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'Samurai sword' attack leaves three dead at Tokyo shrine - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The attack, said to have been sparked by a succession feud, leaves three people dead. | Asia | The Tomioka Hachimangu shrine is famous for a summer festival in August
An attack believed to have been sparked by a succession feud has left three people dead at a well-known Shinto shrine in Tokyo.
The chief priestess was stabbed to death, reportedly by her brother. A bloodied Samurai sword was found at the scene, along with other knives.
The attacker's wife also took part in the ambush on Thursday evening, police say, injuring the priestess's driver.
The male attacker then stabbed his wife to death before killing himself.
The attack began when the 58-year-old priestess, Nagako Tomioka, got out of her car at the shrine and was confronted by her brother, Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, and his wife, said to be in her 30s.
The wife reportedly attacked the priestess's driver, stabbing him with a sword. The driver fled the scene, pursued by the woman. Police said there was a trail of blood down the road but the driver's wounds were not life-threatening.
The priestess suffered a deep stab wound to her chest, along with a laceration on the back of her neck, and was later pronounced dead.
The suspects then moved to another part of the shrine's grounds.
"We believe the male suspect stabbed the woman before stabbing himself," a police spokesman said.
Shinto priests attend a ritual during an autumn festival at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo
Shintoism is Japan's indigenous religion. The essence of Shinto is its spirits, or kami, to which its followers are devoted. The kami are said to intervene in human lives if treated well by followers.
The shrine is an essential part of Shinto. Along with rituals, the shrines are used to communicate with the kami. Devotees have a close relationship with their local shrine and often have a small shrine-altar at home.
Shinto is regarded as less of a religion, more as a way of life.
The name Shinto comes from Chinese characters for Shen (divine being), and Tao (way) and means Way of the Spirits.
There are some 80,000 shrines, and about as many Shinto priests, in Japan but female priests make up only a tiny fraction of the number.
About 80% of Japan's population practise some form of Shinto.
According to local media, the murders were sparked by a longstanding succession feud between the priestess and her brother.
Mr Tomioka had himself been chief priest of the shrine, having taken over from his father in the 1990s, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
However, he was sacked in 2001 and their father returned to the position as main priest, installing his daughter Nagako Tomioka as the second-ranked in the shrine. It was not clear why he was removed.
During those years, the suspect is said to have sent threatening letters to his sister and was arrested in 2006 after sending her a note saying he would "send her to hell".
After their father retired in 2010, Ms Tomioka became the chief priestess, breaking with a Shinto shrine umbrella organisation after it failed to rubberstamp the succession, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
The Tomioka Hachimangu shrine dates back to 1627 and is famous for the Fukagawa Hachiman summer festival in August.
According to its website, it was among those to start the tradition in Edo (now Tokyo) of holding sumo tournaments on its grounds to attract visitors and donations - a custom still common at many Shinto shrines.
Japan's emperor and empress visited the shrine in 2012.
• None Japan suspect 'killed nine in two months' | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42275875 |
Impact assessments of Brexit on the UK 'don't exist' - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Labour calls it a "shambles" but David Davis says impact assessments would be of "near zero" use. | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
The government has not carried out any impact assessments of leaving the EU on the UK economy, Brexit Secretary David Davis has told MPs.
Mr Davis said the usefulness of such assessments would be "near zero" because of the scale of change Brexit is likely to cause.
He said the government had produced a "sectoral analysis" of different industries but not a "forecast" of what would happen when the UK leaves the EU.
The Liberal Democrats said impact assessments were urgently needed while the SNP called it an "ongoing farce".
Mr Davis said a "very major contingency planning operation" was in place for Brexit.
Opposition MPs have been on the trail of the "Brexit impact assessments" for months. And when David Davis told them they didn't exist, they were quick to highlight some similar-sounding studies he had referred to in the past:
Downing Street told journalists: "We have been clear that the impact assessments don't exist. They're a specific thing in Whitehall terms. We think we have complied with the terms of the motion."
At Wednesday morning's Brexit committee hearing, chairman Hilary Benn asked whether impact assessments had been carried out into various parts of the economy, listing the automotive, aerospace and financial sectors.
"I think the answer's going to be no to all of them," Mr Davis responded.
When Mr Benn suggested this was "strange", the minister said formal assessments were not needed to know that "regulatory hurdles" would have an impact, describing Brexit as a "paradigm change" of similar impact to the financial crash, which could not be predicted.
"I am not a fan of economic models because they have all proven wrong," he said.
David Davis has probably not done the Brexit cause a huge bundle of good this morning. First, his frank admission that no impact assessments have been completed will inevitably be seized on by critics to argue Team May simply haven't done the basic spadework.
Second his suggestion that he doesn't have the resources for this, and anyway some of the work his officials have done wasn't much good, is hardly a ringing endorsement of his Brexit department.
Third, Mr Davis probably didn't help his own reputation by telling the committee he had been handed two chapters of the 850 pages of analysis but hadn't read them. At times Mr Davis even chided the committee over the time they were taking.
Fair enough the Brexit secretary had a cold - but at times he sounded thoroughly frazzled and cheesed off. Not a great look.
There has been a long-running row over the government's Brexit studies and their publication.
MPs have been pushing for the documents to be published, and on 1 November the Commons passed a motion to release "Brexit impact assessments" to the Brexit Committee of MPs.
In response, the government said this motion "misunderstood" what the documents actually were, but has since provided an edited set of reports to the committee.
David Davis said the impact of Brexit on different sectors had not been assessed
Mr Davis told the MPs this represented "getting as close as we can to meeting what we took to be the intent of Parliament".
A "quantitative economic forecast of outcome" does not exist, he said. "That is not there. We have not done that. What is there is the size of the industry, the employment and so on."
Mr Davis also said there was no "systematic impact assessment".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jeremy Corbyn asks: "Do they exist, or don’t they?"
During PMQs, Prime Minister Theresa May repeated Mr Davis' line that "sectoral analysis", not "impact assessments" had been drawn up, adding that the government would not give a running commentary on the negotiations.
"This really is a shambles," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said.
Later, Chancellor Philip Hammond was asked whether the Treasury had produced analysis of the potential economic impact of Brexit.
He said his department had "modelled and analysed a whole range of potential alternative structures between the EU and the UK, potential alternative arrangements and agreements that might be made".
Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee, he suggested these could be made public when a Brexit deal has been agreed, but said to do so at this stage would be "deeply unhelpful to the negotiation". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42249854 |
Man 'cements microwave to head' in Wolverhampton - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Fire crews took an hour to free the man who "could have suffocated" in the prank. | Birmingham & Black Country | Crews took an hour to free the man
An internet "prankster" had to be freed by firefighters after cementing his head inside a microwave oven.
West Midlands Fire Service said it took an hour to free the man after they were called to a house in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton.
Friends had managed to feed an air tube into the 22-year-old's mouth to help him breathe, the service said.
Watch Commander Shaun Dakin said the man "could quite easily have suffocated or have been seriously injured".
The fire service said the mixture had been poured around the man's head, which was protected by a plastic bag
Mr Dakin said: "He and a group of friends had mixed seven bags of Polyfilla which they then poured around his head, which was protected by a plastic bag inside the microwave.
"The oven was being used as a mould and wasn't plugged in. The mixture quickly set hard and, by the time we were called, they'd already been trying to free him for an hour and a half."
Crews from the technical rescue team helped with taking the microwave apart, he added.
"It took us nearly an hour to free him," added Mr Dakin.
"All of the group involved were very apologetic, but this was clearly a call-out which might have prevented us from helping someone else in genuine, accidental need."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-42271150 |
Universities could be accused of 'mis-selling courses' - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Young people are taking out loans to pay for fees without effective help or advice, a watchdog says. | Family & Education | Universities could be accused of "mis-selling" courses to teenagers who have little understanding of money matters, the public spending watchdog says.
National Audit Office head Amyas Morse said young people were taking out large loans to pay for tuition fees without much effective help or advice.
It compared the higher education market to financial products, highlighting how little regulation universities faced.
The government said its reforms were helping students make informed choices.
But the NAO report highlights that tighter rules apply to the sale of complex financial products than to universities offering courses that may well be more expensive.
Mr Morse said: "If this was a regulated financial market, we would be raising the question of mis-selling."
The report says a student loan is likely to be a person's biggest sum for borrowing after a mortgage and will require a long-term commitment.
The average loan is expected to top £50,000 by the time it is repaid.
But the decision whether or not to go to university and which course and provider to choose is typically made at the age of 16 or 17.
These choices can have a long-lasting impact on future employment and earnings prospects, the report says.
And where services or markets are especially complex, consumers often need additional support and protection to make good choices.
The report says the Financial Conduct Authority requires companies to disclose clearly the risks of such products to potential customers.
But for universities there are limited comparable disclosure requirements, despite the clear strong financial incentives to attract as many students as possible.
Mr Morse said: "We are deliberately thinking of higher education as a market, and as a market, it has a number of points of failure.
"Young people are taking out substantial loans to pay for courses, without much effective help and advice, and the institutions concerned are under very little competitive pressure to provide best value."
The report also suggests only a third of higher education students say their course offers value for money.
Mr Morse added: "The [education] department is taking action to address some of these issues, but there is a lot that remains to be done."
The report also highlights how despite increased participation by students from disadvantaged groups, they are far more likely to attend courses at "lower ranked providers".
The report does, however, note that students have statutory protections - including the fact repayments are based on earnings and liability is written off after a set amount of time - and that graduates earn on average 42% more than non-graduates.
The government said its student finance system removed the financial barriers for those going to university.
It is also planning a review of tertiary education to ensure a joined up system works for everyone.
Meg Hillier MP, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said the government was failing to give inexperienced young people the advice and protection they needed when making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
"It has created a generation of students hit by massive debts, many of whom doubt their degree is worth the money paid for it," she said.
But Universities UK said universities had increased investment in teaching and learning, and that students were now reporting record levels of satisfaction with their courses.
"Graduates leaving our universities are also increasingly in demand from employers and continue to benefit from their degrees. They earn on average almost £10,000 a year more than people without degrees and are more likely to be employed."
It added that they would be working with the new Office for Students to ensure that students have the necessary information to make informed decisions and to ensure that competition works in the interests of all students. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42264434 |
Vaginal mesh ban 'a retrograde step', surgeons say - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Many women benefit from the use of vaginal mesh and they should have a choice, surgeons say. | Health | The mesh is made of a type of plastic and surgeons routinely use it in hernia repairs
Banning vaginal mesh implants would remove an important treatment for some women suffering from a prolapse, says the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Some women benefit from the implants and should have a choice, it said.
The health watchdog NICE is expected to recommend that the implants be banned.
Around 800 women are taking legal action against the NHS and mesh manufacturers, saying they have suffered from painful complications.
When a prolapse occurs, doctors sometimes insert a mesh into the wall of the vagina to act as scaffolding to support organs - such as the uterus, bowel and bladder - which have fallen out of place.
Hundreds of women have reported problems with this plastic mesh, which is made of polypropylene.
Prof Linda Cordozo says banning vaginal mesh is not a good idea
However another smaller device made from the same material, called a tape, which is used to stem the flow of urine from a leaking bladder, has a much lower risk of complications.
Prof Linda Cardozo, a surgeon at King's College Hospital in London, said there was a misconception that all types of mesh were a problem.
She explained that she was not in favour of banning the use of mesh for prolapses.
"I don't think a total ban on anything is a good idea. It stifles the opportunity to offer the minority something that might benefit them," she said.
Draft guidelines from NICE say the implants should only be used for research - and not routine operations.
But Prof Cardozo said that a ban would stop any further research as well.
"If mesh is banned, there will be no more clinical trials," said the professor.
"Banning it is a retrograde step - we will go back to how we were a century ago when we couldn't offer women a range of options."
Prof Cardozo pointed out that artificial hips and knees were not perfect when they were first introduced, but thanks to further research and progress they ended up improving lives.
"We need to be very careful that [mesh] is used in the right women by the right doctors... who have explained the risk-benefit ratio and all other types of treatment," she added.
Some doctors did not have the skills or training to put in vaginal meshes, and the devices have been overused, the professor has argued.
She also said the debate over vaginal mesh was making some women who had had surgery unnecessarily anxious.
"They are panicking because they believe something terrible may be happening inside their body as a result of tape or mesh, but most women are problem-free," said Prof Cardozo.
Kathryn Taylor says her mesh implant has improved her life
Kathryn Taylor was just 35 when she suffered her first prolapse.
She was later diagnosed with a condition that had weakened the muscles around her uterus and bowel.
Last year she had a second vaginal mesh implant to help keep those organs in place.
"Mesh isn't right for everyone, but it's totally changed my life for the better," Kathryn said.
"Without it I wouldn't be able to work and lead a normal life.
"I'd have to have a colostomy bag attached to my leg," she explained.
Stephanie Williams is waiting to have her mesh implant removed after being left in constant pain
However campaigners, like Stephanie Williams, are protesting against all types of vaginal mesh and tape.
They are calling for more research into the types of mesh products used and their longer-term effects. They say women have not been given the full facts about the possible side effects.
In her own case, Stephanie says she didn't realise she was having a vaginal mesh implant and it has left her in constant pain.
"The word mesh was never mentioned," she said.
"I would not have even known what mesh meant at the time and if it was mentioned beforehand we would have looked into it before," she added.
She is now waiting to have her mesh removed.
John Wilkinson, the director of devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: "Patient safety is our highest priority and we recognise some women do develop serious complications which can be very significant for the affected women."
"We also know many women gain benefit from these surgical procedures for what can be extremely debilitating conditions," he added.
Mr Wilkinson encouraged patients and doctors to report any complications linked with the mesh implants through the Yellow Card scheme.
The NHS has always insisted that the vast majority of procedures using mesh are a success and many women have benefitted from surgery.
The health watchdog - the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - is due to make its final recommendations next week.
Companies in the US have already paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to patients. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42280544 |
Fake goods worth millions seized ahead of Christmas - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | The Border Force warns shoppers to be on the look-out for counterfeit products. | null | Ahead of Christmas, fake goods worth millions of pounds have been seized around the UK.
Imitation clothes, toys and gadgets are among thousands of counterfeit items seized by the Border Force.
Officers have targeted airports, ports and postal hubs to detect if imported goods are fake, banned or if the correct duty has been paid.
They are warning shoppers to watch out for counterfeit goods this Christmas. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-42251063 |
Primark removes 'dangerous' Christmas candle from sale - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The move comes after a mother raised concerns about the potential fire hazard on Facebook. | UK | The £5 Christmas candle began to burn an hour after it was first lit
A picture of a Primark candle bursting into flames has gone viral, after a mother-of-three took to Facebook to raise awareness of the potential hazard.
Jenny Ferneyhough purchased the £5 candle - which she said developed into "massive flames" after an hour of burning - in Manchester on Saturday.
The 33-year-old's Facebook post has been shared 145,000 times.
Primark said it is removing the product from sale and investigating the matter.
Mrs Ferneyhough, a Manchester City Council benefits officer, said she lit the candle - in the shape of a Christmas tree - after putting her three children to bed.
She said the flame had spread from the wick to the whole candle within an hour.
Jenny Ferneyhough, left, was with her husband Evan when the candle burst into flames
She said: "Obviously everyone knows not to leave a flame unattended, but if you went to the loo, a couple of seconds later it could have burst into flames.
"If it [develops into] a massive flame when anything else is around it, it could be very dangerous."
Speaking to the BBC, she added that she was especially concerned about people lighting the candle "around neighbouring decorations" during the festive period.
Mrs Ferneyhough sent the pictures to Primark, who replied to say they were "very concerned" about the discovery.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Primark This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
A company spokesperson has since said the product is being removed from sale, while the complaint is investigated "as a matter of urgency".
Mrs Ferneyhough said she was "reassured" by the massive response she had received to her post, less than 24 hours after posting the picture.
She added the main reason for sharing the pictures was to raise awareness of the potential issue with the candle, and to stop people from lighting it unattended.
"My husband went into the Manchester store to take a picture of the packaging, and a mum and her daughter said they'd seen the photo I shared of it in flames," she added.
• None This is how to pronounce Primark | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42269648 |
School attendance and absence: The facts - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Why do pupils not attend school? BBC Stories has been finding out. | Stories | The overall pupil absence rate is 4.5%, according to the latest figures from the Department for Education. One in 10 of those school children are classed as "persistently absent".
A persistently absent child is one who misses school for at least 10% of the time.
Secondary schools had a higher rate of persistent absence than primary schools. And overall, unauthorised absence, whether persistent or not, also increased.
Such statistics are just one of the reasons the BBC Stories team decided to look behind the numbers to make a series of films about why children don't attend school.
Taking to the streets in cities across the country, the team asked children themselves why they skipped classes. They gave a range of reasons including anxiety, depression, bullying and having little interest in the subjects they are taught.
Many said they wanted more support at school and some wished they could go back and "just start all over again".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'School's dead man, it's the same lessons every day'
According to the Department for Education's latest statistics, sickness was the main reason for absence in the autumn 2016 and spring 2017 terms. But illness rates remained the same as the previous year at 2.7%. Unauthorised absences, however, rose, including unauthorised family holidays.
It is important to note that overall school absences in England declined since the same period a decade earlier, as did the percentage of pupils who were persistently absent.
Bath and North East Somerset is one of England's wealthiest local authorities
But what's most surprising is where truancy was at its highest. While high deprivation indicators based on health, crime, education and crucially income are commonly linked to high truancy, a closer look shows this isn't necessarily the case.
Bath and North East Somerset is one of England's wealthiest local authorities, according to deprivation indices, but it had one of the highest levels of truancy in 2015 to 2016.
At the other end of the scale Manchester, a city which ranks highly on deprivation levels, had one of the lowest levels of truancy.
Manchester had one of the lower levels of truancy
If you compare middle income areas, again there are contrasts. Norfolk and Herefordshire are very similar overall when you look at health, crime, education and income but the truancy rate in Norfolk in 2015 to 2016 was much higher than in Herefordshire.
So, how reliable is the data? Pupil absence in England is measured at local authority level and deprivation by district so we can only look at the picture as an average with variation within each area.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland record pupil absence in different ways.
In Wales, overall absence increased in 2016 to 2017 from the previous year - unauthorised absence and persistent absence also increased. However, persistent absenteeism in Wales was less than half of what is was eight years earlier.
In Scotland, attendance rates are recorded only once every two years. In 2014 to 2015, the overall attendance rate improved since the previous report but the unauthorised absence rate also increased.
In Northern Ireland, the overall attendance rate in 2015 to 2016 remained unchanged from the previous year at 94.6%. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42254527 |
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Johnson to urge Iran to free prisoner - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The foreign secretary's trip to Tehran will see him urge the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. | UK | Boris Johnson will urge Iran to free British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from jail when he visits Tehran.
The foreign secretary is expected to travel to Iran in the next few days.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been in prison since April 2016 after being accused of spying. She denies the claim.
Supporters of the 38-year-old from London say that she recently had a health assessment to see if she was fit enough to remain in prison.
Mr Johnson's Tehran trip will see him raising the cases of other dual nationals being held in Iran.
He will also discuss British concerns over Iranian involvement in conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Yemen.
In November Mr Johnson apologised in the Commons after telling a committee of MPs that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Iran.
He retracted "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
Critics complained that the foreign secretary's initial comments could lead to her five-year jail term being increased.
Mr Johnson met her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, in November to discuss calls for her to be provided with diplomatic protection.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been visiting Iran with her daughter Gabriella when she was arrested
Mr Ratcliffe told BBC News his wife was due back in court on Sunday to face possible new charges and it was important Mr Johnson would be in Iran around the same time to "make clear that he thinks Nazanin is innocent and should be home with her family".
He said: "I don't know if I'm expecting him to be able to unlock it all, and she comes out with him, but it can only be a good thing that he is there".
Mr Ratcliffe said he had wanted to accompany Mr Johnson but the Foreign Office felt his presence would be "too political".
When Boris Johnson arrives in Tehran this weekend, the foreign secretary will be required to perform some nifty diplomatic footwork even before he comes to address the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
For relations between Britain and the Islamic Republic of Iran are delicate at the best of times.
It is only six years since a mob stormed and sacked Britain's embassy in Tehran.
And to some in Iran, Britain will always be seen as the "Little Satan", a former imperial power that meddles in their country's affairs at America's bidding.
Both the UK and Iran have now restored diplomatic relations. But good relations are a work in progress.
So this visit, Mr Johnson's first, is designed above all to stabilise what has at times been a difficult relationship, a trip that was planned long before the case of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe became a frontline political issue.
The mother had been visiting Iran with her daughter Gabriella when she was arrested last year.
The child has been living with her maternal grandparents in Iran for the last 20 months.
Mr Ratcliffe has not seen his daughter during his wife's incarceration.
There were concerns about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's health after lumps in her breasts were discovered but those were found to be non-cancerous.
Richard Ratcliffe and Boris Johnson met at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in November
In November Mr Ratcliffe said: "She talks about being on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I absolutely believe that's true.
"I think it's important I don't exaggerate anything in the media and I'm not melodramatic, but she is in a difficult place." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42269649 |
Jail for cleaning fluid attack robbers - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The pair used the ammonia to target "petite women" who would not be able to fight back. | London | Sadik Kamara (left) and Joshua Jordan were part of a gang of five who targeted the women
Two robbers who laughed after spraying women in their faces with cleaning fluid have been jailed for 10 years.
Rapper Sadik Kamara, 24, known as Trizzy Trapz, and Joshua Jordan, 20, both of Newham, east London, used the ammonia to target "petite women" who would not be able to fight back.
Judge John Dodd QC jailed them for the "horrifying, cruel and barbaric" crimes which he said were "gratuitous".
Both women they attacked suffered facial burns but were not disfigured.
Prosecutor Benn Maguire told the Old Bailey how the defendants were among a gang of five who set out to deliberately target "petite women" to rob on 10 March.
"During the robbery and undoubtedly to instil fear in the minds of their victims, the attackers sprayed ammonia into the faces of their victims," he said.
"Any attempt to shout for help has resulted in ammonia being sprayed into the open mouths of the female victims - cowardly in the extreme."
The pair were previously found guilty of using the corrosive fluid with intent to injure or cause grievous bodily harm.
They were also convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.
Jailing Kamara and Jordan for 10 years with four years on extended licence, the judge said: "These are dreadful and shocking offences. You chose to rob women who would have stood no chance against you, a gang of five men.
"Even if you were unarmed, you still chose to take ammonia with you and use it against two slight women."
In one attack in Hackney, shopkeeper Quyen Bei, 51, fought off the raiders.
Four men with faces covered were captured on CCTV as they entered the store wearing hoods and gloves.
The pair were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday
During the attempted robbery, Kamara squirted ammonia in Mrs Bei's face at least three times.
The other robbers, including Jordan, struggled with Mrs Bei, who was punched to the ground and kicked.
She managed to press the panic alarm despite suffering burns to her face. The gang fled empty-handed.
About 10 minutes later, the defendants attacked a random woman in the street, the court heard.
The pair forced Vietnamese Thi Le Nguyen, 49, to the ground and one pinned her face to the pavement while the other repeatedly sprayed her face with the cleaning fluid.
They snatched her handbag and ran back to their getaway car laughing together.
Bottles of household cleaner containing high-strength ammonia were found nearby, clearly marked with warnings it could cause "severe skin burns and blindness".
Following sentencing, Det Con Ben Kahane said: "The level of violence used was completely disproportionate.
"The witness testimony describing how two of the suspects ran off laughing I think sums up the callous enjoyment the gang felt in targeting their victims."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42288311 |
Man saves rabbit from California wildfires - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | Footage captures the moment a motorist stops to rescue a wild animal amid California wildfires. | null | Footage has captured the moment a man stopped his car to rescue a wild rabbit from wildfires in California.
The incident took place on 101 freeway in La Conchita.
More than 150 homes have been destroyed in the Ventura area, near Los Angeles, and 50,000 people evacuated. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42271223 |
Brexit deal gives Theresa May what she needs - for now - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The EU-UK deal leaves a lot of questions unanswered but it goes some way to securing Theresa May's position. | UK Politics | At 04:57 GMT Downing Street officially confirmed the wheels of Theresa May's plane were going up. The plans that had been put in place for a middle of the night dash to Brussels were going ahead.
After many calls to DUP leader Arlene Foster in the early hours, all that was left for the prime minister was to share croissants with Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk and, finally, agree.
Mrs May has achieved what she wanted - the green light to move on.
Had she not, she would have been in deep, deep political trouble.
But the 15 pages of the agreed joint EU-UK report, described as a "personal success" for Mrs May by Donald Tusk, give her what she needs for now.
There are additional guarantees for Northern Ireland and the border, but an undefined statement on "full alignment", if there is no big trade deal.
The implications of what "full alignment" means will be fought over by the two wings of the Conservative Party.
One prominent Remainer this morning was frankly delighted that line was there, believing it is an opportunity to push for continued membership of the customs union for the whole UK.
The DUP, for their part, agreed enough to move ahead. But they are clearly not happy about that particular issue, saying there is still a big debate to be had about what it really means.
The UK has agreed a future role for the European Court of Justice, which Brexiteers may object to.
But No 10 says it is temporary and narrow, and may only affect a handful of cases a year.
And, as expected, there are no specific figures on the Brexit bill, although there are pretty chunky hypothetical commitments.
Throughout the document, however, a lot is left open. This is a political agreement, not a practical one, that answers every single question.
But for Downing Street today, the important thing is that it is done. It is a big first step that goes some way to securing Mrs May's position. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42277936 |
Bitcoin's rollercoaster ride after hitting $17,000 - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Trading in the digital currency remains volatile after hitting a new record high on Friday. | Business | Bitcoin's value has been volatile in recent weeks
Bitcoin continued its rollercoaster ride on Friday, hitting a new high above $17,000 (£12,615) before falling.
The digital currency slid as low as $13,963, according to Coindesk.com, before rallying again to trade at about $15,600 on Friday afternoon.
Bitcoin has soared about 70% this week, with its dramatic rise being likened to a "charging train with no brakes".
As concerns mount, an industry group has warned plans to start Bitcoin futures trading have been "rushed".
Critics have said Bitcoin is going through a bubble similar to the dotcom boom, but others argue it is rising in price because it is crossing into the financial mainstream.
"Bitcoin now seems like a charging train with no brakes," said Shane Chanel, from Sydney-based ASR Wealth Advisers.
Nigel Green, of financial consultancy deVere Group, said he expected Bitcoin to see-saw in coming weeks.
"Today's digital world needs crypto-currencies. One or two of the existing ones will succeed. Whether it's Bitcoin or not remains to be seen," he added.
The surging price of Bitcoin has been helped by the start of trading on the Chicago-based Cboe Futures Exchange on Sunday. The world's largest futures exchange, CME, will begin its Bitcoin offering a week later.
Trading on futures exchanges allows investors to buy and sell contracts for the crypto-currency at a certain point in the future at an agreed price.
Tim McCourt, CME's global head of equity index and alternative investment products, said customers are excited but he is not certain how much interest the futures will attract in the first days of trading.
He said he will consider the launch successful if there is a balance of buyers and sellers, and market movements correspond to the underlying Bitcoin price.
"That's the larger measure of success," he said. "What does the market look like - not necessarily how much does it trade."
The Futures Industry Association, which includes Wall Street's largest banks, brokers and traders, has written to the US regulator over concerns that the contracts were approved "without properly weighing the risks".
"A more thorough and considered process would have allowed for a robust public discussion among clearing member firms, exchanges and clearing houses," the association said.
Edward Tilly, chief executive of Cboe, said he thinks the criticism is unfair.
He said his firm worked extensively with regulators to figure out how this would work. For example, the firm set up rules in the contracts to address concerns that Bitcoin's value has sometimes varied widely, depending on the exchange.
"This is a walk-before-you-run launch," he said. "It is mindful that this is new to the marketplace."
While Goldman Sachs is a member of the futures industry association, it is also one of the banks that will work as an intermediary to help clear Bitcoin futures contracts for some clients.
A spokeswoman for the investment bank said it was evaluating the risks as part of its due diligence process.
Many big investors have been reluctant to pile into the crypto-currency market unless it is regulated.
However, the prospect of a Bitcoin futures market has raised hopes that it will be regarded as sufficiently "regulated".
While Bitcoin has become more mainstream in recent weeks, many observers warn the market could be a bubble waiting to pop.
Mr Green added: "Bitcoin remains a major gamble as it is very much an asset that remains in uncharted waters... an asset that goes almost vertically up should typically raise alarm bells for investors."
Even a crash or a major correction is unlikely to pose risks to the global economy, some analysts say.
While billions of dollars have been invested in Bitcoin, its $268bn total market value is still small compared to other asset classes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42275564 |
What Trump's Jerusalem decision means for peace - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | The BBC's Lyse Doucet explains what the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital means for peace. | null | Tearing up convention, US President Donald Trump has recognised Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel.
The BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet breaks down what the decision means for Middle East peace. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42260141 |
UK snow: Ice could add to travel disruption as temperatures drop - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Significant snowfall is forecast for the weekend, with warnings some communities could be cut off. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Weather warnings are still in place in large parts of the UK, amid concern that icy conditions could cause travel delays and "cut off" some rural areas.
The Met Office said snow showers would continue to affect parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and parts of the Midlands.
A few centimetres of snow is likely but up to 20cm is possible in some areas.
There are yellow "be aware" warnings for parts of the country, with an amber "be prepared" alert in place on Sunday.
The Midlands, Wales, northern and eastern England and the far north of Scotland are most likely to have heavy snow early on Sunday morning.
According to BBC Weather, a 10cm spread of snow will initially mount in the Midlands and eastern England, before gradually becoming lighter and patchier throughout the day and into Sunday evening.
Birmingham Airport have warned passengers travelling on Sunday morning to allow more time for their journey as a result.
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Meanwhile southern parts of England and Wales could face heavy rain and gale force winds of up to 70mph (112km/h), the Met Office said. Icy surfaces are likely to be an "additional hazard", it added.
Highways England have urged drivers to "prepare for every eventuality", recommending they carry warm clothing, food, drink, required medication, boots, a shovel and a torch.
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Temperatures are likely to reach lows of -10C (14F) in some parts of Scotland and Wales, particularly in rural areas.
The heaviest and most frequent snow showers are forecast to affect mainly north east Scotland.
On Sunday "there is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off", the Met Office said.
The Met Office have issued yellow and amber weather warnings for Sunday
Only a small proportion of power cuts affecting homes and businesses across the Midlands, south west England and south Wales are related to the weather, Western Power Distribution said.
All current outages are set to be restored by 23:00 GMT on Saturday, ahead of further possible power cuts on Sunday due to the expected snowfall.
Meanwhile in Scotland, where 18,000 households had been without power, electricity supplies have been restored.
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Highways officials have reported "hazardous" driving conditions and police in Shropshire in the West Midlands advised against driving unless "absolutely necessary".
There are delays to some flights at Manchester Airport and it advises passengers to check with their airline before travelling.
The final day of Lincoln Christmas market has also been cancelled over safety concerns about the expected snowfall.
In the Brecon Beacons, one family made the most of an opportunity for a snowball fight
But it still was not cold enough for trousers in Greater Manchester
Have you experienced any disruption? Please share your experience with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42272554 |
HMS Queen Elizabeth: UK's biggest warship commissioned - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | The Queen described "HMS Queen Elizabeth" as the best of British technology and innovation | null | The biggest and most powerful warship ever built for the Royal Navy has been officially commissioned.
At a ceremony in Portsmouth, the Queen described "HMS Queen Elizabeth" as the best of British technology and innovation.
The ship is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-42267110 |
DUP leader Arlene Foster welcomes Brexit deal - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | DUP leader Arlene Foster says substantive changes to proposed text for a deal with the EU were made. | null | The leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, has said she is "pleased" to see changes which mean there is "no red line down the Irish Sea".
PM Theresa May said there would be no hard border and the Good Friday Agreement would be upheld. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42277066 |
Amber snow warning issued for Sunday - BBC Weather | 2017-12-08 | null | A warning has been issued by the Met Office advising significant snowfall on Sunday | null | Parts of England and Wales fall under an amber 'be prepared' weather warning on Sunday. Significant snowfall is forecast with impacts for travel expected. Louise Lear explains the potential impacts. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/42283123 |
Kevin Spacey 'groped Norwegian king's son-in-law' - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The King of Norway's former son-in-law accuses Spacey of groping him at a Nobel Peace Prize concert. | Entertainment & Arts | Ari Behn was married to Princess Martha Louise from 2002-16
The King of Norway's former son-in-law has accused Kevin Spacey of groping him after a Nobel Peace Prize concert.
Ari Behn told radio station P4 that it happened after the actor had hosted the event in 2007.
"I am a generous person, but this was a bit more than I had in mind," said Behn, who was married to King Harald's daughter Martha Louise until last year.
Spacey has been accused of sexual abuse and harassment by a string of men and has been written out of House of Cards.
A spokesman for Spacey said last month that he was "taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment" in the wake of the allegations.
Kevin Spacey, pictured before the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2007
Recalling the alleged incident, Behn said: "We had a great talk, he sat right beside me.
"After five minutes he said, 'hey, let's go out and have a cigarette'. Then he puts his hand under the table and grabs me by the balls."
Behn said he put Spacey off by telling him: "Er, maybe later."
He added: "My hair was dark at the time, I was 10 years younger and right up his alley."
Last month, the Old Vic theatre in London said it had received 20 personal testimonies of alleged inappropriate behaviour by Spacey while he was artistic director there.
He has faced other allegations too, with the claims leaving his career in ruins.
He has been removed from the sixth season of House of Cards, which will instead focus on his on-screen wife, played by Robin Wright.
Spacey has also been replaced by Christopher Plummer in the new Ridley Scott film All the Money in the World.
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-42284021 |
I should be home-schooled, but I spent 10 months on Xbox - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After Mohammed was excluded for bad behaviour, he was home-schooled - but it didn't work out. | Magazine | Mohammed spends his days playing computer games and looking after his granddad. He's only 14, but he hasn't been to school since December. The idea was to home school him - but things didn't quite work out like that, reports the BBC's Sue Mitchell.
He lives in a spotlessly clean Bradford semi-detached house, with pale wood flooring and deep, comfortable sofas. His mother works part time as a nursery nurse and his father is a taxi driver.
His mum admits she is totally out of her depth.
She says she agreed to try to educate Mohammed herself at the suggestion of his school, after he was excluded for bad behaviour. She wanted to keep him out of the only alternative, a pupil referral unit.
Mohammed wasn't opposed to the idea at first. "I thought it would be good because I wouldn't mix in with bad children," he says.
But it was harder than he expected. "My mum isn't a proper teacher, she just helps nursery kids. She's not a teacher for maths, science and English. I couldn't learn from her."
His dad, who works long hours, tells him that he is squandering his life opportunities. "He says: 'You've just ruined your chances' - that I could have had a good education and done my GCSEs and had a good life, but now I've wasted that," Mohammed says.
Many families say home schooling works well for them. But Mohammed is one of a growing number of children who find themselves falling out of the state education system, according to Richard Watts, the chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People's Board.
He says it's increasingly common to hear of schools "effectively putting a lot of pressure on parents to home educate their kids to get them off their rolls, particularly when exam time comes around".
Mohammed was only 13 when he was excluded from school for setting off fireworks in the corridor with other boys. "We went to a meeting, but they said there's no way of him coming back to the school," says his mum.
Mohammed had already been in trouble with the school authorities for fighting. "At school he thought they ganged up on him and called him names, trying to provoke him. Mohammed is really quiet, but if he hasn't done nothing he'll be upset by it," his mother says.
"When Mohammed first settled into secondary education he was good. I think it's that he finds it hard to settle down and so much depends on his friendship group."
By year nine it became clear that he would no longer have a place in mainstream education. It was either home education or a place at the same pupil referral unit that his older brother had attended. His family didn't want him getting into the same bad crowds as his brother.
So when the school suggested home education as the only alternative, Mohammed's mother readily agreed. "I never knew about the home schooling. I'm not that very educated myself and I'm not good with computers," she says.
The council had suggested a home education website. "We had a few links but because of my home life situation and working I hadn't enough hours. He'd be depressed every morning and I'd put him on the home education website but it wasn't working for him," says Mohammed's mum.
When she tried to get Mohammed out of bed to work, he refused.
Now she doesn't bother trying and he passes his time helping his granddad, who has a serious lung condition and needs round-the-clock care.
For a brief period he attended Raising Explorers, an after-school facility in Bradford that tutored Mohammed for a couple of hours a week.
"It was hard to start over and not mess about and think about what I'm doing and to concentrate," he says.
"When I first went to the after-school club I was new, my background was different and I made mistakes. I got put on report and was doing good, but when people disturb me I just get annoyed and retaliate back," he says. He was excluded for brawling with another boy.
Mohammed says he regrets the bad behaviour that lost him his place in a mainstream school.
"I used to go to school and do stupid things I didn't think it would come to this, I thought I'd just do it a bit and I'd have a chance. I was falling behind at school anyway, but now that I don't have school I won't have any education for my GCSEs. I do think about my future - it's not going to be good."
Out of School, Out of Sight is broadcast at 11:00 on Wednesday 4 October on BBC Radio 4, or listen again on iPlayer
Abdur Rahman, who runs a project working with excluded youngsters, says that like Richard Watts he is coming across an increasing number of cases where parents are persuaded to home educate, yet don't have the capacity to do so.
"These schools don't ask about the ability of parents to teach - that isn't part of the discussion. Schools work like businesses and it isn't about looking out for the child, it's about saying to Mum and Dad that: 'This is what you have to do because your child isn't engaging and it will keep you out of trouble.' It's a strategy that the schools are increasingly using."
The inspection of home education is carried out by local government officials, but it is a voluntary register and although numbers are thought to be growing, there is no real idea of how many families are doing this. It's because so little is known about the extent and quality of home education, that Lord Soley recently introduced a private members bill aimed at bringing in a mandatory registration system.
He says that there are concerns about the quality of education some youngsters are receiving. There is also a cost for schools who take back pupils like Mohammed when home education hasn't worked.
"These pupils who fall behind have disruption to their own education outcomes, but then if they go back into schools they cause problems across the board as they try to catch up. It isn't helping them and it isn't good for the schools when it doesn't work," he says.
Bradford Council is currently discussing school options with Mohammed and his family. A spokesman says the details of individual cases cannot be discussed, but any parent has the right to choose to home educate their child at any stage of their formal education.
"Local authorities can give advice but have no role in deciding whether this should happen," the spokesman continues.
"When the local authority becomes aware of an electively home-educated child, we offer a home visit or to meet at another venue. The local authority has no statutory duty to monitor the quality of home education on a routine basis. However, we always work to keep contact with parents to ensure our information about the child is kept up to date.
"All parents of electively home-educated children can contact our home education team at any time and parents can apply to the local authority for a school place at any point. The local authority will always look to work with the district's schools to find a solution which works for the child and their parents."
Mohammed's mum is currently trying to get her son back into school.
"I want him to do his GCSEs and go further, to study and move on to what he wants to do - instead of just finishing with no qualifications in a cruel world. I want him to try hard and I've told him, but there's nothing else I can do. Mohammed says he'll do anything to go back to school and to study," she says.
Mohammed agrees. He says he desperately wants to be back in the classroom.
"When I used to go to school I used to be around other children and I was happy. Now I'm by myself and it's just boring alone, I don't like it."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41476718 |
Vaccination plea after Halesworth boy's meningitis death - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | The parents of a boy, six, who died from meningitis B have called on all children to be vaccinated. | null | The parents of a six-year-old boy who died from meningitis B have called for a wider vaccination programme. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-42281678 |
Ballon d'Or 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to win fifth award - BBC Sport | 2017-12-08 | null | Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo joins Lionel Messi on five Ballon d'Or awards by winning the 2017 title. | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or award for the fifth time - and the second year in a row.
Victory took the 32-year-old Portugal international level with 30-year-old Argentine Messi, who won the most recent of his five awards in 2015.
Messi's ex-Barcelona team-mate Neymar, now at Paris St-Germain, was third.
Last season, Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and their first La Liga title since 2012.
Ronaldo added the 2017 Ballon d'Or to those he won in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016, and Messi is the only other recipient of the award since 2009.
"This is something I look forward to every year," he said, after receiving the award on the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
"Thanks to my Real Madrid team-mates. And I want to thank the rest of the people who helped me reach this level."
The 2016-17 campaign was a stellar season for the former Manchester United player.
After helping Portugal win Euro 2016, he scored 42 goals for Real in all competitions as they won their 33rd La Liga title and 12th European Cup.
He scored twice in a 4-1 Champions League final win over Juventus and netted 25 times in 29 league games as Los Blancos finished three points ahead of Barcelona.
• None Quiz: How well do you really know Messi and Ronaldo?
What is the Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or is voted for by 173 journalists from around the world.
It has been awarded by France Football every year since 1956, but for six years it became the Fifa Ballon d'Or in association with world football's governing body and was awarded to the world's best player.
However, Fifa ended its association with the award in September 2016.
At Fifa's awards in October, Ronaldo was named the world's best male player and also named in the Fifpro World XI.
How did Premier League players do?
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante was the highest-placed Premier League player, finishing eighth. The France international won his second successive top-flight title last season and was named both the PFA and Football Writers' player of the year.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane, the only Englishman on the shortlist, finished 10th, Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was 14th and Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard was 19th.
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was 23rd while team-mate and playmaker Philippe Coutinho was 29th. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42269979 |
Lord's Prayer: Pope Francis calls for change - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The head of the Catholic Church calls for a better translation of a phrase about temptation. | Europe | The Pope is suggesting changes to Christianity's best-known prayer
Pope Francis has called for a translation of a phrase about temptation in the Lord's Prayer to be changed.
The current wording that says "lead us not into temptation" is not a good translation because God does not lead humans to sin, he says.
His suggestion is to use "do not let us fall into temptation" instead, he told Italian TV on Wednesday night.
The Lord's Prayer is the best-known prayer in Christianity.
The pontiff said France's Roman Catholic Church was now using the new wording "do not let us fall into temptation" as an alternative, and something similar should be used worldwide.
"Do not let me fall into temptation because it is I who fall, it is not God who throws me into temptation and then sees how I fell," he told TV2000, an Italian Catholic TV channel.
"A father does not do that, a father helps you to get up immediately."
It is a translation from the Latin Vulgate, a 4th-Century Latin translation of the Bible, which itself was translated from ancient Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.
Since the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has not shied away from controversy and has tackled some issues head-on, Vatican observers say.
He has previously said the Roman Catholic Church should apologise to gay people for the way it has treated them.
He has also compared European migrant detention centres with concentration camps. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42279427 |
'Sufficient progress' will see Brexit trade talks begin - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | null | EU Commission says Brexit discussions can move on to the next phase, as "sufficient progress" has occurred. | null | The European Commission has said "sufficient progress" has been made in the first phase of Brexit talks to allow discussions to move on to Britain's future relationship with the EU.
President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was confident the leaders of the other 27 EU members, who will meet next week, would allow the talks to progress. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42276954 |
Stormzy is BBC Music's artist of the year - BBC News | 2017-12-08 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The grime artist caps a huge year by taking home the main prize at the 2017 BBC Music Awards. | Entertainment & Arts | Stormzy made the transition from underground success to household name in 2017
Stormzy has been named artist of the year at the 2017 BBC Music Awards, capping a hugely successful year.
The south London MC, whose debut album Gang Signs & Prayer was the first grime record to reach number one, beat Ed Sheeran and Lorde to the prize.
He adds it to a collection that already includes three Mobos and the Q Award for best solo artist.
Rag N Bone Man collected album of the year, while Foo Fighters won best live performance for their Glastonbury set.
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The US band headlined the festival this June, two years after they were forced to pull out when frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg.
Taking to the stage this summer, Grohl blamed the delay on "bad traffic", before launching into a blistering, hit-filled set.
Their performance eventually overran by 20 minutes because the crowd kept singing between songs.
"It really did just turn into this one big ball of love and energy and celebration and music," Grohl said as he collected the BBC Music Award.
"That's what you want every show to be, but when it's on that scale it's a big feeling."
This year's BBC Music Award winners pose with their trophies
Rag N Bone Man's prize came in recognition of his debut album Human, which is the year's biggest-selling debut.
"That's a proper good award," he said. "I keep thinking at one point that someone is going to fishhook me off and tell me it's a joke, but it's not, and it's a wonderful thing to have."
In previous years, the BBC Music Awards have been handed out at a glitzy televised arena concert, with performances from the likes of One Direction, Little Mix and Robbie Williams.
However, after disappointing ratings (2016's show was watched by 2.7 million people) this year's awards were handed out during a a one-hour BBC Two special titled The Year In Music 2017.
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Hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Clara Amfo, it looked at some of the year's biggest music stories, from the One Love concert in Manchester to Black Sabbath's last ever gig.
Stormzy, who self-released his debut album in February, has been one of the year's biggest breakout stars.
The rapper also contributed a heartbreaking verse to the Artists for Grenfell single, and collaborated with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Krept & Konan and Little Mix.
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"When I done the song with Little Mix, some people thought that questioned my integrity," he told the BBC Two show. "I was like, 'bro, I rate Little Mix more than I rate some of your favourite rappers.'"
On receiving his artist of the year prize, the star, whose real name is Michael Omari, said: "I'm actually blessed to be able to say that I'm an artist that's managed to be regarded as someone that's worthy of this award.
"I don't know what the future holds for me but I'm definitely ready for it."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Declan McKenna talks to BBC Breakfast about his award
One final award, for BBC Introducing artist of the year, went to rising star Declan McKenna, whose effervescent indie-pop songs address weighty topics like police brutality, transgender conversion therapy and corruption at Fifa.
The star, who first got played on radio after uploading songs to the BBC Introducing website as a 15-year-old, thanked the organisation "for relentlessly rooting for me throughout the years".
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-42282182 |
Making a Murderer: Court upholds Brendan Dassey conviction - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The case of Brendan Dassey and his uncle became the subject of a Netflix documentary. | US & Canada | A court has ruled that Brendan Dassey's murder confession was voluntary
A US appeals court has upheld the conviction of Brendan Dassey, whose case was the focus of the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer.
Dassey and his uncle Steven Avery were convicted of murdering a young woman, Teresa Halbach, in 2005.
Last year, Dassey's conviction was overturned on the basis that his confession was coerced.
But the state asked for a review and, on Friday, judges voted 4-3 that Dassey's confession was voluntary.
The split decision from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Chicago, is a big blow for the 27-year-old's hopes of being freed.
One of the judges, who voted that Dassey's confession was not voluntary, told the Chicago-Sun Times: "His confession was not voluntary and his conviction should not stand. I view this as a profound miscarriage of justice."
His confession, made when he was 16, was a key factor in his conviction. He admitted helping his uncle Avery - who had already served 18 years for a crime he did not commit - rape, kill and mutilate Ms Halbach.
Dassey said he and his uncle Steven Avery (pictured) killed a photographer in 2005
He was sentenced to life in prison, but the documentary filmmakers cast doubt on the legal process used to convict him.
In 2016, Judge William Duffin ordered he be freed immediately after finding that investigators in the 2007 trial made "repeated false promises" to Dassey by assuring him "he had nothing to worry about".
When considered with "Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult", he considered the confession coerced.
But the decision in Chicago on Friday has overturned Judge Duffin's ruling. Dassey will now remain in prison pending any further appeals.
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His case received wide attention after the release of the 10-part documentary Making a Murderer in December 2015.
It investigated the killing of Ms Halbach, whose charred remains were found at Avery's car salvage yard a week after she went there to photograph a minivan for sale, and the subsequent court cases. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42291231 |
Grammar schools 'contrary to common good' - Archbishop of Canterbury - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Justin Welby calls on the government to have an inclusive approach to the future of education. | UK | Justin Welby says governments should not look to the past to improve education
The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised grammar schools as "contrary to the notion of the common good".
Speaking in the House of Lords, the Most Rev Justin Welby called for education to focus on "drawing the best out of every person", rather than a selective approach.
He said governments should not look to the past and "waste our time rummaging there for the solutions of tomorrow."
The archbishop led a debate on education, saying the country was now in a "fourth digital revolution" and schools had one of the "greatest challenges" in tackling the "seismic shift" when it comes to preparing children for the future.
However, he said "children of privilege continue to inherit privilege" and the system was not acting in a way to help everyone.
"The academic selective approach to education, one which prioritises separation as a necessary precondition for the nurture of excellence, makes a statement about the purpose of education that is contrary to the notion of the common good," the archbishop said.
"An approach that neglects those of lesser ability or because of a misguided notion of levelling out does not give the fullest opportunity to those of highest ability or does not enable all to develop a sense of community and mutuality."
His comments have been denounced by some MPs who back the schools.
Conservative Andrew Bridgen told the Daily Mail: "[Mr Welby] is obviously entitled to his own views, but the evidence is that grammar schools are a great way for under-privileged children to escape poverty.
"It is well known that they provide social mobility for the under-privileged."
Fellow Conservative MP Conor Burns also told the newspaper: "Many grammar school provide invaluable opportunities for children from both poor and rich backgrounds, and give them the opportunities they may not otherwise have."
In 2016, Theresa May outlined plans to introduce a "new generation" of grammar schools by 2020, removing the ban introduced by Labour in 1997.
However, after the general election in June - and without a majority in Parliament - the government scrapped the plans, saying instead they would "look at all options" for opening new schools, without removing the ban.
• None Grammar schools: What are they? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42290824 |
Who are the dual nationals jailed in Iran? - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An unknown number are in prison, with some serving long sentences and others sentenced to death. | Middle East | The plight of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained for almost six years in Iran on spying charges, focused attention on Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency being held in the Islamic Republic's prisons.
Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the number of such detainees given the sensitive nature of the information. Some of the most prominent are:
Morad Tahbaz and fellow conservationists were using cameras to track endangered species when they were arrested
The 67-year-old businessman and wildlife conservationist, who also holds American and British citizenship, was arrested during a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018. His Canadian-Iranian colleague, Kavous Seyed-Emami, died in custody a few weeks later in unexplained circumstances.
The authorities accused Tahbaz and seven other conservationists of collecting classified information about Iran's strategic areas under the pretext of carrying out environmental and scientific projects.
The conservationists - members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation - had been using cameras to track endangered species including the Asiatic cheetah and Persian leopard, according to Amnesty International.
UN human rights experts said it was "hard to fathom how working to preserve the Iranian flora and fauna can possibly be linked to conducting espionage against Iranian interests", while a government committee concluded that there was no evidence to suggest they were spies.
But in October 2018, Tahbaz and three of his fellow conservationists were charged with "corruption on earth", which carries the death penalty. The charge was later changed to "co-operating with the hostile state of the US". Three others were charged with espionage, and a fourth was accused of acting against national security.
All eight denied the charges and Amnesty International said there was evidence that they had been subjected to torture in order to extract forced "confessions".
In November 2019, they were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 10 years and ordered to return allegedly "illicit income".
Human Rights Watch denounced what it said was an unfair trial, during which the defendants were apparently unable to see the full dossier of evidence against them.
The Court of Appeals reportedly upheld Tahbaz's convictions in February 2020.
UN human rights experts warned in January 2021 that Tahbaz's health had continuously deteriorated during his imprisonment and that he had been denied access to proper treatment.
In March 2022, then-UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Tahbaz had been released from Evin prison on furlough.
The announcement came on the same day that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow British national Anoosheh Ashoori were released by Iran and allowed to return to the UK.
However, Tahbaz was returned to Evin just two days later. The UK Foreign Office said the Iranians had told them it was so that he could be fitted with an electronic ankle tag.
He was not allowed to resume his furlough and subsequently went on hunger strike for nine days to protest against his continued detention.
His daughter Roxanne said in April 2022 that he had "made it very clear that he feels abandoned" by the UK government.
The Foreign Office said Iran "committed to releasing Morad from prison on an indefinite furlough", but had "failed to honour that commitment".
In August 2023, Tahbaz was taken out of Evin and moved to house arrest along with three other Americans - including Siamak Namazi and Emad Shargi - after the US and Iran agreed a prisoner exchange.
In return for allowing them and a fifth American already under home confinement to leave, the US will reportedly release five Iranians jailed there and allow Iran to access $6bn (£4.7bn) of assets frozen in South Korea.
Siamak Namazi was arrested in 2015 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges
Siamak Namazi, 51, worked as head of strategic planning at Dubai-based Crescent Petroleum.
He was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in October 2015, while his father Baquer, 86, was arrested in February 2016 after Iranian officials granted him permission to visit his son in prison.
That October, they were both sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Revolutionary Court for "co-operating with a foreign enemy state". An appeals court upheld their sentence in August 2017.
Their lawyer said they denied the charges against them. He also complained that they had been held in solitary confinement and denied access to legal representation, and had suffered health problems. Siamak is also alleged to have been tortured.
Baquer was released to house arrest on medical grounds in 2018, but his health continued to deteriorate. His sentence was commuted to time served in early 2020, but he was only allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment in October 2022.
In January 2023, Siamak went on a week-long hunger strike to protest against the failure of the US to free him and other dual nationals despite President Joe Biden's promise to make bringing them home a top priority.
Seven months later, Siamak was again released to house arrest in anticipation of a prisoner exchange agreed by the US and Iran.
His brother, Babak, said in response: "While this is a positive change, we will not rest until Siamak and others are back home; we continue to count the days until this can happen."
The Iranian-American businessman and his wife moved to Iran from the US in 2017.
Shargi, who is 58, was initially detained by the Revolutionary Guards in April 2018, when he was working in sales for Sarava, an Iranian venture capital fund. He was released on bail that December, when officials told him that a court had cleared him of spying charges that he had denied. However, authorities refused to return his passport.
In November 2020, Shargi was summoned by a Revolutionary Court and told that he had been convicted of espionage in absentia and sentenced to 10 years in prison, his family said. He was not imprisoned immediately and was released on bail ahead of an appeal.
In January 2021, Iran's judiciary spokesman said an unnamed "defendant" facing spying charges had been arrested as he attempted to leave the country while on bail. It came a week after a state-backed news agency reported that Shargi had been detained while trying to cross Iran's western border illegally.
His daughters wrote in the Washington Post in April 2021 that he was "trapped in terrible conditions" in prison and that he had only been allowed a couple of short, monitored phone calls.
In August 2023, Shargi was released to house arrest in anticipation of a prisoner exchange between the US and Iran.
His sister, Neda, said in a statement: "My family has faith in the work that President Biden and government officials have undertaken to bring our families home and hope to receive that news soon."
Ahmadreza Djalali was sentenced to death in October 2017
The 51-year-old specialist in emergency medicine was arrested in April 2016 while on a business trip from Sweden.
Amnesty International said Djalali was held at Evin prison by intelligence ministry officials for seven months, three of them in solitary confinement, before he was given access to a lawyer.
He alleged that he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during that period, including threats to kill or otherwise harm his children, who live in Sweden, and his mother, who lives in Iran.
In October 2017, a Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted Djalali of "spreading corruption on Earth" and sentenced him to death. His lawyers said the court relied primarily on evidence obtained under duress and alleged that he was prosecuted solely because of his refusal to use his academic ties in European institutions to spy for Iran.
Two months later, Iranian state television also aired what it said was footage of Djalali confessing that he had spied on Iran's nuclear programme for Israel. It suggested he was responsible for identifying two Iranian nuclear scientists who were killed in bomb attacks in 2010.
In February 2018, Sweden confirmed that it had given Djalali citizenship and demanded that his death sentence not be carried out. He had previously been a permanent resident.
In November 2021, Djalali's wife, Vida Mehran-Nia, said he had been informed by prison authorities that he faced imminent execution. He spent five months in solitary confinement, awaiting execution, until April 2021, when he reportedly was moved to a multi-occupancy cell.
Just over a year later, an Iranian judiciary spokesman said Djalali's death sentence was "final" and was "on the agenda" of authorities.
He also insisted that the case was not linked to the war crimes trial in Sweden of former Iranian judiciary official Hamid Nouri, who was sentenced to life in prison over what prosecutors said was his leading role in the mass executions of Iranian opposition supporters in 1988.
Djalali's wife and human rights groups have said Djalali is a "hostage" who Iran is threatening to execute in an attempt to negotiate a swap for Mr Nouri.
Nahid Taghavi was an advocate for women's rights in Iran
The 68-year-old retired architect, who is a German-Iranian dual national, was arrested at her apartment in Tehran in October 2020 and accused of "endangering security".
She was placed in solitary confinement at Evin prison and not given access to lawyers, German diplomats or members of her family, according to her daughter Mariam Claren.
Taghavi was repeatedly subjected to coercive questioning without the presence of lawyers, according to Amnesty International. Interrogators reportedly asked her about meeting people to discuss women's and labour rights, and possessing literature about those issues.
In August 2021, she was convicted by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran of "forming a group composed of more than two people with the purpose of disrupting national security" and "spreading propaganda against the system". She was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison.
Taghavi had denied the charges, the first of which was apparently related to a social media account about women's rights, and Amnesty said the trial was "grossly unfair".
Ms Claren wrote on Twitter that her mother "did not commit any crime. Unless freedom of speech, freedom of thought are illegal".
She has said her mother has been denied adequate healthcare by prison and prosecution authorities, despite doctors saying in September 2021 that she needed surgery on her spinal column.
In July 2022, Taghavi was granted urgent medical leave from prison for treatment for back and neck problems. She was sent back to Evin four months later.
A fellow inmate in the prison warned in June 2023 that Taghavi's life was "in danger" following a further 220 days in solitary confinement.
"The pain is so severe that it can be clearly seen on her face. She can barely get out of her bed," a message posted on human rights activist Narges Mohammadi's Instagram account said.
The 64-year-old researcher at Sciences-Po university in Paris is a specialist in social anthropology and the political anthropology of post-revolutionary Iran, and has written a number of books.
At the time of her arrest in Tehran in June 2019, she was examining the movement of Shia clerics between Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, and had spent time in the holy city of Qom.
Adelkhah was accused of espionage and other security-related offences.
She protested her innocence and after going on hunger strike, she was admitted to hospital for treatment for severe kidney damage.
Prosecutors dropped the espionage charge before her trial began at the Revolutionary Court in April 2020. The following month, the court sentenced Adelkhah to five years in prison for conspiring against national security and an additional year for propaganda against the establishment.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned the sentence and demanded her release.
In October 2020, due to what Sciences-Po called her "health circumstances", Adelkhah was released on bail and allowed to return to her home in Tehran.
However, Iran's judiciary announced in January 2022 that it had returned Adelkhah to prison, accusing her of "knowingly violating the limits of house arrest dozens of times". French President Emmanuel Macron called the decision "entirely arbitrary".
In February 2023, Adelkhah Adelkhah was released from Evin prison after three and a half years in detention.
However, Iranian authorities refused to return her identity papers, making it impossible for her to leave the country or resume her work as a researcher.
Jamshid Sharmahd with his wife (L) and daughter, Gazelle
Sharmahd, 68, who lived in the US, arrived in the United Arab Emirates in July 2020 and was awaiting a connecting flight to India when he disappeared. It is believed that he was kidnapped by Iranian agents in Dubai and then forcibly taken to Iran via Oman.
The following month, Iran's intelligence ministry announced that it had arrested Sharmahd following a "complex operation", without providing any details. It also published a video in which he appeared blindfolded and confessed to various crimes.
In February 2023, Iran's judiciary said Sharmahd had been sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran after being found guilty of "spreading corruption on Earth through planning and leading terror operations".
It alleged that he was the leader of a terrorist group known as Tondar and that he had "planned 23 terror attacks", of which "five were successful", including the 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz in that killed 14 people.
Tondar - which means "thunder" in Persian - is another name of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran (KAI), a little-known US-based opposition group that seeks to restore the monarchy overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to Amnesty International, Sharmahd created a website to publish statements from the KAI, including claims of explosions inside Iran.
He also read out statements in radio and video broadcasts.
However, he denied his involvement in the attacks, saying he was only a spokesman, and rejected all accusations during his trial.
Amnesty said Sharmahd told his family that he had been tortured and subjected to other ill-treatment in detention, including by being held in prolonged solitary confinement.
He also told them that he had been denied adequate healthcare, with access to medications required for his Parkinson's disease delayed routinely.
In July, Sharmahd's daughter Gazelle told the BBC that he could be executed at any time.
"They're killing him softly in solitary confinement in this death cell. But even if he survives that, they're killing him by hanging him from a crane in public," she said.
The accountant was an adviser to the governor of Iran's central bank and was a member of the Iranian negotiating team for the country's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, in charge of financial issues.
He was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in August 2016 just before he was due to board a flight to Canada, and was accused of "selling the country's economic details to foreigners".
In May 2017, a Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted Dorri Esfahani of espionage charges, including "collaborating with the British secret service", and sentenced him to five years in prison.
That October an appeals court upheld Dorri Esfahani's sentence, despite then-Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi insisting that he was innocent.
Dorri Esfahani was due to complete his sentence in 2022, but there were no reports of his release.
Dalili is a retired Iranian merchant navy captain who is a US permanent resident.
He has been detained in Iran since April 2016, when he visited Tehran to attend his father's funeral. He was later convicted of "collaborating with a hostile state" and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In August 2023, his son, Darian, said he was not part of the prisoner exchange deal between the US and Iran.
"He feels betrayed. He is demoralized. He believes that the US would bring back anyone that they want to bring back," Darian told Reuters news agency.
A US state department spokesman declined to tell reporters why Dalili was not included, but did reveal he had not yet been declared "wrongfully detained" - a designation that would mean the department dedicated more resources to their case and assigned it to a presidential envoy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41974185 |
Boris Johnson under pressure over jailed mum in Iran case - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | When the foreign secretary arrives in Iran, some nifty diplomatic footwork will be required. | UK Politics | Boris Johnson's visit to Iran will be his first as foreign secretary
When Boris Johnson arrives in Tehran this weekend, the foreign secretary will be required to perform some nifty diplomatic footwork even before he comes to address the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
For relations between Britain and the Islamic Republic of Iran are delicate at the best of times.
It is only six years since a mob stormed and sacked Britain's embassy in Tehran.
And to some in Iran, Britain will always be seen as the "Little Satan", a former imperial power that meddles in their country's affairs at America's bidding.
Both the UK and Iran have now restored diplomatic relations. But good relations are a work in progress.
So this visit, Mr Johnson's first, is designed above all to stabilise what has at times been a difficult relationship, a trip that was planned long before the case of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe became a frontline political issue.
And when Mr Johnson sits down for a lengthy session with his counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif, on Saturday, there will be much else to discuss.
They will talk about the Iran nuclear deal.
Tehran believes it has not reaped the economic benefits it expected from the agreement it struck to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Britain wants to encourage Iran to stick with the agreement despite Donald Trump's decision not to certify the deal.
They will talk about Yemen where Iran is backing the rebel Houthi forces.
The foreign secretary will want to urge Tehran not to supply missiles that the Houthis have targeted at Saudi Arabia's airport.
Tehran will want to see what kind of political process, if at all, is being contemplated by the Saudi-led coalition.
They will also want to talk about Iran's behaviour in the Middle East that Britain sees as destabilising.
Tehran will want to discuss how the West is planning to help rebuild Syria now that so-called Islamic State has been largely routed out.
So it is within the context of these debates that both sides will discuss the fate of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British Iranian mother who was arrested in 2016 and jailed for five years for vague charges of plotting against the Iranian state - charges she categorically denies.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Iran in 2016
The difficulty that Mr Johnson has is one of expectations.
Ever since the foreign secretary mistakenly told MPs that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran when in fact her family have always insisted she was on holiday, Mr Johnson has been under pressure to compensate for his error.
His erroneous remarks were used by the Iranian regime to justify fresh charges against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
So Mr Johnson is now under huge pressure from campaigners and her husband Richard Ratcliffe to bring her home.
Yet Mr Johnson will not be travelling with Mr Ratcliffe, as some had hoped might be possible.
The Foreign Office says it wants to secure a permanent family reunion, not a temporary one.
And Mr Johnson is also not expected to visit Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe in prison, something else that was asked of him.
If the British ambassador has been refused access, why might the Iranians grant it to a visiting foreign secretary?
The problem is that there might actually be only so much that Mr Johnson can do.
He can talk to Mr Zarif until he is blue in the face.
But there are others within Iran - such as the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the ultra-conservative judiciary - who perhaps will have a greater say over her fate.
The Iranians know how much the British want to get Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe home.
Being told that again directly by Mr Johnson may not change matters significantly.
Some in the UK want Mr Johnson to pay off a long standing debt owed to the Iranians in an attempt to curry favour with Tehran.
The UK owes Iran about £400m for some Chieftain tanks it promised the former Shah of Iran but never delivered after the 1979 revolution.
The problem is that this debt has nothing to do with the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case.
The UK has agreed to pay the money but can't until a legal way is found to get round the sanctions that currently make repayment impossible.
There is also the strategic reluctance to allow any linkage between the two issues.
Iran could pocket the money and quite legitimately refuse to release Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe because this is a debt, not a quid pro quo.
The UK is also arguing strongly that she should be released on humanitarian grounds and is reluctant for her to be caught up in some grand bargain with Tehran.
Richard Ratcliffe has been campaigning for his wife's release
Britain does have some cards in its favour.
It has come out strongly in favour of keeping the Iran nuclear deal, backing Tehran over Washington.
The UK has also spoken out strongly against President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The problem is that this is, above all, a consular case.
That means Britain can make an argument but ultimately it is Iran that will decide.
Tehran does not recognise the concept of dual nationality so in its eyes Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is Iranian.
And her future is thus seen as a matter for the sovereign state of Iran.
In truth, though, this is not just any other consular case.
Mr Ratcliffe believes his wife is a pawn in a much larger diplomatic game, a bargaining chip whose life is being cruelly manipulated by some parts of the Iranian government to secure their political objectives.
There are occasional moments of hope.
In recent weeks a spokesman for Iran's judiciary has said that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe could be freed if she qualified for conditional release.
An Iranian health commissioner has conducted an assessment of her mental and physical well-being after she suffered from insomnia, depression and panic attacks.
Mr Ratcliffe says that Mr Johnson being in Iran "can only make things better".
But right now all his wife can look forward to is her next court appearance, which is scheduled for Sunday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42275855 |
So, did 'soft Brexit' just win? - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The government and the EU might be claiming success today – but as Donald Tusk said, the tough stuff starts now. | Business | The agreement commits both sides to an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic
"The test of a first-rate intelligence," F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Crack-Up, "is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
Today the British government and the European Union are making a fist of passing that test.
Reading the joint report between the UK and the EU, it is clear that the most important section when considering the economics of Brexit is the section on Ireland.
The document commits both sides to an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and that there will be "no new regulatory barriers" between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
It also commits to the UK leaving the EU's single market and customs union.
These two positions appear to be in contradiction.
If Britain does become a "third country" - that is trading with the EU as other non-EU countries outside the single market and the customs union do - then border controls will be necessary.
And that open border will become very much more closed.
There is at least a partial way around this conundrum.
And it necessitates the comprehensive free trade deal the British government has said it wants.
And at least closely mirroring customs arrangements we presently adhere to as members of the EU's customs union.
That equates for many with a "soft Brexit" and is the trajectory many economists argue would be best for the UK economy.
This is because, if there is no free trade agreement, it is difficult to see how Theresa May's government could maintain "full alignment with the rules of the internal market and the customs union which support north-south co-operation [on the island of Ireland]" which the joint report commits the PM to.
And still say that Britain has left the EU.
This document has been described as the "withdrawal deal".
But it is actually far more importantly a signal of what the future might hold.
And that appears to be a relationship where the UK closely follows the EU's single market and customs union rules despite not being a formal member of either.
Which might very well constrain Britain's ability to sign free trade deals with other countries outside the EU.
The government will have to find a way through that if it is not to make Liam Fox's job as international trade secretary redundant.
And in its deliberate ambiguity (every side needs to be able to claim victory) today's joint agreement leaves that debate for another day.
The EU has said it wants to move urgently onto discussing and agreeing transition arrangements to be applied once Britain has officially left the union in March 2019.
That now looks like being Phase II of this process.
And from there, onto mapping out an agreement on free trade which will be put in place after the transition period has expired.
That has been seen as good news by businesses which need clarity on the trade rules they will be required to play by.
And the more "frictionless" that trade is, many believe, the better for the economy.
What today's deal has revealed is that there is a genuine desire - it appears from both sides - to get that free trade deal nailed down.
"One should be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise," Fitzgerald wrote.
Today, the UK and the EU have moved the process of Brexit significantly forward.
Even if the end point is still shrouded in much uncertainty. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42281217 |
Man stripped in 50-hour kidnap ordeal in Thornton Heath - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Police are trying to track down the gang of men responsible for the "vicious and prolonged attack". | London | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV of two men wanted in connection with the kidnap and burglary
A man was stripped naked, beaten and tied up in a kidnapping ordeal that lasted 50 hours.
The 24-year-old victim was lured to a house in Thornton Heath, Croydon by two acquaintances, where he was set upon by an armed gang.
His keys were taken by the gang who burgled his parents' home.
As well as the man's £9,000 Rolex watch, a significant amount of cash was taken from the property in Sydenham, south-east London, police said.
The captors had previously forced the man to ring his parents and make a ransom demand for his release, which they could not pay.
On Wednesday, which was the third evening of the hostage ordeal, the victim was taken by car to a Metro bank cash machine in North End, Croydon, so he could withdraw money.
His tormentors waited in the vehicle, apparently out of fear of being captured on CCTV, giving the man an opportunity to escape.
Det Sgt Samuel Bennett, of the Croydon Criminal Investigation Department, said: "This was a vicious and prolonged attack of a nature that thankfully is very rare.
"It has left the victim utterly distraught and traumatised."
The entry of two suspects into the home of the victim's parents was captured on CCTV. The footage has now been released by police in a bid to identify them.
Detectives have also named two other men they want to speak to in connection with the man's ordeal - two brothers, Ali Dervish, 28, and 19-year-old Sinan Dervish.
Ali Dervish is among the suspects wanted in connection with the kidnap and burglary
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42293276 |
California wildfires: Businesses face ruin as blaze rages - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The fire, which has forced thousands from their homes, has damaged swathes of avocado farmland. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The wildfires have devastated parts of southern California
Much of California's avocado crop has been destroyed by wildfires that have ripped through the southern part of the state, industry experts say.
"We've lost at least several hundred acres of avocados, probably more," the California Avocado Commission told agriculture news site AgNet West.
About 90% of US avocados are grown in California, and the industry is worth millions to the economy.
About 5,700 firefighters have been battling the fires, officials say.
One death has been confirmed - that of a 70-year-old woman found in her car on Wednesday. Three firefighters have been injured and about 500 buildings destroyed.
There are now fears the fires will have serious implications for California's vast agricultural industry.
Last season's avocado harvest produced a crop worth more than $400m (£300m), according to the California Avocado Commission. Much of this was grown on family-owned farms in the south of the state.
A firefighter tackles a blaze at an avocado orchard near Ojai, California
Ventura County, which is California's largest growing region for avocados, has seen the worst of the fires with 180 square miles (466 sq km) consumed, according to officials.
John Krist, chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, told Reuters news agency: "A lot of that fruit everybody was looking forward to harvesting next year is lying on the ground."
Food safety regulations mean the crop cannot be sold once it falls from the tree.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drivers filmed the flames from their cars near Bel Air
The fires mean the upcoming harvest, which usually takes place in February or March, is likely to be smaller than usual. However experts say it too soon to assess the full extent of the damage.
Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency, which will free up funding to "help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population".
Nearly 200,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters battle the wildfires on several fronts.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Diego on Thursday after a new blaze spread from 10 acres to 4,100 acres in just a few hours.
Authorities have issued a purple alert - the highest level warning - amid what they have called "extremely critical fire weather".
The powerful desert-heated Santa Ana winds have been fanning the flames. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42289831 |
Uber settles defamation lawsuit filed by Indian rape victim - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A woman raped by a driver in Delhi says executives got her medical records after doubting her story. | US & Canada | Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was sentenced to life in prison over the rape
Uber has agreed to settle a US civil lawsuit with a woman who accused its executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after she was raped by a driver in India.
The lawsuit, which follows on from a crime committed in 2014, cited media reports where officials at the firm were said to have doubted her account.
The Indian woman was living in the US when she filed the lawsuit.
The Uber driver was sentenced to life in prison for the rape in 2015.
In December 2014, the 26-year-old Delhi woman, who later moved to Texas, filed a case anonymously in which she said she had been kidnapped and raped by Shiv Kumar Yadav.
She had used the Uber smartphone app to book a taxi home but said she had been taken by Yadav to a secluded area and raped.
Yadav was sentenced to life in prison following a criminal case in India. As well as the court case, the woman sued Uber and settled out of court.
However, she filed a new suit in the US after reports emerged that Uber had investigated the complaint, obtained her medical records and speculated that she made up the claims to hurt the firm's business.
She alleged in the lawsuit that Uber had violated her privacy and defamed her character.
The lawsuit, which was settled in San Francisco where Uber has its headquarters, also said the company had kept a copy of the woman's medical records.
Several media reports cited in the lawsuit said that senior staff at the ride-hailing company, including Travis Kalanick, the former Uber chief executive who was ousted in June this year, and former executives Emil Michael and Eric Alexander, had questioned the victim's account of her ordeal.
"Uber executives duplicitously and publicly decried the rape, expressing sympathy for the plaintiff, and shock and regret at the violent attack, while privately speculating, as outlandish as it is, that she had colluded with a rival company to harm Uber's business," the lawsuit said.
At the time the later lawsuit was filed, an Uber spokesperson said: "No one should have to go through a horrific experience like this, and we're truly sorry that she's had to relive it over the last few weeks."
The plaintiff dropped Emil Michael from her complaint in October before settling the case.
Terms of the latest settlement have not been disclosed.
It comes as the new CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, is trying to clean up the image of the company, which has been plagued by scandals and lawsuits. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42291495 |
Portugal's Eurovision winner Salvador Sobral has heart transplant - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Salvador Sobral, who won this year's contest for Portugal, is doing well, surgeons in Lisbon say. | Europe | Salvador Sobral missed a week of Eurovision rehearsals due to his heart condition
Portugal's celebrated Eurovision Song Contest winner, Salvador Sobral, is recovering in hospital after undergoing a heart transplant.
Surgeons at the Santa Cruz Hospital in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, said the 27-year-old was "doing well".
Sobral, who suffered from a longstanding heart condition, won this year's contest with the love song Amar Pelos Dois (Love for Both of Us).
It was the first time Portugal had taken the title.
"The surgery went well," said surgeon Miguel Abecasis, quoted by the Publico daily (in Portuguese).
"He was very well prepared. He is a young man who understood the difficulties of this type of procedure."
Mr Abecasis said that before Friday's operation the singer had wished him "good luck".
The recovery would take a long time, Mr Abecasis added, but said that if all went well, Sobral would have "a completely normal life".
The singer had to wait several months until a suitable donor was found, Publico reported. He announced in September that he was taking a break from performing.
Sobral's winning ballad, written by his older sister, Luisa, made him a national hero in Portugal.
He described it as "an emotional song with a beautiful lyrical message and harmony - things people are not used to listening these days". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42296971 |
Man charged over rocket launcher snowman in Londonderry - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The window display appeared at a republican group's office in Londonderry in October. | Northern Ireland | The window display included the message "wishing you an explosive Christmas"
A 29-year-old man has been charged after a snowman holding a rocket launcher was painted on the window of a republican support group's office in Londonderry.
The image included the message: "Wishing you an Explosive Christmas."
It appeared at the office of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association in Chamberlain Street.
The man has been charged with two counts of permitting display of anything provocative.
It follows the appearance of the display in October.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the man is due to appear at the magistrates' court in Derry on 3 January.
All charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-42285433 |
Will Gompertz reviews Charles II: Art & Power ★★★★☆ - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A show about Charles II, and the artistic legacy he left but is it a right-royal success? | Entertainment & Arts | There is something hauntingly contemporary about this exhibition.
It starts with a disgruntled England, which has made a cataclysmic decision to break with an imperfect but effective Europe-entwined institution that has been the basis for the country's social, economic, and political life.
We'd be better off without 'em, is the feeling.
The Irish and Scots are not so sure, but the will of a group of charismatic and self-righteous metropolitan politicians prevails, and people are warily readying themselves for a collective leap into the dark.
The population is divided on the matter, split like a pair of cheap trousers.
The fact is this scepter'd isle is going to be run differently from now on.
We stand poised. It is mid December. But we are not in 2017.
We are in 1649 and, like it or not, the country is going to be a republic. The old monarchical system along with its network of tactical intercontinental marriages is over. Oliver Cromwell and his New Model Army rule, OK.
Charles I, by Edward Bower, is the first painting in the exhibition
Which brings us to the first painting in the show where we meet Charles I shortly before his execution, commissioned, apparently, by Cromwell and his chums. The incarcerated King looks wizard-like, nonchalant, and inwardly majestic.
It is a respectful seated portrait suggesting the God-fearing Parliamentarian was uncomfortable doing away with a man widely believed to be hot-wired to God.
It didn't stop him, though. As we see in an explicitly detailed image called The Execution of Charles I. This gory print became an instant blockbuster; a bloodthirsty hit both at home and throughout an intrigued and amazed Europe.
Alongside it is a copy of a small book with a big title, Eikon Basilike: The Pourtraicture of His Sacred Majestie in His Solitudes and Sufferings.
This is important. It is basically a mix of memoire, prayer, and personal statement, probably - but not definitely - written by Charles I shortly before his public beheading at Whitehall.
What is certain is the date of its publication 10 days after the event, when it quickly became a bestseller and in-turn a cunning piece of beyond the grave Royalist propaganda.
Maybe the King wasn't so bad after all.
Maybe he was a martyr. And look at that lovely little woodcut image of him blessing his divine son as his chosen successor. The Restoration had begun in people's minds less than two weeks into the new Commonwealth.
The exhibition then jump cuts to 1660 and the return of the exiled Charles II.
The Coronation of King Charles II in Westminster Abbey, by Wenceslaus Hollar
Backed with parliamentary cash, the soon-to-be crowned King has been out on a shopping spree to replace all the regalia and formal royal tableware Cromwell had melted down and flogged off.
It is a fine line the young man has to walk. His purchases need to be glitzy enough to impress and cement his status and legitimacy. But they can't be as flashy as the stuff his French cousin Louis XIV buys because: a) it might go down badly with the public and cost him his head, and b) he can't afford it.
He opts for silver gilt, which nearly 360 years later still looks magnificent. The craftsmanship and quality of the plates, candlesticks, chalices, and salts are impressive. As is an exquisitely embroidered bible given to the newly restored King, signalling a more liberal, post-Cromwellian, era.
The brakes are off. Theatres are re-opened.
Charles II, painted by John Michael Wright, is a powerful image of the monarchy restored
Charles II takes on a coterie of lovers (including the saucily depicted actress Nell Gwyn), and poses for a huge portrait by John Michael Wright.
What the painting lacks in terms of technique - which is quite a lot - it more than makes up for with size and visual impact. It is designed to establish the new King as the top man. We see him sitting in an elevated position, wearing the crown of state, and sporting his Order of the Garter costume under Parliament robes. He is holding his newly acquired orb and sceptre.
The idea is to hark back to Tudor and Elizabethan styles to imply stability through continuity. Frankly, he looks ridiculous; like an aging rock-star who has been allowed to rummage around in the royal dressing up box.
It sums up what quickly becomes apparent in this show, which is Charles II was not blessed with the same curatorial eye as his late father. OK he acquired some wonderful drawings by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Holbein - some of which are on display.
But when it came to the task of retrieving the great paintings Cromwell sold off, or commissioning new pictures, he comes up short.
He did make a few decent purchases.
The Massacre of the Innocents by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
You'll see a very good Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting called The Massacre of the Innocents. Although, it is slightly odd in so much as there are no innocents being massacred.
There were originally, but when the Habsburg Emperor, Rudolf II, owned the painting he recognised the occupying troops as his own (specifically depicted as such by Bruegel, who was making a political point) and had all the dead babies painted out. The upshot is a scene in which women are bent over, crying their eyes out over loaves of bread and various poultry.
If you're after an exhibition stuffed to its royal gunnels with painterly masterpieces, the chances are you'll be underwhelmed by Charles II: Art & Power and should wait until January when the Royal Academy will do what he didn't and reunite much of his father's collection.
If, however, you are in the market for a richly told, thought-provoking history lesson that feels surprisingly relevant in today's Brexit Britain, with the added bonus that its central protagonist looks like Brian May from Queen, then you might consider the £11 ticket price as money well spent.
Charles II: Art and Power is at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42231007 |
Brexit deal: 'fair to the British taxpayer' - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | null | The Prime Minister said the deal has been struck after 'some tough conversations' | null | European Union officials say sufficient progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations, meaning they can move on to trade talks with the UK.
Theresa May travelled to Brussels early this morning to present proposals on the so-called divorce bill, citizens rights and the Northern Ireland border. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42276577 |
Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | PM Haider al-Abadi says Iraqi troops are now in complete control of the country. | Middle East | Recapturing Mosul was the bloodiest conflict - for both combatants and civilians
Iraq has announced that its war against so-called Islamic State (IS) is over.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a conference in Baghdad that Iraqi troops were now in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border.
The border zone contained the last few areas IS held, following its loss of the town of Rawa in November.
The US state department welcomed the end of the "vile occupation" of IS in Iraq and said the fight against the group would continue.
Iraq's announcement comes two days after the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighbouring Syria.
The jihadist group had seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it proclaimed a "caliphate" and imposed its rule over some 10 million people.
But it suffered a series of defeats over the past two years, losing Iraq's second city of Mosul this July and its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria last month.
Some IS fighters are reported to have dispersed into the Syrian countryside, while others are believed to have escaped across the Turkish border.
This is undeniably a proud moment for Mr Abadi - a victory that once looked like it might only ever be rhetorical rather than real.
But if the direct military war with IS in Iraq is genuinely over, and the country's elite forces can now step back after a conflict that's taken a huge toll on them, it doesn't mean the battle against the group's ideology or its ability to stage an insurgency is finished - whether in Iraq, Syria or the wider world.
Attacks may be at a lower level than they once were, but Iraqi towns and cities still fall prey to suicide bombers, while the conditions that fuelled the growth of jihadism remain - even in the territory that's been recaptured.
Mr Abadi said on Saturday: "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh [IS].
"Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time."
The Iraqi armed forces issued a statement saying Iraq had been "totally liberated" from IS.
"The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against Isis [IS], in Iraq is over," she added.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Mr Abadi on a "historic moment" but warned that IS still posed a threat, including from across the border in Syria.
Last month, the Syrian military said it had "fully liberated" the eastern border town of Albu Kamal, the last last urban stronghold of IS in that country.
On Thursday, the head of the Russian general staff's operations, Col-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, said: "The mission to defeat bandit units of the Islamic State terrorist organisation on the territory of Syria, carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, has been accomplished."
Estimates of civilian deaths in Mosul alone vary wildly, with one figure as high as 40,000
He said Russia's military presence in Syria would now concentrate on preserving ceasefires and restoring peace.
The collapse of IS has raised fears that its foreign fighters will escape over Syria's borders to carry out more attacks abroad.
Civilians flee as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul in March 2017 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42291985 |
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Boris Johnson meets Iranian counterpart - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The foreign secretary is pressing for release of dual nationals, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. | UK Politics | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since April 2016
Boris Johnson has held talks in Iran to press for the release of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The UK foreign secretary met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif to call for the release of the mother-of-one on humanitarian grounds, along with other dual nationals.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Tehran since April 2016 after being accused of spying, which she denies.
Mr Johnson's first visit to Iran comes amid rising tension in the Middle East.
On Saturday afternoon he will meet the speaker of the Iranian parliament and the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said Mr Johnson is expected to emphasise Britain's continuing support for the international nuclear deal with Iran, but he will also make clear Britain's concerns about some of Iran's activities, notably in Yemen and Syria.
Our correspondent said Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran - only the third made by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 - could "hardly be more sensitive".
Mr Johnson did not speak to reporters before going into the meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif
He added that Mr Johnson had been careful to lower any expectations of imminent release for 37-year-old Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, warning that such cases are very difficult.
Mr Ratcliffe met with Mr Johnson to discuss his wife's case earlier this year
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday visit to enable her parents to meet her baby daughter Gabriella.
After the arrest her daughter's passport was confiscated and for the last 20 months she has been living with her maternal grandparents in Iran.
Even before Boris Johnson took off for Tehran, the foreign office wisely lowered expectations of an immediate release of the imprisoned dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The Iranians will have prepared very carefully for this visit, as they have concerns and demands of their own.
In Iran there is a pervading sense that the West is not fully living up to its side of the bargain in the 2015 Vienna nuclear deal.
Flows of money through London, for example, are still restricted and the hoped-for economic dividend has failed to materialise for many Iranians.
Complicating matters for Boris Johnson is the fact that there are essentially 'two Irans'.
There is the elected government, which he has been meeting today.
Then there is the deep state: the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the judiciary and the intelligence and security apparatus, all of which are hostile to the West and likely to impose a hard line on any negotiations.
Mr Johnson was accused of risking an additional five years being added to her sentence when he told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists.
In November, he apologised in the Commons, retracting "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, and daughter, Gabriella
Mr Johnson then met with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, to discuss her case, including calls for her to be given diplomatic protection.
Mr Ratcliffe told The Guardian that he was "waiting on tenterhooks, biting my nails", ahead of Mr Johnson's visit.
There have been concerns about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's health after lumps in her breasts were discovered, but those were found to be non-cancerous.
Tulip Siddiq, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's MP, said she had been told by the Foreign Office that Mr Johnson probably would not be able to secure her imminent release.
"It was made very clear that we shouldn't expect any miracles," the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn said.
Although not mentioning her by name, Mr Johnson said: "I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so."
The Foreign Office would not confirm the names or number of other people being held in Iran, saying their families had asked for their cases to be kept out of the public domain.
In addition, the BBC has issued a statement on Twitter, urging Mr Johnson to raise the case of the BBC Persian staff during his visit.
The BBC Persian Service has long been viewed with hostility by hardline Iranians. Two months ago, Iranian authorities launched an investigation into 152 present and former journalists and staff, accusing them of conspiracy against national security.
The BBC News Press Team called upon Iran "to stop the harassment and persecution of our staff and their families".
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In his statement, the foreign secretary listed topics he would raise with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, including finding a political solution to the conflict in Yemen and securing "greater humanitarian access to ease the immense suffering there".
He also said he would underline the UK's support for the 2015 nuclear deal - struck between Iran and six world powers - but "make clear" concerns over the country's activity.
Mr Johnson added: "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity.
"While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree.
"But I am clear that dialogue is the key to managing our differences and, where possible, making progress on issues that really matter, even under difficult conditions." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42289861 |
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Prisoner caught in Iran power struggle - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is first and foremost a story of terrible personal suffering. | UK | The case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is first and foremost a story of terrible personal suffering for a young woman, her husband and their baby girl.
Eighteen months into a five-year sentence, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe faces the prospect of up to 16 years in an Iranian jail.
It is also, however, a story of an internal power struggle in Iran, as well as of the nation's deeply difficult relationship with the UK.
To understand how she fits into this, the first thing to examine is the timing of her arrest. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in April 2016, a few months ahead of the first anniversary of Iran's historic nuclear deal.
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The accord, on which President Hassan Rouhani had staked his reputation, was bitterly opposed by elements of the powerful Revolutionary Guards.
They had often benefited financially from the sanctions regime. They were adamant that the nuclear deal must be seen as a failure, that it had changed nothing and that compromise with the West was a fruitless exercise.
Arrests of a number of Iranians with dual nationality came about in this context:
Iran is in the grip of an ideological power-struggle, with two competing world views.
President Rouhani came to power promising to open Iran up to the world; the supreme leader, the Revolutionary Guards and the judiciary have a far more hardline position, both in relation to how the country should be run as well as its foreign relations.
All the arrests were seen as an attempt by the Revolutionary Guards to undermine not just the president, but the very process of thawing relations with the West.
Of the three dual-national prisoners arrested after the deal was agreed, only one has since been released: Ms Hoodfar was sent home a few months later on what the Iranians called "humanitarian grounds".
The only significant difference between her case and Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's was their nationalities: one was half-Canadian, the other half-British.
To Iranian minds, the UK is viewed with almost unique suspicion. Indeed, in 2009 the supreme leader said that of all the world's "arrogant powers", the UK was the "most evil".
To understand why, one must go back to the 1953 coup-d'état that overthrew nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, returning the autocratic Shah to power. Behind it were the British and American intelligence agencies.
Almost 300 people were killed in the streets of Tehran after protesting against the prime minister's removal in a US- and British-organised coup in 1953
This led to deep-rooted suspicions of the West's intentions; once the Shah was ousted by the Islamic Revolution of 1979, those suspicions became open hostilities. Relations have never really recovered.
Over the years there have been a number of key points, notably the 1989 fatwah calling for the death of British author Salman Rushdie. His book, The Satanic Verses, was denounced as blasphemous by the supreme leader; he called on Muslims around the world to try and kill Rushdie. The controversy led to a severing of diplomatic ties, which were not repaired until 1998.
In 2007, 15 British Royal Navy personnel were detained off the South Coast of Iran. They were paraded on TV, a show of power by Tehran, but ultimately released under diplomatic pressure.
The 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was followed by peaceful street protests, which the supreme leader accused the West of encouraging. A number of staff at the British embassy were arrested and forced to sign confessions.
In November 2011, relations deteriorated further. After the UK increased sanctions on Iran, the parliament voted to expel the British ambassador. Before he could pack his bags, members of the hardline Basij militia ransacked the British embassy in Tehran. It did not re-open until 2014.
But, it is not just the British government that has been viewed with great hostility. Western media, most notably the BBC's Persian Service, has long been regarded with deep distrust, fear and often hatred by the hardline Iranian establishment.
For years Persian Service journalists have been harassed and intimidated by the Iranian authorities. Two months ago all the assets of 150 BBC staff, former staff and contributors were frozen for "conspiracy against national security".
And here we come to the final part of the story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Many years ago, she worked for BBC Media Action, the charitable wing of the BBC. Although it has no direct connection to the BBC's Persian service, it has been used as evidence that she was in Iran for political reasons.
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It is, therefore, for this reason that the recent comments by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson were so controversial, and potentially damaging.
By stating that she was involved in "training journalists", he has given ammunition to those elements of the establishment who view her as just another example what the supreme leader described as "an infiltration project" by the West.
All the while, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe languishes in Tehran's Evin jail. Her daughter, who has now forgotten how to speak English, can only see her for an hour-and-a-half a week. Meanwhile her husband Richard suffers in London.
The future of a family, half-British, half-Iranian, has been torn apart by the suspicion and distrust caused by their own countries' pasts. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41907892 |
Brexit deal: Theresa May buys breathing space - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | No 10 has reached a critical short-term goal, and moved on from embarrassment to a temporary conclusion. | UK Politics | The prime minister made her decisions on Thursday night while the No 10 Downing Street Christmas party carried on.
It isn't celebration on Friday though for her government, but relief.
And her allies note that in those fraught hours she made the decision to go to Brussels even though the DUP had continued to make its objections known, despite the progress it had secured.
That may be a comfort to her internal critics who believe that Theresa May is all too often a prisoner of circumstance rather than a bold decision maker.
And after a rocky few months, Downing Street can breathe out, for once, because it reached a critical short-term goal, moving on from Monday's embarrassment to a temporary conclusion.
Brexit is the biggest political and policy project any British government has undertaken for many, many years.
As the leader of the government pursuing the policy, the prime minister's own record rises and falls with the progress of our departure from the EU.
Simply, while No 10 always maintains that she wants to focus on domestic reforms, Mrs May's fate is intertwined with these negotiations.
The deal was sealed at an early hours breakfast meeting on Friday
The talks stumble, and so does she. The negotiators muddle through, so does her leadership.
And the deal at dawn mutes the criticism of her inside her party, and restores some of the faith perhaps in Brussels.
Had it not been struck, had she not made the decision to get on the plane, there would have been serious rumblings in her party.
It might not have been the end of her leadership.
There are plenty of hopeful leadership contenders, but few who would be guaranteed to put their head above the parapet to try to push her out.
But critical Brexiteers have been conspicuous by their absence.
And Remainers are relieved that she has, as they see it, been firm in the face of some of their and the DUP's demands, and left the route pointing to a softer Brexit.
In truth, so much has not been agreed.
This is a document that to a large extent, resolves to solve problems and contradictions together in the future.
The document contains more ambiguities than pages.
And as with any compromises there are some losses, and some victories.
Over time those fault lines will appear. The two sides of the Tories' internal debates over Europe have not suddenly met in the middle.
The brooding clash has been delayed, again, allowing the prime minister to press on into the next phase.
And above all, the agreements in this document may never come to pass.
Truly, "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".
This is a big, first, political step that allows the real journey to begin.
With this progress, however limited, Theresa May buys breathing space. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42288942 |
Brexit deal: Theresa May's agreement with Brussels - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Reality Check examines some of the key lines in the agreement document. | UK Politics | The UK and European Commission have reached an agreement that should allow them to move Brexit talks on to the next stage.
Here are some of the key lines in the agreement document.
So here's the first linguistic somersault. This agreement is designed to lock in the progress made so far, and allow technical experts to continue to work on it during the second phase of talks.
But EU negotiations always work on the principle that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and that raises the prospect that if the second phase runs into trouble, then what has been agreed so far could, in theory, unravel.
That is certainly not the intention on either side, but it underscores that the negotiating process still has a very long way to run - and the hardest part is still to come.
The separation agreement on citizens' rights will not fall under the direct jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (officially called the CJEU but commonly referred to as the ECJ) which was the initial demand from the European Union.
But the ECJ will continue to play a role, because this agreement says UK courts will have to pay "due regard" to its decisions on an indefinite basis.
And for eight years after Brexit, there will be a mechanism for UK courts to refer questions of interpretation directly to the ECJ.
It is a compromise, but the sort of compromise that some supporters of Brexit will find hard to stomach.
This detail on citizens' rights is important.
The agreement will apply to anyone taking up residence before the UK leaves the EU, so people could still take the decision to move next year, or even in early 2019, and they would be fully protected by it. That option will remain open for new arrivals until the day the UK leaves - currently presumed to be 29 March 2019.
In fact the European Commission argues that the "specified date" should be considerably later. In an official communication to the European Council it argues that during a transition all EU citizens should have all their rights upheld. In other words, it says, the "specified date" should not be the actual date of withdrawal, but the final day of a transition period (potentially two years later or even longer).
There are also a lot of technical details hidden in the weeds of the agreement that remain to be negotiated, and that's why some groups representing citizens who are caught up in this dilemma are far from happy.
The reaction of the European Parliament, which has taken a tough line on citizens' rights, will be important because it has to ratify the final agreement.
This is the key phrase in the long section setting out how the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will operate after the UK leaves the EU.
The preference on both sides is for an ambitious free trade agreement, which will address many of the concerns that have been raised (although questions of customs duties would still have to be addressed).
As a backstop though, the UK has guaranteed that it will maintain "full alignment" with the EU's single market and customs rules that govern cross-border trade.
It is a form of words that everyone can (just about) live with for now, but there is plenty of tough negotiating ahead.
It's not entirely clear how full alignment could be maintained without Northern Ireland staying in the single market and the customs union, especially as there is no such thing as partial membership. It is another sign that the competing demands that have been discussed this week have been sidestepped, but not fully resolved.
This sentence about the financial settlement is a bureaucratic masterpiece, and suggests that plenty of detail still needs to be sorted out behind the scenes.
For months, the money appeared to be the most intractable issue in the withdrawal negotiations, but money is easier to finesse than borders or courts.
A method for calculating the bill has been agreed, but the calculation of an exact UK share will depend on exchange rates, on interest rates, on the number of financial commitments that never turn into payments, and more.
The question of how and when payments will be made still needs to resolved, but it will be a schedule lasting for many years to come, and it is highly unlikely that anyone will ever be able to give an exact figure for the size of the divorce bill.
UK sources say it will be up to £40bn, but some EU sources expect it to be higher than that. No-one can say for sure, and both sides want to keep it that way.
Update 11 December 2017: This piece was amended to take account of the European Commission's view on the specified date for EU citizens' rights.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42280487 |
Johnson in 'frank talks' on jailed Briton Zaghari-Ratcliffe - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Iranian counterpart discuss Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe during meeting. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Iranian counterpart have spoken "frankly" in Tehran about jailed Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
He met Mohammed Javad Zarif to urge her freeing on humanitarian grounds, along with other dual nationals held in Iran.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Tehran since April 2016, after being accused of spying, a charge she denies.
Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, spoke of his "hopes and fears", telling the BBC "it could go any which way".
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since April 2016
In what was described as "a useful meeting", Mr Johnson and the Iranian foreign minister talked for two hours in Tehran on a range of subjects including the nuclear deal, as well "obstacles in their relationship".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted his support for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, calling on Mr Johnson to do "everything he can to secure her release".
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Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested on a visit to see her parents with her baby daughter Gabriella.
After the arrest her daughter's passport was confiscated and for the last 20 months she has been living with her maternal grandparents in Iran.
The case was further complicated when Mr Johnson erroneously told a parliamentary committee in November that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in Iran to train journalists.
The foreign secretary later apologised in the Commons, retracting "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why one mother's personal plight is part of a complicated history between Iran and the UK (video published August 2019 and last updated in October 2019)
Reports suggest Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe could appear in court on Sunday to face new charges and possibly have her sentence doubled as a result of Mr Johnson's comments.
"His fate and her fate have been aligned a little bit, and he is now in Iran battling for her," her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, told the BBC. "It's a case of 'watch this space'".
He said he believed Mr Johnson's "charm and presence" in Iran would "make a difference", but the situation remained very unclear.
"It's all up in the air," said Mr Ratcliffe. "We're holding on to the good bits - it could go any which way."
He said he wanted his wife to be with her family in the UK for Christmas but he was not expecting her to be on the foreign secretary's plane when Mr Johnson returns to the UK on Monday.
He added: "Fingers crossed it can be solved by Christmas, which means in the week or so afterwards there might be a happy outcome."
As Boris Johnson and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif shook hands on their way into talks it could have seemed routine.
But there was nothing routine about this encounter. The foreign secretary looked uncharacteristically tense, and with good reason.
His mission - to improve relations - point to Britain's continuing support for the Iran nuclear deal, while at the same time being critical of Iran's actions in Yemen and Syria.
And, hardest of all, argue for prisoner releases, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a case many accuse him of damaging by loose talk last month.
Boris Johnson will say nothing at all publicly while in Iran, such is the sensitivity of his visit.
But in one good sign, Iran's foreign minister confirmed Mr Johnson should be able to meet President Rouhani on Sunday.
We should not expect immediate consequences, but Iran is in little doubt of the importance the British side attaches to getting Ms Zahari-Ratcliffe home.
Relations between the UK and Iran have long been difficult. Mr Johnson's visit is only the third by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years.
The Foreign Office would not confirm the names or number of other dual nationals being held, saying their families had asked for their cases to be kept out of the public domain.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr Johnson said the talks would cover the "bilateral relationship and I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so".
Last month, the Free Nazanin Campaign said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had suffered panic attacks, insomnia, bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts and had been given a health assessment. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42295586 |
Brexit: Watching the deal unfold in Brussels - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BBC's Adam Fleming shares how he watched the last-minute Brexit deal unfold from Brussels. | Europe | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The prime minister said the deal will allow more to be invested in "priorities at home"
I had been warned to keep my phone by the bed. It rang at 05:09 here in Brussels (04:09 GMT). "The prime minister is in the air," said my government source.
Theresa May's motorcade arrived at the HQ of the European Commission less than two hours later.
There were hugs for all as she, her chief civil servant negotiator Olly Robbins and Brexit Secretary David Davis were met by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier, the EU's Mr Brexit.
Pictures were released showing the two sides enjoying fruit juice and pastries.
It was obvious a deal was being done. Why put everyone through this otherwise?
Aides filed into the briefing room ahead of the big news conference. They wore the opposite expressions they had had on Monday when hopes of a deal evaporated under pressure from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.
The two sides of Brexit shared juice and pastries in Brussels on Friday morning
Mr Juncker sketched out the agreement that had been reached: financial obligations had been clarified, the European Court of Justice would remain "competent" to guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK, and a hard border would be avoided on the island of Ireland.
It was a personal triumph for the prime minister, he said.
I asked the prime minister what compromises had been made to get here. She said it had been about both sides working together.
Diplomats said the display of mutual respect demonstrated that the next phase of talks will be less bad-tempered, less fraught and more collegiate now that divorce-related issues have been broadly settled.
Deal: Mrs May is welcomed by Mr Juncker in Brussels
Later we heard from Michel Barnier. At length.
His pride in the deal he had negotiated was evident as he explained it in painstaking detail. He gently chided journalists who had failed to grasp the complexities of the compromise on Ireland.
He reminded everyone that he had never speculated about the size of the UK's financial obligations (£35bn-£39bn, according to British estimates).
Mr Barnier complained that I always posed the same question about whether he was prepared to make any concessions.
Afterwards I asked if he would be cracking open a bottle of champagne. "No," he replied. "You have to drink water when you are negotiating and there's still a lot of work to do."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "No champagne" for the Brexit negotiators, who "have to drink water"
The scale of that work became clear as the action switched to the European Council, where the member states are represented.
Donald Tusk, who will chair next week's summit of EU leaders, said this had been the easy part. Negotiating a transition deal and the outlines of a future partnership on trade, security and defence will be more difficult and had to be done within a year, he said.
The EU desperately wants the UK to clarify what kind of post-Brexit relationship it wants.
Some European officials fear the debate triggered at Westminster this week by the impasse over Northern Ireland is a harbinger of the row to come as Britain tries to define its future.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tusk: 'Breaking up is hard, building a new relationship is harder'
For me, the series of mini dramas I have covered for the last six months have been consolidated into 15 pages of pledges and commitments.
The draft guidelines for the second phase of the talks hint at some of the plot twists to come.
Briefly it felt like Brexit was sorted. It is just starting. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42283473 |
Saakashvili: Ex-Georgia leader detained by police in Kiev - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Mikheil Saakashvili's detention comes days after he was freed from police custody by his supporters. | Europe | Mikheil Saakashvili is suspected of receiving financing from a criminal group
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained in Ukraine's capital Kiev, days after his supporters freed him from a police van.
Mr Saakashvili, who in 2015-16 served as regional governor in Ukraine under President Petro Poroshenko, has been leading anti-corruption rallies against his former ally.
On Tuesday, he was dragged from his home in Kiev and arrested.
He has been calling for Mr Poroshenko's impeachment since his first arrest.
The authorities responded by giving him a deadline of 24 hours to hand himself in.
Mr Saakashvili is accused of receiving financing from a criminal group linked to ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
His detention was part of an operation "to disrupt a plan of revenge of pro-Kremlin forces in Ukraine", Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said on Tuesday.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jonah Fisher watched as Mr Saakashvili's car was surrounded by his supporters and Ukrainian police
Prosecutors released audio and video recordings which they say proved he had received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the criminal group.
Mr Saakashvili said the recordings were fake.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in jail.
Mr Saakashvili also faces the threat of extradition to Georgia, where he is wanted on corruption charges. He says the accusations are politically motivated.
He was governor of the southern Odessa region for 18 months after being appointed by Mr Poroshenko in 2015.
Before moving to Ukraine, Mr Saakashvili served for almost 10 years as president of Georgia. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42289481 |
Dustin Hoffman faces new sex abuse allegation from co-star - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Actor Kathryn Rossetter says she suffered an "abusive experience" during a Broadway play in 1984. | Entertainment & Arts | Hoffman has not commented on the latest allegations
A co-star of Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman has accused him of a "horrific, demoralising and abusive experience" while on a 1984 Broadway production.
Kathryn Rossetter's allegation comes a month after author Anna Graham Hunter accused Hoffman of sexual misconduct.
Hoffman has not commented on the latest claims in the Hollywood Reporter.
It said it had spoken to several people on the 1984 set who questioned Rossetter's account and said they had not witnessed the conduct described.
The latest allegation is one of a string made against Hollywood stars and executives, sparked by initial allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein.
Rossetter's account was carried in a guest column in the Hollywood Reporter on Friday, as Anna Graham Hunter's allegations had been in an article on 1 November.
Rossetter said the alleged events had occurred on the 1984 Broadway production of Death Of A Salesman.
She said Hoffman would regularly grope her. The actor would grab her breast and then remove his hand just before a photograph was taken, she alleged.
On one night, she said, Hoffman exposed her body to the stage crew. "Suddenly he grabs the bottom of my slip and pulls it up over my head, exposing my breasts and body to the crew and covering my face," she said.
Rossetter added: "Night after night I went home and cried. I withdrew and got depressed and did not have any good interpersonal relationships with the cast."
She said: "I considered reporting him to Actors Equity. But I was cautioned by some respected theatre professionals that if I did, I would probably lose my job and, because he was such a powerful star, any hope of a career."
The Reporter said Hoffman's lawyers had put it in touch with others who had worked on the set, including Hoffman's brother-in-law, Lee Gottsegen, and actors Anne McIntosh, Debra Mooney, Linda Hogan, Michael Quinlan and Andrew Bloch.
The paper said they had not witnessed the alleged misconduct and had questioned Rossetter's account.
Production stage manager Tom Kelly said: "It just doesn't ring true."
Earlier in the week, TV host John Oliver confronted Dustin Hoffman, 80, in a tense public discussion about the allegations of sexual harassment made by Graham Hunter.
At a Q&A panel for the 20th anniversary of Hoffman's film Wag The Dog, the actor defended himself, asking Oliver: "Do you believe this stuff that you're reading?" and saying he still did not know who Graham Hunter was.
She worked as a 17-year-old intern on Hoffman's 1985 TV movie version of Death Of A Salesman.
Hoffman had earlier put out a statement following Graham Hunter's allegations, saying: "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation.
"I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42291775 |
Johnny Hallyday: Huge crowds gather for France's 'Elvis Presley' - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Paris comes to a standstill as hundreds of thousands of fans pay tribute to a French icon | Europe | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Fans lined the streets to bid farewell to the 'French Elvis'
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Paris on Saturday to bid farewell to the French rock star Johnny Hallyday, who died this week at the age of 74 after a battle with lung cancer.
His coffin was driven in a cortege down the Champs-Elysees followed by hundreds of leather-clad bikers.
President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the singer in a eulogy at the Madeleine church.
Paris was brought to a standstill by the ceremony, which was broadcast live.
As the cortege carrying his coffin left the funeral home in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, some 700 bikers took to the Champs-Elysees.
People gathered on Place de la Concorde to pay a "popular tribute" to Hallyday
Fans ride their bikes down the Champs-Elysees as part of the tribute
Large crowds gathered to pay their respects outside the Madeleine church in Paris
Hallyday's white coffin was driven slowly from the Arc de Triomphe along the famous avenue as emotional fans cheered and wept.
During the service, members of his band performed instrumental versions of his songs outside at the Madeleine church as the crowds sang along.
Members of Hallyday's band and other musicians performed as part of the ceremony
Hallyday's white coffin leaves the church with a picture of the singer on display at the entrance
Fans began to gather in the city overnight in anticipation of the country's "national homage" to the singer as giant screens were erected to show footage of the man known as the "French Elvis".
National television and radio have put out a stream of special programmes since his death on Wednesday, with Hallyday's best-known songs being played along with recordings of tributes from friends and fans.
Mr Macron approved Saturday's ceremony along with Hallyday's widow Laeticia amid a popular clamour for a national homage.
The French president said the singer had touched everyone's lives: "In each of your lives there have been moments where one of his songs translated what you had in your heart, what we have in our hearts.
"A love story, a loss, a moment of defiance, the birth of a child, pain - in his voice, in his songs, in his face."
As Mr Macron addressed the large crowd gathered at the church, many of whom were in tears, they chanted: "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Hallyday."
Many of those gathered outside the church became emotional during the tributes
Fans had earlier gathered outside the star's home in Marnes-la-Coquette, west of Paris
Some of the musician's fans have demanded that a monument be built in recognition of his achievements.
Others have expressed disappointment at news that Hallyday is likely to be buried on the French Caribbean island of St Barts, where he had his home.
One fan, Francois Le Lay, told AFP news agency: "We would have preferred if he was buried in Paris, but if Johnny wanted that, we will respect it.
"My wife and I will put the money aside that we would have spent going to his concerts so we can fly to Saint Barts one day."
On Friday, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with the words "Merci Johnny".
At the famous L'Olympia music venue in Paris where Hallyday once enjoyed a three-week residency to mark 40 years in show business, the singer's name was displayed as a tribute.
The Eiffel Tower displays the message "Merci Johnny" (Thank you Johnny)
The star, whose real name was Jean-Philippe Smet, sold more than 110 million records and starred in a number of films, including one directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
He once performed before a million people in a mobile musical cavalcade down the Champs-Elysees.
However despite 6,000 fans chartering flights from Paris to see him play Las Vegas in 1996, he failed to crack the American or any other English-speaking market.
The singer, who was once condemned as the rock 'n' roll "corrupter of youth", was often referred to as "the French Elvis" by critics. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42291491 |
M5 closure: Drivers stuck for hours in freezing temperatures - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The road was shut in both directions for more than four hours amid concerns for a man on a bridge. | Devon | Some motorists said they were stuck on the closed motorway for more than four hours
Drivers were left stuck in vehicles for several hours in freezing temperatures as the M5 was shut in both directions.
It followed "concerns for the welfare of a man" on a bridge at junction 28, near Cullompton, at about 16:00 GMT, police said.
Just after 20:40, Devon and Cornwall Police said the man had been moved from the bridge and the road was reopening.
Richard Jones, said his wife and eight-week old baby were among those stuck in traffic in a "very cold Skoda".
The closure caused traffic jams stretching back for seven miles (11km) from the bridge, in mid-Devon.
Highways England confirmed the motorway was "fully open" at 21:43 after work to move broken down vehicles.
Many people were stranded in their cars for hours and some posted on social media to say they risked running out of fuel on the motorway.
Forecasters had predicted temperatures in the area would be going down to -1C during the night.
Police said the road was reopening just after 20:40 GMT
Sara Morgan-Broom, who was one of those stuck in the queues, said she had not moved on the motorway between 16:20 and 20:12.
Devon and Cornwall Police said there were a number of breakdowns in the area and warned surrounding roads remained busy.
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They also tweeted that the man who had been on the bridge was now receiving support from mental health professionals.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-42288965 |
Northern: Bailiffs pursued rail firm over passenger compensation - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A passenger won a legal case against Northern, but was left waiting for about £300. | Leeds & West Yorkshire | Phil Davies complained about how Northern dealt with passengers on his journey and later took them to court after they failed to reply
A train passenger's lengthy fight for compensation from a rail company got to the stage where bailiffs were "pursuing them at their registered office".
Phil Davies was on a Leeds to Barnsley service which "abandoned" him and 40 other passengers in Wakefield due to a signal failure.
He claimed for compensation and won a legal case, but said he was left waiting for about £300 from Northern.
Northern apologised and said the "matter had been resolved".
On an evening train on 10 June, Mr Davies was travelling to his home in Barnsley when the line suffered signal problems.
The passenger said they were left on the platform of Wakefield Westgate with no access to toilets, with a promise of a Northern representative arranging their onward journey not kept.
British Transport Police eventually advised passengers to walk into Wakefield and find a taxi.
Mr Davies said he complained, but was still waiting for a response after four weeks so began a small claims court case against the company.
In October, a court ruled in favour of his claim for £283 plus £25 court fees, as Northern did not attend the hearing.
After two weeks, Mr Davies said the bailiffs "automatically stepped in" as no payment had been made.
"It's frustrating when a big corporation just snubs a consumer - we're small and insignificant." Mr Davies said.
"Too often, the public are fobbed off by big corporations and they simply can't be bothered. It's about challenging poor standards so they're improved."
Northern said it was reviewing its procedures after the legal wrangle
A spokesman for Northern said: "We apologise for any distress and frustration experienced by our customer following the incident and his subsequent contact with Northern.
"We fully accept the judgement of the court and have made contact to ensure the matter is settled. We have also made a significant offer of compensation to our customer - which is over and above the figure set out by the court."
He added: "We are now undertaking a review of our processes to help ensure such situations do not happen again."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-42283561 |
California wildfires: Nearly 200,000 flee as new blaze spreads - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Some 200,000 residents have been evacuated and a state of emergency declared for a new blaze in San Diego | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Nearly 200,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes in California as firefighters battle several raging wildfires.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Diego on Thursday after a new blaze spread from 10 acres to 4,100 acres in just a few hours.
Three firefighters have been injured and about 500 buildings destroyed.
One death has been reported - a woman's body was found in a burned-out area in Ventura County.
But an official told the Ventura Country Star newspaper that the death, in the town of Ojai, may have been the result of a car crash not related to the fire.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump issued a state of emergency in California, which will free up funding to "help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population".
About 5,700 firefighters have been battling the brushfires, officials have said, with firefighters drafted in from neighbouring states to help.
The Thomas fire in Ventura County remains the largest, burning 180 square miles so far
The Thomas fire in Ventura County to the north of Los Angeles remains the largest of the blazes and has spread as far as the Pacific coast.
It has consumed 180 square miles (466 sq km) since it broke out on Monday, and destroyed more than 430 buildings, fire officials said.
A BBC correspondent in Ojai says the blaze is burning in the hills all around and more than 100 fire engines have been seen driving through the town centre.
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A Reuters news agency photographer in San Diego county, site of the Lilac fire, described seeing propane tanks under houses explode like bombs.
Some 450 elite racehorses in the area were let loose from their stables to escape to safety, the Associated Press news agency reports. Officials say at least 25 thoroughbreds died in the blaze.
By Thursday afternoon local time, California's fire service said the blaze had forced the evacuation of 189,000 residents.
Firefighters rescued both a work of art and the family Christmas tree from this Bel Air home
Most homes in Bel Air cost millions of dollars
California is entering its fifth day battling dangerous wildfires driven by extreme weather: low humidity, high winds and parched ground.
Authorities have issued a purple alert - the highest level warning - amid what it called "extremely critical fire weather".
The powerful desert-heated Santa Ana winds have been fanning the flames.
Both the The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Getty Center museum announced that they would reopen on Friday.
Firefighters battling the Skirball fire had slept at the Getty overnight on Thursday.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drivers filmed the flames from their cars near Bel Air
One in four schools in Los Angeles were also closed.
In the wealthy Los Angeles enclave of Bel Air, firefighters were seen removing artwork from luxury homes on Wednesday as the Skirball Fire raged.
The neighbourhood is home to celebrities and business leaders from Beyonce to Elon Musk.
Singer Lionel Richie cancelled a Las Vegas performance for Wednesday evening, saying he was "helping family evacuate to a safer place".
An estate and vineyard owned by Rupert Murdoch also suffered some damage.
The media mogul said in a statement: "We believe the winery and house are still intact."
The Los Angeles Times said Mr Murdoch paid nearly $30m (£22m) for the property four years ago.
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Another blaze north of Los Angeles, the Creek fire, was 20% contained and covered some 15,323 acres.
Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so, share your experience with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42263237 |
What does first-phase Brexit deal mean for NI? - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | John Campbell assesses to what extent the first phase of Brexit talks offer all things to all people. | Northern Ireland | An agreement on phase one of the Brexit negotiations between the EU and UK was reached on Friday
The UK government's guarantees on the Irish border seem to sharply limit the variety of Brexit that's now on offer.
It has pledged that, even if there's no deal, the UK, as a whole, will fully align with the rules of single market and customs union which are necessary to support north-south cooperation.
The debates on "full alignment" are already under way and there are also big differences of opinion on what rules actually support that cross-border cooperation.
But, at a minimum, it would seem that the UK would have to continue to follow EU rules on trade in goods and agriculture.
Former Brexit minister and Leave campaigner David Jones zoomed in on this possibility.
He told the BBC Radio 4's World at One: "What we have got is just a commitment to try to work towards agreed solutions and if there are no agreed solutions then the clause provides that the UK will maintain full alignment with the rules of the internal market which support north-south cooperation.
"The worry about that is, of course, that it could relate to very important areas such as, for example, agriculture which we would want to throw into the mix in negotiating a free trade agreement with a third country.
"And if this was to persist, it could severely handicap our ability to enter into those free trade agreements, so I think we do need to see that particular provision refined."
The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, was somewhat ambiguous in his comment.
"It's a unique situation, therefore specific solutions are needed," he said.
"That's a very clear line. And the UK's line is very clear too. We shall work on solutions which will be relevant only to the island of Ireland and not other parts (of the United Kingdom)."
But if the fallback "no deal" position is UK-wide alignment, then doesn't it mean that the preferred option of a deep and special partnership would be something close to the Swiss or Norway option?
That sort of deal is not currently compatible with the UK's red lines.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says that the present UK position would mean a trade deal would have to be along the lines as the one the EU has with Canada.
There is going to be a lot of hard negotiating to come and compromises to be made.
There is another interpretation of the deal that it still leaves the door open for a special status for Northern Ireland.
TUV leader Jim Allister notes that the pledge of "unfettered access" for NI business to the whole of the UK internal market is not reciprocated with a promise of equal, unfettered access from GB to NI.
Friday's Brexit deal allows talks to move to second stage.
Could that mean that Northern Ireland would have some sort of different relationship with the single market while having preferential access to the GB market?
The DUP leadership would say no, pointing to the assurances they have received from the prime minister.
Sir Nick Macpherson, the former permanent secretary to the Treasury, gave a neat summary of the deal in a tweet this morning.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nick Macpherson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-42281324 |
Adams family gang member pays back £730,000 - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Terry Adams had previously claimed paying back the money would breach his human rights. | London | Terry Adams had argued it would breach his human rights to pay
A former member of one of Britain's most notorious crime gangs has paid nearly £730,000 to settle a legal battle over his criminal assets.
Terry Adams, who was associated with the north London "Adams family", had claimed he was too poor to pay.
He agreed to make the payment after being warned he would go back to prison if he did not, the BBC understands.
Adams had argued it would breach his human rights to pay, after he was jailed for money laundering in 2007.
Nick Price of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The CPS is determined to ensure that crime doesn't pay and that criminals including Adams cannot avoid paying back what they owe.
"Our prosecutors and caseworkers have worked tirelessly to secure assets from Adams, who sought to benefit from his crimes and went to extraordinary lengths to avoid paying."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42282388 |
Firefighters' surprise role in Perth Theatre panto - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Impromptu stage appearance after smoke alarm disrupts first performance at revamped Perth Theatre | Tayside and Central Scotland | They're behind you! Firefighters on stage during the Perth Theatre pantomime
The first performance at Perth Theatre in four years defied all expectations when two real-life firefighters appeared on stage.
A smoke alarm mid-way through Aladdin on Saturday forced the evacuation of the Edwardian theatre which has just had a £16.6m refurbishment.
After checks to the building, the show resumed with one of the actors carried back on stage by the firefighters.
The theatre management blamed a "snagging" fault for the alarm.
Gwylym Gibbons, chief executive of Horsecross Arts which runs the theatre, said: "There was a lovely moment when the firefighters came on stage, carrying one of the cast members.
"The beauty of pantomime is that you can adapt it to the moment - and everyone got back into the panto spirit."
The theatre's 500-seat B-listed Edwardian auditorium has been closed for four years while it was restored to its former glory.
A new 200-capacity performance studio has also been created to encourage new writing, music and dance.
The Edwardian auditorium has been restored to its former glory
The refurbishment includes a new box office, cafe, bar and shop
Artistic director Lu Kemp said the cast became accustomed to dealing with unforeseen events during rehearsals.
She said: "It's been hilarious. At times we've had rehearsals where a couple of builders with a very long pipe will walk through the room.
"But it's nothing that's ever got in the way of rehearsals: it's just added an extra layer of hilarity to the whole event."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-42292776 |
Two young Devon men die after 'taking drugs at Plymouth Pryzm nightclub' - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An 18-year-old man was being questioned by police following the pair's deaths in hospital. | Devon | Two 19-year-old men have died in hospital in the early hours after apparently taking drugs at a nightclub.
They were found unconscious at the Pryzm club in Plymouth, where hundreds of young people were attending a gig by the Swedish dance artist Basshunter.
Police said the teenagers, from Okehampton and Newton Abbot, were thought to have taken MDMA.
The club was evacuated and an 18-year-old man was arrested by Devon and Cornwall Police.
At about 02:00 GMT the poorly men were taken to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
The two men were believed to have taken the recreational drug MDMA
Det Insp Julie Scoles said the two who died were part of a larger group who took the drug.
"We have located the rest of the group who are thankfully showing no ill-effects at this time," she said.
"I am urging the public, especially those going out and planning to take recreational drugs, to be aware of this incident and think twice before taking any unknown substance - there is always a risk when taking drugs and the only way of staying safe is to avoid drugs altogether."
Next-of-kin have been informed, but formal identification of the victims has yet to take place and police have asked anyone with any information to contact them.
The nightclub said the deaths were "tragic and very sad", and staff were co-operating with the police investigation.
A statement said: "We are devastated by the events of this morning where two young men tragically lost their lives, and we would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to the families and friends at this very sad time."
• None The rise in strength and popularity of ecstasy
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-42293096 |
Vaginal mesh ban 'a retrograde step', surgeons say - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Many women benefit from the use of vaginal mesh and they should have a choice, surgeons say. | Health | The mesh is made of a type of plastic and surgeons routinely use it in hernia repairs
Banning vaginal mesh implants would remove an important treatment for some women suffering from a prolapse, says the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Some women benefit from the implants and should have a choice, it said.
The health watchdog NICE is expected to recommend that the implants be banned.
Around 800 women are taking legal action against the NHS and mesh manufacturers, saying they have suffered from painful complications.
When a prolapse occurs, doctors sometimes insert a mesh into the wall of the vagina to act as scaffolding to support organs - such as the uterus, bowel and bladder - which have fallen out of place.
Hundreds of women have reported problems with this plastic mesh, which is made of polypropylene.
Prof Linda Cordozo says banning vaginal mesh is not a good idea
However another smaller device made from the same material, called a tape, which is used to stem the flow of urine from a leaking bladder, has a much lower risk of complications.
Prof Linda Cardozo, a surgeon at King's College Hospital in London, said there was a misconception that all types of mesh were a problem.
She explained that she was not in favour of banning the use of mesh for prolapses.
"I don't think a total ban on anything is a good idea. It stifles the opportunity to offer the minority something that might benefit them," she said.
Draft guidelines from NICE say the implants should only be used for research - and not routine operations.
But Prof Cardozo said that a ban would stop any further research as well.
"If mesh is banned, there will be no more clinical trials," said the professor.
"Banning it is a retrograde step - we will go back to how we were a century ago when we couldn't offer women a range of options."
Prof Cardozo pointed out that artificial hips and knees were not perfect when they were first introduced, but thanks to further research and progress they ended up improving lives.
"We need to be very careful that [mesh] is used in the right women by the right doctors... who have explained the risk-benefit ratio and all other types of treatment," she added.
Some doctors did not have the skills or training to put in vaginal meshes, and the devices have been overused, the professor has argued.
She also said the debate over vaginal mesh was making some women who had had surgery unnecessarily anxious.
"They are panicking because they believe something terrible may be happening inside their body as a result of tape or mesh, but most women are problem-free," said Prof Cardozo.
Kathryn Taylor says her mesh implant has improved her life
Kathryn Taylor was just 35 when she suffered her first prolapse.
She was later diagnosed with a condition that had weakened the muscles around her uterus and bowel.
Last year she had a second vaginal mesh implant to help keep those organs in place.
"Mesh isn't right for everyone, but it's totally changed my life for the better," Kathryn said.
"Without it I wouldn't be able to work and lead a normal life.
"I'd have to have a colostomy bag attached to my leg," she explained.
Stephanie Williams is waiting to have her mesh implant removed after being left in constant pain
However campaigners, like Stephanie Williams, are protesting against all types of vaginal mesh and tape.
They are calling for more research into the types of mesh products used and their longer-term effects. They say women have not been given the full facts about the possible side effects.
In her own case, Stephanie says she didn't realise she was having a vaginal mesh implant and it has left her in constant pain.
"The word mesh was never mentioned," she said.
"I would not have even known what mesh meant at the time and if it was mentioned beforehand we would have looked into it before," she added.
She is now waiting to have her mesh removed.
John Wilkinson, the director of devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: "Patient safety is our highest priority and we recognise some women do develop serious complications which can be very significant for the affected women."
"We also know many women gain benefit from these surgical procedures for what can be extremely debilitating conditions," he added.
Mr Wilkinson encouraged patients and doctors to report any complications linked with the mesh implants through the Yellow Card scheme.
The NHS has always insisted that the vast majority of procedures using mesh are a success and many women have benefitted from surgery.
The health watchdog - the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - is due to make its final recommendations next week.
Companies in the US have already paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to patients. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42280544 |
Egypt uncovers ancient tombs at Luxor - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A mummy dating back about 3,500 years is among items discovered in the two tombs. | Middle East | The mummy is believed to be that of a senior official from the New Kingdom
Archaeologists in Egypt have displayed items, including a mummy, from one of two previously unexplored tombs in the ancient Nile city of Luxor.
The mummy is believed to be that of a senior official from Egypt's "New Kingdom", about 3,500 years ago.
The tombs lie in the Draa Abul Naga necropolis, an area famed for its temples and burial grounds.
It is close to the Valley of the Kings where many of ancient Egypt's pharaohs were buried.
Egypt's antiquities ministry said that the tombs had been discovered by a German archaeologist in the 1990s, but were kept sealed until recently.
The identity of the mummified body is not known but the ministry says there are two possibilities.
It could be a person named Djehuty Mes, whose name is engraved on one of the walls, or it could be a scribe called Maati whose name - and the name of his wife, Mehi - are written on funerary cones, officials said.
The other tomb was only recently "uncovered" and has not yet been fully excavated, the ministry said.
In September, archaeologists discovered the tomb of a royal goldsmith near Luxor.
The tomb, which also dated back to the New Kingdom, contained a statue of the goldsmith Amenemhat, sitting beside his wife. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42295162 |
Israel strikes Gaza Hamas sites after rocket attacks - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tension rises following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. | Middle East | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Israel says it has targeted sites in Gaza belonging to militant group Hamas in retaliation for rocket strikes.
Israel's military said it had hit weapons sites early on Saturday. Two people died, a Gaza hospital said, bringing the deaths in Israeli strikes and gunfire over the past day to four.
Three rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza late on Friday.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have risen since President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Wednesday's decision reversed decades of US neutrality on one of the most sensitive issues between the two sides.
Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The diplomatic fallout over Mr Trump's move has continued, with Palestinian officials saying that President Mahmoud Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice-President Mike Pence later this month.
Egypt's Coptic Church has also cancelled a planned meeting, saying Mr Trump's declaration "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people".
At a security conference in Bahrain, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the Jerusalem announcement was "a gift to radicalism", Reuters news agency reports.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. On Friday, crowds gathered in Jerusalem's Old City to protest against Mr Trump's decision
There have been fresh protests in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and in East Jerusalem.
Earlier on Friday, Fathi Hammad, a senior Hamas leader, said anyone seeking to move their embassy to Jerusalem was "an enemy of the Palestinians".
Speaking before the United Nations on Friday, US ambassador Nikki Haley said the US "recognises the obvious; that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel".
She said the US continued to be "committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement", and accused the UN of bias, saying it "has outrageously been one of the world's foremost centres of hostility towards Israel".
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"Israel will never be, and never should be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Mrs Haley said.
Israel had deployed extra battalions to the West Bank in anticipation of violence after Palestinian leaders called for protests after Friday prayers.
There were protests held elsewhere on Friday against Mr Trump's announcement.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters held demonstrations in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia and Iran.
Further afield, protesters rallied in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indian-administered Kashmir and Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why the ancient city of Jerusalem is so important
Jerusalem is of huge importance to both Israel and the Palestinians. It contains sites sacred to the three major monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Israel occupied the eastern sector - previously occupied by Jordan - in 1967, and annexed it in 1980, but the move has never been recognised internationally.
Some 330,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, along with about 200,000 Israeli Jews in a dozen settlements there. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel does not regard them as settlements but legitimate neighbourhoods.
According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.
The last round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014 and while the US is formulating fresh proposals, Palestinian officials say Mr Trump's announcement has disqualified the US from brokering future negotiations. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42291071 |
Why British Muslims care about Jerusalem - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | null | After Donald Trump officially recognised the city as Israel's capital, UK Muslims tell us why that matters. | null | This week US President Donald Trump said his country would officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of American policy.
Israelis (predominantly Jewish) and Palestinians (predominantly Muslim) have been in conflict for years over the city.
We asked Muslims in Bradford, which has one of the UK's largest Muslim populations, whether Jerusalem matters to them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42289551 |
Jail for cleaning fluid attack robbers - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The pair used the ammonia to target "petite women" who would not be able to fight back. | London | Sadik Kamara (left) and Joshua Jordan were part of a gang of five who targeted the women
Two robbers who laughed after spraying women in their faces with cleaning fluid have been jailed for 10 years.
Rapper Sadik Kamara, 24, known as Trizzy Trapz, and Joshua Jordan, 20, both of Newham, east London, used the ammonia to target "petite women" who would not be able to fight back.
Judge John Dodd QC jailed them for the "horrifying, cruel and barbaric" crimes which he said were "gratuitous".
Both women they attacked suffered facial burns but were not disfigured.
Prosecutor Benn Maguire told the Old Bailey how the defendants were among a gang of five who set out to deliberately target "petite women" to rob on 10 March.
"During the robbery and undoubtedly to instil fear in the minds of their victims, the attackers sprayed ammonia into the faces of their victims," he said.
"Any attempt to shout for help has resulted in ammonia being sprayed into the open mouths of the female victims - cowardly in the extreme."
The pair were previously found guilty of using the corrosive fluid with intent to injure or cause grievous bodily harm.
They were also convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.
Jailing Kamara and Jordan for 10 years with four years on extended licence, the judge said: "These are dreadful and shocking offences. You chose to rob women who would have stood no chance against you, a gang of five men.
"Even if you were unarmed, you still chose to take ammonia with you and use it against two slight women."
In one attack in Hackney, shopkeeper Quyen Bei, 51, fought off the raiders.
Four men with faces covered were captured on CCTV as they entered the store wearing hoods and gloves.
The pair were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday
During the attempted robbery, Kamara squirted ammonia in Mrs Bei's face at least three times.
The other robbers, including Jordan, struggled with Mrs Bei, who was punched to the ground and kicked.
She managed to press the panic alarm despite suffering burns to her face. The gang fled empty-handed.
About 10 minutes later, the defendants attacked a random woman in the street, the court heard.
The pair forced Vietnamese Thi Le Nguyen, 49, to the ground and one pinned her face to the pavement while the other repeatedly sprayed her face with the cleaning fluid.
They snatched her handbag and ran back to their getaway car laughing together.
Bottles of household cleaner containing high-strength ammonia were found nearby, clearly marked with warnings it could cause "severe skin burns and blindness".
Following sentencing, Det Con Ben Kahane said: "The level of violence used was completely disproportionate.
"The witness testimony describing how two of the suspects ran off laughing I think sums up the callous enjoyment the gang felt in targeting their victims."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42288311 |
UK snow: Ice could add to travel disruption as temperatures drop - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Significant snowfall is forecast for the weekend, with warnings some communities could be cut off. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Weather warnings are still in place in large parts of the UK, amid concern that icy conditions could cause travel delays and "cut off" some rural areas.
The Met Office said snow showers would continue to affect parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and parts of the Midlands.
A few centimetres of snow is likely but up to 20cm is possible in some areas.
There are yellow "be aware" warnings for parts of the country, with an amber "be prepared" alert in place on Sunday.
The Midlands, Wales, northern and eastern England and the far north of Scotland are most likely to have heavy snow early on Sunday morning.
According to BBC Weather, a 10cm spread of snow will initially mount in the Midlands and eastern England, before gradually becoming lighter and patchier throughout the day and into Sunday evening.
Birmingham Airport have warned passengers travelling on Sunday morning to allow more time for their journey as a result.
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Meanwhile southern parts of England and Wales could face heavy rain and gale force winds of up to 70mph (112km/h), the Met Office said. Icy surfaces are likely to be an "additional hazard", it added.
Highways England have urged drivers to "prepare for every eventuality", recommending they carry warm clothing, food, drink, required medication, boots, a shovel and a torch.
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Temperatures are likely to reach lows of -10C (14F) in some parts of Scotland and Wales, particularly in rural areas.
The heaviest and most frequent snow showers are forecast to affect mainly north east Scotland.
On Sunday "there is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off", the Met Office said.
The Met Office have issued yellow and amber weather warnings for Sunday
Only a small proportion of power cuts affecting homes and businesses across the Midlands, south west England and south Wales are related to the weather, Western Power Distribution said.
All current outages are set to be restored by 23:00 GMT on Saturday, ahead of further possible power cuts on Sunday due to the expected snowfall.
Meanwhile in Scotland, where 18,000 households had been without power, electricity supplies have been restored.
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Highways officials have reported "hazardous" driving conditions and police in Shropshire in the West Midlands advised against driving unless "absolutely necessary".
There are delays to some flights at Manchester Airport and it advises passengers to check with their airline before travelling.
The final day of Lincoln Christmas market has also been cancelled over safety concerns about the expected snowfall.
In the Brecon Beacons, one family made the most of an opportunity for a snowball fight
But it still was not cold enough for trousers in Greater Manchester
Have you experienced any disruption? Please share your experience with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42272554 |
Amber snow warning issued for Sunday - BBC Weather | 2017-12-09 | null | A warning has been issued by the Met Office advising significant snowfall on Sunday | null | Parts of England and Wales fall under an amber 'be prepared' weather warning on Sunday. Significant snowfall is forecast with impacts for travel expected. Louise Lear explains the potential impacts. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/42283123 |
Kevin Spacey 'groped Norwegian king's son-in-law' - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The King of Norway's former son-in-law accuses Spacey of groping him at a Nobel Peace Prize concert. | Entertainment & Arts | Ari Behn was married to Princess Martha Louise from 2002-16
The King of Norway's former son-in-law has accused Kevin Spacey of groping him after a Nobel Peace Prize concert.
Ari Behn told radio station P4 that it happened after the actor had hosted the event in 2007.
"I am a generous person, but this was a bit more than I had in mind," said Behn, who was married to King Harald's daughter Martha Louise until last year.
Spacey has been accused of sexual abuse and harassment by a string of men and has been written out of House of Cards.
A spokesman for Spacey said last month that he was "taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment" in the wake of the allegations.
Kevin Spacey, pictured before the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2007
Recalling the alleged incident, Behn said: "We had a great talk, he sat right beside me.
"After five minutes he said, 'hey, let's go out and have a cigarette'. Then he puts his hand under the table and grabs me by the balls."
Behn said he put Spacey off by telling him: "Er, maybe later."
He added: "My hair was dark at the time, I was 10 years younger and right up his alley."
Last month, the Old Vic theatre in London said it had received 20 personal testimonies of alleged inappropriate behaviour by Spacey while he was artistic director there.
He has faced other allegations too, with the claims leaving his career in ruins.
He has been removed from the sixth season of House of Cards, which will instead focus on his on-screen wife, played by Robin Wright.
Spacey has also been replaced by Christopher Plummer in the new Ridley Scott film All the Money in the World.
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-42284021 |
North Korea: Urgent need to open channels, UN says after visit - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After the visit, North Korea said it has agreed to better communication with the UN in future. | Asia | A top UN official told senior North Korean figures there was an "urgent need" to keep channels open to avoid the risk of war, the organisation says.
The statement follows a visit to Pyongyang by Jeffrey Feltman, the highest-level trip by a UN official to the isolated nation in six years.
North Korea says it has agreed to regular communication with the UN.
Tensions over the North's weapons programme were raised further after a fresh ballistic missile test last week.
North Korea said it was its most advanced missile yet, capable of reaching the continental US.
The test was the latest in a series of nuclear and missile tests conducted in defiance of UN sanctions.
South Korea and the US have meanwhile been carrying out large-scale military drills in a show of force.
On Sunday, South Korea said it will join the US in imposing fresh sanctions against the North.
Twenty North Korean firms and 12 individuals have reportedly been added to a South Korean blacklist, which will take effect from Monday.
The move by Seoul, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, was designed to cut off international sources of funding for North Korea's nuclear missile programme, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said.
The measures are in addition to those imposed by the UN Security Council.
The UN continues to operate in North Korea, with programmes providing food, agricultural and health aid but the last visit by a senior official was back in 2011.
After the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Mr Feltman met senior North Koreans all agreed "the current situation was the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today", according to the statement.
"Noting the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, Mr Feltman underlined that the international community, alarmed by escalating tensions, is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution," it added.
North Korean state media earlier said current tensions were "entirely ascribable to the US hostile policy".
Some of latest pictures released by North Korea showed Kim Jong-un on Mount Paektu, the country's highest peak
But in its reporting of Mr Feltman's trip, KCNA also said both sides agreed on "communication through visits at different level on a regular basis in the future".
Before leaving for Pyongyang, Mr Feltman held talks in China, North Korea's historic ally and main trading partner.
Despite calls from other world leaders for restraint, this year has seen US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hurl insults at each other, both at one time saying the other was mad.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson though has said that lines of communication are open between the two sides.
North Korea argues nuclear capabilities are its only deterrent against an outside world seeking to destroy it. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42295078 |
Vaccination plea after Halesworth boy's meningitis death - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | null | The parents of a boy, six, who died from meningitis B have called on all children to be vaccinated. | null | The parents of a six-year-old boy who died from meningitis B have called for a wider vaccination programme. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-42281678 |
Lord's Prayer: Pope Francis calls for change - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The head of the Catholic Church calls for a better translation of a phrase about temptation. | Europe | The Pope is suggesting changes to Christianity's best-known prayer
Pope Francis has called for a translation of a phrase about temptation in the Lord's Prayer to be changed.
The current wording that says "lead us not into temptation" is not a good translation because God does not lead humans to sin, he says.
His suggestion is to use "do not let us fall into temptation" instead, he told Italian TV on Wednesday night.
The Lord's Prayer is the best-known prayer in Christianity.
The pontiff said France's Roman Catholic Church was now using the new wording "do not let us fall into temptation" as an alternative, and something similar should be used worldwide.
"Do not let me fall into temptation because it is I who fall, it is not God who throws me into temptation and then sees how I fell," he told TV2000, an Italian Catholic TV channel.
"A father does not do that, a father helps you to get up immediately."
It is a translation from the Latin Vulgate, a 4th-Century Latin translation of the Bible, which itself was translated from ancient Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.
Since the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has not shied away from controversy and has tackled some issues head-on, Vatican observers say.
He has previously said the Roman Catholic Church should apologise to gay people for the way it has treated them.
He has also compared European migrant detention centres with concentration camps. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42279427 |
Ashes: England's Ben Duckett poured drink over James Anderson in Perth bar - BBC Sport | 2017-12-09 | null | Ben Duckett is dropped from an Ashes tour game and also suspended after pouring a drink over England bowler James Anderson in a Perth bar. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Ben Duckett was dropped from Saturday's Ashes tour game after pouring a drink over England bowler James Anderson in a Perth bar.
The 23-year-old batsman, part of the England Lions squad, was due to play against a Cricket Australia XI as a number of the senior party were rested.
On Thursday, he was socialising with Lions and senior squad members, who were not under a curfew.
"It's trivial, but in the current climate not acceptable," said coach Trevor Bayliss.
Anderson, who has played in 131 Tests, is England's all-time leading wicket-taker and there is no suggestion the 35-year-old did anything wrong.
• None Listen: England should be trying to win respect - Agnew
• None Ballance fails to press England case as he fails in Perth
In September, England all-rounder and vice-captain Ben Stokes was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm after an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub.
Then, at the start of the Ashes tour, Jonny Bairstow was accused of 'headbutting' Australia's Cameron Bancroft in a Perth bar.
"Everyone has been warned about how even small things can be blown out of all proportion," added Bayliss.
"I'm disappointed. With what we have had to go through already with these problems, it is not acceptable."
Duckett has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation that will be led by Lions coach Andy Flower.
"Andy will look after his player and if anything needs to be said or done with the first team, we'll handle that," added Australian Bayliss.
"I'm not sure what more I can say to the players. I'm sure there will be some stern words from above."
When asked if he is "fed up" about having to address off-field matters, Bayliss replied: "Very much so. I'm here to coach the team and I end up spending most of the time trying to explain behaviour that the boys have been warned about."
The latest indiscretion involving the England team is thought to have left management incredibly angry.
There is a feeling trouble usually centres around the same small group of players and that they could pay with their place in the squad, even if that weakens the overall strength of the team.
"I might review who is in the team," said Bayliss. "They can't keep making the same mistakes.
"Most of the guys are fine, but somewhere along the line some of the guys have to pull their heads in."
Northants left-hander Duckett averages 15.71 in four Tests for England, the last of which was against India in November 2016.
He was replaced in the England team for the game at Richardson Park by Joe Clarke.
England are 2-0 down in the Ashes series and will relinquish the urn if they are beaten in the third Test in Perth, which begins on Thursday.
The Ashes squad had been placed under a curfew after the incident between Bairstow and Bancroft came to light during England's 10-wicket defeat in the first Test in Brisbane.
Though both Bairstow and Bancroft described the occurrence as "without malice", England's players were subsequently required to return to their hotel by midnight.
That curfew was lifted for the first time on the night of Duckett's indiscretion.
It is understood that no members of the public were involved and England team security were present. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/42291541 |
'Come out in class - if you want to', teachers urged - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Heads urged to offer more support to LGBT teachers to be their "authentic selves". | Family & Education | Grahame Colclough: "Nothing was whispered, rushed, or secretive"
When senior staff member Grahame Colclough and his partner Jon decided to get married, his head teacher made the announcement in a school assembly.
She presented gifts to the couple who had "been together for years".
"Nothing was whispered, rushed or secretive," Grahame remembers.
Now, guidance from the heads' union NAHT urges all schools to be similarly supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff who want to reveal their sexual identities in classrooms.
Billed as the first of its kind in the UK and endorsed by the campaign group Stonewall, the guidance covers key issues faced by LGBT staff - such as harassment, discrimination, bullying and lack of visibility.
It also lays out the role and responsibilities of school leaders in creating workplaces where "staff can feel safe and be open with colleagues and with pupils".
The NAHT says 2014 research from Manchester Business School found that individuals from sexual minority groups were more than twice as likely as heterosexuals to be bullied or discriminated against in the workplace, with knock-on effects on their physical and mental health.
It also notes that a 2016 review for the government's Equalities Office found very high levels of workplace bullying and harassment against trans people.
The guidance advises heads to take personal responsibility for promoting inclusion and tackling bullying based on sexual orientation.
"We haven't made as much progress as we should on LGBT-plus rights in schools.
"We need to change that," said NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman.
"Schools decide the kind of society that we have, they transform children into citizens of the world and if we aren't getting the treatment of LGBT-plus pupils and teachers right in schools then we won't be getting it right in society.
"It shouldn't take bravery to be yourself or to stand up for your colleagues' rights, but it does sometimes.
"This can have a serious impact on the mental health, happiness and motivation of school staff as well as pupils."
The union's equalities group chairwoman, Sally Bates, said that while some LGBT-plus staff chose not to be open about their sexual orientation, too many others kept quiet for fear of discrimination, bullying or harassment.
Nick Ward, director of Teach First, said he wanted a world where teachers are "not just permitted but supported and encouraged to discuss their sexual and gender identity in order to provide what all teachers aim to provide, a role model for their students".
Troy Jenkinson, a Leicestershire primary head teacher who is open about his sexuality, said: "It is crucial for us to get it right now in our schools so we can prepare our students for accepting diversity as they become the next generation of adults.
"In the words of one of my Year 6 pupils, 'Love is love.'"
The NAHT wants all schools to behave like Grahame Colclough's where he says the wedding announcement was "perfectly normal and exactly how it happens for all of the staff in our school who are getting married".
The guidance will be published next week on the NAHT website. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42281732 |
US lawmaker Trent Franks quits over 'surrogacy' talks with aides - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Republican Trent Franks is the third lawmaker to resign in three days over sexual harassment claims. | US & Canada | Trent Franks is accused of offering a former aide $5m to act as a surrogate mother
Arizona Republican Trent Franks has resigned amid an ethics investigation into claims he repeatedly asked female staff to be surrogate mothers.
The announcement came after a congressional panel said it was opening an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against Mr Franks.
The lawmaker acknowledged discussing surrogacy with two female aides when he and his wife were facing infertility.
He is the third member of Congress to resign in three days.
The Associated Press reports one of Mr Franks' former aides accuses him of offering her $5m (£3.7m) to act as a surrogate mother, repeatedly pressing her to carry his child.
She told the news agency that another female staff member had also been approached by Mr Franks about surrogacy.
One of the aides reportedly said Mr Franks retaliated against her after she turned down his alleged surrogacy requests by ignoring her and withholding assignments.
A spokesman for the eight-term congressman - who has a net worth of $33m - would not comment on whether he had offered aides money to act as surrogates.
Mr Franks said on Thursday his resignation would take effect next month.
But on Friday he said he had decided to quit immediately after his wife was admitted to a Washington hospital "due to an ongoing ailment".
In a statement on Thursday, the 60-year-old Republican acknowledged "my discussion of surrogacy with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable.
"I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress."
Mr Franks said he and his wife, Josephine, had used a surrogate to carry their two twins.
He stood down as the House of Representatives ethics committee opened an inquiry against him into a matter that "constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment".
Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said he had advised the congressman to stand down.
In the space of one week, three members of Congress have announced they are resigning because of sexual misconduct allegations. That, in all likelihood, is just the beginning.
If the past is any guide, the worst transgressions and abuses of power come in institutions - Hollywood, the Catholic Church, the athletic department of a major state university - where authority is unchecked and accountability is limited. The halls of Congress all too often fit that description.
Each congressional office is like a mini kingdom, with the member of Congress as monarch. Employees work at the "will and pleasure" of the elected politician. Staffers share stories of abuse - sometimes of the walk-my-dog, pick-up-my-dry-cleaning variety and sometimes much darker.
Those darker stories are beginning to come to light. Journalists are digging, and there are already reports of dozens of legislators under the microscope.
Both parties are being tested. If politicians in Washington aren't sweating, they should be.
The real test, however, will come when voters head to the polls in the months ahead. Will they hold lawmakers accountable? The answer will go a long way to determining whether the #MeToo movement is a blip or if it will fundamentally reshape the Washington power structure.
The ethics committee also announced on Thursday it was investigating Texas Republican Blake Farenthold amid claims of sexual misconduct against him by a former member of staff.
It was revealed last week that Mr Farenthold used $84,000 of taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit with his former communications director.
Resignations of two Democratic lawmakers have shaken Washington this week.
Democratic congressman John Conyers announced on Tuesday that he will step down after multiple aides accused him of sexual misconduct.
Hours before Mr Franks' announcement, Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken said he too was resigning over claims of groping after several Democrats called on him to step down. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42274780 |
Johnny Hallyday: Huge crowds gather to say farewell - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | null | Hundreds of leather-clad bikers follow the French singer's coffin down the Champs-Elysees. | null | Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to bid farewell to the French rock star Johnny Hallyday, who died this week.
President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the singer in a eulogy at the Madeleine church. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42293127 |
Stormzy is BBC Music's artist of the year - BBC News | 2017-12-09 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The grime artist caps a huge year by taking home the main prize at the 2017 BBC Music Awards. | Entertainment & Arts | Stormzy made the transition from underground success to household name in 2017
Stormzy has been named artist of the year at the 2017 BBC Music Awards, capping a hugely successful year.
The south London MC, whose debut album Gang Signs & Prayer was the first grime record to reach number one, beat Ed Sheeran and Lorde to the prize.
He adds it to a collection that already includes three Mobos and the Q Award for best solo artist.
Rag N Bone Man collected album of the year, while Foo Fighters won best live performance for their Glastonbury set.
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The US band headlined the festival this June, two years after they were forced to pull out when frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg.
Taking to the stage this summer, Grohl blamed the delay on "bad traffic", before launching into a blistering, hit-filled set.
Their performance eventually overran by 20 minutes because the crowd kept singing between songs.
"It really did just turn into this one big ball of love and energy and celebration and music," Grohl said as he collected the BBC Music Award.
"That's what you want every show to be, but when it's on that scale it's a big feeling."
This year's BBC Music Award winners pose with their trophies
Rag N Bone Man's prize came in recognition of his debut album Human, which is the year's biggest-selling debut.
"That's a proper good award," he said. "I keep thinking at one point that someone is going to fishhook me off and tell me it's a joke, but it's not, and it's a wonderful thing to have."
In previous years, the BBC Music Awards have been handed out at a glitzy televised arena concert, with performances from the likes of One Direction, Little Mix and Robbie Williams.
However, after disappointing ratings (2016's show was watched by 2.7 million people) this year's awards were handed out during a a one-hour BBC Two special titled The Year In Music 2017.
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Hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Clara Amfo, it looked at some of the year's biggest music stories, from the One Love concert in Manchester to Black Sabbath's last ever gig.
Stormzy, who self-released his debut album in February, has been one of the year's biggest breakout stars.
The rapper also contributed a heartbreaking verse to the Artists for Grenfell single, and collaborated with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Krept & Konan and Little Mix.
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"When I done the song with Little Mix, some people thought that questioned my integrity," he told the BBC Two show. "I was like, 'bro, I rate Little Mix more than I rate some of your favourite rappers.'"
On receiving his artist of the year prize, the star, whose real name is Michael Omari, said: "I'm actually blessed to be able to say that I'm an artist that's managed to be regarded as someone that's worthy of this award.
"I don't know what the future holds for me but I'm definitely ready for it."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Declan McKenna talks to BBC Breakfast about his award
One final award, for BBC Introducing artist of the year, went to rising star Declan McKenna, whose effervescent indie-pop songs address weighty topics like police brutality, transgender conversion therapy and corruption at Fifa.
The star, who first got played on radio after uploading songs to the BBC Introducing website as a 15-year-old, thanked the organisation "for relentlessly rooting for me throughout the years".
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-42282182 |
McLaren struggle as Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen tops day two of Barcelona test - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | McLaren's dire start to pre-season testing continues with a second day of problems with Honda's new engine, as Ferrari set the pace. | null | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
McLaren have suffered a dire start to pre-season testing, with a second consecutive day hit by major problems with Honda's new engine.
Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne completed only 40 laps - just 11 more than team-mate Fernando Alonso on Monday.
With a quarter of pre-season testing gone, McLaren have completed 69 slow laps. Mercedes have done more than 300.
Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari was fastest on Tuesday, from Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
Vandoorne finished the day 10th fastest of 11 drivers and 4.6 seconds off the pace.
• None Day two of pre-season testing as it happened
Honda has introduced a new engine layout for this season, following the design philosophy used by Mercedes since the start of the turbo hybrid formula in 2014.
Honda F1 engine boss Yusuke Hasegawa said at the launch of the McLaren car last Friday that he believed the Japanese company could match by the start of the season the power levels achieved by Mercedes at the end of 2016. Mercedes are understood to have made another step since then.
But the technology involved is complicated and Honda has so far not managed to make the engine work in the car.
On Monday, Alonso's problem was caused by a new oil-tank design that was not scavenging the oil effectively.
Vandoorne completed 29 laps on Tuesday morning before another engine problem kept him in the pits for several hours.
He returned to the track for the final hour but did just 11 laps. One was enough to move him off the bottom of the time sheets.
Honda has not yet said what the problem was with the engine Vandoorne used on Tuesday.
"We would have liked to put in more laps," Vandoorne said. "Hopefully overnight we can analyse what went wrong and come back with a reliable car tomorrow.
"This was my first day of testing, Fernando didn't get many laps in yesterday, so tomorrow and after tomorrow are going to be important days for us."
While McLaren toiled, Mercedes and Ferrari continued their impressive starts to their 2017 campaigns at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Hamilton was fastest in the morning, when he completed 66 laps - the length of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas took over the car in the afternoon and completed the first full race-simulation run of the winter.
But it was Raikkonen who set the pace, with a lap in one minute 20.960 seconds - 0.023secs quicker than Hamilton.
Raikkonen was using the 'soft' tyre when he set his lap and Hamilton the faster super-soft. But Hamilton lost 0.3secs in the last sector of the lap compared to his best time on the soft tyre, which suggests he could have gone faster.
It is in any case unwise to use headline lap times in testing as a guide to form as it is impossible to know the fuel loads of the cars, how hard the engines are being pushed or the specification they are running in.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third fastest, ahead of the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
Williams rookie Lance Stroll had a difficult start to his 2017 campaign, spinning at Turn Nine after just 12 laps.
The 18-year-old Canadian damaged the front wing and that ended his running for the day as Williams needed to send back to their factory in Oxfordshire for replacements, which will not arrive in Spain until Wednesday morning.
"It is unfortunate," he said. "One front wing, a spin, a little winglet [damaged], but that is Formula 1. The car is very complex. There is not a lot of room for error.
"I'm just getting to grips with the car. A little spin. I drove back to the paddock. Sometimes these things happen, but no, not a dent in the confidence." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39121254 |
Luis Enrique: Barcelona boss to step down at end of season - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says he will step down at the end of the season, because he needs to "rest". | null | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique will step down at the end of the season, saying he needs to "rest".
The 46-year-old, in his third season in charge of Barca, was speaking after their 6-1 win over Sporting Gijon.
He won the Champions League as part of the treble in his first year and led them to a domestic double last season.
But they are on the verge of elimination from the Champions League after losing 4-0 to Paris St-Germain in the last-16 first leg.
• None 'Writing was on the wall for exhausted Enrique'
• None 'Everton's Koeman could be Enrique successor at Barcelona'
"It is a difficult, measured and well thought-out decision and I think I have to be loyal to what I think," said Enrique, who will leave at the end of his contract this summer.
"I would like to thank the club for the confidence they have shown in me. It's been three unforgettable years.
"It's about how I live with my profession, with a never-ending quest for solutions and to improve my team. That means I have very little time to rest, very few hours to disconnect.
"I think it will be good for me at the end of the season, because I need to rest. That's the principle motive.
"The most important thing is we have three exciting months left in all three competitions. In one of them, we are in a difficult situation but if the stars align, we will have a chance to turn it around."
Barca's win over Sporting took them to the top of La Liga, one point clear of Real Madrid, who have a game in hand. They face Alaves in the Copa del Rey final on 27 May.
Former Spain midfielder Enrique featured for Barcelona between 1996 and his retirement from playing in 2004.
He then coached their B team from 2008 to 2011, returning to the club as first-team boss after spells managing Roma and Celta Vigo.
'Thank you for all he has done'
Former Barca coach Pep Guardiola paid tribute to his ex-Nou Camp team-mate.
"I have two reactions, as a supporter," Guardiola said after his Manchester City side's 5-1 FA Cup win over Huddersfield.
"I am sorry it is the club of my heart. I am so sad because we will miss the perfect trainer for Barcelona, from his personality and his character.
"His three years he played unbelievable football, with unbelievable players. I am like a fan with a membership of Barcelona. I can say thank you for all he has done in his three years at my club."
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said: "Luis Enrique has brought us great success and he can still bring us more. The players are motivated to do it.
"We accept Luis Enrique's decision. He has been a great coach. Now it is time to end his spell in the best possible way."
Analysis - Koeman or Laudrup for the job?
"This could be a good moment - it could be a stimulation for the team, a release. When we are watching Barcelona we are watching a team that is losing its essence. Luis Enrique is losing control of the team - the midfield especially. What remains of Pep Guardiola's team seems smaller and smaller every day.
"Barcelona is a big club and I'm not sure Enrique was a coach for many, many years. He's explosive. He expends a lot of energy.
"Jorge Sampaoli has brought something exceptional to Sevilla, but I don't think he is the appropriate man for the club because he doesn't know FC Barcelona. A Ronald Koeman or a Michael Laudrup would be more appropriate because they know the philosophy of the club." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39136312 |
FA Cup: Harry Bunn gives Huddersfield surprise lead against Man City - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Huddersfield's Harry Bunn gives his side a surprise lead away against Manchester City in their FA Cup fifth-round replay. | null | Huddersfield's Harry Bunn gives his side a surprise lead away against Manchester City in their FA Cup fifth-round replay.
Watch all the best action from the FA Cup fifth round here.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39136042 |
Stand by for a quiet revolution in the NHS - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Radical changes to the structure of the NHS in some parts of England are likely to be unveiled next month. | Health | There is a quiet revolution happening in the NHS in England. It's under the radar and has been little commented on till now.
Details of the potentially radical changes will emerge at the end of March.
There is, apparently, no need for new legislation.
In effect, the controversial health reforms of 2012 will be bypassed in some parts of England.
Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, will unveil his thinking in late March but he has given some clues to MPs on the Public Accounts Committee.
His aim in some areas is to abolish a fundamental feature of the structure of the NHS in England - what's known as the purchaser/provider split.
Health reforms by the Conservative government in the early 1990s created a divide between "purchasers", which have evolved into the current Clinical Commissioning Groups, and "providers", which are the hospitals and other trusts.
Purchasers control budgets allocated by NHS England and commission care on behalf of their local patients. Providers deliver that care in return for a fee known as the tariff.
The theory was that the split would deliver value for money with purchasers shopping around for care provision.
But critics now say that there are tensions which impede an efficient use of resources.
Simon Stevens has signalled the end of the purchaser-provider split
Hospitals, so they argue, are incentivised to get as many patients through their doors as they can to generate income. This pulls against moves to treat more people outside hospitals.
Mr Stevens wants to see local health economies run as single entities with no purchaser/provider split.
The pioneers will be the most successful Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs).
These plans have been put together in 44 areas of England involving health and social care chiefs trying to work out the best use of their joint resources in the face of rising patient demand.
Half a dozen, or possibly more STPs, which have already started evolving into management bodies, will be unveiled as the first of this new breed of health organisations, which will both set local health priorities and manage local services.
Joined-up care will be the mantra. Crucially they will be given so called "capitation" budgets. This will be a set sum per person in that area, regardless of whether they need care or not.
This model is used in parts of other countries, including Valencia in Spain.
To use another piece of jargon, there are "accountable care organisations". A key feature is the built-in incentive to keep people out of hospitals.
If managers are receiving the same amount of money each year for every local resident whatever their state of health, so the theory goes, they will be more inclined to treat people away from hospitals where possible.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups, a key part of the structure set up by the then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in 2012, will, in effect, be sidelined in these new local care models.
Decision-making power on health spending, covering hospital and community care, will be concentrated in single organisations.
The leadership of NHS England, it seems, is confident these changes can be implemented within the existing legal parameters.
No big bang new legislation will be required. So the health service in parts of England will look very different from how the NHS works in others.
The idea is that the fastest ships in the convoy will lead the way and other areas can catch up when appropriate.
Ministers, I am told, are ready to go along with this process as long as it can be shown to work effectively.
There are no ideological hang-ups in government, it seems, and pragmatic moves to make health and social care work better are the priority in Whitehall.
What we don't know is how MPs will react when it becomes clear that such important changes are happening without full parliamentary debate.
Some on the left of the health debate believe that accountable care organisations are a Trojan horse for privatisation.
They argue that the process will lead to further fragmentation of the NHS. There has already been opposition to the STP process, seen by some as a cover for cuts.
It may all sound rather technical and interesting only to policy wonks.
But this is potentially the biggest change of its kind in a quarter of a century. Watch this space at the end of March. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39116005 |
Formula 1: Ferrari impress in Barcelona as Mercedes set test pace - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Ferrari impress for the second day running on Wednesday at the first pre-season test in Barcelona, Spain. | null | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Ferrari impressed for the second day running at the first pre-season test in Barcelona, Spain.
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas set the pace with the fastest time of the week, but Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was only 0.247 seconds behind on a slower tyre.
Bottas' time was set on the fastest ultra-soft tyre, Vettel's on the soft, which is two grades more durable.
Vettel was 0.155secs faster than Bottas managed on the same tyre. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third fastest.
• None Day three of pre-season testing as it happened
Vettel's performance came after team-mate Kimi Raikkonen set the pace on Tuesday, again using a harder tyre than the one Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used to be second fastest.
It is notoriously difficult to form an accurate indication of form from pre-season testing times, as it is impossible to know the specification each car is running in.
Factors such as fuel load, engine mode, track conditions, time of day, car set-up and a myriad other variables all affect a car's performance.
But observers from rivals teams are impressed by Ferrari's performance and say that initial indications of the car's performance are good.
The car stopped on the straight with a few minutes of the day's running remaining.
Four-time world champion Vettel said: "Car feels better than last year but I think everyone is saying that.
"It is quite a bit faster due to the new regulations. Different car to drive, different tyres. It is a good combination.
"Everybody [at Ferrari] is pushing like crazy. We have had a good three days, did a decent amount of laps. We have a lot of stuff we know we need to improve.
"I didn't really pay much attention to what the others are doing. It is very difficult to read."
Ricciardo was 1.2secs behind Vettel, but Red Bull are known to be running their Renault engine in a detuned mode and to have a number of new aerodynamic parts scheduled to appear next week.
But Mercedes continued to run reliably and quickly and undoubtedly have more performance to come.
Hamilton took over the car in the afternoon and concentrated on a race run, ending the day with eighth quickest time.
Williams novice Lance Stroll continued his difficult start to his Formula 1 career with two off-track moments in one day to add to the crash he had on Tuesday.
The second, in which the 18-year-old Canadian hit the wall at Turn Six, ended the team's running for the day with 90 minutes still to go.
It was the second time in less than two days he had damaged the car and raises questions about how much running Williams will be able to do on the final day of the test on Thursday.
The team had to fly out a second front wing overnight for Stroll after he damaged the first on Tuesday and are likely to be facing a parts shortage.
It was a better day for McLaren in terms of reliability, with Fernando Alonso at least able to do some fairly consistent running after the team's first two days were hit by major reliability problems with the Honda engine.
But while the car was able to run and McLaren gain experience, it was painfully slow for a team with aspirations of winning races.
Alonso's fastest time was 2.893secs slower than Bottas and his fastest time on the soft tyre was 3.374secs slower than Vettel's.
At this stage, McLaren appear as if they might be the slowest team of all.
Racing director Eric Boullier said: "We had many issues. I think none is obviously fundamental. All of them are fixable. I am not sure we know all of them yet.
"Today, finally, we can run, so have some other glitches, the usual ones you get on day one. But we have them on day three."
Honda F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa said: "Obviously we are not happy to have trouble, but this is a test - and we are feeling sorry for both drivers," he said. "So, we need to find out what has happened in the day two engine especially."
all others set on medium tyres | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39133608 |
Hamilton Academical 1-0 Aberdeen - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Mikey Devlin scores the winner as Hamilton climb to ninth in the Premiership with victory over Aberdeen. | null | Hamilton moved up to ninth in the Premiership with victory over Aberdeen.
Accies took the lead when Mikey Devlin stole in ahead of Ash Taylor to divert Danny Redmond's free-kick into the net from close range.
Adam Rooney almost brought the Dons level, his glancing header from Niall McGinn's cross coming back off a post.
Substitute Miles Storey had a goal ruled out for offside as Accies held on for the win despite a late red card for midfielder Darian MacKinnon.
The defeat sees Aberdeen remain nine points clear of third-placed Rangers having played a game more. Hamilton move off the bottom of the table and above Inverness CT, Motherwell and Ross County.
Hamilton stunned the Dons after just nine minutes with Devlin's first goal of the season, the defender getting a foot on the ball as the Aberdeen back-line hesitated and allowed him to prod the ball home.
Aberdeen started without Johnny Hayes, a shock absentee whose hamstring problem could also keep him out of the weekend Scottish Cup tie against Partick Thistle.
But they responded in positive fashion. Rooney rattled Gary Woods' left post with a header, McGinn flashed a shot across the goal and the same player landed a free-kick on top of the net.
Despite being a goal down they dominated play throughout the half, but just couldn't get the ball in the net.
The pressure on Hamilton was incessant but what you do have to say is that their defending was courageous.
And their spirits were lifted by the appearance off the bench of their marquee player Ali Crawford after a five-game absence through injury.
Devlin made an incredible goal-saving header over his own bar before Rooney failed to put away a Kenny McLean cross. Still the Alamo-like performance by the home team went on.
Even when sub Storey had the ball in the net Accies were saved by the offside flag.
And then Hamilton's luck seemed to change.
Two yellow cards within a minute meant a red for MacKinnon - the second a particularly reckless challenge - and suddenly for the last six minutes the home team were down to ten men.
But incredibly, despite conceding 20 corner kicks and winning not a single one themselves, they held out for a quite astonishing and vitally important win.
Hamilton manager Martin Canning: "Obviously in the first half we get our opportunity and we take it. Probably in the game we had four or five breakaways when we could have done better with the final pass.
"In the main it was backs to the wall, Aberdeen are a top team, so we knew they were going to be on the front foot. But with the situation we are in, everybody's got to fight, they've got to brave and throw their bodies on the line. Everything I'd want to see from the team, and I have seen it all season to be honest, was there tonight.
"Yeah, we rode our luck, Aberdeen had a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the box but I don't remember too many clear cut chances.
"A lot of it was balls into the box and Michael Devlin was outstanding. I've never mentioned it to the media before but it's something we've mentioned behind closed doors here. When you go back a couple of months ago when Scotland were playing, people were saying there are no young Scottish centre backs about and nobody even mentioned Michael, and he's captaining a Premier League team at 22.
"That's in the future and I think he's got the capabilities to go there but he just has to keep his head down and keep working hard and keep on performing like that, because Aberdeen are a top team and you're competing against the best in the country. All round I thought he was fantastic."
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "A lot of pride in the performance and pride in the response, dealing with the situation, players taking real responsibility.
"I didn't think it was a difficult game for us, coming here we normally find it a bit more difficult than it was tonight. I thought we dominated the game and some of our play was excellent. We can be critical of the goal we lost and the amount of crosses in their box and how we've not converted chances.
"Kenny McLean was a Rolls Royce tonight, he was absolutely everywhere. The high quality of his crossing, his possession and his work rate. He was in good company with a lot of good performances in the team, but sometimes you don't get what you deserve.
"It was total dominance, the game was played in their final third. We tried to be as positive as we could and we didn't panic. We just never had that final pass or shot in us tonight. Everyone could see how eager and determined our team was tonight to make the game go our way. While we lost we can still have a lot of pride in our performance."
• None Attempt blocked. Kenny McLean (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Substitution, Aberdeen. Anthony O'Connor replaces Ryan Jack because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Dougie Imrie (Hamilton Academical) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
• None Second yellow card to Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical) for a bad foul.
• None Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Ash Taylor (Aberdeen) header from the centre of the box is too high. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39035531 |
Mixed-race couple: 'The priest refused to marry us' - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Trudy and Barclay Patoir met when mixed-race relationships were still taboo. More than 70 years later they reveal the obstacles they overcame. | Magazine | Trudy and Barclay Patoir met during World War Two at a time when mixed-race relationships were still taboo. More than 70 years later they reveal the obstacles they had to overcome to stay together.
When Trudy Menard and Barclay Patoir told friends and family they were going to get married, no-one thought it was a good idea - because Trudy was white and Barclay was black.
"When I told them at work they thought I was daft marrying a black man. They all said, 'It won't last you know,' because it was a mixed-race marriage," says Trudy.
"I think some people thought I was marrying beneath myself."
When the couple had first met, a year or so earlier, Trudy admits she too had been uneasy.
Barclay (bottom right) with fellow volunteers in the US en route to Britain
"I had been working at Bryant and May's match factory, but it got bombed in the Blitz," says Trudy, now 96.
"I needed a new job and was told they wanted girls at the Rootes aircraft factory in Speke. We were paired up with engineers and they told me to go with Barclay. I said, 'I'm not going with a coloured man. I've never seen one before.' But they told me if I didn't I'd be sacked so I just got on with it."
Barclay, 97, was an apprentice engineer who had travelled to the UK from British Guiana in South America, now known as Guyana.
"There was a shortage of engineer skills in Britain in World War Two so young men from the Caribbean volunteered to help the mother country," he says.
Between 1941 and 1943, 345 civilians from the Caribbean region travelled to Liverpool under a scheme to increase war production. Barclay was assigned to work on Halifax bombers at the factory in Speke and Trudy was chosen to work as his assistant.
Barclay (left) pictured with the Duke of Devonshire at Downing Street
"He stood on one side of the wings with a drill and I stood on the other side with the dolly. I was frightened to death of him - I'm not frightened of him now!" says Trudy, laughing.
"We didn't speak for a while and then he started to bring me a cup of tea, and then he started bringing me sandwiches."
Over time the pair became firm friends.
"We used to talk about Liverpool and history. And she was very inquisitive about Guiana," Barclay says.
"The others at work used to say, 'They're never going to come down now, they're talking too much,'" Trudy adds.
The couple worked together on the wings of Halifax bombers
They went out for the first time when production at the factory slowed down and staff were given a chance to take time off.
"I took him to Southport on the train. We got some dirty looks then. I could tell some people were talking about us on the train but we took no notice, did we dear?
"When we got there we had something to eat and on the way back we went to his place, the hostel, for a cup of tea. And all the lads were so happy to meet me," Trudy says.
Liverpool had the longest-established black community in the country, however racism was still very much apparent in the 1940s. A study of West Indian workers' experiences in Liverpool found that while many white women would talk to black colleagues at work, they would ignore them in public. They feared "the attitude their friends or their family would adopt if they found out that she had been out with a coloured man," writes the author of the study, Anthony Richmond.
It was a prejudice that Trudy and Barclay were all too aware of.
"I didn't tell my mother when I was going to see Barclay," Trudy says.
"She thought I was going in to town to meet the girls. She had noticed I was very happy but she didn't know why.
"When she did find out she threatened to throw me out the house."
Trudy and Barclay went to watch the Austrian tenor, Richard Tauber, perform
The couple would go to tea rooms and sit in the park together. One special date was to a concert by the Austrian tenor Richard Tauber, who was touring the country.
"We saw him at the Empire Theatre. He sang 'My heart and I.' That's our song," Trudy says.
"I knew then that I couldn't live without Barclay, but I didn't dare tell anybody for months."
Eventually, in 1944, after they had known each other for about a year, Trudy decided she was ready to take the plunge and told Barclay she would like to marry him.
"He said to me: 'It's going to be very hard, you know that don't you?' And I said: 'Yes, I know.'"
Trudy was keen to have a church wedding but the priest at the local Catholic church in Liverpool refused to perform the service.
"He said, 'There's so many coloured men coming over here and going back home leaving the women with children. So I'm not marrying you.' We were upset about that," says Trudy.
However, they were determined to marry and settled for a brief ceremony at the Liverpool Register Office.
"Only Barclay's friend and one of my sisters went. The four of us went for a meal afterwards," Trudy says.
Shortly afterwards they decided to leave Liverpool.
"I had a friend who told me: 'Come to Manchester. It's more hospitable and there aren't as many racial problems,'" Barclay says.
"But it was difficult to find accommodation because nobody would have you if you were a mixed marriage."
They eventually got a room in a boarding house where Barclay's friend lived.
"The landlady had lodgers in but she took us in anyway and gave us her big front room," Trudy says.
"She was a prostitute herself but what a good woman she was."
Barclay continued to work in Liverpool, returning to Manchester at night. When the war ended he took the option offered to volunteers from British colonies to remain in the UK. However, it took him some time to adapt to his new home.
"You've got to have a good mentality to survive. I missed my family for about 10 years - I used to dream about them. And I found the freezing cold hard. I was used to a tropical climate," he says.
"He had more clothes on in bed than he took off!" Trudy adds. "He couldn't get warm in bed at all."
Barclay missed the family he left behind in Georgetown, British Guiana, pictured here in 1941
Barclay found it difficult to find a new job and ended up walking the streets of Manchester looking for work. He was eventually hired by the Manchester Ship Canal dry dock.
The couple settled in to their new life in Manchester. They joined the local sports club, where they played tennis.
"We won a set of cutlery in the doubles," Barclay says.
The local Catholic priest agreed to perform a second wedding ceremony for them in his church. Two daughters - Jean and Betty - followed, and the young family were desperate to get a home of their own.
"The priest mentioned that they were building houses in Wythenshawe," Barclay says.
"Nobody from Manchester wanted to live there, as there we no shops, just fields."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Trudy and Barclay on the secrets of a happy marriage
Trudy went to have a look at the new housing development.
"There was thick mud everywhere and I had a baby in my arms as I stood looking at the place. I couldn't get inside to look but I didn't care. I couldn't live in one room any more."
She went straight to the Town Hall and told them they would take one of the new houses.
"We were jumping for joy when we got the key," Trudy says.
Jean and Betty Patoir. Trudy made sure her daughter always looked neat and tidy
The Patoirs were one of the first families to move into the area.
"We were the only mixed-race couple there but we didn't have any trouble in the community," Trudy says.
"When this place filled up everyone loved our girls."
However, their daughter Jean did encounter bullying on her first day at primary school.
"The teacher sent her home and asked me to keep her home while she had a chance to talk to the school about how God loved all his children. Jean didn't have problems after that," Trudy says.
Trudy's mother Margaret also changed her attitude towards Barclay after her granddaughters were born.
"She would come every weekend to stay - she loved seeing the girls," Trudy says.
Trudy and Barclay celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in September 2014. They received congratulations from the Pope (above)
Both Trudy and Barclay think attitudes to mixed-race relationships have improved dramatically over the decades.
"Before people would stop and watch you, or whisper and laugh as you passed and now they're not bothered," Barclay says.
"People don't walk on the other side of the street like they used to," Trudy adds.
Barclay has been very active in the community over the years. He has been president of the local social club, a school governor and sat on the local hospital board. He got involved in local politics after he stopped working at the dry dock in 1979.
The couple now have two children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
"It's hard to keep track of them all," Trudy says.
They received congratulations from the Queen and the Pope on their 70th wedding anniversary in 2014.
"We discuss things if we don't agree. We never really had a big argument," Trudy says.
"We're so used to each other, we don't aggravate each other," Barclay agrees.
While Trudy says she "can't put her finger on" what she loves most about Barclay, her husband has a ready answer.
"Trudy is genuine, she's a partner," he says. "Every morning I wake up I thank the Lord for having such a good wife."
Trudy and Barclay have lived in the same house for 70 years
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39003902 |
Dubai Championships: Roger Federer loses to qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in round two - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Australian Open champion Roger Federer suffers a shock defeat by qualifier Evgeny Donskoy at the Dubai Championships. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Australian Open champion Roger Federer suffered a shock defeat by Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in the Dubai Championships second round.
Federer had three match points in the second set, served for the match at 5-3 in the third and led the deciding tie-break 5-1 but Donskoy fought back brilliantly.
The world number one, 29, is playing his first tournament since his fourth-round defeat at the Australian Open in January.
Murray, who won in one hour and 12 minutes, will face Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the last eight.
British number two Dan Evans was beaten 6-4 3-6 6-1 by fourth seed Gael Monfils of France.
The 26-year-old, at a career-high ranking of 43, lost the opening set but levelled as Monfils held serve only once in the second set.
But Monfils raced through the decider to complete victory in one hour and 35 minutes.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39131505 |
Michael Phelps says he never faced a completely clean international field - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Former swimmer Michael Phelps - the most decorated Olympian ever - believes he never raced against a clean international field. | null | Last updated on .From the section Swimming
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, believes he never raced against a completely clean international field.
The American former swimmer, 31, wants US lawmakers to push for global anti-doping reforms.
"I don't believe I've stood up at an international competition and the rest of the field has been clean," he said.
Phelps was giving evidence at a US House of Representatives hearing into improving anti-doping measures.
The US government helps to fund the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the committee could recommend giving more money to the organisation.
Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals, added: "Throughout my career, I have thought that some athletes were cheating and in some cases those suspicions were confirmed.
"Given all the testing I and others have been through, I have a hard time understanding this."
Phelps spoke out against drugs cheats at the Rio Olympics.
When asked about Russian Yulia Efimova, who won Olympic silver after two positive tests, he said dopers returning to elite action "breaks his heart".
A report commissioned by Wada and written by lawyer Richard McLaren claimed in December that more than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015.
Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, also addressed Tuesday's hearing at the House of Representatives. He told politicians the International Olympic Committee had let down clean athletes after opting against a blanket ban of Russian athletes at Rio 2016.
The IOC instead allowed individual sports to decide their own policy.
"At least two Olympic Games were corrupted and, at the Rio Games this past August, scores of Russian athletes were allowed to compete without credible anti-doping measures," said Tygart.
"When the moment came, despite mountains of evidence and vocal opposition from anti-doping leaders and clean athletes from around the world, the IOC chose to welcome the Russian Olympic Committee to Rio."
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied government officials were complicit in doping the country's athletes.
"In Russia we never had, don't have, and I hope won't have a state-sponsored doping programme. On the contrary, there will only be a fight against doping," he said in a television broadcast.
He added a new doping control system was being put together. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/39125244 |
Trump addresses Congress: A kinder, gentler president - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Donald Trump tones down the rhetoric and sticks to the script - for a change | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. President Trump: "What we are witnessing today is the renewal of the American spirit"
At least for one night, Donald Trump put aside the bombast and bellicosity of a campaign that seemed to bleed into his presidency. On a presidential stage, he acted and sounded not unlike presidents of the past. Presidential, even.
In his first address to a joint session of Congress, after a tumultuous first month in office, Mr Trump delivered a conventional speech in a conventional manner. That it was unexpected, and that the bar for success was knee-high at best, is life in the age of Trump.
Yes, much of the content was the same - the calls for a border wall, the (unfounded) allegations that undocumented immigrants are prone to crime, the full-throated exposition of an "America first" economic nationalism and the warning that US allies must pay their fair share - but the delivery was smooth and polished.
There was a moment before the speech when cameras captured Mr Trump in his armoured limousine, rehearsing his lines. Practice, it seems, made good, if not perfect. For once, Donald Trump's delivery was spoken, not shouted. He appeared poised, not petulant; forceful, not forced.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. President Trump: "Real and positive immigration reform is possible"
As this was largely a traditionally crafted speech, there were some painful cliches and political pabulum to which a typical politician might be prone, of course.
The line "we just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts, the bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls and the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action" likely induced cringes from high-school English teachers across the nation.
Also typical of such addresses was a text light on policy, touching on most of Mr Trump's agenda in vague generalities. There were several key moments that defined his speech, however, which could have a lasting impact.
After spending a few paragraphs blasting Obamacare, including motioning directly at the Democrats during his sharpest condemnations, the president laid down a few markers for what he wanted to see replace the current system.
Americans with pre-existing medical conditions should be able to get coverage. The transition from the current government-exchange system of insurance for those who don't have employer-based health insurance must be "stable". Insurance subsidies should be morphed into tax credits and health savings accounts, which let Americans put aside tax-free dollars for medical expenses.
Democrats in Congress were not impressed by Donald Trump's healthcare reform ideas
States need the "resources and flexibility" to provide insurance for the poor. Drug prices must go down, and doctors should have greater legal protections. Provisions preventing the purchase of insurance across state lines - which allow places like California to more stringently regulate their insurance industries - should be repealed.
All of those provisions will be resisted by Democrats. A few will be questioned by some Republicans. For the first time, however, the president has staked out ground in the fight.
If his detailing was productive, it was somewhat undermined by a final, typical Trumpian flourish of pie-in-the-sky rhetoric.
"Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed," he said. "Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing and hope."
Just a few days earlier, the president had remarked that "nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated". Now he's promising rainbows and unicorns.
The Republicans in Congress have their work cut out for them.
It was easily the most moving portion of evening. It may also end up being one of the most contentious.
The president, toward the end of his speech pointed to Carryn Owens, the widow of US soldier Ryan Owens, who was killed during a commando raid in Yemen just days after Mr Trump took office. As the Congress applauded the grieving woman, Mr Trump said her husband's "legacy is etched into eternity".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carryn Owens, the widow of fallen Navy Seal, Ryan Owens, is brought to tears
As a standalone moment, it was powerful. Viewed in the context of an ongoing controversy over the overall success and wisdom of the raid, which resulted in 25 civilian casualties including nine children (one of whom was a US citizen), the moment becomes infused with politics.
Mr Trump quoted his Defence Secretary, James Mattis, as saying the raid produced "vital intelligence" - although earlier news reports indicated that was not the case.
Arizona Senator John McCain has called the operation a failure, and the slain soldier's father, William Owens, refused to meet with president and called for a formal investigation into the incident. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump appeared to lay the blame for Owens' death at the feet of the military.
"They came to see me, and they explained what they wanted to do," he said. "My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades, I believe, and they lost Ryan."
By highlighting the raid, and putting a spotlight on Carryn Owens, the president has offered a high-profile response to the criticisms.
The move may only lead to greater scrutiny and sharper questioning, however.
During his 1996 State of the Union Address, Bill Clinton asserted that the era of big government was over.
Toward the end of his speech on Tuesday, Donald Trump said it was the "time for small thinking" that was over.
Big government, it seems, is making a comeback.
Defence spending, as promised last week, is headed for a $54bn boost. Now Mr Trump has revealed the size of his planned infrastructure programme, and it's a whopping $1 trillion.
Although he said that some of the amount would be funded by "private capital" (an idea that has some Democrats fearful of corruption or abuse), the goal is still remarkable and the impact on the public purse will surely be sizeable.
Throw in Mr Trump's promise of a "great, great wall along our southern border" - with estimates starting at $12bn - and "massive tax relief for the middle class", and the price tag for his speech proposals is on an express elevator to astronomical.
"Cures to illnesses that have always plagued us are not too much to hope," Mr Trump said. "American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream. Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to expect. And streets where mothers are safe from fear - schools where children learn in peace - and jobs where Americans prosper and grow - are not too much to ask."
Nowhere in the president's speech, however, was there mention of how these programmes would be financed. While the Trump officials spoke of cuts to federal agencies and departments last week, talk of "tough choices" was notably absent on Tuesday night.
The only reference to the national debt - the reduction of which was once a top priority for Republicans of all stripes - was a passing mention of the subject during a litany of Barack Obama's economic failings.
Back in the early days of the George W Bush administration, Vice-President Dick Cheney memorably said "deficits don't matter". After an eight-year absence, those days are here again.
Back in the early hours of 9 November, as he took the stage to claim his improbable presidential victory, Donald Trump issued a call for national unity and healing.
"Now is the time to bind the wounds of division," he said. "I say to Democrats and Republicans it is time to come together as one united people."
Since that moment, Mr Trump has seemed more attuned to the needs and desires of his core base of supporters, and less interested in reaching out to Democrats and independents.
In his inaugural address, the new president railed against the establishment, many of whom were seated uncomfortably behind him.
In his first month in office, the president has been mostly confrontational in word and deed.
Then, on Tuesday night, his November rhetoric resurfaced at last.
"Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people," the president said.
Perhaps it's a reflection of a change in strategy. Perhaps it's a recognition that he will need at least some Democratic support in Congress if he wants to pass the more ambitious portions of his legislative agenda.
On immigration in particular, the change of tone was jarring, even from within the speech itself. Amidst warning of the threats posed by illegal immigration to jobs and safety, the president seemingly extended an olive branch to his opponents.
"I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's security, and to restore respect for our laws," he said. "If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens, then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades."
Earlier in the day Trump himself had told journalists - on background - that he was open to providing normalised status for undocumented immigrants who had committed no serious crime, which would represent a significant reversal from past statements. He didn't go nearly as far in his speech, but the door was opened.
It could, of course, slam shut tomorrow, and all the talk of unity could vanish in a flurry of tweets. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39124349 |
How India uses recycled pipes to detect ferocious solar storms - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Steel pipes which were once buried under a gold mine are used as sensors to catch cosmic rays. | India | Artwork: The Earth's magnetosphere protects the planet from a continuous flow of cosmic radiation
What does a sensational scientific discovery about a solar storm in the Earth's magnetic field have to do with old, recycled steel pipes which lay buried for more than a decade under a now-defunct gold mine in India?
More than 3,700 such pipes are actually at the heart of a most significant scientific finding.
A team of Indian and Japanese scientists recently published an internationally-feted paper which recorded the events that unfolded after a breach in the Earth's magnetic shield.
Using the GRAPES-3 muon (a sub-atomic particle) telescope - the world's largest of its kind - at the Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ooty, a hill station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the scientists recorded a two-hour burst of galactic cosmic rays that invaded the atmosphere on 22 June 2015.
The magnetic field breach was the result of charged particles from the Sun striking the Earth at high speed.
Solar storms of such high magnitudes can knock out satellites and aircraft autopilots, cause catastrophic power outages, and take us, according to one of the scientists leading the research, Dr Sunil Gupta, "back to the Stone Age".
Auroras are one of the consequences of geomagnetic storms
The world's largest and most sensitive cosmic ray telescope located in Ooty is made up of four-decades old recycled zinc-coated steel pipes.
"Necessity is the mother of invention. When you don't have the money to buy new, expensive stuff, you look within the system to find out your own solutions to reduce costs. India's scientists have mastered the art of recycling and coming up with their own inexpensive solutions," Pallava Bagla, India correspondent for Science magazine, told me.
A notable example: India's 2014 operation mission to Mars, cost the exchequer 4.5bn rupees ($67m;£54m), almost 10 times less than the American Maven orbiter. (This prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to quip that India's real-life Martian adventure cost less than Hollywood film Gravity.) The Ooty laboratory's annual budget is about $375,000.
The zinc-coated steel pipes once lay under one of the deepest gold mines in the world
The 6m (19.65 ft) long pipes, which acted as sensors in the telescope, lay in underground caverns below the centuries-old Kolar Gold Fields in southern Karnataka state, home to one of the world's deepest gold mines, for nearly two-decades.
The pipes were imported from Japan - where they are normally used at building construction sites - to help a team of Indian and Japanese scientists examine neutrinos, sub-atomic particles produced in high energy interactions in the galaxy and beyond. The scientists had laid them 2km (1.24 miles) below the earth for their experiment.
When gold prices fell to unprofitable levels and the fields began shutting down in the early 1990s, authorities planned to remove the pipes and dispose them off as scrap. "We said we want to re-use them for our experiments," Dr Gupta told me.
Eventually, some 7,500 of the pipes were transported by truck to a hilly 100-acre campus that the laboratory shares with a radio astronomy centre. The place skirts a forest populated by deer, bison, tigers and wild boars. Recently, CCTV cameras captured a tiger strolling past the sensors at night.
Work on recording cosmic rays in Ooty began in right earnest in 1998, when the scientists began making muon sensors from the discarded pipes to research high energy cosmic rays.
The Sun periodically ejects vast clouds of charged particles into space
Mohammad Haroon, a gardener at the facility, has learnt to weld the old pipes
Today, 3,712 steel tubes, stacked up against layers of concrete, are housed across 560 sq m in four squat brown-and-white colour buildings, home to the world's largest such muon telescope. There are a couple of dozen such telescopes in the world, but none as powerful as the one in Ooty.
At the laboratory, a small group of scientists and assorted helpers - local gardeners and carpenters, for example - continue to recycle the old pipes, so that they can be used as cosmic ray detectors.
To do this, they open the pipes and clean them with high pressure water jets. They insert a 100 micron - as thick as a strand of human hair - tungsten wire into the pipe and anchor it at both ends with hermetic seals. The pipes are then filled with a gas comprising methane and argon and an electric potential run through it to enable it to become an effective sensor.
Finally, they are laid out in rows - below two metres of concrete, which act as absorbers - to become a muon telescope.
The fabled jugaad - an Indian colloquial word that means ingenious improvisation in the face of scarce resources - extends to using the pipes as sensors.
When the scientists at the laboratory wanted to make doubly sure that the old pipes were not leaking, they modified a helium spray gun by attaching a 7-cent injection syringe needle to the nozzle of the gas jet to help them to carry out the precise leak tests.
A cosmic ray signal captured on an oscilloscope at the laboratory
The opening in the magnetic shield was detected with the GRAPES-3 muon telescope
"Every day, we make 10 such recycled pipes ready for our experiments. The plan was to make very sensitive sensors to detect the weakest of signals. We wanted to measure cosmic rays with higher sensitivity than ever done before", says Atul Jain, a scientist at the facility.
The laboratory itself is a shining example of home-grown innovation. The majority of the electronic equipment is designed, assembled and manufactured in-house. The software for the computer programmes is locally made.
The 40GB of raw data from cosmic rays that it generates every day is stored and processed by a cluster of computers which has been largely assembled in-house, cutting costs and saving hefty maintenance fees. Old computers are stripped for parts. A locally developed cooling system using fans saves electricity and protects the computers.
A spray gun modified in house for the precise locations of leaks by attaching a syringe needle
At the moment, the scientists plan to pore over 17 years of data on cosmic rays recorded by the lab's sensors to find out whether they offer more clues about forecasting space weather and advance warnings about solar flares. They say there have been some 38 severe solar storms in the past 17 years.
"We should be able to sift through our data to find out more about them. For us, they are a gift from the Sun, because they add to our knowledge on space weather," says Dr Gupta. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-39100109 |
Manchester City 5-1 Huddersfield Town - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Manchester City cruise into the FA Cup quarter-finals after fighting back to beat visitors Huddersfield in their fifth-round replay. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester City cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals after fighting back to beat much-changed Championship promotion hopefuls Huddersfield in their fifth-round replay.
After a 0-0 draw in the original tie, the visitors led when Harry Bunn's shot went through Claudio Bravo's legs.
But tap-ins from Leroy Sane and Pablo Zabaleta, with Sergio Aguero's clinical penalty in between, turned the replay in City's favour before half-time.
Aguero swept in Raheem Sterling's cross at the near post for City's fourth, before substitute Kelechi Iheanacho poked in with the last kick of the game.
City's reward is a quarter-final trip to Premier League rivals Middlesbrough on Saturday, 11 March (12:15 GMT).
Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City last summer with the clear remit from owner Sheikh Mansour to take the club to "a new level".
While that demand is largely thought to mean success in the Champions League, the City hierarchy will also want to see the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach deliver domestic trophies.
Winning the Premier League looks to be a uphill task with Chelsea 11 points clear, while Manchester United took the season's first silverware by claiming the EFL Cup.
But they have moved into the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time in four seasons after overcoming an early scare against Huddersfield.
"Seeing their biggest rivals United bag the first trophy of the season means City will be thinking 'we want a piece of that'," said Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer.
"I think this is their best chance of silverware this season."
Not a Bravo performance - or was it?
Despite the relative ease of extending their unbeaten run to eight matches, there were still some concerning sights for Guardiola. Namely more uncertain goalkeeping from the returning Bravo.
Guardiola reiterated his confidence in the former Barcelona keeper before the replay, despite trusting Willy Caballero instead in City's past four Premier League matches and the Champions League last-16 win against Monaco.
However, he watched the Chilean make another error to gift the opening goal to former City youngster Bunn.
The 33-year-old stopper, who was dropped after conceding 16 goals from the previous 24 shots on target he had faced in the Premier League, let Bunn's low strike through his legs in Huddersfield's first effort on target.
That led to ironic applause from the home fans when Bravo blocked Huddersfield's second shot at goal shortly before half-time.
Guardiola did not appear pleased, turning around to glare at the supporters behind him.
Afterwards the Spaniard described Bravo's performance as "top", adding "his performance with the foot helped us build up".
All not lost for promotion-chasing Town
Huddersfield had lost only one of their previous 18 games in all competitions, putting them third in the Championship and in the thick of the promotion race.
Playing in the Premier League for the first time is clearly their priority.
Head coach David Wagner, sat in the stands after being given a two-match touchline ban, made nine changes to his regular team - but it hardly showed in the opening 20 minutes.
Bunn's opener sent the 7,200 travelling fans into delirium and, although the Terriers could not sustain the same level as the game wore on, credit must be given for the way they continued to try to attack after the break.
Joe Lolley wasted an excellent chance for Town to get back in the game when he headed over the bar from close range, while away fans hopefully demanded a penalty when Collin Quaner fell in the box under the lightest of challenges from John Stones.
While the scoreline ended heavily in favour of their opponents, Huddersfield will return to their promotion challenge full of heart before what could be a memorable run-in.
Aguero's future has been subject to much speculation after he was dropped by Guardiola last month, with leading European clubs said to be expected to bid for the Argentina international this summer.
Here he showed the City boss exactly what he can offer: movement, energy, tenacity - and goals. Guardiola was suitably impressed, praising the striker's performance as "the best I've seen from him".
"Even in the moment (when we conceded) we were playing quite good, we made good things against a good team.
"We are happy because we're in the quarter-finals. I was impressed with Huddersfield in both halves - they have good quality players. We missed a lot of the last passes. But OK - we knew how tough it could be and we play in a good performance.
"It's the best Sergio Aguero ever. Today the performance was amazing. The runs were at the right moment and the right tempo. His performance was top - the same with Claudio Bravo, his performance with the foot helped us build up."
"Of course the start was positive because we went in front but we were not at our best, performance-wise.
"We have shown too much respect, unfortunately, against a very strong Manchester City side.
"Congratulations to Pep. The result was fair. We made too many easy mistakes when we had the ball and when we defended we were not aggressive enough.
"When you play against Manchester City you have to be very aggressive."
Both sides go back to the pursuit of the top two in their respective leagues.
City travel to relegation-threatened Sunderland on Sunday (16:00 GMT), while Huddersfield host leaders Newcastle in a promotion clash on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
• None Goal! Manchester City 5, Huddersfield Town 1. Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jesús Navas with a cross.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt missed. Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
• None Attempt blocked. Jack Payne (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Collin Quaner.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Martin Cranie (Huddersfield Town) because of an injury.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Kelechi Iheanacho tries a through ball, but Raheem Sterling is caught offside.
• None Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Goal! Manchester City 4, Huddersfield Town 1. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.
• None Offside, Huddersfield Town. Jon Gorenc Stankovic tries a through ball, but Collin Quaner is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39035253 |
FA Cup: Sir Patrick Stewart previews Manchester City v Huddersfield Town - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Huddersfield Town fan Sir Patrick Stewart narrates the inspirational poem Thinking, by Walter D. Wintle, before his team's FA Cup fifth-round replay against Manchester City. | null | Huddersfield Town fan Sir Patrick Stewart narrates the inspirational poem Thinking, by Walter D. Wintle, before his team's FA Cup fifth-round replay against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola: Man City boss will make Joe Hart wait on his future
Watch all the best action from the FA Cup fifth round here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39130690 |
How Sousse attack led to security improvements in Tunisia - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Britain has been part of the international effort to improve Tunisia's security. | UK | When the Sousse terrorist attack took place in June 2015 the Tunisian authorities had almost no effective counter-terrorism capability.
Still coping with the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolt, they had little to no idea who was posting extremist material online, who they were in contact with, nor even who was professing a desire to carry out violent jihad.
Tunisia's shared border with Libya, already by then a haven for extremist Islamist militants, was as porous as a sieve.
A lot has changed since then.
Although Britain initially upset Tunisia by changing its travel advice to warn against all but essential travel to the country, hurting the tourist industry by effectively advising British tourists not to go there, it has put enormous efforts into helping Tunisia improve its security.
Under a scheme run jointly by the Foreign Office and the Home Office, a team of police officers has been deployed from National Counter Terrorism Police headquarters, including specialists in the protection of airports, hotels and resorts and other tourist locations.
Together with a team from France, the British experts have been focussing on aviation security, visiting seven Tunisian airports that have all had direct flight connections to the UK, looking at ways to improve security, notably passenger and cargo screening.
Alongside the French, Britain's policemen have also been "training the trainers", helping Tunisia to set up its own cadre of trainers, teaching them current best practice on how to react to bomb threats or a marauding firearms attack similar to those suffered by Tunisia in 2015.
An overseas training film on how to respond to a terrorist attack is now being distributed, similar to the one issued by the police here entitled "Run, Hide, Tell".
A Whitehall official told the BBC that the aim was to improve the way people respond to an attack, including not just the police and military but hoteliers and other staff at resorts.
Since the Sousse attack Tunisia has built a 125-mile border wall with Libya, known as a "berm", to try to prevent jihadists crossing over from so-called Islamic State and other training camps.
The US and Germany have been the lead advisers here but the UK has provided CCTV equipment and training.
British cyber analysts have also been advising the Tunisian authorities on how to find and take down extremist content online.
Britain's efforts are part of a G7-plus international initiative to help improve Tunisia's security.
It involves all the G7 nations as well as Spain, Belgium, EU, Switzerland and Turkey.
In December 2016 Tunisia's minister of the interior came to London and signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding with Home Secretary Amber Rudd on counter terrorism and counter extremism.
Foreign Office Minister, Tobias Elwood, said today: "It is in the West's interests to help Tunisia boost its security and we have stood by our friend."
Diplomats point out there has not been a significant terrorist attack in Tunisia in over a year.
Yet no one is being complacent.
It was not until 2013 that the Tunisian authorities even acknowledged they had a security problem, and despite a massive improvement in their capability there remain concerns about porous borders and infiltration by extremists coming from Algeria and southern Libya.
There is also the question of returning IS fighters from Syria and Iraq, an area Britain is advising on.
Tunisia has one of the highest per capita ratios of fighters going off to join IS.
As with Britain, many will now be looking to come home. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39118522 |
Murderer Tanveer Ahmed inspires Pakistani hardliners from Scottish jail - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tanveer Ahmed was convicted of a brutal murder- but crowds rally around him in his native Pakistan. | Asia | Tanveer Ahmed claimed that he murdered Mr Shah as he had "disrespected" Islam
When Tanveer Ahmed was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in jail for murder last August, Judge Lady Rae said he had committed a "brutal, barbaric and horrific crime".
Ahmed stabbed to death Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah - who belonged to the persecuted Ahmadi sect - because he believed he was committing blasphemy by uploading online videos in which he claimed to be a prophet.
But in Pakistan, Ahmed is developing a growing number of supporters who see him as a "defender of Islam" for having killed someone they believed to be disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad.
On Monday evening, about 400 gathered outside his family's home in the city of Mirpur, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir for a rally in his honour. The crowd chanted slogans praising Ahmed as "brave" and "courageous".
One man attending said: "Because of what he did, the whole of Pakistan knows who he is."
Supporters champion Tanveer Ahmed for killing a man they accuse of blasphemy
Another speaker told supporters Ahmed could help mediate their prayers.
"You should close your eyes, raise your hand towards the sky and pray, making Ghazi [warrior] Tanveer your representative," he said.
The event was organised by the anti-blasphemy religious lobby group Labaik Ya Rasool Ullah (Here I am present, o Prophet of Allah).
The same group has championed another killer - Mumtaz Qadri - who in 2011 shot dead a high profile Pakistani politician for trying to reform the country's blasphemy laws.
Mumtaz Qadri on the day of his arrest in 2011 - he was later executed
Blasphemy is an emotive issue in Pakistan, where it is legally punishable by death.
After Qadri was executed last year, tens of thousands of his supporters attended his funeral, and a shrine housing his tomb has been built in Rawalpindi.
Hardline cleric Khadim Rizvi is one of the leading figures in Labaik Ya Rasool Ullah, and is the most prominent supporter of Tanveer Ahmed.
As well as images of Mumtaz Qadri, Rizvi now uses images of Ahmed to promote his rallies and talks.
Ahmed had cited Qadri as his inspiration for killing his victim, and their supporters often compare the two killers.
In a BBC interview Rizvi said support for Ahmed was not as widespread as that for Qadri - but that Ahmed was held in particularly high esteem for having killed someone accused of blasphemy in a non-Muslim country.
Ahmed's image is now used alongside Qadri to promote the rallies
Over the past few months a Facebook page run by Rizvi's followers has released a number of audio messages from Ahmed whilst in jail. The messages included Ahmed justifying his own actions - and repeating slogans that "the penalty for blasphemers is for their heads to be cut off".
Rizvi was prevented from attending the rally in Mirpur by police, but I met him earlier this month after another rally.
He said that until recently he would talk to Tanveer Ahmed on the phone "every couple of weeks", and that he was proud of his friendship with him.
"I'm proud of the fact that we are in contact - and this pride will remain until the day of judgement and beyond."
Rizvi added that his conversations with Ahmed included discussions on the topic of blasphemy, and chants in support of the Prophet Muhammad.
After a BBC report in January 2017 on Ahmed's audio messages from jail, the Scottish Prison Service banned him from using the phone.
Khadim Rizvi said "real Sufis" cannot simply allow insults to the Prophet
Rizvi said since the ban he had not spoken to Ahmed - but was confident they would resume contact.
"God willing it won't change anything - phonecalls have been banned - letters haven't - he will write to us."
Rizvi, Ahmed and Qadri all come from the Sufi Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam, one normally associated with more spiritual interpretations of the religion.
Rizvi, for example, is vocal in his condemnation of recent attacks in Pakistan, and of militant groups like the so-called Islamic State.
But in Pakistan, Barelvis have been at the forefront of anti-blasphemy campaigns.
"A Sufi is someone who devotes his life to the Prophet Muhammad - if someone insults the Prophet and they just let it go - they are not a real Sufi," Rizvi said.
Other Sufi Barelvi scholars strongly disagree with Rizvi's position - but he is an influential figure in Pakistan.
At the mosque in Glasgow that Asad Shah used to attend, there is concern at how hardline views on blasphemy from Pakistan are being spread in the UK.
Abdul Abid, former president of the Scottish Ahmadiyya community, said: "Pakistan has got a problem - and this problem is being exported outside of Pakistan."
Now it seems Tanveer Ahmed - from a jail cell in Scotland - is helping strengthen the anti-blasphemy movement back in Pakistan. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39112840 |
Actress speaks out against 'casting couch culture' - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tamil star Varalaxmi Sarathkumar opens up about sexual harassment in the Indian film industry. | BBC Trending | In a note that she titled "Needs to be said", South Indian actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar opened up on Twitter, about the issue of sexual harassment within the film business.
Varalaxmi, who works in the Tamil film industry, wrote that in a recent working meeting she had been propositioned by a programming head of a leading TV channel.
"Towards the end of the half hour meeting, he asked me, 'So when can we meet outside?' To which I replied, 'Regarding some other work?' He said, 'No... for other things'," she said in a post that has been liked thousands of times.
She declined the offer, writing: "I didn't come to the industry to be treated like a piece of meat."
"Women in the film industry have accepted the fate of the 'casting couch'," Varalaxmi told BBC Trending, referring to the widely alleged practice whereby actresses are given parts in films in return for granting sexual favours.
"They act like it's like normal," she says.
"So when I spoke to people about my experience they said, 'But, the film industry is this way, why did you enter it?'
"But I and the other actresses in the industry have entered it because we're passionate about acting. I don't think it means if you're passionate about acting you have to sleep with someone."
The actress didn't reveal the identity of the alleged harasser, but said the incident was only the "tip of the iceberg".
Varalaxmi's words received support from many on social media - including from fellow actress Rupa Manjari.
The post was published two days after the alleged abduction and rape of a fellow popular Indian actress in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The actress, who has not been named, told police that she had been attacked inside her car by three strangers who flagged down her vehicle as she was being driven to work.
The news sparked outrage on social media, as well as at a rally attended by some of the most prominent members of the Indian film industry, demanding that more be done to protect women.
Fellow South Indian actress Manju Warrier expressed her outrage on her Malayalam Facebook page, saying "I pray to god that it doesn't happen to any other girl."
"It's very unfortunate what happened to her. No woman should be violated the way she was," Varalaxmi says. "But there is hypocrisy within the film industry, because while we condemn the act, people are reluctant to say that part of the industry is also like this.
"When something happens to a celebrity, justice is immediate," Varalaxmi tells Trending.
"The police find the culprits immediately, the verdicts are passed really, really fast. But if it happens to a laywoman, it takes twice as long."
Laljy.K., the Assistant Police Commissioner of Ernakulam, near where the alleged rape took place, told BBC Trending that Sarathkumar's assertion was mistaken, and that police in the region were committed to the safety of all women.
He added that an anti-harassment help number had been opened and more police cars assigned since the incident, in order to assist all women.
Sarathkumar's campaign to help the Indian women who are subject to harassment is called Shakti, meaning "to be able"
Varalaxmi is also campaigning, organising her own rally in Chennai on 8 March, International Women's Day, in order to raise awareness and demand for tougher punishments for those who harass women in India.
"Probably abroad women are taught to be a little more liberal, but down in India, although we say we're liberal, we're not there yet," she says. "Women are taught that if anything goes wrong, we are supposed to feel ashamed of it.
"It's the mindset that we have to change."
Varalaxmi and her actor father Sarathkumar are prominent members of the South Indian film industry
Varalaxmi, whose father Sarathkumar is also a prominent actor, adds that her family's standing and security meant she could say no. But she tells BBC Trending she's aware that is not a privilege afforded to other actresses.
"I was fortunate that I could say no, but there are other women who may have to give in to the request, because they come from backgrounds where you need the work."
But how big a problem within the film industry is this?
"It happens all the time, but we've been conditioned not to talk about it. We are taught to feel shame if it happens to us.
"I'm not playing victim here. I'm just speaking out about my experience in order to stand up for all the women who can't stand up for themselves."
Next story: Transgender dolls and all that Jazz
What has been described as the first transgender doll has gone into production in the US. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-39105285 |
Ed Sheeran: 'I've got a song that's better than Thinking Out Loud' - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | In an exclusive online interview, Ed Sheeran takes us behind the scenes of his third album, ÷ (Divide). | Entertainment & Arts | Ed Sheeran: "I think this year is going to be a high point."
In the first instalment of an exclusive online two-part interview, Ed Sheeran takes BBC Music reporter Mark Savage behind the scenes of his third album, ÷ (Divide).
In the lobby of Atlantic Records in West London, a poster of Ed Sheeran's massive face peeks out from behind a chandelier, smiling beatifically at you.
As you get in the lift, there he is again. And when you walk past the boardroom, he's present in puppet form - the marionette from his Sing video is stood upright in a glass presentation case.
We're ushered into the press office, where Ed's magazine covers have all been framed and hung on the wall. There's the NME, Q magazine, Rolling Stone, Billboard... and someone has stuck googly eyes on them all.
It encapsulates him perfectly: Ed Sheeran is pop's most self-deprecating megastar.
According to film director Sharon Maguire, who shot his cameo in Bridget Jones' Baby, "the more insulting we made it, the more he loved it".
And when he sold out three nights at Wembley, he delighted in the Big Issue's description of him as "the world's first stadium busker".
"I didn't have a guitar case in front of the stage, though," Sheeran laughs. "Although that probably would have been fun."
When he arrives, Sheeran saunters into the room in regulation scruffy jeans and a hoodie, his mop of ginger hair squashed haphazardly under a baseball cap.
The scar on his cheek, a result of Princess Beatrice slicing him open with a sword while pretending to knight fellow pop singer James Blunt, is much deeper than it appears in photos.
The star released two singles simultaneously to announce his comeback - but he has more up his sleeve
But he's not here to talk about that. There's the small matter of his third album, ÷ (Divide). Already tipped to be one of the year's biggest sellers, it finds the singer-songwriter in a new position: having to live up to expectations.
After his unassuming debut, Sheeran's second album, 2014's x, was a revelation: from the Pharrell Williams produced beats of Sing to the heart-melting ballad Thinking Out Loud, it was the sound of a writer flexing his muscles and realising he could punch above his weight.
The album sold 13 million copies worldwide - but if there was pressure to follow it up, Sheeran took no notice.
"I felt that with the first album," he says. "I remember thinking I would never write a song as good as A Team. And then Thinking Out Loud came, and I was like, 'Oh, OK, well maybe it's not impossible.'
"So going into this album, there was no worry at all because I knew I'd done it before. It's not like Thinking Out Loud will be the peak of my career. It's definitely happened on this album. There's definitely one that's better."
The song he's referring to is Perfect. A swoonsome waltz-time ode about his "beautiful and smart" girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn, that's guaranteed to soundtrack thousands of first dances before the year is out.
He says the song was inspired by "being in love" - but then he gives a glimpse of his alter-ego: the ambitious and astute music industry businessman.
Thinking Out Loud, he points out, was co-written with folk singer Amy Wadge, "and if I had another song as big as that, I wanted it to just say my name on the credits".
"So I did a lot of solo writing, and that was one of the things that came out of it."
Elaborating on the theme, he explains how the entire album was constructed according to a blueprint.
"I had in my mind what sound should be on what song, and which subject matter would be on which song - so I'd write 10 songs for that [idea].
"So there's six or seven songs about Suffolk, but Castle On The Hill was the best one. And then there was a bunch of wedding songs, I guess, and Perfect was the best one."
His approach impressed one of pop's most seasoned writers.
"Ed is super-intelligent and he's savvier than just about anyone I've ever met," says OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, whose hits include Beyonce's Halo and Adele's Rumour Has It.
Together, Tedder and Sheeran wrote more than two dozen songs during the ÷ (Divide) sessions.
"We'll do, like, 15 or 16 in a day," says Sheeran. "We might do one finished song, and then we'll put loads of ideas down - because we've got so many ideas, it doesn't make sense to spend five hours working on just one."
While the album contains only one of those songs, a ballad called Happier, Tedder isn't worried.
"I have all these voice notes of different songs with him that, if I was smart, I would be pitching to Justin Bieber," he laughs.
The singer frames Sheeran's success in the context of Malcolm Gladwell's theory that genius takes at least 10,000 hours of hard work.
He says: "Ed said to me, 'Look, all things considered, you and I both know people that are more talented than us, but you know what they say about 10,000 hours? How many guys do you know that have put in 30,000?'
"There aren't a lot of us. We both are obsessed."
Sheeran was the first artist to headline Wembley Stadium solo, without a backing band
It sounds like incredibly hard work - but Sheeran's songs never come across as tired or forced.
Take his U2-style stomper Castle On The Hill.
The lyrics effortlessly evoke his childhood in Framlingham - "Fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, Running from the law through the backfields and getting drunk with my friends" - but he didn't spend hours labouring over them in a notebook.
"I never write anything down," he says. "That was literally just done line by line, just then and there with a microphone. I put down things that rhyme in my head, and then it forms into a song.
"Listening back to it, I was like, 'Oh wow, it actually makes a lot of sense.' But that isn't how I approached it at all."
Castle On The Hill was released on 6 January, at the same time as the more up-tempo, BBC Radio 1 friendly Shape Of You.
Both records have dominated the charts since, shifting two million copies.
Shape Of You has been at number one for the duration; so did Sheeran know in advance which would do better?
"I've always said Shape Of You is going to be the biggest now, but Castle On The Hill is going to be the biggest in 20 years," he states matter-of-factly.
"Castle On The Hill is a heritage song that I'll be remembered for."
Sheeran has sold more than 22 million albums worldwide
The new album splits between these two extremes - slipping smoothly between beat-driven pop hits and acoustic stadium anthems.
If, as is rumoured, he headlines the third night of Glastonbury this summer, the tracks have already been road-tested with his trusty loop pedal; meaning he'll continue to play solo, armed with nothing more than his travel-sized guitar.
"I don't feel like if I suddenly got a band, everyone would go, 'Wow,'" he says. "I actually feel it'd take away from me."
"When you've got a band and it's quite rehearsed, it can get quite monotonous night after night.
"Whereas with a loop pedal, you're on edge the whole time because it might go wrong in front of 87,000 people - so it makes it more exciting."
As you might have worked out by now, Sheeran is supremely confident. Yet he never betrays the sort of ego that derails other artists.
This is evident in his songs, too, remaining relatable even when he sings about visiting "four cities, two planes, the same day".
That lyric is from Don't - a song which, like the rest of his previous album, he described as being about "drunken regret". On ÷ (Divide), there's no such theme.
"At first, it was a really happy album," he says, "then I thought it was too happy so I took some of the happy songs off it.
"So it's just a well-rounded view of me right now. Not drunken regret. There's actually no drunken regret on it at all."
Has he stopped drinking, then?
Ed Sheeran's album, ÷, is released on Friday, 3 March by Atlantic Records.
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-39113501 |
Donald Trump: Rory McIlroy surprised by criticism after round with US president - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Rory McIlroy says he was surprised by the extent of the criticism he received for playing golf with US President Donald Trump. | null | Last updated on .From the section Golf
World number three Rory McIlroy says he was "taken aback" by the extent of the criticism he received for playing golf with US President Donald Trump.
McIlroy, who returns to the PGA Tour in Mexico this week after nearly two months out with a rib injury, says he was called "a fascist and a bigot".
"It's not as if we were talking foreign policy out there," said the Northern Irishman. "We were talking golf."
McIlroy also met Tiger Woods, and said the American was "in a good place".
Former world number one Woods has been plagued by injury in recent years, and has not played since pulling out of the second round of February's Dubai Desert Classic because of back spasms.
McIlroy said the 41-year-old could still play in the Masters - which he has won four times - in April.
"It's a possibility," said McIlroy, who had lunch with Woods last week. "Mentally, he's in a good place.
"He struggled with his body over the past couple years and it's unfortunate because it just won't allow him to do what he wants to do."
• None Iain Carter analysis: McIlroy's clubs need to do the talking
'I was just doing what I felt was respectful'
McIlroy was speaking at a news conference streamed on the PGA Tour's Facebook page.
Asked about his round with Trump at the president's Trump International course in Florida last week, he said: "I was just doing what I felt was respectful.
"The president of the United States phones you up and wants to play golf with you. I wasn't going to say no.
"I don't agree with everything he says but it is what it is. I'm not an American. I can't vote. Even if I could vote I don't think I would have."
McIlroy said he had a "good time" and seeing "30 secret service and 30 cops and snipers in the trees" was "a surreal experience".
'It's been a little tough for me'
McIlroy is preparing to compete in the WGC-Mexico Championship, which begins on Thursday.
And he hopes his injury lay-off is actually "a blessing in disguise".
The former world number one, who won the last of his four majors in 2014, said: "I feel like I'm probably stronger now than I was in November, December last year."
McIlroy can reclaim top spot in the rankings if he wins at the Club de Golf Chapultepec and Dustin Johnson finishes in a two-way tie for third or worse.
"I don't think we make too big a deal of it," he said. "It's not as if I earn any more money as the world number one, it's just nice to be able to say you're the best in the world at what you do.
"It's been a really great group of guys that have won the last few weeks and it's been a little tough for me." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/39125405 |
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Newcastle United - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Newcastle score twice in the final 10 minutes to come from behind to beat Championship promotion rivals Brighton. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Mohamed Diame and Ayoze Perez scored in the last 10 minutes as Newcastle came from behind to snatch a dramatic victory at Brighton and move back to the top of the Championship.
The Seagulls looked set to open a four-point lead over the Magpies at the top thanks to a penalty from Glenn Murray.
But Diame equalised when Christian Atsu's shot looped up off his boot.
And then Atsu crossed from the left for substitute Perez, who had only come on seven minutes earlier, to fire home.
The victory moves Newcastle two points above Brighton as they attempt to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Seagulls were fired up for this top-of-the table contest and made a terrific start, camping in the Newcastle half and forcing Karl Darlow into two saves before he was beaten by the spot-kick from Murray.
But the penalty was controversial, with Murray and Ciaran Clark appearing to wrestle each other, but Bobby Madley pointed to the spot.
Soon after, left-back Sebastien Pocognoli was forced off with an injury to be replaced by Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori and Newcastle took advantage of the disruption.
They started to dominate possession with Atsu looking dangerous on the right, but failed to really trouble David Stockdale until first-half stoppage time when the Brighton goalkeeper had to deny Matt Ritchie and Atsu.
Although Paul Dummett brilliantly cleared off the line from Lewis Dunk at the start of the second half, Brighton became careless with Yoan Gouffran failing to capitalise on mistakes by Steve Sidwell and Stockdale.
Brighton had their moments but Newcastle looked the more dangerous side, even though they were let down by poor finishing, before they finally broke through.
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez, involved in some dramatic comebacks during his career, masterminded another one with his two late substitutions.
The first replacement, Daryl Murphy, had already become the latest player to be denied by Stockdale when the Magpies finally equalised with one of the most bizarre goals of the season.
Atsu, who had been a constant menace to Brighton all night, tried his luck from the edge of the area and the ball ricocheted off not one, but two colleagues, Diame being the second, before finding its way into the roof of the net.
A minute later, Benitez threw on Spanish striker Perez for the wasteful Gouffran, and within seven minutes he had hit the winner.
Atsu led the defence on a merry dance once again, after a superb sweeping 60-yard pass from Matt Ritchie, before crossing firmly from the left for Perez to slam home from close range.
Given their next few fixtures, it could be a vital victory for Newcastle as they face every other team in the current top seven in the next few weeks.
They travel to third-placed Huddersfield, who now trail them by eight points, on Saturday and then go to Reading next Tuesday. By the middle of April they also have to face Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds.
By contrast, Leeds, Derby and Norwich are the only other sides in the top half of the table who Brighton will face in their remaining 12 games.
The Seagulls are trying to return to the top flight for the first time since they were relegated in 1982-83 after missing out so cruelly last season. Having been pipped on goal difference by Middlesbrough to finish third, they then lost to Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off semi-finals.
What the managers said
Brighton manager Chris Hughton: "Was it [the equaliser] a sickener? Yes, and I don't think it was a result we deserved.
"I've seen the penalty and there is no doubt Clark has his hands all over him. The referee was in a good position to see it. I think it was a penalty.
"But then it's one of those really unfortunate goals. I wondered at the time how it had gone in.
"But that gives Newcastle momentum going into that last period. I didn't think we were at our best today but I still thought we would go on to win."
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez: "It was difficult when you play against a good team and with the advantage of goal from penalty that wasn't, it was more difficult.
"Watching the replay of the penalty he was pushing our player. But the reaction of the team was good.
"We were creating chances and you have to be pleased with the performance of everyone, on the pitch and off the bench.
"We created a lot of good situations before we got a little bit lucky. And Ayoze was calm and composed for the winner."
• None Attempt missed. Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Paul Dummett.
• None Glenn Murray (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Goal! Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Newcastle United 2. Ayoze Pérez (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Christian Atsu.
• None Attempt missed. Daryl Murphy (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Ayoze Pérez.
• None Goal! Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Newcastle United 1. Mohamed Diamé (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Daryl Murphy following a corner.
• None Attempt missed. Christian Atsu (Newcastle United) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right following a corner.
• None Attempt missed. Daryl Murphy (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Matt Ritchie with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Daryl Murphy (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Matt Ritchie with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39035302 |
MWC 2017: 5G - who wants it, who’ll pay? - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Next-generation 5G networks promise faster data speeds, but some warn of overexcitement. | Technology | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Why 5G could be ready to deploy by 2020
The hot topic at Mobile World Congress this year is not a new phone - apart from the Nokia 3310, they all look the same.
Nor is it a new technology like virtual reality - compared with last year, there seem to be fewer VR headsets around.
No, the biggest thing in Barcelona is something invisible that doesn't yet exist, 5G.
The hype about the potential of the next generation of mobile networks has reached new heights, with every major company exhibiting here eager to explain how it will be at the cutting edge of the coming 5G revolution.
Mobile World Congress offers industry insiders a chance to see new technology and strike deals
Governments too have decided it is now technologically correct (can I coin the term TC?) to rave about the importance to the economy of being 5G-ready.
On the UK stand, the Trade Minister, Greg Hands, told me funds would continue to pour into 5G research post-Brexit.
Over at the Intel stand, they had gone as far as to build a prototype 5G network to give us a feel of what this new connected paradise would be like.
There was an autonomous car, a connected home, and a smart lamppost all talking to the network at breakneck speed.
Visitors were invited to don a Microsoft HoloLens headset for an augmented reality display of seas of data flowing round the stand and up into the sky.
Microsoft is betting that computer users will want to see graphics superimposed over real-world views
It was easy to forget there was still no agreement on exactly what constitutes 5G, and most countries still had to work out what spectrum would be needed and how they would allocate it.
More important, perhaps, there is no sense that consumers know anything about it or have any sense that they want it - in fact my sense is that most would prefer to see a bit more of the 4G vision realised before the next revolution comes along.
But Intel's Aicha Evans did a good job explaining why we should be excited about the promise of 5G.
She told me: "Think about what was life like without smartphones - start there," and then explained that just as that revolution had connected people, so this next one would allow everything else to get connected, enabling all sorts of advances in the way we live.
Now, Intel is a hardware company that stands to benefit as the telecoms industry has to retool for 5G, but I came away from the exhibit almost convinced.
But then I ran into two 5G sceptics.
The first was a senior executive at one of the world's biggest mobile operators, who took a very cynical view of his industry's current state.
"Who's going to pay for it?" he asked me, adding operators were already seeing their margins squeezed, as they battled with nimble newcomers such as WhatsApp, and had little appetite to pour money into 5G without seeing much of a return.
Cars, robots and other electronics could all benefit from access to 5G data
The second was a chief technologist at a major networking equipment company - one that could stand to benefit from the 5G rollout.
But he described the hype around the technology as "irrational exuberance" - the same term used by an economist warning in the late 1990s about the dot-com bubble.
He believed that current advances in 4G - what's known as Gigabit LTE, which enables much faster data rates over existing networks - offered a more practical and affordable solution.
Samsung also discussed its 5G plans at its MWC press conference
Nevertheless, he said, there was such a head of steam behind 5G that it was likely to happen, just as the dot-com bubble had led to vast and unaffordable investments in fibre networks.
But the result was likely to be another radical reshaping of the telecoms industry,
So the 5G revolution is coming.
But who will benefit and who will end up going bust as a result of it is far from clear. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39106519 |
FA Cup: Sergio Aguero penalty puts Man City ahead against Huddersfield - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Sergio Aguero slots home from the penalty spot to put Manchester City 2-1 up against Huddersfield Town in their FA Cup fifth-round replay. | null | Sergio Aguero slots home from the penalty spot to put Manchester City ahead against Huddersfield Town in their FA Cup fifth-round replay.
Watch all the best action from the FA Cup fifth round here.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39136046 |
Ford Bridgend loses out in global race - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ford's more global outlook to its operations leaves its Bridgend engine plant vulnerable. | Wales | The decline that is on the horizon for the Bridgend engine plant is the latest phase of a shift in gear that has been going on since the early 1990s.
The change in emphasis goes back to 2008 and the "one Ford Plan" - the decision at Ford HQ in Dearborn in the States to "go global."
This meant operating as a global company and no longer having Ford UK and Ford Europe making different designs of cars compared with the USA and rest of the world.
In contrast it would become a more centralised global operation with the same models selling across the world and investment going to the plants that can prove they are the most efficient.
For Wales, and the Bridgend engine plant, that meant it would not just have to compete to be more efficient than Ford's engine plants in Valencia and Cologne - which it had done successfully for decades - it would in future have to compete globally.
Bridgend is one of a number of plants in Ford's European operations
When Ford decided to cease car assembly in the UK, that made the landscape more challenging for Bridgend.
The Halewood plant in Liverpool stopped assembling cars for Ford in 1997 and concentrated on Jaguar and later vehicles for Jaguar Land Rover. Ford also stopped assembling cars at its Dagenham plant in Essex in 2002, concentrating on engines instead.
In 2013, the Transit van factory in Southampton closed, marking the end of Ford making vehicles in the UK.
Now engines made in Bridgend are shipped all over the world to be put into cars before being sent back to showrooms in the UK . You may well be driving around Wales in a Ford car with a Welsh engine but the car will probably have been built in Germany.
With Ford's European car assembly also based in Romania, Russia and Turkey, it is now a long and less efficient way of supplying engines to production lines.
With Brexit now on the agenda and the possibility of trade barriers, duties - taxes in effect being put on UK products entering the EU and also goods flowing from the EU to the UK - factories making engines here will have to be even more efficient to be kept open by Ford.
For the Bridgend engine plant all these factors coming together is increasing the pressure.
If an engine entering Valencia had a tariff added to its cost only to be then shipped back to the UK with another tariff put on it then it is easy to see why Ford might consider in the future using engines made in Valencia in cars assembled in the same plant.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story behind how the Ford engine plant in Bridgend was built between 1977 and 1980.
HOW FORD CAME TO BRIDGEND
Ford chose Bridgend for its new engine plant in the summer of 1977 after competition from elsewhere in Europe, chiefly from Ireland.
The company had gone back to the Welsh Development Agency, which it impressed despite rejecting deals for two smaller projects. It needed an engine for its new model - code-named Erika - which was designed to rescue the company from the doldrums, especially in Europe and America.
The car became the next generation Ford Escort, and would be built at Halewood on Merseyside and at Saarlouis in Germany from 1980.
The Ford factory being built in the late 1970s
The mark III Ford Escort - which was nearly called the Ford Erika after its development name
The American company looked at sites in Briton Ferry, Shotton and was close to choosing Llantrisant before opting for development land in Bridgend.
The deal was finalised after the then Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan - also a Cardiff MP - entertained the Ford Europe chairman at Chequers and then also invited Henry Ford - the grandson of the company's founder - to lunch at No 10.
The firm had concerns about strikes and Britain's industrial relations record.
But the deal was worth £36m in government money out of the £180m total cost - although there was also investment at other plants in the UK tied in. The grants for buildings and equipment also included £1m towards a new rail link to the plant.
By the mid 1970s and the fuel crisis, Ford was adapting its cars to be economical and for the family
The promise was 2,500 jobs but by the time it opened in May 1980, Ford had decided to take on only 1,400 workers.
Some of the work had already been switched to Valencia. The new Escort would have three different sized engines, not all made at Bridgend. Some would also go into the smaller Ford Fiesta. Executives had also been to Japan to see production techniques and the same number of engines could be produced there by just 800 workers.
But with industries like steel and mining in difficulty, there was still a big response in south Wales - 22,000 people applied for the new jobs and it would become one of the most important employers along the "M4 corridor".
The "Erika" and her successor would by the end of the 1980s be arguably the UK's most popular car with more than 1.6m models on the roads.
When Ford announced in 2015 that Bridgend has secured investment for the next petrol engine project called Dragon it said 250,000 engines would be made a year.
The plant has a capacity for three times that and at the time there were those who were concerned that this signalled the start of a run down of the plant.
At the moment 1,850 people work at Ford Bridgend making the Sigma engine and also engines for Jaguar. It has planned to cease making engines for Jaguar in 2019 - the same year as production of the Sigma engine for Ford is due to end.
It is hard to see how Ford can retain anywhere near the existing level of workers when it is no longer making engines for Jaguar and with a relatively small turnover of new Dragon engines.
But it is not just the size of the workforce that could become unsustainable; the site is massive and it would become increasingly hard for local managers to argue the case that the plant makes economic sense to global Ford. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-37556644 |
Liverpool's 2022 Commonwealth Games offer after Durban admits uncertainty - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Liverpool offers to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after hosts Durban admit funding concerns. | Liverpool | Liverpool's Pier Head hosted the opening stage of the Tour of Britain in 2014
Liverpool has offered to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after hosts Durban admitted it might not be able to afford it.
South Africa's sports minister Fikile Mbalula said the government had been forced to have a rethink due to financial restraints.
Liverpool, which is bidding to host the 2026 games, has now offered to step in if Durban cannot host.
The Commonwealth Games Federation will make the final decision over Durban.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson has written to Sports Minister Tracey Crouch to express the city's interest after Commonwealth Games officials hinted another host might be needed.
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "Liverpool is interested in hosting the games in 2022.
"We had heard rumours that Durban might be unable to deliver the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and have already indicated to the government that we are very willing to host them instead."
Durban was awarded the Games in 2015 after being the only city to make a confirmed bid.
But the South African government has been unable to come to agreement with the Commonwealth Games Federation over paying for the tournament.
Mr Mbalula said: "It does not look like we will find each other.
"We have given it our best shot, but we cannot live beyond our means."
Birmingham is also bidding to host 2026 but as yet has not offered to stage the games in 2022.
Cllr Ian Ward, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "We are aware of the comments coming from Durban.
"Here in Birmingham we are producing a feasibility study on what would be needed for a 2026 games in the city.
"That is due to be completed in April, at which point we will be in a position to decide what we want to do."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-39118266 |
Tunisia attack survivor: 'I've had the same nightmare 50 times' - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | One man recalls how he risked his life to help victims of the terror attack in Sousse. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Meet Allen Pembroke, the British holidaymaker who went back to the beach
Allen Pembroke has had the same nightmare 50 times. So far.
It is late morning on 26 June 2015. He is on the beach in the Tunisian resort of Port El Kantaoui near Sousse.
The Islamist gunman Seifeddine Rezgui is in the midst of his shooting rampage targeting British and other European holidaymakers at the Imperial hotel.
Mr Pembroke is trying to comfort a badly-injured British woman, when suddenly he realises Rezgui has returned to the beach and is standing behind them, about to open fire.
Somehow he manages to grab the high-powered assault rifle and turn it so it is pointing into the air.
It is then that Mr Pembroke wakes up in a sweat after lashing out. Sometimes he throws punches in his sleep.
Almost two years after the attack, which he and his wife witnessed close-up, they are still struggling to overcome the trauma, despite destroying all photographs, documents and other memorabilia from the trip.
Thirty of the 38 people killed by a gunman on a Tunisian beach were British
"It's had a massive impact," says Mr Pembroke, 62, who works as a service manager at a car company in London.
"It's never going to go, and unfortunately since that day there've been several other terrorist incidents.
"With each incident, it's recall, we re-live the day.
"Even the start of the inquest... it just re-opens the wound."
While many caught up in the attack ran for their lives when the shooting began, Mr Pembroke did something very different.
After hearing the first shots on the beach, he and his wife ran to their room a few metres away in a hotel next to the Imperial.
"While I am dragging her to the room, I could hear rapid gunfire, screaming, and bullets flying overhead," he said.
"I took her to the room and said, 'Stay there, please don't open the door, stay away from the window and lie on the floor.'"
Mr Pembroke then ran straight back to the beach towards the sound of the gunfire.
"I just wanted to help… I couldn't just secure myself in the room. I would have felt cowardly because I'd seen people go down, there was screaming.
"I thought, I've got some basic first aid skills, so let me see what I can do."
Among the sun loungers close to the water's edge, he found people lying in pools of blood with injuries so horrific he did not want the details to be repeated.
He also found Cheryl Mellor, still alive after being shot in the leg and arm, drifting in and out of consciousness.
"I asked her if she was English and she replied that she was. So I said, 'My name is Allen and I will do what I can to help.'"
Her hand had been blown off by the impact of a high velocity round from Rezgui's Kalashnikov rifle.
Mr Pembroke grabbed a scarf and tied it around her arm as a makeshift tourniquet and then used a towel to stem the bleeding from her leg.
But the most difficult task was yet to come.
Mrs Mellor wanted to know what had happened to her husband, Stephen, who was lying nearby with severe wounds to his chest.
Mr Pembroke checked his pulse but there was nothing.
"Do you really want to know?" Mr Pembroke asked.
"Yes," she replied. She passed out when he told her that her husband was dead.
Later he offered to carry her to safety but she insisted on staying next to her husband, saying she would play dead if the gunman returned to the beach.
He did, but she survived.
Mr Pembroke spent 20 minutes on the beach comforting Mrs Mellor and checking to see if any other holidaymakers who had been shot were still alive.
He says he was alone and no one else was helping.
"I saw no military or medical staff and it's only in recent reports that I found out that the police waited, they fainted, they hid.
"That's unforgivable, they need to be accountable for that."
By the end of the attack 38 people, including 30 Britons, were killed.
Rezgui was later shot dead by police.
Although still haunted by what he saw on that day, Mr Pembroke has tried to resume a normal life.
But he has taken on another job as well.
He is now a trained community first responder for the voluntary organisation, St John Ambulance.
He also remains in regular contact with Mrs Mellor, so they can help support each other.
"It gives me some peace," he added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39106599 |
Q&A: Cycling inquiry, Team Sky, Sir Bradley Wiggins and the 'mystery package' - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | As MPs look at the circumstances surrounding a jiffy bag delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2011, we look at the background to the inquiry. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
A 'mystery' medical package, a courier, a doctor, a world-famous rider and a ground-breaking cycling team. It's a story of many parts.
As MPs again look at the circumstances surrounding a jiffy bag delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2011, we look at the background to the inquiry.
Read more: No medical records for 'mystery package'
How did this issue arise?
Team Sky came under pressure to reveal the contents of the 'mystery' package following a Daily Mail allegation in October 2016.
The newspaper claimed a jiffy bag was delivered to Team Sky on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine - which Wiggins won - by Simon Cope, a former professional rider then working as a coach for British Cycling's women's teams.
Cope reportedly made the trip at the request of the team and Dr Richard Freeman, then a medic at Team Sky who now works with British Cycling.
He was said to have flown into Geneva Airport, driven for two hours to France to deliver the package before driving back to Geneva, where he was accompanied by the team's former head coach Shane Sutton, and flew back to the UK.
UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) then began an investigation into the contents of the package.
Team boss Sir Dave Brailsford was already facing questions after Wiggins' use of a banned steroid before races was leaked by hackers Fancy Bears.
Wiggins had sought therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for the anti-inflammatory drug triamcinoclone, for allergies and respiratory issues before the 2011 Tour de France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
Brailsford defended the five-time Olympic champion and insisted the team "do not cross the line" on performance-enhancing drugs.
What was in the package?
In an interview with Cycling News, Cope said he did not know what was contained in the package he was asked to carry.
"It was just an envelope, a jiffy bag, a small jiffy bag," he said. "As far as I know it could have been pedals in there."
When Brailsford faced the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) hearing into doping in sport in December, he said he had been told by Freeman that "it was Fluimucil for a nebuliser".
Sutton confirmed the package was for Wiggins, who won the event.
Fluimucil is a decongestant which is used to clear mucus.
It is legal in sport and Brailsford said it was "administered on a regular basis".
Former Olympic champion Nicole Cooke, who has been critical of Cope's role in the matter, was unhappy with Brailsford's testimony, pointing out Fluimucil is available freely over the counter in France, costing 10 euros (£8).
She also said there were eight pharmacies located within 5km of where the team bus was parked in France going into the final day of the Dauphine.
Who else was unhappy at Brailsford's testimony?
David Kenworthy, the outgoing chairman of Ukad, told the BBC the answers given by figures within British Cycling and Team Sky to the DCMS committee were "very disappointing".
Kenworthy said: "People could remember a package that was delivered to France, they can remember who asked for it, they can remember the route it took, who delivered it, the times it arrived. The select committee has got expense sheets and travel documents.
"So everybody can remember this from five years ago, but no-one can remember what was in the package. That strikes me as being extraordinary. It is very disappointing."
When asked about Brailsford's explanation, Kenworthy said: "Well that's what Dave Brailsford came out with at the hearing. But actually, if you recall, he didn't say: 'I know that's what it was.' He said: 'I have been told that's what it was.'"
Committee chairman Damian Collins MP said: "There is a considerable public interest in Ukad's investigation and it is also important to our inquiry into doping in sport to understand what they have been able to determine from their investigation.
"The committee has been told by both British Cycling and Team Sky that they have supplied all the information they have relating to this investigation to Ukad.
"However, we need to know if they have received documentary evidence which confirms what was in the package that was delivered by Simon Cope to Team Sky.
"Without this evidence, I am concerned about how it is possible for the anti-doping rules to be policed in an appropriate manner, if it is not possible to review the records of medicines prescribed to riders by the team doctors."
What was Brailsford's reaction to the criticism?
Brailsford has admitted to handling the crisis "badly", after providing initial explanations for the delivery to the Daily Mail that later turned out to be wrong.
In an interview with the BBC in January, Brailsford insisted Team Sky can be trusted "100%".
When Kenworthy's quotes were put to him, he answered: "The only extraordinary thing I could see was that he actually commented on the whole process himself.
"There is an open investigation that is still ongoing."
Brailsford refused to confirm or deny whether he or anyone else at Team Sky had been able to provide paperwork to prove the package contained Fluimucil.
"I will give what I have got to Ukad," he said. "I said what I had to say in the DCMS and I am leaving it there. I am leaving it to the right people so they can analyse it and go through the right process. We are contributing everything we have got to the process.
"I can't talk on behalf of British Cycling."
British Cycling says it cannot comment while a Ukad investigation is ongoing.
Team Sky have said they are "confident" no wrongdoing will be found when the inquiry is concluded.
Track cyclist Jess Varnish, 26, was dropped from British Cycling's elite programme last April, after which former technical director Sutton was found to have used sexist language towards her.
Sutton was later cleared of eight of nine allegations.
British Cycling found he had used the word "bitches" to Varnish, but the rest of her allegations - including a claim he told her to "go and have a baby" - were not upheld.
Sutton resigned after being suspended pending the investigation, but has always denied wrongdoing.
British Cycling is preparing to brief riders and staff about an 'action plan' of reforms following concerns over the culture at its performance programme.
After Varnish's claims of a 'culture of fear' were supported by other former riders, British Rowing chair Annamarie Phelps was asked to lead an independent investigation into claims of bullying, favouritism and sexism.
Her report - described by one senior source as "explosive" - is due to be published in the next month. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/39122401 |
Leicester manager search: Roy Hodgson talks to Premier League champions - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | Premier League champions Leicester have held informal talks with former England boss Roy Hodgson over their managerial vacancy. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Premier League champions Leicester have held informal talks with former England boss Roy Hodgson about him becoming their new manager.
However, it is thought the 69-year-old was just one potential candidate spoken to in the search for Claudio Ranieri's replacement.
And acting boss Craig Shakespeare could stay in charge until the end of the season if results continue to improve.
Ranieri was sacked on 23 February, nine months after winning the title.
The Italian departed with the Foxes just one point above the relegation zone.
Shakespeare's first match as caretaker manager resulted in a 3-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday.
Defender Danny Simpson said Shakespeare is a "top coach and a top guy".
He said: "He has kept it simple and told us what he wanted to do, which was simple and basic, and we've done that so let's hope we can carry it on for him."
Hodgson has been out of work since resigning as England coach after they lost to Iceland at Euro 2016.
But his former goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely says Hodgson should be a leading contender for the Leicester job and the public perception of the veteran manager is "totally wrong".
Kiely, who worked under him at West Brom, said: "I can see why he's on anyone's shortlist."
Hodgson, who has been managing for more than 40 years, guided Fulham to the Europa League final in 2010 and had spells in charge of Liverpool and West Brom before he got the England job in 2012.
He took the Three Lions to the quarter-finals at Euro 2012, but two years later they were eliminated at the group stage of a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Hodgson's team won all 10 matches in qualifying for Euro 2016 but he quit after a 2-1 defeat by Iceland in the last 16 left him with a record of three victories from 11 games in major tournaments.
• None Hodgson 'can only be a benefit for Leicester'
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Kiely told BBC Radio 5 live: "The public perception is totally wrong to how he is as a person and how the players react to him, which is only positive from my point of view.
"The end of his England reign was quite negative but shouldn't wash away all the good work he had done in the campaign leading up to that and also his club management career, certainly at West Brom."
Kiely said Hodgson "brought stability" when he succeeded Roberto di Matteo at The Hawthorns in February 2011.
"He was great," said the former Charlton goalkeeper. "He just wants to be out on the training ground, with tracksuit on and coaching the players.
"I was fortunate to go in for England training when Roy invited me in. On the grass, he comes alive and the best thing for me was the players responded great to Roy.
"He's a fantastic fella away from football also, very engaging, and the time I spent with him was excellent for me. I learned a lot." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39125968 |
Government faces Brexit defeat in Lords - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Peers are likely to vote against the government over the rights of EU nationals to remain in the UK. | UK Politics | Theresa May watched the opening stages of the Brexit debate in the Lords
It's not that peers are trying to block Brexit. They have been adamant, time and again, that's not their game.
But tomorrow they are voting on a change they are trying to make to the government's Article 50 law (the legal process that will start Brexit), by pushing the government to give guarantees about the future of the three million or so people from other countries in the EU who live here.
Time and again Theresa May has said that she wants them to have "reciprocal rights" - to be allowed to stay and live as they wish - as long as Brits abroad get the same entitlements.
And time and again, she has said she wants to settle the issue early in the Brexit negotiations, and is hopeful of doing so.
Ministers have stopped short of giving a firm guarantee though. That's what peers want, and a Labour amendment tomorrow with support from peers from all parties will push for exactly that. And it seems there is enough support in the House of Lords to back the plan. That means defeat for the government, and embarrassment for Theresa May.
This afternoon, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has written to all members of the House of Lords in an effort to reassure. In the letter, she says that "nothing will change for any EU citizen, whether already resident in the UK or moving from the EU, without Parliament's approval".
The letter is not that different to what was sent to MPs previously to try to ease their minds, as the Article 50 legislation made its way through the House of Commons. It does though appear to kill off the idea that Theresa May will arbitrarily set a cut off date for EU immigration without having to get MPs or peers onside first. But it is unlikely to spare the government's blushes tomorrow. Without a further more dramatic concession, they are set to lose.
That will set in train the first 'ping' of the potential 'ping pong' - the Parliamentary process where the Lords reject something in the red chamber, sending it back down the corridors to the green benches - daring, imploring perhaps, backbenchers to join with them and push back at the government.
There is no sign at the moment that ministers want to budge on this issue. There's frustration that they have so far not been able to resolve it with their EU counterparts.
One cabinet minister told me it's "the Germans standing in the way". They are refusing to discuss anything at all until the formal process is underway.
A senior EU source though suggested this could have been dealt with already if Number 10 had played it differently. They argued, if Theresa May had tried to resolve the issue first with European Council president Donald Tusk on behalf of the whole of the EU, there could have been an early deal.
But by going to Germany first, seeming to try to deal country by country, it would never have been possible for Frau Merkel to agree. The source suggested this was an example of how Number 10 is yet to understand fully how much the dynamics of the EU dictate that the other 27 will try to stick together. Better handling of that could, perhaps, have avoided tomorrow's likely defeat.
Yet a predictable loss in the Lords may in one way be no bad thing for the government at this early stage of the whole process. The Lords aren't going to block Brexit, but they do want to make their voices heard.
And a source suggested that tomorrow's defeat "is not that bad for either side". Once the legislation makes it back to the Commons, if there are only a handful of Tory backbenchers who pile in on this issue, the government may well be able to ride it out. But that is a big if.
Ministers are well aware that tomorrow's defeat may well be the first of many. For a long time there have been warnings that Brexit is going to get pretty bumpy for the government in Parliament.
It's true that Theresa May has had to give a few concessions here and there to avoid defeat but tomorrow, for the first time, the government is likely to be beaten over Brexit. Not by MPs, but by the House of Lords. Sources tell me they don't just expect ministers to be beaten, but for the opposition to "win handsomely". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39121562 |
Shipping slump: Why a vessel worth $60m was sold as scrap - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Why are huge container ships, once worth millions of pounds, now being sold for scrap? | Business | The Hammonia Grenada was sold for scrap at the start of this year
In January 2010, the container ship Hammonia Grenada was delivered from a Chinese yard to its new owners, reportedly priced at about $60m (about £37m at that time).
Just seven years later - at the start of this year - it was sold for scrap. The price: an estimated $5.5m (£4.4m today).
It's not the only vessel to suffer this fate. Last year container ships were sold at rock-bottom prices for scrap in record numbers.
The simple reason is that there are too many ships for too little cargo.
The most dramatic casualty was South Korean group Hanjin, which collapsed last August weighed down by debts.
The container shipping industry, and Hanjin in particular, has been spectacularly wrong about the financial crisis - twice.
There was not one but two waves of container ship ordering in 2010, and then again in 2013-14. Interest rates were low and money was cheap. The result - a massive oversupply of vessels.
"The attitude in the industry was when you were not making profits the best thing to do was to cut costs, and the best way to cut costs is to increase scale, buying bigger and more fuel-efficient ships," explains Rahul Kapoor, director at shipping consultancy Drewry Financial Research Services.
"Before 2008 and 2009 the world had been growing consistently, and after 10 years of growth no-one in the shipping industry expected demand to shrink so fast.
"To start with they thought it was just a blip. But in reality it was structural, and they totally missed the structural problems."
And there was another reason to buy - and to buy big: the Panama Canal.
Last year it got a serious upgrade. The old locks could take container ships up to only 5,000 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, roughly one container). These are known as Panamaxes.
But the new locks, with gates weighing 700 tonnes or more, are designed to take so called Neo-Panamaxes. These are giants, equivalent to the width and length of three football pitches laid end to end, and can carry about 13,000 TEU.
The new lock gates on the Panama Canal weigh up to 700 tonnes and measure almost 30 metres high
So shippers looking to carry cargoes from Asia to the American east coast ports, can now take Neo-Panamaxes through the new canal - and sell off their smaller Panamaxes.
That's why Panamaxes like the Hammonia Grenada are going cheap - in fact, they're going nowhere. If you want to charter one, according to research group Clarksons, it will cost you less than half of what it did a year ago.
Andrew Scorer of S&P Platts says: "You have a steady trickle of ships going to the scrap yard under the blowtorch, but you have these bigger TEU ships with bigger capacity, and they're going to be ruling the waves for now."
Meanwhile, ports are modernising to take the bigger cargoes. Baltimore, Charleston, Miami, New York and Savannah are all updating facilities to accommodate the Neo-Panamaxes.
For instance, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to spend $2.7bn on enlarging its terminals and shipping lanes, and a further $1.3bn to raise a bridge by 20 metres to get the monsters through.
But the fundamental problem of oversupply has not gone away.
According to Clarksons, the global fleet of all types of commercial shipping is 50% larger than it was before the financial crisis.
In contrast, the World Trade Organization says growth in global trade has been much smaller, creeping up from $14.3 trillion in 2007 to $16.7tn in 2015, an increase of just 15%.
It's not necessarily all doom and gloom. In fact, Drewry's latest Shipping Outlook suggests the market could actually be at a turning point.
It believes the problem of too many ships for too little cargo is now set to improve, and forecasts global freight rates will increase by 12% this year after four years of decline.
Container ships may not be so relevant in an electronic world
But the reality is that the slowing in global trade may have more profound causes - not to do with shipping or economic growth, but to do with how and what we consume.
Last year, Mr Kapoor wrote a report for Drewry's using the example of his son's excitement at buying the Pokemon Go app and comparing his own habits 15 years earlier.
While his son was happy to buy something electronic, back in Mr Kapoor's youth he would have bought something physical that may well have been shipped in a container from Asia.
"In an increasingly knowledge based and services driven global economic expansion, the trade expansion is stagnating," he wrote.
"The global manufacturing engines, world trade, credit driven GDP growth model is being increasingly challenged and world trade seems to be stuck in a time warp, barely growing." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38653546 |
Team Sky: Doctor has no records of 'mystery package' for Sir Bradley Wiggins - BBC Sport | 2017-03-01 | null | A doctor who received a 'mystery package' for Sir Bradley Wiggins has no record of his medical treatment at the time, MPs are told. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
A doctor who received a 'mystery package' for Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2011 has no record of his medical treatment at the time, MPs have heard.
In 2014, ex-Team Sky medic Dr Richard Freeman had a laptop containing medical records stolen, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee were told.
Team Sky and British Cycling's record-keeping was questioned in the hearing.
"No one has any recognition of what was in the package," UK Anti-Doping chief Nicole Sapstead said on Wednesday.
The select committee is conducting an inquiry entitled 'Combatting doping in sport', while Ukad has been carrying out its own investigation into the contents of the jiffy bag package.
• None The cycling inquiry as it happened
Referring to Team Sky's incomplete records, Sapstead described it as "odd", adding that she thought a team founded on the premise of racing cleanly would have evidence "to demonstrate any inferences to the contrary".
Committee chairman Damian Collins MP said after the hearing that the "credibility of Team Sky and British Cycling is in tatters".
He added: "How can you say British Cycling is the cleanest and most ethical in the world when there are no records to substantiate what the doctors are giving the cyclists?"
Collins told BBC Sport the hearing had been "a damning indictment of the way things have been run" at both organisations.
Dr Freeman, who received the package from then-British Cycling coach Simon Cope on the final day of the Criterium du Dauphine in France in 2011, missed the hearing because of ill health.
Cope described himself as a "gap filler" for British Cycling and Team Sky and told MPs he did not ask what was in the package.
In December, Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford told the committee that Freeman had said the package contained an over-the-counter decongestant, Fluimucil.
But Sapstead said Ukad still does not know for sure if Fluimucil was in the package because there is no paperwork.
"We have asked for inventories and medical records and we have not been able to ascertain that because there are no records," she said.
What do Team Sky and British Cycling say?
Team Sky said they had "co-operated fully" with Ukad's investigation and denied any wrongdoing.
"Team Sky is a clean team," the statement said. "We abide by the rules and we are proud of our stance against doping.
"We believe our approach to anti-doping is rigorous and comprehensive."
British Cycling, meanwhile, acknowledged "serious failings in our record-keeping at the time" but said they would review and make changes to their processes.
"We are wholly committed to clean sport and I want to assure athletes, fans and all other stakeholders that this commitment is unwavering," said British Cycling chair Jonathan Browning.
"It is not enough to just be clean, we must also be able to demonstrate that we are clean."
• None Cope said he had no reason to be believe there was anything "untoward" in the package
• None He said he does not believe there is any cheating in British cycling
• None Asked if he felt "stitched up" and "left to dangle" because of the ongoing inquiry, Cope said "yes".
• None Sapstead said a UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) inquiry had been hampered by incomplete or non-existent records
• None She said: "Team Sky did have a policy of keeping records, just not everyone was adhering to it"
• None Freeman could potentially face investigation by the General Medical Council for his poor record-keeping
• None Wiggins said he was treated with Fluimucil but was unaware of the jiffy bag contents
• None Orders of the anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone were enough for more than one cyclist
• None There was no evidence of a cover-up or tampering of evidence, said Sapstead
It is the team which championed its use of marginal gains. But Team Sky, together with British Cycling, are now embroiled in a monumental mess.
The evidence provided by Nicole Sapstead, and in a different way by Simon Cope, has damaged the reputations of both organisations which have preached a commitment to keeping cycling drug-free in recent years.
The lack of effective auditing and the claimed "resistance" to investigators are problematic enough.
What will require a more rapid response is the assertion by Sapstead that records show British Cycling's medical store held a significant amount of triamcinolone, with suggestions it was being used by more than one rider.
Finding answers to that however would require access to every rider's medical files - a problem given the overriding requirements for doctor/patient confidentiality.
The implications of this long-running and ongoing affair could therefore be wide ranging.
What did anti-doping chief tell committee?
Sapstead said Ukad has interviewed 34 current and former riders and staff members at British Cycling and Team Sky in an investigation that has taken up more than 1,000 man hours.
She described the confusion of how Freeman, who was effectively working for both British Cycling and its road racing off-shoot Team Sky, ordered and stored medicine for riders at the governing body's Manchester headquarters, with no clear separation between which drug was for which outfit.
"It's very clear from our investigation that there is no audit trail of what is going in and out of a comprehensive supply of medical products," she said.
Sapstead was asked why Dr Freeman could not produce any evidence.
"He kept medical records on a laptop and, according to Team Sky policy, was meant to upload those records to a dropbox that the other team doctors had access to," she said.
"But he didn't do that, for whatever reason, and in 2014 his laptop was stolen while he was on holiday in Greece."
Sapstead said Ukad contacted Interpol to check if this theft was reported at the time but has not received any confirmation it was, although Freeman did report it to British Cycling.
What did courier tell committee?
Cope said he was asked by his then-boss Shane Sutton to pick up a package from the National Cycling Centre in Manchester on 8 June, 2011 and take it out to French ski resort La Toussuire, where the Dauphine [won by Wiggins] finished on 12 June.
He told MPs he considered this to be a routine request and common in cycling.
Questioned on why he did not ask what was in the package, he said: "Why would I question it? Why would I question the integrity of our governing body? I just didn't ask. You may think I'm stupid.
"It must have been something medical, because it was for Dr Freeman, but I had no reason to doubt it. Throughout my career, I've looked up to our governing body. We've done so well and with a zero-tolerance stance [on doping]."
When pointed to the fact he was taking medical products overseas, Cope - who now manages Wiggins' professional road-racing team - said: "I probably should have asked what was in the package but the other day I travelled down to Spain with 40 boxes in the car. I didn't check every box, but I presume they were helmets."
Cope was asked to explain a discrepancy between his recollection of his movements that week and the expense claim he submitted to British Cycling.
"I might have been trying to fiddle them. We all do that, don't we?" he said.
How did we get here?
Wiggins is a five-time Olympic gold medallist and in 2012 became the first Briton to win the Tour de France.
He and Team Sky boss Brailsford have come under scrutiny since information on the rider's authorised use of banned drugs to treat a medical condition was released by hackers.
Wiggins, an asthma and allergy sufferer, received special permission to use triamcinolone shortly before the 2012 Tour as well as the previous year's event and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
His TUEs were approved by British authorities, and cycling's world governing body the UCI. There is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or Team Sky broke any rules.
What the papers said | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/39128672 |
What happens when aid is given as direct cash transfers? - BBC News | 2017-03-01 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How charities working in Kenya are experimenting with cash transfers instead of more traditional forms of aid. | Africa | Joseph Ombimbo Nyakwaka and his wife Beatrice used their cash transfer to buy seeds and improve their home
What is the best way of ensuring aid money is used effectively and efficiently? In Kenya, charities are experimenting with direct cash transfers, allowing individual recipients to spend the money on whatever they like.
Thousands of groups spend billions of dollars every year helping tens of millions of people.
Whether it's a response to a humanitarian crisis or trying to lift communities out of poverty, aid accounts for a hefty chunk of the budgets of governments, UN agencies and international organisations.
It takes many different forms: sacks of grain delivered to hungry people, tents provided to the homeless or displaced, and increasingly it's cash - delivered electronically to a phone or credit card.
Some cash comes with conditions - allowing the bearer to buy only certain things for example, but there's a surge of support for unconditional direct cash transfers, because the research shows it can be incredibly effective.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What happens when aid is given in cash? How would you spend $1,000?
"Cash transfers are one of the social programmes that have been most extensively studied and we know that they can be very effective," said Francesca Bastagli from the Overseas Development Institute, which published a detailed report on the subject.
"Cash transfers increase people's income, people's consumption, particularly food consumption, but also improve dietary diversity.
"We find strong evidence linking cash transfers to increasing school attendance, health care visits, household savings, and increasing investments in productive assets."
In Kisumu, western Kenya, a charity called GiveDirectly has spent more than five years giving out large lump sums of money.
With the strapline "We aim to reshape international giving", it was started by a group of Harvard and MIT economics students and its impact has been closely researched.
Each recipient is sent about $1,000 (£800) in two or three instalments and they can spend the money on whatever they like.
"We find strong evidence linking cash transfers to increasing school attendance, health care visits, in household savings, and increasing investments in productive assets."
A new roof was a popular purchase in Kakojo village two years ago when the cash popped up on the phones of those selected.
"We use a variety of different indicators like asset ownership, the size of the house, the number of kids, that kind of thing," said Will Lee, the charity's country director for Kenya.
Emily Aeino Otieno's new tin roof not only helps her collect runoff water when it rains, but it saves her the money she was using to repair thatch twice a year.
"I'm happy because I'm not using any more money on my roof," she said.
"I can use that money to buy my clothes, food, pay school fees and other expenses."
And she also has a little business buying cooking fat in bulk and selling it off in small packets.
Joseph Ombimbo Nyakwaka and his wife Beatrice bought some seed and fertiliser and were harvesting maize to eat and sell.
They also paid for two cows and two calves as an investment, some wooden beams to improve their home, school fees for one of the children and even had some left over to pay a dowry - more than 30 years after they were married.
GiveDirectly claims 91% of the money people donate goes directly to those in need - taking out many of the overheads.
And it's not just charities or non-governmental organisations which are increasingly turning to the direct payment route.
The UK government's Department for International Development (DfID) funds them elsewhere in Kenya - in the drought-hit counties in the arid north and north-east.
In Wajir County, the cattle graze on whatever scraps of grass they can find as they plod through sand under a burning sun.
The pastoralists here are mainly nomads, leading their cattle, sheep, goats and camels to the water holes, but struggling to find them pasture.
Abdullahi Haji Abdi used to have 100 head of cattle, but the last big drought took many of them, and now he's trying to hold on to the few he has left.
The UK's Department for International Development has experimented with cash transfers in some parts of Kenya affected by severe drought
When times are tough the animals are sold to pay the bills - often when the price is at its lowest - and when the rains return the assets are gone and people just get poorer.
"If it wasn't for these cash payments I'd have to sell the livestock to pay for school fees, food for the family and the basic things," he told me.
When the credit is remotely added to his plastic card he pops it into one of those machines that normally takes debit card payments, and the teller checks his identity by scanning his fingerprint.
She then hands over the $25 or so he receives each month from a black plastic bag full of cash.
It's called the Hunger Safety Net Programme and provides regular payments to more than half a million people - 34% of that money was provided by Kenya last year, the rest funded by DfID.
The Kenyan government's National Drought Management Authority also makes payments to hundreds of thousands more people when drought starts to bite - all that money is provided by UK taxpayers.
In the UK, there has been criticism of government aid payments - especially in relation to direct cash transfers - with suggestions people would waste it or abuse the system.
"There is no evidence that recipients of cash transfers are using this cash on goods such as alcohol or tobacco," said Ms Bastagli from the Overseas Development Institute.
"There's a common claim that cash transfers can make people lazy or make them work less, but there's no evidence to suggest cash transfers lead to a reduction in people working." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39038402 |
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