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Obamas to get Freedom of the City of Dublin - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The couple are honoured in recognition of their "progressive" influence and human rights work. | Europe | Former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle last visited the Republic of Ireland in 2011
Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are to be granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin.
Dublin City councillors voted to award the honour in recognition of Mr Obama's "moderating and progressive" influence on the world stage.
They also acknowledged Mrs Obama's work for the education of girls around the world and on behalf of refugees.
Lord Mayor Cllr Brendan Carr confirmed the couple had indicated through contacts their happiness to accept.
A meeting will be held with US Embassy officials within days and a visit could be organised by the end of the year, he added.
He also said the couple saw it as an opportunity for another visit. President Obama and his wife visited the Republic of Ireland in 2011 as part of a tour of Europe.
During their stay, the Obamas went to Moneygall, a small village in County Offaly which was home to one of President Obama's ancestors who emigrated to the US in 1850.
The motion to grant the honour was carried by 30 votes in favour with 23 against.
Cllr Carr, who proposed the motion, told councillors there was precedent for a couple receiving the honour as it was granted to the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan in 1985 for their diplomatic activities.
He said Mr Obama had regretted some US actions in the Middle East and the honour was not a "canonisation" of the couple.
Other international figures to receive the honour include former US President Bill Clinton, former South African President Nelson Mandela and Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38891178 |
Six Nations: England 'can compare' to New Zealand - Sam Warburton - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Sam Warburton says Six Nations rivals England are justifiably regarded as being on a par with world champions New Zealand. | null | Last updated on .From the section Welsh Rugby
Coverage: Live on BBC One Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary
Wales flanker Sam Warburton says Six Nations rivals England are justifiably regarded as being the equal of world champions New Zealand.
Eddie Jones' side will arrive in Cardiff seeking a 16th successive win, three away from a world record.
The All Blacks and South Africa share the tier-one nations' 18-match winning run record.
"England are deservedly tagged as the best team in the northern hemisphere," said Warburton.
"It's a fair judgement to compare them to the All Blacks right now - that's how good they are.
"It is going to take a huge game out of us to get a win, and it will be one of the biggest games of the championship for sure."
Why everyone wants to beat England
Warburton also explained the reasons he believes fire up every opponent England meet in the Six Nations.
The ex-Wales captain insists it is down to England's recent successful record.
"Chatting to [different countries'] players, that's how they feel, they really prioritise that and everyone just wants to beat England," he said.
"That's due to the success in the past and the success they're going through now. It's always a big scalp."
• None Never miss a Six Nations story with BBC alerts
International rugby began with Scotland and England meeting in 1879.
Four years later the Home Nations tournament began with Wales and Ireland taking on England and Scotland.
Since then, the Celtic nations have traditionally revelled in their rivalries with England.
England are unbeaten under Jones, who succeeded Stuart Lancaster after their group-stage exit from the 2015 World Cup.
Wales contributed to England's downfall in the tournament they hosted with a win at Twickenham, but lost twice to them in 2016.
"If you're Wales, the biggest game you play in in the Six Nations is England," said Warburton.
"If you're Scotland, it's England. If you're Ireland, it's England. Or if you're France or Italy, it's England," said Warburton, whose father was born in England.
"We know as players that's the one game the fans look forward to most and you sense that in the build-up. It's a huge occasion for everyone in Wales.
"But for me, I always cherish any win against any opposition in the Six Nations and in the last three years [since Wales' 2013 title win] I've realised how difficult it is to win a championship."
Cardiff Blues' Warburton predicts selection headaches if Bath number eight Taulupe Faletau has recovered from a knee injury for Saturday's match.
Gloucester's Ross Moriarty played at eight in the opening victory in Italy and could rival Warburton for the blind-side flanker's role if Faletau is risked for a starting place.
"The back-row competition is so fierce at the minute, I don't want to put pressure on him, but Toby [Faletau], when he's playing well, is one of the best players in the world. I think he's fantastic," Warburton added.
"If he did come back I'm sure there would be a few selection headaches in the back-row because Ross and Justin [Tipuric] went extremely well against Italy." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38893904 |
CV test pits Adam against Mohamed - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | A BBC test pitted Adam's CV against Mohamed's. Here's what happened. | null | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38887860 |
'Last Concorde' makes its final journey - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | As the 'last Concorde' made its final journey, we look back at the iconic plane's history. | null | As the 'last Concorde' made its final journey, we look back at the iconic plane's history.
It will be the centrepiece of the £16m Bristol Aerospace Centre, which has been built around a listed WW1 hangar. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38899344 |
Why bother with seven-day GP opening? - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The government is setting out its plans to boost GP numbers to help achieve a seven-day service. But is this all really worth it? | Health | There is a simple way to make a job more attractive. Attach more money to it.
But, of course, that is not really an option for GPs. Average pay - for those that run practices as partners at least - is already in the six figures so there would be an outcry if pay started going up dramatically when the rest of the public sector is being squeezed.
Instead, the government in England is trying to tinker around the edges - offering doctors more training opportunities, making it easier to return to the profession after a break and promoting flexible working.
There is even the prospect of a "golden hello" for new doctors willing to work in the most deprived areas.
But the big question is whether this will be enough.
General practice - for a variety of reasons - is not as attractive as it once was. The NHS is in the process of increasing the number of training places to boost numbers.
However, over one in 10 went unfilled last year. Coupled to that a recent BMA survey showed the pressures on the profession were prompting large numbers to think about escaping.
The poll of 15,000 doctors found a third were thinking of retiring in the next five years and one in 10 was considering moving abroad.
If this comes true, it will make it very difficult for the government to achieve its desire to boost the workforce by 5,000 doctors, which in turn will make it difficult to secure the seven-day service ministers are aiming for.
But in all this debate it is easy to forget the obvious question. Do we really need GPs available seven days a week?
It is something British Medical Association GP leader Dr Chaand Nagpaul raised this morning when he suggested the government would be better focussing its attention on "supporting practices during the day".
The government, however, is adamant there is a need. But from whom? The biggest users of general practice are the elderly and very young.
• 1 in 3 considering retirement in next five years
• 13% of GP training places went unfilled last year
The average patient sees their doctor six times a year, for the over 75s this tops 20 while for the under-fives it is approaching 15 visits.
Neither of these groups tend to have trouble being free to see a doctor during normal hours.
It is why those that have tried seven-day opening tend to report that demand is very low, particularly on Sundays (although there does seem to be some appetite for late evening opening and Saturday morning clinics but these were already offered in many places before ministers started pushing for this initiative).
Instead, seven-day opening for GPs seems to be more focussed at tackling what is perhaps the Achilles heel of the NHS: Where to go when you need immediate care that does not necessarily need the attention A&E.
Estimates suggest as many as four in 10 A&E visits could be dealt with elsewhere. But with the jury still out on the 111 non-emergency phone line and many still suspicious about GP out-of-hours providers, the government seems to be turning to general practice to help it out.
But is there a risk the government is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut - albeit a tough nut?
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33201182 |
Wigan Athletic 2-2 Norwich City - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Two Omar Bogle goals on his first Wigan start help earn the Championship strugglers a draw against Norwich City. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Norwich missed the chance to climb into the Championship's top six after Omar Bogle's second-half double earned struggling Wigan a point.
Nelson Oliveira's looping header from Alex Pritchard's set-piece had given Norwich a deserved first-half lead.
But Bogle's near-post header from a corner and cleanly struck free-kick put the hosts ahead as they battled back.
Mitchell Dijks then nodded level from a Norwich corner and both sides searched for a late winner that would not come.
Wigan remain 23rd, five points below 21st-placed Burton with a game in hand, while Norwich stay seventh but move to within two points of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
• None Relive Wigan's 2-2 draw with Norwich as it happened
The Canaries had put the ball in the net on 25 minutes when Russell Martin headed in on the rebound after a Jonny Howson effort bounced off the woodwork, but the linesman's flag was already raised for offside.
However, not long after the visitors - bidding for a fourth straight win - did take the lead as Oliveira netted his eighth league goal of the season.
After the break, Wigan sprung to life and former Grimsby striker Bogle's quickfire brace on his first start for the Latics turned the game around.
But Dijks' header soon had the visitors back on level terms to deny Wigan a seventh league win of the season.
The hosts, who had failed to scored in nine of their past 12 home league games, could have won it late on but Norwich keeper John Ruddy saved well from Jake Buxton.
Wigan Athletic boss Warren Joyce: "I'm disappointed we did not end up winning the game, because I felt we deserved the three points.
"I was happy with the whole team - the effort, the commitment, the work-rate, the desire.
"We were good value to have taken the lead, and it's disappointing not to see it through."
Norwich City boss Alex Neil: "We were the better side in the first half and we controlled the game - we should have been more than 1-0 up.
"The frustration for me is that the goal that Russell Martin scored was onside, having watched it back.
"We were frustrated tonight as a group. We feel we should have won it. We made it difficult for ourselves."
• None Attempt missed. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cameron Jerome.
• None Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
• None Attempt saved. Jake Buxton (Wigan Athletic) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Connolly with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38805571 |
Towering teen Brandon Marshall closes in on record - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | Brandon Marshall, who is 6ft 11.5ins (2.12m) tall, hopes to become a professional basketball player. | null | A 15-year-old boy is closing in on being the tallest teenager in the world.
Brandon Marshall, who is 6ft 11.5ins (2.12m) tall, hopes to become a professional basketball player.
But he says his height comes with issues, like having to sleep diagonally across king size bed.
His mother Lynne Quelch said buying clothes for her son as "horrific".
Brandon, from Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk, is not expected to stop growing just yet and could equal or overtake the current Guinness World Record holder Kevin Bradford, 18, from the US, who stands at 7ft 1ins.
The tallest man in the world is Sultan Kosen, 34, of Turkey, who is 8ft 3ins (2.51m). | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38892632 |
Freddy Tylicki: Paralysed rider has no regrets on becoming a jockey - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Freddy Tylicki says he has no regrets about becoming a jockey despite a fall which left him paralysed from the waist down. | null | Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing
Freddy Tylicki says he has no regrets about becoming a jockey despite a fall last year that left him paralysed from the waist down.
Tylicki was injured in a four-horse pile-up at Kempton on 31 October.
Speaking to the BBC's 5 live Daily, he says he was born to be a jockey and "wouldn't regret it one day".
The 30-year-old, who has not watched a replay of his fall, said "things were sometimes very difficult" but he was focused on staying positive.
'There's always someone worse than you'
Tylicki's life changed forever at what should have been a mundane Monday meeting at Kempton Park in Surrey.
He fell heavily from his mount, Nellie Dean, when appearing to clip heels with leader and eventual winner Madame Butterfly as the field rounded the home turn.
"A few of my colleagues have watched the fall - I haven't myself," he said. "They were saying I'm actually very lucky to be here.
"There's no point for me to watch it. I was there, that's enough. I do remember everything. Unfortunately that's racing in a way."
Tylicki spent a fortnight in intensive care and left hospital in late December to continue his rehabilitation at the London Spinal Cord Unit, with support from the Injured Jockeys' Fund.
"When you're in hospital things are very, very tough. You move on to rehab then and you get to learn these new skills and new ways of doing everything," he said.
The change cannot be overstated - from riding thoroughbreds at 30mph to life in a wheelchair. Tylicki is philosophical.
"You are having to accept things in a different way, which can trouble you. You've got good days and bad days, but at the moment I'm taking every day as it comes. For me that's the best way to handle the situation," he added.
"There's always someone worse than you. You've just got to do the best you can out of the situation. Staying positive is the main thing. It can be hard sometimes and easier other days. You've just got to learn how to deal with it."
Tylicki broke 18 ribs in the fall, but most significant of all was the T7 paralysis, which meant he no longer had movement in the lower half of his body.
"The first time I woke up after the operation - I was lying in bed and I knew I couldn't feel anything. That's when I knew I was in trouble," he said.
"Shortly after that, the doctor filled me in on what happened - the injuries I'd received. I just had to get cracking from then on."
The support I've been getting is tremendous and unbelievable
Exercises and physiotherapy now form part of his daily routine. Being shown how to dress himself, make his bed, go swimming and drive a car are all part of his rehabilitation.
"Each individual here has a timetable and you'll be kept busy until 5 o'clock," he said.
"You get to learn an awful lot. Having had a certain level of fitness before has helped me massively in some ways.
"I'm living my life day to day. The immune system is very low and infections can happen easily, but I'm concentrating on my rehab and physio."
He has been reading a lot, with a book on gambler Barney Curley - a present from trainer Jamie Osborne - next on his list.
Tylicki was born in Germany, the son of three-time German champion jockey Andrzej.
"I was born to do it. My father was a very, very good jockey and from a very young age I decided to go down that route," he said.
"I saw the ups and downs and the toughness of the job but from around 12 years of age I knew I was going to be a jockey."
Tylicki Jr was champion apprentice in Britain in 2009 and his career was on an upward curve, winning the Group One Prix de l'Opera race on Speedy Boarding at Chantilly in France just a few weeks before his Kempton fall.
"I had some very good years and some lovely winners, especially last year winning the Prix de l'Opera was definitely the icing on the cake," he said.
The risks and rewards of riding
Tylicki said racing had given him "a tremendous way of life" and he was aware of the dangers despite falls being relatively rare in Flat racing.
"I think if you ask any Flat jockey they'd agree the jump jockeys are much braver than us Flat lads - one in every 10 rides is a fall. They're much, much tougher," he said.
"On the Flat you're going at great speed so when you do get a fall it's always 'how bad it is?' and this time I didn't get away with it.
"Accidents do happen in racing. It's a risky sport and you're aware of it as a jockey, but you don't think about it. Things can happen.
"When you've won on a few horses that absolutely took off with you - there's nothing better than that. I'm glad I've experienced that."
'The support I've been getting is tremendous'
A GoFundMe page to raise money to help Tylicki's recovery, set up by At The Races television presenter Matt Chapman, collected more than £330,000.
He has been visited by a variety of jockeys and trainers, and received widespread support on social media from racing fans.
"The racing community is little compared to everything else in the world but there's some fantastic people in it - the support I've been getting is tremendous and unbelievable," he said.
"I don't quite know how to thank everyone. It's been absolutely amazing."
Tylicki's sister Madeleine won her first race as a trainer three weeks after her brother's accident.
"It really was just pretty amazing," he said. "I was listening to it on my phone in bed and when the horse crossed the line I Facetimed her. Davy Russell, who rode the horse, answered the phone to me and said: 'This one's for you Freddy.'
"It was a fantastic feeling for the whole family but especially Madeleine and her partner Andrew." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/38852344 |
Laura Muir hails strength of Scottish athletics with another record in her sights - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Laura Muir is thrilled by the strength of Scottish athletics as she bids to break another British indoor record next month. | null | Last updated on .From the section Scotland
As Laura Muir eyes another British and perhaps even a world record later this month, she believes Scottish athletics is in a stronger position than at any time she can recall.
Muir, Callum Hawkins and Andrew Butchart all hit the headlines at the weekend with landmark runs.
"We've had world-class athletes before but I don't think that many at one time," she told BBC Scotland.
"We've got so many all competing at the top level of athletics."
With Dame Kelly Holmes' British indoor 1,000m record next in her sights, Muir leads a strong Scottish pack towards this summer's World Championships, which will be held in London.
"When I was younger I was aware of Eilidh [Child] and Lee [McConnell] and obviously Liz [McColgan] and Yvonne [Murray] a while ago," added the the 23-year-old.
"I saw a tweet that we had so many world leads as well, just from Scottish athletes so it's great.
"We're in a really good place just now and I just hope youngsters can look up to us and we'll see even more in the future."
Having just beaten the European 3,000m indoor record, she could take two more records down in her next outing at the British Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on 18 February.
Holmes' best UK time over 1,000m, set in 2004, is only two seconds outside Maria Mutola's world record.
"I never thought when I was younger that I'd be in the position to be going for a world record, so it's an exciting opportunity," she added.
"It's going to be a great atmosphere, a great crowd, it's a fast track so everything's going for me to get it, I'm in great shape and it's just a matter of what happens on the day really."
Find out about how to get into running with our special guide.
Everything Muir does just now is gearing up for the World Championships, but she also views the European Indoors in Belgrade next month as a chance to achieve another personal first.
"The Olympics and World Championships are always going to be the big competitions where you've got everybody from throughout the world but at the Europeans you've always got a lot of competition as well, there's a lot of fast girls in Europe," she said.
"It's a good middle-ground as it were, it's a great championship and I'm just hoping I can go there and win my first senior medals." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/38888223 |
A look inside Number 10 at Theresa May's top team - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | Who is in Theresa May's new Downing Street team? | null | Since Theresa May's team moved into Downing Street last July, pretty much all of her predecessor's advisers were given their marching orders.
So who is in her new team?
As part of the Daily Politics series Westminster Village, reporter Mark Lobel takes a look inside that famous door.
For rights reasons, this film is not available outside the UK.
More: Follow @daily_politics on Twitter and like us on Facebook and watch a recent clip and watch full programmes on iPlayer | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38896276 |
NHS Health Check: How one GP practice tackled waiting times - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A GP practice in Plymouth is using paramedics and pharmacists to free up doctors to see more patients. | Health | Dr Cope believes new ways of working have been a success
A GP practice in Plymouth has reduced the time it takes to get a routine appointment with a doctor from three-to-four weeks to under seven days.
The Beacon Medical Group cares for more than 30,000 patients and was formed in 2014 after three practices merged.
Dr Jonathan Cope, GP and managing partner at Plympton Health Centre, one of the Beacon practices which has 10 doctors, says, at present, there are 30 unfilled GP posts in Plymouth.
Three years ago, his practice was unable to recruit the equivalent of one-and-a-half full-time GPs.
"We made a conscious decision to look elsewhere, to work differently. So we decided to looks at what skills clinical pharmacists, paramedic practitioners and nurse practitioners could offer. We converted that budget to two-and-a-half full-time equivalents."
Patients registered at Plympton who feel they need same-day care from their family doctor call the reception team at the surgery.
Depending on the problem, they will then be called back by an advanced paramedic, pharmacist, nurse practitioner - or a doctor.
Beacon Medical Group has started to offer new services
Dr Cope said: "Because of the extra capacity, we have freed up the GPs' time. So we are offering more appointments for routine problems, and the waiting times are now shorter."
The advanced paramedic practitioner, Simon Robinson, responds to any emergency medical problems in the practice, as well as doing, on average, four home visits a day.
He says he is often called out to see the more complex cases and his daily schedule allows him to spend more time than the GPs with patients. Simon was keen to point out that if he does have any queries he just has to knock on the GPs' door.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said while paramedics are highly valued and trusted, they have different skills and training.
"GPs are highly trained to take into account the physical, psychological and social factor - this unique skill set cannot be replaced by another healthcare professional, however well meaning the intention is.
"We do not have enough GPs in the NHS - and actually we don't have enough paramedics either. This transference of workload pressures from one area of the health service to another is not going to benefit our patients in the long term."
In an effort to understand the pressures on the Beacon Medical Group, the 100 most frequent attendees were analysed.
Dr Cope expected the list to be dominated by frail, elderly patients but instead the typical patient was a 37-year-old woman, often with mental health problems, multiple prescriptions and referrals to hospital.
From March, a psychiatrist will do a weekly clinic from the surgery for these patients and provide additional training on mental health care to staff.
It is part of a parallel drive to offer specialised new services more commonly found in a hospital setting.
Dr Helen Frow, a GP with a special interest in dermatology, has provided care to patients registered to the group in the last two years. "Onward referrals to the hospital have reduced by 85%," she said.
The model of working with between 30,000 to 50,000 patients in a multi-specialty community provider model is known as a Primary Care Home.
There were 14 other sites working to this structure across England in the last year.
The National Association of Primary Care is working closely with NHS England to explore how they can continue to expand working in this way.
A BMA spokesperson said: "Many GP practices are increasingly becoming hubs where nurses and other professionals work together to deliver services to patients.
"However, while this is encouraging, England is suffering from a drastic and worsening shortage of GPs that is damaging patient care and restricting the number of appointments on offer to the public.
"The government needs to address this workforce crisis urgently."
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38891481 |
Alastair Cook: Playing under new England captain 'not an issue' following resignation - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Alastair Cook says playing under another England captain will "not be an issue" following his resignation as skipper on Monday. | null | Alastair Cook says playing under another England captain will "not be an issue" following his resignation as skipper on Monday.
"I hope I can help the next captain with whatever he needs and drive England forward," Cook told BBC Sport.
"I can't see, for me, it being an issue being led by someone else. I hope I can be part of it and I'm really looking forward to the next stage."
Cook took over the England captaincy in 2012 and oversaw series victories in India and South Africa, as well as Ashes victories in 2013 and 2015.
However his tenure also saw a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia in 2013-14, as well as a 4-0 series defeat in India last year.
He is England's top run scorer in Test cricket with 11,057 runs and 30 centuries.
"It's a job you need to do at 100% and be committed to everything and I had to be really honest with myself," Cook added.
"I couldn't do that anymore. It's not a job you can do at 95%. I'm sad to walk away but it's the right time to do it."
Cook's last game in charge saw England slip to an innings-and-75-run defeat against India, the culmination of a run of six defeats in their past eight Tests.
The Essex batsman, who was left visibly upset by the final day's collapse, said after the game that he would consider his future as captain.
"That was kind of maybe the final nail in the coffin. When I left India, I was pretty sure I wouldn't captain England again," Cook said.
"Admitting that isn't the easiest thing to do, certainly not with my character, but it's the right decision for me and the right decision for the team.
"It's such an honour to be England captain and all the bits that go with it. Everything I have been involved with, 59 games as captain, I've absolutely loved. Giving that away was very hard."
Next captain should take outside advice
Vice-captain Joe Root is the favourite to take over the Test captaincy, having led Yorkshire several times in the County Championship.
The 26-year-old, who represents England across all three formats, has scored 4,594 runs at an average of 52.80 since making his debut in 2012.
England face Test series in the summer against South Africa and the West Indies, before travelling to Australia in November for the Ashes.
"The one thing I learnt throughout my career as captain is that you need those people outside, looking in, to help you," Cook said.
"My first couple of years I was pretty stubborn that this is the way I should do it, and I didn't take that much advice outside of England.
"Actually there's a lot of very good people who watch a lot of cricket, probably more than all of the guys who are playing, who can offer advice. Finding people you trust that way is vitally important and they can help you."
Cook has a win percentage of 40.67 as captain, the fourth best of the six captains to have led England in more than 40 Tests.
As captain he managed the return - and subsequent ending - of batsman Kevin Pietersen's international career in 2014, a year which saw England lose a Test series against Sri Lanka from the penultimate delivery in Headingley and collapse to a 95-run defeat by India at Lord's.
Cook described himself as being "pretty much at rock bottom" following the Lord's defeat, but he received a warm ovation from the crowd in Southampton during England's next Test, where he made 95.
"When you're really doubting yourself, to walk out there on that first day was really special for me. It was almost spine-tingling," he said.
"It surprised me, to have that warmth of reception. A lot of people walked up to me in the street, saying I was the right man to drive it forward."
Cook added that he felt the decision to end Pietersen's England career should have been handled better, and that he did not want the saga to define his captaincy.
"I was part of the decision-making process but I don't have the power, or didn't have the power, to decide who played for England. I was just asked my opinion about it," he said.
"However I felt at one time I was a bit of a lightning rod for it. That was a hard six months.
"I wouldn't want my captaincy to be talked about just because of that. I don't think it's fair on myself or on the teams."
'Cook has plenty of scoring to do' - analysis
Cook has plenty of years left in him and plenty of scoring to do, so I would like to say keep going, keep scoring the runs because he is a run machine.
He is definitely one of the best captains England has ever produced. When the pressure is on, he has the ability to stay calm.
He is probably the toughest cricketer England have ever produced and probably the most mentally tough.
I don't think there will be any issues with Cook playing under a new captain. [Cook and Root] are good friends and they get on well.
Without the burden of having to do all the press, the meetings, the thinking on the pitch, you might find Cook goes on and breaks many records with the bat.
Listen to The Tuffers and Vaughan Show on BBC Radio 5 live, Tuesday, 19:30 GMT. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38897347 |
Petition started for retiring officer to keep his police dog - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The officer is upset at the prospect of not being able to keep four-year-old Ivy when he retires. | Shropshire | Sgt David Evans has offered to buy Ivy and cover the cost of replacing her
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition to allow a police dog to retire with her handler.
Sgt David Evans, from Shropshire, is "heartbroken" at the prospect of not being able to keep four-year-old Ivy when he retires, his daughter said.
She set up an online petition to gather support for her father, who is stepping down in April after 34 years' service.
The chief constable has "made a direct offer" to speak to Sgt Evans. Police dogs normally retire about age eight.
Sgt Evans, 59, has been told he will have to pass the animal - a Malinois cross German Shepherd - on to another handler to continue working, the family said.
The petition calling for Ivy to be allowed to retire with her handler has been signed by people from as far afield as Canada and New Zealand
West Mercia Police's chief constable has offered to speak to the officer personally about Ivy's future
The petition has been signed by people from as far afield as Canada and New Zealand. Daughter Jennie said the response was "incredible".
She said Sgt Evans, of Market Drayton, had offered to buy Ivy and cover the cost of replacing her.
Ms Evans said: "Dad sacrificed many family moments with the support of his wife to enable him to undergo months of training with his police dogs.
"West Mercia need to show they appreciate these efforts and do not treat dogs as dispensable equipment that can be 'handed down' to other people."
West Mercia Police said Chief Constable Anthony Bangham "recognises the unique bond between an officer and his dog and has made a direct offer to speak to the officer personally about this".
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-38878259 |
Huge meteor blazes across US skies - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | Dashcam footage captures a fireball over US Midwestern states on Monday. | null | A bright meteor streaked across skies over US Midwestern states early on Monday morning.
Hundreds of witnesses reported seeing the glowing object, which was visible in seven US states and Ontario, Canada, according to the American Meteor Society.
The fireball was also reportedly accompanied by a sonic boom that rattled homes in the area. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38887748 |
The village aiming to create a white utopia - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A Hungarian village is leading "the war against Muslim culture" with its own laws. | Europe | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The village where Muslims and gays are unwelcome
A village in Hungary has banned the wearing of Muslim dress and the call to prayer. By leading what it calls "the war against Muslim culture", it hopes to attract other Christian Europeans who object to multiculturalism in their own countries.
"We primarily welcome people from western Europe - people who wouldn't like to live in a multicultural society," Laszlo Toroczkai tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. "We wouldn't like to attract Muslims to the village."
Mr Toroczkai is mayor of Asotthalom, a remote village in the southern Hungarian plains, situated around two hours from the capital Budapest.
"It's very important for the village to preserve its traditions. If large numbers of Muslims arrived here, they would not be able to integrate into the Christian community.
"We can see large Muslim communities in western Europe that haven't been able to integrate - and we don't want to have the same experience here," he says. "I'd like Europe to belong to Europeans, Asia to belong to Asians and Africa to belong to Africans. Simple as that."
The village of Asotthalom is close to the Hungary-Serbia border
The refugee crisis has contributed to a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment across large parts of Europe and Hungary is no exception.
At the height of the migrant crisis, as many as 10,000 people crossed the border - just minutes from Asotthalom - from Serbia into Hungary each day.
The mayor has capitalised on the anxiety about such an influx and introduced by-laws of questionable legality.
The new local legislation bans the wearing of Muslim dress like the hijab and the call to prayer and also outlaws public displays of affection by gay people. Changes are also being brought in to prevent the building of mosques, despite there being only two Muslims living there currently.
Many lawyers think the laws contravene the Hungarian constitution and, as part of a general review of new local legislation, the government will rule on them in mid-February.
Eniko Undreiner says she felt fearful last year, as migrants crossed the nearby border into Hungary
The laws, however, have support among many members of the community.
One resident, Eniko Undreiner, said it was "really scary" to see "masses of migrants walking through the village" last year as they crossed into the country.
"I spend a lot of time at home alone with my young kids - yes, there were times when I was scared," she says.
The two Muslims living in the village did not want to speak to the BBC for fear of attracting attention to themselves.
However, one member of the village said they were "fully integrated" within the community.
"They don't provoke anyone. They don't wear the niqab, they don't harass people... I know them personally. We get on just fine."
Migrants enter Hungary in October 2016, at the height of the migrant crisis
The mayor hopes the village can be at the forefront of what he calls "the war against Muslim culture".
He has employed round-the-clock border patrols, which he thinks will attract white Europeans to live there.
The Knights Templar International has been advertising homes in Asotthalom on its Facebook page.
Its members include Nick Griffin, former leader of the British National Party, and the party's former treasurer Jim Dowson.
"I have been contacted by Jim Dowson," Mr Toroczkai explains. "He came to Asotthalom a few times as a private individual, just to have a look. Nick Griffin also came with him."
Mr Griffin has previously described Hungary as "a place to get away from the hell that is about to break loose in western Europe".
"When it all goes terribly wrong in the West, more will move to Hungary and Hungary needs those people."
We have asked Knights Templar International and Nick Griffin for an interview, but neither responded.
Mayor Laszlo Toroczkai says Muslims "would not be able to integrate" into the village's Christian community
Mr Toroczkai says he would be happy to welcome people from England.
Asked if he is trying to establish a white supremacist village, Mr Toroczkai replies: "I didn't use the word white. But because we are a white, European, Christian population, we want to stay [like] this.
"If we were black we'd want to stay a black village.
"But this is a fact and we want to preserve this fact."
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38881349 |
Paris tries to seduce the City - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The French capital is aiming to win billions in business and thousands of jobs from London in the months ahead. | Business | "When was the last time you thought of taking your partner for a nice weekend in Frankfurt?".
That was one of the more memorable lines of a heavy sales pitch from politicians and business leaders from Paris. A raiding party touched down in London this morning determined to cart off billions in business and tens of thousands of jobs to the French capital in the weeks and months ahead.
Valerie Pecresse - President of the region including Paris and its environs, and a former budget minister under Nicolas Sarkozy - led the party, and told a group of senior finance executives from heavyweights such as Blackrock, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse why Paris was the natural choice for any business they moved out of London.
To be fair to Mme Pecresse, the brochure she presented had more to it than Paris being très agréable. She described the competition for London business as fierce and came armed accordingly.
A 28% top rate of income tax for expat executives for a period of eight years (recently extended from five). That compares to a top rate of 45% in the UK.
Commercial rents one-third the price of London - with millions of square feet currently unoccupied.
A deep pool of talent - a lot of which, she joked, is currently in London.
Two international schools and a plan for two more near the business areas of Paris.
Some companies in the City of London have already said staff may have to move abroad
Four of the six biggest continental European banks are French and based in Paris.
The brochure was glossy and the tone was friendly - apart from the odd sideswipe at arch rival Frankfurt. But there were two issues the political and business leaders from across La Manche struggled with.
Bankers I spoke to afterwards said that one big turn off remains how difficult it is to fire people in France. That really matters for banks. As their staff are so well paid, when business slumps they need to reduce their biggest cost - people - quickly. Working in finance is profitable but it can be brutal.
The other issue was politics.
The delegation arrived on the same day as the man who thought he would be president, Francois Fillon, was fighting for his political life after paying his wife over half a million euros for work she may or may not have done.
Economic nationalism, the political wind that many say secured Brexit and the Trump presidency, is packing a punch in France with Marine Le Pen promising French jobs for French workers. Tax breaks for rich expats and looser employment protection sit uneasily with those priorities.
The future of the UK's relationship with the EU is maddeningly vague to most business leaders, but if it's political uncertainty you don't like - why would you ever pick France?
Madame Pecresse and her entourage insisted that the political uncertainty would be gone after the elections on 7 May. She said she was convinced that whoever was in charge, "HE"(sic) would be pro-business.
The same folks who told us Donald Trump couldn't win and that Brexit would never happen agree with her.
One member of the raiding party told us why the pundits were right about France. Jean-Louis Missika, the Deputy Mayor of Paris for economic development, told the BBC that "because France has embraced globalisation with more care for our workers, the backlash will be less severe".
The Parisian ambition is to tempt 10,000 direct employees and further 20,000 indirect employees to Paris. When bankers move, they tend to take law, accounting, office management, sandwich making and dry cleaning jobs with them.
Those are pretty modest ambitions when you consider over a million people work in financial services in the UK - a third of them in London. Modest, but perhaps realistic. The good news for Paris is that they are already 10% of the way there.
HSBC has already said it will move 1,000 jobs to Paris.
It seems unlikely they will be the only newcomers to succumb to its charms. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38885058 |
Obama chills with Branson: What about other post-presidency wind downs? - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As Barack Obama enjoys a five-star Caribbean break, how did past presidents unwind from the big job? | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Barack Obama is on holiday learning to kitesurf with Richard Branson
Whether after four years or eight, all US presidents must eventually confront the question: What happens when I leave the Oval Office?
For Barack Obama, the answer was a five-star Caribbean holiday - and a seemingly endless grin.
The former commander in chief has been pictured beaming on a beach in a backwards cap, flanked by an equally cheery Michelle.
The venue for this masterclass in chilling? Moskito island in the British Virgin Islands, owned by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
Sir Richard posted pictures on his blog of Mr Obama learning to kite-surf, and engaging in a play-fight with the businessman.
Barack Obama has been enjoying his newfound freedom on Sir Richard Branson's private island
The airline mogul said he invited the Obamas "for a complete break" on his private island after they left the White House.
Not every president wants a sunshine stay after the West Wing doors swing shut, however.
So which leaders picked elephant hunting, marrying a relative, and a sideline in oil painting...?
When the 43rd president left office in January 2009, he ditched Washington for a quiet life between a house in Dallas, Texas, and his 1,500-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch.
Keen to enjoy his retirement, the sexagenarian took weekly painting lessons. His subjects included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, and the Dalai Lama - as well as his pets.
His inspiration was his great hero Sir Winston Churchill, who turned to art in his forties as a refuge from the tumult of politics.
"When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject," the wartime leader reportedly said.
Mr Bush was less patient, telling his art teacher: "There is a Rembrandt trapped in this body. And your job is to find it."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. George W Bush said he could only paint these portraits because he got know the leaders so intimately
Despite being nicknamed 'Teddy' and famously refusing to shoot a bear, the 26th president took a year-long African hunting trip with his son, Kermit, in 1909.
The duo were accompanied by more than 200 porters, and scientists from the Smithsonian Institution.
They made their way round Africa dispatching over 11,000 animals - including elephants, rhinos, hippos, snakes, zebra, and monkeys among others - before shipping the carcasses home for scientific study.
Another exotic trip followed for Mr Roosevelt (and Kermit) in late 1913, when they joined Brazil's most famous explorer Candido Rondon to chart the course of the River of Doubt.
The 760km (472 mile) stretch was ultimately renamed Roosevelt River in his honour.
Theodore Roosevelt visited Africa and South America when his presidency was over
The aforementioned Teddy Roosevelt had no time for Benjamin Harrison, president from 1889-93, branding him "a cold-blooded, narrow-minded, prejudiced, obstinate, timid old psalm-singing Indianapolis politician".
But none of that stopped the 23rd president from wedding a woman 25 years his junior, who also happened to be his niece by marriage.
Mr Harrison's first wife, Caroline, had died of tuberculosis in 1892.
When he wed Mary Dimmick four years later, his two adult children refused to attend the ceremony.
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd US president, married his widowed niece
America's first president lived only two years after leaving the job - and spent them making whiskey.
In 1799, the year of his death, his distillery in Mount Vernon, Virginia, produced nearly 11,000 gallons - making it the largest in the US at the time.
Also a livestock farmer, the founding father used leftovers from the whiskey-making to fatten his pigs.
As for the distillery - it's still going, selling its golden product to tourists at the Mount Vernon Estate and museum.
The distillery at Mount Vernon is still churning out single malts | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38896417 |
Russia to remain suspended for World Athletics Championships - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Russia will not be eligible to compete at this summer's World Championships in London, says athletics' world governing body. | null | Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Russia will miss this summer's World Championships after athletics' governing body voted to extend their suspension from international competition for state-sponsored doping.
However, some Russians may be able to compete under a neutral banner, if they can satisfy testing criteria.
Russia was suspended by the IAAF in November 2015, meaning athletes missed the Rio Olympics last year.
The country is now not expected to be fully reinstated until November.
London will host the World Championships between 4-13 August.
The decision to extend Russia's suspension came at an IAAF Council meeting in Monaco on Monday.
Independent chairman of the IAAF Taskforce, Rune Andersen, told the council that the Russian Track and Field Federation (Rusaf) was unlikely to be reinstated until the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) declared the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) code-compliant, probably in November.
However, the taskforce said concerns still exist about drug-testing procedures in Russia.
More than 1,000 Russian athletes were part of a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015, according to the McLaren report, commissioned by Wada and published in December.
Athletes who can follow strict IAAF criteria and show they are clean may be allowed to compete - but not under a Russian flag. The IAAF said so far this year, 35 Russians had applied to compete as neutrals.
At the meeting, IAAF president Lord Coe also said that all nationality switches by athletes would be frozen.
He said the current rules were "no longer fit for purpose" and new proposals would be written up.
Andersen said that there is still limited testing of Russian track and field at a national level and there continued to be "troubling incidents", although the situation is improving.
However, he said that in January 2017:
• None Five athletes had withdrawn from a national competition after hearing that drug testing would be taking place;
• None Bottles being shipped to foreign laboratories for testing were opened and screened in at least one case;
• None Russian authorities have refused to release samples that have been screened in Moscow so the IAAF can test them further;
• None Testers are still being denied access to 'closed cities' - military facilities where some athletes train.
"Our priority is to return clean athletes to competition but we must all have confidence in the process," said Briton Coe.
"Clean Russian athletes have been badly let down by their national system. We must ensure they are protected and that those safeguards give confidence to the rest of the world that there is a level playing field of competition when Russians return."
How can Russia compete again?
The IAAF has put together a "roadmap" that Russia must follow before athletes can once again take part in international competition. It includes:
• None Russia providing an "appropriate official response" addressing points raised in the McLaren report;
• None Drug testing being "carried out without any further adverse incidents or difficulties";
• None Rusada being reinstated as "a truly autonomous, independent and properly resourced national anti-doping organisation".
Athletes are now banned from changing nationalities following a proposal by Coe, who said athletics was "vulnerable" to the practice.
"It has become abundantly clear with regular multiple transfers of athletes, especially from Africa, that the present rules are no longer fit for purpose," he said.
The IAAF Council was told African talent was effectively being put up for sale to different nations.
Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, Africa area group representative on the IAAF Council, said: "The present situation is wrong. What we have is a wholesale market for African talent open to the highest bidder.
"Lots of the individual athletes concerned, many of whom are transferred at a young age, do not understand that they are forfeiting their nationality."
At December's European Cross Country Championships, the top two finishers in both the senior men's and women's races were Kenya-born athletes representing Turkey. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38887556 |
The president and the bathrobe - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president's spokesman has caused a bit of a Twitter storm by claiming Mr Trump does not own a bathrobe. | US & Canada | The US president's spokesman has caused a bit of a Twitter storm by claiming Mr Trump does not own a bathrobe.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused the New York Times of printing inaccuracies, specifically referring to him watching TV in his bathrobe, saying the paper owed President Trump an apology.
The president has tweeted his annoyance at what he calls poor reporting: "The failing @nytimes was forced to apologise to its subscribers for the poor reporting it did on my election win. Now they are worse!"
Unsurprisingly, people have taken to social media to contradict Mr Spicer's bathrobe comment with various hashtags popping up, including #BathRobeGate.
Some have even been delving into the presidential bathrobe archives to produce gems such as this from Avi Bueno.
He tweeted a photo of Ronald Reagan in a robe, with the caption: 'Weird to see @seanspicer and @realDonaldTrump getting all defensive about a #bathrobe when their hero wasn't shy about it."
And historian Michael Beschloss tweeted a picture of President Lyndon B Johnson sitting in a robe with advisers on Air Force One in 1966.
John Aravosis, editor of @AMERICAblog, was quick to post three photos of Donald Trump wearing a bathrobe, which had featured in a November Daily Mail article about a trove of Trump memorabilia being found in a US thrift shop.
Considering the Trump Organisation lists 37 properties, including 15 hotels, on its website, many posters are assuming that a bathrobe or two may have been worn in the Trump household.
Various robes bearing the Trump brand have been posted on social media, including this picture of American actor Mike Rowe.
He tweeted a photo in August 2016 of a bathrobe autographed by Mr Trump, along with a video in which Mike says he wore the robe "briefly".
There were a few robe-wearing alternatives, such as Evie the Cat, the UK Cabinet Office feline who posted this about the 10 Downing Street cat, Larry.
And with a clever bit of editing, some have posted gifs of the president holding up a drawing of a bathrobe.
Even @TrumpBathrobe, a twitter account set up in 2015 and inactive since September 2016, has reawakened amidst this robing furore.
Similar posts are appearing on Facebook under #bathrobegate, although not everyone is impressed: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38893302 |
David Hockney on Tate Britain retrospective - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | David Hockney reflects on his career as the Tate Britain puts on the biggest ever retrospective of the artist's work. | null | David Hockney has told the BBC he's "not that good, but not that terrible either", as the Tate Britain puts on the biggest ever retrospective of the artist's work.
He spoke to the BBC's arts editor Will Gompertz. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38888772 |
Crossing the border - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | null | Among Grassani's subjects were a large group of Central Americans, walking hundreds of miles from homes in Guatemala and Honduras to the US:
“They were very strong at the beginning, walking like crazy. I spent four days with them – day by day you could see them getting tired because they had no food, nothing with them.” | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-3a67db15-0018-40ad-97d3-51cd3b920487 | |
Retiring mole catcher in Calderdale seeks apprentice - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Albert Morton, who started catching moles in 1963, is looking to pass his skills on before retiring. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | Albert Morton is looking for someone to carry out the mole catching when he retires
An experienced mole catcher is looking for an apprentice willing to take up the traditional trade so he can retire.
Albert Morton, 69, from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, started his business in 1963 and is one of the few remaining mole catchers in the area.
Mr Morton said: "I'd much prefer to get somebody and teach them how to do it, so it carries on."
He said the mechanical spring traps he used were the most humane way of killing the moles.
Mr Morton, who works in the areas around Halifax, Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge in Calderdale, said the job would suit someone who liked fresh air.
He said mole catching was "just one of those old country crafts and I don't want it to die out".
"If there was any suffering or cruelty I wouldn't do it."
He has more than 300 customers ranging from farmers to golf course owners.
Mr Morton said the job would suit people who like fresh air
"This year it has gone manic but now I'm getting near to my sell-by-date", he said
He started to learn the trade in the 1960s when Mr Morton's father suggested he should help the then mole catcher who was looking to pass his skills on.
Mole hills are caused as the mole, which spends most of its time underground, burrows towards the surface and can cause damage to grassed areas.
They are particularly prevalent in damp conditions as worms come to the surface and are followed by the moles looking to feed on them.
Correction 10 February: This story originally said Mr Morton was the last mole catcher in the area, which is now not believed to be the case. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-38892604 |
Alastair Cook had toughest ride as skipper - Jonathan Agnew - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Alastair Cook had a rough ride as England captain with some up-and-down results, says BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew. | null | Alastair Cook never had it easy. He's had the toughest ride of all recent England captains.
As England's highest Test run-scorer he has always been admired for his batting, but there have always been questions, particularly over his tactics, during his 59-match reign as skipper, which he ended on Monday.
In a funny way, the constant criticism forced him to improve, to reflect on the things he had not done well and to try new things. I put this to him once and he laughed it off, but I still disagree.
He has been stubborn - an excellent quality for an opening batsman, not always ideal in a captain - and largely cautious, which is hardly surprising considering his mentor was predecessor Andrew Strauss, another skipper that favoured the attritional approach.
The most difficult time for Cook was in 2014, which began with the Ashes whitewash down under, moved on to the Kevin Pietersen saga and was followed by a home series defeat by Sri Lanka.
He found a measure of redemption in the subsequent victory over the touring India side, but the year still ended with him being sacked as one-day captain.
To this day, he thinks that was the wrong decision, but he is in a minority. He was no longer worth his place in the side and he had to go. It also may have aided England's bid to regain the Ashes in 2015, which few at the time gave them much hope of doing. That success, to go with Cook's 2013 Ashes win as skipper is a highlight of his reign. So too, the triumph in South Africa in 2015-16 and the historic win in India in 2012, England's first there in 27 years. Time will prove what a good result that was - England are miles away from doing it again.
But there were also the disappointments. As well as the thumping in Australia and the loss to Sri Lanka, there was a defeat by India at Lord's on a made-to-order green seamer and a 1-1 draw away to a poor West Indies team.
Cook's winning percentage of 40.67 is only the fourth best of the six captains to have led England in more than 40 Tests. The two skippers with a worse record, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, did not have the world-class talents of Pietersen, Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, or the emerging Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow at their disposal. It has been an up-and-down ride.
Will Cook be defined by the way in which Pietersen's international career was ended? The two men will inevitably always be linked, but that would be to ignore the fact that Cook welcomed Pietersen back into the England side when many captains in his position could have quite easily taken the opposite stance.
When Cook took over in 2012, Pietersen was in exile for his part in text messages sent to the South Africa team about former skipper Strauss. Cook oversaw Pietersen's 'reintegration' and the star batsman responded, playing a pivotal role in that triumph in India.
But, as we now know, the relationship deteriorated on the fateful tour of Australia a year later, with Cook eventually having a hand in Pietersen's international career being ended.
Some will say that there was nothing that Cook could have done, others will think that the captain should have seen those problems approaching and done more to manage them.
What is unarguable is that the vitriol that Cook faced on social media from certain individuals in the aftermath of the Pietersen affair was nasty, personal and uncalled for.
Views were expressed, most of them by people who do not know Cook. Lots of them were depressing.
Indeed, it could be said that he was the first man to serve as England captain in a world that has been fully gripped by social media - though Cook himself has no interest in putting his views out online or anywhere else.
At the time, I thought he was getting some very rough treatment over the Pietersen issue and I was happy to say so publicly. Maybe because he saw me as an ally, we have always had a very good working relationship during his time as captain.
I have interviewed him well in excess of 100 times and can say that he is not a natural speaker. He sees media responsibilities as something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
There have been times when we have agreed, others when we have disagreed and when I have criticised him. The task of being honest about a player, but fair enough that they will still speak when you put a microphone under their nose, is a tightrope a sports journalist must walk.
We have also had our moments of fun.
Just on this last tour of India, I was cajoled into having a pedicure by an Indian barber. Who should walk in, but Cook, complete with camera. He took great delight in showing the photo to everyone he could find, as well as making sure he got it out to the world. I let him enjoy that one.
And so he departs. For Cook, the nature of the end of his tenure as captain very much reflects the type of man he is.
There was no chucking it all in at the end of the fifth Test against India, a shambles in Chennai. That's not his style. Like his batting, he was patient, he weighed it all up and considered his options. He went back to his farm and away from cricket, he no doubt had many conversations with his wife Alice. They really are a team and it was Alice who talked Cook out of stepping down in 2014.
This, though, is different. The extended period of time taken to mull over his future shows that Cook has made the right decision for him.
He will be incredibly comfortable with what lies ahead. That is likely to be scoring many more runs for England. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38554063 |
Ticket inspector attack man jailed after train assault filmed - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | The fare dodger ranted and lashed out at London Midland staff after refusing to buy a £2.20 ticket. | null | A fare dodger who attacked a rail ticket inspector has been jailed for 15 weeks.
British Transport Police has released video of Elliot Nash ranting at a female train worker before kicking and lashing out at her colleague on a London Midland service.
The 32-year-old, from Northfield, Birmingham, verbally abused three members of rail staff and threatened to knock them out while travelling between Bournville and Northfield in November.
Footage from one ticket officer's body-worn camera shows Nash repeatedly swearing and taking a running kick at a staff member in the train's aisle.
Police identified Nash from the footage, arresting him at his home just two hours later.
He was later charged with assault and two public order offences. He pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.
PC Nicola Mallaber said: "As the footage shows, his attitude is completely unacceptable and there was absolutely no need for this to have escalated into violence - all for the sake of a £2.20 fare." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-38878886 |
Donald Trump, media saviour - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Could the new president benefit the mainstream media? | Entertainment & Arts | Donald Trump is, by sheer force of character, destroying the mainstream media as we know it.
His relentless barrage of abuse, not least about "fake news", has fatally undermined the trust of the American people in their traditional sources of news; and by denying the Washington press corps access to his administration, he has neutralised a key weapon in the armoury of political journalism.
Meanwhile, his use of social media, talk radio and favoured alt-right websites has allowed him to communicate directly to voters, rendering journalists an irrelevant distraction.
And the Spicer Doctrine - the belief held by the White House press secretary that it is the job of government to hold media to account and not just the other way round - poses a mortal threat to the trade we call reporting.
Any combination of the above paragraphs could appear, without much contention, in almost every appraisal of Trump's relationship with the media that I have read in the past year.
That it has limited basis in reality, and indeed is contradicted by the vast bulk of available evidence, has been no impediment to its ubiquity.
In fact, contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy, Donald Trump is not the man who will kill the mainstream media. He is the man who could save it.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for The New York Ti Mark Thompson, of the New York Times Company, has seen revenues rise
Together with Dominic Hurst, a brilliant producer, I have been looking at Mr Trump's relationship with the media for Radio 4's PM programme. The evidence is emphatic: Trump has given many news organisations the sustainable commercial future they so desperately crave.
The New York Times, one of Mr Trump's favourite voodoo dolls, which he has repeatedly admonished on Twitter and in rallies, is doing very well out of the new president. In the three weeks after his election, it sold 132,000 digital subscriptions - a tenfold increase.
That's a lot of revenue with which to fund serious journalism. I spoke to Mark Thompson, the paper's chief executive and a former director general of the BBC.
He told me that the president's actions and words "are causing hundreds of thousands of Americans who've never paid for news before to pay for it for the first time".
And he added: "It's not a political point, it's purely a commercial point: the Trump era seems to be a very good era for quality journalism."
CNN, the other organisation that Mr Trump has repeatedly labelled as fake news, also has plenty to thank the president for. Thanks to him, 2016 was CNN's most watched year.
As for news websites like BuzzFeed News, the Guardian, Mail Online, the Independent and others, Trump has generated phenomenal traffic - which in turn boosts revenues.
Two points about Mr Trump's benefit to the mainstream media strike me. The first is that it applies to different platforms and different business models.
2016 brought more viewers than ever to CNN
The New York Times is a newspaper and website with a semi-permeable paywall - the so-called free premium, or freemium model. The Independent has a low cost base and is funded by a huge range of advertising revenue streams. CNN is a cable news network. All are thriving just now.
Second, Mr Trump has doubtless fortified the differences between the commercial and editorial departments of outlets such as these three. Take the New York Times.
Columnists and leader writers on that gloriously high-minded body, the editorial board, are writing about how awful Mr Trump is, a threat to the republic, an American Putin, these are the end days, and so forth.
Meanwhile, Mark Thompson is rubbing his hands with glee - not necessarily at the policies of the president, but at the ambient glow of his bottom line.
Throughout my journalistic career, there have been serious questions about how journalism is funded.
There is no one or easy answer to that. But based on the evidence above, a very good answer has two words - "Donald", and "Trump". This brash reality TV star has caused no end of discomfort for the mainstream media.
But perhaps what should really make them squirm in their lofty op-ed conferences is the fact that he is doing more than any other modern politician to help them pay their mortgages and feed their families.
Listen to my piece on PM, BBC Radio 4 at 17:00 GMT on Monday, 6 February or later via BBC iPlayer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38854711 |
Sascha Kindred: Paralympic swimming champion announces retirement - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Seven-time Paralympic swimming champion Sascha Kindred announces his retirement after a 23-year international career. | null | Last updated on .From the section Disability Sport
Seven-time Paralympic swimming champion Sascha Kindred has announced his retirement after a 23-year international career.
The 39-year-old has been one of the leading figures in the sport since he made his international debut in 1994.
Last year, he won gold in the SM6 200m individual medley at the Rio Paralympics - his sixth Games.
"The physical and mental demands to be an elite athlete are becoming too much," he admitted.
Kindred, who has cerebral palsy which affects the right side of his body, had his funding cut after Rio when he was left off the British Swimming 2017 podium programme.
But he later won an appeal and had it reinstated.
"Knowing when to stop a career is a very hard decision to make especially when it's part of your life, but stopping with Paralympic gold and a world record is very pleasing," he said.
"From learning to swim at 11 and making my major championship debut at 16 at the inaugural World Championships in Malta, I never dreamt of being an international swimmer for more than two decades.
"I have witnessed Para-sport going from strength to strength and enjoyed being a part of that growth representing GB.
"Finishing with 62 major championship medals and being Paralympic champion seven times is something I'm very proud of."
National performance director Chris Furber says it has been a privilege to work with Kindred since he took up his role four years ago.
"Sascha's contribution to not just Para-swimming but Paralympic sport over the last 20 years has been phenomenal and I think something we are unlikely to see surpassed," he said.
"He has been a fabulous ambassador for British Swimming and ParalympicsGB and I very much hope he remains in sport."
Sascha Kindred's experience and wisdom will be sorely missed from the Great Britain Para-swimming team.
The 'old man' of the British swimming team, last year he marvelled at how he had only learned to swim when he was 11 and now in Rio he had team-mates like 13-year-old Abby Kane competing at the elite level at a young age.
Find out how to get into swimming with our inclusive guide.
His victory at the Rio Aquatics Centre was one of the most emotional moments of the Games, after he had been disqualified after the heats and then subsequently reinstated to the final.
At the age of 38 and despite the aches and pains, he dug deep to ensure his Paralympic career finished on a high with a world record and a gold medal.
The Manchester United fan will enjoy spending more time with his biggest fans, wife Nyree (herself a former GB Para-swimmer) and daughter Ella, and hopefully go on to inspire another generation of Para-swimmers. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/38887549 |
FA reforms: Chairman Greg Clarke to quit if government does not back plans - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Football Association chairman Greg Clarke says he will quit if the government does not support the organisation's own plans to reform the way it is run. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke says he will quit if the organisation cannot win government support for its reform plans.
A motion of no confidence in the FA is to be debated in the House of Commons on Thursday after five former FA executives said the governing body had failed to "self-reform".
Clarke "strongly disputes" the motion, but accepts FA governance must change.
"I don't believe that the FA is failing football," he said.
Clarke said the FA had a set of proposals "to improve our governance", which it would ratify and then take to sports minister Tracey Crouch for her approval.
"Delivering real change is my responsibility and I firmly believe this is critical for the future of the game," Clarke added.
"If the government is not supportive of the changes when they are presented in the coming months, I will take personal responsibility for that.
"I will have failed. I will be accountable for that failure and would in due course step down from my role."
What will happen on Thursday?
The Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is leading an inquiry into football governance and as part of that, committee members have secured a debate in the Commons to ask whether the FA can "comply fully with its duties".
They will also discuss whether reform is impossible within the FA's structure, and whether new laws should be proposed.
But Clarke said the FA was "not sitting idly by", adding: "Change won't be easy, but I am confident it will happen - and it will be substantial."
He says the governing body needs to:
• None Be more open about decision-making;
• None Better represent those playing the game.
In July, Crouch said the FA would lose its £30m to £40m of public funding if it did not reform.
Then, in December, she announced the government would bring in legislation to force through reforms if the governing body did not make changes itself.
Select committee chairman Damian Collins MP revealed on Friday that the FA had been given six months to meet the government guidance on best practice for sports governance but had failed to do so.
However, Clarke said he hoped those attending the debate were aware of "the FA's duties and the great work we are actually doing".
"Many people hear talk of an old-fashioned FA, but they don't actually realise how it works or what it does. That's a real shame," he said.
Clarke said the FA was "supporting the game from top to bottom" and:
• None It was investing record amounts into the grassroots game and changing the face of football in England.
• None It had invested over £65m into grassroots football last year - more than any governing body in the world invests into a national sport.
• None It was adapting to flexible formats of the game, with 12 million people playing every year.
• None It had a plan in place to double its number of female players by 2020.
• None It provided £22m every year for desperately needed new playing facilities.
Whisper it... but could change within the FA's corridors of power finally happen?
The debate around governance reform has been going on for decades. Despite that, not a lot has changed since the FA was founded in the mid-19th Century.
Greg Clarke has upped the stakes though. He will resign as chairman if he fails to deliver.
It's a noble gesture but one which speaks to the confidence he clearly has in achieving some form of modernisation and gaining government approval.
But his statement goes further, and Clarke clearly has the MPs who are staging Thursday's debate in his sights.
As I reflected last week, there's growing indignation within Wembley over continually being called a failing organisation.
There's a recognition that work needs to be done to increase diversity and to change a board structure whose members have been criticised for representing vested interests.
But, as Clarke reflects, the FA's view is that it is very much meeting its role as a governing body.
To that extent the statement is indicative of a leadership team determined to fight back against its critics and an attempt to recalibrate opinion, given their belief in the positive role the FA plays in promoting and protecting football. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38900974 |
The Ocado warehouse run by robots - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | The BBC visits online grocery retailer Ocado's factory | null | In its distribution warehouse in Hampshire, swarms of robots collect groceries.
The BBC had a look at some of the robotics the firm is working on. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38897417 |
Will robots replace workers by 2030? - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | According to some predictions, robots will go on to replace people in a third of UK jobs by 2030. | null | According to some predictions, robots will go on to replace people in a third of UK jobs by 2030.
So should we be worried by the rise of the machines? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38890905 |
NHS Health Check: 'How NHS changed our lives' - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Patients and families discuss their recent experience of NHS services. | Health | The NHS has come under intense pressure this winter, with record numbers of patients facing long waits in accident and emergency units among other challenges.
We asked some of those who have fallen ill, and the families of others, to share their experiences of winter 2016-17.
Sue's father's life changed dramatically after he fell out of bed while in hospital in December 2016.
Bryan, 84, had been admitted to hospital near their house in Cornwall for a hip operation.
Sue says she was not told about his fall for several days, eventually she was told he would not walk again and possibly had only six months left to live.
"I am devastated - six weeks ago everything was fine, now this is not the world I imagined I'd be in.
"In December he was walking into town, doing gardening, he loved mechanics and tinkering.
"Now in hospital his mental health has really deteriorated, he does not speak and strips naked in public.
"I blame the trauma of the fall and the time he's been forced to spend in hospital.
"I'm really on edge, I feel like I'm about to fall off a cliff.
"I break down in tears at least once a day.
"He's had his life taken away too soon.
"Are we saying that because he's too complicated, our society can't care for him?
"It seems like such a big fight to just find out from the hospital what is going on.
"I just hope to God that he doesn't understand what is happening to him.
"I feel like he'll never come home again, he seems lost to us."
John Perrins was on the M6 motorway, driving home from Cambridge, when he realised he was having a heart attack.
An ambulance driver himself, he had feared he would never see his wife again - so intense was the pain. But a paramedic saved his life at the side of the road.
"I was vomiting and felt like a horse was kicking me in the chest.
"My wife called an ambulance, which arrived within 10 minutes - seeing the blue lights was the most wonderful thing I've ever seen.
"I passed out, but apparently they performed three lots of heart massage - 90 compressions.
"When I came round they spoke to me and, although I was scared, the way that the paramedic spoke to me made me feel safe.
"A friend who is a paramedic came to see me and he told me that the last six heart attack patients he worked on had died - I felt so lucky that I had this particular ambulance crew.
"They have given me my life back.
"The paramedic was treating me, teaching a trainee and looking after my wife in the ambulance - I could not have asked for a better person.
"I am trying to find out the names of the ambulance crew - I want to find them so I can say thank you."
Trevor, 58, says that the NHS has treated his diabetes and depression "brilliantly"
Trevor Dallimore-Wright says his local GP and hospital are "like a family" to him, regularly providing life-saving care for his complex health conditions.
"The NHS has been absolutely brilliant," says Trevor, from London, who has diabetes and depression.
"My GP keeps me sane and out of hospital - I would give her 10 out of 10.
"I've had emergency admittance twice recently with sepsis - I went to A&E and was treated very quickly.
"They've had a great impact on my life.
"NHS treatment has helped me during the times that I could not get out of bed.
"My GP is extremely kind and patient. They are so patient-centred, I would put them in the luxury bracket.
"All the hospital staff are extraordinarily friendly.
"They are there despite the infrastructure problems in the NHS, and the care could not be better.
"From the moment I walk in, I know I'm being looked after.
"My only problem is that the NHS won't pay for immunotherapy drugs which are at the front line of treatment but are expensive."
Nikki, 36, had her scheduled operation cancelled twice and she is still waiting
Thirty six-year-old Nikki Alldis' satisfaction levels are at the other end of the spectrum, however, despite also living London. She says she has waited 15 months for a bowel operation, which has been twice cancelled.
When the procedure was scheduled for early January, she mentally prepared her young children and rearranged her work. But Nikki has twice received a last-minute call telling her there is no bed space.
"I'd prepared mentally - I planned my whole Christmas around the operation and recovery. I prepared frozen dinners for my kids, they are seven and 13, and I said a farewell goodbye.
"Then in the morning the nurse called me and said, 'We have no bed for you.'
"I was gutted. The kids were so confused when they came home and I was still there.
"I've been waiting for 15 months now - it's hanging over me.
"I did not believe the second appointment would happen, but I packed my bags anyway.
"We didn't even bother to rearrange my husband's work that time, if he's not working we're not earning, so we can't afford these cancellations.
"I put things in place with my work for people to cover me.
"I'm still waiting, hopefully it's third time lucky."
When 29-year-old Paul was feeling suicidal in January, the NHS crisis care team in west London gave him 24-hour care to keep him safe.
He has received treatment for bipolar disorder for four years and says his consultant and crisis team are outstanding.
"They helped me in my darkest and most depressive hours," says Paul, who asked for his surname not to be revealed.
"I came back home after New Year and went back to day-to-day life, but it kicked off a hefty depression and I was left feeling really low and suicidal.
"My partner called the crisis team, and they came to our house three or four times a day.
"They come at 02:00 or 03:00, they are really responsive.
"I don't feel like they are just doing their jobs, they have genuine care for me.
"They take away my medication to make sure I will not overdose and when they visit, they make me take the medication.
"Sometimes they just spend time with me.
"They ask how I am, what did you eat and sometimes they make me do things like go and buy some milk, which I don't always feel able to do.
"I would not be alive without them.
"But one problem I have with NHS mental health care is that they medicate but do not do counselling, there is a massive waiting list, so now I have to get counselling privately."
"Before she was diagnosed with cancer, my mum could run a marathon," says Richard Taylor, 55 from Liverpool.
He was devastated after watching her "undignified" death last month.
The local cancer centre did not have the capacity to give her end-of-life care.
"After she received the second diagnosis, she was sent home and we got caught in a communication loop between three hospitals. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
"Eventually I had to take her to A&E - she could not eat or drink.
"She spent 13 hours on a trolley, behind a curtain in a noisy and busy ward.
"I stayed on a chair beside her and slept on the floor - she died a week later.
"My gripe is with the lack of communication and the delays in my mum's treatment.
"The nursing staff were fantastic, but there is only so much they can do - they could not give my mum 24-hour attention.
"She was a very proud and dignified woman - but in the end she was simply scared to be alone.
"It was awful watching someone die in this extremely undignified way.
"If she was an animal, they would have put her down - she was starving and dehydrated.
"The nurses were lovely and compassionate, but they offered me no support.
"The NHS is a great thing, but it is under the hammer."
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38832993 |
Women's Sport Week backed by minister Tracey Crouch - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Women's Sport Week will "encourage more women to try a new sport", says minister for sport Tracey Crouch. | null | Last updated on .From the section Sport
Women's Sport Week will be "a fantastic campaign" and "encourage more women to try a new sport", says minister for sport Tracey Crouch.
The initiative returns from 19-25 June ahead of a busy summer of elite sport which includes the cricket and rugby World Cups in the UK and Ireland.
The European Football Championship starts in July in the Netherlands.
The campaign will encourage the public to watch, listen, volunteer and take part in sporting activities.
Crouch added: "We want more women and girls to get involved in sport and enjoy the huge benefits that being active brings to their lives."
• None Read: How Judy Murray is boosting women's tennis in the UK
Shelley Alexander, editorial lead for women's sport for BBC Sport, said: "We'll devote even more resources to showcasing the best of women's sport across television, radio and online this year.
"We'll also examine the pertinent issues across women's sport, with our original journalism interrogating the state of play of women and girls' sport from the grassroots to the elite." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/38893943 |
Comedian says Simon Cowell 'furious' about BGT prank - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | Simon Brodkin, known for his comedy character Lee Nelson, posed as a fake act on Britain's Got Talent. He said he thought Simon Cowell would 'find the whole thing funny'. | null | The comedian who pretended to be a "rapping rabbi" on Britain's Got Talent has told 5 live he thought Simon Cowell would be amused by his stunt.
Simon Brodkin told 5 live's Afternoon Edition: "I thought Simon Cowell would have a sense of humour about it and would find the whole thing funny", but he has been told he is "pretty furious" about the prank.
Brodkin, known for his comedy character Lee Nelson, has carried out similar stunts on President Trump, Sir Phillip Green and Sepp Blatter.
Brodkin reveals how he does his stunts in a Channel 4 documentary called Britain's Greatest Hoaxer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38892452 |
How to own a home by the age of 25 - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Budget meals and foregoing holidays are among four couples' tips for getting on the property ladder by 25. | UK | Mark Hepburn and his partner Laura bought a house with a 5% deposit
Owning a home by the age of 25 has become an unachievable dream for many over the last two decades.
Soaring property prices mean just one in five 25-year-olds own a property, compared to nearly half two decades ago, according to one recent study.
But as the government unveils its Housing White Paper, there are some young people who have managed to buck the trend - without help from the bank of mum and dad.
Here four young homeowners - all couples - who bought properties in 2016 - reveal just how they did it.
Lives with: Partner Laura Starkie, age 25. An accountant on £20,000 a year
Deposit: £6,250 (5%) with the Help to Buy mortgage scheme (which ended in December)
We were sick of living at home with each of our parents and wanted our own space. I'd rather live in a house than just a bedroom. We discussed moving out and renting, but we both agreed it was dead money.
There was a lot of budgeting. I literally know where every penny goes. I had to drill it into Laura a little bit, but she got used to it after a while. Like her make-up - she had to go for a cheaper brand. We were both working at McDonald's when we were saving and if there were extra shifts, we would take them.
Mark and Laura say they had to change their lifestyle in order to save money to buy their home
Did you make any sacrifices?
There was definitely a lifestyle change when we were saving. We would buy supermarket budget stuff instead of brands. We didn't go on holiday during the time we were saving up - and that was a massive thing for Laura.
How does it feel to be a home owner?
I feel ridiculously happy. I feel proud and our friends are too because they know we worked extremely hard for it. Once you get there, you don't need to worry as much.
What if you need to move?
I recently went for a job in Bolton, which is not that close to where we are now. The salary was £27,000 per year, but I wouldn't move house for that. It would have to be significantly higher to consider jobs away from where we are now.
Mark says you need to watch your money if you want to save up to buy a home
I can't count how many times our friends have asked us how we've done it. We just explain you need to save, watch your money and cut back. They're happy for us and we are just trying to get it into them not to leave it too long and to start saving.
Should more young people be able to buy a home?
I have got mixed opinions. When Laura and I were at McDonald's we were on a combined salary of £23,000 and we managed to save up £7,000 between us within a year. So I don't see how people can't do it. But then we don't have any kids. The Help to Buy mortgage scheme was a God-send. But if you're stopping something that's so good and helping young people, it's going to cause mayhem.
Name: Ruby Willard, age 22. A recruitment consultant on £19,000 a year plus commission
Deposit: £18,220 (10%) with the Help to Buy Isa
It was a case of living at home. I moved back into the box room of my mum's house and I hated it. Sam lived with his parents too so we thought if we can, let's do it - so we decided to save and go for it. We were looking at renting but to us it was like throwing away money.
Being quite tight is probably the answer. When we decided we were going to buy, I thought I'm not going to spend money elsewhere when I don't need to. We did still have a nice holiday to Greece. I get commission and Sam gets overtime so we probably earn £55,000 overall, which meant we were in a position we could borrow maybe more than people on minimum wage.
Did you make any sacrifices?
We may have not had such a big social life. We still did things, but we were conscious. What I did was save what I knew I needed to save, and lived on whatever I had left - which was usually about £200 a month. I wasn't buying lunch at work, which would save about £25 a week.
How does it feel to be a home owner?
It was weird at first. When we got the keys it was like "are we on holiday?" When things started to come together it felt like such an achievement. Everything we had chosen not to do, not going to the cinema one night, helped towards it.
What if you need to move?
We would be open to the idea, but we would probably look for work closer to where we bought a house, so it probably would affect future decisions. If we did decide we wanted to go somewhere else, we would probably look to sell the house and hopefully we will have made some money on it.
It's been quite positive. I have got friends that have bought houses, but a lot of them have had big lump sums of money given to them.
Should more young people be able to buy a home?
Neither of us completed three years at university, so we probably established a career path earlier than those that do go. I speak to a lot of people that have graduated, and they cannot find jobs that will allow them to borrow enough. It takes years to save a deposit, and then house prices go up and they can't borrow enough. I think this is how it is now.
The couple have been told they are "adulting hard" because they have bought a home
House price: £145,000 for a two-storey terraced house with two bedrooms
Deposit: £21,750 (15%) with the Help to Buy Isa
We decided we wanted to get on the property ladder as quickly as possible. If we get on it now, we would be able to buy what we want by the time we are older and looking to have a family.
We started saving at the beginning of 2015 and were probably saving between £400 and £500 a month each. We did go on a couple of holidays, so although we've been saving, we've still been living. We weren't scrimping, but we do only spend about £30 a week on food. We check receipts and look for the best deals, so that is more thrifty than most people.
Andrew and his partner saved around £400 a month each for their deposit
Did you make any sacrifices?
We spoke about going away for three weeks to somewhere like Australia, but we thought - it's going to cost £2,000 each and we can put that towards the house now rather than waiting a few extra months.
How does it feel to be a home owner?
It feels strange. It does feel like quite a lot of responsibility - I didn't realise how much. Things like taking out mortgage protection. Our friends call it "adulting hard". They're renting and not really thinking about owning a place and they're like "wow, you've bought a house".
Lots of people think it's really good, other people say they're nowhere near that stage. I don't know if they're thinking I'm growing up too fast. It's generally been positive. I don't know anyone who has done it without a partner, so I think it would be difficult to do it on your own.
Andrew and Kirsty bought their home with a 15% deposit
What if you need to move?
With a big move we might give it a trial, and rent out this house while we lived somewhere else.
Should more young people be able to buy a home?
I do think people complain they can't afford to buy a house but they go out every weekend, they smoke or they eat out all the time. But property prices have also shot up in the last 20 years with more people buying second homes. There are also people who don't want to have the responsibility. I think it's good that the government is helping with Help to Buy schemes and it needs to do more to help first-time buyers.
Rebecca bought a three-bedroom home with her boyfriend Adam in Irlam, Greater Manchester
Name: Rebecca Thompson, aged 23. An information analyst on £21,900 a year.
Deposit: £6,300 (5%) with the Help to Buy mortgage scheme and Isa
We lived in a rental flat together for 18 months and realised that the amount we were paying in rent was more or less the same as we would be paying with a mortgage. When we were renting there were a lot of things we couldn't do, like decorate or move anything around.
It was difficult. I was working part-time in my final year at university so I saved my entire wage and lived off my student loan, which wasn't much. We didn't go on holiday that year and saved as much as we could.
Did you make any sacrifices?
We came straight from university, where you're living on a bit of a shoe-string anyway, so we probably sacrificed but not realised, because we've not been enjoying the extra income we've had since graduating. We would have probably gone on some more holidays or gone out more and probably bought a few more clothes.
How does it feel to be a home owner?
It's brilliant. I feel it's a really secure base while I'm going on to develop my career. It's one less thing. A lot of people are aiming towards saving a deposit while I've got past it.
What if you need to move?
It would be really difficult, and it's definitely an attraction for staying where I am. In my career there are a lot of opportunities down south, but I wouldn't want to entertain it because of the house prices. It would take us five times longer to save up a deposit, and the amount of income you need to get for a mortgage is totally unobtainable for the average graduate.
Rebecca says there needs to be more affordable housing
Some live in a more expensive area and I think they were surprised. It's not something that's on a lot of people's radar, owning a home at this age. Particularly if you're not in a relationship, I don't think it is affordable.
Should more young people be able to buy a home?
I think cultures have changed a bit. When my parents were growing up, their parents drilled into them 'sort yourself a house, get married and that's when your life begins'. Now there's not as much of an emphasis. I think homes do need to be more affordable. It's silly that the town where we live in, a lot people can afford to buy - whereas only as far south as Birmingham no-one can afford to buy a house earning what we do.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38564137 |
Muppet gaffe by Breakfast presenter Dan Walker - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | null | BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker was left red-faced after getting a reporter's name wrong. | null | BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker was left red-faced after getting a reporter's name wrong.
Click on the video to hear what he called him. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38890903 |
What will the BP board decide to pay Bob Dudley this year? - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The group chief executive's pay award will shed light on the executive pay debate. | Business | If BP group chief executive Bob Dudley was paid £14m for delivering a $6.5bn (£5.3bn)* loss last year, what on earth will he get paid for delivering a profit in 2017?
The answer to this will shed a lot of light on the politically current and intense debate around executive pay.
A year ago, Mr Dudley became the unwilling poster boy for angry shareholders when, at the BP annual general meeting, 59% of shareholders voted against his £14m pay award.
He got the money anyway because the vote was not binding, so the board did not have to do what the owners of the company wanted.
Under rules introduced by the coalition government and championed by then Business Secretary Vince Cable, shareholders can only reject a pay packet or the formula by which it is calculated every three years. That measure gave them more control than they had previously enjoyed but it clearly did not work or go far enough.
Remember, the formula by which Mr Dudley's pay was calculated in 2016 was approved by 95% of shareholders in 2014. Two years later they did not like the answer that formula spat out.
In defence of Mr Dudley, it was not his fault that BP's Deepwater Horizon platform exploded in 2010 killing 11 people and pumping millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (that was on the watch of his predecessor Tony Hayward).
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig led to an environmental disaster
It was not his fault that the price of oil in 2015 came crashing down from more than $100 (£81) a barrel to around $30 (£24) during that year. Given the hand he was dealt, goes the argument, he did a pretty good job.
Some of the arguments will be the same this year. It is not his fault that he had to put another $7bn (£5.7bn) in the Deepwater kitty, but it is also not to his credit that the oil price rebounded to its current price of $56 (£45).
The chairman of BP's pay committee, Dame Ann Dowling, came in for a lot of stick for not using more discretion in adjusting the final pay award down last year and I understand that she has met with dozens of shareholder groups to avoid the same howls of protest this time around.
This April's vote on 2016 pay will also be non-binding but there will be a binding vote on the formula used to calculate pay packets for the next three years. It would take a particularly tin ear for BP to settle on a formula that finds it at such odds with its shareholders in the future.
Many executives are rewarded with a formula that takes a large account of relative performance. Doing badly - but less badly than the competition - means you did well. Even though the company lost money - you can often take home a hefty bonus.
The merits of this approach will be hotly debated this year as around half the companies in the FTSE 100 have binding votes on executive pay formulas. That will add real edge to a debate that has already been politically sharpened by Theresa May's warnings to corporate Britain over the rocketing disparity between bosses and workers' pay.
We are expecting new proposals on changing the manner, and in whose interests, UK companies are run when the government publishes its green paper on corporate governance in March.
I have presented the economic arguments as to why high performance-related pay is actually bad for companies and the economy here before. In short, it can prioritise cost cutting over investment which damages productivity and ultimately living standards. They are arguments that are gaining currency in Whitehall and it is not only shareholders who are disgruntled.
It may be only February, but this year's shareholder spring promises to be a belter.
*the headline loss of $6.5bn includes the compensation paid for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The number reported in our news story excludes one-off items to give a better sense of the underlying economics of the company. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38895706 |
Oscars class photo: Seven things we spotted - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | There are several quirks and questionable outfits in this year's Oscars "class photo". | Entertainment & Arts | This year's Oscars "class photo" has been released - and as usual there are several quirks and questionable outfits.
The picture sees 163 of this year's nominees gathered together and smiling away, but zoom in and there is a whole lot more going on.
Here are just seven of the things we spotted in this year's photo.
1. Pharrell Williams didn't exactly dress for the occasion
All of this year's male nominees are dressed smartly in tuxes and suits. Well, almost all.
The "dress code" memo must have gone into Pharrell's junk email inbox, because he turned up wearing a green baseball cap and grey sweater.
To be fair - the sweater does have the Nasa logo on it, a reference to best picture nominee Hidden Figures.
Pharrell wrote several songs for the soundtrack to the film, which tells the story of three African-American women who worked behind the scenes at the space agency in the 1960s.
Casey Affleck's facial hair is fast becoming the eighth wonder of the world. It gets longer with every awards ceremony he appears at this season.
It's now on the verge of totally eclipsing poor Michelle Williams, Affleck's co-star in Manchester by the Sea, who has to peep out from behind his mane.
She must be getting used to Affleck stealing her limelight.
The actor appears in nearly every scene in the 137-minute movie, while Williams's screen time clocks in at 11 minutes.
3. The writer of Moonlight wants you to know how many nominations it has
Tarell Alvin McCraney brightens up the back row of the photograph with his winning smile.
He's the man behind the stage play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue - which went on to become Moonlight, one of this year's most hotly-tipped Oscars contenders.
McCraney is so pleased with the film's success he wants to let you know just how many Oscar nominations the film has received, and he is seen here holding up eight fingers.
Also - hats off to Shawn Levy (who's standing next to Tarell), who wins the award for the most delightfully bright smile of the whole photo. He is the producer of Arrival, which is nominated for best picture.
4. Justin Timberlake needs to sack his tailor
"Hmmm, I don't have enough material for that. Have a 28-inch pair of trousers instead."
5. The front row is so where we wanna be
Emma Stone, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman, Octavia Spencer are all sitting together in the front row.
Can someone please organise for us to join this BFF group, that'd be great, thanks.
Extra respect for Octavia Spencer for wearing a pair of white trousers while so many of the other female nominees are in a dress or skirt, and for Natalie Portman, who looks like she's wearing high heels even while pregnant with twins.
Also - Manchester by the Sea producer Kimberly Steward (far right) is that sweet kid in your class who was accidentally never looking at the camera in the school photo every single year.
6. Ryan Gosling needs to cheer up
You're the lead actor in the jointly most-nominated film of all time, pal. Uncross your arms for goodness sake.
Slightly happier to be there is the lovely Dev Patel, in the row in front, looking every inch the Hollywood star.
He's come a long way from how he looked at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009 when he was starring in Slumdog Millionaire.
He told the BBC: "I first came to Toronto in my school shoes and I had a blazer and I was with Frida [Pinto, his co-star] and they said 'You can't put this guy next to her because he looks so terrible'. I think I got a free penguin suit that didn't quite fit me and they gave me shoes."
This year, he's nominated for best supporting actor and is seen wearing a burgundy Valentino suit. Nice.
7. Is this gap for Meryl Streep?
Missing nominees from the photo include Michael Shannon (nominated for best supporting actor for Nocturnal Animals) and Andrew Garfield (best actor, Hacksaw Ridge).
But of course, the most notable absentee is Her Royal Acting Highness, Meryl Streep - who is up for best actress this year for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins.
Maybe this gap in the back row behind Denzel Washington was intended for her, and she got held up in traffic.
Alternatively, perhaps she's been to so many of these things she's just had enough. Either way, we're pretty sure she'll be at the ceremony.
This year's Oscars, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place in Hollywood, Los Angeles on 26 February.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38892322 |
Davis Cup: Denis Shapovalov fined over Great Britain default - BBC Sport | 2017-02-07 | null | Canada's Denis Shapovalov is fined after being defaulted from his match against Great Britain's Kyle Edmund in the Davis Cup. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Canada's Denis Shapovalov has been fined $7,000 (£5,600) after hitting an umpire in the eye with a ball.
The 17-year-old was trailing Great Britain's Kyle Edmund 6-3 6-4 2-1 when he struck the ball in anger and hit Arnaud Gabas - and defaulted the match.
He must pay $2,000 for the default and $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, escaping the maximum $12,000 penalty as it was not deemed intentional.
The International Tennis Federation has said no further action is anticipated.
The Davis Cup World Group first-round tie in Ottawa was poised at 2-2 after Vasek Pospisil beat Dan Evans to set up a decider, but Canada's hopes ended when Shapovalov was disqualified after letting frustration get the better of him.
He later apologised to Frenchman Gabas in the match referee's office before the umpire went to Ottawa General Hospital as a precaution.
No damage to the cornea or retina was found and Gabas will see an eye doctor in France on Tuesday for a further examination.
Shapovalov, who had just dropped serve when the incident happened, said he feels "incredibly ashamed and embarrassed".
"I just feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting in a way that I would never want to act," he added.
"I can promise that's the last time I will do anything like that. I'm going to learn from this and try to move past it."
Shapovalov was full of remorse and handled himself very impressively in the hour after his disqualification. He is only 17, and should be allowed to put this behind him.
But - given the ferocity with which he hit the ball away - this appears a lenient response from the ITF.
By way of comparison: Heather Watson was fined $12,000 and Serena Williams $10,000 for smashing racquets into Wimbledon's turf last year. Yes, they are both much more experienced than Shapovalov - but the consequences in Ottawa were potentially far greater.
I wonder if chair umpires around the world feel their employers are doing all they can to protect them? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38884448 |
Traditional retail markets and the battle to stay afloat - BBC News | 2017-02-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | BBC News visits the winner of "Britain's Favourite Market" to see how these community cornerstones are coping in the competitive world of modern retail. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
British markets are seen as a microcosm of the city or town in which they are based, encapsulating the diversity of communities and skills a place has to offer. But with some being sold off due to their prime locations and others fighting for their existence amid the rise of discount supermarkets and online retailers, will generations to come be able to enjoy them?
Kirkgate Market has been selling food and goods to the people of Leeds for more than 150 years.
The winner of "Britain's Favourite Market" for the second year in a row, the cavernous hall at the south of the city centre remains popular. But it is not immune to the need to adapt to changing trends.
Among the 170 stall-holders, optimism for the future is mixed with serious concern about dropping footfall and the rising costs of renting floor space.
Near an entrance to the 1904 hall, with its glass roof and cast-iron balcony, sits North African and Middle Eastern food vendor Cafe Moor.
Owner Kada Bendaha set up his stand after a life-changing breakfast in the bustle of London's Borough Market and its speciality food stands.
"The beauty of a market is you have that one-to-one contact, you build that relationship with your fishmonger or butcher," he said.
"If you go to the fish section, there's a gentleman there who has been there for 38 years, you go and ask him about a particular fish, he knows the business inside out.
"Go to a supermarket and you will have a student who is just working part time there, it's not the same."
Dating back to 1857, Kirkgate has become one of the largest indoor markets in Europe, selling fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, clothes, jewellery, haberdashery, flowers and hardware.
The booming voice of a butcher offering the day's best prices still echoes down its walkways, although e-cigarette stands and racks of iPhone covers tick off some modern requirements.
It has been a turbulent time for the Leeds City Council-run market over the past couple of years, with temporary walls and scaffolding becoming a familiar sight during a £13.7m renovation.
Despite the council reducing rents during this period, stall-holders have complained of regulars becoming put off and heading elsewhere.
Monthly footfall at Kirkgate dropped significantly from 718,000 in 2014 to 628,000 in 2015, but the number rose again to 699,000 in 2016.
Leslie Burwell, of Whitaker's Farmhouse Eggs, has worked in the market for 25 years in total.
She said: "It used to be heaving, you couldn't move for people down the aisles, there was an atmosphere with people shouting.
"They've taken all of the shops out of one section and made a big wide open space - they have spent millions of pounds and have nothing to show for it."
Kashif Ali Raja, who recently took over Spice Corner, said he was positive despite widespread change.
He said: "When you start a business, you have to work really hard. There's early mornings, working late.
"We sell seeds, fresh vegetables, things which are very difficult to find in Leeds, this is the only place you can get it.
"I don't think recent changes have made any difference, because the regular customers are the same, they will always come."
The outdoor section of Kirkgate, with its fruit stalls, luggage-sellers and flea market, is where Michael Marks opened his Penny Bazaar, leading to the founding of Marks & Spencer in 1890.
The patch now sits a stone's throw away from the newly-opened 42,000 sq m Victoria Gate complex, a £165m retail development featuring a flagship John Lewis store.
Leeds City Council wants the market to be able to take advantage of the expected increase in shoppers in the area, but not everyone feels it will make a difference.
Julie Carr has worked in the outdoor section for 35 years and now sells second-hand toys and collectables at her stall.
She said: "The new John Lewis has made no difference to us, I don't think their customers and ours are connected at all.
"My theory is in 20 years there will be no shops, no markets, everything will be online and people will say 'I remember when we used to go to the market' - and they've gone."
The market's 1976 Hall has seen the most significant change, with the space transformed into a brightly-coloured communal seating area, where established "street food" traders have decided to set up permanently.
A rotating schedule of craft fairs, live music and kids' entertainment is used to draw people in, with long tables encouraging those new to the market to get chatting to those who have been regulars for decades.
One of the new food traders is the Yorkshire Wrap Company, selling hot meals wrapped up in a Yorkshire pudding.
Michael Pratt, who runs the stall, said: "First impressions are good, word of mouth seems to be getting out about the new food hall area.
"It's bringing a lot of different faces into the market, people who maybe wouldn't have usually come here."
He added: "Markets give a sense of community and the ability to get everything under one roof, great produce for great prices. I think they're going from strength to strength."
Down in the basement of the top end of the market, Brian Bettison has been providing haircuts since 1982. He said rents for stalls had gone "up and up and up".
He said: "They've had numerous different ways of doing it through the years, it was measured on square footage, it was zoned into the most desirable areas.
"Everyone now has different agreements with the markets, nobody will let you know, they will keep it to themselves."
What do the shoppers think?
Close to where the indoor market meets the outdoor section, Cheryl Murtheh has been selling cosmetics for 16 years.
She said: "They're giving cheaper rent to newcomers coming in, but they should lower the rents of people who have been here a long time.
"What happens to the people who have been keeping you going for years, shouldn't they be entitled to something as well?"
According to the National Association of British Market Authorities, from 2009 to 2016 the number of market traders in the UK dropped from approximately 55,000 to 32,000.
The recession has been highlighted as a key reason for this, although there is some evidence the sector as a whole has started to turn a corner.
The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) said traditional retail markets currently have a collective annual turnover of £2.7bn, with the figure increasing by £200m year on year since 2013.
Like Kirkgate, several markets across the UK are adapting to modern trends to cater for younger shoppers.
Many have introduced hot food areas, improved their branding, have extended opening hours and provided free wi-fi.
Joe Harrison, chief executive of the NMTF, said: "It's easy to follow trends, but five years down the line you may realise you've got nothing.
"They need to make sure careful steps are taken to keep them popular with the next generation, but it needs to have that social value, dealing with every demographic rather than focusing on one specific thing as it's currently the most economically viable."
Leeds City Council said visitor numbers were now "on the up" since the refurbishment, with the number of vacant units "also reduced significantly".
A spokeswoman said: "We recognise that there is still some way to go but we are very optimistic that more and more visitors will continue to discover the traditional charm combined with the new modern areas that Kirkgate has to offer."
Clearly the market has reached a key moment in its history, with bold decisions about the site's future use being made.
While serving up mint teas and chicken shawarmas to lunchtime customers at his food stand, Mr Bendaha said: "This is not just a full-time job, it's a lifestyle and it's a big part of the city.
"Hopefully it will never die."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-38768838 |
Lonely pensioner flies 1,600km to join new 'fishing mate' - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ray Johnstone was flown across Australia by a 22-year-old man moved by his online post. | Australia | Ray Johnstone flew across Australia to join his new "fishing mate" for a trip
Two weeks ago, lonely Australian grandfather Ray Johnstone decided to try his luck at finding a "fishing mate" online, on the suggestion of a care nurse.
Now the 75-year-old pensioner finds himself on the other side of Australia with a new friend and a haul of fish.
An age difference of more than 50 years hasn't got in the way of a blossoming friendship between Mr Johnstone and Mati Batsinilas, a carpenter who lives in Brisbane.
Moved by the online post, in which Mr Johnstone explained that his former fishing companion had died, Mr Batsinilas, 22, paid for the widowed pensioner to fly from his home in South Australia to Brisbane, more than 1,600km (995 miles) away.
They are now on a special trip off the Queensland coast.
Mr Batsinilas was just one of many people who said they wanted to go fishing with Mr Johnstone after his original post went viral.
According to the Courier Mail newspaper an 80cm (31in) mulloway fish was among the grandfather's haul on Tuesday, the first day of a two-day trip with Mr Batsinilas.
The pair had planned to camp overnight on the picturesque North Stradbroke island.
One of the pair's haul off the Queensland coast
"This has been more of an adventure than a trip for Ray," Mr Batsinilas said.
And Ray's verdict? "It was a really good day," he told the newspaper from Amity Point, on the island.
Mr Johnstone's online ad, which was posted on 19 January
More than 115,000 people have now seen the original post.
Explaining his love for fishing, Mr Johnstone told the BBC last week that he just liked "getting out in the fresh air" and keeping active.
"I don't want to end up as a vegetable like some old people do," he said.
You might also be interested in: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38900563 |
Do you have an underactive thyroid? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hypothyroidism affects one in 70 women and one in 1,000 men, but it can be tricky to diagnose and treat | Health | Tiredness and 'brain fog' are common symptoms of the condition
Hypothyroidism - or an underactive thyroid - affects one in 70 women and one in 1,000 men according to the NHS. But it can be a tricky disease to diagnose and treat. Dr Michael Mosley, of Trust Me I'm a Doctor, asks if sufferers are slipping through the net.
Someone emailed me the other day to ask me if I had ever considered the possibility that I might have hypothyroidism; an underactive thyroid. The reason he contacted me is because he had seen me on television and noticed that I have quite faint eyebrows, which can be a sign of this disorder.
I have none of the other symptoms such as weight gain, tiredness and feeling the cold easily, so I've decided not to go and get myself tested.
But if you do - and you think you could you have it - what should you do about it?
To get some answers I've been talking to Dr Anthony Toft, who is a former president of the British Thyroid Association.
He tells me that the thyroid gland is a bit like the accelerator pedal on your car. It produces hormones which help control the energy balance in your body. If it's underactive, then your metabolic rate will be slower than it should be. This means that you are likely to put on weight. Other symptoms can include feeling too cold or too hot, lacking in energy, being constipated, low mood, poor attention or "brain fog".
Dr Mosley's 'faint eyebrows' led one doctor to contact him about hypothyroidism
The main hormones involved are thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T4 and T3. TSH is released by the pituitary gland and tells your thyroid to get going.
In response your thyroid should release the hormones T4 and T3. T4 is converted in your body into T3, the active hormone that revs up your cells.
If you have symptoms of hypothyroidism then your GP will probably test your blood. The signs they're looking for are high levels of TSH, together with low levels of T4.
If your TSH is higher than normal this suggests that the gland that produces this hormone - the pituitary gland - is working hard to tell the thyroid gland to produce more hormone, but for some reason the thyroid gland is not listening.
The pituitary then ups its game and produces more and more TSH, but T4 levels stay low.
So if you have a high TSH coupled with a low T4, it's likely that the body is saying "I need more thyroid hormone!" but the thyroid gland isn't doing what it's being told. The result is hypothyroidism.
When this happens patients are often prescribed levothyroxine (T4). Symptoms diminish and patients are happy.
Scans can be carried out for more serious thyroid problems
So if it's so straightforward, why are there so many forums full of dissatisfied patients? Why do we at Trust Me get so many emails about this subject?
One of the issues with the blood tests is that there are no standard international reference ranges. In the UK, for example, we set the bar rather higher than many other countries. Certainly Dr Toft thinks that current UK guidelines are sometimes interpreted too rigidly.
"If the T4 is right down at the lower limit of normal," he says, "and the TSH is at the upper limit of normal, then that is suspicious. It doesn't often arouse suspicion in GPs, but it should."
He is also concerned that when a GP does diagnose an underactive thyroid, then patients are almost always prescribed a synthetic version of T4.
This works most of the time but in some cases the symptoms don't improve. This might be because with some patients the problem is not an underactive thyroid, but the fact that they can't convert enough T4 into the active hormone T3.
One way round this is to take T3 hormone in tablet form, but here price is a problem.
"The cost of T3 has escalated incredibly," says Dr Toft. "It's now about £300 for two months' supply of T3, whereas it costs pennies to make."
Trust Me, I'm A Doctor is on BBC Two at 20:00 GMT, Wednesday 8 February - catch up on BBC iPlayer
So if you have been put on T4 and it doesn't work, what about asking for a trial of T3? Because it is so expensive your GP may well say no.
So instead some patients are going online and buying T3 from foreign websites. But it's important that if you are taking T3 you are being properly monitored, because it can cause serious side effects, including heart problems.
A slightly less expensive hormone supplement taken from the glands of cows and pigs is available. It contains both the T3 and T4 hormones, and there is a growing call to prescribe it for patients who don't respond to T4 alone. So does Dr Toft think patients should be offered this combination?
"I suspect that in time that's what will happen," he says. "The trouble is the evidence base is not as strong as we would wish it to be, and I suspect it will be a long time before we have sufficient evidence."
Dealing with thyroid problems can be complicated. If you've had a blood test and the results have come back normal, then you can ask to look at the actual numbers. But you may also have to accept that medication is not for you and lifestyle changes may be more appropriate.
Join the conversation on our Facebook page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38895877 |
Children dying of starvation in Yemen's conflict - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for Yemen, warning that its population is on the brink of famine after two years of war. The BBC's Our World filmed and first broadcast this report in September 2016. It shows some of the suffering endured by children in the country. | null | This video contains distressing scenes from the start.
The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for Yemen, warning that its population is on the brink of famine after two years of war.
This BBC's Our World filmed and first broadcast this report in September 2016, and shows some of the suffering endured by children in the country. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37423263 |
Public finances and the shadow of Osborne - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The IFS’s Green Budget reveals that the financial crisis and austerity still cast a long shadow over the UK economy. | Business | Philip Hammond knows all about the government's attempts to "get the public finances in order" following the financial crisis of 2008.
He was the man, as shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, credited by many for the tough detail of the austerity plan laid before voters in the run up to the 2010 election.
George Osborne was the architect, Mr Hammond the foreman, ensuring there was a plan that might actually have a chance of working, public sector cut by public sector cut.
Now Mr Hammond is the man in charge of the public finances - his dream government job and, a relatively rare occurrence for the resident of Number 11, said authoritatively to be the high water mark of his ambitions.
Whatever his relations with the Prime Minister, and they are better than often reported, the fact that he doesn't want to move his sofas next door is a useful salve to any scratchiness between Downing Street's most important neighbours.
Mr Hammond expected to take a "steady-as-she-goes" approach to his first Budget
Today sees the publication of the Institute for Fiscal Studies' (IFS) annual Green Budget, its analysis of Mr Hammond's room for manoeuvre as he prepares for the real Budget, on 8 March.
There is one clear message.
If you thought the era of cuts is over, think again.
Day-to-day spending, officially known rather more prosaically as the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (which excludes investment spending), is set to fall by 4% over the next three years.
The IFS says that a "particularly sharp cut" has been loaded onto the last year of the parliament, 2019-20, never a particularly comfortable time for a government to be squeezing the public sector pips even more aggressively.
Alongside that, the IFS says the overall tax burden is set to rise as a proportion of national income to the highest level since 1986.
That is not a function of actual tax rises - taxes for many millions of people have fallen as income tax thresholds have risen - but a function of a relatively high tax take throughout an era of pretty stagnant growth.
Will Mr Hammond change course on 8 March, and further loosen the government's austerity strictures as he did in the Autumn Statement last year - pushing the deficit reduction target into the conveniently indistinct long grass of "during the next parliament"?
The government has, after all, promised an economy that works for all.
I am told not - and that Mr Hammond is approaching his first Budget as a "steady-as-she-goes affair" with no major yanks on the national rudder, particularly given the economy's robust performance since the Brexit referendum.
It has been pointed out to me that, just ahead of the triggering of Article 50 - the official mechanism for leaving the European Union - the last thing Britain needs is a reset of fiscal policy.
In 2010, the Conservatives were elected as the party that would bring public income and public expenditure into balance.
Mr Hammond still cleaves to that view. "He is a Conservative," as one official close to him says.
George Osborne's economic approach is alive and well.
Yes, there are criticisms by some economists that there is no need to run a country like a household budget where pennies in and pennies out matter - governments are able to borrow at very cheap rates on the international markets and put that money to economically valuable use.
Yes, there are criticisms that debt costs as a percentage of national income are low by historic standards and so the room for manoeuvre is rather greater than the national debt headline figures suggest.
But those close to Mr Hammond argue that, OK, borrowing may be cheap now but servicing Britain's £1.7 trillion debt is still expensive, costing around £34bn a year, or 4.6% of all government spending.
Cut out the deficit and start dealing with the debt and those costs can be brought down.
Certainly, since the referendum, the cost of government debt has increased as rising inflation risk pushes up yields - the interest rate on government bonds issued to investors.
Mr Hammond is briefing the Cabinet for the first time this week on the broad parameters of next month's Budget.
He will talk about Britain's historic productivity problem and how to solve it, he will talk about skills, he will talk about research and development support and he will talk about infrastructure spending.
Supporting the private economy is his priority, not reversing public sector cuts.
Mr Hammond will also say that the new world of work - the gig economy - is affecting the way the Treasury has to approach complicated issues such as tax receipts as the number of self-employed - who tend to pay a lower proportion of their income to the state - grows.
A lot of it will be rhetoric at this stage.
For Mr Hammond wants to keep his powder dry.
Dry for the bigger fiscal event of the year, the autumn Budget (as we should now call it) in November or December.
As he said last year, he only wants one major tax and spend "moment" a year.
And it's not going to be next month. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38891441 |
Apple boss Tim Cook criticises Trump travel ban - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Apple chief executive Tim Cook repeats his opposition to US President Donald Trump's travel ban. | Glasgow & West Scotland | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Apple boss answered questions from university students and staff
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has repeated his opposition to US President Donald Trump's travel ban.
He was speaking after he collected an honorary doctorate at the University of Glasgow.
Earlier Mr Cook visited an Apple store in Glasgow, where staff gave him a tartan scarf and a drawing.
His comments on the presidential decree targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries came in a Q&A session at the university.
Responding to questions from students and staff, Mr Cook said: "I wrote this letter, you probably read about it unless you're living underground, about the most recent executive order that was issued in the US.
"We have employees that secured a work visa, they brought family to the US, but happened to be outside the US when the executive order was issued and all of a sudden their families were affected.
"They couldn't get back in. That's a crisis. You can imagine the stress.
"If we stand and say nothing it's as if we're agreeing, that we become a part of it. It's important to speak out."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Mr Cook has taken a strong stance on user privacy and other issues which have at times brought him into conflict with the US authorities.
Since taking the helm of the company, Mr Cook has led the introduction of new products such as the iPhone 7, iPad Pro and Apple Watch.
He is also leading a company-wide effort to use 100% renewable energy at all Apple facilities.
In 2015, the 56-year-old became an honorary patron of Trinity College Dublin's Philosophical Society and gave a talk to students.
The embroidered picture presented by the Apple store staff shows Mr Cook waving and the words: "Welcome Tim."
It also features saltire flags and the Loch Ness monster.
He said: "That's great. I recall looking for the Loch Ness monster in 1984.
"Everything is right but the colour of the hair."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38904058 |
Alpine World Ski Championships: Canada's Erik Guay wins super-G gold - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Canada's Erik Guay wins super-G gold at the Alpine World Ski Championships in St Moritz with a time of 1:25.38. | null | Canada's Erik Guay wins super-G gold at the Alpine World Ski Championships in St Mortiz with a time of 1:25.38.
Follow the Alpine World Ski Championships across the BBC from 7 February - 19 February.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/38905683 |
How will blue collar France vote? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Who will France's working-class voters back in the forthcoming presidential election? | Europe | Hayange is not a place of metaphors, but the relics of its shuttered steel furnaces seem to signal something unresolved. They stalk the landscape around France's north-eastern villages, looming over a new political age.
This was once the thriving heart of France's steel industry. In the past decade, unemployment has risen by 75%, and around a quarter of the working population now crosses the border to Luxembourg each day for work.
This was once staunch left-wing country; communists and socialists ran this place together. But the past few years have seen left-wing votes shrivel, while those for the National Front (FN) have more than doubled, pushing it into the lead.
In the market, there are many who are happy to say they vote FN, though not always to give their name.
"I'm for the National Front. I'm not afraid to say it," one woman told me. "I'm not totally in favour of them but it's my way of saying that I'm not happy with today's politics.
"I think we've left the door open to too much immigration. Employment is in decline. We give, we give, we give to everyone. And I think that's why you chose Brexit, and I absolutely approve of that."
The National Front is promising France its own referendum on "Frexit" or exit from the EU, if it wins power in May. It's also promising to clamp down on immigration and give French people priority when it comes to jobs and housing.
Hayange is one of a number of towns controlled by Marine Le Pen's National Front
The National Front has never managed to win power at the regional or the national level, but now controls a dozen towns in France, including Hayange. And the man elected as FN mayor here, Fabien Engelmann, was once himself a union man from the far left.
The party presents itself as defending France's "forgotten ones" - against crime, immigration, and economic change.
"The left betrayed its voters, betrayed the workers, the middle class, the shop owners," Mr Engelmann told me. "There's also mass immigration today, and I think that after a while you can't welcome the poor from across the world. We have to stop this immigration and take care of our own."
But the election of Mayor Engelmann has been divisive here, partly because political loyalties themselves are dividing more sharply.
After years of trying to boost the economy by pushing through liberal reforms, the Socialist Party is deeply unpopular with many blue collar workers, who say they feel abandoned and ignored, as industries close and jobs become less secure.
It didn't help that, before he became president, Francois Hollande visited Hayange during his election campaign to promise that the blast furnaces here wouldn't close. They did.
After that, votes for the Socialist Party began to plummet, as supporters turned towards the political margins for answers - both the far left, and the far right.
Patrice Hainy was one of those converts. Fed up with the attitudes of France's more established parties, he responded to a National Front leaflet pushed through his door, and ended up joining the party, as a deputy mayor.
Patrice lives on one of the old steel-workers' estates, built here in the 19th Century by the wealthy family who built the industry from scratch. According to local historians, it was part of a new vision back then to provide workers with everything they might need from cradle to grave: hospitals, schools, canteens, even holiday camps.
Now Patrice, living in a relic of that industrial heyday, says it's the sense of being ignored that leaves left-wing voters open to the FN.
"I was attracted to them because the other parties don't listen to the people, and I believed the FN was listening to me," he explained. "It attracts weak members from the left. I was from the left and I was angry with our politicians who are sacrificing French people."
But within a year of joining the party, Patrice had left, disillusioned by what he describes as the National Front's "repression", and anti-Muslim views.
He's planning to vote for a left-wing candidate in the presidential elections this year, but says voters should not underestimate the appeal of FN leader Marine Le Pen.
"I think she might have a chance, because what is happening at a national level is what's already happened in my town," he said. "The FN voters go and vote, the others don't because they're so disgusted with politics."
Despite all the changes, the boxing club in Hayange remains open
The FN's fiercest critics, like nurse Gilles Wobedo, are trying to draw together opposition voices, to protest against what they see as divisive and partisan policies by the mayor.
"The National Front attacks democracy in this town," he told me. "For the past three years, they have divided people: young against old, Muslims against Catholics, workers against the unemployed. The mayor has divided the population and maintains his grip with a small majority."
But, he says, it's hard to build momentum because the opposition parties here are so divided - each hoping to win back power for themselves. Not too dissimilar to the problems the left is facing at the national level, with left-wing votes divided between three different figures in the presidential campaign: the socialists' Benoit Hamon, the far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron.
One relic of Hayange that has survived is its boxing club. A place for its young men to forget France's politicians, and learn how to win - and lose - for themselves. One of the boxers there, Frank, says a vote for the FN is still a vote of protest and desperation for many people here.
"On the left, we've had the Socialist Party in the past; but it doesn't work," he said. "So now, we would like to try something different. I think it's a last solution."
What if that solution also fails, I ask him?
He shrugs. In the ring, it's easy to judge promises against performance. In politics, it's often past performance that loses elections; and promises that win. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38895086 |
Is a 'seven-day NHS' feasible? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | The "seven-day NHS" has been a key pledge of the Conservative government. But is it feasible? | null | The "seven-day NHS" was a key pledge of former Prime Minister David Cameron, and has been taken on by Theresa May.
Her government envisages people having access to local GPs seven days a week. It also wants patients to receive the same level of urgent and emergency care in hospitals in England at weekends, as on Mondays to Fridays.
But is this feasible?
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38882876 |
Raising children 'in a box room' - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | Mums Abigail Tumfo, Sheila Navacroft and Shakeria Wright describe the difficulties of raising their children in one room. | null | Mums Abigail Tumfo, Sheila Navacroft and Shakeria Wright have told BBC Newsnight about the difficulties of raising their children in one room.
They are all living in a 45-room development in Welwyn Garden City, after being forced to leave private rented accommodation in Waltham Forest in London, where council housing is sparse.
Waltham Forest council has said it does all it can to house people in the borough, and is working to repair any sub-standard housing. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38902881 |
Housing White Paper: Radical or feeble? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Many "ground-breaking" housing initiatives prove to be business as usual - is this any different? | UK | Over the last three decades, governments of various stripes have promised radical change to solve England's housing crisis and today's White Paper is no exception.
The problem is that so many of the initiatives and ideas sold to the country as ground-breaking prove to be business as usual.
So the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid went out of his way to sound no-nonsense and tough today. He accused some English councils of "fudging" the numbers on housing need in their area and warned them that he was not going to allow that to happen anymore.
But the response to the government's proposals has been decidedly mixed.
Labour's shadow housing minister John Healey described them as "feeble beyond belief".
"Re-treading old ground" was how the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers described the White Paper. "Kicking the can down the road," one big investment fund said.
The chief executive of the housebuilder Inland Homes, Stephen Wicks, bemoaned the failure to relax rules on green belt development.
"Brownfield in itself can't possibly sustain the long-term housing requirements of the UK," he said. "It can go an awful long way but there needs to be a relaxation of some green belt to enable us to deliver the numbers that we are required to do."
The White Paper does include measures to encourage developers, housing associations and councils to build more affordable homes more quickly, both to rent and to buy.
But this government seems to speak with two voices on housing: the communities department wants to shift the balance of power firmly towards new development in places people want to live, but Number 10 and some influential Tory backbenchers are sympathetic to the passionate concerns of those who wish to protect the countryside and particularly the green belt.
The real question that lies behind all the rhetoric and policy bullet-points is whether the balance of power between development and local opposition has fundamentally changed.
Ministers now accept England needs 250,000 new homes every year, they have described the housing market as "broken" and they agree that radical change is the only way to mend it.
But many have yet to be convinced that this White Paper amounts to a "realistic plan" to achieve that. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38901296 |
NBA: LeBron James' 'jaw-dropping' three-pointer - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Watch Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James score a "jaw-dropping" three-pointer in the last second to force overtime against the Washington Wizards. | null | Watch Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James score a "jaw-dropping" three-pointer in the last second to force overtime against the Washington Wizards, with his side going on to win 140-135.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/basketball/38887735 |
'Melbhenge' sun spectacle wins fans in Australia - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The setting sun perfectly aligned with Melbourne streets to cast a golden light between skyscrapers. | Australia | Sunlight fills central Melbourne during the event on Tuesday
It may not rival "Manhattanhenge", but the Australian city of Melbourne has enjoyed its own spectacular solar phenomenon.
At 20:27 local time on Tuesday, the setting sun perfectly aligned with the city's east-west streets to cast a golden light between skyscrapers.
Dubbed "Melbhenge" in reference to the famous New York spectacle, the event happens biannually, but it gained greater attention this year because of a social media campaign calling for photographs led by Alan Duffy.
"It's similar in concept to Stonehenge," said the Swinburne University astronomer, referring to England's monument where the sun lines up with vertical stones on each of the solstices.
"The example in Melbourne is on a slightly bigger scale, and it has more to do with efficient town planning, rather than anything spiritual."
Melburnians posted images of the phenomenon, which trended on social media
Melbourne's grid system, designed by surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1837, affords several potential viewing points in the city centre.
But Dr Duffy said trees, trams and low-lying buildings make the choice difficult - not to mention the weather.
Local man David Brewster said he had an excellent view from central William St.
"The Melbourne grid is perfect for this sort of thing," he told the BBC. "It was just a very clear night. You get a nice good view with the tram tracks."
David Brewster also photographed the event last year
Manhattanhenge has become an attraction for photographers hoping to capture the perfect sunset.
Dr Duffy admitted Melbourne could not match New York for its corridors of towering skyscrapers. But he hoped his campaign, asking photographers to post their favourite locations, would make it easier to enjoy Melbhenge in the future.
"I've been astounding by the response," he told the BBC.
Similar "henge" phenomena also occur in other cities with large numbers of skyscrapers and long straight streets - such as Chicago, Montreal and Toronto.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Twice a year the Sun sets in alignment between skyscraper corridors, illuminating all east-west streets
The term Manhattanhenge was coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in 1996.
Melbourne will next enjoy the display on 3 November, Dr Duffy said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38902668 |
Joe Root is 'obvious candidate' for England captaincy says James Anderson - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Joe Root is the "obvious candidate" to be named as England Test captain - but the role must not affect his batting, says James Anderson. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Joe Root is the "obvious candidate" to be named as England Test captain - but the role must not affect his batting, says pace bowler James Anderson.
Batsman Root is the favourite to take over from Alastair Cook, who stepped down on Monday after a record 59 Tests.
The Yorkshire player had been Test vice-captain to Cook since May 2015.
"Root is fairly quiet but he has got that fire in his belly. He's a really impressive young man," Anderson told The Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show.
Should he be named captain aged 26, Root would be a year younger than Cook was when he took on the Test role on a full-time basis in August 2012.
No batsman has scored more Test runs than Root's 4,594 since he made his debut on 13 December 2012, and only India captain Virat Kohli (8,536) has scored more runs than Root's 8,469 in all three forms of international cricket.
Anderson, England's leading Test wicket-taker, has played under five full-time Test captains since making his debut in May 2003.
The 34-year-old has served Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Cook, as well as Andrew Flintoff who deputised for several Tests in 2006 and 2007.
"Root gets into situations, one-on-ones, with people. He speaks a lot of sense when he does speak and he's a really impressive young man," explained Anderson.
"He's the obvious candidate. The decision is a big one because he's our best player, so you obviously don't want that to be affected."
While they do not play another Test until July, England then play seven home Test matches - against South Africa and West Indies - in three months, before travelling to Australia in November for the Ashes.
Root scored 1,477 Test runs in 2016, making centuries against South Africa, Pakistan and India, as well as scoring 796 runs in one-day internationals and 297 in Twenty20 internationals.
"He loves cricket. It's very rare you see a player that's had the success he's had and he's not like that," Anderson said.
"In the brief period Alastair Cook's been off the field - for bathroom breaks - Root's been in there making changes. He's been good.
"It can be a difficult situation for a vice-captain when the captain goes off, you're in charge and myself and Stuart [Broad] might not make it that easy to go up and talk tactics. However he's done that and he's been good."
Are there any other candidates?
Root has led Yorkshire four times in the County Championship, taking charge when the county secured the 2014 County Championship title after then-captain Andrew Gale was suspended.
He was also the on-field captain when Middlesex, led by Australian batsman Chris Rogers, made a record 472-3 to beat Yorkshire by seven wickets in the same year.
All-rounder Ben Stokes, who was vice-captain on the recent limited-overs tour of Bangladesh which regular ODI skipper Eoin Morgan missed, was described as a "natural leader" by his Durham skipper Paul Collingwood.
"Ben has got a natural draw to him and he would be an excellent vice-captain for Root," former England limited-overs captain Collingwood said on the Tuffers and Vaughan show.
"The captain will have leaders underneath him that he knows he can go to - I think Ben Stokes would be the perfect man for that."
Fast bowler Stuart Broad has also been mooted - he captained the Twenty20 side between 2011 and 2014 - and Anderson said: "I wouldn't be against a fast bowler but one issue could be fitness.
"Bowlers get injured a lot more so are they going to play every game? The international schedule is hectic so it can be difficult."
Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, who led the one-day side in Bangladesh in Morgan's absence and remains the official limited-overs vice-captain, has also been suggested as a possible candidate.
However, the Lancashire player's Test place is not guaranteed given current keeper Jonny Bairstow's good form - although Buttler played as a specialist batsman in the last three Tests of the recent India series.
'You don't need any captaincy experience'
Ex-England spinner Graeme Swann told BBC Radio 5 live he felt the pressure of potential Test captaincy was already affecting Root's batting.
"I think we should leave Joe Root to be the best batsman this country has ever produced, which he would be without the burden of being the captain," he said.
However, Kohli, along with Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, have each raised their games since becoming captains of their respective countries.
Smith and Kohli are the two top-ranked Test batsmen, while Williamson is one of 13 men to have scored a Test century against all of the other nine Test-playing nations.
"It's very English to assume the captaincy will affect him. The other three have got captaincy of their country and gone to a different level with it," said ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan, who came through the same Sheffield Collegiate club side and Yorkshire academy ranks which produced Root, and has been a long-term mentor to the young right-hander.
"I don't think there's an issue with him captaining, he's too good a player. I think he'd be a good one.
"To captain any team you have to be loving the game, love the difficult moments and prove people wrong. He is that kind of character."
England and Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, who was named captain of the county in December 2016, said that his team-mate Root's inexperience was not an issue in him assuming the captaincy.
The pair lived together in 2011 during their early years in the Yorkshire first team and Ballance took Root's place when he was dropped for the final Test of England's Ashes whitewash in Australia in 2013-14.
"I think both of us have probably matured a bit more as cricketers and people. He's ready as a leader now in that England changing room," Ballance told BBC World Service's Stumped programme.
"I think Rooty's a natural born leader. He's done it from a young age. People follow him.
"He speaks well, he's got a great cricket brain. I don't think inexperience is too much of a problem. He'll be ready if he gets the opportunity." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38900248 |
Trump used the term 'Easy D'. What did he mean? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The president tweeted about an 'EASY D', which immediately had people guessing what he meant. | US & Canada | President Donald Trump has again lambasted the judicial rulings keeping him from enforcing his travel ban - but this time his tweet had a curious turn of phrase.
"Big increase in traffic into our country from certain areas, while our people are far more vulnerable, as we wait for what should be EASY D!" he wrote at 12:41 Washington time.
It was just one of a string of tweets defending his executive order, which banned entry to the US from citizens from seven countries deemed a high risk for terrorism. It has been put on hold while judges across the country assess its legality.
But the use of "EASY D" left the Twitterati scratching their heads.
"I think the one thing uniting the country rn [right now] is that none of us, regardless of political affiliation, knows what "Easy D" is," wrote Teen Vogue's Lily Herman.
Some were certain they knew: "Spoiler alert: D means decision," wrote CNN's Jon Ostrower. (Others argued that it meant "defence", a commonly used abbreviation in sports.)
Most were less concerned about the meaning and more interested in the opportunity to make a quick joke.
"Don't make him switch out Easy D for Hard D," warned frequent Trump critic Arthur Chu.
The single-theme joke account @TrumpDraws got into the act with a new image playing on the Easy D reference.
"The media never wants to talk about the people Easy D slaughtered at Bowling Green," quipped Vox writer Matt Yglesias, referring to the non-existent massacre mistakenly mentioned by Trump strategist Kellyanne Conway.
Screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer joked about Trump's earlier tweet, jeering the retailer Nordstrom for dropping his daughter Ivanka's fashion line. "I just got measured at Nordstrom. Was wearing an Easy D, but I should be an Easy DDD."
Still, while the anti-Trump crowd had fun laughing it up on Twitter, they have had less success stopping Trump's cabinet appointments.
So far all of his picks remain on track to confirmation, and even the most hotly-contested nomination, Betsy DeVos, was approved by the Senate.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters say their man is doing exactly what they elected him to do - keep the country safe and disrupt government business as usual. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38847792 |
The health workers that help patients stay at home - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Wakefield is seen as a pioneer in helping more patients stay at home and saving the NHS money. | Health | June Lord, 82, is one of those helped home from hospital under the Wakefield project
Every Monday morning, in a meeting room within earshot of the bells of Wakefield cathedral, a group of healthcare workers help to stage a mini-revolution.
Nothing that you read in the next few minutes may strike you as particularly surprising.
Yet the experimental manner in which they are working together in this corner of Yorkshire is being seen as a possible way to improve healthcare across the country, and save the NHS money.
At the table is a healthcare assistant, called Kay, Karen the physiotherapist, then Jane the occupational therapist.
On the other side sit two mental health nurses both called Rachel, and finally Sue Robson - another mental health nurse who's been with the NHS for 37 years.
"I've seen many, many changes, and this is one of the most exciting," smiles Sue.
Each Monday, they sit together and plan the care that will be offered to the mostly elderly people they are working with in a number of care homes in the Wakefield district.
Because each here brings a different specialism to the table, they can, as a group, build up a complete picture of how best to help each patient.
There is one woman they are especially worried about this week. She has fallen quite a few times, but as they talk it begins to look less like a purely physical problem.
"I carried out a physio session last week," says Karen.
She was "very anxious. It was difficult to engage with her," adds Kay.
"So today if things don't seem to be improving we may look at discussing with the psychiatrist whether she needs a review," concludes Sue.
"As professionals we are linking up," Sue continues. "We're discussing the case between ourselves. We have links to the GP. We have links to the mental health services and we are all working together rather than in isolation."
Mental health nurse Sue Robson says they have seen good results in Wakefield
Across the board this project in Wakefield - which at its most basic aims to get the different parts of the health service and the care system working together - is easing the pressures on the NHS and on care homes.
They have seen a sizable reduction in the number of patients who've had to go to hospital from the care homes they work in. A reduction in the use of ambulances. A reduction in the number of days patients who do go to hospital end up spending in a hospital bed.
It's both about keeping patients out of hospital in the first place, and getting them home as quickly as possible if they do need to go.
In the first nine months of 2016-17, phase one of the Wakefield Vanguard Care Homes scheme recorded:
The project has involved NHS workers training up care home staff beyond the basic first aid most already have. That gives care homes the skills they need to better diagnose what is wrong with a resident who falls ill. It is resulting in better care for patients and fewer 999 calls for an ambulance.
There are also efforts to improve people's health in the first place. A lot of work is going into making the men and women who live in care homes and "independent living" flats (they used to be known as sheltered accommodation) feel less isolated.
Sharon Carter runs one project that aims to stop the elderly feeling lonely. It's called Portrait of a Life. Essentially it's a photo and memory book that residents like 91-year-old Marjorie Smith receive.
Marjorie Smith is a resident at the Croftlands independent living scheme
It helps them reminisce, it helps other older people living in the same accommodation get to know their neighbours, and it helps care staff learn about what makes the people in their care tick.
"We're finding they have a better sense of well-being as opposed to ill-being," says Sharon.
Along with everything else the project is doing, she says it's led to fewer people going into hospital and residential care.
Many of course still do end up in hospital. And when they do Louise Lumley works at the "getting them home" end of the process.
She's part of Age UK's Wakefield District team, and outside Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield she's securing 82-year-old June Lord's wheelchair in the back of an adapted car. It will be a 20-minute journey home.
When they arrive, Louise goes through a list of questions. Does June have someone who can help her in the coming days? Does she have the medicine she needs? Is there anything at home that's particularly dangerous that might need to be made safe, to prevent future injuries?
The answers will go into a database that can help tailor June's care in the coming months.
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year.
There is plenty of other work besides. A local not-for-profit Housing Association sits in meetings with health staff to work out how best to improve the lives of the elderly people who rent flats from them.
They're trying to join up all the parts of the system as much as they can.
Everyone here stresses it's about improving patient care. But there are savings to be made. They estimate that if they roll this project out across the whole district, by 2021 they will make a net saving of £5.3m a year.
You can download the podcast containing Matthew Price's full report for BBC Radio 4's Today programme here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38897257 |
Six Nations: Will Georgia always be on the outside looking in? - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | As Italy’s poor start fans the flames of the Six Nations relegation debate, Joe Wilson asks if the likes of Georgia will always be on the outside looking in. | null | Dates: Coverage: Live across BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online.
Worcester Warriors are the epitome of a modern, professional rugby union club.
In a purpose built stadium, near a motorway, players from a dozen different nations train on an artificial pitch so new it uses the very latest organic infill (carbon neutral, derived from defibration of woody plants, according to the Italian manufacturer).
Between the New Zealanders, South Africans, Pacific Islanders and Englishmen there is Jaba Bregvadze. He is a Georgian rugby player. A hooker with 40 caps for his country and club career which took him to one of Europe's most famous sides, Toulouse, before Worcester.
But his rugby education was in Tblisi and he knows exactly what the sport means to Georgia.
''The tradition of Georgians is physical. Unfortunately, we had a lot of wars. Rugby is the same, like war. You are playing against someone, maybe he is your friend but for 80 minutes he is your enemy," he says.
"You must hurt him, but not give penalties, there are some rules (he laughs). I think this is the Georgian tradition. That's why the scrum is easier for us, driving the mauls is easier for us, we are playing with the heart, with big heart but everyone knows our skills are not in the top, that is the Georgian tradition.''
That ethos sits with the legend of Lelo - a Georgian folk sport which is the source of the national team's nickname - which pitted village against village battling over a ball in a field. Georgia has a unique version of rugby history.
The problem, though, is the future. How to develop those missing skills?
Results suggest Georgia have outgrown their status. They've won the European Nations Cup - the Six Nations 'B' competition, now renamed the Rugby Europe Championship - for each of the past six seasons.
At the last World Cup they won two games and defended bravely in defeat against New Zealand. As the Six Nations began they were officially world ranked 12th, that's one place above Italy.
Promotion to - and relegation from - the Six Nations has been ruled out by chief executive John Feehan, at least in the near future. In reality Georgia are well aware of that position, and as much as they would like to be in the tournament they have another idea.
The head of operations at Georgia's Rugby Union told BBC Sport he would like to see a "show match" between the bottom-placed team in the Six Nations and the Rugby Europe winner. That team, for almost all of the past decade, has been Georgia.
The Georgians suggest this match would take place on a neutral venue. It would not be a promotion relegation game. Just a match that - as Georgia puts it - "really can attract big interest".
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It was a suggestion I put to John Feehan, the Six Nations chief executive.
''I'm sure it would be interesting but we've got to look at it from the integrity of our competition and what's good for us and not necessarily what's good for Georgia," he told BBC Sport.
"And I don't mean that in any nasty way - other than to say that my role is to make sure that the six unions which are involved in the Six Nations maintain the credibility of the tournament. And a game like that could involve all sorts of speculation that wouldn't necessarily be helpful.''
Since they joined in 2000, Italy have finished bottom of the Six Nations table on 11 occasions - and they were well beaten at home by Wales in their opening game in this year's championship.
But in individual matches they have beaten all the other nations teams, apart from England. Mr Feehan's standpoint is to support Italy's status in the competition. But he does admit to some disappointment.
''Have Italy progressed as much as we'd like? Probably not," he said.
"But the reality is; it's very hard. And part of that is that everybody else's standards have improved as well. It's not like the others have stood still and Italy hasn't. Italy have developed and made progress, but it's a relative progress, if you like.
"Are they going to catch up? Of course they are. And they are in the process of doing that and [new Italy boss] Conor O'Shea's going to be a very important part of that happening.''
This will be O'Shea's first Six Nations tournament in charge of Italy. He comes with a strong reputation in the game, both as a player for Ireland and a coach in English club rugby. He understands there is a need for developing nations to have some meaningful incentive.
He told me: ''We can't let Italian rugby wither - Italian rugby needs to be supported - we need the extra investment in Italian rugby because Italian rugby has a history and a tradition, like Romanian rugby, if you think back to the 1970s in Romania [when they were beating the likes of France]. So we have to nurture all teams, all nations.
"I look around at the young players and the youth system in Italian rugby - there are more players in Italy than there are in Wales - lots of young players. Do you want to lose that? No, you don't, you have to incentivise it.
"Do we expand? Do we have another system? But by the time those decisions are made be careful what you wish for, because it might not be Italy who are bottom of the pile.''
Later this year Georgia will host the under-20's World Cup for the first time. Jaba Bregvadze believes interest in the sport there has grown significantly.
Games against Russia - which carry enormous political and cultural significance - attract sell-out crowds of 50,000 in Tblisi. But Bregvadze says tens of thousands of fans are now coming to watch them play other sides too.
''At the weekend there is not too much happening at Georgia. When you are winning a game at the weekend, the people are coming, it's like a positive atmosphere," he said.
"The people are hearing something new; the Georgia team wins by 20 points or 40 points or five points, it doesn't matter. I think they're getting proud of their team and happy. I think it's a big thing for the whole country.''
In November 2016, Georgia played Scotland in Kilmarnock and were well beaten 43-16. But Bregvadze desperately wants more exposure to these kind of games.
''It would be great if we had the chance to play in the Six Nations but the most important thing for us is to play as much against the good teams, the better teams than we are, because if you want to grow as a team, you need to play against better teams than you are.''
The Georgian rugby union has suggested to BBC Sport that, if they are barred from the Six Nations indefinitely, they will be "looking to participate in other competitions as a franchise, whatever chance there will be we will explore this possibility".
The prospect of relegation adds a crucial dimension to many sporting competitions, it is exactly the fate Worcester are trying desperately to avoid in English rugby's Premiership this season.
The Six Nations may have ruled it out, for now. But if Georgia keep winning, if their crowds keep coming and if their players keep being hired in England and France then their presence will remain whilst the Six Nations carries on without them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38907843 |
Barack Obama goes kitesurfing with Richard Branson - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | The former US president Barack Obama has enjoyed a spot of kitesurfing with Richard Branson. | null | Former US President Barack Obama has enjoyed a spot of kitesurfing with Richard Branson. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38899343 |
Sports Illustrated: Christie Brinkley praised for posing aged 63 - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Model Christie Brinkley appears with her daughters on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated. | Entertainment & Arts | Christie Brinkley has proved age is just a number by appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue.
This year's cover sees the 63-year-old posing alongside her two daughters - Sailor Brinkley Cook, and Alexa Ray Joel.
Writing on Instagram, Brinkley said: "Thank you Sports Illustrated for sending the powerful message that good things come in packages of every size and we do not come with an expiration date!"
Christie appears to be literally walking on water in the photo - something she referred to in her Instagram post.
"My kids think I walk on water, so let's not mention the apple box concealed just under the surface," she joked.
Alexa Ray is the only child of Christie Brinkley and singer Billy Joel
Christie shot to fame after appearing in Sports Illustrated in the late 1970s and went on to become well known as an actress and TV personality.
She continued to be a successful model, appearing on the cover of Playboy and Men's Health.
In 1985, she married Uptown Girl singer Billy Joel, who is Alexa's father. The couple divorced eight years later.
Christie has appeared on three previous Sports Illustrated covers
In its editorial, Sports Illustrated said Brinkley was "out to prove that age is nothing more than a number".
Speaking to People, the model said: "When I turned 30, I was like, 'This is the last time I'm posing in a bathing suit!'
"When this issue comes out, I'll be 63. I thought, 'those days are over'. But to get to do it with my girls, I thought, 'one last go!'."
Her daughter Sailor, 18, said appearing in Sports Illustrated "has been my dream since I popped out the womb" in a post on Twitter.
The images received a warm response on social media - although some questioned whether posing at an older age should be considered an achievement.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
• None Serena Williams is Sportsperson of the Year. Not everyone agrees
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38895224 |
Why carmakers have the most to fear from protectionism - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | From Trump to Brexit, globalisation is under threat, and it's the car industry that has the most to lose, writes Jamie Robertson. | Business | The Dodge Ram 1500 - made in the USA? Not entirely
Few places have "Made in America" written all over them like the Warren Truck Assembly Plant.
They have been making trucks at the factory, outside Detroit, since 1938, and you don't get much more American than the chunky, no-nonsense, big-tyred Dodge Ram 1500s that roll out from the 87-acre site every day.
So if I want to buy American, surely I can do no better than buy a Ram?
Well, no. Actually you'd be better off buying a Honda.
The Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington DC compiles an annual index of the cars Americans drive - and where they are made.
The Dodge Ram 1500 turns out, according to this index, to be only 59.5% made in America.
The Honda Accord, says Kogod, is 81% American.
Now this is partly because some of the Ram 1500s are made not in Detroit at all, but in Saltillo, Mexico.
And then there is the fiendishly complicated issue of components.
The Honda Accord is 81% American, according to the Kogod School of Business
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which makes the Ram, has a huge supplier network that buys in parts and manufacturing from around the world from Cordoba in Argentina to Serbia and South Korea.
It's not just FCA, globalisation is in the lifeblood of the car industry, and its supply lines have become possibly the most complex and finely tuned of any business on the planet.
Now this model is under threat.
In the US, President Trump has pledged to hike tariffs on US cars made abroad, or as he succinctly tweeted: "Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!" This, he believes, will save American jobs.
Mr Trump may well have caught hold of a global zeitgeist. Before the US election, the World Trade Organization (WTO) reported a spike in trade-restrictive measures imposed by members, averaging 22 per month, the highest since 2011.
"In the current environment, a rise in trade restrictions is the last thing the global economy needs," director-general Roberto Azevedo said.
But the carmakers appear to be buckling under, and scrambling to polish up their Made in America badges. Ford, for instance, scrapped a plan to build a plant in Mexico and got tweeted a pat on the back from the president.
Despite the hype, Ford's decision to build in Michigan is a minor tweak in its global strategy. But if border taxes on car imports work their way from angry tweets to real legislation, the global motor industry is in trouble.
One firm ignoring President Trump's criticism is German car giant BMW, who recently announced plans to retool its factory north of Pretoria in South Africa to produce the X3 sport-utility vehicle outside the US for the first time. BMW is also building another Mexican plant in San Luis Potosi.
Ian Robertson, head of sales and marketing at BMW, points out that its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina in the US is the biggest of all its factories, and says its decision to build the San Luis Potosi plant simply reflects how the industry works.
"This is part of the normal business development of a company like BMW which has nearly 30 production facilities in 14 countries. And the Mexican investment is one in a plant which will produce a capacity that will ultimately supply many markets."
In the UK, the making and selling of cars is similarly global. Last year, which was not untypical, the majority of cars made in the UK were exported, while most of those sold (86%) were imported.
Few UK politicians are making Trump-like calls for protectionism, but if the Brexit process ends up with the country pulling out of the EU single market, as Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated, it could still lead to tariffs on imports and exports, and hobble the car industry's cross-border supply chains and sales.
"Year-on-year exports have driven the car industry, and with so much content sourced internationally, we are massively dependent on zero tariffs and a customs union," says Tamzen Isacsson, communications and international director at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
If tariffs based on WTO rules were applied to cross-border car and car part sales, the SMMT estimates the price of an average imported car would rise by £1,500, while overall costs would rise by at least £4.5bn ($5.6bn) a year.
But possible tariffs are not the only problem.
Modern car manufacturing is built around just-in-time manufacturing (JIT), developed over the last 60 years under various names like "lean manufacturing" and "quality circles".
They all have the same core purpose - to minimise waste by keeping inventory at very low levels, alerting suppliers at exactly the point when new parts are needed.
The flipside of JIT is that a delay can wreak havoc on the whole operation.
When a fire closed the Channel Tunnel in 2015, UK car plants, starved for just a few hours of their supplies, were forced to hire private jets to intercept trucks en route to the UK to make sure components arrived on time.
"Many manufacturers carry stock to last them no more than four hours, so they are utterly dependent on rapid, fast-flowing content from the EU," says Ms Isacsson. "If you have delays with tariffs and cross-border checks the costs mount up and in an intensely competitive environment you suddenly find you cannot compete."
While the possibility of doing a free trade deal with the EU for the car industry would keep the wheels of trade turning, identifying which imports and exports were for the car industry and which weren't would be difficult.
"It would be easy to identify an engine, a turbo-charger, but we also buy in steel, we buy chemicals, we buy glass, we buy engine control units. How would you be sure that those particular products are going to go into the automotive sector, rather than another sector?," says SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
Ultimately, unwinding the labyrinthine supply chain of the car industry to work out what to tax and where could prove the biggest deterrent to new tariffs. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38570387 |
The late Hans Rosling tells the modern world's story - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | Hans Rosling, who has died in Sweden aged 68, tells 200 years of world history in four minutes. | null | In this spectacular section of The Joy Of Stats, broadcast by the BBC in 2010, he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers - in just four minutes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38902490 |
Face of Orkney's St Magnus reconstructed - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A facial reconstruction has been made of Orkney's St Magnus by a forensic artist to help mark the 900th anniversary of his death. | NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland | Forensic artist Hew Morrison used specialist computer software for his reconstruction of St Magnus
A facial reconstruction has been made of Orkney's St Magnus to help mark the 900th anniversary of his death.
Forensic artist Hew Morrison's research included studies of photographs taken in the 1920s of what is said to be the skull of the 12th Century Norse earl.
Before sainthood, Magnus Erlendsson shared the earldom of Orkney with his cousin, Hakon.
Hakon's jealousy of his cousin's popularity on the islands led to Magnus being put to death.
Although the date of his martyrdom is uncertain - they range from days in the years 1115 to 1118 - Orkney's annual St Magnus International Festival has chosen 2017 to mark the anniversary.
University of Dundee graduate Mr Morrison, whose other reconstructions include that of a Bronze Age woman buried in the Highlands, hopes his work on St Magnus will be displayed during the festival.
A photograph taken in 1925 of the skull found in a wooden box in Kirkwall's St Magnus Cathedral
St Magnus' life and death are a feature of the Orkneyinga Saga, an interpretation of Orkney's early history, including the conquest of the isles by Norway and the islands' earls.
The saga, written between the late 12th and early 13th centuries, tells of the collapse of the cousins' shared earldom. Hakon turned against Magnus and eventually betrayed him and had him executed.
The doomed earl's head was split in two by an axe, according to the saga. Miracles were said to have happened where Magnus was buried, including rocky ground changing into a grassy field.
Centuries later, in 1919, a wooden box with a skull showing a wound and an assortment of bones inside was discovered during renovations to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall on Orkney.
A University of Aberdeen professor and an Aberdeen church minister examined the bones and determined that they must be Magnus' remains. The relics were interred in a pillar of the cathedral.
Mr Morrison said he first heard the story of the bones when he was a boy.
He said: "I had forgotten about it until I visited Orkney back in 2015 whilst working on another facial reconstruction project.
"Understanding that the bones are permanently inside a pillar of the cathedral, thus inaccessible, I wondered whether there had ever been decent enough photographs taken of the remains that could be used to recreate a two-dimensional facial reconstruction.
"I managed to track down through Orkney Archives excellent photographs taken in 1925 that were suitable to use."
The relics of St Magnus are held in the care of Kirkwall's cathedral
A wooden box found in 1919 is believed to have held the relics of St Magnus
Mr Morrison has used computer software to create his reconstruction, drawing on what is shown in the vintage photographs to help guide the shape of skull.
He said: "The photographs from 1925 were fortunately of a good quality, but most importantly a scale ruler was photographed alongside these photographs, which allowed me to scale the skull up to life size.
"The missing jaw was re-created using a formula from the fields of anthropology and orthodontics.
"For this part of the reconstruction, I worked alongside my friend Keli Rae who is also a forensic artist and had previously used this method for replacing missing jaws prior to reconstructions."
Mr Morrison's other work has included a facial reconstruction of a Bronze Age woman who was buried in the Highlands
The reconstruction of the Bronze Age woman also involved research of a skull
Mr Morrison also drew on modern data of male European tissue measurements to gauge the skin depth for his reconstruction.
But he said: "An individual's hair and eye colour cannot be determined from the anatomy of a skull.
"No DNA/isotopics from samples of bone were available that would have helped to determine hair and eye colour.
"Although there were no visual records such as illustrations or paintings of St Magnus created during the time of his life, there are depictions of him in the form of stained glass windows and statues, but these were created many years after his death."
He added: "Taking into regard St Magnus's Scandinavian ancestry, light-coloured hair and blue eyes were added to the face."
Orkney's St Magnus festival will be held in June.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-38892669 |
Reality Check: Will it be easier to build on green belt? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The government has said that the green belt remains safe in its hands. Is it right? | UK Politics | The claim: The green belt is safe from an increase in development.
Reality Check verdict: The rules for developing green belt previously said that it was allowed only in exceptional circumstances. The government has now specified what would count as exceptional circumstances. It is not clear whether the new rules will be more or less strict than just letting councils decide what counted as exceptional circumstances.
The government has described the housing market as broken, promised more affordable homes and said it would help people to buy and rent.
A big question in discussions of increasing the supply of homes is whether planning regulations will be changed to make it easier to build on green belt land.
Green belts were introduced after World War Two to stop cities from sprawling and countryside being spoilt. About 13% of England is now covered.
This covers scenic sites open to the public, such as the Chiltern Hills and North Downs, but it also covers a lot of land that has limited public access and may not be particularly beautiful.
In the House of Commons, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: "In 2015, we promised the British people that the green belt was safe in our hands and that is still the case."
There has been little variation in the amount of green belt land since 1997, although data is not available for every year.
The Housing White Paper says the current planning regulations allow building on the green belt only "in exceptional circumstances" but that there is no detail given of what would amount to exceptional circumstances.
The government has now specified that before allowing development on green belt land, councils would need to rule out options including:
The White Paper also says that councils allowing the boundaries of green belt land to be changed would have to make up for it by improving other bits of green belt.
It also asks for suggestions of other things councils should take into account before doing so.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38899301 |
Family rescued from dangling cliff-edge truck - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | A family has been rescued from their truck that was dangling over a cliff-edge in southern China. | null | A family has been rescued from their truck that was dangling over a cliff-edge in southern China.
The father, who was driving, said the road was slippery. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38913506 |
Sean Spicer: 'I don't think the President owns a bathrobe' - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | The New York Times has referred to President Trump wearing a bathrobe but his press secretary Sean Spicer has come out to refute that. | null | The New York Times has referred to President Trump wearing a bathrobe and his press secretary Sean Spicer has come out to refute that, calling it 'fake news'.
Social media, meanwhile, has been flooded with photos of a younger Mr Trump clad in a robe. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38899342 |
Winter Olympics 2018: Team GB medal chances 'exciting' - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Great Britain should be excited about their medal chances at the 2018 Winter Olympics, says chef de mission Mike Hay. | null | Great Britain should be excited about its medal chances at the 2018 Winter Olympics, according to chef de mission Mike Hay.
It would be a record-breaking Games for Team GB in Pyeongchang if they win more than the four medals they have taken home on two occasions, in 1924 and 2014.
UK Sport has doubled its investment in Olympic winter sports from £13.5m for the four-year cycle to the 2014 Sochi Games to £27.9m for the South Korea event.
And with a year go until the 2018 Games begin, UK Sport has agreed a total target of between four and eight medals across the various Winter Olympic disciplines at their respective World Championship events this year.
"The money that UK Sport have put in is a real confidence boost to our winter athletes," Hay told BBC Sport.
"We've got to go in with high hopes and there are some early indicators that our athletes are going to be competing for podium places."
Great Britain may have won 67 medals in one Games at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio but Winter Olympic medals have been harder to come by because of a lack of natural facilities and smaller talent pools to select from.
In the 97-year history of the Winter Olympics, Great Britain have won only 26 medals but Hay believes the country is becoming more accepted on the world stage, especially in freestyle skiing and snowboarding, short track speed skating, curling and skeleton.
"It's very difficult to challenge the alpine nations but we're making progress into that second tier, if you like, and getting credibility," Hay said.
Meanwhile, to mark a year to the event, British Ski and Snowboard has announced it plans to become one of the world's top five skiing and snowboarding nations by 2030.
Great Britain will send about 60 athletes to the Games.
Ski and snowboard: It took 90 years for Britain to win a first Winter Olympic medal on snow, courtesy of Jenny Jones' snowboard bronze in 2014 but in Pyeongchang there could be podium ambitions for athletes in freestyle skiing, snowboarding and even alpine skiing.
Snowboarder Katie Ormerod has been a model of consistency on the World Cup stage, winning the Moscow big air and claiming two other podiums as well as an X Games bronze medal. Her cousin Jamie Nicholls, Billy Morgan and Aimee Fuller have also won World Cup medals and could threaten the podium in slopestyle and big air in 2018.
James Woods finished fifth in ski slopestyle in Sochi and will be a medal contender in South Korea. He won the season-opening World Cup slopestyle in New Zealand and just missed out on an X Games slopestyle medal, coming fourth. Woods did win the big air title in Aspen but only snowboard big air will make its debut in the Winter Olympics.
In the alpine world, slalom specialist David Ryding became the first Briton for 36 years to claim a World Cup medal when he finished second in Kitzbuhel, Austria, in January and has backed that up with three other top 10s this season.
British Ski and Snowboard has an ambitious target of being a top-five performing nation by 2030. It says it has a strategy to raise more funds and put a world-class coaching structure in place.
Short track speed skating: After the heartbreak of being penalised in all her races in Sochi, Elise Christie will be determined to leave Pyeongchang with a medal. She is leading the world 500m standings this season and has also won World Cup medals in 1000m and 1500m. Charlotte Gilmartin could also claim a medal.
Skeleton: Since skeleton was reintroduced into the Winter Olympics in 2002, Great Britain have won a medal at each of the four Games. Lizzy Yarnold won gold in Russia and is aiming to become the first Briton to retain a Winter Olympic title. She took the 2016 season off but is back and building up to South Korea. Laura Deas has had World Cup success and will also be in contention.
Curling: Great Britain won silver and bronze in Sochi and will again be challenging for the medal matches in 2018. The introduction of mixed doubles boosts GB's chances even more.
Snowboard big air: Snowboarders will head down a ramp and perform a trick off a large jump called a kicker. The new addition is great news for Britain's medal aspirations as there are podium potential athletes in the men's and women's competitions. Meanwhile, it is goodbye to snowboard parallel slalom, which has been dropped from the Games.
Curling mixed doubles: Each team is made up of a man and a woman and they play with six stones, rather than the usual eight and there are only eight ends, instead of the traditional 10. Great Britain finished fourth at the 2016 World Championships and compete in the 2017 competition at the end of April. Performances from the 2016 and 2017 World Championships will be taken into account with the top seven ranked nations, plus hosts South Korea, qualifying for the Games.
Speed skating mass start: This will take place on the long track and will be a 16-lap race where all skaters start simultaneously. There will be four sprints where points are awarded. The first three athletes to cross the finish line will be awarded the medals.
Alpine skiing team event. Teams will consist of two men and two women and they will compete against other nations in head-to-head slalom races.
What will Pyeongchang be like?
The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held between 9 and 25 February and it is the third time Asia has held a Winter Olympics after Japan hosted both the 1972 Games in Sapporo and Nagano in 1998.
Pyeongchang will be split between the coast and the mountains, similarly to Sochi. The coastal cluster will host curling, ice hockey, figure skating, short track and speed skating, while the mountain area will host skiing, snowboarding, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge.
The winter Paralympics will run from 9 to 18 March. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/38868480 |
Newspaper headlines: Barack Obama kitesurfing and Brexit hard talk - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A photograph of Barack Obama learning to kitesurf is printed on a number of Wednesday's front pages. | The Papers | For the Times, MPs have been given a "concession" after they were promised the chance to vote on Theresa May's deal with EU negotiators six months before the UK leaves the EU.
The paper says Number 10 was "forced into the move to avoid defeat" at the hands of Labour and Tory rebels.
Before the government's move to head off a rebellion, there were 20 Conservative MPs who were ready to defy Downing Street and vote against the government on Article 50 amendments, the paper says.
According to the Guardian, however, the prime minister successfully "faced down a Conservative rebellion over Brexit".
A potential Tory rebellion was "virtually cancelled out" by six pro-Brexit Labour MPs who voted with the government, it says.
The government remains relatively confident the Brexit bill will pass its third and final Commons reading on Wednesday without changes, before heading to the Lords, the paper adds.
The Daily Telegraph warns the European Union is facing a new Greek debt crisis.
It claims the state of the government finances in Greece could destabilise the whole eurozone, and quotes the International Monetary Fund as saying a new bailout is needed.
The paper notes that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is unwilling to send funds directly to Athens as she faces a tough re-election battle in the autumn.
It predicts the Greek debt problems will come to the fore as soon as July, when the country is due to repay around 7bn euros to its creditors.
The Guardian considers the government's white paper on the housing market in England and concludes it does nothing to confront what it calls the country's "housing crisis".
The paper says the government is not addressing the obsession of buyers in extending themselves to own a home.
It says there needs to be an honest admission that there is no chance of building the extra 250,000 new homes a year that the government says are required.
The Daily Telegraph reflects on the news that the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinks tax rises and cuts to public services are set to continue well into the next decade.
In an editorial, the paper says the British state has regressed 30 years, threatening to reverse the direction of travel Margaret Thatcher struggled so hard to establish.
It says that while it is admirable that the government wants to reduce the deficit, taxes have risen for seven years in a row - and another way of raising cash would be by reducing our foreign aid budget.
The Times says teachers are using police-style body cameras to record misbehaving pupils.
The paper says at least two comprehensives in England - both with a history of unruly pupils - are using the cameras to tackle "constant low level disruption".
The Information Commissioner's Office - which regulates privacy issues - said that schools were free to use the technique as a "self-reflection" tool for students.
In its editorial, the Times says that Commons Speaker John Bercow over-reached his office when he tried to pre-emptively bar US President Donald Trump from addressing Parliament.
The paper says that while the speaker is entitled to his personal opinions, his comments smell of hypocrisy - having already invited the presidents of China, Kuwait and Indonesia to address MPs and peers.
It says that while Mr Bercow has done a reasonable job as speaker, his desire for personal publicity has "blighted his record".
In his column in the Daily Mail, Quentin Letts says Mr Bercow's criticism of the president is all the more surprising given the fact that he is a "mini" Trump himself.
He says Mr Bercow is as greedy for attention as the president and has the same inflated self-regard.
The Guardian though says Mr Bercow did not over-reach his powers.
The paper says he was right to intervene because, if Britain is truly pro-American, it cannot want Mr Trump's presidency to succeed.
It says the president's temperament does not tolerate "democratic restraint" and he wants his whim enacted as law.
They are the photos that show former US President Barack Obama "as you've never seen him before", according to the Sun.
The photographs show Mr Obama learning to kitesurf while on holiday at Sir Richard Branson's luxurious Necker Island in the Caribbean.
The "worries of the White House are clearly far from Obama's mind", says the Daily Mail.
The Guardian says US presidents "don't get to have very much fun", however, "whatever Barack Obama might be missing about the Oval Office, those restrictions don't appear to be one of them".
"Branson challenged the ex-president to learn how to kiteboard before Branson himself could learn to foilboard, another young watersport that resembles water skiing.
"According to Branson's post, it was a challenge Obama easily won," the paper says. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38902468 |
Six Nations: England 'can compare' to New Zealand - Sam Warburton - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Sam Warburton says Six Nations rivals England are justifiably regarded as being on a par with world champions New Zealand. | null | Last updated on .From the section Welsh Rugby
Coverage: Live on BBC One Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary
Wales flanker Sam Warburton says Six Nations rivals England are justifiably regarded as being the equal of world champions New Zealand.
Eddie Jones' side will arrive in Cardiff seeking a 16th successive win, three away from a world record.
The All Blacks and South Africa share the tier-one nations' 18-match winning run record.
"England are deservedly tagged as the best team in the northern hemisphere," said Warburton.
"It's a fair judgement to compare them to the All Blacks right now - that's how good they are.
"It is going to take a huge game out of us to get a win, and it will be one of the biggest games of the championship for sure."
Why everyone wants to beat England
Warburton also explained the reasons he believes fire up every opponent England meet in the Six Nations.
The ex-Wales captain insists it is down to England's recent successful record.
"Chatting to [different countries'] players, that's how they feel, they really prioritise that and everyone just wants to beat England," he said.
"That's due to the success in the past and the success they're going through now. It's always a big scalp."
• None Never miss a Six Nations story with BBC alerts
International rugby began with Scotland and England meeting in 1879.
Four years later the Home Nations tournament began with Wales and Ireland taking on England and Scotland.
Since then, the Celtic nations have traditionally revelled in their rivalries with England.
England are unbeaten under Jones, who succeeded Stuart Lancaster after their group-stage exit from the 2015 World Cup.
Wales contributed to England's downfall in the tournament they hosted with a win at Twickenham, but lost twice to them in 2016.
"If you're Wales, the biggest game you play in in the Six Nations is England," said Warburton.
"If you're Scotland, it's England. If you're Ireland, it's England. Or if you're France or Italy, it's England," said Warburton, whose father was born in England.
"We know as players that's the one game the fans look forward to most and you sense that in the build-up. It's a huge occasion for everyone in Wales.
"But for me, I always cherish any win against any opposition in the Six Nations and in the last three years [since Wales' 2013 title win] I've realised how difficult it is to win a championship."
Cardiff Blues' Warburton predicts selection headaches if Bath number eight Taulupe Faletau has recovered from a knee injury for Saturday's match.
Gloucester's Ross Moriarty played at eight in the opening victory in Italy and could rival Warburton for the blind-side flanker's role if Faletau is risked for a starting place.
"The back-row competition is so fierce at the minute, I don't want to put pressure on him, but Toby [Faletau], when he's playing well, is one of the best players in the world. I think he's fantastic," Warburton added.
"If he did come back I'm sure there would be a few selection headaches in the back-row because Ross and Justin [Tipuric] went extremely well against Italy." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38893904 |
Fire rages through shanty town - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | Thousands of slum dwellers in Manila have lost their homes after a fire raged overnight. | null | Thousands of slum dwellers in Manila have lost their homes after a fire raged overnight. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38906821 |
The Moorside: Sheridan Smith drama praised by critics - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Sheridan Smith plays Julie Bushby, the mother who led the community search for missing Shannon. | Entertainment & Arts | Sheridan Smith plays Julie Bushby, the mother who led the community search for missing Shannon
The first episode of BBC One drama The Moorside, which stars Sheridan Smith, has been warmly received by critics.
The series tells the true story of the disappearance of Shannon Matthews and the repercussions on the local community.
Shannon was found 24 days after she went missing from her home in Dewsbury in 2008.
The first episode of the two-part series was watched by an average of 7.2 million viewers on Tuesday evening.
Read some of the reviews below:
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38904580 |
Fed Cup: Heather Watson & Johanna Konta help Great Britain to win over Portugal - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Heather Watson and Johanna Konta win singles matches as Great Britain beat Portugal at the Fed Cup in Estonia. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Great Britain made a winning start to their Fed Cup campaign with victory over Portugal in Tallinn, Estonia.
Singles wins for Heather Watson and Johanna Konta, and a doubles victory for Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson, gave Britain a 3-0 win in Group C.
They go on to face Latvia on Thursday and Turkey on Friday, with the group winners earning a play-off against the Group B winners on Saturday.
The winners of that tie will progress to a World Group II play-off in April.
Britain are seeded third among the 14 nations in Tallinn and first in their group, and Portugal were unable to overcome the gap in rankings.
Watson, the world number 72, began with a 57-minute 6-1 6-1 win over Ines Murta, ranked 546th.
World number 10 Konta then saw off 246th-ranked Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-2 6-4 to clinch the tie.
Rae and Robson beat De Brito and Murta 6-2 6-3 in the concluding doubles match.
"I'm really happy to have got the match under my belt," said Konta. "It was a high-level match, and it got better and better as the match went on. She made me work for it in the end and I'm really happy to have come through for the team.
"We'll try to come back stronger every day."
Asked about new captain Anne Keothavong, who replaced Judy Murray in the role at the end of last year, Konta added: "I think she is doing a tremendous job of bringing us together as a team.
"It's always a tricky one because we spend most of the year as individuals, so for her to do such a good job with us, it says a lot about her.
"We've got lots of team bonding in the evenings, lots of funny things going on."
Watson added: "It's my first match since the Aussie Open so I'm really happy with the way I played and also to get the first win under the belt for GB.
"It was great having Annie there and she'll continue to do a great job. So far I've really been enjoying the trip with her as captain."
Britain are likely to face the toughest test of the group stage on Thursday when they take on Latvia, led by world number 35 Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Turkey 2-1 in Wednesday's other Group C tie.
Unlike the men's Davis Cup, which has a World Group of 16 nations, the Fed Cup divides its top teams into two groups of eight - World Group I and World Group II.
The 91 nations outside the top tiers are divided into three regional zones and Britain have one chance per year to escape - a format that hugely frustrated former captain Judy Murray.
The Europe/Africa Group I event, which this year takes place in Estonia, sees 14 teams divided into groups, with Poland, Croatia, Britain and Serbia the seeded nations.
Four group winners will progress to promotion play-offs on Saturday, and two nations will then qualify for World Group II play-offs in April - which could see Britain given a home Fed Cup tie for the first time since 1993.
They fell at the same stage in 2012 and 2013 - away ties in Sweden and Argentina - under the captaincy of Murray. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38907104 |
'Last Concorde' makes its final journey - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | As the 'last Concorde' made its final journey, we look back at the iconic plane's history. | null | As the 'last Concorde' made its final journey, we look back at the iconic plane's history.
It will be the centrepiece of the £16m Bristol Aerospace Centre, which has been built around a listed WW1 hangar. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38899344 |
Leicester City 3-1 Derby County - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Leicester secure a first home win of 2017 as Demarai Gray's superb goal seals an extra-time victory over Derby in their FA Cup replay. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Leicester secured a first home win of 2017 as Demarai Gray's superb solo goal sealed an extra-time victory over Derby in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Andy King headed the hosts, who made 10 changes, ahead after Gray's clever cross was nodded back across goal by Marc Albrighton.
Abdoul Camara's free-kick forced extra time for Championship Derby only for substitute Wilfred Ndidi to restore the Foxes' lead with a fantastic strike.
Gray sealed a deserved win with an angled finish after a fine run.
Premier League Leicester will now face League One Millwall in the last 16 on 18 February (15:00 GMT).
Smiles for Ranieri - at last
Claudio Ranieri has not had too much to cheer about lately as last season's champions have been plunged into a fight for Premier League survival.
Yet the Italian was all smiles and applauded home fans as they chanted his name around the King Power Stadium soon after King's opener.
Leicester, 16th in the table and one point above the relegation zone, face a battle to climb away from trouble but their first win since 7 January will at least provide them with some momentum.
A spirited Derby display - and a poor performance from the officials - made sure it was anything but a straightforward win.
The hosts should have won a first-half penalty when Ben Chilwell was sent sprawling inside the area by Richard Keogh but referee Mike Jones was not interested.
There was more controversy in the 85th minute when Derby keeper Jonathan Mitchell clearly handled outside his area but Leicester's Ahmed Musa was booked for protesting after Jones dismissed the home team's appeals.
Although there was disappointment from Rams boss Steve McClaren, his team gave Leicester two tough games.
Derby led until four minutes from the end in the original game and forced Leicester into extra time on their own ground before running out of steam.
It might have been a different story had Ron-Robert Zieler not palmed away Jacob Butterfield's low drive on the stroke of half-time. By the time McClaren reached the dugout for the second half, his side were behind - King giving Leicester the lead in the opening minute of the second half.
The Rams responded well to falling behind. Camara had a free-kick beaten away before the Guinea international found the net with a 25-yard set-piece that deflected off Chilwell's thigh on its way into the net.
Derby's Max Lowe chested against his own post while attempting to guide the ball back to his keeper before two sublime finishes took the tie away from the visitors.
Ndidi fired home via the post from 25 yards then Gray, energetic and dynamic throughout, made it 3-1 after avoiding several challenges before his clinical finish allowed Leicester fans to celebrate a welcome victory.
All change - cup gets second billing
Both teams seemed to have their eyes on this weekend's games as they made 18 changes between them.
Musa was the only survivor from the Leicester side that started last weekend's match with Manchester United even though the Foxes are not in action again until Sunday.
Derby, despite bringing 5,000 travelling fans, made eight changes, as they also rested players to aid their play-off push.
"I didn't want to make eight changes. If the game was last night the team would have been totally different," said McClaren.
However, pundit and former Leicester midfielder Robbie Savage was critical of the number of changes made by both managers.
He said: "If Derby County were playing three Championship games in a week and chasing promotion would they put this team out? It's absolute nonsense. Play your best team."
'This fresh air is good for us'
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: "Derby played good football and we won. This is what we needed and I wanted.
"We want to do well in all competitions. We want to go forward in the FA Cup. The Premier League is not so good but we have to stay in the Premier League. This fresh air is good for the players."
Derby County boss Steve McClaren: "There are some very tired players in the dressing room. It was always going to be hard work.
"We had a go and I can't fault the players. We ran out of steam in the end. We missed our opportunity in the first game."
Sunday's Premier League game at fellow strugglers Swansea City (16:00 GMT) is a huge match for Leicester. Derby will look to strengthen their Championship play-off bid with a home victory over Bristol City (15:00 GMT) on Saturday.
• None Attempt missed. David Nugent (Derby County) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cyrus Christie with a cross.
• None Goal! Leicester City 3, Derby County 1. Demarai Gray (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Marc Albrighton.
• None Attempt saved. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Andy King (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez.
• None Attempt missed. Johnny Russell (Derby County) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cyrus Christie with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38822191 |
Wigan Athletic 2-2 Norwich City - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Two Omar Bogle goals on his first Wigan start help earn the Championship strugglers a draw against Norwich City. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Norwich missed the chance to climb into the Championship's top six after Omar Bogle's second-half double earned struggling Wigan a point.
Nelson Oliveira's looping header from Alex Pritchard's set-piece had given Norwich a deserved first-half lead.
But Bogle's near-post header from a corner and cleanly struck free-kick put the hosts ahead as they battled back.
Mitchell Dijks then nodded level from a Norwich corner and both sides searched for a late winner that would not come.
Wigan remain 23rd, five points below 21st-placed Burton with a game in hand, while Norwich stay seventh but move to within two points of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
• None Relive Wigan's 2-2 draw with Norwich as it happened
The Canaries had put the ball in the net on 25 minutes when Russell Martin headed in on the rebound after a Jonny Howson effort bounced off the woodwork, but the linesman's flag was already raised for offside.
However, not long after the visitors - bidding for a fourth straight win - did take the lead as Oliveira netted his eighth league goal of the season.
After the break, Wigan sprung to life and former Grimsby striker Bogle's quickfire brace on his first start for the Latics turned the game around.
But Dijks' header soon had the visitors back on level terms to deny Wigan a seventh league win of the season.
The hosts, who had failed to scored in nine of their past 12 home league games, could have won it late on but Norwich keeper John Ruddy saved well from Jake Buxton.
Wigan Athletic boss Warren Joyce: "I'm disappointed we did not end up winning the game, because I felt we deserved the three points.
"I was happy with the whole team - the effort, the commitment, the work-rate, the desire.
"We were good value to have taken the lead, and it's disappointing not to see it through."
Norwich City boss Alex Neil: "We were the better side in the first half and we controlled the game - we should have been more than 1-0 up.
"The frustration for me is that the goal that Russell Martin scored was onside, having watched it back.
"We were frustrated tonight as a group. We feel we should have won it. We made it difficult for ourselves."
• None Attempt missed. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cameron Jerome.
• None Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
• None Attempt saved. Jake Buxton (Wigan Athletic) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Connolly with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38805571 |
FA Cup: Derby level against Leicester through Abdoul Camara - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Abdoul Camara's deflected strike brings Derby level against Leicester in their FA Cup fourth-round replay. | null | Abdoul Camara's deflected strike brings Derby level against Leicester in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Watch all the best action from this season's FA Cup here.
FA PEOPLE'S CUP: Free five-a-side competition returns for 2017 - sign up now!
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38914583 |
Miriam Gonzalez Durantez: Don't call me Mrs Clegg - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Lawyer whose husband is ex-deputy PM notes the "irony" of women's day invite in her married name. | UK Politics | Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, whose husband is former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, has complained after being invited to an International Women's Day event in her married name.
Posting a picture of a letter addressed to "Mrs Clegg" on Instagram, she noted the "irony" of the situation.
The event, on 8 March, is designed to "celebrate women's success", she added.
Ms Gonzalez Durantez is a lawyer specialising in international and EU trade law.
Miriam Gonzalez Durantez says she does not want to be known by her husband's surname
She wrote: "The irony of being invited to speak at an International Women's Day event to celebrate women's success, addressed to me as 'Mrs Clegg'."
Ms Gonzalez Durantez set up the Inspiring Women group, which recruits women with successful careers to visit and speak to girls at state schools in England.
This is not the first time she has criticised the way she is perceived or described.
Last year she told Marie Claire magazine: "I find people say of me 'She wears the trousers' and as you can see, it is true, I have very nice trousers.
"Or if my husband and I share the school run, it's me who has forced him, dragged him away from his work.
"But when people, or in my case the media, are using that label on you, they are not saying you are strong, they are saying you should get back in your box. You should make the dinner and have his slippers ready with a gin and tonic." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38904863 |
Mark Simpson: How Karen Matthews made a fool out of me - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As Shannon Matthews 2008 disappearance is dramatised, Mark Simpson looks back on her mother's deception. | UK | Karen Matthews came out of her house to talk to Mark Simpson
Shannon Matthews's disappearance in a 2008 hoax-kidnapping is being recounted in a BBC drama. BBC News's Mark Simpson, who reported on the case, looks back at the deception.
Karen Matthews made a fool out of me.
I looked into her sunken eyes, saw that she was petrified and gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe my judgement was coloured by the fact that she chose to give me her first interview.
Maybe it was clouded by seeing inside her small semi-detached house, and the grim conditions in which she and her seven children were living.
Maybe I was so cold at the time, my brain froze.
Karen's daughter Shannon, nine, disappeared on the coldest night of the year in February 2008.
Police divers who searched a lake near her home in Dewsbury Moor in West Yorkshire had to break through ice to get into the water. The air temperature had dipped to -4C.
The night Karen agreed to talk to me, I was shaking with cold after spending hour after hour talking live on the BBC News Channel (or BBC News 24 as it was then).
Karen spotted me out of her front window and came out to talk. She was shaking too, but out of fear.
She was scared - scared of being found out.
She gave me no eye contact. She looked down the barrel of the BBC camera and said; "Shannon if you're out there, please come home. We love you to bits, we miss you so much. Please, I'm begging you baby, come home."
Karen Matthews appeals for information on her daughter's disappearance
When the police saw her interview on the BBC Ten O'Clock News, they were annoyed.
They had advised her not to talk to the media. They were as surprised as me that she agreed to give me an interview.
So was this erratic behaviour the first sign that all was not what it seemed?
In hindsight, it may seem so, but at the time, it seemed simply a desperate act by a desperate mother.
Fresh in my mind were the Soham murders of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. When children disappeared for more than 48 hours, the outcome was usually not good.
That is why there was such a huge community effort to try to find Shannon. People realised that time was short.
Yes, I did wonder if Karen Matthews was telling the truth. Everyone did.
However, I believed her. And I was not alone.
As well as searching hedges and parkland, the police drew up a map showing where convicted paedophiles lived in the Dewsbury area.
They checked, and double-checked. There was no sign of Shannon.
As days turned to weeks, the more convinced detectives became that Shannon would not be coming home.
However, Karen's friends and neighbours never gave up, and neither did the police.
About 10% of the force's officers were put on the case and more than £3m was spent in what was one of the largest search operations since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Karen Matthews was jailed for eight years
Shannon was eventually found, 24 days after she disappeared. A BBC colleague got a tip-off and phoned me.
I was shopping in Ikea in Leeds at the time, and nearly dropped my phone on a multi-coloured Swedish rug when I heard the news.
As I drove down the A6110 to Dewsbury, I wondered if Karen would give me an interview again.
We could do it in the same spot where we had first spoken.
The only difference would be that this time she would be with Shannon beside her.
The tears would turn to cheers. For once, it would be a story with a happy ending.
It later emerged that Shannon had been kept drugged and hidden in the base of a divan bed by the very people appealing for her safe return.
That September Karen, and Michael Donovan, the uncle of Karen's partner, went on trial for kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. They were jailed for eight years after the court heard about their plot to hide the child and claim a £50,000 reward that subsequently had been offered by the Sun. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38906967 |
What really happened when Swedes tried six-hour days? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Sweden has been experimenting with six-hour days but now the trials are over, has it really worked? | Business | Emilie Telander (right) says she is more tired now she is back on eight-hour days
Sweden has been experimenting with six-hour days, with workers getting the chance to work fewer hours on full pay, but now the most high-profile two-year trial has ended - has it all been too good to be true?
Assistant nurse Emilie Telander, 26, cheers as one of the day patients at Svartedalen's elderly care home in Gothenburg manages to roll a six in a game of Ludo.
But her smile fades as she describes her own luck running out at the end of the year, when after 23 months of six-hour shifts, she was told to go back to eight-hour days.
"I feel that I am more tired than I was before," she reflects, lamenting the fact that she now has less time at home to cook or read with her four-year-old daughter.
"During the trial all the staff had more energy. I could see that everybody was happy."
Gothenburg has been experimenting with shorter working days - but the policy isn't cheap
Ms Telander is one of about 70 assistant nurses who had their days shortened for the experiment, the most widely reported of a handful of trials in Sweden involving a range of employers, from start-ups to nursing homes.
Designed to measure well-being in a sector that's struggling to recruit enough staff to care for the country's ageing population, extra nurses were brought in to cover the lost hours.
The project's independent researchers were also paid to study employees at a similar care home who continued to work regular days.
Their final report is due out next month, but data released so far strongly backs Ms Telander's arguments.
Gothenburg's move has put a shorter working day "on the agenda both for Sweden and for Europe", says Daniel Bernmar
During the first 18 months of the trial the nurses working shorter hours logged less sick leave, reported better perceived health and boosted their productivity by organising 85% more activities for their patients, from nature walks to sing-a-longs.
However, the project also faced tough criticism from those concerned that the costs outweighed the benefits.
Centre-right opponents filed a motion calling on Gothenburg City Council to wrap it up prematurely last May, arguing it was unfair to continue investing taxpayers' money in a pilot that was not economically sustainable.
Saved from the axe at the eleventh hour, the trial managed to stay within budget, but still cost the city about 12 million kronor (£1.1m; $1.3m).
"Could we do this for the entire municipality? The answer is no, it will be too expensive," says Daniel Bernmar, the Left Party councillor responsible for running Gothenburg's elderly care.
But he argues the experiment still proved "successful from many points of view" by creating extra jobs for 17 nurses in the city, reducing sick pay costs and fuelling global debates about work culture.
Sweden's 40-hour working week is likely to remain
"It's put the shortening of the work day on the agenda both for Sweden and for Europe, which is fascinating," he says.
"In the past 10, 15 years there's been a lot of pressure on people working longer hours and this is sort of the contrary of that."
Yet while work-life balance is already championed across the political spectrum in Sweden, the chances of the Nordic country trimming back its standard 40-hour week remain slim.
On a national level, the Left Party is the only parliamentary party in favour of shortening basic working hours, backed by just 6% of voters in Sweden's last general election.
Nevertheless, a cluster of other Swedish municipalities are following in Gothenburg's footsteps, with locally funded trials targeting other groups of employees with high levels of illness and burnout, including social workers and hospital nurses.
Cleaners at Skelleftea Hospital will begin an 18-month project next month.
There's also been an increase in pilots in the private sector, with advertising, consulting, telecoms and technology firms among those testing the concept.
Yet while some have also reported that staff appear calmer or are less likely to phone in sick, others have swiftly abandoned the idea.
"I really don't think that the six-hour day fits with an entrepreneurial world, or the start-up world," argues Erik Gatenholm, chief executive of Gothenburg-based bio-ink company.
He is candid enough to admit he tested the method on his production staff after "reading about the trend on Facebook" and musing on whether it could be an innovative draw for future talent.
But the firm's experiment was ditched in less than a month, after bad feedback from employees.
"I thought it would be really fun, but it felt kind of stressful," says Gabriel Peres, as he slots a Petri dish inside one of the 3D printers he's built for the company.
"It's a process and it takes time and when you don't have all that [much] time it kind of feels like skipping homework at school, things are always building up."
More research is being done on Sweden's shifting work patterns
On the other side of the country, his concerns are shared by Dr Aram Seddigh, who recently completed his doctorate at Stockholm University's Stress Research Institute and is among a growing body of academics focusing on the nation's shifting work patterns.
"I think the six-hour work day would be most effective in organisations - such as hospitals - where you work for six hours and then you just leave [the workplace] and go home.
"It might be less effective for organisations where the borders between work and private life are not so clear," he suggests.
"This kind of solution might even increase stress levels given that employees might try to fit all the work that they have been doing in eight hours into six - or if they're office workers they might take the work home."
Back in Gothenburg, Bengt Lorentzon, the lead researcher for the Svartedalen care home project, argues that the concept of six-hour days also jars with the strong culture of flexible working promoted by many Swedish businesses.
Improving your working life is not just about how long your day is, says Bengt Lorentzon
"A lot of offices are already working almost like consultancies. There's no need for managers to have all their workers in the office at the same time, they just want to get the results and people have to deliver," he says.
"Compare that to the assistant nurses - they can't just leave work to go to the dentist or to the doctors or the hairdressers."
"So I don't think people should start with the question of whether or not to have reduced hours.
"First, it should be: what can we do to make the working environment better? And maybe different things can be better for different groups.
"It could be to do with working hours and working times, but it could be a lot of other things as well."
Listen to Maddy Savage's report on Sweden's experiment with six-hour days on The World Tonight. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38843341 |
NHS Health Check: How one GP practice tackled waiting times - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A GP practice in Plymouth is using paramedics and pharmacists to free up doctors to see more patients. | Health | Dr Cope believes new ways of working have been a success
A GP practice in Plymouth has reduced the time it takes to get a routine appointment with a doctor from three-to-four weeks to under seven days.
The Beacon Medical Group cares for more than 30,000 patients and was formed in 2014 after three practices merged.
Dr Jonathan Cope, GP and managing partner at Plympton Health Centre, one of the Beacon practices which has 10 doctors, says, at present, there are 30 unfilled GP posts in Plymouth.
Three years ago, his practice was unable to recruit the equivalent of one-and-a-half full-time GPs.
"We made a conscious decision to look elsewhere, to work differently. So we decided to looks at what skills clinical pharmacists, paramedic practitioners and nurse practitioners could offer. We converted that budget to two-and-a-half full-time equivalents."
Patients registered at Plympton who feel they need same-day care from their family doctor call the reception team at the surgery.
Depending on the problem, they will then be called back by an advanced paramedic, pharmacist, nurse practitioner - or a doctor.
Beacon Medical Group has started to offer new services
Dr Cope said: "Because of the extra capacity, we have freed up the GPs' time. So we are offering more appointments for routine problems, and the waiting times are now shorter."
The advanced paramedic practitioner, Simon Robinson, responds to any emergency medical problems in the practice, as well as doing, on average, four home visits a day.
He says he is often called out to see the more complex cases and his daily schedule allows him to spend more time than the GPs with patients. Simon was keen to point out that if he does have any queries he just has to knock on the GPs' door.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said while paramedics are highly valued and trusted, they have different skills and training.
"GPs are highly trained to take into account the physical, psychological and social factor - this unique skill set cannot be replaced by another healthcare professional, however well meaning the intention is.
"We do not have enough GPs in the NHS - and actually we don't have enough paramedics either. This transference of workload pressures from one area of the health service to another is not going to benefit our patients in the long term."
In an effort to understand the pressures on the Beacon Medical Group, the 100 most frequent attendees were analysed.
Dr Cope expected the list to be dominated by frail, elderly patients but instead the typical patient was a 37-year-old woman, often with mental health problems, multiple prescriptions and referrals to hospital.
From March, a psychiatrist will do a weekly clinic from the surgery for these patients and provide additional training on mental health care to staff.
It is part of a parallel drive to offer specialised new services more commonly found in a hospital setting.
Dr Helen Frow, a GP with a special interest in dermatology, has provided care to patients registered to the group in the last two years. "Onward referrals to the hospital have reduced by 85%," she said.
The model of working with between 30,000 to 50,000 patients in a multi-specialty community provider model is known as a Primary Care Home.
There were 14 other sites working to this structure across England in the last year.
The National Association of Primary Care is working closely with NHS England to explore how they can continue to expand working in this way.
A BMA spokesperson said: "Many GP practices are increasingly becoming hubs where nurses and other professionals work together to deliver services to patients.
"However, while this is encouraging, England is suffering from a drastic and worsening shortage of GPs that is damaging patient care and restricting the number of appointments on offer to the public.
"The government needs to address this workforce crisis urgently."
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38891481 |
Six Nations 2017: Wales' Faletau fit for England, North and Biggar doubtful - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Taulupe Faletau will be available for Wales' match against England while George North and Dan Biggar will have time to prove their fitness. | null | Last updated on .From the section Welsh Rugby
Coverage: Live on BBC One Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary
Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau is available for Saturday's Six Nations match against England in Cardiff.
The 26-year-old Bath back-rower has not played since Christmas Eve after suffering a knee injury.
George North and Dan Biggar will be given time to prove their fitness after suffering injuries during the 33-7 win in Italy.
Biggar injured ribs and North played on after taking an early blow to the thigh in Sunday's win in Rome.
Lock Luke Charteris is also a doubt for Saturday's game at the Principality Stadium having missed the opening match because of a slight fracture to his hand.
"We are giving Dan Biggar and George North as long as possible to make the game," defence coach Shaun Edwards said.
"They're two vital players for us, it's no pulled muscles or anything, just bruising so it's whether they can handle the pain.
"There's really bad bruising on George's leg and the flight home didn't help. We are worried about both of them."
Biggar's replacement, Ospreys team-mate Sam Davies, played a part in two of Wales' second-half tries.
It was his adventure deep in Wales' own 22 which set up North's score and took Howley's team within touching distance of the tournament's first try bonus point.
"We had the ball when he came on," Edwards added.
"He put in some lovely sublime touches that contributed to creating tries. Sometimes the best attacking players are best in the last 20 minutes."
Wales will announce the team to face England on Thursday at 13:00 GMT. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38909812 |
Obama chills with Branson: What about other post-presidency wind downs? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As Barack Obama enjoys a five-star Caribbean break, how did past presidents unwind from the big job? | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Barack Obama is on holiday learning to kitesurf with Richard Branson
Whether after four years or eight, all US presidents must eventually confront the question: What happens when I leave the Oval Office?
For Barack Obama, the answer was a five-star Caribbean holiday - and a seemingly endless grin.
The former commander in chief has been pictured beaming on a beach in a backwards cap, flanked by an equally cheery Michelle.
The venue for this masterclass in chilling? Moskito island in the British Virgin Islands, owned by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
Sir Richard posted pictures on his blog of Mr Obama learning to kite-surf, and engaging in a play-fight with the businessman.
Barack Obama has been enjoying his newfound freedom on Sir Richard Branson's private island
The airline mogul said he invited the Obamas "for a complete break" on his private island after they left the White House.
Not every president wants a sunshine stay after the West Wing doors swing shut, however.
So which leaders picked elephant hunting, marrying a relative, and a sideline in oil painting...?
When the 43rd president left office in January 2009, he ditched Washington for a quiet life between a house in Dallas, Texas, and his 1,500-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch.
Keen to enjoy his retirement, the sexagenarian took weekly painting lessons. His subjects included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, and the Dalai Lama - as well as his pets.
His inspiration was his great hero Sir Winston Churchill, who turned to art in his forties as a refuge from the tumult of politics.
"When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject," the wartime leader reportedly said.
Mr Bush was less patient, telling his art teacher: "There is a Rembrandt trapped in this body. And your job is to find it."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. George W Bush said he could only paint these portraits because he got know the leaders so intimately
Despite being nicknamed 'Teddy' and famously refusing to shoot a bear, the 26th president took a year-long African hunting trip with his son, Kermit, in 1909.
The duo were accompanied by more than 200 porters, and scientists from the Smithsonian Institution.
They made their way round Africa dispatching over 11,000 animals - including elephants, rhinos, hippos, snakes, zebra, and monkeys among others - before shipping the carcasses home for scientific study.
Another exotic trip followed for Mr Roosevelt (and Kermit) in late 1913, when they joined Brazil's most famous explorer Candido Rondon to chart the course of the River of Doubt.
The 760km (472 mile) stretch was ultimately renamed Roosevelt River in his honour.
Theodore Roosevelt visited Africa and South America when his presidency was over
The aforementioned Teddy Roosevelt had no time for Benjamin Harrison, president from 1889-93, branding him "a cold-blooded, narrow-minded, prejudiced, obstinate, timid old psalm-singing Indianapolis politician".
But none of that stopped the 23rd president from wedding a woman 25 years his junior, who also happened to be his niece by marriage.
Mr Harrison's first wife, Caroline, had died of tuberculosis in 1892.
When he wed Mary Dimmick four years later, his two adult children refused to attend the ceremony.
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd US president, married his widowed niece
America's first president lived only two years after leaving the job - and spent them making whiskey.
In 1799, the year of his death, his distillery in Mount Vernon, Virginia, produced nearly 11,000 gallons - making it the largest in the US at the time.
Also a livestock farmer, the founding father used leftovers from the whiskey-making to fatten his pigs.
As for the distillery - it's still going, selling its golden product to tourists at the Mount Vernon Estate and museum.
The distillery at Mount Vernon is still churning out single malts | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38896417 |
Why Dutch populist Geert Wilders is scenting victory - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Geert Wilders promises to stop Islam and make the Netherlands great again and is leading in the polls. | Europe | Almere began as a city in 1976 and now has 200,000 residents
When Dutch populist Geert Wilders promises to stop Islam and make the Netherlands great again, his message finds a ready audience in the country's newest city of Almere.
"It's too easy for people to come here," says Joost, a 60-year-old market trader. "Too many guys from Turkey and Morocco, economic migrants. I have three small children, what kind of world will they grow up in?"
Dutch voters go to the polls on 15 March and Mr Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) may win the biggest number of seats.
Almere means "all lake", which it was until the 1960s. Then it became a concrete conurbation with affordable homes for people leaving Amsterdam. For several years it has been Geert Wilders territory.
Immigrants now make up about 30% of the population and that ethnic diversity is reflected at the market, where you can find steaming bowls of spicy Surinamese brown beans and headscarves displayed in rainbow fashion.
Behind a thick rack of winter jackets, a woman with dyed-blond hair backs the UK's decision to leave the EU and says the Dutch should do the same.
Ria also complains about a Muslim neighbour. "At New Year I tried to shake his hand and he said he didn't shake hands with non-Muslim women."
Often described as the Dutch Donald Trump, Mr Wilders shares the US president's opposition to Muslim immigration, his distrust of the media and his love of Twitter.
He sparked a "fake news" row on Tuesday by tweeting a photo-shopped picture of a liberal political rival surrounded by radical Islamists, and then accused him of being a "drama queen" when he objected.
But watching Mr Wilders praise Mr Trump's policies has made Ria change her mind about voting for him: "When Trump brought in the travel ban and Wilders said 'Oh yeah we must do that in Holland too', I thought, no, he's crazy, that's not the way."
Geert Wilders was convicted of incitement by a Dutch court last year
Opinion polls suggest support for a Dutch "Nexit" in the months after the Brexit vote fell by 8% to 25%. Pollsters say people have realised that leaving the EU would be more complicated than they thought.
"If you sell to other countries and we're not in the EU anymore it's difficult," says Richard as he sells slabs of Edam cheese.
With the financial crisis over in the Netherlands, the economy is growing and has faded as an election issue. Instead, immigration is expected to dominate the campaign.
The pragmatic prime minister, Mark Rutte, launched his election campaign with an open letter warning that anyone who wasn't prepared to "be normal" and accept Dutch culture should get out of the country.
Rights groups accused the prime minister of undermining the constitution. "It's like PVV-light," says Anna Timmerman, director of Human Rights Watch in the Netherlands.
Newspaper columnist Folkert Jensma is concerned his country is losing its "moral compass".
"In my opinion a politician should be very careful and try to keep telling the truth. Is their fear based in reality? If everyone heads off to la-la-land where everyone is scared, we all end up with a president like Donald Trump."
The Hague suburb of Duindorp is another Wilders stronghold, where 90% are white and 35% voted PVV at the last election. A few years ago, the low-rise red-brick flats here were daubed with racist graffiti including a swastika.
"It's an old fisherman's village. People feel like other people are moving on to their turf," says Linda, who surprised her friends and family by marrying a Muslim from Morocco called Mostafa.
Mostafa (pictured with Linda) doubts the Dutch will back a proposal to deport repeat offenders
The couple were so concerned about discrimination, they considered giving their son Linda's maiden name to protect him from prejudice.
"Groups don't mix. They're afraid of each other because they don't know each other."
Mostafa is in the Dutch army and believes his religion is perfectly compatible with Dutch culture, "because if God, if Allah, did not want homosexuality to exist it would not exist".
He does not think Mr Wilders would be able to push through some of his policies. "I am totally totally convinced that most of the people in the Netherlands are in their heart decent people."
Geert Wilders' party may well top the vote on 15 March but only his most ardent followers think he will become the next prime minister.
The Dutch political system always produces a coalition government, and most other parties have vowed not to team up with him.
But if his popularity encourages enough liberal politicians to adopt his signature policies, Mr Wilders may claim victory even without winning the election.
Correction 8 March 2017: This story has been amended to clarify Mr Wilders' policy on elderly care. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38891753 |
Rowan Cheshire: Concussions left me with panic attacks, but Olympic hope remains - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | British halfpipe skier Rowan Cheshire describes the difficulties of life after a series of concussions and how her Olympic dream has been rekindled following Sochi disappointment. | null | The Sochi Olympics were historic for Team GB. They won a record-equalling four medals, including a first ever medal on snow in Jenny Jones' snowboard slopestyle bronze.
Halfpipe skier Rowan Cheshire was also being talked about as a medal prospect in Russia having won a World Cup a month earlier. But her Games ended dramatically before her event began.
The then 18-year-old was training on the Olympic halfpipe at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, when she made a mistake. Cheshire landed on her head, knocking herself unconscious and breaking her nose.
"I don't remember anything, just waking up in hospital and wondering what the hell was going on," she told BBC Sport.
It resulted in a severe concussion and was the first of three head injuries over the next 18 months, which Cheshire said caused "severe side-effects" that changed her life and almost saw her leave the sport.
"It's not just a headache or a little bruise to the head, there's a lot of backlash - I couldn't even look at my phone without getting migraines," said the skier.
"As well as the physical stuff, there was the emotional side - I'd get anxious and have a breakdown or a panic attack at just little situations and have to come home.
All the complications started in Sochi with the horrendous crash
"After the Olympics I wouldn't be able to get on the train by myself and that's weird for me as an athlete because I travel everywhere, but I wouldn't do it without my mum with me."
British freestyle skiing head coach Pat Sharples has known Cheshire since she was a young teenager, trying out the sport on a dry slope in Stoke.
"All the complications started in Sochi with the horrendous crash," he told BBC Sport. "The two concussions after that weren't anything like as huge as she'd had before, but it still triggered a lot of difficulties.
"It was new territory for us and a huge learning curve for everyone on the team as we'd never had to deal with anything like this.
"We were told it was 50/50 as to whether she would get back to fitness, but we just wanted her to be OK. It wasn't about her being back on skis."
Cheshire spent months working with her psychologist, Dave Collins, to overcome the anxiety of putting her body and mind on the line again.
"I did go through some doubts - I think it's only natural after a bad injury as it knocks your self-confidence and your whole thought process about the sport," she said.
"I was quite negative, but getting into gymnastics to go through some of the movements and seeing my psychologist really helped me be more positive about getting back on the snow."
After two years out she made an impressive return, finishing fourth at the second-tier Copper Mountain Revolution Tour event in Colorado, USA in December.
She has subsequently achieved the minimum Olympic qualification standard with a top-30 finish in the season-opening halfpipe World Cup event - again in Copper Mountain - and followed that up with 14th in Mammoth, USA, earlier this month.
Sharples credits Cheshire's parents, Barbara and Mark, for a "huge" role in her recovery and believes Cheshire is now an improved athlete following her concussion battles.
"She's more determined than ever," he said. "She's much stronger, focused and her work-ethic increased.
"Rowan's had to become this new athlete to get back and not only has she gained more experience, but she works so hard in the gym as well as when skiing and is a better all-round athlete than before."
In Molly Summerhayes - sister of Sochi Olympian Katie - and Youth Olympic champion Madi Rowlands, Cheshire knows she has serious competition for a place in Pyeongchang, which start in a year's time on 9 February 2018.
However, she has been told by medical consultants that her three career concussions do not put her at any greater risk of further complications and, having overcome the odds by returning to the slopes, the 21-year-old is determined to make up for lost time.
"I'm actually feeling quite positive and have some new tricks in my head that I want to do," she told BBC Sport.
"It would mean the world [to qualify for Pyeonchang] because it would be a second chance to show the world what I can do, which I didn't get to do last time.
"I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully doing my best." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/38858495 |
Does India have a problem with false rape claims? - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | There has been an increase in false rape reports against men in India - but do the figures tell the real story behind India's rape crisis? | Magazine | After the infamous 2012 gang rape of a student on a bus in Delhi, the number of rape cases reported to police in India rose sharply. But one survey concluded that in Delhi, in 2013-14, more than half of these reports were "false" - fuelling claims by male activists that women are alleging rape in order to extort money from men.
Yogesh Gupta always knew he had evidence that could prove, indisputably, he was not a rapist, but getting the police to recognise his innocence was another matter.
The 44-year-old Delhi estate agent's troubles began after he caught an employee embezzling money and threatened to go to the police.
The employee reacted by coercing a woman to pose as a potential house buyer who, after viewing a property, asked Gupta for a lift to the local metro station. She later accused him of driving her to an empty fourth floor apartment and raping her.
"Thankfully I had CCTV installed in my office," he says.
"The whole process of taking the stairs to the fourth floor, opening the flat, taking her inside, then getting out and dropping her at the metro station would have taken at least 37 - 40 minutes.
"I could prove I was back in my office within 11 minutes."
But when the woman registered her complaint to the police, Gupta found himself caught up in a system that seemed to care little about the evidence and a lot about branding him a criminal.
"Nobody listened to what I had to say," he says. "The police didn't even consult me. I tried everything, but I didn't get justice."
The gang-rape and murder of a student in Delhi in 2012 provoked mass protests
For the next eight months as the police investigation continued, Gupta had to endure the public disgrace of being accused of rape.
"I can't even begin to explain the ordeal that my wife, kids, my father and brother had to go through," he says.
"My children have had the toughest time. My daughter, who is just six years old, would write letters to god pleading to spare her father."
When the case finally went to court, the woman confessed she had made up the accusation and Gupta was acquitted, but much damage had already been done.
Lawyer Vinay Sharma says he defends many clients who have been falsely accused
Gupta sees himself as a victim of what men's rights campaigners say is a growing problem - the false allegations of rape - and it's one that some argue stems directly from the 2012 Delhi gang rape.
As graphic details of the brutal attack were made public, protesters took to the streets to demand changes to India's deeply patriarchal society which they said ignores or even encourages violence against women.
The media responded with a spike in reports of sexual assault, particularly violent assaults by strangers, and the government widened the definition of rape, made it mandatory for police to register all complaints and introduced special fast-track courts.
This in turn encouraged more women to report sexual violence, with the number of cases registered in Delhi rising by more than 100% in the year after the 2012 gang-rape.
All these developments were widely welcomed as positive steps to tackle sexual violence.
But when a body called the Delhi Commission for Women published a report in 2014 describing 53% of rapes reported in the city the previous year as "false" this was seized upon by men's rights activists as evidence that the legal changes and noisy public debate had ended up making victims out of men.
"Of all the rape cases that are registered, only 1% is genuine," says Gupta's lawyer, Vinay Sharma, who regularly defends men accused of rape in Delhi.
"The rest are either registered to take revenge or to take advantage of the person in some financial matter," he says.
"The reality at that point in time was that India had enough stringent laws to curb rape and punish the offenders," he says.
"Today the definition of rape has changed so much and anything and everything is reported as rape."
The evidence from the Commission for Women is in fact far from conclusive. It classes as "false" all reports of rape that were dropped before they reached court, without analysing the reasons why.
So it doesn't distinguish between cases dropped because it was clear the woman was lying and those where a woman was put under pressure to withdraw her claim - or where there was simply insufficient evidence to build a strong case. Forensic evidence is rarely used in Indian rape cases, so it's often just his word against hers.
One person who decided to do her own investigation was data journalist Rukmini Shrinivasan.
When she moved to Delhi from Mumbai to take up a post at The Hindu newspaper, she wanted to know whether Delhi's reputation as the rape capital of India was justified.
Instead of counting dropped rape cases, she looked at the 460 cases that went to a full trial in Delhi district courts in 2013 and compared the initial complaint made to police with what happened in court.
Her first discovery was that the media's alarm about stranger rape was overblown.
"Stranger rape, the thing that gets most highly reported in India, was an absolutely tiny category," she says. It accounted for just 12 of the 460 cases.
On the question of false rape, her findings were mixed.
More than one third of the 460 cases involved young people who had engaged in consensual sex outside marriage until their parents found out and used the criminal justice system to end the relationship.
"Families are more willing to have the stigma of rape rather than having the stigma of their daughter choosing her own sex or life partner," she says.
Shrinivasan found that many of these cases dealt with inter-caste or mixed-religion relationships which are considered taboo in conservative society. There was often a typical script that was used when parents filed the case with the police.
"I was repeatedly seeing stories of women being picked up in moving cars, being given a cold drink laced with sedatives which would render them unconscious, and then they would be raped," she said.
"But when I started reading more and more cases I realised that there are patterns to how complaints are filed. So this sedative-laced drink becomes important because it is necessary to show that consent was not given."
Another large category - nearly a quarter of the total - were cases where the man had broken his promise to marry the woman.
Although this would not be considered rape in many countries, in India a man can be charged with falsely obtaining consent for sex if he promises to marry a woman and then changes his mind.
"The parents say, 'You've lost your virginity, it's going to be impossible to get you married, you file this case, he'll get scared and he'll marry you,'" says Shrinivasan.
What she did not find was any cases like Yogesh Gupta's, where a woman had filed a case maliciously or to extort money.
"In some cases it would be the argument of the defence that the woman was trying to abstract money," she says. "But I cannot think of a case where this was proven."
While Shrinivasan's study would appear to indicate that the proportion of false rape cases in Delhi is high by international standards - in more than one country, researchers have put the proportion of false rape claims at about 8% of the total - academic Nithya Nagarathinam argues that this is a distraction from a more pressing issue, the under-reporting of rape.
"Although there has been a jump in rape reporting since the Delhi gang-rape, there are still many cases that go unreported and there are so many reasons for that," she says, pointing to traditional patriarchal structures that mean violence against women is consistently downplayed.
"That is a more serious issue to me than a few cases where the parents have probably wrongly accused the man."
Nagarathinam cites a 2014 study using data from the Indian National Crime Records Bureau and the National Family Health Surveys that suggests only 6% of incidents of sexual violence against women are reported to the police.
She insists India needs better data, to understand the scale and nature of the problem.
"If you don't have hard data to base your arguments on, the result is the emotion-driven men's rights versus women's rights arguments that are going on now," she says.
However big Delhi's false rape problem may be, Yogesh Gupta can attest to the powerful stigma of being falsely identified as sexual predator.
"The allegation of rape has affected my social status," he says.
"Even if one is acquitted, one cannot regain that status. You can't prove your innocence to each and every person. People are quick to judge in a rape case without even knowing whether the person is guilty or not."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38796457 |
The president and the bathrobe - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president's spokesman has caused a bit of a Twitter storm by claiming Mr Trump does not own a bathrobe. | US & Canada | The US president's spokesman has caused a bit of a Twitter storm by claiming Mr Trump does not own a bathrobe.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused the New York Times of printing inaccuracies, specifically referring to him watching TV in his bathrobe, saying the paper owed President Trump an apology.
The president has tweeted his annoyance at what he calls poor reporting: "The failing @nytimes was forced to apologise to its subscribers for the poor reporting it did on my election win. Now they are worse!"
Unsurprisingly, people have taken to social media to contradict Mr Spicer's bathrobe comment with various hashtags popping up, including #BathRobeGate.
Some have even been delving into the presidential bathrobe archives to produce gems such as this from Avi Bueno.
He tweeted a photo of Ronald Reagan in a robe, with the caption: 'Weird to see @seanspicer and @realDonaldTrump getting all defensive about a #bathrobe when their hero wasn't shy about it."
And historian Michael Beschloss tweeted a picture of President Lyndon B Johnson sitting in a robe with advisers on Air Force One in 1966.
John Aravosis, editor of @AMERICAblog, was quick to post three photos of Donald Trump wearing a bathrobe, which had featured in a November Daily Mail article about a trove of Trump memorabilia being found in a US thrift shop.
Considering the Trump Organisation lists 37 properties, including 15 hotels, on its website, many posters are assuming that a bathrobe or two may have been worn in the Trump household.
Various robes bearing the Trump brand have been posted on social media, including this picture of American actor Mike Rowe.
He tweeted a photo in August 2016 of a bathrobe autographed by Mr Trump, along with a video in which Mike says he wore the robe "briefly".
There were a few robe-wearing alternatives, such as Evie the Cat, the UK Cabinet Office feline who posted this about the 10 Downing Street cat, Larry.
And with a clever bit of editing, some have posted gifs of the president holding up a drawing of a bathrobe.
Even @TrumpBathrobe, a twitter account set up in 2015 and inactive since September 2016, has reawakened amidst this robing furore.
Similar posts are appearing on Facebook under #bathrobegate, although not everyone is impressed: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38893302 |
Coming to America: One translator's harrowing journey - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | One week. One family. One goal: To immigrate to Donald Trump's America. | Magazine | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: How Munther Alaskry got his family to the US
An Iraqi translator who worked extensively with the US military spent almost seven years trying to get his family to America. But with days to go before their departure, President Trump signed a travel ban that put the family's future in question.
It took seven years for Munther Alaskry to secure visas for his family. Now, they were only four days away from a new life in Houston, Texas, where friends and an apartment were waiting.
But instead of spending his final days in Baghdad celebrating and saying good-bye to family, Munther was in a panic.
President Donald Trump was about to sign an executive order that would ban immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries for 120 days, including Iraq.
Munther - a 37 year old chemical engineer and former translator for the US military - decided they couldn't wait. He told his family they were leaving Baghdad for the US immediately.
His wife Hiba protested - she hadn't finished packing, and her grandfather was about to have emergency surgery for cancer. She wanted to see him before they left. It was only four days, she told him.
"I don't think we have even one day," Munther said.
After hastily selling off the last of their furniture and some jewellery, Munther was able to raise the $5,000 (£4,022.50) needed for the next-day flight to Houston, with a connection through Istanbul, Turkey. The couple crammed the last of their possessions into gigantic roller suitcases, and told their distraught family members there'd been a drastic change of plans.
As his family slept, Munther flipped anxiously between CNN, Fox News and the BBC. It was just past midnight in Iraq, but in the US, it was still Friday afternoon. Munther watched President Trump at the Pentagon signing an executive order titled "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States".
"I am establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don't want them here," Trump said before placing his pen on the paper.
"We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."
Munther believed that he firmly belonged in the latter category. He'd always been fascinated by America, learning English from watching action movies like Rambo and The Terminator, and listening to Metallica as a teenager.
Munther in 2008 after an Iraqi national football team win
He stunned a group of Marines with his knowledge of American heavy metal after he met them at a checkpoint near a relative's home in Baghdad, back in 2003. At the time, he was still a student at the University of Technology, Iraq.
"You speak good English," the Marines told him. "Why don't you join us?"
Munther saw it as an opportunity to rebuild his country in the then-hopeful, post-Saddam Hussein era Iraq.
"I wanted to help the American army and the Iraqi people to understand each other. I was trying to help both of them," he said. "It was the right thing to do."
After the Marines left, Munther got a succession of jobs translating for the 3rd Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division. He was sent to the outskirts of Baghdad to help train the Iraqi National Guard. He manned the checkpoints. He had his own service weapon.
He developed a reputation for his punctuality and his sunny disposition. One former soldier described him to the BBC as a "critical asset", trustworthy with unflinching "integrity and morals".
The most dangerous assignment was with a unit clearing roadside bombs. His convoy was hit more than once.
Fellow translators were getting killed or losing limbs.
They were also getting murdered by members of al-Qaeda.
"They burned them alive. They cut their heads," Alaskry recalled. "In Arabic we say, 'You are putting your spirit on the palm of your hand.' Because you don't know what will happen next."
One day, Alaskry found a letter on his car telling him that he would burn in hell for working for the "infidels".
He fled for Jordan without telling anyone, but returned to Iraq a few years later to once again work for the Americans on a health care project for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In 2008, Munther married Hiba, also a chemical engineer. When their daughter Dima was born the following year, Munther realized that his young family had no future in Iraq. He was a marked man, and life in Baghdad was too unstable.
The family had to move every year to keep their whereabouts a secret. When American troops began pulling out for good in 2011, Munther felt abandoned, like a trap was closing in on him - a feeling that followed him for years.
"Everyday they are bombing us. Almost everyday, we have like a car bomb," he said. "It's not safe over here, especially [after] working with the Americans."
In 2010, Munther applied for a Special Immigrant Visa, reserved for Iraqis and Afghans who served with the US military and could prove their lives were under threatened as a result.
The programme was choked with applicants desperate to get out of the country. Delays mounted, as did the costs for doctor's exams and certificates from the local police ensuring Munther had no criminal record. Several American law enforcement agencies had to complete independent background checks on the family.
Finally, in December 2016, they were cleared. Their tickets were booked.
"We said, 'There will be a light at the end of the tunnel. We will go to the states. We will secure a better life for our kids."
In the early morning darkness, Munther and Hiba loaded their enormous bags and two sleepy children into a relative's car and left for the Baghdad airport.
It was the middle of the night in the US. Trump's order, now eight hours old, had not been uploaded to the White House website. As the family checked in, no one questioned their visas or their Iraqi passports.
As they waited for their first flight from Baghdad to Istanbul, Munther dashed off texts to his sponsors and former colleagues from USAID. He sent an email to his contacts at No One Left Behind, a non-profit in Washington founded by American soldiers to help translators resettle in the US.
"I'm so scared ... I don't know what we will face and I don't know if the officer at Istanbul will let us board on the Airplane," he wrote in one message. "Right now the only feeling i have is fear.
The three-hour flight to Istanbul was unbearable. Munther quaked in his seat. It was, he said, "just like a horror movie - when you dream you're jumping from a high building".
In Istanbul, the family transferred to the plane to Houston without incident. After they took their seats, Munther put on cartoons for three year old Hassan. His daughter Dima, an exuberant, chatty seven year old, threw her arms around her father's neck, proclaiming this to be the best airplane she'd ever seen.
Munther started to relax. He reminded Dima of his promise to take her to Disney Land, a treat for which she'd been saving her pocket money.
About 15 minutes after they boarded, a Turkish police officer made her way down the aisle, followed by three uniformed airport security officers. They stopped at Hiba's seat.
"Madame, your passport please," the officer said.
At that moment, Munther says, "I knew our dream was lost".
The heap of luggage in the Alaskrys' apartment after the failed attempt to migrate to the US
After they were pulled from the Turkish flight - the children crying as they were ejected onto the tarmac in the snow - the Alaskrys spent 13 hours in the Turkish airport waiting for a flight back to Baghdad. Hiba and Munther took turns sleeping in order to keep watch over their bags.
By then, news of the executive order had reached airlines and customs officials abroad, and travellers from Syria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Somalia were being pulled from their seats or barred at the gates at airports all over the world.
In New York City, flights that had been in the air when Trump signed his order had touched down, and US Customs and Border Patrol officers were beginning to hold anyone from the seven barred countries. Some people were sent back. Some signed documents presented to them that cancelled their visas. Even permanent residents - green card holders - were being told they could not return to their homes in the US.
One of the first Iraqis to be stopped at John F Kennedy International Airport was a man called Hameed Khalid Darweesh, who had come to the US on the same type of visa Munther was carrying: an SIV, which he earned after interpreting for the US military for 10 years.
People gather for a protest at Terminal 4 of the John F Kennedy airport in New York on 28 January
Over the course of the day more and more reports of detainees at airports around the country began to come in: at San Francisco International, Dulles International in Washington, and Philadelphia International Airport.
As the news spread, demonstrators began showing up to the terminals. Darweesh was eventually released, and a challenge filed in court on his behalf resulted in a US District Court judge ordering a stop to all deportations for visa-holders from the seven countries.
Green card-holders were allowed into the country, in some cases after long, intense interviews by customs officials. Lawyers in Virginia, then Massachusetts, then Washington state and Minnesota filed various motions to block Trump's executive order.
Munther watched the protests swelling at JFK on television from their nearly empty house in Baghdad, their carefully packed bags now strewn in a heap across the floor.
"It was amazing," he said. "Lawyers go voluntarily to help the refugees, to help the immigrants, to help the kids. I was feeling happy because other people could make it.
"American people are great people. Really. I work with them. I know them."
Before they left, Munther sold their car and almost all their furniture. He quit his job and had turned down other offers of employment. Because they missed their flight, the resettlement agency in Houston had to give their apartment away. There would be no refund for the aborted trip, nor for the return flight to Baghdad.
In an upstairs bedroom, Munther flipped through a stack of his old identification badges. His weapons authorisation card, his translator's badge, a pass to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's palace, refashioned as a US military base named FOB Prosperity.
Munther Alaskry said working with the US military was "the right thing to do"
He had a stack of photographs of himself standing with American soldiers - playing cards, riding on top of a tank, posing with an M-16 rifle. The younger Munther looks giddy in the photos.
"They were like my brothers, you know?" he said. "They're really nice guys. Really nice."
Munther pulled out another folder stuffed with letters of commendation, certificates of appreciation, and other documentation of his work history.
"Thank you for your hard work and exceptional performance," read one.
"We couldn't do it without you!" said another.
"Another one. Another one," Munther said, flipping faster and faster, then throwing the whole pile on a heap on his bathroom counter. "Even if I have thousands of those, it's now worth nothing, you know?"
Trump's executive order halted all immigration from Iraq for 120 days. The Alaskrys' visas were due to expire in just two months, at which point they'd be back where they started in 2010.
Munther didn't believe they would ever come to the US, at least not while Trump was president.
"Losing a job, losing money, it's OK. You can survive," he said, "But losing your dreams? This is the most terrible thing."
After three days of chaos, confusion, and a blizzard of legal challenges from all over the country, a press conference was called in Washington with the heads of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"This is not, I repeat, not a ban on Muslims," said Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.
But Kevin McAleenan, acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, did have an important clarification to make.
"Lawful permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders are allowed to board their flights," he said. The state department later confirmed that "it is in the national interest to allow Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders to continue to travel to the United States."
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Soon after, the founder of No One Left Behind posted a victory message on the group's Facebook page and sent messages to all of their clients abroad, including Munther: "GREAT NEWS! Afghan and Iraq SIVs WILL be allowed to enter America!! We did it!!!"
In his empty apartment, Munther watched McAleenan's comments. He checked the US Embassy's website and read the new guidance. Finally, after a representative from the embassy called and confirmed that he and his family would indeed be able to travel, Munther once again booked a flight to the US.
But almost as soon as the tickets were purchased - this time flying through Doha, Qatar, to New York City - dread set in.
"First I was happy, but now I'm scared," he said. "I don't want my wife and kids to face the same situation.
"Oh my god, I cannot handle it. I barely handled it last time."
As they packed their bags once again, it was clear that little Dima was still traumatised by her experience in Turkey. She asked her mother to bring blankets so that when they were kicked off the flight and forced to spend another night in the airport, she would have something to cover herself with.
"I don't want to go to the America because they don't want us to go," she told her father.
Munther tried to reassure her, but he wasn't feeling very sure himself.
"Hopefully everything will be just fine," he repeated over and over. "Fingers crossed."
Munther and family waiting for their fight to New York City in Doha
After a sleepless night, Munther lined up the suitcases once more at the front door of their home and called Qatar Airlines to make sure they would be able to board their flight.
He was told no. No-one at the airline had heard of the new guidance.
In a panic, Munther called the US Embassy in Baghdad, which referred him to an emergency hotline and emailed him the text of the new rule to show airport officials.
The airline employees were unimpressed. Munther continued sending frantic emails and texts to the US Embassy all the way to the airport. Finally, about an hour before the flight was set to take off, Munther got a call from Qatar Airlines.
"Do you want to hear some good news?" the man asked him.
The family was cleared, and allowed through security with just 30 minutes to make it to their gate. After a sprint through the airport, they arrived just in time for their flight to Doha.
It was at this point that Munther finally broke down.
"I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling right now," he said, tearing up. "Finally. It was a struggle. But finally."
The flight from Doha touched down at John F Kennedy International Airport at 8:30am, and a small group of lawyers, a local rabbi and a volunteer chauffer waited by customs for the Alaskrys.
Ayla Yavin volunteered through her synagogue to drive the Alaskrys to their hotel
An hour passed, then two.
All of the Doha flight passengers came and went with no sign of the family.
"This is worrying," said Emad Khalil, a lawyer from the newly formed group No Ban JFK. He started making phone calls to the American Civil Liberties Union, who in turn began calling the border patrol and airport officials.
After three hours, Khalil was certain that the family was being detained somewhere behind the big, white wall that separated customs from arrivals. If they did not appear soon, the lawyers said they would file a legal motion on behalf of the family.
Finally, after five anxious hours, they finally emerged, Dima and Hassan holding hands, Hiba and Munther smiling from behind a roller cart stacked high with luggage.
Despite the lengthy delay, Hiba said that the customs officials who interviewed them were friendly, and they never felt intimidated.
Hassan, Dima and Munther Alaskry emerged from customs five hours after their flight landed
One woman handed Dima and Hassan drawings from her own children that read, "Welcome to New York!" Dima chattered away about her plans to see Frozen's Elsa at Disney Land.
"I like it so much - it's so cute," she enthused about the bland, sterile airport terminal.
Like her father, she also learned English in part from watching movies.
"She would like to be famous," said Hiba, smiling. "She has a very strong personality."
At the hotel, the family was greeted by two women from No One Left Behind. They brought a basket filled with Legos, Play-Doh, blocks, a fashion drawing kit for Dima. The children unpacked and re-packed the basket over and over again, counting their new bounty.
Finally, the Alaskrys were left alone to ascend to their 15th floor room, overlooking the rooftop gardens of the Upper East Side.
The children ripped open packets of mini Chips Ahoy cookies, and Dima devoured her first Pop-Tart. They scurried from one end of the room to the other. No one seemed ready for a nap, though they'd been up for nearly two days.
Dima digs into a blueberry Pop-Tart, a treat left in the hotel room by members of No One Left Behind
The upshot of the cancelled flight to Houston was an unexpected three-day vacation in New York City, thanks to a relative who paid for their hotel as a gift. Sitting on the plush, crisp bedspread, Munther was in disbelief.
"I've been hearing songs about New York, I've been watching New York like from the American movies," he said. "You see like the yellow taxi of New York, the pizza of New York - it's amazing."
The Alaskrys' new, final destination was Rochester, New York, about five hours north of the city, where a host family and a group of about 40 volunteers waited to help them navigate their new lives in the US.
But before all of that, Munther said he was taking his children to the Statue of Liberty.
"Now they are in the best country in the world, in my opinion," he said. "This is my dream, to bring my kids here, now. After like, maybe ten years, 20 years, I'll be able to tell my kids, 'Listen, you were in Baghdad in that situation, I brought you all the way, I did all these sacrifices for you, and you are here now.'
"I'm sure - or I hope - they will appreciate it."
On Sunday, Munther and his family took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38885611 |
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson describes a privileged life - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, who has died at the age of 45, described living a privileged life, in an interview with Jane Garvey on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour in 2010. | null | Tara Palmer-Tomkinson described when she realised she was living a privileged life, in an interview with Jane Garvey on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
It followed the launch of her novel 'Inheritance'.
The former Sunday Times columnist, reality TV star, and goddaughter of Prince Charles was found dead on Wednesday aged 45. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38912978 |
Crossing the border - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | null | Among Grassani's subjects were a large group of Central Americans, walking hundreds of miles from homes in Guatemala and Honduras to the US:
“They were very strong at the beginning, walking like crazy. I spent four days with them – day by day you could see them getting tired because they had no food, nothing with them.” | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-3a67db15-0018-40ad-97d3-51cd3b920487 | |
Shirley Collins: Star who couldn't sing for 30 years is nominated for two awards - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Folk star Shirley Collins, who was unable to sing for 30 years, is nominated for two Radio 2 Folk Awards. | Entertainment & Arts | Shirley Collins is best known for the album Anthems in Eden, which she recorded in 1969 with her sister, Dorothy
Folk star Shirley Collins, who was robbed of her voice for 30 years by an emotional crisis, has been nominated for two Radio 2 Folk Awards.
The 81-year-old is up for singer of the year, while Lodestar, her first record since 1978, is up for best album.
Collins was an immensely important figure in Britain's folk-rock scene in the 1960s, thanks to her pared-down singing style and strong storytelling.
But her career was cut short by the end of her marriage in the late 1970s.
The star's second husband, Ashley Hutchings, left her for a young actress who took to showing up at Collins' performances.
One night, during a performance of Lark Rise at London's National Theatre, she froze on-stage and found herself unable to sing.
"It was humiliating," she told BBC Radio 4's Mastertapes last year. "Some nights when I opened my mouth nothing would come out, or just a few croaks would come out.
"It went on night after night after night, for far too long. I was trying to sing through tears. I was just in a state."
"I never lost the desire to sing," she added. "It was really heartbreaking for me not to be able to. [But] I couldn't even sing indoors. I couldn't sing to myself."
Collins developed a form of dysphonia, a condition often associated with psychological trauma.
In the years that followed, she wrote books while working in charity shops and a job centre "for five ghastly years" to support herself.
But her music was discovered by a younger generation of fans - including Blur's Graham Coxon and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy - and, eventually, she was coaxed back onto the stage, releasing her new album to wide acclaim last year.
Collins is nominated for singer of the year alongside Ireland's Daoiri Farrell, Scottish musician Kris Drever, and five-time Folk Award winner Jim Causley.
Farrell has the most nominations, three in all, while Songs of Separation - a project inspired by the Scottish referendum, featuring Eliza Carthy, Karine Polwart and Jenny Hill - has two.
Woody Guthrie is one of the most influential figures in folk and popular music
US folk icon Woody Guthrie will be inducted to the Folk Awards Hall of Fame on the 50th anniversary of his death.
The author of classics such as I Ain't Got No Home, Pretty Boy Floyd and This Train Is Bound For Glory, his songs were a major influence on popular music, and have been covered by the likes of Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.
Just this week, Lady Gaga sang a portion of his civil rights anthem This Land Is Your Land in a thinly-veiled attack on Donald Trump at the Super Bowl.
Billy Bragg, who made a Grammy award-winning album with Wilco based on unused Woody Guthrie lyrics, will pay tribute to the star with a headline performance at the awards.
Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart, best known for the hit single Year Of The Cat, will also perform, after being honoured with the lifetime achievement award.
Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis will present the awards at London's Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday, 5 April. The ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38910195 |
Philipp Lahm: Bayern Munich caught cold by German World Cup winner's announcement - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Bayern Munich say they were surprised by the timing of captain Philipp Lahm's retirement announcement. | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Bayern Munich were taken by surprise by the timing of captain Philipp Lahm's decision to announce his retirement.
Lahm, 33, joined Bayern aged 11 and has spent almost his entire career there, but will exit at the end of the season.
The German World Cup winner was under contract until 2019 and has also turned down a role as sporting director.
Chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the club were "surprised" by the actions of Lahm and his agent, adding: "the doors at Bayern will remain open".
Lahm, one of Germany's most successful footballers, announced his intention to retire at the end of the season after his 501st game for the club, a German Cup win over Wolfsburg.
Shortly before Lahm made his statement, the club's president Uli Hoeness had told reporters he knew nothing of Lahm's retirement and said any announcement would be a joint one with the club.
Rummenigge added: "Bayern Munich are surprised by the actions of Philipp Lahm and his advisor.
"Until yesterday we were expecting to issue a joint statement from Philipp Lahm and Bayern Munich. Uli Hoeness and myself had honest, intensive talks in the past months with Philipp about a potential involvement in the management of our club.
"Last week he informed us he was currently not available for the sports director position and that he wants to end his contract early."
Lahm made his debut for Bayern in 2002 and has remained with the cub, apart from two seasons on loan at Stuttgart between 2003 and 2005.
He has won seven Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, the Champions League, as well as captaining Germany to the World Cup in 2014. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38905754 |
FA Cup: Wilfred Ndidi's wonder strike puts Leicester ahead - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Wilfred Ndidi scores a spectacular goal to put Leicester 2-1 up in extra-time against Derby County in their FA Cup fourth-round replay. | null | Wilfred Ndidi scores a spectacular goal to put Leicester 2-1 up in extra-time against Derby County in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Watch all the best action from this season's FA Cup here.
FA PEOPLE'S CUP: Free five-a-side competition returns for 2017 - sign up now!
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38914586 |
Bank warns 'lax financial rules' are a route to failure - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BoE's deputy governor warns against abandoning bank rules amid claims the UK could become an offshore tax haven. | Business | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Jon Cunliffe: "The UK, in order to be a successful financial centre, needs robust regulation"
The man responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England has warned against relaxing banking regulation, saying that such a move could damage the global economy.
Sir Jon Cunliffe told the BBC that "lax controls" risked undoing progress that had been made since the financial crisis.
"We've made very substantial progress since the financial crisis, increasing the resilience of the financial sector and increasing its ability to support the economy in times of stress both nationally and in Europe and globally, including the US," Sir Jon told me.
"Those changes were necessary.
"None of us want to see again the sorts of events we saw between 2007 and 2009 and the costs of those events are still very clear.
"In order to have a resilient financial sector and consistent regulation internationally we need international standards, we need the reforms we have had and it is important we preserve them."
Sir Jon's comments come after suggestions that if Britain did not secure a good trade deal with the European Union following Brexit, the UK could become an offshore tax haven - encouraging businesses and banks to move to the country to avoid tougher regulations elsewhere.
Donald Trump, via an executive order, has also announced there will be a review of the Dodd-Frank legislation in America.
It was passed during the Obama presidency to control the use of complicated financial instruments by institutions, increase the amount of money banks are required to have available to avoid tax-payer funded bailouts and stop banks using their own money to invest in intricate equity and debt products for profit, what is called proprietary trading.
Although it had many supporters for making banks more secure, it has also been attacked for making banks less able to lend and more risk averse, particularly smaller, regional banks which support local economies.
Sir Jon, who is the deputy governor of the Bank responsible for financial stability, said that it was too early to say what the outcome of the reform proposals would be.
He pointed out the executive order spoke about proportionate regulation and maintained the need to prevent bail outs which didn't seem "out of line" with global approaches to regulation.
Sir Jon said it was necessary, as the Bank had done, to investigate problems of "regulatory conflict" and change the rules where there had been unintended consequences.
But he warned that as the UK had a very large financial services sector - providing about 8% of the country's economic output - it was important that the highest standards were maintained.
"It is important we have proportionate, highest quality regulation - robust and in line with best international standards," he said.
"The UK - in order to be a successful financial centre, you need good regulation, you need robust regulation and you need regulators that have credibility and experience.
"One doesn't become successful as an international centre by having lax standards and by being open to crises and regulatory arbitrage [the use of regulatory loopholes to avoid banking costs]."
Sir Jon, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee which sets interest rates, said that the next move on interest rates, whether up or down, was "balanced".
Yesterday another MPC member, Kristin Forbes, suggested that she was moving towards supporting a rate rise because growth was more robust than originally thought and inflation was rising.
"There are risks on the downside as well," Sir Jon said.
"That [the economy] will slow faster and that uncertainty effects will come in and have an impact. For me the risks are evenly balanced."
Sir Jon was speaking at the launch of new Bank research which showed that a third of companies surveyed admitted that they had not invested enough over the last five years.
He said that investment was important to support economic growth and better productivity.
Reasons for not investing included economic uncertainty, risk aversion following the financial crisis and a perception that there were still constraints on bank lending. The man responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England has warned against relaxing banking regulation, saying that such a move could damage the global economy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38913306 |
FA Cup: Demarai Gray's moment of magic for Leicester - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Demarai Gray produces a moment of magic as he slaloms past Derby defenders to score for Leicester in their FA Cup fourth-round replay. | null | Demarai Gray produces a moment of magic as he slaloms past Derby defenders to score for Leicester in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Watch all the best action from this season's FA Cup here.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38914589 |
Tiger Woods: Injuries and operations mean I'll never feel great - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Fourteen-time major winner Tiger Woods says he will always feel "a little sore" due to the injuries he has suffered. | null | Last updated on .From the section Golf
Fourteen-time major winner Tiger Woods says he will "never feel great" again because of the number of injuries suffered during his career.
Woods, 41, pulled out of the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round this month because of a back spasm.
He only returned to action in December after two back operations.
"There were a lot of times I didn't think I was going to make it back. It was tough, it was more than brutal," Woods told Dubai magazine Vision.
Woods' first return to competitive action after a 15-month lay-off came in December at the Hero World Challenge - an 18-man tournament in the Bahamas - and he finished 15th at the PGA Tour event.
He hopes to compete in the Masters at Augusta from 6-9 April.
"There have been plenty of times when I thought I would never play the game again at the elite level," added Woods, who has won 79 titles on the PGA Tour.
"It was tough, it was more than brutal. There were times I needed help just to get out of bed.
"I feel good, not great. I don't think I will ever feel great because it's three back surgeries, four knee operations.
"I'm always going to be a little bit sore. As long as I can function, I'm fine with that."
Woods has not won a tournament anywhere since 2013, while his title drought in major championships dates back to 2008.
"There is a changing of the guard," he said. "My generation is getting older but if I'm teeing up then the goal is to win." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/38912329 |
Snow church for Russia village - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | Villager Alexander Batyokhtin has built a church out of snow in Sosnovka in Siberia. | null | Villager Alexander Batyokhtin has built a church out of snow in Sosnovka in Siberia. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38909867 |
Fireman, wrestler, politician? What do footballers do in retirement? - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has quit football to become a DJ, but what other careers have ex-players done in retirement. Play our quiz to find out. | null | Fireman, wrestler, politician? What do footballers do in retirement? Last updated on .From the section Football
Following ex-Liverpool and QPR striker Djibril Cisse's announcement that he is to retire to focus on a career as a DJ, BBC Sport has unearthed a few more career paths taken by former players. Play along with our gallery quiz to see how many you can remember. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38911128 |
Rosy signs for quality journalism market - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Two weekly political magazines have upped their circulation, suggesting a growing appetite for analytical news. | Entertainment & Arts | So perhaps people will pay for quality journalism after all.
Subscriptions to leading British current affairs magazines, due to be published tomorrow, show a combination of Brexit, Trump and other cultural factors has led to an increase in the number of people handing over money to read smart stuff.
Advance sighting of circulation figures for two leading publications - The Spectator and New Statesman - shows a clear pattern.
For weekly or fortnightly publications that don't do general news, there is a growing willingness to pay for high-quality journalism - whether written, in the magazines, or video and audio online.
This time last year, The Spectator had combined print and digital sales of 62,718, passing a record set in 2006. Of that, 55,165 were print (though print subscribers get access to digital content) and 7,553 were digital only.
Now the combined print and digital figure is 67,120. Of this, 59,923 are print sales, and 7,197 are digital subscribers. In the second half of last year alone, print circulation rose by 3,270.
I pointed out earlier this week Donald Trump has been a boon to the finances of much of the mainstream media - particularly in America. In Britain, Brexit was a more significant factor.
Spectator editor Fraser Nelson told me: "Brexit seems to have been the catalyst. News events since then (Trump, etc) have led to a lot more interest in high-quality news and analysis."
Other cultural factors are at play too. This is what really interests me - and Nelson: "The market has changed. There's a lot more acceptance of the idea of paying for films, music and content in general.
"Netflix has helped pave the way for a change in culture. People who would not be seen dead paying for content five years ago are now in the habit of paying for Amazon Prime, music, the odd film and a subscription or two.
"We hear about Trump helping NY Times subscriptions, but I think it's more than that. The market has just turned, and is now welcoming to titles whose brand and quality is strong enough."
There is another factor: "Weirdly, the phenomenon of fake news has also helped emphasise the importance of paying for edited content. Where you get your news from has never mattered more."
Nor is this phenomenon restricted to just one part of the political spectrum. People are paying for high-quality stuff regardless of their leaning.
In his time as editor, Jason Cowley has made the New Statesman much less slavishly left-wing, picking fights with some figures on the left, such as Ed Miliband.
I would say that the Statesman is now a magazine of scepticism rather than leftism. Of course, some of the smartest scepticism originates on the left: Bertrand Russell's Sceptical Essays is among the most important collections published in the 20th Century.
Combined circulation is now 34,025 - of which 32,098 are print and 1,927 are digital - compared with a combined figure of 32,300 this time last year, and 24,000 in 2010. This is a 35-year high.
In 2016 newstatesman.com hit 4 million monthly unique visitors and 27 million monthly page views - close to a 400% increase on 2011.
Cowley told me: "In an era of fake news, people are realising that good journalism is worth spending money on. While much of the liberal media has been struggling to survive in a declining market dominated by powerful media groups, the New Statesman has not merely held its position but expanded dramatically - all achieved… with no marketing spend."
A bright picture - but several caveats are necessary here.
First, I don't yet have the age profile of new subscribers. It would be interesting to know a bit more about this.
Second, many magazines are succumbing to the temptation to bundle print and digital numbers together.
The attempt to conflate numbers is really a way of showing a bit of leg to advertisers. But it is a deliberate misrepresentation of the real picture.
We can hardly take magazines seriously when they call out deceitful public figures if they play fast and loose with their own numbers.
Third, there is a much broader story about web traffic, whether at general newspapers or specialist magazines.
Fourth, the fact people are paying for high-quality magazine content does not mean that this model will necessarily work for newspapers.
The Times, which has a paywall and is growing its subscriber base, has found a business model that works.
The New York Times operates a metered paywall, but it has an editorial budget of over £300m, has a much vaster domestic target market than, say, The Independent and competes with fewer national newspapers in America. It is a curiosity of Britain that we have so many more national titles for our smaller population.
The Financial Times, which also operates a metered paywall, is both a generalist and a specialist publication, because it does so much financial news. It also has the advantage that many of its readers are either rich or, because they work for companies dependent on that financial data, able to buy subscriptions on company expenses.
So it is important not to read across from the success of weekly magazines, which deal in high-quality commentary and analysis, and say the same will necessarily work for daily newspapers.
Their meat and drink is the much more generally available commodity of daily news, and in Britain they compete with the BBC website, whose reach is huge.
Finally, for many publications, the growth in subscriptions will not offset the precipitous decline in display advertising across the market, which is not far off 20% down year on year, as eyeballs migrate to the web.
The Spectator now gets two-thirds of its revenue from paying consumers rather than advertisers. The Economist magazine has argued publicly that it expects display advertising revenue to "pretty much vanish" by 2025.
The model for print media is being revolutionised. Those dependent solely or mainly on print advertising are in trouble, and will have to diversify their businesses.
Those flaunting a generally available commodity - daily news - will have to do it better, present it more boldly, and manage costs more smartly.
But now we know: those who specialise, and publish regularly but not daily, can ask people to pay, with confidence that they will. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38905558 |
Donald Trump, media saviour - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Could the new president benefit the mainstream media? | Entertainment & Arts | Donald Trump is, by sheer force of character, destroying the mainstream media as we know it.
His relentless barrage of abuse, not least about "fake news", has fatally undermined the trust of the American people in their traditional sources of news; and by denying the Washington press corps access to his administration, he has neutralised a key weapon in the armoury of political journalism.
Meanwhile, his use of social media, talk radio and favoured alt-right websites has allowed him to communicate directly to voters, rendering journalists an irrelevant distraction.
And the Spicer Doctrine - the belief held by the White House press secretary that it is the job of government to hold media to account and not just the other way round - poses a mortal threat to the trade we call reporting.
Any combination of the above paragraphs could appear, without much contention, in almost every appraisal of Trump's relationship with the media that I have read in the past year.
That it has limited basis in reality, and indeed is contradicted by the vast bulk of available evidence, has been no impediment to its ubiquity.
In fact, contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy, Donald Trump is not the man who will kill the mainstream media. He is the man who could save it.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for The New York Ti Mark Thompson, of the New York Times Company, has seen revenues rise
Together with Dominic Hurst, a brilliant producer, I have been looking at Mr Trump's relationship with the media for Radio 4's PM programme. The evidence is emphatic: Trump has given many news organisations the sustainable commercial future they so desperately crave.
The New York Times, one of Mr Trump's favourite voodoo dolls, which he has repeatedly admonished on Twitter and in rallies, is doing very well out of the new president. In the three weeks after his election, it sold 132,000 digital subscriptions - a tenfold increase.
That's a lot of revenue with which to fund serious journalism. I spoke to Mark Thompson, the paper's chief executive and a former director general of the BBC.
He told me that the president's actions and words "are causing hundreds of thousands of Americans who've never paid for news before to pay for it for the first time".
And he added: "It's not a political point, it's purely a commercial point: the Trump era seems to be a very good era for quality journalism."
CNN, the other organisation that Mr Trump has repeatedly labelled as fake news, also has plenty to thank the president for. Thanks to him, 2016 was CNN's most watched year.
As for news websites like BuzzFeed News, the Guardian, Mail Online, the Independent and others, Trump has generated phenomenal traffic - which in turn boosts revenues.
Two points about Mr Trump's benefit to the mainstream media strike me. The first is that it applies to different platforms and different business models.
2016 brought more viewers than ever to CNN
The New York Times is a newspaper and website with a semi-permeable paywall - the so-called free premium, or freemium model. The Independent has a low cost base and is funded by a huge range of advertising revenue streams. CNN is a cable news network. All are thriving just now.
Second, Mr Trump has doubtless fortified the differences between the commercial and editorial departments of outlets such as these three. Take the New York Times.
Columnists and leader writers on that gloriously high-minded body, the editorial board, are writing about how awful Mr Trump is, a threat to the republic, an American Putin, these are the end days, and so forth.
Meanwhile, Mark Thompson is rubbing his hands with glee - not necessarily at the policies of the president, but at the ambient glow of his bottom line.
Throughout my journalistic career, there have been serious questions about how journalism is funded.
There is no one or easy answer to that. But based on the evidence above, a very good answer has two words - "Donald", and "Trump". This brash reality TV star has caused no end of discomfort for the mainstream media.
But perhaps what should really make them squirm in their lofty op-ed conferences is the fact that he is doing more than any other modern politician to help them pay their mortgages and feed their families.
Listen to my piece on PM, BBC Radio 4 at 17:00 GMT on Monday, 6 February or later via BBC iPlayer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38854711 |
Sidmouth summerhouse crashes over cliff edge - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | null | It used to have one of the best views in England - now a Devon summerhouse is a pile of splintered wood at the bottom of a cliff. | null | It used to have one of the best views in England - now a Devon summerhouse is a pile of splintered wood at the bottom of a cliff.
The structure had been Paul Griew's garden sanctuary where he could observe the beautiful coastline off Sidmouth. But over the years the cliff edge has been encroaching on his property.
Mr Griew, 69, said he was out at the time of the collapse which was caught on camera by a passer-by who said she was filming the cliff, where there have been previous collapses.
Mr Griew said he had lost 20m of garden since he bought his home in 1997. And at the current rate of erosion of about 1m a year, he has about another 40 years left before his house collapses.
More on the summerhouse cliff fall, and other Devon news | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-38910778 |
NHS Health Check: 'How NHS changed our lives' - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Patients and families discuss their recent experience of NHS services. | Health | The NHS has come under intense pressure this winter, with record numbers of patients facing long waits in accident and emergency units among other challenges.
We asked some of those who have fallen ill, and the families of others, to share their experiences of winter 2016-17.
Sue's father's life changed dramatically after he fell out of bed while in hospital in December 2016.
Bryan, 84, had been admitted to hospital near their house in Cornwall for a hip operation.
Sue says she was not told about his fall for several days, eventually she was told he would not walk again and possibly had only six months left to live.
"I am devastated - six weeks ago everything was fine, now this is not the world I imagined I'd be in.
"In December he was walking into town, doing gardening, he loved mechanics and tinkering.
"Now in hospital his mental health has really deteriorated, he does not speak and strips naked in public.
"I blame the trauma of the fall and the time he's been forced to spend in hospital.
"I'm really on edge, I feel like I'm about to fall off a cliff.
"I break down in tears at least once a day.
"He's had his life taken away too soon.
"Are we saying that because he's too complicated, our society can't care for him?
"It seems like such a big fight to just find out from the hospital what is going on.
"I just hope to God that he doesn't understand what is happening to him.
"I feel like he'll never come home again, he seems lost to us."
John Perrins was on the M6 motorway, driving home from Cambridge, when he realised he was having a heart attack.
An ambulance driver himself, he had feared he would never see his wife again - so intense was the pain. But a paramedic saved his life at the side of the road.
"I was vomiting and felt like a horse was kicking me in the chest.
"My wife called an ambulance, which arrived within 10 minutes - seeing the blue lights was the most wonderful thing I've ever seen.
"I passed out, but apparently they performed three lots of heart massage - 90 compressions.
"When I came round they spoke to me and, although I was scared, the way that the paramedic spoke to me made me feel safe.
"A friend who is a paramedic came to see me and he told me that the last six heart attack patients he worked on had died - I felt so lucky that I had this particular ambulance crew.
"They have given me my life back.
"The paramedic was treating me, teaching a trainee and looking after my wife in the ambulance - I could not have asked for a better person.
"I am trying to find out the names of the ambulance crew - I want to find them so I can say thank you."
Trevor, 58, says that the NHS has treated his diabetes and depression "brilliantly"
Trevor Dallimore-Wright says his local GP and hospital are "like a family" to him, regularly providing life-saving care for his complex health conditions.
"The NHS has been absolutely brilliant," says Trevor, from London, who has diabetes and depression.
"My GP keeps me sane and out of hospital - I would give her 10 out of 10.
"I've had emergency admittance twice recently with sepsis - I went to A&E and was treated very quickly.
"They've had a great impact on my life.
"NHS treatment has helped me during the times that I could not get out of bed.
"My GP is extremely kind and patient. They are so patient-centred, I would put them in the luxury bracket.
"All the hospital staff are extraordinarily friendly.
"They are there despite the infrastructure problems in the NHS, and the care could not be better.
"From the moment I walk in, I know I'm being looked after.
"My only problem is that the NHS won't pay for immunotherapy drugs which are at the front line of treatment but are expensive."
Nikki, 36, had her scheduled operation cancelled twice and she is still waiting
Thirty six-year-old Nikki Alldis' satisfaction levels are at the other end of the spectrum, however, despite also living London. She says she has waited 15 months for a bowel operation, which has been twice cancelled.
When the procedure was scheduled for early January, she mentally prepared her young children and rearranged her work. But Nikki has twice received a last-minute call telling her there is no bed space.
"I'd prepared mentally - I planned my whole Christmas around the operation and recovery. I prepared frozen dinners for my kids, they are seven and 13, and I said a farewell goodbye.
"Then in the morning the nurse called me and said, 'We have no bed for you.'
"I was gutted. The kids were so confused when they came home and I was still there.
"I've been waiting for 15 months now - it's hanging over me.
"I did not believe the second appointment would happen, but I packed my bags anyway.
"We didn't even bother to rearrange my husband's work that time, if he's not working we're not earning, so we can't afford these cancellations.
"I put things in place with my work for people to cover me.
"I'm still waiting, hopefully it's third time lucky."
When 29-year-old Paul was feeling suicidal in January, the NHS crisis care team in west London gave him 24-hour care to keep him safe.
He has received treatment for bipolar disorder for four years and says his consultant and crisis team are outstanding.
"They helped me in my darkest and most depressive hours," says Paul, who asked for his surname not to be revealed.
"I came back home after New Year and went back to day-to-day life, but it kicked off a hefty depression and I was left feeling really low and suicidal.
"My partner called the crisis team, and they came to our house three or four times a day.
"They come at 02:00 or 03:00, they are really responsive.
"I don't feel like they are just doing their jobs, they have genuine care for me.
"They take away my medication to make sure I will not overdose and when they visit, they make me take the medication.
"Sometimes they just spend time with me.
"They ask how I am, what did you eat and sometimes they make me do things like go and buy some milk, which I don't always feel able to do.
"I would not be alive without them.
"But one problem I have with NHS mental health care is that they medicate but do not do counselling, there is a massive waiting list, so now I have to get counselling privately."
"Before she was diagnosed with cancer, my mum could run a marathon," says Richard Taylor, 55 from Liverpool.
He was devastated after watching her "undignified" death last month.
The local cancer centre did not have the capacity to give her end-of-life care.
"After she received the second diagnosis, she was sent home and we got caught in a communication loop between three hospitals. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
"Eventually I had to take her to A&E - she could not eat or drink.
"She spent 13 hours on a trolley, behind a curtain in a noisy and busy ward.
"I stayed on a chair beside her and slept on the floor - she died a week later.
"My gripe is with the lack of communication and the delays in my mum's treatment.
"The nursing staff were fantastic, but there is only so much they can do - they could not give my mum 24-hour attention.
"She was a very proud and dignified woman - but in the end she was simply scared to be alone.
"It was awful watching someone die in this extremely undignified way.
"If she was an animal, they would have put her down - she was starving and dehydrated.
"The nurses were lovely and compassionate, but they offered me no support.
"The NHS is a great thing, but it is under the hammer."
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38832993 |
Indian cricketer Mohit Ahlawat scores T20 triple hundred - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Indian cricketer Mohit Ahlawat hits an extraordinary 72-ball triple century in a local Twenty20 match in Delhi. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Indian cricketer Mohit Ahlawat hit an extraordinary 72-ball triple century in a local Twenty20 match in Delhi.
The 21-year-old hit 39 sixes, including five off the final over, as he posted a round 300 and his team Maavi finished on 416-2.
His total dwarfs the top-tier record of 175 scored by Chris Gayle in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I have put my name in the IPL auction but I am not sure if this will help people notice," Ahlawat told ABP Live.
Ahlawat played three first-class matches for Delhi in October 2015 alongside India internationals such as Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma.
He was dropped after scores of 1, 4, 0, 0 and 0 in his five innings.
Find out how to get into cricket with our inclusive guide.
Sri Lankan Dhanuka Pathirana smashed 277 off 72 balls playing for Austerlands in a Twenty20 match in England's Saddleworth League in September 2007 while Indian schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade set a new record for an officially recorded match with 1,009 not out in January 2016.
His total for KC Gandhi School broke a 117-year-old mark set by 13-year-old AEJ Collins in a house match at Clifton College in June 1899. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38904731 |
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson - the ultimate It girl in pictures - BBC News | 2017-02-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The classic "It girl", Tara Palmer-Tomkinson spent much of her life facing a camera lens. | UK | While her life as a London socialite in her early 20s was being documented in her own Sunday Times column, it was accompanied by a growing problem with cocaine use. It all came to a head with an appearance on the Frank Skinner Show in 1999, in which she slurred her words, struggled to remember her host's name and asked him "Are you married or are you single and what are you doing later?". The TV appearance was quickly followed by a spell in rehab. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38912628 |
Davis Cup: Denis Shapovalov 'very lucky' umpire Arnaud Gabas not seriously injured - BBC Sport | 2017-02-08 | null | Canada's Denis Shapovalov says he would not have forgiven himself if the umpire he hit in the eye with a ball had been seriously hurt. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Canada's Denis Shapovalov says he would not have been able to forgive himself if the umpire he hit in the eye with a ball had been seriously injured.
Shapovalov was fined $7,000 (£5,600) for his actions during a Davis Cup match with Great Britain's Kyle Edmund.
The 17-year-old trailed 6-3 6-4 2-1 when he struck the ball in anger and hit Arnaud Gabas, defaulting the match.
"I know how dangerous it can be to fire a ball," he told the BBC. "My first concern was that the referee was OK."
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast's Nicky Campbell, he added: "I turned over and saw the official bending down, holding his eye. So from that moment on I was in complete shock and regret right away.
"I kind of blacked out for the next 10 minutes maybe. I remember going to the bench, asking if the ref's OK."
Shapovalov, who escaped the maximum $12,000 (£9,600) fine because it was deemed to be unintentional, said he spoke to Gabas after the match and the French umpire even managed to "joke around a little bit" regarding the incident in Ottawa.
Gabas went to hospital as a precaution but no damage to the cornea or retina was found. He was due to see an eye doctor in France for a further examination.
"I've been hit several times in the eye and other parts, so I know how dangerous it is," added world number 251 Shapovalov.
"I'm very lucky he is OK. If things had gone worse I don't think I would have been able to forgive myself and I don't think I would be able to move past it.
"I'm hoping I'll learn from it and move forward so that it is a lesson for me."
The teenager also apologised to Edmund and and the British fans, saying he was "odds on" to lose match before he was disqualified.
"I feel bad that I didn't allow the British team to have the celebration that they deserved," he added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38897801 |
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