphered the enigma," he wrote. "Gazing at the lines traced in the cup of wine, he unravelled our awaiting fate."
The wine-pourer or "saghi" had a special role in the ritual of Persian royal banquets
In the 1680s, a French diamond merchant, Jean Chardin, travelled to Persia to the court of Shah Abbas.
He attended elaborate banquets and recorded the first European account of what Shiraz wine actually tasted like.
"It was a very specific red," says French historian and Chardin expert Francis Richards. "It was a wine with good conservation because generally the local wines very quickly turned to vinegar."
But is there a connection between the "dark red wine that smells like musk" immortalised by Hafez, and the Shiraz wine drunk across the world today?
The first stop in my research is one of France's most famous vineyards in the Rhone valley in the south and home to the Syrah vine.
According to local legend, the Hermitage vineyard was founded by a 13th Century knight called Gaspard de Sterimberg, who brought back a Persian vine from the Crusades.
Syrah grapes at the world famous Hermitage vineyard in southern France
The names Syrah and Shiraz are often used interchangeably. Could Syrah be a corruption of Shiraz and prove a Persian connection?
The definitive answer came in 1998 when DNA testing was carried out on the local vines to pinpoint their origin.
"Some people think it comes from Persians and others from Sicily where you have Syracuse city," says grape geneticist Jose Vouillamoz. "But today we know all of that is wrong.
"Testing was done by two different labs," he continues. "And it was really a surprise to find out that Syrah is a natural spontaneous crossing between two local vines from this area."
So wherever the name came from, it seems there is no genetic connection between Syrah grapes and the wines of ancient Shiraz.
But the trail does not end there.
James Busby, seen as the father of the Australian wine industry
Outside of France, the biggest producer of Syrah in the world is Australia and the wine is always called Shiraz.
This can be traced back to a Scot called James Busby who exported Syrah vines from the Hermitage to Australia in the 19th Century.
His first consignment of vines was labelled "scyras" which many thought was a misspelling of Syrah.
But when I re-read his journal, I came across a line which proved he knew about the Hermitage Persian vine legend.
"According to the tradition of the neighbourhood," he wrote. "The plant - scyras - was originally brought from Shiraz in Persia."
At that time European wine-makers sometimes imported wine from Persia to add sweetness and body.
So perhaps Busby hoped the ancient name Shiraz would add some Persian mystique and flavour to his New World wine-making endeavour.
The United States imported Syrah vines in the 1970s and the wine is always marketed under the Syrah name - with one notable exception.
Darioush Khaledi, a son of Shiraz, is the proud owner of a 120-acre vineyard in California's Napa Valley producing what he insists on calling Shiraz wine.
"My French friends say Shiraz/Syrah comes from the Rhone and [has] a 500-year-old history," he says. "But if you open an atlas of the world there's only one place in the whole world called Shiraz and it has a 7,000-year-old history of wine growing."
Persian-style columns at the entrance to the Darioush winery in Napa Valley
He highlights his Iranian heritage in the vineyard. The entrance to the main building is lined with Persian-style columns reminiscent of the ancient city of Persepolis.
The day we visit, his marketing manager Dan de Polo is holding a wine tasting for a group of Chinese buyers.
"What's great about Shiraz is that it's always been a very soulful wine," he tells them.
Soulfulness, spirit and poetry - words that come up time and again when talking about Shiraz wine.
And for Darioush, and for me, I think that is what matters most.
It is not about the DNA of the grapes, it is about the link Shiraz offers us to the spirit of our faraway homeland and the romance of its fabled wine.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38771806
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Quiz of the week's news - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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A 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 last week's quiz, 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-38845772
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Should you have two bins in your bathroom? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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How much difference could you make by having separate bathroom bins for recycling?
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UK
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Our bathrooms are filled with shampoo bottles, toilet rolls and cleaning products which could easily be put into our recycling bins when finished with.
Yet research shows our green intentions are washed away as soon as we step near a toilet.
Now a business group has come up with an idea for how to combat this problem - two bathroom bins.
The Circular Economy Taskforce, who were brought together by Prince Charles's Business in the Community environment charity, says it could boost recycling.
So should two bins really sit alongside your stack of loo roll in the bathroom?
Why should people have two bins in their bathrooms?
"It's trying to address the problem that people are less likely to recycle packaging for things we use in our bathrooms than for things we use in other rooms of the house," says Jonny Hazell, senior policy adviser for environmental think tank Green Alliance.
The Recycle Now campaign points to its statistics, which show that while 90% of packaging is recycled in our kitchens, only 50% is being recycled in the bathroom.
"Often homes have one central recycling bin located in the kitchen, so when in the shower or washing your face it can be tricky to remember to transfer it to that bin," it says.
"This is why having a recycling bin or bag in the bathroom might be useful, if there is space."
Business in the Community says two bins could make it easier to separate out the plastics that can be recycled.
"But it doesn't have to be a bin, it could be as simple as a bag on the door handle that you bring down to the kitchen every week," it added.
Where has this idea come from?
While recycling has grown from 12% to 45% in the UK over the last decade, campaigners say the bathroom is an area that needs more focus.
The Circular Economy Taskforce came up with the idea as part of its work looking at practical collaborative ways to boost recycling and re-use rates.
"The bathroom is one of the areas that has come up time and time again in the group as somewhere where both business and consumers can make a difference to help us all reduce our impact on the environment," says Business in the Community.
"Thinking about how different types of bins could boost recycling in the bathroom is just one example of a potential simple solution that could have a big impact."
Why are people failing to recycle their bathroom products?
Campaigners believes it comes down not just to where a recycling bin is located but also to confusion over what can be recycled.
Recycle Now says: "There can also be confusion about what can or can't be recycled with bathroom products.
"For example many people don't realise that bleach bottles can be easily recycled - simply make sure it's empty and put the lid back on.
"Recycling just one bleach bottle saves enough energy to power a street light for 6.5 hours, so the value quickly adds up."
Research from the University of Exeter also found that people who threw away waste in the bathroom saw it as being "dirty" and were less likely to recycle it.
Going through your bathroom bin to separate out what can and can't be recycled can seem off-putting," says Business in the Community.
It added: "There is also a lot of confusion around what can be recycled in the bathroom, for example many consumers are confused by aerosols."
How much recyclable waste comes from a bathroom?
Plastic shampoo, conditioner and shower gel bottles, plastic moisturiser bottles (such as for hand cream and body lotion), glass face cream pots (plus the cardboard packaging they come in), perfume and aftershave bottles, aerosols for deodorant, air freshener and shaving foam, bleach and bathroom cleaner bottles, toothpaste boxes and toilet roll tubes.
Is a lack of recycling in bathrooms a real problem?
Every little helps, is the message from environmental and recycling groups.
"In general, the less we recycle, the more water and energy we need to use to produce the materials we use in our daily lives," said Mr Hazell.
Recycle Now says recycling reduces the amount we are sending to landfill and makes use of resources already available rather than making them from scratch.
"Ultimately this means reduced levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere which contribute to climate change," it added.
"For instance it takes 75% less energy to make a plastic shampoo bottle from recycled plastic compared with using virgin materials."
Can two bins have a meaningful impact on recycling overall?
"Ensuring you recycle in the bathroom can make a big difference," says Recycle Now.
"It would save £135,000 in landfill costs if every UK household threw their next empty shampoo bottles into the recycling bin.
"On top of this, if everyone recycled one more toilet roll tube it would save enough cardboard inner tubes from landfill to go round the M25 38 times."
But what if you don't have the space for two bins?
There are other options. Hang a reusable bag on the bathroom door so you can transfer your recyclable items straight into the recycling bin. Or opt for a bin with split compartments which can be used to separate recyclable and non-recyclable items.
• None Are you rubbish at recycling?
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38856081
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Saido Berahino: Striker served eight-week FA suspension - Mark Hughes - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Stoke City boss Mark Hughes says striker Saido Berahino served an eight-week Football Association ban when he was at West Brom.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Saido Berahino served an eight-week suspension before leaving West Brom, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has said.
His comments follow newspaper reports the striker was banned after failing an out-of-competition drugs test.
Hughes said the 23-year-old, who joined the Potters for £12m in January, was banned for a "Football Association disciplinary matter".
The Welshman said he saw no reason for Berahino not to face his former club at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Hughes, 53, said the forward had "issues at his previous club for 18 months", adding: "We were aware of that before we signed him.
"As with all players, we did our research on him before we signed him, but that didn't change our thinking at all.
"In terms of more detail, you would probably need to refer back to his former club, West Brom. We are pleased with what he is producing and he is looking forward to the game tomorrow.
"Why wouldn't I play him?" added Hughes. "He is in line to be involved."
West Brom boss Tony Pulis confirmed Berahino served a ban, but would not comment on why.
"He didn't play for me because he wasn't fit enough," added Pulis. "This football club looked after Saido very well while he was here. The club looks after all the players.
"Saido was one of the main reasons this club stayed in the Premier League two seasons ago. In his own mind he wanted to move."
The FA does not comment on its social drugs policy regulations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38853137
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Goat predicts winner of Italy v Wales Six Nations match - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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A goat predicts the winner of Sunday's Six Nations rugby match between Italy and Wales.
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A goat has predicted the winner of Sunday's Six Nations rugby match between Italy and Wales.
Lilian, who lives at Cefn Mably Farm Park, near Cardiff, uses two buckets to select her favourite side.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38862283
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IPL: Kevin Pietersen pulls out of Indian Premier League auction - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen says he will not be entering this year's IPL auction following his busy winter.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen says he will not be entering this year's Indian Premier League auction.
Pietersen was released by Rising Pune Supergiants in December after injury restricted him to only four games for them in the Twenty20 series last year.
"My winter has been too busy with all my travel and I don't want to spend April/May away too," he tweeted.
This winter, the 36-year-old has played in South Africa's T20 Challenge and Australia's T20 Big Bash League.
He is also to play a second season with Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League in February and March.
This year's IPL auction will take place in Bangalore on Monday, 20 February.
Pietersen played in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009 and 2010, and Delhi Daredevils in 2012 and 2014.
Mewnwhile, Pietersen has been fined 5,000 Australian dollars (£3,000) for his on-air comments criticising an umpiring decision while playing for the Melbourne Stars during a Big Bash League semi-final.
Pietersen was wearing a microphone when he criticised an umpire's decision to turn down a caught behind appeal against Perth Scorchers batsman Sam Whiteman on 24 January.
"That was a shocker, an absolute shocker," Pietersen was heard saying while fielding during the Scorchers' run chase.
After the match, Whiteman admitted he had hit the ball, while umpire Shawn Craig conceded he had made an error.
Pietersen has 48 hours to decide whether to appeal and have the issue heard by a Cricket Australia code of conduct commissioner.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38852886
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Trump's telephone un-diplomacy - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Donald Trump brings his brash, direct, unscripted style to talks with foreign leaders. Will it work?
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US & Canada
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The world is getting its first look at Donald Trump the Diplomat. He looks a lot like Donald Trump the Candidate, Donald Trump the Businessman and Donald Trump the Reality Television Host.
He's brash. He has a temper. He's willing to say impolite things. He can be bullying or ingratiating, depending on his own internal calculations.
Such attributes made him must-see television on The Apprentice. It helped him land blockbuster real-estate deals in boom times and stay one step ahead of financial collapse when business went bad.
It's an open question whether it will be effective as a way to assert national authority on the world stage. There's no doubt, however, that it represents a sharp break from how US presidents have conducted themselves in the past, with carefully managed foreign interactions that seldom deviate from a prearranged script.
Perhaps it's better to say that what the world is getting is its first look at Donald Trump the Un-Diplomat.
Multiple media accounts on Wednesday described Mr Trump's recent phone conversations with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, based on reports from senior government officials and leaked transcripts of the communications.
The president told Australia's leader that an agreement the Obama administration had negotiated to admit entry of more than a thousand refugees currently detained in Australia was "the worst deal ever" and described his conversation with Mr Turnbull as the "worst call by far" among those he had conducted with world leaders that day.
Australian PM Malcom Turnbull says his conversation with Donald Trump was candid and frank
The discussion, scheduled for an hour, ended after about 25 minutes.
In his call with Mr Nieto, Mr Trump reportedly said Mexico "had not done a good job" knocking out its "bad hombres". An Associated Press article reported that Mr Trump had threatened to send US troops into Mexico, but other media outlets were unable to confirm this or said the remark was made in jest.
In both episodes, Mr Trump reportedly took time to boast about the size of his inauguration crowd - a recurring theme in his public remarks since becoming president.
Accounts of the conversations differ dramatically from the official White House readouts, which paint a sterile picture of leaders embracing the "enduring strength and closeness" of their nation's relationships and discussing common interests.
According to CNN reporter Jim Acosta, however, the reality is far different, as a source told him Mr Trump's conversations "are turning faces white" in the White House.
A subsequent tweet by Mr Trump condemning the Australian refugee agreement seemed to confirm that the Turnbull conversation was more contentious than the original readout would indicate.
The morning after the reporting double-whammy - further evidence that this administration already leaks more than a Swiss-cheese boat - Mr Trump addressed the swirling controversy.
"When you hear about the tough phone calls I'm having, don't worry about it," he said, his New York accent a touch thicker than usual. "They're tough. We have to be tough. It's time we're going to be a little tough, folks. We're taken advantage of by every nation in the world, virtually. It's not going to happen anymore"
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It's the kind of in-your-face attitude that Mr Trump's supporters have long said they admired and wanted in the White House, although it has left much of the traditional foreign policy establishment stumbling to the fainting couches.
"This kind of behaviour generates a deep uncertainty on the part of other countries about whether they can trust America - and trust in America is the foundation on which much of the current world order is structured," writes Vox's Zach Beauchamp. "If Trump continues to behave this erratically, the consequences could be, well, unpredictable - and that's scary."
Mr Trump's foreign interactions haven't been all tough talk, however. A few weeks after his surprise election, Mr Trump spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and, according to that nation's readout of the conversation, the then-president-elect was effusive in his praise.
Donald Trump's negotiating strategy is outlined in The Art of the Deal
"President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation," the release read. "Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems."
In his 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, Mr Trump explained what he saw as the keys to good negotiating. One of them was to be nice, but "fight back hard" if you think you're being treated unfairly.
Another is to never show weakness.
"The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it," he writes. "That makes the other guy smell blood, and you're dead."
Donald Trump the Un-Diplomat seems to be putting those maxims to use early and often in his global interactions - no matter who is on the other end of the line.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38849257
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Canada mint worker who hid $130,000 of gold in rectum jailed - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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The 35-year-old was caught after he had laundered 17 of the gold pieces through a gold buyer.
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US & Canada
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A former Royal Canadian Mint employee has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing gold coins by concealing them in his rectum.
The 35-year-old, who was found guilty last November, was caught after he had successfully sold 17 of the gold pieces through Ottawa Gold Buyers.
Passing sentence on Thursday, he ruled that Lawrence should serve another 30 months in prison if he fails to pay the penalty within three years of his release.
Lawrence worked at the Royal Canadian Mint from 2008 until 2015
Investigators found vaseline and latex gloves in the mint employee's locker.
Judge Doody said these items "could have been used to facilitate insertion of gold items inside his rectum", reports the Toronto Star.
The 17 laundered pucks weighed as much as 264g apiece and were sold for sums up to $7,300 each between 2014 and 2015.
Lawrence was convicted of conveying gold out of the mint, breach of trust by a public official and possession of property obtained by crime.
He used the money to buy a boat in Florida and build a house in Jamaica, the court heard.
Lawrence's job was to purify gold and he occasionally worked alone in an area not covered by security cameras.
He worked at the mint from 2008 to 2015.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38848211
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Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch: Who is Trump's nominee? - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Mr Gorsuch has been likened to the late Justice Scalia based on his strict interpretation of law.
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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. Judge Gorsuch spoke of his "most solemn assignment"
President Trump's Supreme Court pick, Judge Neil Gorsuch, is the youngest such nominee in a quarter of a century.
The 49-year-old Colorado native, whose legal pedigree includes Harvard and Oxford, would succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia if confirmed.
He is favoured by many conservatives who consider him to espouse a similarly strict interpretation of law as Scalia.
Judge Gorsuch was first nominated to the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals by former President George W Bush in 2006.
Judge Gorsuch began his law career clerking for Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy, the latter of whom he could now serve alongside.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. President Donald Trump: "Was that a surprise? Was it?"
He worked in a private law practice in Washington for a decade and served as the principal deputy assistant associate attorney general at the Justice Department under the Bush administration.
Judge Gorsuch graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where former President Barack Obama was a classmate, and earned a doctorate in legal philosophy at Oxford University.
Perhaps it was during his time in England that he accumulated what his former law partner, Mark Hansen, has said was "an inexhaustible store" of Winston Churchill quotes.
Judge Gorsuch - who reportedly likes to fly-fish and hunt - lives in Boulder with his wife Louise and two daughters, where he is also an adjunct law professor at the University of Colorado.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would become the only Protestant on the current bench. The other justices are Jewish and Catholic.
His family is well-connected in Republican establishment politics.
His mother, Anne Gorsuch Burford, was the first female director of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Reagan administration.
He is known for his clear and concise writing style, navigating the most complex legal issues as deftly as the double-black diamond slopes on which he is reputedly an expert skier in the snow-capped mountain state he calls home.
He argued against euthanasia in his 2006 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.
"All human beings are intrinsically valuable and the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong," he wrote.
In a 2005 article in the National Review, Judge Gorsuch argued that "American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom".
He said they keep "relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders and the ballot box, as the primary means of effecting their social agenda".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Supreme Court has been without a full bench for almost a full year.
Judge Gorsuch has never ruled on abortion, and he is not expected to call into question high-profile rulings on that issue or gay marriage.
His conservative outlook cements Mr Trump's campaign promise to nominate a judge "in the mould" of Justice Scalia, restoring the nine-seat high court's 5-4 conservative majority.
Much like the late Scalia, the Ivy-League educated judge is known to support textualism, or the interpretation of law according to its plain text.
He also maintains a strict interpretation of the US Constitution, or how it was originally understood by the Founding Fathers.
While sitting on the bench of the 10th Circuit, Judge Gorsuch sided with groups that successfully challenged the Obama administration's requirements for employers to provide health insurance that includes contraception in the Hobby Lobby Stores v Sebelius case.
Justice Scalia (front row, second from left) was one of five justices that made up the conservative majority on the court
Judge Gorsuch has also expressed concern about "executive overreach", a criticism that was often directed at the Obama administration's use of presidential orders to overcome congressional gridlock.
He has sharply questioned a landmark Supreme Court ruling determining that courts should defer to government agencies when it comes to interpretations of ambiguous federal laws.
Conservatives blame the 1984 decision involving the Chevron oil company for handing too much power to the regulatory state.
In an August 2016 concurring opinion, Judge Gorsuch wrote that "executive bureaucracies [were being allowed] to swallow huge amounts of core judicial and legislative power and concentrate federal power in a way that seems more than a little difficult to square with the Constitution of the framers' design".
In a 2013 case, he upheld a lower court's ruling that a police officer was protected under qualified-immunity law after he used a stun gun on a 22-year-old student, who died from the incident.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38818482
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Skydivers compete in Wind Games 2017 - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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The invention of wind tunnels has given skydivers a new way to hone skills that usually require jumping from a plane.
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Competitors have been taking part in the Wind Games 2017.
More than 80 teams and 200 flyers from around the world met in Spain for the event.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38863714
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Saido Berahino: Striker not my problem anymore - West Brom boss Tony Pulis - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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West Brom boss Tony Pulis says he does not "give a damn" about Stoke striker Saido Berahino's future after it emerges he served an eight-week ban at the Baggies.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
West Brom boss Tony Pulis says he does not "give a damn" about Saido Berahino's future because the Stoke City striker is no longer his problem.
Potters boss Mark Hughes confirmed Berahino, who joined the Potters in January, had served an eight-week suspension when he was at West Brom.
His comments follow newspaper reports Berahino was banned after failing an out-of-competition drugs test.
"Anything Stoke asked for, we told them the truth," Pulis told BBC WM Sport.
"We never picked him again because his fitness levels, mental levels, were never what we wanted.
"This club has been absolutely fantastic towards Saido. The way it's protected him, the way it's looked after him. He should be really, really grateful."
The 23-year-old is set to return to the Hawthorns with Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.
Asked whether Hughes was the man to help Berahino, Pulis said: "Personally, I don't give a damn now.
"I've spent two and a half years at this club and he's not my problem anymore. I wish him all the best."
Pulis would not comment on the nature of the ban because it was a "personal issue", but he said Berahino never returned to the form he produced before West Brom rejected a bid from Tottenham for the striker in August 2015.
"Saido was very good the first six months I was at this club," said the Welshman. "He didn't go to Tottenham, and from that point on it's been a real struggle in every way, shape and form."
BBC Sport contacted Berahino's representative for comment, but has received no reply. The FA does not comment on its social drugs policy regulations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38855561
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Sculptors sought for Ben Nevis Ford Model T sculpture - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Artists have been sought to create a life-size bronze replica of a Ford Model T car that was driven to the summit of Ben Nevis in 1911.
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Highlands & Islands
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Footage from the BFI shows the journey of a Ford Model T car driving down Ben Nevis in 1911
Artists have been sought to create a life-size bronze replica of a Ford Model T car that was driven to the summit of Ben Nevis in 1911.
Henry Alexander Jr, the son of Scotland's first Ford dealer, drove the Model T up and then down the mountain.
The publicity stunt was to show that the mass produced American car was superior to hand-crafted British ones.
Highland Council has sought a contractor to develop, cast and install the sculpture in Fort William.
The replica is to be installed in the town's Cameron Square.
The footage from more than 100 years ago is in the care of BFI’s Britain on Film collection
Footage from the BFI’s Britain on Film collection shows the Model T on its descent of Ben Nevis
In a notice inviting bids for the work, Highland Council said that up to £89,000 was available for the contract.
A group called The Ben Bronze Model T has been promoting the idea of the statue in Fort William, the nearest town to Ben Nevis.
In 2011, a team of about 60 volunteers carried a dismantled replica of a Model T Ford car up and then back down from the summit of Ben Nevis.
The attempt, made in strong winds, hail and snow, was successfully completed.
A mock up of the planned sculpture
Volunteers carried wheels, seats and the chassis. Other parts of the car were put into 40 bags weighing 10 pounds (4kg) each.
After being reassembled on the summit the car was again dismantled for the descent.
Parts of the that replica car would be available to artists as templates for the sculpture, Highland Council said.
Footage of the original drive on Ben Nevis was thought to have been lost, before being found.
The film, which is in the care of the British Film Institute, shows a peat bank being dynamited to make the journey a bit smoother for the Model T.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-38853227
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Jose Mourinho: Man Utd players 'must realise they need to win' - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho says some of his players need to leave their "comfort zone" and to learn how to win.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says certain members of his squad need to realise the importance of winning.
United are unbeaten in 14 Premier League games but have drawn their past three and been sixth in the table after each round of matches since 6 November.
"Playing to win, having the responsibility to win, and coping with the pressure of winning is something that has to belong to your natural habitat," said Mourinho.
"For some guys, it doesn't."
Six players in the Old Trafford club's first-team squad have not won a domestic league title or major international tournament - Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian, Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
Mourinho did not name any individuals but, speaking before Sunday's trip to champions Leicester (16:00 GMT kick-off), he said his squad contains players who "need time to go out of a comfort or a protected zone where they don't think the aim is to win".
Meanwhile, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been added to United's Europa League squad after being left out for the group stages.
The 32-year-old former Germany captain will now be available for the last-32 tie against Saint-Etienne later this month.
Having signed four players last summer, United did not buy anyone during the January transfer window - but Mourinho has identified the men he wants in the summer.
In recent seasons, United have become embroiled in negotiations with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos and forward Gareth Bale, and midfielder Cesc Fabregas when he was at Barcelona, but the Mourinho says he will not chase "impossible" transfers.
"I know what I want and I am very realistic," said the Portuguese. "I know what are the impossible targets and I don't like my club to participate in them.
"It is a waste of time. It is a gift to the agents to help them improve their situation."
Given they have been in sixth place since early November, there is a real possibility that United will fail to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive year.
That would cost them more than £20m in sponsorship income due to a clause in their £750m, 10-year deal with Adidas, but is unlikely to impact on their ability to attract top-class players because of Mourinho's reputation and the club's ability to pay top salaries.
Mourinho's priorities will be to bring in at least one "game-changing forward" and bolster his defence significantly.
Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has been heavily linked, although United officials have played down a story from France that personal terms with the 25-year-old have already been agreed.
A formal move for Benfica's Victor Lindelof is anticipated after United ruled out a January move for the 22-year-old Sweden defender due to his near £40m buyout clause.
Monaco defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is also of interest to Mourinho, with England winger Ashley Young and Schweinsteiger top of the list of likely departures.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38858499
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The man hiding tenners round Cardiff - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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Why film maker Matt Callanan has hidden £10 notes around Cardiff for others to spend.
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Why film maker Matt Callanan has hidden £10 notes around Cardiff for others to spend.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38859821
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BBC presenter Emily Maitlis in 'torture' tweet mix-up - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Human rights campaigner apologises to BBC's Emily Maitlis for accusing her of role in "CIA torture".
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UK
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A US-based human rights campaigner has apologised for mistakenly accusing BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis of running an alleged CIA torture site.
Kenneth Roth, director of Human Rights Watch, tweeted a picture of her, saying President Trump "chose [a] woman who ran CIA black site for torture".
Mr Roth had meant to tweet a picture of Gina Haspel, named as CIA deputy director by Mr Trump on Thursday.
Maitlis replied: "Erm. This is me." Mr Roth then deleted the tweet.
Mr Trump's appointment of Ms Haspel was met with claims from human rights groups that she played a role in secret "black site" prisons run by CIA officers and contractors.
Ms Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, ran a prison in Thailand where terror suspects were waterboarded.
So-called black sites were secret overseas locations where the CIA carried out interrogation techniques. They were closed by the former US President Barack Obama.
Newsnight's Emily Maitlis said she was "pretty sure" she had never run a CIA black site for torture
Christopher Anders, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington office, told the New York Times he was "gravely concerned" about Ms Haspel's appointment.
Announcing the decision, CIA director Mike Pompeo said Ms Haspel was "an exemplary intelligence officer" with an "uncanny ability to get things done and to inspire those around her".
But the BBC's Maitlis said she was "pretty sure" she herself had never run a CIA black site for torture.
A spokesman for Human Rights Watch, Andrew Stroehlein, said he had "no idea" how the mix-up had occurred.
He added: "BBC interviews can be tough but not to that level. Seriously: Very sorry. Ken will pick this up in US time."
Mr Roth tweeted that he was "sorry" for posting the wrong picture.
But this was not enough for some critics, with one tweeting: "Are you going to apologise to her?" and another posting: "'Sorry'? That's all you got? Try little harder Ken!"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38855981
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Sheffield City Council 'failed to stop predatory sex offender' - BBC News
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2017-02-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Roger Dodds was jailed earlier for 16 years after pleading guilty to four counts of indecent assault.
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Sheffield & South Yorkshire
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "I remember... looking at Roger Dodds with his big bunch of keys, locking the door, and that was horrifying", one victim said
Predatory sex offender Roger Dodds was left free to abuse his victims by Sheffield City Council despite bosses having known about his offending for years, BBC News has found.
Dodds, who was jailed earlier for 16 years after pleading guilty to four counts of indecent assault, was allowed to operate as an employee of the council "without sufficient challenge, accountability or consequences", a council-commissioned report found.
Council officials not only knew about his behaviour, but also failed to report his activities to police and gave him early retirement with an enhanced pension.
Kenny Dale, who was abused by Dodds in the early 1990s and has waived his right to anonymity, said: "I was the victim of a horrible man and the council are to blame for that."
Sheffield City Council said it "accepted responsibility" and was "deeply sorry" Dodds had been allowed to commit these offences while in its employment.
Dodds abused at least one man while heading up the council's Grants and Awards Department
Dodds, now 81, was employed in 1975 to head the council's Grants and Awards Department.
The unit was responsible for providing financial support to students attending college or university. However, Dodds used his position to sexually abuse young men, typically in their late teens.
One victim, who did not want to be named, said he was assaulted during their very first meeting.
He told the BBC: "Dodds was asking me things about my studies, and, very gradually, his left hand started to feel its way into my right jeans pocket. When that started to happen, I just became frozen and unable to move."
According to former colleagues, Dodds was part of a club that operated within the council swapping hardcore pornographic magazines in internal envelopes and screening adult films in a basement room.
He was first investigated by Sheffield City Council in the early 1980s after a series of allegations were made against him.
The complaints gave one employee the courage to tell managers about the abuse he had been subjected to.
Richard Rowe said he grew to fear turning up for work as a result of his abuse at the hands of Dodds
Richard Rowe, who has also waived his legal right to anonymity, said he was subjected to "terrifying" assaults over an 18-month period.
However, he said when he told bosses what was happening, he was told to stay quiet.
"They asked for specifics and I gave them as much details as I could bring myself to voice. But they knew, they knew exactly," he said.
"At the end of the interview it was, 'there is nothing more to tell us, so go back to the office and you do not speak about this inside or outside the building'. I clearly remember that warning."
Following the investigation, Dodds was moved to a position working with schools.
An investigation carried out for Sheffield City Council, and seen by the BBC, said he was given "substantial unregulated and unsupervised access to schools".
The report continues that "there appears to have been no disciplinary consequences to his behaviour at the time".
Nor was his transfer a chastening experience for Dodds.
Kenny Dale said he blamed the council for failing to stop Dodds
Mr Dale began working at the council in the early 1990s and, despite warnings from colleagues, applied for a post working alongside Dodds.
"Everyone told me not to go for it," he said, "[but] I didn't think that kind of behaviour would be allowed".
He said Dodds began touching him inappropriately almost immediately and continued to do so despite his objections and the lack of challenge from managers.
Another investigation by the local authority was launched and in 1993 Roger Dodds left the council.
However, despite Mr Dale's insistence Dodds should not be given a payoff, he was given an early retirement package that included an enhanced pension.
Mr Dale said he blames the council for the abuse he suffered.
"The council are so responsible, more responsible than he was," he said.
Roger Dodds was the subject of two internal investigations while working for Sheffield City Council
Following the second internal investigation officials concluded a criminal investigation should have been launched.
In 2008, one of Dodds' victims went to South Yorkshire Police with his allegations.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute at the time - a CPS spokesman said its files did not contain details on why that decision was taken.
Dodds was eventually charged in 2016 after another complainant came forward in 2014.
The police investigation prompted the council to commission consultants to investigate how it had handled Dodds.
The 2008 review concluded: "It was clearly wrong that Dodds should receive early retirement. He was not subject to any official sanction by the council for his alleged behaviour."
The 28-page dossier also revealed repeated failures by the council, describing the authority's action as clearly unacceptable not just by present-day standards but by the policies and legislation in place at the time.
It conceded the council did not know how many other victims there might be.
Its conclusion was damning, stating: "The actions of Roger Dodds have caused enormous distress to his victims, and the city council has been complicit in allowing Dodds to operate apparently without sufficient challenge, accountability or consequences."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38840808
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Huddersfield Town 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Huddersfield show their promotion credentials by beating 10-man Brighton, who fail to extend their Championship lead.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Huddersfield showed their promotion credentials with an impressive home win over Brighton, who missed the chance to extend their Championship lead.
The Seagulls remain one point ahead of second-placed Newcastle.
Tommy Smith's angled shot put the hosts in front before Tomer Hemed rounded the goalkeeper to equalise.
Nahki Wells fired into the top corner and Elias Kachunga nodded in to make it 3-1 before half-time, and Lewis Dunk's red card added to Brighton's misery.
Centre-back Dunk was sent off for a second yellow card midway through the second half for a lunging challenge on Izzy Brown, having been booked in the first period for a foul on the same player.
The Terriers' seventh win in nine league matches keeps them fifth, but they are now just two points behind fourth-placed Leeds, who they play at home on Sunday.
Brighton, knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Lincoln five days earlier, were uncharacteristically poor in defence and conceded three goals in a league match for the first time in almost 12 months.
The outstanding Rajiv van La Parra had already hit the post before full-back Smith's attempted cross landed back at his feet, and his subsequent shot flew in at the near post.
Hemed pounced on a poor back header from Huddersfield's Aaron Mooy to level, but that proved to be the only clear chance they created in the entire 90 minutes.
Wells' excellent finish from just inside the box was his 100th goal in English football, and it was the former Bradford forward's shot which goalkeeper David Stockdale palmed into the air for Kachunga to head in Huddersfield's third from close range.
After Dunk's dismissal, the fifth of his career, there was still time for Australian midfielder Mooy to strike the upright from long range and Stockdale to tip over a powerful attempt from substitute Kasey Palmer.
"It was a good one, maybe one of the best this season. We scored three goals and had chances for more, and conceded a sloppy goal which was easy to avoid, but it was very good.
"We are fresh and still very hungry and greedy, even when we are humble and we know we're playing against the best team in the division.
"We gave ourselves no limits, we try our best and today our best was very good."
"Every now and again you get a real bad one, and that was a real bad one.
"We were nowhere near the levels you need to play any game in this division, never mind one as good as Huddersfield, and on their own ground too.
"If we put in another performance like this at Brentford on Sunday, we will lose again. We need to be far better.
"Lewis Dunk has played the ball but he was already on a yellow and he's given the referee a decision to make. It's another one for him and something he has to learn from. We are going to miss him. It's a blow."
• None Attempt saved. Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Collin Quaner.
• None Attempt missed. Kasey Palmer (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
• None Attempt saved. Kasey Palmer (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Elias Kachunga.
• None Offside, Huddersfield Town. Aaron Mooy tries a through ball, but Nahki Wells is caught offside.
• None Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Elias Kachunga.
• None Oliver Norwood (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Kasey Palmer (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Elias Kachunga. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38753430
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Frank Lampard: Former Chelsea & England midfielder retires - BBC Sport
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2017-02-03
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Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard retires, bringing to an end a 21-year career in the professional game.
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Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has retired, bringing to an end a 21-year professional career.
The 38-year-old, who spent last year with New York City in Major League Soccer in the US, announced his decision on social media on Thursday.
"Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life," said Lampard.
"I'm grateful to the Football Association for the opportunity to study for my coaching qualifications and I look forward to pursuing the off-field opportunities that this decision opens."
He won 11 major trophies, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012. Lampard also won four FA Cups, two League Cups and the Europa League.
• None Lampard v Gerrard - who was better? Read the stats and cast your vote
• None Listen: Lampard will go to the very top of management - Redknapp
• None Only Ryan Giggs (632) and Gareth Barry (615) have made more Premier League appearances than Lampard (609).
• None His total of 177 goals is the Premier League's fourth highest behind Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole.
• None He has scored more goals from outside the box than any other Premier League player (41).
• None Lampard scored against a record 39 different teams in the Premier League.
• None No England player has scored as many penalties as Lampard (nine), excluding shootouts.
Frank Lampard's legendary status and standing as one of the greatest players of the modern era is cemented by statistics.
When he left Chelsea in the summer of 2014, he was the club's record goalscorer with 211 goals from 649 appearances - a truly remarkable return for a consummate professional plying his trade in midfield.
Lampard was central to the most successful spell in Chelsea's history as he and they completed a clean sweep of trophies at home and abroad, a haul that reflected his stellar contribution.
He was the model of consistency, respected and admired by team-mates and opponents alike.
Like his great contemporary Steven Gerrard he struggled to transfer club successes to his England career, but he was still a fine performer on the international stage.
Lampard's next step looks certain to be into coaching - and with the knowledge gained over a lifetime from his father Frank Sr as well as working with managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink, few would bet against him adding to his successes in this phase of his career.
Lampard joined Chelsea from boyhood club West Ham for a fee of £11m in 2001.
His club-record 211 goals helped the Blues win the Champions League, three Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Europa League and a Community Shield.
He played a pivotal role as Jose Mourinho's side delivered Chelsea's first top-flight championship in half a century, scoring 13 goals including both in the title-winning 2-0 victory at Bolton in April 2005.
He added 16 league goals the following season as Chelsea retained their title, finishing runner-up to Barcelona forward Ronaldinho in both the Ballon d'Or and Fifa World Player of the Year awards.
Lampard scored 10 or more Premier League goals in 10 successive seasons for Chelsea, reaching 22 as he collected a third Premier League winner's medal in 2009-10.
Champions League success finally followed in 2011-12 as Lampard captained the side to a penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich in the absence of the suspended John Terry.
"He was definitely a world-class player for a long period of time," said BBC football analyst and former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin. "I don't think we rate him as highly as we should do.
"He is kind of remembered just for scoring goals. That he was phenomenal at. There are very few people on the planet who can score that number of goals from midfield.
"He was a better all-round footballer than he was given credit for. When he was moved further back at the end of his career for Chelsea, he realised that his passing, short and long, was exceptional."
Lampard played a key role in bringing success back to Stamford Bridge, but he was unable to help replicate that trophy-laden touch with the national side.
He made his England debut against Belgium in 1999, going on to win the same amount of caps as Sir Bobby Charlton, but missed out on a place in both the Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002 squads.
Lampard scored three times as England reached the Euro 2004 quarter-finals, and finding a way to fit him and Steven Gerrard into the same midfield was seen as the solution to the national side's problems.
The pair formed the core of what was tagged England's 'golden generation', but both missed a penalty in a World Cup quarter-final shootout defeat by Portugal in 2006 and England failed to qualify for the Euros two years later.
A last-16 exit followed against Germany in the 2010 World Cup and Lampard missed Euro 2012 through injury, before playing his final major tournament for England in Brazil in 2014, when England went out in the group stage.
"From an England point of view he was pretty spectacular," added Nevin. "There were times when he got a lot of stick. He still got all those caps and still scored a whole bunch of goals."
Lampard began his career at West Ham, making his debut in January 1996 having progressed through the club's youth system. But the presence at the club of his dad Frank Lampard Sr, and uncle Harry Redknapp as manager, meant the teenager was singled out for criticism.
Lampard even claimed in his autobiography that some Hammers fans cheered when he broke his leg during a game against Aston Villa.
Later he would face a frosty reception when he controversially arrived at Manchester City after agreeing to join New York City - the MLS franchise set up by the Premier League club and the New York Yankees baseball team - in 2014.
Lampard refused to celebrate when he scored against Chelsea, and while his performances in Manchester saw his deal at Etihad Stadium extended, it prompted an angry reaction in New York.
Lampard finally made his MLS debut in August 2015, but critics were underwhelmed by his performances and, after returning from an injury this season, he was jeered by his own fans and described as "the worst signing in MLS history".
But he rediscovered his scoring touch and the city celebrated Frank Lampard Day in September after he scored his 300th career goal. He went on to reach double figures in the MLS before announcing his time at New York had come to an end.
"It was an incredible career when you consider he was written off right at the start and told he might not go that far," said former Scotland international Nevin.
Nevin, a key member of the Chelsea side that won promotion from English football's second tier in 1984, says Lampard is capable of doing anything he wants to in the game.
"He's a hugely intelligent guy," said Nevin. "He could actually go into an area where he could be running part of a club. If he wants to go down that route he is perfectly capable.
"Looking at his capabilities, anything within the game is possible for him, be it coaching, be it managing, be it working with the FA.
"I hope the game doesn't lose him, but I don't think it will. I think he loves the game too much."
Match of the Day presenter and former England international Gary Lineker recently went to New York to speak to Lampard about his future.
"Lampard says he is very keen on getting into coaching, which is not a path too many English players of his calibre have taken recently when their playing days ended," said Lineker.
"Part of that is down to them having other options. Punditry is one of them and I am sure he would be very good at it - there would be plenty of people trying to get him to work for them.
"But it would be nice to see someone like Lampard go into the coaching game, with his intelligence and passion and especially because he wants to test himself as a manager."
Former Chelsea midfielder and assistant manager Ray Wilkins told BBC Radio 5 live: "Frank's been exceptional and ranks among best that have ever played for Chelsea with his goals, his creativity, his work ethic. He's everything anyone wants as a coach or manager.
"I would love him to go [and manage] a Premier League side and not anywhere else. He knows what the Premier League is all about. Go in where you know - he knows top-quality international footballers. Give him the opportunity to do his stuff."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37985587
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